Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week the Super, Blue Moon Rise from the deck at home in San Cristobal. I said I would share the moon rise if the skies were clear. They cooperated fully, with the thin veil of clouds adding an air of mystery.
I’ll begin with the first glow I saw about five minutes before the moon appeared. It gave me time to adjust my settings and anticipate the next few shots.
Super Blue Moon Rise San Cristobal, NM
The full moon’s appearance over the foothills.
Moon and trees on the ridge.
Super, Blue moon rise, in all its glory.
Of course, every moon rise is a sight to see. I am always excited as the moon clears the mountains where we live. Also, there is nothing like having a bright moon that you can drive with your headlights off and see the driveway ahead and the whole valley beyond lit up. The upside is that it’s like daylight in the house, so no nightlights are needed. The downside, sleep may be elusive on such a night.
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week a brief visit to the Taos Pueblo, the heart and soul of Taos, New Mexico, followed by two pieces from the “Intersections” series.
Standing the shade of the ramada/drying racks with a coolish breeze was pleasant, watching the as my guest took photos.
Click on the photos to enlarge.
Taos Pueblo in the shade under the ramada.
Taos Pueblo Mission Church of San Geronimo. The building had just received a new coat of adobe mud. Here is a look at the Pueblo North House in snow, BC (before covid).
Taos Pueblo Mission church of (St. Jerome), San Geronimo.
Below are two of the latest images from my ongoing, “Intersections” series. These vistas are vanishing fast. Every time I come across a unique location I make a panoramic image depicting its current status. In the first image, about a mile from our home, our little “Valley Store” on the corner of Camino del Medio and Flora Dr. is closed now. There is one consolation, the trailer is not for sale or rent, so it may be around for quite some time. Eventually, who knows what will happen? I think it is the uncertain future of the old places that intrigues me most. I think it’s important to document such scenes and only wish I’d begun sooner.
Valley Store, San Cristobal.
Capilla de San Acacio, Road 15 and Road 12, near San Luis, Colorado. The resident greeter wandered up to say hello. If you look closely you can see him heading towards me in the first frame on the left and the last but one frame directly in front of me. It wasn’t much of a greeting. He walked around behind me, gave me the once over, and left the scene.
New Mexico, is not the fireworks capital of the universe but certainly the aerial bombardment capital of other projectiles. In the spirit of wanting to keep our dogs safe from audible shock treatment, I posted nature’s fireworks on Facebook yesterday, and it received a number of comments and compliments. Below is an expanded version of the post with almost all of the flowers I’ve shot in the garden this year to date.
Nature’s Fireworks, San Cristobal, NM
The first of four supermoons this summer looked splendid as it rose over the northern flanks of Taos Mountain, (Pueblo Peak) this week. There are two supermoons (one a blue moon) in August and another in September.
Supermoon rise, Taos Mountain.
As always, have a great week, and thanks for looking. G
Greetings from San Cristobal. On the evening of June 21, the summer solstice, the planets Venus and Mars showed up with the crescent Moon anchored by the sunset clouds. The beauty of this world is just outside the door and perfectly poised for our viewing pleasure. Franz Kafka put it more eloquently than I did.
“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” Franz Kafka
Crescent Moon and Venus.
Zoom in on this second shot to see planet Mars on the upper left edge of the picture. I didn’t see it with my eyes or through the lens at first. It was a pleasant surprise when it magically appeared (pardon me) out of the blue.
Planets, Venus, Mars, and Crescent Moon.
Sometimes I poke my camera through a window, a window in a building that I’ve passed many times, and find a surprise before me. A broken window helped me access this scene in a gas station on US 285 in Colorado. It reminds me of the upright piano in my grandparent’s house where I lived growing up in Wales. Our upright piano was more ornate, with two candle holders on either side. I was always encouraged to tap on the keys. My grandparents were very tolerant. I never did learn to play the piano.
Piano room.
This week, just outside the back door, the daylilies are blooming. On the other side of the house, outside the front door, the Apache plume has filled out and glistens in the morning sun. Here’s a shot of the Apache Plume in the afternoon rain.
Daylily shot and edited on an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Looking outwards or looking inward, there’s plenty to discover. I find sitting still offers me a perspective that suits me well, plus I’m good at spending time doing absolutely nothing. Ask my wife!
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM, and beyond. To the moon and Jupiter.
