Photos: John Simmons and John Rosner

This fall I got two fantastic new housemates, John Rosner and John Simmons.

John Simmons is a professional musician
John Rosner is a photographer and a Physical Therapy Assistant at Presbyterian Healthcare Services

They are both super guys who bring a great deal of positive energy and joy into my life.

In October I went to City of Rocks with Putnay, who runs a blues radio show on KUNM. It was a great time for a road trip.

John Simmons in Taos, New Mexico

My god, I am so in love with him.

John Rosner at Monument Valley, Arizona

Isn't he the yummiest?		Girls? I know you're out there. Take it from me, he's wonderful.

Canyon de Chelly, Arizona

Here's John with his camera at Canyon de Chelly. See the photo that he took from this angle		Morning sunshine over Canyon de Chelly
It is incredible to think of people living in this spectacular setting for so many years
These pictures can't do justice to the fantastic scenery below OR above the horizon		Two things. On the other side of the parking lot from the Canyon itself is this equally outstanding scenery. The whole area is stunning visually. But in this picture most of the foreground is of the parking lot, which underscores how much of our natural parkland has to be paved so we can enjoy the natural setting... a contradiction but then, it is what it is.

City of Rocks, New Mexico

In October Putnay and I took a road trip down to City of Rocks. I had wanted to see this State Park ever since my graduate school friend Anna Cox and Marty Brief had camped there. It just sounded so otherworldly and picturesque, I had to see it.

On the way from Albuquerque to City of Rocks. The sky was epic		At one point I had to stop and take pictures of the passing landscape. I tried to explain to Putnay why I felt this was picturesque -- the clouds stacked in layers across the landscape, the land itself layered across the picture frame... the vastness of the space, how beautiful it is in the midst of such plainness
Best yet was when we arrived and set up camp at City of Rocks. We took a walk around the rock formations and I caught this shot of the setting sun hitting the seed heads of these weeds. I'm not one for backlighting, normally, but this was just so spectacular		Here's Putnay with his own camera. He sure is fine!