The world here is bleak and full of shadows.

The plants are foreign and creepy.

And the beasts are ferocious and wild.

Okay.  I haven’t taken the camera out much since we’ve been here, because:

a)  It’s kind of hard to take pictures with sweat dripping into your eyes.

b)  It’s kind of hard to take pictures when it’s raining outside.

c)  It’s kind of hard to take pictures when you’re already late to work and sweat is dripping into your eyes.

d)  Sometimes I like to see the world with my own eyes – sans sweat – before I try to capture any of it with a camera.

But yesterday our new boss asked me to take some photos of the farm – specifically black and white photos of chile peppers – that he can use for the company website and various marketing projects.  I definitely need some more practice, but for me it’s really difficult to capture the beauty here in black and white.  The color is the beauty.

So finally, for your viewing pleasure, you can see just a little of what Erin and I see every day.

This is part of the chile pepper patch, where they’re currently growing several different varieties of peppers:

Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that in neglecting to take the camera out our first day here, I may have missed my only opportunity to get a clear shot of the volcanoes that serve as the backdrop of our little town.  I can see them from the office window – WHEN they’re not obscured by clouds.

Here’s what it looks like on a clear day:

The peppers themselves are quite beautiful…

…as are their flowers before they bear fruit…

…as well as the rows in which they’ve been planted.

And while the peppers don’t look bad in black and white…

There’s nothing more vibrant in my world right now than a red hot chile pepper.