Land of Enchantment
The photos on this page were taken in the beautiful state of New Mexico, known as
"The Land of Enchantment."  Artists and photographers flock to the state because
of its breathtaking scenery.  People often speak of the special atmosphere, light
and colors that are unique to the area.  A large artistic community thrives in the
capital city of Santa Fe and in the state's largest city, Albuquerque.  -- Nancy
Well-known artist, Georgia O'Keeffe, lived in New Mexico for many years, part
of that time at a retreat known as Ghost Ranch.  The area was the subject of
many landscapes by Ms. O'Keeffe.  The photo directly below was taken there.
Above, ruins of the San Gregorio de Abo Mission, under the protective arc of a rainbow.
The unexcavated pueblo on this site dates back to 1300, however, the area was inhabited
by Indigenous Peoples of the Americas beginning as far back as 950.  Spanish explorers
arrived in 1581 and, by the 1620's, the Franciscans had constructed a mission here.  It
was enlarged in 1651 and it's the ruins of this second church that you see pictured above.
Both Pueblo and Christian sacred buildings and symbols have been found on the site.
The photo above and four below were taken at the Red Rock Balloon Rally,
held the first weekend of December each year, at Gallup, New Mexico.
Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the same story which is written across
the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see. -- C. S. Lewis
Tell a friend:
Please don't use the "Send Page" feature of your computer to
send this entire page in an e-mail message, document or pdf
format.  This distorts the layout and separates the page from
its source.  If you'd like to share it, please just send the link.
The link to this page is:
http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Enchantment.html
The picture of the crane above was taken at the Bosque del Apache National
Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico, one of the most spectacular refuges in
North America.  Founded in 1939, the refuge contains over 57,000 acres.
Hundreds of different species of birds have been observed on the refuge,
which attracts huge flocks of wintering sandhill cranes, geese and ducks.
The name is Spanish for "forest of the Apache," referring to the time when
the Spanish observed Apaches routinely camped in the riverside forest here.
Though we often fail to notice, the world is filled
with many kinds of magic.  -- Shunryu Suzuki
Above & below:  An artifact of the American West, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic
Railroad is the finest example of steam era mountain railroading in North America.
Beginning its run in Chama, New Mexico, it uses a track originally laid in 1880.
Chama is considered hallowed ground by many rail fans.  It houses one of
America's most complete railroad yards from the steam era.  The railway
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The substance of the wind is too thin for human eyes, its written language too difficult
for human minds and its spoken language too faint for human ears.  -- John Muir
In mythic tradition, the Mountain is the bond between Earth and Sky:  its
solitary summit reaches the sphere of eternity and its base spreads out
in manifold foothills into the world of mortals.  -- Rene Daumal
...