Last Saturday was spring cleaning on the Pacheco ditch (acequia) that
flows from the Rio Pueblo south into Ranchos de Taos. This year, as last, the
cleaning began at our new head gate and ended just behind the Immel hacienda. It
took ten of us about four hours. Our annual effort keeps the cool
mountain water flowing freely to each of our parcels along its serpentine path. Sometimes the work borders on backbreaking and other times, as this year, it’s a casual stroll through field and farm as you reconnect with vecinos (neighbors) you may not have
seen since the last time you shoveled and raked.
I carried my pocketable Sony RX100 Mark II so I could grab shots of the work but wound up instead with headshots. One is of John
Hall, once a textbook publisher in Cambridge and a former resident of Lincoln, MA as we are. John has been on my list of potential victims since I met him at our first cleaning eight years ago. The other is of the wired for sound Russell Droke.
Gentleman rancher John Hall |
Russell "The Dervish" Droke |
When I asked Russell if I could photograph him he said, “Why not. I’m used to it.” And now you know why. He's got some mug on him.
1 comment:
It must be endlessly fulfilling to work on the acequias in the spring (especially when it is not a slog), renew acquaintances and friendships, and be able to get some wonderful head shots during the process. With luck, we'll see more of John Hall (definitely a deserving victim of your lens, and Russell as well. Nice job!
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