Blue doors of Taos.

I sometimes wonder how I would write my blog if I didn't live in Bangkok. Would I be able to search out good street-food in Cape Town? And what would a 'Colors of Los Angeles' series look like? But I'm sure wherever I live I'll find things that inspire me. Even the home state that I left behind is rather exotic. Every time I tell someone that I'm from New Mexico, they tell me what a beautiful state it is- even if they've never visited. And it really is. When I was in New Mexico in May and June, I got to revisit some of the more interesting locales in the state. One of the highlights was a visit to the Taos Pueblo, where I took these photographs. I'm drawn to certain colors, so many of photographs from the visit centered around the contrast of these blue-green doors against the ochre of the adobe.

The pale blue color around doors is a New Mexican tradition, brought by the Spanish, originating in the Middle East, India, or further abroad. It's meant to keep the home free of malignant spirits; if nothing else, the milky hues provide the eyes with a cooling respite from the earthen adobe walls.