Pie Town, New Mexico, was founded in the 1920’s by Clyde Norman who make dried apple pies for travelers passing through. There were four pie restaurants in this tiny ghost town, but only one has survived, The Gathering Place.
I took the “slow” way back from Santa Fe, yesterday to do my own passing through.
Who couldn’t love Santa Fe, New Mexico, with its bright and bustling shops and the smell of culinary artists doing what they do! And the jewelry, clothing, music and so much more!
I’ve visited Santa Fe at least twice a year for the last decade to visit one of my dearest friends of over three decades, Pat Goehe. She was my professor in college and became a lifelong friend.
We were there for each other through thick and thin...and sick and sin! We have secrets, as only besties can keep!
The first lesson she taught me was to own my unique story—don’t run from or deny it. I didn’t like that lesson, but it was one of the best! The last lesson she taught me was to eat desert first—literally!
Last October I spent her last moments with her, and tonight her friends from Santa Fe and far beyond will gather to celebrate her life!
Personal projects, maybe especially for photographers, are important. It is easy to get bored and stop practicing your passion. When that happens, your passion becomes a pain rather than a pleasure.
Personal projects propel us to stay creative and fuel our passions...effortlessly.
My latest personal project is traveling to photograph chapels—not churches or missions—of Arizona.
This chapel—Little Roadside Chapel—sits on the base of a small mountain in Salome, Arizona. It was built by Paul and Lora Marks in 2004 as a place for travelers to stop, rest and pray.
....in Arizona.
The Chapel of the Valley
Prescott Valley
The history of this chapel, as lifted from its Facebook page, is as follows.
Johnie Lee Fain's dream was to build a Chapel. Not an ordinary structure, but one comfortably nestled with the Spirit of God. A safe haven that provided comfort and refuge to all who entered. Johnie's passion was passed on to her daughter, Carolyn, "Sue" Fain. The sanctuary we behold today was built with money donated by Sue, as a final tribute to her mother's vision.
THE LEGACY
The stained glass windows, that are the crown jewels of the Chapel, are a gift of love donated by Henry Lovell Brooks. Johnie Lee and Henry met through a mutual friend and fast became lifelong friends. Their simple, loving friendship has come to a grand finale with the union of the Chapel and windows.Never has evidence of predestined purpose been so apparent as when one stands in awe of the windows' deep harvest of colors, augmented by the form and purity of light. They become a delicacy that nourishes the mind and soothes the soul.
Everyday, I ask to be more inspired and inspiring to others. To be inspired is simply to be moved to do or feel something—especially creatively.
I recently quit my side hustle—doing family and pet photography for local families—because it simply wasn’t fun anymore. So, after I quit, I gave myself space and time to “percolate” for the next new thing for me. This next new thing would be just for me. What keeps me in my happy place in this crazy world? What keeps me inspired? What will keep me inspiring others? This next new thing would not be a “career” or “side hustle.”
As I drove to a burrowing owl habitat this morning (photography and adventure), I started listening to a podcast that has NOTHING to do with getting inspired, but yet I got inspired.
My new next thing dropped right into my heart after the podcast host (It was a photography podcast) was saying that his father used to tell him, “Think long; think wrong.” He explained that what his father meant was, that if we over think things, we often will follow up with doing things for the wrong reasons. He said “Act from the heart, and, you will figure it out later.”
Wow...there it is! If you know me, you know at least three things about me. You know that I love to write. You know that I love photography. And you know that I love adventure. Bam, Ma’am!
Thus, my new next thing is this—This blog called “Let’s Go!”
Using this blog, I will feed my loves of writing, photography and adventure, and share it with you. Please love this, participate, share and be inspired!
Drum roll—Let’s go!
P.s. Please have patience as I re-learn this platform.
Monsignor Joseph Bosetti happened upon a large rock outside of Estes Park, Colorado. He was really just searching for falling stars. He de...
