I’m not much of a morning person … but despite that, I managed to get up and out early several times last month. At one point I looked up through the budding branches of one of my favorite trees to see the moon.
I was hoping to see the first rays of light hit Mt. Taylor (below).1 Clouds in the east made that impossible one particular morning, but the setting moon more than made up for it.
If you look closely at the photo above, you can see the silhouettes of two or three of the long-dormant volcanoes on Albuquerque’s west side. They’re just below that strip of orange-pink light in front of Mt. Taylor. Below is a view of the same three volcanoes (lower left) from the other side, this time with the Sandia mountains in the background.
I took a little jaunt out to eastern New Mexico for a few days, driving along US Highway 60. Filled with ghost towns and other small settlements, it’s one of my favorite roads. The building below, an old church in the tiny village of Taiban,2 has been a favorite photo subject for many years.3
On my way down to Highway 60 from Clines Corners, I noticed the view below. It’s basically an unremarkable New Mexican ranch scene — except for the fact that the ground was covered with snow. It had snowed several days previously and, uncharacteristically, hadn’t melted immediately.
In the Ojito Wilderness, a friend and I ran into a small group of cattle, including what must be one of the first calves of the year. If you look closely, you can see its umbilical cord. That, and the fact that every other animal’s legs were caked with mud, make me think this little critter was barely a few days old, if that.
Below is a wider Ojito Wilderness view. Ojito and part of the Zia Pueblo reservation are in the foreground; the southern end of the Nacimientos are in the near background; and the Jemez mountains are in the far background.
How could I not love New Mexico?
Mt. Taylor is also called Tzoodzil, one of the four sacred mountains of the Diné (Navajo).
I’m not sure if Taiban qualifies as a ghost town (its residents probably don’t think so).
I posted a few other photos of this church in my AI substack.
Yes, how could anyone NOT love NM?! Or your photos!
"Barren-looking" NM is teeming with life and beauty. You capture it perfectly, Lisa. Thank you for continuing to share your perspectives with your subscribers.