Tag: Taos

A bit of this and that!

Geraint February 9, 2022 29 Comments

This waterfall ran for a week fourteen years ago. I shot a number of images on February 14, 2008. I went back with a friend the next day after the sun came out. We had fun scrambling over the rocks. It was unusual that the temps reached 60º F that day. The snow melted and I was told by a BLM ranger that a small dam had broken above the falls. He said that the previous time he saw it flowing anywhere near to this force was twenty-six years earlier. It was a sight to behold. (Click to enlarge images).

Seasonal Waterfall, Orilla Verde, Valentines Day, 2008

I delved into the archives for this one. The tree held on for quite a while. It’s gone now. Of course, Cerro Pedernal is still looming large over the surrounding landscape. I shot this from the Rio Chama river road to the Desert Monastery.

Cerro Pedernal tree — Cerro Pedernal from the Rio Chama river road.

Sitting in the same folder as the image above was this image from long ago. I think I recall the plant in a pot my daughter had on a windowsill.

It snowed a couple of times in the last month, so I got out and looked for an appropriate location. This building is in Costilla, New Mexico on the Colorado State Line.

Snow-capped Yarrow plant in the garden. All the yarrow lost their caps in the warm weather over the last couple of days. It was a pretty sight while it lasted.

Snow topped Yarrow — Snow-capped Yarrow plant in the garden.

One of my favorite portraits shot on Kodachrome 64, scanned and converted to black and white. I shot this on Christmas day at Taos Pueblo during the Matachines dance in the late 1980s.

I have a lot of fun making these blog posts. I hope you enjoy them. Thank you for all the comments and compliments. I really appreciate it. As always, thank you for looking. G

Morning Clouds, Latir Peaks, Red-Tailed Hawk, Street Figure, Wolf Moonrise.

Geraint January 12, 2022 21 Comments

Morning clouds yesterday over the Sangre de Cristo, (Rocky Mountains) from the dining room window. I love my views from the various rooms in the house. I saw a goldfish endeavoring to escape the fishbowl. You?

The high winds morphed the clouds rapidly into a badger! I’m sorry but I often see badgers in the clouds. All and any interpretations are welcome here!

Morning Cloud shapes — Morphing clouds, San Cristobal, NM

If you are interested here’s an interpretation of Badger Totem.

The following image is the snow-capped Virsylvia Peak in the Latir Peaks Wilderness. Not from the dining room window but a short drive north to the Colorado state line.

A familiar sight on the drive to Taos, a Red-tailed Hawk in its usual place. This power pole or at other times a treetop across the street offers this raptor a view of what I suspect is a choice hunting spot. It’s gratifying to see the same bird day in and day out. I would miss this creature if it wasn’t there.

Not a spectacular photo but I photograph what I see and like. I found this figure under my car in downtown Taos. I liked it so I’m posting it. At first, I thought it was a Lego® figure, no, but it was definitely a flattened figure becoming one with the road.

Street figure, Taos — A street figure, downtown Taos, NM

Coming up next Monday is the “Wolf Moon”. Here are five sequential images of last year’s Wolf Moon rising over Vallecito Peak from Arroyo Hondo, NM. I wish now I’d turned on the video camera. Maybe I’ll do that with next Monday’s upcoming Wolf Moon.

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

Mountain Sunset, Weeping Walls, Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Snow

Geraint January 5, 2022 10 Comments

The light on the mountains at this time of year is beautiful. Although not quite a full-on Sangre color it was close. A Vallecito Mountain sunset never disappoints.

When it warmed up enough for the snow to melt it looked like all the walls in town were weeping.

Weeping walls, Taos NM — Weeping Walls, Taos NM

The day after the storm we had a little wander around the famous, Mabel Dodge Luhan House, which always looks beautiful in the snow.

Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos NM dressed in new snowfall.

Dovecotes at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos NM

Ladder and door, Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos NM.

Stay warm wherever you are. We had a -8ºF morning on Sunday. It’s warmed up a little since. Today it was 12ºF at 7 am, and the high was 36ºF.

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

San Luis Valley views, and Mountain Snows.

Geraint December 29, 2021 21 Comments

Greetings from the San Luis Valley.

Here’s the tree I promised in last week’s post. I headed north in a dust storm. Inclement weather could be my middle name. What the dust afforded me besides spots on my sensor was a slight separation of the tree and mountain. The sky in this image of the lone tree was unexpected. The tree had lost a small limb since my previous trip. I didn’t mind. It cleaned up the composition. (Click on images to enlarge).

