Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week a gallery of random abstraction in and around the block. I have many more of these taken on personal trips, photo tours, and neighborhood walks so future posts may occur. Mostly shot on an iPhone, I am constantly reminded of what a wonderful and spontaneous piece of equipment it is.
Click on an image to expand and click off it to go back. Enjoy!
As always, Thank you for looking. My thoughts are with friends experiencing the wildfires in New Mexico and California. Have a great week where you are. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM, and beyond. This week a hike up Guadalupe Mountain in the Wild Rivers area of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Last week we went down to the river. This week we hiked up to a vantage point that gave us views of the gorge and the Blanca massif in Colorado, a great view to accompany lunch. Unfortunately a smoky haze somewhat obscured the distant 14,000 + ft peaks. So instead we looked down, watching where we stepped for the morning emergence of rattlesnakes and bouquets of wildflowers.
Guadalupe Mountain, Wild Rivers Overlook, and Ute Mountain.
Indian Paintbrush were in abundance at the trailhead, individuals, and clusters.
Indian Paintbrush.
Indian Paintbrush, cluster.
At about 8500 ft above sea level the Indian Canyon Fleabane took over the nooks and crannies in the boulder fields to the summit overlook.
Indian Canyon Fleabane.
That was yesterday. Today I took a quick jaunt up a watery trail in the Hondo Canyon to check out the creek crossings. I didn’t get far. I left my hiking poles in the car. Below is a solitary wild Columbine. There were many more. I liked this single bloom glowing against the rock.
Wild Columbine, Italianos trail, Hondo Canyon.
A leafy green plant, Rowan I think, of which there were many.
Rowan plant on the Italianos Trail.
A spot on the creek running alongside the trail, not one of the crossing points, but a picturesque little falls.
Italianos Creek.
Lastly the Cottonwood in Arroyo Hondo, you know the one, in a sleet and hail storm last week. I got pelted and had to dive back into the car.
Cottonwood and Acequia (irrigation ditch), Arroyo Hondo, NM.
As always. Thank you for looking. Have a great week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. This week a two-day photo tour around northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Nature and the elements gave up some wonderful photo opportunities, beginning with Taos Mountain and the iconic grove of cottonwoods.
On a photo tour of Taos and northern New Mexico.
The next stop on the photo tour was in Questa at an old house off the highway set back amongst some trees. I checked with a friend who said he would try and find me some information on this charming building and quiet setting.
House in Questa, NM.
Following a couple of stops en route, to photograph some wild horses, we wound up at this lake in the San Luis Valley. Moody and brooding skies were the order of the day.
Lake Tree, San Luis Valley, Colorado.
Speaking of the skies. Highway 142 crosses the Rio Grande in Colorado between the old town of San Luis and Heading west to Manassa home of Jack Dempsey, the “Manassa Mauler”.
The sky over Highway 142, Colorado.
Continuing the photo tour, there is also a stark view of a very subdued Rio Grande from the road bridge as it crosses the river.
The Rio Grande from Highway 142, Colorado.
I came across some of last year’s milkweed pods enduring against the elements. Did I mention the frigid cold winds? My guests were admirably brave, and filled with enthusiasm for whatever conditions confronted us.
On the second day, we encountered a troupe of young Bighorn Sheep in the Orilla Verde area of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument walking on the road ahead of us.
Bighorn Sheep Orilla Verde, NM.
We parked the car and followed uphill and enjoyed watching and photographing them in their prime, natural environment. I can’t help but think that the one in the middle is telling them to “gather round” and show us their best side!
Bighorn Sheep gathering Orilla Verde, NM.
There were many more picture opportunities. I had to stop at some point. If you are planning to be in the area this year, join me on a photo tour/workshop and I’ll show you around.
As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, last week’s Wolf Moon rising over the Sangre de Cristo foothills, Truchas, the red barn, and snow horses.
As I mentioned last week, I was heading out to capture the wolf moon rising. The moon’s appearance lasted about ten minutes between the fast-moving clouds. I made several images during that time, and the scene below was fleeting as the sun came and went behind the clouds. I got lucky. I came away with three pictures where the elements came together. I’ll take what I can get from what presents itself.
Wolf Moon rising, Arroyo Seco, NM
And a close-up of when I first spotted the moon from the highway heading home.
I reworked this image for note cards and publication. Ansel Adams shot this scene in the 1950’s. A couple of months ago it was lit up with Xmas lights. You can still see some in this shat nailed to the crosses. It’s nice to its longevity at this location and longer still before Ansel made his iconic image.
Truchas, NM.
You know how attached I am to this location with the red barn. Every time I visit I see more dilapidation with new spaces for the wind to pass through. It’s beginning to corkscrew but I’m confident that the gaps will prevent the building from acting like a sail on the plain!
