One of my artist friends from Maine invited me to join her and some of her friends for an art retreat near Abiqui, New Mexico.

We went for a week in September. Our airbnb was only a couple of miles from Ghost Ranch and had beautiful landscaping. We did some fun sketching and painting and lots of exploring.

Bandelier National Forest, along the Rio Chama River, the Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert to the galleries of Santa Fe. We visited missions and old churches and, of course, plenty of rock formations.

Here I am painting next to the Rio Chama.  It was so hot I soaked my shirt in the river to help stay cool. By the time I was finished painting, my shirt was dry. I was very fortunate to have my umbrella along.