We walked from one natural hot springs tub to another, testing the different temperatures and views. The pools overlook the San Juan River, and one sits in the middle of a small lake, reached by a footbridge. A thin layer of water covers the boards of the bridge, and steam rises off the lake. The setting is mystical, but as I walked across, noisy human thoughts crept up. Still, the environment compelled me to at least try to let them go.

Highlands Street Fair, Denver

You stroll down the main passageway of a street fair flanked with stalls. The sun is blazing, and your skin is sticky with sweat. At the far end a band plays, and the music joins together with the shouts, laughter, and conversations of festival goers. You catch the scent of turkey legs, sugary cakes, and beer. In the stalls, you see straw hats; mannequins in bright shirts; plaster arms draped in silver bracelets; and, in one, jewel-toned wind spinners hanging at various heights. On this hot summer day, they barely move. But they cause you to stop: to take in the various shapes, the rings within rings, the translucent wall of color.