Fine Art Images from the American Southwest
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Mesa Road, to the Mountain Sunset. This road runs across Taos Pueblo Land, straight as an arrow, to the mountains. It’s fenced off with this traditional style makeshift gate which works so well it’s permanent. It’s a favorite location for watching the sunset on the Sangre de Cristos. Thanks for looking. Stay warm. G
Red-tailed Hawk, in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. We made a beautiful drive today that started out in blizzard conditions at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. It got worse on the west rim road until we descended into the canyon at the Orilla Verde Recreation Area. At the river we simultaneously scared up a Blue heron and some Mallards, not on purpose of course, but this Red-tailed Hawk lingered on a rocky perch high above the river for a few observation shots and then this happened. It was a good day. Thanks for looking. G
Arroyo Hondo Valley, evening light. It makes sense that the village of Arroyo Hondo is in this gorgeous valley if for no other reason than the beautiful cottonwoods, mountains and the light. The village is just beyond the cottonwoods to the right. I frequently check out this view on the drive home or when heading into town. Thanks for looking. G
Dovecots, a flashback to fall 2006 at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House courtyard Taos NM. It was very cold with a wind chill today, that got through to my bones. So… I thought it would warm things up with this image from the Mabel Dodge Luhan House. I originally posted a cropped image of this shot, so here is the full panorama of the courtyard with Mabel’s dovecots. Here’s an image of the courtyard and dovecots in the snow from January 2012. Stay warm, and thanks for looking. G
Jemez Mountains and Cerro Pedernal sunset from Taos, New Mexico. Heading into the grocery store delayed for a few moments. Taking the time to watch this view to the south west of the of the sunset and Jemez Mountains/Caldera and Cerro Pedernal near Abiquiu, NM. A very nice appetizer to dinner this evening. Thanks for looking. G
Old wooden cross in a cemetery, Questa, New Mexico. I can’t pass up a cemetery. I like to stop in at every opportunity. The peace and solitude among the headstones, where even the highway traffic noise fades, I find myself reading the family names. I’m able to glean some insight into the local community. The inscriptions tell me who served in the military; how many grandmothers will be sorely missed by so many. I see the names of mothers, sons, daughters, babies who have left too soon.
I grew up in the “old country across the pond”. We lived a hundred yards from an ancient cemetery at a church mentioned in the Doomsday Book. For all the mossy, lichen, creepy vine adorned headstones, I never felt akin to any of the long dead. In those graveyards, the headstones were a novelty. The oldest, being from umpteen centuries ago, became hide and seek locations in a place where even the ghosts died and stayed hidden!
It could be the proximity to a recent past, standing there feeling the fresh air, surrounded by the names of those still loved in living memory, that makes me feel I belong here. Thanks for looking. G
Red-winged Blackbird on the cattails in Arroyo Hondo, NM. A pair of Red-winged Blackbirds can raise 2-3 broods per season. They build a new nest each time. This ensures that the nest remains free from parasites that could ultimately kill the baby birds. And… they build them in the cattails here along the Rio Hondo in northern New Mexico. Thanks for looking. G
Stormy skies and Taos Mountain feature in this familiar view of the mountain and cottonwoods in El Prado, NM. I like the eyes created by patches of sunlight on the mountain looking back at me. Thanks for looking. G
Spotlight on the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, in particular, Vallecito Peak. It’s easy to drive by this scene, though not these last couple of weeks. The mountain calls! It not only calls, but when I do drive by and forget to stop, it often seems to tap me on the shoulder as if to say, “here look!”. In this case we were heading home when one thing and another conspired to get our attention. A cloud to the west created a perfect funnel causing the light to traverse the ridge until it finally settled on the snowy peak where it spotlighted the stage, lingering there for the final bow. The light slowly faded, the curtain came down and the play was over. We waited for a little while longer and then went home. It was a show to remember. Thanks for looking at another photo of this particular mountain that desired my attention. G
Mallard duck on ice. I love the way these little creatures behave deliberately. Paddle to the edge of the ice, waddle out onto the ice, stand there and do nothing. Time passes. I made some images and moved on. A little while later, when I return, the Mallard is standing stock still, in the same position. I can only assume, enjoying a moment, warming up in the morning sun is a cross species trait. Thanks for looking. G
