On our trip up to Sedona earlier this week, I was eager to try out my new tripod by taking some night shots of the Christmas lights.  I managed to get a few shots that were ok. This first one is of the wedding chapel at Tlaquepaque (pronounced Tla-keh-pah-keh, emphasis on the first and third sylables), my very favorite place in Sedona.  It is a shopping village done in a replica of an old Mexican village.  It is very upscale, but a nice place to window shop and if you are lucky you can see many artisans working on their pieces as you walk through the galleries.  But even if you don't shop, go just for the experience.  It is a beautiful, beautiful place.  And...the Oak Creek Brewery is upstairs for a nice lunch or snack and brew.
Tlaquepaque has  a Festival of Lights in early December (the 12th this year) where they light 6,000 luminarias and place them on every wall, patio, and balcony in the village.  It's just beautiful.  I know this from the pictures I've seen.  Haven't ever been there at the right time.  But this is close.  It was December 21st and there were still some luminarias there.  I have many pictures from Tlaquepaque.  It's my favorite spot in Sedona.

This is the courtyard at Tlaquepaque.  They have it decorated beautifully.  While I was taking these shots a small group of Japanese people gathered around me looking at the screen of my digital camera.  Not one of them had a camera.  It was like a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting.  Wish I'd had a shot of that.