It was 3 am this morning when I awoke. I went straight back to sleep! 4:20 am came and I was dressed in the dining room opening the window to view the crescent moon and Jupiter. I planned on getting up early to observe this celestial event but I’d gotten a tetanus shot yesterday and felt groggy most of the afternoon. I was going to set the alarm, but I fell asleep around 9:30 pm. Fortunately for my plans, all was well when I awoke. I was alert and ready to watch as the moon and Jupiter rose over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, visible from our home. The tripod was absent without leave! Buried in the back of the car, I think. It was getting brighter by the minute so I took a pass on finding the tripod deciding to handhold the camera, bracing myself against the window frame. Fortunately, I’ve had experience with a missing tripod before, so I proceeded as I’ve done in the past and the image below came out just as I expected.
Crescent Moon, Jupiter, 4:30 am today.
Looking through the viewfinder and the telephoto lens I was able to make out two faint moons of Jupiter. There are 95 known moons of the massive planet. I braced myself against the window frame again and shot a long exposure for the image below.
Crescent Moon with Earthshine and Jupiter with two of its moons.
The silence before dawn is palpable. There’s a quiet hush that permeates everything. No dogs, sheep, roosters, or birds. At the stroke of some silent alarm, that only critters can hear, the whole valley woke up twenty minutes later. I now know who owns the barking mad dog!
A tree is still a tree, dead or alive. This tree has now gone. It vanished in a housing development. Goodbye tree.
Greetings from San Cristobal. This week the garden.
The internet and phones have been down for the last three days after a contractor severed a fiber optic line in Taos. They still remain a bit dodgy. I could go into it further but I’d rather move quickly to get this week’s post online while I have a connection.
Instead of spending time on my phone, online, and on social media over the last few “down” days, I spent time amongst the flowers in our garden.
Here are some of the blooms and one orchid not in the garden. All shot on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Prints available.
Greetings from San Cristobal, the valley, and beyond. This week a fleeting rainbow makes an appearance. The morphing mountain clouds put on a show. Bighorn sheep show off their stature, and a sweet little dove preens itself in the garden.
The storms here move quickly. They say the best camera is the one you have on you. In this instance, it was the iPhone. I was sure to get as many shots as possible before popping into the house to get the big Sony. By the time I got back outside, the rainbow had vanished. The clouds still looked stunning, but those were gone very soon after. Sometimes I think nature has a way of taunting us or at least attempt’s to keep us alert and on our toes. Not from the deck this time but a few steps into the meadow.
Mountain Rainbow, San Cristobal, NM.
The clouds spent the morning building into the afternoon canyon and ridge formations. Changes occur in no time at all. As they say in the Southwest, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.” I have plenty of time to look and time to stare, which reminds me of a poem my friend Martin would occasionally recite.
Taos Mountain clouds.
Leisure.
What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.
William Henry Davies
Morphing clouds, San Cristobal.
A couple of days later, this pastoral evening scene happened. I could watch it from my deck chair. I had to move to get this photo, but not that much.
Clouds over the north flanks of Taos Mountain.
I’d heard reports of these three a week before this photo. I was surprised to see them on my drive through the canyon last week. The cold weather we have experienced for a few weeks made them stay put. They have fresh grass and a dirt mound, with a fortress-like view, in all directions. They weren’t bothered by me or others but seemed to enjoy the company and attention.
Bighorn Sheep, Rio Grande Gorge Rim Trail.
I know they are an introduced species, and we have both Eurasian-collared Doves and Mourning Doves in the garden. This one immigrant put on a show last week on the fence post. I enjoyed watching it.
Eurasian-collared Dove preening itself.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s post. As always thanks for looking. See you next week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. Western Tanagers have frequented our garden every year in the past. I have never seen so many all at once as I have this year. Yesterday I had to cut them off from the suet. The Western Tanagers frenzy feeding, and flying around erratically bumping into the windows bringing to mind images of drunken sailors. During a respite, I spotted this little guy after he’d wiped his beak clean of the suet on the bark of the flowering pear tree.
Western Tanager.
Here’s a list of birds in the garden over three days this week.
Birds 05-20/21/22-2023
Cassin’s Finch Spotted Towhee Pine Siskin Black-headed Grosbeak European Starling Evening Grosbeak Common Raven Pinyon Jay Black-billed Magpie Eurasian Collared Dove American Robin Western Tanager White-breasted Nuthatch Broad-tailed Hummingbird American Crow House Sparrow Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Canyon Towhee Bullock’s Oriole House Finch Rose-breasted Grosbeak (the app ID’d it three times but not confirmed). Common Grackle. (Could be the crow with a sore throat).
Onward!
Pueblo Peak (Taos Mountain) has been and always will be my muse. It is what has kept me drawn to the area I call home. My other muse is my version of “Monet’s Haystacks Series”… the cottonwood tree and red willows growing along an acequia in Arroyo Hondo, a hamlet just south of San Cristobal.
I shot this image a few days ago on May 21, 2023. The second image was taken on May 21, 2022
Cottonwood and willows along the acequia, Arroyo Hondo.
Arroyo Hondo cottonwood.
As you can see in the second picture the greening up of the willows was about a week more advanced this time last year. The cottonwood is more or less similar in both years.
Continue scrolling to see more images from this series in previous seasons.
Arroyo Hondo fall cottonwood.
Cottonwood and willows.
Arroyo Hondo cottonwood, with Taos Mountain.
Red Willows and cottonwood tree.
Winter willows with cottonwood tree.
This year I’ll be working on a shot of the tree, willows, and valley in summer’s full glory.
There are other images of this scene in my archive. A search will reveal more.
Thank you for all the wonderful comments and compliments, and as always. thank you for looking. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, on this beautiful Spring day. The light in the late afternoon is remarkable. The clouds roll through, and spring storms envelop the valleys and the mountain peaks in waves. The sun gets through where it will, spotlighting the new growth.
Click on pictures to enlarge.
A Spring day in the San Cristobal Valley.
The acequias, irrigation ditches that divert water across northern New Mexico are flowing full in the spring runoff. This time last year, New Mexico’s largest wildfire was underway, ultimately destroying 350,000+ acres. We are very grateful for the moisture this year.
Water in an acequia, irrigation ditch in El Prado, NM.
Flashback to North Wales, where I lived and worked at an Outdoor Pursuit Center on the west coast in 1974-75.
The Ogwen Valley is one of the most beautiful valleys in North Wales. During that year, I spent many days rock climbing in the area with the guides and instructors I worked with. The Idwal slabs in the upper left of the picture are one of the most popular places to climb in Wales. I shot this picture on a return visit to Wales in 2013.
Ogwen Valley, North Wales.
A year in Wales may sound like a long time to visit and see all the sites. I had never traversed the Crib Goch Ridge seen in the picture below while living there. On a visit there in 1982, it was time to add the route to the list of the places I climbed and hiked. It was a marvelous experience, one I’ll remember for life. It’s not a very difficult hike, but I did take along enough gear and clothing prepared should I have to spend the night out there. Weather in this part of Wales, with the storms coming off the Atlantic and Irish Seas, can change rapidly, turning a warm, early summer day into a winter day.
Crib Goch, Snowdonia National Park, North Wales, 1982
As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G.
Greetings from the San Cristobal Valley, NM. This week a series of images of some of the little birds that frequent our area of the planet, more precisely, our valley.
I hope you enjoy the following gallery of little birds.
Eastern Bluebird, a little bird that frequents our valley.
Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow.
Pine Siskin.
A Cassin’s Finch so I was told. It could be a glorious house finch.
Cassin’s Finch.
White Breasted Nuthatch.
Brewer’s Blackbird.
Northern Flicker.
Brown-headed Cowbird.
For the last few years, we’ve had a solitary Canyon Towhee in our garden. This shot was taken in a canyon, no less.
Canyon Towhee.
American Robins.
Woodhouse’s or Western Scrub-Jay?
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, I think!
This is a Pinyon Jay, that I’m sure of. They have arrived in large flocks in the valley over the last two years, groups of a hundred to a few thousand.
Pinyon Jay.
Song Sparrow.
Spotted Towhee.
Townsend’s Solitaire.
Rock Wren.
Mountain Chickadee.
Western Tanager.
Bullocks Oriole with Hummingbirds.
The Red-winged Blackbirds nest in the cattails. Right about now there is a frenzy of activity and nest-building. The males are kept on their guard protecting the nesting spot.
Red-winged Blackbird.
The Magpie is every dog’s nemesis. They taunt our dogs and of course, our dogs take the bait.
Magpie
This Evening Grosbeak was stunned following a window strike. I put it on the fence to recover. It did. Ten minutes later, it flew up into the crabapple tree.
Evening Grosbeak.
Western Meadowlark.
This Northern Pygmy Owl would fit into a teacup and is smaller than most of the birds above.
Northern Pygmy Owl.
Not one of the truly little birds but not large either. It’s about the size of an American Crow.
Greater Roadrunner.
American Crow.
Finally one of the rare visitors to the valley. I only spotted one Lewis’s Woodpecker this last year. Two years ago there were three at one time in the Ash tree.
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Little birds rock the valley, my heart and soul.
Happy Spring.
As always, thank you for looking, and for all the comments, compliments, and well wishes. G
