Author Archives: Melinda Green Harvey
church, unused
My traveling partner and I had a discussion about the appropriateness of opening a closed (but not locked) gate to gain access to this abandoned church and similarly disregarded graveyard.
Argument One: It’s a gate. It’s shut. With a chain hooked on it keeping it shut. We should stay out.
Argument Two: The gate also has a sign that says “Please close gate” which implies that someone has granted us permission to, you know, open it.
Anyway, here’s an old church.
near Sapello, New Mexico
photographed 11.9.2025
fall light
I have a hard time answering questions like “What’s your favorite food?” or “What’s your favorite song?” or “What’s your most embarrassing moment?”* My mind, which certainly follows its own path, doesn’t prefer to categorize things.
However, if I ever am asked about my favorite color, I would say it’s the bright yellow of fall cottonwood trees in New Mexico, especially the way that from a distance you can spot a meandering river – even you can’t otherwise tell there even is a river – by looking at the golden leaves, and also the way when the light’s low it takes on the glow from the leaves and ( and!) the leaves also look beautiful when viewed from an open window on the third floor of an historic hotel in a mountain town.
“Yellow” would also be correct but fails to convey what I mean.
Plaza Hotel (and the plaza)
Las Vegas, New Mexico
photographed 9.8.2025
*I really DON’t know what my most embarrassing moment is. For one thing, many things are in contention. And also, if I did remember, do you really think I’d disclose it here?
$10.99
Yes, so I did in fact ignore all the interesting people and beautiful kilts and stuff at the Highland Games and take a photo of price tags. But I was only gone for 1/50th of a second and then came right back.
New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival
Lincoln, New Hampshire
photographed 9.19.2025
charisma
If you get a chance to hear the Scottish band Albannach*, you should definitely go.
This guy is Jamesie Johnson, and he’s – to put it very mildly – one of the most charismatic performers I’ve ever seen. According to the band’s webpage, he’s a fan of AC/DC, Mötley Crüe, Metallica and Pink Floyd. That doesn’t surprise me a bit. But apparently he also likes Yanni, a fact that makes my head explode just a little bit.
New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival
Lincoln, New Hampshire
photographed 9.19.2025
*For fun, think about looking up how to pronounce “albannach” and then spend a lot of time practicing it, especially when you are around people you don’t know. (Also, “albannach” is Scottish Gaelic for “Scottish.”)
One Day | One Image 