White Solitude

There. Deep in the hear of nowhere it sat. Just so, at an angle designed to carefully shield the sun. It rested jauntily upon the top of a dune, a splash of color in the other otherwise desolate landscape. Actually, it was the only splash of color there, apart from the white and the blue of the distant mountains.

White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico is a place like no other. Trackless, endless dunes of white gypsum sand stretch as far as the eye can see, and beyond. The solitude and the silence deep in the dune field is like no other, and the only sounds heard are those that you yourself make… and even then you are just swallowed up by the vastness. It seems that no matter how far you walk, how many dunes you climb, or how many times your feet step forward there is one more dune ahead of you. Perhaps that’s true, but there is, of course, the mountains in the distance to provide contrast.

Being out among the dunes gives you, however, a deep sense of peace and tranquility. Intellectually, you know the dunes do not stretch forever, yet in your heart and soul you know that they must.

For those who crave solitude, this is the place to be. Just don’t forget your umbrella.

Yucca Dune

The emptiness, when seen from just the right angle, is absolute and complete. The white gypsum sands stretch on for an infinity, never beginning, never ending, always continuing, always stretching, endless emptiness.

And in the middle of this, life always finds a way. Growing in the middle of nowhere and everywhere, the Yucca, alone on its dune, perseveres. It is undaunted by the endless emptiness and continues its race against the sands. Make no mistake about it, either, for it is a race against life. If this Soapstone Yucca cannot grow quick enough or tall enough, the shifting sands of the dune will eventually cover it, overwhelming it and consuming it.

In the White Sands National Monument, this race happens throughout the dune field, with many victors and many losers. Some dunes have a lot of participants on them–others, like this dune, sport just one isolated yucca, which is leading the way, perhaps, for others yet to follow. For now, though, the race for survival continues on this Yucca Dune; the sands continue to stretch on to infinity, the silence complete and the outcome far from certain.

Copper Sunset

Every now and then in the desert southwest a magical sunset will happen. You’ll know it when you see it, too, for it is completely unlike any other sunset. Take this sunset, for example.

One moment the sun is heading below the horizon, just as normal as you please. And the very next moment the sky itself is breathtaking. The copper and golden colors appeared in the blink of an eye; and for an all too brief moment the sky deepened and took on even more copper.

But the moment was just that: a moment. For the darkness stole the color and the sunset was just a sunset. Luckily, the moment was captured and the Copper Sunset shall live on.

There are different sizes of this photo available at our portfolio. Copper Sunset is available for purchase, as well, and you can have this print framed and delivered right to your door.

Hawk Eye

The Red Tailed Hawk. Long held sacred and long sought after for falconry, it remains a formidable hunter. If you are in North American and look to the skies, chances are you might see one of the incredible birds of prey soaring above.

These are large birds. Very large, actually, and their wingspan can easily be over four feet. And they can live a pretty long time, as well: up to 20 years in the wild. No wonder this incredible bird holds such a special place among us.

This particular bird was caught as it was looking away from me, but just for a moment. As it turned its head, its eye caught the surrounding trees, and quick as a wink the picture was taken. And good thing, too, for the instant I took the picture it whirled its head back around to look at me long and hard. Those eyes, when they are looking straight at you, hold your attention, and makes you glad you are big enough to not be considered for lunch.

There are different sizes of this photo available at our portfolio. Branching Sunset is available for purchase, as well, and you can have this print framed and delivered right to your door.

Wolf Eyes

The eyes have it. Oh yes indeed, they have it. Deep. Intense. Staring right through you and at you at the same time. Yellow in exactly the shade of yellow that eyes should not be. Seeing you, all of you, sizing you up, measuring you, and taking complete stock of you. Non-blinking and non-wavering the eye have it.

And they have you.

This particular pair of eyes belongs to a wolf at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in Ramah, NM. The WSWS (when abbreviated) is all about the care and rehabilitation of wolves; they have more than a few there in varying stages of wolveness. Some are a little more gentle around humans than others. And some, like the guy, leave a little room for doubt.

Oh. And that spot of blood? Hard to see, I know, because the eyes hold you. But it certainly leaves room for doubt, doesn’t it?