Autumn in Northern New Mexico.

Autumn is my favorite season in New Mexico. Under an unbelievable blue sky, the world turns golden with aspens, cottonwoods, and chamisas. I was mighty taken with the bright red in this photo though. The ristras, red chiles strung for drying–and now often for decoration, juxtaposed with the American flag said so much visually and culturally. The scene, of course, made me think of the upcoming book, I Pledge Allegiance, that will be out in April written with my older daughter, Libby Martinez.

The academic year is well on its way, but autumn reminds me of how grateful I feel to educators at all levels in formal academic settings and informal settings such as museums. Seldom valued enough, our educators invest in our next generation. Gracias.