My Back Yard

Bright Sunset CloudsTesuque Sunset #3Mystery BugSunset Sky #1Orange DawnSnowy Foothills #1Snowy Foothills #2Sunset Sky #2Sunset Sky #3Cactus FlowersStorm Across the FoothillsTesuque StormAfternoon ThunderstormCactus Flower DetailSnowy Foothills #3Snowy Foothills #4TulipInfrared YuccaBack Yard Rainbow #3Tesuque Sunset #2Cholla CactusFirethornBack Yard Rainbow #1Tesuque Sky #2Sunset Sky #5Orb WeaverTesuque Sunset #1Tesuque Sky #1White MothSnowy Mountain SunsetBack Yard Rainbow #2Sunset Sky #4Red DawnTarantula Hawk Wasps

In spring of 2004 I moved into a house north of Santa Fe. I had to clear a lot of brush and to trim back the trees along the south end, and I was delighted with the scenic view I opened up. A photo project began almost immediately, at first using small point and shoot style digital cameras, and later moving up to a larger camera with a variety of lenses. For the first several years after moving in I kept my camera on a tripod, always ready. A few times I was outside in my bathrobe at the first light of day, and outside with an end of day beer at sunset.

I’ve got about 90 degrees of the horizon nearly all the way to the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with no near neighbors to spoil the view. The land nearest to me is on the Tesuque Pueblo, and much of the farther land is part of the Santa Fe National Forest. There are more and more large houses popping up to the south, four or more miles away, but they are small specks toward the horizon.

My sunset shots are aimed southeast, so the sun can’t be part of them. If you’ve ever spent time in New Mexico, you know how spectacular the skies can be toward the west at sunset, but I don’t get a piece of those! (too easy, sour grapes, etc.)

The project expanded to include the flora and fauna inside my back yard: strange insects, cacti and succulents, wild roses and not so wild tulips, daffodils and other flowers. Hummingbirds too, but they get a little gallery on this website all to themselves!