Imagine living in a place where there is no industry to contaminate the air. No real traffic, relatively speaking. A place where people are encouraged and prefer to walk and ride a bike or a scooter to get around town.
Nestled in the Sangre de Cristo mountains at 7,000 feet elevation, this place is Santa Fe, New Mexico. A place where you can see the stars, planets and constellations at night against the dark black sky and where, during the day, you can see for miles and miles–all the way to Albuquerque.
The combination of clear skies, clean air and a community with a collective and inherent concern for the environment results in breathtaking and illustrious sunsets and big, powerful skies that literally stop you and make you take note of the utter beauty and constant changing they evoke. And when you stop and marvel at the majesty of it all, you are forced to reflect. On your day, the week, your life, a situation, someone special, your great love, best friend, peace, unity and other introspective ways.
I am not sure I have ever been so smitten with sunsets–they were beautiful in Mexico, but they weren’t nearly this impressive–and these wide open skies seem to go on forever. Living here has reminded me of the beauty in these daily events and has renewed my appreciation for celebrating the magnificent, boisterous skies, vivid sunrises and sensational sunsets. And rainbows. Double rainbows.
Below are some of the spectacular sunrises that set the tone for the day followed by days where the bold, dramatic skies have literally taken my breath away. Deep colors, subtle hues, bright neons, lemon yellow, tender pinks, bright tangerines, hot magenta and baby blues dress the spectacular sunsets, while the evocative sunrises and blue skies tell a palpable story of life in the high desert.
Every day the skies are different and bring something new at which to marvel. The collection of images below are the daring skies that have and continue to mesmerize me. None of the images have been touched or edited in any way and have no filters.
Sensational Sunrises