Ute Mountain tree — Ute Mountain lone tree, San Luis Valley, CO.

The dust created a nice veil of diffuse light so the poles and trees stood out. I’d not seen them so prominent before.

Power poles with Ute Mountain — Ute Mountain with power poles and a big sky.

In the following photo, you can see the dust storm is more apparent. The trees really stood out against Ute Mountain like guardians.

Ute Mountain trees with San Luis Valley dust storm.

Heading home a little later the wind at Sanchez Reservoir was so strong. When I stopped to shoot the ice on the shoreline I could barely open the car door. I got out and made a few so-so images then had to jump back in the car and get my legs in fast before the door slammed shut on my ankles. Did I say how cold the wind chill was? I wish I’d looked. All I can say is it was cold!!!

I knew I wanted to catch the light on the fresh snow on the peaks in the Latir Peaks Wilderness, so I headed in that direction. I’ve done this shot before almost to the day. I wasn’t disappointed this time either. The wind had subsided but the cold remained. So I parked with a view and rested the camera on the open window. With the heat on and music playing, I was comfy and waited. The last bit of light through the clouds caught Cabresto Peak just right. In the second image below, I zoomed in for a close-up.

Wide view of Cabresto Peak, Latir Peaks Wilderness, NM — Wide view of snow on Cabresto Peak, in the Latir Peaks Wilderness, NM.

Cabresto Peak, Latir Peaks Wilderness, NM — A little closer in on Cabresto Peak..

… And a couple of my favorite images of Taos Mountain. The first shot is from the Ranchos Valley with an acequia (irrigation ditch), red willows, and snow-capped peaks of Taos Mountain.

Taos Mountain red willows and snow, Ranchos de Taos, NM.

This image of Taos Mountain was when it was bathed in the last glow of sunlight through the letterbox opening in the clouds.

Taos Mountain winter light. — Taos Mountain with winter sunset light.

Phew, we made it another year. As always thanks for looking, happy new year. G

Morning Moon, Evening Moon with Venus, Saint Francis Church, Shapes and Shadows, Aspen Buds, Taos Mountain.

Geraint December 8, 2021 12 Comments

I was up before dawn waiting for the waning moon to rise over the Sangre de Cristo (Rocky) Mountains east of our house. I spotted the two little stars first. If you expand the image you’ll see them. I’m sorry I didn’t look up their names. You’ll also see the “earthshine” on the moon.

Crescent Moon, and stars and mountain — Good morning waning moon, stars, and mountain, San Cristobal.

Two days later the waxing moon was setting over the plateau to the west of us accompanied by the crescent Venus. Venus is at its brightest right now. Soon she will set in the glare of the sun. Not to worry, she’ll be back in the eastern sky and will be joined by the moon before dawn. If you expand the image you’ll see that Venus is also in the crescent phase.

Crescent Moon, Venus — Good night waxing moon with Venus and clouds.

A couple of days ago I had a little time to pass waiting for an appointment so I made a quick circle around the San Francisco de Asis Church in Ranchos de Taos. I spotted the shadow of the bell and made this image.

The iconic Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos, NM.

I also caught this little scene from the west as the sunset warmed up the adobe and lit up the tower cross.

I’ve made a similar photo of this scene before. It was almost a year ago. In this version I like the three simple arch shapes tying it together. Here are the other images from last January.

Shapes and shadows, Dixon, NM — Shapes and shadows in the Village of Dixon, NM.

The weather here has been quite warm over the last couple of months and these buds on the aspen tree were tempted to bust out. They’re changing their mind this week as temperatures are destined to drop into the minus digits.

Aspen buds busting out, San Cristobal — Aspen buds itching to bust forth.

I ran up to the hardware store in Questa this evening. It took me a little longer than planned, but I did take my camera and couldn’t resist pulling over to make an image of the light on the cottonwoods before the storm. The forecast is for snow in the next couple of days. I will wait and see!

Cottonwoods Highwaay 522, Questa, NM — Cottonwoods, Highway 522, Questa, NM

One oldie but goodie from 2008. I came across this image last week going through my files looking for images of Taos Mountain. I thought it worth sharing again. Prints are available.

Taos Mountain Sunset — Taos Mountain Cottonwoods, El Prado, NM

As always, have a great week, and thanks for looking. G

Vallecito Mountain, Ghost Ranch, Starry Night.

