Travelled the length of the Turquoise Trail today from Santa Fe to Albuquerque today, 23 years after we first discovered it in 1992. Never sure who's changed more, us or them, but its not quite the dusty, rough riding cowboy trail through the rugged Sandia foothills we remember taking back then. So maybe no one has changed, just our fond John Ford/watercolor memories of the way it was. But for logistic reasons beyond my control, and my limited enthusiasm about today's outing, I will get back to it at a later date, but since I did bring the laptop with us this time around, I would be remiss for not posting.
The purpose of this dropbox is to have a place to put the pictures I like, but don't really fit into anywhere else. For example, Monroe's Mexican Food...
I seem to take a lot of pictures of signs anyway. A local psychologist interpreted this as an indication of my need for direction in life. No argument there. I only take pictures of signs I like, and this one seems to say that if your name is Monroe, and you are in the business of selling Mexican food, it had better be good. I have had some pretty bad Mexican food in some pretty authentic sounding places. But no, I have not tried Monroe's and I'm not sure we will have time before we move on...sorry.
This is, or was, the Big Chief gas station on Route 550 passing through the Zia Pueblo in NM. Last time I was here and took a bunch of pictures (negatives) it was a busy and interesting place. Now it is closed down. Saw pictures of it on some flicker feed or other and it looked pretty beaten up and broken down, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it fairly intact although closed.
Adobe is the architectural standard for New Mexican construction, old and new. It is everywhere and one quickly becomes habituated to it. It takes a pretty good example to catch your eye and entice you to photograph it. This was one along the Turquoise Trail in Cerillos that impressed me.
Started the drop box today and hopefully will be adding to it along the way in addition to more focused posts.
This is me, leaning against some old adobe back in 1992 on our first trip to New Mexico. Had never been to the Southwest before and it was like living in a dream or maybe a cowboy movie. I have found over the years that you can never relive the magic of your first experience no matter what it was or how hard you try, and believe me I have tried.
Back to 2015 and for a few days we crossed the border to Colorado from NM and took some pictures which are being dropped here from Colorado for convenience and because it doesn't really matter. since there are only a few. After all, it all starts to look the same, same building, different place...
I always like to say that there is something uniquely American about America, and there is nothing more uniquely American than the motel, a byproduct of the conspiracy between the government and the automobile industry to tear up the railroads and mass transit to pave the way for an America dependent on the car and truck. Post war Europe was lucky to dodge the bullet in this regard, at least, and has a wonderful railway system that works. Anyway we have the car and interstate highways and downtown parking lots covering vast tracts of American cities where square blocks of buildings used to be but no longer are, just empty lots covered with some cars with no place to go, because the buildings that housed the businesses they use to serve are gone, torn down to provide parking that is no longer needed...see Des Moine,...Chattannoga,..Omaha...Albany, NY...et al to see what I mean...But an interesting by product of this destruction is the motel of which I and others have thousands of pictures, and on which I am planning to compile a definitive volume. This latest entry was taken is in Durango, Colorado.
Pablo
No comments:
Post a Comment