Month: April 2023

Flashback, First Impressions, New Mexico. 04-26-2023

Geraint April 26, 2023 35 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal. This week, a trip down memory lane, a visual flashback of images from my first few trips and early years in New Mexico.

Looking back it’s hard to visualize almost 40 years since I took the first photograph below in November 1984. The images are in no particular order and captioned with the place and year.

Traveling down memory lane has inspired me to start scanning what will ultimately be a few thousand transparencies. All images are scans of Kodachrome 64 slide film. I hope you enjoy the visit.

John Taos Pueblo, Thanksgiving, flashback to 1984 — John greeting visitors to Taos Pueblo, Thanksgiving, 1984

I’ve photographed the church of San José de Gracia in Las Trampas more times than I can count. Below is my very first shot during my first time visiting New Mexico. I have other shots from the trip but I like this one because of the dog sitting casually, minding its own business. Nowadays tourists are the ones getting in my shots.

Las Trampas church dog, 1984 — Las Trampas church dog on the High Road to Taos, 1984

The sign at the Taos Inn is still welcoming visitors to Taos. No more curios that I know of. Some local characters may pass for curios.

I’d appreciate someone letting me know what vehicles these are. I’m pretty certain the car on the right is a Ford. Currently, the Ford and Adobe are still there.

Old cars, and adobe, Galisteo, 1986 — Old Cars, and adobe, Galisteo, 1986

Traveling during August in New Mexico 1985 many small scale purveyors of local havests, their roadside stands festooned with the red and the green chiles were in abundance and a treat to photograph.

I shot the image below shortly after Dennis Hopper finished filming a murder scene in this old adobe building in the movie Backtrack with Jodie Foster. The adobe home was demolished this year.

Saint Francis adobe window, 1988 — Saint Francis through an open adobe window, 1989

Flashback to the Ranchos de Taos Plaza when the Magic Sky Gallery (coral colored building) was open with a boardwalk and planters.

Magic Sky Gallery, Ranchos de Taos, 1988

Flashback, Ranchos Plaza, view through a vintage truck window, 1991 — Ranchos Plaza, view through the window of a vintage truck, 1991

Ranchitos Road adobe artist studio, 1988 — Ranchitos Road adobe, building, and artist studio, 1988

Currently, the Stewart House” formerly a BandB buildings are no longer visible from this location, as many homes now occupy the foreground. Vallecito Peak in the background has become a favorite subject for my work. Change, is the only constant, along with death and taxes.

Stewart House Vallecito Peak 1987 — “Stewart House” Highway 150, with Vallecito Peak 1987

Plenty of snow my first winter in New Mexico. That’s my 1958 Volkswagen Beetle buried there in front of the house.

Talpa, dude ranch compound 1989 — Talpa, dude Ranch compound 1989

Here’s a picture of my friend and artist, Harry Vedoe when we skied from Talpa and way beyond into the hills. Later in the day we had a wonderful run down and soak in the Ponce de Leon hot springs before heading home. In the winter of February 1989, we had a lot of snow. We were able to cross-country ski out the door on many occasions.

Cross country skiing, Talpa, 1989 — Flashback to cross-country skiing, Talpa, 1989

This tree has been featured in my work for many years. After thriving for many years it has finally succumbed to neglect and lack of moisture. It’s still standing, for now.

Lone tree, Taos 1993 — Lone Tree, at the overlook Taos, 1993

Santa Fe 4 sale 1986 — Santa Fe 4 Sale license plate, 1986

Pasquals Santa Fe, 1984 — Pasqual’s Santa Fe, reading the menu, 1984

A drive to Sandia Crest revealed a trail worthy of an afternoon stroll in the fresh snowfall, with views to the west of Albuquerque.

The bison below escaped from the herd at Taos Pueblo. I happened to be driving along and took some shots before it was caught and returned to the Pueblo.

Escaped Bison on US 64, 1994 — An escaped Bison trucking alongside US 64 Taos, 1994

As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G

Jaroso, Eastdale, Colorado. 04-19-2023

Geraint April 19, 2023 28 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal. Jaroso, Eastdale, and the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado.

Yesterday, my friend Tom picked me up at home and we headed north for the afternoon in southern Colorado. It was my first trip out for any length of time since my surgery. It was nice to get out in the fresh air, get windswept, and in some spots nearly swept off our feet. The Rio Grande was in full flow with the illusion that it was running upstream in the wind.

The main street of Jaroso is divided by a row of tall pines. Anderson’s occupy the south side of the street, with the Jaroso Hotel and a number of artists’ studios on the north side. It’s a step back in time and I always enjoy a trip here.

Main street Jaroso, Colorado — Main Street Jaroso, Colorado.

Harold Anderson is a friendly gentleman with a pleasant disposition. We didn’t bump into him yesterday, though it is spring and a busy time on the farm.

Minneapolis Moline tractors, Jaroso, Colorado — Anderson’s Farm tractors Jaroso, Colorado.

Harold has a collection of Minneapolis Moline-made farm vehicles.

Andersons Farm Minneapolis Moline tractor Jaroso, Colorado — Anderson’s Farm, Minneapolis Moline.

A country block away from Jaroso is the extinct town of Eastdale, Colorado. The monument in the pictures below is inscribed with words that denote the brief history of its existence.

Eastdale township historic monument marker, San Luis Valley, Colorado — Eastdale Township, historical marker, San Luis Valley, Colorado

The obelisk reads:
“Mormon pioneers settled here 1890. They built reservoirs, homes, school, and a church.
By 1900 there were 120 pop, and post office. A water dispute led to the demise of town and sale of lands to Costilla Estate Development Co. in 1909.”

Eastdale township, San Luis Valley, Colorado — Eastdale Township, historical marker, San Luis Valley, Colorado.

If you would like to see more of this area please visit my San Luis Valley tour page to sign up for a photo workshop. Don’t let the wind deter you

As always, thank you for looking. G

Random Images From Scotland. 04-12-2023

Geraint April 12, 2023 31 Comments

Greetings from the San Cristobal, NM. and beyond from Scotland.

Over the years, distant memories travel to the forefront of my mind’s eye. I’m prompted to look up the pictures to support my memories. I like to gratify my remembrances by reliving the trips I made. One of these days, I’ll load up the scanner with slides from trips before the digital era and post them here.

For now, I’ll settle for the images below from Scotland. I hope you enjoy them.

We arrived at Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland after sunset. The castle was glowing in evening splendor, so we found a vantage point where I could put the camera on a bean bag on a post for a twenty-second exposure. The mist gave the scene a look of mystery. Overall, I was pleased with the shot.

Eilean Donan Castle Scotland — Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

The next day the weather was expected and familiar. Overcast and drizzling.

Driving through Glencoe, we pulled over to enjoy the waning light on the landscape. As we returned to the car, Pami and I looked up and exclaimed in unison, “Oh, look!” There was a red stag watching us. He had probably been watching us for the time we were watching the light fade. I made the picture of the red stag in almost darkness, but the image of it standing there stock steady, with us locked in its gaze, is magnified and emblazoned on our hearts and minds forever.

Red stag, Glencoe, Scotland — Red stag, Glencoe.

This tree has grown in notoriety over the years. It appears to be growing out of the rock. A closer look revealed that the tree was growing down through a crack, its roots spread out under the rock. Perhaps a symbol of the tenacity and spirit of the people of Scotland.

Tree growing out of a rock Scotland — A tree growing out of a rock, in the highlands.

The moisture on the lichen made for marvelous patterns. We could have taken many photos of grave markers and rock walls all day. I think we did!

Lichen on Celtic Cross — Lichen on a Celtic Cross.

I had always wanted to visit Glenfinnan and see the viaduct. You may recognize it from the Harry Potter films and numerous other movies. We waited a while for the train to arrive and cross the viaduct. It began to rain, of course! I liked the mood the weather created, and the locomotive was in full steam. If you get a chance to visit Glenfinnan, there is more to amaze in the area than just seeing the train.

Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland — Glenfinnan Viaduct.

We visited many more places on our three-week trip. The Isle of Skye was another highlight. I hope you enjoyed this quick visit.

As always thank you for looking. Have a great week. G

Horses, Favorite Photos This Week. 04-05-2023

Geraint April 5, 2023 22 Comments

Greetings from the San Cristobal, NM. This week some of my favorite images of horses.

It was fun to revisit the extensive folder of horse photos dating back to the first shot below, which I made on a 6-megapixel Canon Rebel in 2005.

I hope you enjoy the following gallery of horse pictures as much as I do.

As it is spring, why not include a couple of images of foals. This mare and her foal were on the road to Chaco Canyon.

Shots like the next two, fascinate me. I have quite a collection of this type of image.

I titled this image, “Old Blue Eye”. He had one blue eye. He made the cover of a local visitors guide, magazine.

The guy smelled bad but his friend was classy looking. Too much time on his hooves roaming in the wild.

This sweet mare stood motionless in the snow storm only blinking occassionally at a snowflake.

These three came running as fast as you can say apple. My friend always carried apples for the horses should we find them out there.

The Ranchos Valley has some high vantage points. There are many fields with horses to photograph.

This image was taken on a photo workshop in the San Luis Valley. I usually post it in black and white.

Band of Wild horses — Band in the San Luis Valley.

My friend Dwain, who passed too soon was happy around horses, dogs, and kids. He was a hiker, camper, fisherman, and a fabulous sculptor.

I posted the photo below on Facebook. It found a few homes with collectors. Click here if you are interested in a print.

Some fun facts about horses on Wikipedia.

I want to thank everyone for all the well wishes. I’m out of my big restrictive boot and into a comfortable pair of “Hoka” walking shoes. I had no idea how comfortable these shoes were. Lucky me.

As always thank you for looking. Have a good week. G

Geraint Smith Photography

Month: April 2023

Flashback, First Impressions, New Mexico. 04-26-2023

Jaroso, Eastdale, Colorado. 04-19-2023

Random Images From Scotland. 04-12-2023

Horses, Favorite Photos This Week. 04-05-2023