Jacob Mastic Memorial Rodeo

A week ago I drove down the Turquoise Trail south of Santa Fe to photograph the Jacob Mastic Memorial Rodeo. Joining me were Steven Bundy and John Farnsworth, a couple of great shooters and good friends. Thanks to Steve for the heads-up. Last year, you may recall, we photographed the National Day of the Cowboy at the very same Mortenson Ranch.

My mission was hone my skills at action shots, not something I do much of. I clicked the shutter about 2,000 times. Don’t know if it’s a record but it’s right up there. Because I took so many cowboys in action images and have yet to edit and edit and edit them to get to the best 500, here are some faces in the crowd.

Next week there’ll an onslaught of swirling dust, whirling cows and intrepid cowboys and cowgirls in non-stop action. Here's a taste:

Adobe on the Prairie

Somewhere on the Blue Highways between Des Moines, NM and Branson, CO on my way to Bent's Old Fort I spied the sleeping bones of this adobe farmhouse. The dipping sun cast a gorgeous glow on the little dwelling. At least it glowed in the color iteration which I may or may not have shared with you a couple of years back. Funny thing. I have no fool proof method of knowing whether I’ve already posted an image but, instead, must rely on my steel trap of a mind to recall 500 some odd posts or would need to review ten years of posts to know for sure. That chore, thank you very much, isn’t going to happen.

La Morada

The newly mudded Morada de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

Looking back at the path of the cross from the fourteenth station 

La Morada de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is the mother ship of northern New Mexico’s and southern Colorado’s eighty plus moradas or lay chapels. They were built by the faithful when the Catholic church failed to provide churches and priests to their mixed breed flock in the campo. What grew in their stead in the early 19th century was a conservative brand of Catholicism that featured bloody acts of penance. There are thought to be about twelve active tribunals in northern New Mexico. 

Ojo Sarco

The unincorporated village of Ojo Sarco lies in a gorgeous high valley east of Dixon, south of Peñasco and west of Las Trampas. Gotta love those musical monikers. Drive east from Dixon on SR 75. Just out of town take the right fork onto SR 580 which becomes CR 69 just as it turns to dirt. A short but scenic journey through red rock country delivers you to the little church and its sagging neighbor.

Tyrrell Errata

Earthy Tyrrell coffee cups on the seconds shelf

Oops! I misspelled Al Tyrrell's name and, hence, web address. My apologies to the talented potter and to you. It would be www.altyrrellpottery.com to see more.

Al Tyrell's Cups

I have one of Al Tyrrell’s coffee cups for every day of the week. I’m a big fan of hand thrown pottery, generally, and Al’s lighter than air tazzas fit my thumb and index finger like a glove. I choose the color and shape of the morning’s cup based on a feeling, like selecting what to wear on a given day. Today's is my newest from last Sunday, a lovely granite and burnt sienna number.

The cups shown above reside on Al’s seconds shelf outside opposite his kiln. Damned if I can tell why they're seconds which is not to suggest that I buy seconds. Anyway, I‘ve used a shallow depth of field because I like the softness and how the image fades into the background.

Al says “Dishes in natural colors created to bring beauty to everyday life.” Visit his studio in Dixon, New Mexico or at www.altyrrellpottery.com.

Yeah, I know. With all this talk about colors this probably ought to be in, well, color but black and white's my thing. 

On the way in the rain

On the way from Malaga to Gaucin by the way of Ronda I passed through a rainstorm and came upon this crumbling finca just as the deluge stopped.