Mountain Gods

— A year ago we escaped the Texas heat by spending a week in Ruidoso, New Mexico. In one of our side trips there, we headed for a fun afternoon at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino inside the Mescalero Apache reservation. The grounds for the resort are gorgeous. In addition to the casino, you can enjoy outdoor activities of various types (biking, zip lining, etc.), live music shows, and a varied buffet. As we were leaving the casino, we had to make a quick stop and return to the lake by the casino building. The sun was setting and producing a strong color display in the sky and water. All I had with me at the time was my cell phone, so there was no time to waste. We parked and I rushed down to get this shot. I saw the guy on the bench and figured he’d be adding a good point of reference to the immense landscape. What I didn’t know until after the shot is that he was our friend who had gone to Ruidoso and casino with us.