Geraint December 1, 2021 9 Comments

It had snowed on the peaks a couple of weeks ago. The storm went on for most of the day, but as is usually the case the clouds linger as the storm clears, and the sun peeps through the cracks wherever it can. I made a short drive south to see what the potential might be for a photo. It was a subtle light that illuminated the trees and rocks of Vallecito (little valley). I made the second image a close-up shot (double click on the image to expand and see the detail) …and the third image… well what can I say? The sun had its day with the mountain peak.

Vallecito Mountain Peak New Mexico — Vallecito Mountain Peak, New Mexico

Vallecito Mountain Peak snow and sunlit — Close up of the detail on Vallecito Mountain Peak, New Mexico

Sunset on Vallecito Mountain Peak, New Mexico

I made the image below this past summer and decided to prin it. It’s much more dramatic in color, so much so that the color will never see the light of day. I particularly liked the way the cloud appears to have been blown into position.

Ghost Ranch New Mexico — Black and white print depicting an area of Ghost Ranch, New Mexico.

Black and White framed print of Ghost Ranch New Mexico — Framed back and white print of Ghost Ranch New Mexico.

Print of Ghost Ranch New Mexico hanging in a home setting — Framed print of Ghost Ranch hanging in a home setting.

Thank you to all who purchased a print of “Starry Night at the Saint Francis Church”, and the many other purchases this week. I’m grateful and appreciate all the support of my work.

Milky way, Saint Francis church — Starry Night, Saint Francis church, Ranchos de Taos, NM

As always, thank you for looking. G

Eclipse, Racing Cow, Taos Mountain Clouds.

Geraint November 24, 2021 16 Comments

Well, I got out there as I said I would last week for this partial eclipse. It wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be but there were some clouds that created a weird maroon halo-ee thing. In the second image, you’ll see the Pleiades to the upper right. The clouds added a kind of mystery to the scene but they didn’t help make for a crystal clear lunar eclipse, the sort I’m used to. I like that the extent of the partial eclipse is defined very clearly. I’m sure there’ll be more eclipses to come. I will say, that I’m finally recovered from the stiff neck I got looking straight up overhead!

Lunar eclipse, November 19, 2021 — Lunar Eclipse, November 19, 2021, San Cristobal, NM

Driving home from Taos last weekend I found I had competition in the pasture, a cow racing me and my car.

Racing a cow, Arroyo Hondo — Racing a cow in the Arroyo Hondo Valley.

… and today the clouds lifted enough to give a glimpse of the thin layer of snow on Taos Mountain.

Taos Mountain Clouds across the meadows, Taos NM — Taos Mountain clouds, El Prado (the Meadows), NM

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope it’s a good one. Thanks for looking. G

Something Solitary, Lonely, Bygone, A Sunset, An Intersection, And Bountiful.

Geraint November 10, 2021 8 Comments

We went looking for wild horses and found them! It wasn’t the most solitary moment because there were two of us watching these beauties, but… they looked rather solitary out there on the plateau with vast amounts of space to roam.

Wild Horses, San Luis, Colorado — Wild Horses, San Luis Valley, Colorado

These two chairs popped up in my archive from 2007. They had a view of the meadows and Taos Mountain. Had there been someone sitting in them they wouldn’t have exuded a lonely feeling, but… the desire to sit in them overcame me so I sat in one of them.

A cash register from days gone by at the Chile Line Depot (a cafe) in Tres Piedras, NM. I had fish and chips, my buddy David had beef and green chile quesadilla. He had apple pie a la mode for dessert and I had a pinon nut brownie. The cash register was a side attraction, but… the food, the main event, was most excellent. Check them out if you’re passing by on 285, in northern New Mexico.

Register, Chile Line Depot, Tres Piedras — Cash register at the Chile Line Depot, Tres Piedras, NM

West of Taos, west of the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, is a ranch where the ranch hands keep an ever-watchful eye at the ranch gate. I’ve shot this before. I like the illusion of the cowboys coming over the ridge. A sunset always adds a cinematic quality to the scene. But…..

Ranch Hands Sunset — The ranch hands at sunset, west of Taos, NM

…about 20 miles north of Taos and 8 miles from San Cristobal is the village of Questa. It is a thriving community of families and newcomers who take pride in their town. I shot this image out of the car windshield. I liked the old photo feeling it had.

