Me and Gaia

I love camping. Or, in the vernacular of Moi, I heart camping. Here's why:

See the pretty stream? It went right through the middle of our campground. It made rushing noises that soothed me at night but weren't so loud that they made me have to pee every 10 minutes.

See the funny chipmunk? He ate all my peanuts while I was away from our campsite.

See the wild iris? Ooooohhh...there were loads and loads of these.

See the butterfly? Wasn't it nice of her to wait politely while I got my camera out, turned it on, positioned myself, zoomed in, repositioned myself because I almost fell over while I was looking through the lens, and finally shot the picture? I never knew butterflies could be so patient. Also, I think her leg might have been caught on that stem there.

See this crafty fellow? He must have been on a break, because he didn't bother me at all when I went past him. I'd call that a missed opportunity, but whatever. It's his life.

See the deer? They visited on the first evening I was there.

See this interloper? Not a lot of people know that there are alligators in New Mexico. But there are. This is the proof.

It was a wonderful adventure that included many moments that were not captured on camera, such as riotous laughter, late night campfire conversations about childhood memories, the invention of new drinks in the tent while the rain fell ,the discovery of cool hiking trails, and the realization that the olive oil had gone back into the car without its lid (thank the lawd for Ziploc bags!). All in all, an excellent adventure, hopefully to be reenacted again soon.