Week 27 - 2018 in Photographs

Day 182

 Two atmospheric events seemed to have happened on the same day: Forest fire smoke, and monsoonal moisture. Day 182 is not digitally manipulated. I was out looking for dog toys to restock my chucking supply on the deck and had the camera over my shoulder just in case the goats would maybe come wandering down the road. When I turned back toward my house with arms full this was the sky which made me set all those balls down and take the photograph. Of course the dogs following me around grabbed the balls and took off.

But I got this photograph. The Sardinas Fire, human caused on top of the mountain provided the smoke. The actual column of smoke is off camera to the left. The roof line is my house. And the tree to the left of it was only 5 feet tall when I moved in. This photo is proof it is now taller than my two story home which I bought because it was in a valley with no trees but this one.

Day 183

The tree line begins across the street from me. The Sentinel Tree, the tall one in this photo, has been struck more than once by lightning. In this photo it marks the dividing line of the smoke and the clear sky. The North American Monsoons set up provided the clouds to make for a noisy sky which are perfect for black and white treatments. These four photos were taken standing on my driveway and recording the subtle changes in clouds and light.

Day 184

Day 185

Day 187

The thunderhead below grew from nothing. When it first appeared, the bottom part, I thought it might be a new fire. After a dry winter and no spring rains to speak of the forest is on fire. I live in a meadow but am surrounded by forests. On the day I took the photo below we had a big one, the Ute Park Fire and the smaller one, the Sardinas Fire on either side. 

As I type this there are two others, the Morris Creek fire and the Emily fire contributing to the smoke which you can always smell in the morning. So not alarmist to think any new cloud could be smoke. Monsoon season is know for its thunderheads. 

Day 186

And when the sun sets they turn red and orange and purple and look as if they are on fire themselves. The photo below is the left side of the photo above. I can tell by the trees on the mountain ridge. Photographs were taken from the deck of the house in the first photo.

Day 188

Week 23 - 365 Day Challenge 2013

Day 155 - Stairway to Heaven at 224?

On June 1st I took another photographer and friend back to Trinidad to explore what I missed. Photographers are always sure they have missed something. We are already planning another trip because in addition to thinking we have missed something we are also sure we can get a better picture if only the light were different or we had the bed of the pickup to stand in. Frankly I think this picture, which I missed the first time, is best from the lower angle. Maybe next time I will back up just a hair and kneel.

Day 156 - the Grand Opera House

Really disappointed that I missed this one my first visit. But Jessica and I walked a couple blocks further down West Main and discovered lots of things. But his edifice is just to wonderful. And on the next trip to Trinidad, Colorado I must explore more of the building.

Day 157 - Now there are two

Followers of my blogs and my photos will remember my picture of this alien sign from my previous trip across the border. My photography partner was trying to get a picture of the moon through the opening and I was bored and walked a few steps down to be out of her way and find out what business it advertised. It is oddly enough a photography gallery. And the windows provided me with this great reflection and duplication.

Day 158 - No Sales today

I confess I took this image on my first trip to Trinidad but I have been playing with a new processing trick I discovered in the dry darkroom of the second trip photos and revisited trip number one photos. I understand this building is haunted. It certainly has haunted me.

Day 159 - Devastation

Thursday I was lured away from my studio and computer to revisit the Val Vidal. This comes under the heading of familiarity would lead to better photos classification of photographer rationalizations. And to some degree they are right. It will. I would rather not say how many photos I have taken of this burn scar from a forest fire of several years ago. I was trying to capture the feel of it. On this trip the clouds cooperated and with a bit of post processing looked alarmingly like smoke.

Day 160 - Set in brick

Back to trip one to Trinidad. Another photo which benefited from learning at a later date. A good reason to not totally cull all the photos out of a file. 

Day 161 

I took this photo on trip two to Trinidad for a friend I thought would appreciate it. And she did. And so did I. I have six different post processing versions of this one. And for my photoshopping friends, I did not use layering. This is the photo as taken with no cropping and just a reduction of hue and saturation. All else is reflection off of glass and shiny floors of stain glass windows and light. Sometimes you just get lucky.

Mag 64 - The Cinco de Mayo

On May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, in 1996 the Hondo Fire broke out in San Cristobal, New Mexico. Conditions had been extremely dry with high winds but a local resident left a burning trash fire to go to the local bar and have a few on the Mexican holiday. Within hours after the Hondo Fire started the neighboring town of Lama was burned through. Some structures remained, but many were destroyed. Families in nearby Red River and portions of the town of Questa were evacuated.

Before this incident was over, about 2,000 individuals were displaced or evacuated from their homes, and portions of some highways were closed to all but local residents and fire traffic.The fire set a ground speed record of 9 miles in 30 minutes without crowning. That record has yet to be beaten. I watched the flames and plumes of smoke in horror as the fire rushed to within a half mile of my house. And for the next 22 days I was immediately awake anytime I smelled smoke or sensed a shift in the wind for fear a smoldering Ponderosa Pine spar would spark and the forest would be again in flames.

I was back again recently to Questa and the scar on the mountain remains. The fire burnt so hot that the earth was scorched three feet down. Reseeding efforts in slurry dumped from the fire fighting planes has not done much. And all because a resident wanted a few beers in honor of the Mexican Revolution.

I will never forget those 22 days on the edge of the smoldering mountain before the Forest service announced the fire was truly out. I watched the smoldering hills, counted the pets over and over, and checked on the pile of items by the door in case we had to evacuate. I was surprised to find the pile grew smaller. And the realization that one of the "precious items" I would not take was my husband. We agreed to divorce that summer and I moved to the "wet side" of the mountain on a piece of land that had no trees. To this day when the wind is high and the forests around me dry I stare into the sky on the lookout for smoke and like a wild animal sniff the wind for that all too familiar smell.

Don't wish me Happy Cinco de Mayo.