style

If you are the kind of person who appreciates a lot of choices when it comes to barber shops, you’d probably like it here in Las Vegas, where it seemed like there was place on every block.

As a bonus today, I present Some History Stuff: the poster on the right side of the image is a 19 year old Cassius Clay (later of course, Mohammed Ali), photographed in 1961 by Flip Schulke. The photo was made in one of the few desegregated pools in the United States, at a hotel in an historically black neighborhood in downtown Miami.

Las Vegas, New Mexico
photographed 11.8.2025

a bitter campaign

First of all: take a minute to read this poster I saw the other day. I’ll wait.

That’s quite a bit of drama, on the political as well as the family sides of things. Also: Ms. Quiles came in third in a three-candidate race, getting 2.4% of the vote.

Las Vegas, New Mexico
photographed 11.8.2025

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