Greetings from San Cristobal, in the beautiful mountains of northern New Mexico. This week a few moonrise images from around the area.
Below is one of my favorite peaks in northern New Mexico, and the subject/location for photographing the full moon rise.
Moonrise, Vallecito Peak, Northern New Mexico.
Horse with moonrise Arroyo Seco, NM.
I haven’t been to the Bosque del Apache NWR in a few years, preferring instead to make the shorter drive to the Monte Vista NWR in southern Colorado. I was pleased to see this image below, a reminder of the peace and tranquility experienced in the early hours at the Bosque del Apache.
Moonrise with Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache, NM.
Ladder to the Moon, Taos, NM.
As always, thank you so much for all the comments, compliments, and well wishes for a speedy recovery. Have a great week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM, and a Happy Thanksgiving. This week we had the first snow on our local peaks and in the valley.
Not too much snow. It’s a late start to winter where we are this year. I see from our weather forecast that temps will drop next week. It’s all good for me as I’m in a foot brace again on my right foot this time, and with my leg elevated, I still have a lovely view out the windows and from the deck.
This was the scene from the kitchen window this week after the clouds lifted, leaving a few stragglers behind to fill in the little valleys.
First Snow, San Cristobal.
With my right leg elevated, I’m revisiting the archives again. Pretty much a repeat of last February, when my left leg was elevated. This time next year I look forward to hiking up and down the hills in the first photo.
First snow, Taos, 2011.
Great Blue Heron and Mallards, Rio Grande, Pilar, NM.
Red-winged Blackbirds, Arroyo Hondo, NM.
A horse taking shelter in Ranchos de Taos.
Vintage truck in the snow, Overland Ranch, Taos.
Lastly, a picture I came across, edited on my iPhone, from last year.
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week a Golden Eagle in flight. A lone cottonwood leaf and an unusual cloud formation over the San Cristobal Valley.
Golden Eagle in flight, southern Colorado.
There’s a little wetlands in Taos I often take a walk there. This cottonwood leaf, bigger than my hand, was asking to be photographed. I was happy to oblige.
Cottonwood leaf and a sun star
The cloud below screamed out for a picture. It first appeared much like any other lenticular cloud forming, but quickly grew a tail. Moments after, just like that, it became one with all the other particles.
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week more black and white images. I had some time over the last few days to wallow in the hard drives, throw a virtual dart at the folders, and see what showed up.
The tree is long gone but the flat top peak, Cerro Pedernal, stands like a beacon and can be seen from multiple locations around northern, NM.
Cerro Pedernal and tree Rio Chama road, NM.
Many places in the southwest US are deteriorating and ultimately wind up going back to earth. How quickly they reach their demise, depends on the materials they are made of. Adobe, wood, and tin seem to get there quicker than the plastic one sees everywhere these days. I shot the image below in November 2017.
Adobe ruin, Villanueva, NM.
Wandering through the files from a trip to Britain in 2013 with Pami, I came across this image shot on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, on the Northumbria Coast of northeast England. I’m guessing this boat, which wasn’t sea-worthy back then, has probably been overturned and is now used as a storage shed.
Lindisfarne, Holy Island, Northumbria, England.
An overturned fishing boat was reclaimed and made into a storage shed.
Beach shed and Lindisfarne Castle, England.
I always shoot a scene in color but sometimes a scene cries out for black and white. Sometimes the day and lighting inspire me to shoot for a later conversion.
I shot the picture below in color and converted it to black and white. It was taken on the Thames Embankment in November 2017.
Someone was feeding the gulls.
As always thank you for all the kind words comments and compliments. Have a great week. G.
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week Arroyo Blanco, Abiquiu. Some abstract balloon images from the Taos Mountain Balloon Rally last weekend, and our Moon and Jupiter over northern New Mexico.
After two weeks of photo tours in the area with Harlan I’m finally going through images of some of the places we visited.
We visited Abiquiu and Arroyo Blanco, twice. We couldn’t get enough of it in the beautiful autumn light.
Landscape in Arroyo Blanco, Abiquiu, NM.
The strangely wonderful moonscape landscape in the “white arroyo”.
On the ground in Abiquiu, NM.
On our second trip to Abiquiu we made a short detour to La Madera for this scene. It has always fascinated me.
The door is the wall, La Madera, NM.
On the last day of touring we went to Taos Mountain Balloon Rally. A few balloons lifted off but winds were higher than anticipated so we photographed them on the ground instead. Shadowy figures zip up the envelope as it’s inflated.
Balloon shadows at the Taos Mountain Balloon Rally.
Checking the ropes!
Shadow.
Unfurling during inflating the balloon.
Design.
In the words of actor/author David Niven, “the moon’s a balloon”.
To cap off the week the moon met up with the planet Jupiter. Eerie enough for Hallooween. Jupiter is closest to earth during all of 2023 tonight.
Greetings from San Cristobal. This week, my favorite cottonwood tree in all the state, and random black and whites on the road in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
I think the colors on this cottonwood peaked this morning. I never tire of seeing it whenever I commute to or from Taos, in all seasons.
Arroyo Hondo, NM.
It’s that time of year when shadows return and traverse the adobe walls of the Saint Francis Church in Ranchos de Taos.
The church of San Jose de Gracia in Las Trampas is one of my favorite stops on the High Road to Taos. I’ve made many trips there over the years. Last week I watched a number tourists pull over, wind down their windows and take a glance or a quick cellphone photo and immediately drive off. Sometimes I wonder what it’s like being a tourist snap-glancing their way around the planet?
