© Ellen Barone. Storm clouds at sunset

Sure, it may be cliché to extol the beauty and drama of the New Mexico sky. But, it’s cliché for a reason - the skies are magical!

When I’m home, my favorite evening ritual is to sit outside on our back patio and watch the drama of the night sky unfold. Each night is a new performance. I never tire of it.

A summer storm was brewing the evening I captured this image. Thunder rumbled while the hypnotic sky transformed minute-by-minute in color and form, as if someone was turning the dial on a virtual kaleidoscope. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but it felt like I’d been dropped down the Rabbit Hole in Alice in Wonderland.

If you haven’t traveled to New Mexico, you should. But be forewarned: “if you ever go to New Mexico, it’ll itch you for the rest of your life.” - Georgia O’Keeffe

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To purchase fine art prints and photo gifts of this image, or any of our most popular images, please visit our online photo store.

©Ellen Barone. King Hassan II mosque.

The Hassan II mosque is about exotic as Casablanca gets. The vast mosque, built to commemorate the former King Hassan II’s 60th birthday, can accommodate 25,000 worshippers and is one of the few Islamic religious buildings open to non-Muslims. Featuring the work of more than 6000 Moroccan artisans, I loved photographing the phenomenal building. But if you want inside be prepared to take a guided tour, be ‘respectfully’ dressed and, once inside, remove your shoes.

Like this photo? You can buy it!

To purchase fine art prints and photo gifts of this image, or any of our most popular images, pleasevisit our online photo store.

Or better yet, go make your own. Join visual artist Lisl Dennis on a Morocco photo tour. While Lisl is a professional photographer and will be available throughout the tour to offer personal photo assistance, conduct on-location demonstrations, and lead group photography discussions, the tour also attracts videographers, writers, poets and the culturally curious. Learn more

La casa de Doña Hermina. © Ute Hagen. texture by Insan Stock.

This month’s photograph comes from a new ‘Countryside along the Sabino River’ series of images by Mexico-based artist Ute Hagen. For the past decade, I have been blessed by Ute’s friendship, vision and passion and am honored by the opportunity to feature her work here.

Here’s Ute’s description of the experience behind the creation of the photograph:

…she [Doña Hermina] lives here alone. i saw her standing by the stone wall watching her village’s life go by. there was a can of water by her side which she threatened to throw at me if would take her picture (((((; we chatted and laughed for a while and whenever i lifted my camera she lifted her water can…….. hmm, i never got to find out if she really meant it (((;


See more of Ute’s photography and art at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uteart/

© Ellen Barone. Pronghorn antelope near Carrizozo, NM

I love little more than a New Mexico road trip.  I’ll take any excuse to hop behind the wheel and cruise the state’s scenic back roads. And you can bet there’ll be a camera on the seat beside me!

I spotted this group of antelope off Hwy 54 just north of Carrizozo on one such trip. The drama of a stormy gray sky and the spotlight ray of sunshine lend the shot, and memory, a tinge of New Mexico magic. It’s just this kind of natural beauty that makes me glad that 12 years ago I came to New Mexico for a week, and decided to stay for a lifetime!

I have my New Mexico; now you can share yours for a chance to win Fodor’s guides and a subscription to New Mexico Magazine. Enter the “Show Us Your New Mexico” contest at Fodors.com  Entry deadline May 15, 2009.

Click here for details. 

© Ellen Barone. Low Tide at San Felipe beach.

Through the good fortune of travel and the generosity of friends made on the road, my husband, Hank, and I find ourselves enjoyng a quiet three weeks housesitting in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico.

Who knew when I met Bob & Lyn Sheedy (http://www.planetbob.com) on a flight to Barbados in 2003 that five years later they’d find my business card tucked into a suitcase and reconnect. Who knew that they’d end up spending three months in our casita in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico, or that we’d end up keeping their cat, Meow-Meow, and bird, Bud, company in their desert home in Baja.

For those of us who travel, chance encounters that transform into lifelong friendships, are never a surprise, and in fact, one of the nicest perks. Not to mention, a trip to the beach!

Have a similar story? Share it here! I’d love to hear it.

Life is good,

Ellen

© Ellen Barone. Harborfront Buildings of Punda, Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean

How can you not love a place that paints the town the colors of the rainbow? You just gotta smile. And, smile is just about all I did during a memorable girls getaway to Curaçao. Based in a rented villa, I joined five friends for a laid-back week on the island. Our mission: To hang where the locals hang, eat at the local hot spots, and, in general, do the things that any Curaçaoan might do.

Get the full scoop on where to stay + play in my destination guide “Back Stage Curaçao” published online at TripConnect.com.

To plot your own adventure visit http://www.curacao.com the official source for Curaçao tourism and vacation information.

© Hank Barone. 

My husband, Hank, captured this photograph as we paddled back to our floating base camp - the luxury yacht, Safari Quest, you see in the distance.  As I look at this picture now, nearly a year later, it summons up a rush of sensory memories from the voyage - the sound of our paddles as they dipped in-and-out of the water, the fresh smell of salt and sea, the exhilaration of exploration and present moment awareness of Universal connection.

This is the picture I go to when I need a mental image of contentment. This is the image I remember when I’m filled with gratitude and appreciation.

©Ellen Barone. Bull moose in autumn snowfall, Grand Teton National Park, near Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Any opportunity to observe wildlife in its natural habitat is a huge thrill for me. So, imagine my excitement when this bull moose practically walked in front of my lens during a recent visit to Grand Teton National Park. But, apparently, it wasn’t just good luck. Grand Teton National Park ranks as one of the nation’s top hotspot for wildlife viewing.

To read my article ‘The Suite Life in Teton Valley, Idaho’, and see more photography from my recent stay at the elegant Teton Valley Lodge & Spa , click here.

© Ellen Barone. Colorful Mexican Weavings, Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico

Mexico is on my mind today. I first fell in love with life south-of-the-border during a yearlong road trip with my husband in the mid nineties. Since then, the infectious allure of Mexico’s people, colors, cultural traditions and way of life has drawn me back repeatedly to travel, work and live.

It’s been nine months since my last visit, and I find myself homesick for its vivid colors, raucous sounds, shimmering sunlight, friendly smiles and boisterous exuberance. And, truth told, I wouldn’t mind a freshly made margarita right about now.

Vamanos!