In 2012 as Hurricane Sandy roared through NY and NJ causing destruction and devastation in its wake, it also roared through Ocean City, NJ, knocking down century old summer cottages off their foundations, swamping the quant downtown under two feet of water, and gave the iconic 59th St. pier its final blow.
In better days I witnessed miles of the most perfect shell sand, clean and white as snow, The waves gently lapping at the pier and the rocks. Dunes held firm against the winds by the beach grass. If you were lucky enough to be among the many people who made the pilgrimage to see the pier, (or the remains of it) you would expect to be part of a group of photographers, both pros and amateurs who, even in the winter would flock like seagulls, jockeying for position before sunrise to capture that perfect image. For me the religious undertones were strong.
Taos Pueblo has been inhabited for at least a thousand years. The adobe architecture seems to spring, organic, from the earth at the foot of Taos Mountain. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, but a living community, not a museum.
A small stream runs through the heart of the Pueblo, known as Red Willow Creek or Rio Pueblo de Taos. The stream begins high in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, at the tribe’s sacred lake, Blue Lake. A traditional belief among the Taos Pueblo people is that their ancestors originated from the waters of this lake and they refer to themselves as the Red Willow People. The creek flows gently through the Pueblo. It provides the water essential for life here: drinking, cooking, bathing and for religious activities. Even in the depths of winter, which is harsh at this height above sea level, it never completely freezes.
We set out on Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Annual "Art of the State"
A feast for the eyes and the emotions; winners announced.
