There was a really outstanding Halloween display out in the middle of nowhere in the Jemez for a few years. You can read more about the woman who put it together here.
The article was written in 2019, which was the last time she had a large display. The pandemic came along and nothing at all happened in 2020 or 2021. I fretted and hoped she hadn’t gotten sick. Last year she put up a small display, which is when I noticed the headless horseman below. But once again this year, there’s no display. Putting it together had to have been a huge task, however much a labor of love.
She’s quoted in the article as saying people noticed the display on their way to the tunnels. True enough — that’s how I first spotted it too. She’s referring to the Gilman Tunnels through the Guadalupe Gorge (below).1
There was a Día de los Muertos parade in Albuquerque’s South Valley on the first Sunday in November for many years. The group that had always organized it, Muertos y Marigolds, took a break in 2019 to reassess. Then, just as with the Halloween display in the Jemez, the pandemic came along and everything shut down. Last year, Muertos y Marigolds put on a procession — a much smaller walking event — which is when I took the photo of a little girl in a very large hat. Everyone wears face paint for Día de los Muertos.2
Speaking of children and face paint, I was intrigued a few years ago when I saw the young woman below using her phone to paint her face for the parade.3 I snapped a shot and moments later, a former coworker appeared to inform me that I’d just taken a photo of her daughter.4 The last time I’d gotten a shot of her was when she was just 3 or 4 years old. She was wearing a little mining helmet at the time.5
We had our first freeze a couple of nights ago. I knew it was coming so I went down to the bosque to see if I could get some photos of the cottonwoods before their leaves dropped. As it turned out, many were still green.
I took two cameras with me, one for landscape shots and another with a telephoto lens, because you just never know — there are often interesting birds in the bosque, especially in fall and winter. I was rewarded for my efforts by a belted kingfisher who wasn’t quite as skittish as most of its brethren.
It was still pretty far away but, fortunately for me (with my limited distance vision), it was quite chatty. I was happy to get the shot of it sitting on a birdhouse, sermonizing loudly to all and sundry.
Happy Halloween/Día de los Muertos.
It’s also called the Guadalupe Box.
Everyone except me, that is. I don’t want to smear paint on my camera.
I’ve learned so much from millennials about the many ways in which smartphones can be used.
Even though Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico, it’s essentially a small town. Heck, most of New Mexico is essentially a small town — it’s hard to go anywhere without running into someone you know. I’m convinced there’s no more than one degree of separation between any of us.
She was adorable in the mining helmet. I looked for that photo but, since I took it for work, it’s not in my own files. I think it’s probably been lost to the mists of time.
Outstanding shot of the kingfisher!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!