La Casa Towanda has recently moved to NM and has been posting some beautiful photos of her new home. They reminded me of some photos of our home north of Questa. We had some beautiful views in that home. Jesse took advantage of those views with these photos. My kids were very active in 4H at the time. Besides doing horse projects, Jesse did photography (Bo did rocketry and made some awesome rockets) and entered these photos in the county and state fairs. 
She won a blue ribbon at the Colfax County fair with the hollyhocks. Although the judge made a negative comment on the reflections, we kind of liked the fact that you could look through the house and see the view on the other side as well as see the reflection of the mountains too. I loved those flowers. 
She won a second place youth ribbon at the NM State fair with this sunset, which she caught after a snowfall one afternoon. Even in her younger days she had a good eye and talent with a lens. The picture of our kitten, Tomosita, was also one of our favorites.
She won a blue ribbon at the Colfax County fair with the hollyhocks. Although the judge made a negative comment on the reflections, we kind of liked the fact that you could look through the house and see the view on the other side as well as see the reflection of the mountains too. I loved those flowers. 
She won a second place youth ribbon at the NM State fair with this sunset, which she caught after a snowfall one afternoon. Even in her younger days she had a good eye and talent with a lens. The picture of our kitten, Tomosita, was also one of our favorites.
10 comments:
Hi Lou, Thanks for the mention. One thing that is wonderful about New Mexico, among many things, is that there is never an end to the inspiration for great pictures! I told my hubby, "We must never leave this house without our cameras...you never know what you can find to take photos of."
I LOVE the pictures you posted today. Good for Jesse, winning a ribbon for her sunset picture! It's a fantastic pic. And hollyhocks - oh I love hollyhocks. My grandmother always had them in her garden in upstate NY and we used to make those hollyhock dolls out of them.
Top of my priority list: improve my gardens here, plant some hollyhocks...and take pictures!
Okay Lou, tough question for you .... I can see the love you have for New Mexico and the wonderful memories. Is there a chance you could ever move back here?
Sharon, Never say never. If you ask me that question in late August when I am tired of the temps being 100+, my answer might be different. I write about the good memories in NM and of its beauty, but there is a dark side of NM - the drugs, alcohol, poverty, predjudice, etc. Anymore, NM is a tough place to make a living and raise children. There was a good reason my parents moved back to TX and only spent vacations in NM. NM may be easier on retirees. It is the land of enchantment and it has a magical pull, but it is also the desert.
Now that looks like a worthless cat if I ever saw one. :) Don't you wish you could nap like that?
That is a gorgeous susnst. I am always taking pictures of sunsets and sunrises.
First: Great pics. Jess does have a great talent.
Second: Interesting view on NM, Lou. Every so often I'll hear someone talk about crime and drugs and such in this area but I've yet to see it, first hand. I only need to watch the evening news out of ABQ to validate what you say, but I think that's the case with nearly ALL cities these days, anywhere in the world. There is lots of poverty in NM... I see that all too often. But, as you said... it's different for retirees. It's said "ignorance is bliss" and I'm ignorant about a lot of less-than-good things about NM. I kinda prefer to keep it that way, too.
Third: What IS it about hollyhocks and the bugs that eat them? I've had hollyhocks in the garden of almost every house I've owned and they're only good for about a month. A couple of weeks after they bloom the bugs turn the leaves into lattice work and the plants die. There was nothing I could dust, spray, or otherwise put on the danged things to save 'em. Happened every year. You, too? Or is it just me?
Buck, I am a terrible gardener. I can kill the hardiest of plants, but my hollyhocks were amazing. They grew without any help from me. They came back every year and bloomed their little trumpets and no bugs bothered them. Here in OK, I have not had that kind of luck. I guess it is too hot and too many bugs.
Those are great photos. The sunset one is very good. I love the kitten, too.
Very nice pictures. It does look like the Questa Area. My mother has recently retired to that area.
Great pictures.
Lou - the sunset pic only reinforces my desire to make the trip out west again.... I have to keep saving my pennies! I traveled I-10 from FL to CA back in the 70's. I think it took me longer to get thru TX than the rest of the trip combined. NM was incredibly beautiful. I laughed at the rest area picnic tables that had Indian Teepee covers!
My mom has the green thumb in the family... hollyhocks, iris, azaleas,sweet peas, you name it... she could grow it. Me? Nah- brown thumb.
I think I'm much better at growing weeds. They don't need TLC and seem to thrive on neglect!
Eric S, I would be interested to know where your mother is in the Questa area. We lived north of Questa on the mountain side of the valley in an area called El Rito.
Fire Fox, You should visit NM again. The area around I-10 is very different from northern NM.
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