Ansel Adams was a well known photographer of the last century. He is known for many of his dramatic black and white photos of Yosemite National Park and there is a wilderness area named after him.

A friend took him to New Mexico to experience the wide open spaces, big blue skies and Indian culture such as he found at Taos Pueblo. While in New Mexico he became good friends with the painter Georgia O’Keefe.

This is his photo called ‘Moonrise Over Hernandez, New Mexico’ which is located a couple of hours North of Albuquerque.

This photo is called ‘Winnowing Grain at Taos Pueblo.’ The Taos Pueblo has been lived in since the 900s. There are still families who live there with no electricity, plumbing, or running water.

Living where we live, especially this time of year, we get afternoons with beautiful thunderhead clouds against our bright blue skies over the Sandia Mountains. In black and white photos those blue skies come out almost black which accentuates the clouds. My attempt to learn from Ansel Adams.

Every new mother can use help …

The Four-Wing Saltbush is one of our two main native plants along with Sage. You can see how it got the name from the collection of leaves. It blooms from April through October and its seeds are collected deep within the leaf bundles.

Besides food for birds, Indians of the Southwest and Great Basin have historically used Four-Wing Saltbush seeds for food, ceremonial purposes, and dyeing. The seeds are edible with a mild, salty taste and were parched to make flour by the Navajo. The Hopi and Zuni used the ashes of the plant in nixtamalization of maize (cooking the maize in an alkaline solution) and for medicinal or ritual purposes. Local Pueblo Indians still collect the seeds today in the late Summer and early Fall.

My kind of coffee …

Is this what we mean by ‘staycation?’ …

Dodgeball made me the man I am today …

This would be Jessie …

No nacho flavor in the 13th century? Sad …

Smoky Bear was found in Capitan, New Mexico as a cub after a forest fire. Betty, the boys and I saw him at the National Zoo in Washington, DC about a year before he died. His body was stolen at night (a church friend of ours participated in that adventure) and was returned to Capitan where he’s buried with a neat little museum of his life.

Can’t beat Far Side …

Jurassic Coke, Classic Coke, good times …

So true, so true …

Finally, sage advice for us in our latter years …

I ran across the following in a daily devotional from John Piper:

 “A great incentive to be authentic in our love to God is to recognize our best religious efforts duplicated in hell. Consider the “piety” of the demoniac in Luke 8:28:

When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech you, do not torment me.” (AT)

• The devil has religious insight: he recognizes Jesus as the Son of God. 
• The devil has a form of piety; he prays to Christ and entreats his benevolence: “Do not torment me!”
• The devil prays in a humble, contrite posture: “He . . . fell down before him.” 
• The devil prays earnestly and with expressions of deep feeling: “He cried out . . . and said with a loud voice.” 
• The devil uses humble expressions in his prayer: “I beseech you!” 
• The devil uses respectful and honorable designations for Christ: “Jesus, Son of the Most High God.” 

What is missing here? One thing: love for Christ. “

This made me stop and think and realize that my Christian walk is one of simplicity – loving Jesus.

If I’m not careful, I can complicate my walk with things I do. They can be good things, but if they’re not motivated by my love for Jesus, they’re meaningless.

My simple prayer: “Jesus, help me love you as you love me.”