"I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."

~ Wendell Berry

Woke. Walked into the golden cottonwood light. Breathed. There was a bend in the road. Smoke from a pueblo fire in the distance, white puffs lifting in front of blue mountains. Thanks to the trees, breathed deeper. Smiled. Smiled. Leaving Albuquerque, we drove in the afternoon. Took the scenic byway through the Jemez mountain trail to Santa Fe. We passed the red clay cliffs, stopped, dusted our shoes. This route is not the only way to get to Santa Fe. It was the best way to travel, together, in the mountains and my heart ached with gratitude for the blessings of this great earth and my place in it. Thirty one years ago, we rode in a car with colleagues from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. Just good friends then, a little bit willing to admit to ourselves we were falling in love, in the land of enchantment. And here we are, making this journey, three children later. I dreamed last night I had a baby, and the pure, confident ease of this birth was the most remarkable pleasure.

All photos and text copyright Kelly DuMar 2017 unless otherwise attributed