Ghost Ranch

It's a big country. Driving out seemed very long, but watching the changing scenery as I sped across 6 states was really interesting. The birdsong changes too as you move across the country. The most surprising was the call of the ravens. I listened to Lincoln Child's novel Terminal Freeze as I drove. Got a great quote from it that the internet attributes to several different folks. If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance. Not a bad thought for living life fully. New Mexico is breathtakingly beautiful. This is a photo of the view from my doorway. The night sky is the most astounding. Carl Sagan may have been annoying, but he sure knew what he was talking about. I am staying at Ghost Ranch in their retreat house called Casa del Sol (house of the sun). This rock formation is Puerto del Cielo (doorway to heaven). It is here where Georgia O'Keefe did so much of her painting, and her home is right next door to the Casa where I am staying. My initial retreat and silence time was interrupted when I realized I left my boots at home. Here I am int he desert with only my water sandals. I drove down to the next town to buy some hikers and on my way back I stopped at the Benedictine Monastery of Christ in the Desert and joined the monks for noonday prayer. I bought a book there called Harlots of the Desert by Benedicta Ward SLG. It begins with Mary Magdalene and follow te theme of repentance through the stories of the desert mothers. These are women whoe, repenting of their sins (and it does seem that women are only allowed one type of sin) become the wise foremothers of the monastic tradition. Sr. Benedicta deals fairly with Mary Magdalene. I am enjoying the silence and the time for reading, prayer and photography. Your prayers are the most improtant thing I have brought with me.

There is a mountain on fire across the valley, Mt. Jimez. I took this photo on the way back from the monastery. The fire flared up in the high winds yesterday. I could see the flames from Casa del Sol after dark. I sat on the patio and said prayers for the firefighters as the bats swooped around me keeping away the mosquitoes. The Casa has a resident bull snake that hangs out around the patio. He is at least 5 feet long and as big around as my forearm at his fattest. He eats the mice, but it was surprise for both him and me when I almost stepped on him.