Sam and Ben in New Mexico: June 2012

Return to the Gorge; a partial eclipse

We cannot stay away from Taos and its mountains and its trees and its gorge. So we went back there over Memorial Day weekend, this time accompanied by the talented Emily Barbee, and hiked down to the river.

Sam and Emily at the gorge.

The cactus in bloom.

Seriously, that gorge.

And then the sun was eclipsed by the moon. That was pretty cool.

Not your typical shadow behavior right there.


The neighborhood animals were going pretty crazy at this point.

Sam in the friscalating dusklight.

Truth, Consequences and west Texas

Don't worry, we also had time for some vacations. For our anniversary we made our way through strange and sinister southern New Mexico to Truth or Consequences, home to many hot springs and serious relaxation.

Desolate downtown T or C.

Happily ever after.


Dude.

Then, in June, we ventured even further south. Through El Paso and the desolation of west Texas to Marfa, TX, adopted hometown of minimalist sculptor Donald Judd. Marfa is a weird, beautiful place, an oasis of art, great food and great people in the middle of the desert.


Judd's untitled work in mill aluminum, at the Chinati foundation in Marfa. We did not take this photo.

Didn't take this one either. Judd's concrete boxes at the Chinati foundation.

Downtown Marfa.

The view from our patio (that's right) at the Paisano Hotel in Marfa. I covet that van.

At the beer garden in Marfa. In this photo I am looking at a very loud, tailless parrot.

Riding the river, conquering the peak

May was sweet. The nights became balmy and mellow. The notorious windy season started mild and ended early. So Sam and I did what any self-respecting Minnesotans would do in that situation: we floated down a river. Thanks to Leilani and Ranger Dean, we hitched a ride on a raft through the Rio Grande Gorge, north of Taos. The water was too low for rapids, but that just meant we didn't spill our beers. So no problem.