M’s grandmother and uncle lived in this village at the foot of this landmark along the Santa Fe Trail.  (The directions were: go west until you see the mound, turn left at the mound,  and you’re just 120 miles to Santa Fe).    I love the feeling of coming over the Levy Grade and catching that first view of the mound, it means I’m almost there and I can stop driving soon.

Much like our local mountain, the aspect changes with the different lighting over the course of the day.

It looks soft and distant in the morning light.

You can see the details on a beautiful sunny day.

Or at least you can see them until they disappear into the shadows.

A storm is brewing with a mixture of dark and light.

And after the storm comes a golden sunset.   It’s not hard to see why there are so very many artists living in New Mexico, it’s just so gorgeous.  And I really must get a better camera, because it is even more beautiful than my pictures.