Our Christmas cactus set buds and blooms early this year and reflects my upbeat mood about living in the greatest county in the world...America. A son of immigrants, I feel blessed beyond measure to be a citizen—free to pursue dreams and opportunities—one of which was 30 years of service to our Nation in the United States Air Force.
While I reflect about life, a sixty-degree late-autumn day beckons heart and soul to indulge an itch for sunlit adventure down nearby woodland trails. Before leaving, I make time to kick back in a favorite easy chair and reminisce about bygone days and sources of inspiration.
Memorabilia on a chess table, built by a friend and cabinet maker in New Mexico, hints at some of my lifelong interests and affections.
They include: Winterkill, a novel by C.J. Box—an American author introduced to me by my friend Dee Burton; two vintage issues of National Geographic Magazine—August and September of 1949—which still buoy my lifelong love of travel and photography; and an Ansel Adams photo collection in a hardcover book gifted by my daughter Lea on one of my birthdays. Adams' photography of the Yosemite Valley, American Southwest and his philosophy of making pictures continues to inspire my photography.
To help wrap up my trip down memory lanes, pinned by one of my favorite cameras, lie several magazines. Their images and cover lines stir echoes of our days in New Mexico—a land of enchanted vistas and mixing bowl of cultures, with tenacious people, vibrant art and a future laden with optimism and endless possibilities. Their pages spill reminders of adventure and give rise to a yearning…bury my heart in New Mexico!
© Ilija Lukić 2024