Red barn in black and white.
Red barn in color.
One more image I reworked this week for note cards, prints, and publication. This image has graced many a page in local magazines. Apples are the key to getting horses to come running.
Horses on the High Road to Taos.
As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. This week a tree with heart. You’ve got to love a heart wherever you find it, Ute Mountain, Raptors, and more.
We came across this tree a few years ago. Pami and I stopped here again on our first New Year drive of 2024.
I liked how the tree is isolated from the distant background, so I made another picture of it, always having to remove the two powerlines that cross directly over the tree. I think it is worth it. After all, the power company put them in my way!
A tree with a heart, Costilla, NM.
You might recognize this location with the road to Ute Mountain. It’s usually the last stop on the way home.
The road to Ute Mountain, NM.
The Red-tailed Hawk had no intention of leaving its perch, so we watched for a while. We moved on before it did. I enjoy watching them wherever they choose to sit. Powerpole sitting is natural to them. Any high vantage point suits them very well. I’ve often seen them drop in from a pole onto an unsuspecting vole or garter snake.
Red-tailed Hawk, Mesita, Colorado.
Two days ago I went for a drive in the clearing snowstorm and spotted a bald eagle perched on a dead cottonwood snag in Arroyo Seco, NM.
Bald Eagle, Arroyo Seco NM.
Red barn in black and white, Colorado.
Sometimes a thing catches my eye and I have to run with it.
Baling wire for the fun of it, Colorado.
This snowplow was still making passes at the snow accumulations on monday around 11 am on our way to town. It was nice to wake up to a decent amount of snow for a change. Here in San Cristobal today temperature was -1º F (-18º C) at 7am. It finally warmed up to 27º F (-2.8º C) at 3pm.
Snow Plow, Highway 522 north of Taos, NM.
As always, thank you for looking. I hope you had a good week. Stay warm where you are. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week winter in the neighborhood.
I’ll keep it short and sweet this week. I hope everyone got what they wanted. I didn’t want anything and got nothing, it made my day. I already have plenty. That said I am now the owner of two happy feet and have been able to drive a little. So, I drove around the neighborhood and got a few new shots to add to the archives.
Last Friday, I followed a fog bank that was building over the Rio Grande Gorge and came across this scene a little ways up the road in Cerro NM. There was just enough moisture in the fog and temperatures dropped to 26º F to cover the trees and willows in hoar frost that created this winter wonderland.
Hoar Frost, Cerro NM.
I was reminded of other years when the weather elements came together to create the following scenes.
Winter in Arroyo Seco, NM.
When I drove the “High Road to Taos” I felt like I was entering “Narnia”.
On the High Road to Taos, NM.
Back to the present! This was the moon on the winter solstice last week. It stood out clearly against a beautiful blue sky revealing the detail of the craters.
Solstice Moon.
The sunset on December 24, was fuzzy and warm. The outdoor temps were not!
Mountain Sunset San Cristobal, NM.
The view below embodied a feeling of warmth but it wasn’t. Temps dropped to 9º F last night. Of course, it was coldest before dawn so I slept in and missed the moon setting across the plateau.
December 25th Moonrise
As always, thank you for looking, Happy New Year, I hope it’s a good one. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week a Sunday Drive around the San Luis Valley.
Well, I’m able to walk upright and without a scooter or crutches now! I feel good about that.
It was a beautiful sunny day last Sunday, with snow on the peaks and intermittent cloud cover, so we drove north to San Luis in Colorado and made a leisurely drive home, visiting some of the usual locations, which I’m sure you will recognize.
The shrine of the stations of the cross is situated on a mesa above the town of San Luis, reputed to be the oldest town in Colorado. The sign, made out of white-washed rocks, says so!
In this shot, I liked the juxtaposition of the cell phone and communication towers. Perhaps a direct line to the universe?
Stations of the cross shrine, and cell towers, San Luis Colorado.
The next stop on our Sunday drive route was the old homestead, photographed by me a hundred times. One day I’m sure I’ll have the last photo of this building standing before its final demise.
San Luis Valley Homestead.
On the road a sign proclaiming “Jesus 2024” with what appears to be the faded colors of a Ukrainian flag. I didn’t know Jesus was running in the upcoming election. May the best man win.
Jesus is running in 2024.
A seasonal creek running north-south through the lower valley. If you zoom in you can just make out the 14,000+ foot peaks of the Blanca massif.
Ice on a seasonal creek, San Luis Valley, Colorado.
The crows are back congregating every morning in our mostly dead cottonwood tree. I shot this image on Saturday. I’m happy to be up and fairly mobile and getting some fresh images again.
American Crows.
I do love a Sunday drive with no agenda attached.
As always thanks for looking and for all the well wishes. 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 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 2013.
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 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
