Last Snow of the Year

Remnants of the last snow of 2009 in the Sandia foothills.

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Merry Christmas!

A gingerbread house, built in the 50s by developer Dale Bellamah, lit up for Christmas.

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Yellow Submarine

A yellow submarine reflected in the pond at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden is part of the annual River of Lights display.

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Christmas a la Santa Fe

Christmas decorations in Santa Fe are very tasteful -- so tasteful that you just might miss them ... unless you look very, very closely.

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Remnant of Fall

I know fall's not officially over... but the leaves think it is.

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Red Chile Ristra

Red chiles, hung out to dry (really).

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Bull Snake

A bull snake, backed up against the wall of San Lorenzo Canyon. He was not a happy camper, and struck at me moments after I got this shot.

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Canine Wizard

A participant in the Halloween Pet Costume Parade in Old Town Albuquerque.

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Fall in the Sandia Foothills

Yellow trees are flanked by chamisa in the Sandia foothills.

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Salt Cedar (Tamarisk)

Salt cedar in San Lorenzo Canyon. It's an invasive species, not native to New Mexico, but it has a certain beauty -- especially in the fall.

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Sunset Silhouette

A tree is silhouetted against a backdrop of the setting sun and Mt. Taylor.

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Fiesta! Fiesta!

Onlookers at the Balloon Fiesta watch as hot air balloons compete in the key grab.

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Del Agua Overlook

The thick layer of smog covering the Rio Grande Valley is obvious, from the Del Agua Overlook along the Sandia Crest Trail.

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State Fair

On the midway at the New Mexico State Fair, aka Expo New Mexico.

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Murphey's Drugstore

A drugstore sign in downtown Las Vegas (New Mexico).

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Raspberry Ranch Sunflowers

Sunflowers at the Salman Raspberry Ranch garden are a harbinger of summer's end.

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Martineztown Mural

Albuquerque's Martineztown is filled with colorful murals.

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East Fork of the Jemez

The volcanic rocks of the Jemez are reflected in the water of the East Fork.

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Even in Death

Even in death . . . some people are more equal than others. This Albuquerque cemetery is neatly split down the middle, with lush green grass on one side, and dirt on the other.

Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle, just outside Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Labyrinth

Late afternoon shadows on the labyrinth at New Life Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque.

Four Years

Today marks the 4-year anniversary of this photoblog. Over the next few months, we'll be moving to a newer, more contemporary blog with the same name (but a different domain): NewMexicoPhotoJournal.com. Please take a sneak peek!

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder wildflowers growing along Cienega Trail and in other high reaches of the Sandia mountains.

California Sister

A California Sister (Adelpha bredowii), the first butterfly I ever got a decent shot of, and the one responsible for my butterfly obsession. Ironically, I saw this one well within about a quarter mile of where I got the very first shot -- back in 2002.

Lucky Boy

On the corner of Constitution and Carlisle in Albuquerque. I can't remember a time that it wasn't there.

Summer Sunset

Looking west from the Sandias shortly after sunset, with Mt. Taylor and Cabezon tiny landmarks on the horizon.

Apache Plume

Apache plume surrounds an iron wilderness sign. It's difficult to fully capture the beauty of Apache plume in a photograph.

Thunderstorm

A thunderstorm moves north across Albuquerque. The volcanoes are in the foreground, with Mt. Taylor in the background.

Crosses

The paired crosses in the upward swoop of St. Paul Lutheran Church, in Albuquerque, make a fine perch for pigeons.

Up Above the World So High...

The view from the top of the Sandias, from the trail between La Luz and the upper tram.

Roses

It's been a very good year for roses.

Indian Paintbrush

Some of the year's first Indian paintbrush.

Iris Blossom

The blossom of an iris reaches up to the New Mexican sun.

Old Route 66 at Dusk

Looking east from Nob Hill on old Route 66 through Albuquerque (Central). Some of those signs have been there for decades.

Twisted Tree

A venerable old tree along La Luz Trail in the Sandias has weathered many storms.

Sandia Foothills

After overnight snow, morning flurries, and heavy clouds hanging over the Sandias all day, sunlight finally broke through at the very end of the day.

La Ventana

La Ventana, a natural arch once thought to be New Mexico's largest, south of Grants, NM.

Travelstead Hall (UNM)

Some of the stained glass windows in Travelstead Hall, and their reflections.

Really Definitive Evidence of Spring

Chani helps change the fire danger sign at the Copper Open Space trailhead from "High" to "Very High" -- a sure sign of warmer weather.

More Evidence of Spring

It's always great to see flowers and green grass at the end of a brown winter.

Spring Sunset

Shortly before tonight's sunset. Doesn't it look serene? In reality, the wind was howling and yours truly was freezing. (Mt. Taylor is in the background.)

Early Spring

We're having an unusually early and warm spring in Albuquerque. I checked my photos from last year, and these blossoms first appeared on the 22nd; this year it was the 4th. And some of the trees are already sprouting green fuzz. My predictions: it will almost certainly snow in the next week (for maximum interference with the flowering trees); and more century plants than usual will bloom this year (they seem to like a hot, dry spring).

El Morro

The stark landscape on top of El Morro is reflected in a puddle.

Iglesia de San Luis

A classic and very beautiful New Mexican church (iglesia) in San Luis, New Mexico.

Rio Puerco Sunset

A butte in the Rio Puerco Valley is silhouetted by the setting sun.

Cabezon

Cabezon, a volcanic plug in northwestern New Mexico, is seen through the ruins of a house in a ghost town.

The Snowy Day

Light breaks through the clouds at the end of a snowy day in the Sandia foothills. (With apologies to Jack Ezra Keats, whose original snowy day was so wonderfully charming.)

Ghost Road

The road out of Guadalupe, a ghost town in the Rio Puerco Basin.

Chacoan Outlier

Cabezon, a distinctive volcanic plug in northwestern New Mexico, is seen through the walls of the Guadalupe Outlier.

San Luis Gate

The cross on a wrought iron gate in San Luis, New Mexico.