It's difficult not to be conflicted even when greeting a breathtaking sunrise in Monument Valley, in Navajoland. On the one hand, I'm grateful to experience the moment, but on the other hand I cannot help but feel sorrow for the Navajo people who have suffered so much throughout recent history, not the least of which is the devastation that the pandemic wreaked on them. They are a resilient people, and I hope to return to their beautiful lands and experience their generous hospitality again. Photographed August 2021.
As I step outside to fulfill a promise I made to myself, to see the sunrise as often as possible, the barely perceptible pink glow of dawn reminds me of the Sun's last act. Less than 12 hours ago, a cold wind blew across an amphitheater raised from an ancient sea and carved by the millennial knife of flowing water. The wind spread a thin blanket of clouds eastward, a blanket that would soon smother the Sun, and then dash the hopes of any other stars making their appearance. But, before the wind was victorious, the Sun spread one last whisper of color across land and sky... Photographed March 2022.
A cactus flower basks atop the Cathedral Rock trail in Sedona, Arizona. Photographed May 2020.
