Fine Art Images from the American Southwest

Tag: Raton

Raton, New Mexico. Around the Block. 08-31-22

Raton, New Mexico, is a two-hour drive from home in San Cristobal. Every time I visit Raton, which isn’t often but often enough for me to become familiar with the town and neighbors, I always find something to photograph. There’s always something that delights me each time.

Raton New Mexico
Welcome to Raton, New Mexico.

Marchiondo’s Store, City Market, Texan Motel.

Click on an image to enlarge.

In its heyday, Raton was a happening place.

Every motel had a cafe, making it a one-stop for travelers. Some of the motels have an enclosed garage with each room. Popular on a lot of cross country routes.
Which motel to choose? Breakfast, lunch, and dinner ‘in our cafe’ no less, as opposed to in your room.

The Colt Motel.

Dog and pony show at the Colt Motel.

Schwede’s Saloon, Raton, NM It says on the board “B E SAFE”, followed by “GODB LESS” and a phone number.

The Servomation van has been parked for several years in a downtown alleyway. I enjoyed the bricked-in patterns in the wall.

Then around a corner on a side street, five pots and two downspouts with a solitary cloud.

Wall and sidewalk

Architecture details on walls and sidewalks.

American flag and a bicycle through the blistered reflective window covering.

“Smile”. I didn’t see any cameras around the back of this building but it did make me smile!

Spirit figures in the plywood paneling on the boarded up Texan Motel. With all the stories these empty buildings can tell, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more than just these impressions floatining around beyond the panels.

With all the boarded up buildings whoever has the plywood concession in this town must be doing well for themselves.

The town maintains a mighty dignity through it’s years of economic drought, and as the sign in the window says…

Send more tourists.

After a fun day walking around different areas in town it was time to make the drive home.

We had to make a stop in Cold Beer, NM on US 64, formerly known as the Colfax Tavern …

Cold Beer, NM

… for a cold beer and some portrait making in the natural window light.

Good friend and all round good bloke, R. David Marks.

I hope you enjoyed a trip around the block. As always, thank you for looking. G

Window Dressing, Raton, New Mexico

Window dressing in Raton, New Mexico. Paper hanging in the windows had absorbed moisture and become sun scorched over time. I changed the color for aesthetic to this blue patina from the cigarette smoke stained actual color. I’ve added a shot of the whole window below. There were lots of compositions, it was hard to choose. I liked this one with the rippling shadows on the buckled paper caused by clear packing tape attached to the window glass. Thanks for looking. G

Window dressing in Raton, New Mexico.

 

Window dressing in Raton, New Mexico.

Plastic Wrapped Window, Raton, NM

Plastic wrapped window treatment in Raton, New Mexico. Sometimes I walk by a scene and I just have to make a picture. This is an image of the clouds reflecting in a window, that had tinting applied which, over time, had blistered, stretched and bubbled. Hey… thanks for looking too. G

Plastic Wrapped Window, Raton, NM

Bill Fegan, Schuler Theatre, Raton New Mexico

Bill Fegan at the Schuler Theatre in Raton New Mexico. Bill came to the Schuler Theatre in 1963. Last year on a photo tour, we met Bill on the street after breakfast and he invited us to visit him at the historic theatre in downtown Raton. He was very generous with his time and gave a his undivided attention on a tour and regaled us with many stories of the theatre’s past and his own.

Bill had recently returned from France for his ninetieth birthday trip. He is pictured here in the lobby of the Schuler Theatre with a portrait of his younger self. If you get the opportunity to visit Raton, go see Bill at the theatre and enjoy some time in his company. While you’re there pay a visit to the exceptional Raton Museum, you wont be disappointed. Thanks for looking. G

Bill Fegan at the Schuler Theatre