Sidetracked Charley

On the road back This was the week I largely divorced myself from the news; disconnected from the ethernet and drove the highways. No long road trip just several hops to neighboring towns. And of course Raton again.  For me driving is meditative. I do not need a cell phone to make it interesting. It is along just for possible emergencies. And most of the places I drive the majority of the trip will be without a signal which is fine by me. I am willing to climb a hill if I must. And trust me OnStar is not available. I like it like that. I don't even try the radio. Most stations I could get, when I can get them, are country western. My crying in my beer days are over. Both of my vehicles have radios I can plug my jump drives into and listen to my tunes. For entertainment I look for bison, pronghorns, elk, and that quality of light which turns the view to magic. If I see none of the above I just drive into another zone as it were. Raton this week was a gift. As was the two d...

I love summer mornings here in the high country. There is a freshness about the air and a lushness about the landscape. It makes the long winter and the snows of May worth it for both the photographer and the animals. Cows and calves I have photographed large herds of elk before but not with little calves. They still have their spots. And the matriarch of the herd was keeping careful watch. Even though I was only armed with a camera they all figured they were safest in the trees. Blending in But they were not going to go too far way from all that lush grass and the pond. Watching Fortunately the goose family was totally unconcerned by my presence and gave me something else to aim my camera at. Life in the high country of New Mexico.

Christmas Morning Elk 2011 When my sister lived in New Mexico she would come up to my house for the holidays and we would almost always have several photo exhibitions. The Christmas Day photography trip was a tradition. Snowshoeing Christmas Day 2012 Last year we had snow but we have had some warm Christmases in the past few years which allowed for more playing around. In 2010 we even had a picnic on Christmas Day.  Crystal and Debbie Looking for Picnic spot 2010 Ponil Creek 2011 2011 was a bit chillier but in the sun it was definitely warmer than expected. We took tons of photos and had great laughs. But 2010 was exceptionally warm as the picture below indicates. Off road in Ocate 2010 There was always animals and great photos to be had and memories to be made. Everyone else was at home in front of the television and we were able to have the wilderness and off roads to ourselves. Nobody to spook the buffalo which were sunning themselves. It was b...

Bare Bone by J. Binford-Bell Mornings in Black Lake, New Mexico include walks with the fur kids. And the camera. Mardi Gras and Magique are sniffing out everything and I am snooping around trying to find a new subject on a well worn path. Which brings me to the bare bones. Both my immediate neighbors and myself have medium to large size dogs that we treat and amuse with marrow bones. Cid's, an organic food store in Taos, is our major source of these canine treasures. And I am often totally shocked at the number of these I must buy when I clean up the yard before mowing or gather them into a basket when sorting through the living room. This is expected. But I and my neighbor fence our dogs except for these morning excursions. So why are there so many of these on the path? Winged Thief by J. Binford-Bell I think I must blame it on the ravens. They seem to be attracted by round white objects. I know this because I am four miles from the Angel Fire Resort Golf Course and ...

Christmas Morning Elk Every photographer knows what a gift it is to have a close friend, or in my case a sister, to go a photographing with. People that have not looked at the world through a view finder don't understand when we yell, "Stop. Pull over. No, back there." And other assorted exclamations of excitement. Nor do they see the necessity in going out at the crack of dawn in sub zero weather (-12 F on Christmas Day) to seek the elusive elk. This year's Calf Studying the Dawn Or to catch that early morning light on the surrounding mountains and hills. Most people miss this entirely. Dawn on Cat Scratch Mountain Dawn on Wheeler Peak My sister and I returned after the morning expedition to a Christmas Morning breakfast of eggs Benedict on homemade English Muffin bread. And then it was out for the afternoon off-road tradition begun last year. So Nikon and Cannon in hand and fur kids in back we set off to find unexplored territory and went throug...

It is off season, and like the elk, I am rather enjoying it. Grass is still rather scarce as winter is just leaving, and money is rather tight for much the same reasons but the silence and peace in my mountain resort community are priceless. This is the New Mexico I grew up in and thought I had moved back to. I was rather shocked that it had been discovered. I always joked that we allowed the building of US 66 and later Interstate 40 through the most boring parts of the state so people wouldn't stop. Now that I depend in part on tourism to bring art lovers to my studio I am rather split. But fortunately the tourists seem to go for the peak times ~ when the snow is the deepest and the weather is the warmest. This works for me because it leaves the off times for me to enjoy my state of wilderness. If you are a bird watcher this is a great time of the year as the migrants make their way back to our neck of the woods. How wonderful it is to sit on your porch and see the bright blu...