All images in New Mexico

No cemeteries today. Kinda' a day off visiting my brother and his wife, my neice and her husband, and just enjoying family. Didn't leave Santa Fe until mid-day. Decided to drive the "high road" to Taos -- always a nice way to get from Santa Fe to Taos. It's called the "high road" because the other road follows along beside the Rio Grande and is much lower in altitude. You're several thousand feet up on the "high road." And, of course, if you take the "high road" you pass within two blocks of the well and long photographed Ranchos de Taos church. If you are of my generation, you sorta' have to pay homage when passing that close. And you have to make a photograph....or two. As you can see, I sorta' poked a bit of fun at this iconic place. Both my brother and my neice have been after me to drive through the Valley Vidal (in Spanish, valley is pronouced Vi-ya). I drove west to east in the late afternoon, and that was a mistake. I should have been driving from the other direction. Everything was front lighted and very flat. Oh, well next time. I did happen onto an elk herd, and being somewhat skiddish animals, they began to move away when I stopped the truck. I watched as a forest fire began in the Carson National Forest just north of Tres Piedras. The horizon was clear one minute and the next filled with smoke. Amazng how fast it was moving, however there was a 20-25 mph wind blowing. The windmill is just after pulling onto the highway from the road through Valley Vidal. It was just nicely set against the thunderstorm clouds and had a great foreground. Tonight I'm in Raton, NM, and will get back to finding cemeteries tomorrow. I did photograph a grave site at the Truchas, NM cemetery. Sorta' strange that this "biker" grave site is set away from all the others. Made of that what you will.