Intersection of 522 and 38 in Questa, NM — At the intersection of highway 522 and 38 in Questa, NM

About 30 miles north and west of Questa is a halt on the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad, named Bountiful. There’s not a lot happening here on most days, but.. on this day, a sweet sheepherder, her husband on an ATV asked for help in getting their sheep and a donkey across the enormously busy US Highway 285. Following the perilous road crossing by the sheep and a forlorn looking donkey, a woman, independent of the others, appeared out of nowhere and trundled up. Smoking a cigarette, she blessed the day, and thanked God for everyone in it. She was followed close on her heels by her husband, he took her gently by her arm. But… unlike the sheep and the donkey, the husband seemed impervious to the traffic whizzing past. As they made their way across the same busy highway, with his wife on his arm he revealed that she had dementia. He made sure to let me know, that I had an open invite for coffee. I’ll visit one day soon. On a side note, those grain elevators and nearby silos are full of Coors barley.

As always, thank you for looking. Stay healthy happy and well. G

Around The Block This Week In New Mexico And Colorado.

Geraint November 3, 2021 14 Comments

I’ll start with this morning at 6:30 am and the waning crescent moon rising with Mercury over the Sangre de Cristo foothills outside our dining room window. I’d just set up the camera for the moon when Mercury popped up behind the trees. I was surprised. Sometimes it’s hard to observe Mercury so close to the sunrise. It worked for me and as is said, timing is everything! A few minutes later in the second photo a little to the south, I spotted Spica (Alpha Virginis) the brightest star in the constellation Virgo the Maiden. You can just about see it!

Crescent Moon, Mercury — Crescent Moon and Mercury rising from the dining room window.

Crescent Moon, Mercury and Spica — A waning crescent Moon, Mercury, and Spica.

Below is a window and crumbling adobe wall at the church of San Rafael in La Cueva, NM. The parishioners do a wonderful job on the upkeep of this building. This and the other walls will be repaired soon, probably by the time of my next visit.

San Rafael Church La Cueva, NM — Window, San Rafael, La Cueva, NM

The abandoned homestead in the San Luis Valley that I’ve visited many times over the years stood out in the field. The white walls were stark and glowing as if newly whitewashed by an unknown inhabitant. The powerline added an element of life to the abandoned building. There are a few “No Trespassing” signs so it’s not totally abandoned.

Whitehouse homestead, San Luis Valley — Abandoned homestead in the San Luis Valley, Colorado.

My latest favorite dead tree is along the Rio Chama, New Mexico. I’m making plans to revisit to document its ultimate demise. Interesting how it is very much dead but exudes so much life and character. Cerro Pedernal (Georgia O’Keeffe’s mountain) makes a nice backdrop. Georgia said that God told her that if she painted the mountain enough he would give it to her. Well, I’ve probably photographed it many more times than she painted it so under those rules, it’s now mine, so there!

Tree along the Rio Chama New Mexico — Lone tree along the Rio Chama, NM.

The crows spend the first hour of the day warming up in our old cottonwood tree. They aren’t in any hurry to leave so I often watch them through the lens and take a few shots of these fascinating birds. Sometimes there are five or six of them and at other times there are dozens, you know what I mean, “a murder of crows”.

American Crow, San Cristobal, NM — One of the American Crows in the old cottonwood tree.

Finally, one from a week ago in the courtyard at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos NM. It is always gorgeous and inviting at this location. Join me on a photo tour and we’ll stop in and visit.

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

Leaves And A Few Other Things

Geraint October 13, 2021 16 Comments

The light, it’s all about the light. Waiting until the sunlight lit up the road and the aspens ahead didn’t take very long but it did require a few moments until the sun emerged from the clouds. The moment and the picture happen, click!!!

highway 64, northern NM — Fall color and light on Highway 64, northern NM.

The following three images depict a local pond, a different way the leaves turn in one particular area, and a spontaneous composition on a log in the Carson National Forest a few days ago.

Aspen leaves on a mountain pond, in the Sangre de Cristos.

Aspen Leaves — Aspen leaves in the high country of northern New Mexico.

Aspen leaves on a log in the Carson National Forest.

One fallen aspen tree leads the eye through the standing trees to the copse beyond.

Aspen Tree Hopewell Lake — Aspen tree Hopewell Lake, New Mexico.

A nice hillside of aspens in various stages of fall. There are still a number of weeks of turning colors to come. Join me on a photo tour and I’ll share some of my favorite locations with you.

Aspens on the flanks of the Brazos Cliffs, New Mexico.

I frequently enjoy visiting this pond in the mountains between Taos and Angel Fire and this week we hit it with precision timing. The leaves were falling like rain on and around us. Here’s a video I shared on Facebook. Turn up the sound if you watch!

And… last but not least, spending as much time on the road as I do, the opportunities abound. In this case a Porcupine trucking across the road. I had to move fast. The porcupine was fast, but I was slightly faster and that’s how I got this picture of a sweet little creature.

As always, thank you for looking. G