Adobe, Las Trampas Church, on the High Road to Taos.
In the following image I cut out any distractions. Unlike this image where the moon completed the shot.
On the High Road to Taos, NM.
A few days ago I was on the road in another favorite location, on the state line in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
Abandoned adobe, Costilla, NM.
Click on the image to expand.
Abandoned homestead and potatoe bunker, Colorado.
As always thank you for looking and all the comments and compliments. G
Greetings from San Cristobal in northern New Mexico. This week, the solar eclipse from the deck. Our perspective at this latitude gave us 80% coverage. We could have gone to Albuquerque for totality but decided to put our feet up, play with the dog, shoot a few pictures, and save on a tank of gas. The photos below were shot using a tripod with a Sony camera and lens. I purchased a couple of pairs of eclipse glasses that worked very well. They’ll come in handy for the total eclipse next April. I hope you saw the solar eclipse where you are.
Solar eclipse, October 14, 2023, San Cristobal, NM.
In the image below, I opened up the exposure to get the clouds that were surrounding the event. There is some refraction from the use of two neutral density filters but you get the idea.
October 14, 2023, solar eclipse. San Cristobal, NM.
The aspen groves continued to delight with colors at their peak in many areas. There is still a lot more peaking to come. I’ll be on a five-day photo tour during the coming week. It’s safe to say I’ll probably post more images.
Aspens and a sun star, Hopewell Lake, New Mexico.
Off the beaten path near Hopewell Lake, NM.
No trip in the area is complete without a stop at the Red Barn. It was a beautiful sunny day in the San Luis Valley, however, the barn looked a little forlorn later in the day under the brooding sky. I plan to keep documenting it until…
Red Barn, San Luis Valley, Colorado.
On the climb up the Cumbres Pass, the road crosses over the state line from New Mexico into Colorado. The picture below looked much more appealing in black and white during the midday sun. The type of clouds in the picture looked like this all day long. The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway also crosses the pass. If we are lucky, we sometimes meet the train there.
Black and white near the Cumbres Pass, New Mexico.
We visit the location below numerous times throughout the year. Fall is my favorite.
Aspen grove and sky, Colorado.
As always thank you for looking. Have a great week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week the Taos Mountain Balloon Rally. I look into the past for a glimpse at the upcoming future events on October 27, 28, and 29, 2023. Also, a little fall color from a few days ago scouting locations for this month’s photo tour/workshops.
If you are in Taos later this month, I hope to see you out and about. The Taos Mountain Balloon Rally is small, sometimes around 50/60 balloons. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is hugely attended with hundreds of colorful balloons in mass ascensions each morning. What we have here in Taos is fewer crowds and the proximity to Taos Mountain.
The images below of the balloons were shot in 2005/2006. Enjoy.
Balloon with snow-capped peaks.
Balloons over mountains in Taos, NM.
Two Balloons.
“The Moon’s a Balloon.”
Balloon in the Rio Grande Gorge.
Balloominaria (balloon luminaria) reflections.
In Red River, NM, Aspen Valley.
Aspens, Bobcat Pass, NM.
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As always, thank you for looking, and have a great week where you are. G.
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week some images from a trip to Crested Butte in the high country of Colorado.
Last week, I mentioned a trip around the block, so this week we made a trip to the area around Crested Butte, in Colorado. We went for the fall color and also wanted to take a trip with our sweet girl, Coco, our labradoodle. It was a wonderful road trip, and we observed our 13-year-old in the back seat, always in the rearview mirror, and, more importantly, enjoying the great outdoors. She was a delight to travel with, and we’ll look forward to doing it again soon.
Just before we left on our trip to Crested Butte, we heard, along with the world, that someone had cut down the famous sycamore tree at Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. It is a sad state of affairs, and sickening that one or two people could upset so many people by killing the famous long-lived tree, over 300 years old, featured in movies, documentaries, and millions of personal photos. When I came across the tree in the pictures below, I wanted to make an homage to lone trees everywhere. I shot it from three different viewpoints and it does appear to be growing up from the center of the rock formation.
Lone Tree at Lone Tree Gulch, Colorado.
Lone Tree at Lone Tree Gulch, Colorado.
Lone Tree at Lone Tree Gulch, Colorado.
After returning from Crested Butte, I wanted more of the autumn colors, so my son Dylan and I hiked up the “Italianos Trail” from the Rio Hondo Canyon. As you know, I had foot surgery earlier this year so I wanted to check out my hiking abilities. I used hiking poles for the first time, and things went very well. We stopped en route to take some pictures. I only brought my iPhone along, but you know what they say, “The best camera is the one you have with you”.
Here are a couple of images of the Italianos Creek.
Italianos Creek and trail, NM.
Close-up of Italianos Creek.
As always, Thank you for looking. I really appreciate all the comments and compliments. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, New Mexico. Autumn! It’s time to get out and make trips around the block.
The phrase “around the block” refers to day-long road trips we frequently take. A journey that will ultimately bring us back to where we started, and perhaps, because of the sights we’ve seen, we have been reminded of the home that is within us, wherever we go.
This week a few pictures from past trips around the long block in Colorado and a reminder of the upcoming autumn colors that are gradually manifesting here in northern New Mexico. My October schedule for private workshops and tours is almost full. I have a few days still open if you are going to be in the area and want to sign up.
On the road in Colorado, 2012.
Aspen reflections in the car windshield Ohio Creek Pass, Colorado.
A pond in the high country near Grand Mesa, Colorado.
