One of my very favorite places ever, anywhere. As usual, despite the solid blue of the sky in this image, I got caught in a massive thunder/rain/hail storm on the way back. I waited most of it out in the little rock grotto of which I took a photo last year.
Jemez Horse
It’s really hard to take photos of horses. They either run toward or away from you if they think you might have even the tiniest bit of interest in them. So when I saw two horses in this field, I parked where they couldn’t see me and then walked casually along the other side of the road, never looking at them. When I was right where I wanted to take a photo, I quickly crossed the road to hold my camera over the fence and … they were much faster than I was. Especially the horse you can’t see in this photo, who was behind me. The one you can see was definitely the more shy of the two.
It worked out well anyway. I love the line of the fence (and the fence too — could a fence be more New Mexican?) and I love the buffalo gourd and nightshade flowers in the foreground. So all’s well that ends well. Although the horses might not agree since neither apples nor carrots ever materialized.
Queen Butterfly on Spike Verbena
A butterfly I’ve never seen before — a queen — atop one of my all-time favorite wildflowers, spike verbena.
Neighborhood Roadrunner
We’ve had a family of roadrunners hanging around for a year or two but I do believe the family has increased in size this spring. They’re devilishly cute troublemakers and not too shy; I guess they’re pretty used to us. I’m used to them too — so much so that I almost didn’t bother to take this shot.
Prickly Pear Twins
It’s been an odd year. OK, I know that’s an incredible understatement, in so many ways, but Mother Nature has gotten into the act here in central New Mexico too. The yuccas didn’t bloom hardly at all (although they were amazing last year). The prickly pears also looked as if they wouldn’t bloom, or even bud — but then, they did bud, much later than usual. I don’t know whether it was because it was so late, or for some other reason, but most of the buds never really opened. These two were exceptions. I love their orange centers.