On October 14, 2018, Johnpaul and I went out to photograph the (mostly) burned down general store in Meadow Lake. The charred remains of the structure have been sitting there for at least a year and didn't look like they would be going anywhere anytime soon. Well, on this day they were, in fact, gone. The owner of the property finally decided to rebuild and my burnt down general store is now under construction which does not make for interesting photos.

Not to worry though, while we were out we found something much more unusual and eye catching: a carnival!

This carnival was set up across the street from a church that was having some kind of festival. Ergo, it was not abandoned but probably should have been. There were a few people walking around but no one was riding the rides, probably because they all looked to be held together with coat hangers and duct tape. To say that the rides looked unsafe would be putting it mildly. Additionally, the Carnies also looked to be held together with coat hangers and duct tape.. and various drug problems..
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It was the sketchiest carnival I've ever seen.

These photos are from October 17, 2018.

The New Mexico skies never disappoint and this tidal wave of clouds rolling over the Manzano Mountains kept me from getting any work done for an entire day because I kept going to window to stare at them even after I came home from taking my photos.

On Thursday (11/08/2018), I went with Johnpaul to a home inspection in Stanley, New Mexico. I came along in hopes of finding some good abandoned houses to photograph and Stanley did not disappoint.

For the most part, there is nothing in Stanley except a bunch of huge ranches. If you're looking for gas, food, or civilization you'll need to go back up the highway to Edgewood.

On the way into town, there is a little cluster of abandoned houses. If you're interested in checking them out, you'll need to be very careful, discreet and quick because, as always the hills have eyes who may show up at any moment to demand an explanation for what you think you're doing.

It should go without saying that you should never take anything other than photographs from an abandoned house as it's a good way to bring home unwanted guests such as angry spirits or Hantavirus, and no one wants that.

These photos are from October 27, 2018

I've been shooting portrait sessions in the Corrales Bosque for ten years and I've always wanted to pull off Corrales Road and photograph this abandoned house but just never got around to it... until a couple weeks ago. The house is actually for sale but I think the intent is for the buyer to want the land and to bull doze this house which is well beyond redemption.

On September 30, 2018, Johnpaul and I hiked to the top of Tome Hill.

From the parking area, it looks like an easy hike to the top. There are multiple trails to choose from. The "pilgrimage path" is longer but not as steep and the "quick path" goes straight up the steepest side of the hill. Still, from the bottom, it looks pretty easy. We took "the quick path", the one that goes straight up. As previously mentioned, the trail is steep and full of loose rocks. There is no shade and you will get hot and thirsty pretty fast so come prepared.

Tome Hill was formed by volcanic activity roughly 30 million years ago, at which time it may have more accurately described as Tome Mountain. Over time, the Rio Grande River eroded the earth around the basalt leaving the hill as we now know it.

As is evident from the photos, Tome Hill plays an important role in the area's activities, drawing thousands of "pilgrims" every year. The crosses atop the hill can be seen from miles around.

What I didn't realize, but am reading about this morning, is that there are hundreds of ancient petroglyphs on the hill, some of which date back nearly 2000 years. Apparently we took the wrong trail up because we didn't see any of these petroglyphs, and they are not widely publicized. I believe this warrants a return trip...