Southwestern Summer - Images from July

   Here are a few images I liked from the month just ended.

   In mid-July I spent a night and a day on a ranch 4-5 hours away from here.  I went in connection with a video we're working on, and shot mostly video, but managed a few still images of the remote ranch.  (This visit is mentioned in my 22 July Sun-News column.)
  
   Sunday night, as we returned from dropping some cattle off in a pasture far from the house, when we reached one cattle-gate the driver asked, "That supposed to be a real fence" and pointed.  A length of fence was down -- somewhat to the surprise of the man who owned the place, who'd just returned from a family reunion in another state.  Although it was nearly sunset, the driver suggested they fix it immediately -- and had with him the necessary tools, just in case.

Mending the Fence

The next several images are also from the same ranch:

Sunset on the Ranch

Windmill at  Dawn



Windmill at Dawn

Windmill and Young Cowboy at Dawn

Among the others I liked this month:

This one's no great shakes as photography, but not a lot of folks even see vinegarroons.  One old friend who's lived in Cruces 40 years says he's seen two.  This month we're sometimes seeing two or three in a day, including one that seems to think our garage is a good spot to crash.  They ain't pretty, but mean no harm to humans -- and, in fact, eat scorpions.   Name because a defense mechanism is to emit something that smells like vinegar.  Maybe we'll try to get one mad and see if the vinegar tastes good on salads.

It's rainbow season here.  If I weren't so lazy I'd go see whose house that is, and offer 'em a print.  But then again, if I weren't so lazy, maybe I'd be up on that hill-top looking for the proverbial pot of gold.

This one is part of a series I'm working on -- same flag the first Friday of each month, the evening we ramble from gallery to gallery around Main St. and the Mesquite area.

Happened to see interesting light one Friday, shot this flag with that light behind it, then did it again first Friday in July. 

By the way, if you're from Dona Ana County and haven't tried the First Friday Gallery thing, I recommend it.  We enjoy it: there's some interesting art to see; it's a good event to support (with your presence even if you can't afford to buy); you might get a free glass of wine; and almost every Friday we have some really enjoyable conversations, both with old friends we run into there and with new folks we meet as we wander.

Come to think of it, I'll actually be having a show at the Rio Grande Theater Gallery throughout September.  It's a small but pleasant space adjacent to the lobby in the old theater.  Maybe see you Friday, September 7th?

Meanwhile, out where we live, the sunsets have looked sort of like this for much of July: