Blog Archives

fence decor

If you take the back roads, sometimes you’ll end up driving down into a valley with  a tiny town at the bottom and that also feels like maybe you drove all the way into another place, another time. And maybe you’ll stop there for an hour or so. And maybe you’ll feel an overwhelming sadness as you leave, knowing you’re returning to the same place, the same time that you’d just left.

Villanueva, New Mexico
photographed 8.31.2024

planning ahead can be helpful

 

I’ve seen a lot of things in cemeteries, but this was the first “reserved” sign I’ve ever noticed.

I found a book called Spanish Surnames, Older Baptismal First Names and the Origins of the Spanish Language at a tiny grocery store in New Mexico earlier this month. I bought it because it seemed like the right thing to do (it’s less a book, honestly, than it is some photocopied pages stapled together) and because it seemed like the sort of thing that might come in handy. And that’s why I can tell you that the name “Rael” previously appeared “as the name of a soldier, Real de Aguilar from Lorca, Murica, Spain, at paso del norte in the lower Rio Grande in 1689.” My new book further notes that as a surname, “Rael” is of Jewish-Greek origin.

And that concludes today’s lesson. Please carry on.

Truchas, New Mexico
photographed 9.3.2024

four eyes

I’m not saying that on a four-day visit to Tesuque I ate at the Tesuque Village Market four times. But even though I am not saying it, that is precisely what I did.

Tesuque Village Market
Tesuque, New Mexico
photographed 8.31.2024

jewel drop

For the record, the Santa Fe Botanical Garden is a delightful place to visit on an early-fall day. There are a lot of benches, so you’ll be sure to find one in the shade so you can look at plants or people or maybe close your eyes for a bit of a nap.

And also, check out the drippy sap on the piñon tree!

Santa Fe Botanical Garden
Santa Fe, New Mexico
photographed 9.2.24

empty pews

As it turns out, I have spent a lot of time this summer on the road, wandering around and taking photos.

This is not a complaint, because wandering around and taking photos is just about the most enjoyable thing I can imagine doing. And I know I am fortunate that it works out for me.

We found an interesting back road the other day that turned out to be an excellent option: I found this place.

Ima, New Mexico
photographed 8.30.24