The morning after the tipi incident Eli was fine and both of us felt much better about where we were staying. Eli said he wanted the morning to himself and so I left him to play video games with his friends from home while I went to see my friend, Sajit.

Sajit is a dear friend who has counseled me and helped me through this past year. We were introduced through my Aunt Jane and have only spoken on the phone and via Skype because she lives so far away. I was so excited to finally see her in person and spend a little time with her face to face! Her perspective has broadened my view of God, to take Him “out of the box” I had put Him in. She is one of a handful of people God brought into my life to help me realize His great love, not only humanity as a whole, but also for each of us individually.   I am forever grateful to her for this!

After leaving Sajit’s house, I went back to Snow Mansion and Eli and I walked down the street and had some Sol Food at a little sandwich shop and health food market down the street. The sandwiches there were delicious!

After lunch we explored Taos Puelbo.  Taos Pueblo is an ancient Pueblo village that is still inhabited today. It is simply beautiful, as you can see from the pictures.  The history and culture of the people who inhabited this land before the Europeans is rich.  Although sometimes it is a painful study for those of us of European decent, listening with an open heart brings about an understanding that we are all not so different from one another . In fact, we are all part of the same family.  Here is a link to the website.  http://taospueblo.com/about/  I highly recommend visiting if you travel to the area!

That evening we explored Taos a little more.

The next morning we hugged our friends at Snow Mansion goodbye, headed out to the Rio Grande Gorge…

and pointed the car toward Flagstaff, AZ!

Just over the Arizona border, we toured Petrified Forest National Park and the portion of the Painted Desert that is within the park. The Painted Desert is an unearthly, almost Mars like, landscape east of Grand Canyon. It covers over 93,000 acres and 160 miles, but can be most easily accessed through part of Petrified Forest National Park.   This almost barren land once supported a lush, green forest. The trees from that forest are now petrified and scatter the ground across the desert.  As always, pictures do not do it justice…

I wish I could capture the beauty of this incredible country with my camera, but truly, nothing compares to seeing it in person!

Song of the day:  If I Were Brave by Jana Stanfield.  For some reason this song always makes me think of Sajit and my Aunt Jane who encourage me to think and dream outside of the box.
Up Next: Lowell Observatory and Grand Canyon!