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White Sands National Monument
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Category Archives: Photography
Road Less Traveled
OK, I attempted some bad poetry in one of my earlier posts and to make up for it, here is Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken:
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Country Road
Some of the photography blogs also offer poetry with their photos so as to capture the full artistic experience. So, with that in mind, here is my poetry capturing the moment at 8,500 feet above sea level.
Beauty, trees, winds, gravel road…
Huffing and puffing, winded, really high, gasping for breath,
Camera, shoot, photo, drink cool water… luke warm water… from bottle, not pond, dysentery…
Dog, companion, Baily, labrador, guide, rescue mutt…
Hiking, too high, too long, wind in hair… seize the moment, seize the breath, seizure…
Hyperventilate… sit… rescue mutt, lick, face… wait patiently… leave behind… all alone… rescue mutt gone… descend slowly… more gravel, wind in hair blowing as if its all about me… only the wind doesn’t care… neither does the gravel, altitude, sun bathing and burning my white skin… I could die here and no one would notice…
Rescue mutt returns… Come on slow poke! I’m 97 years old in dogs years and I’m in better shape than you!
Shut up rescue mutt…
The Falls
By the way, I did ask my hosts if anyone went swimming in the ponds, even though they are so shallow and was told that you cannot. If you do, you risk breaking the seal of the pond itself. Apparently the bottom of these ponds is very fragile and if it is broken, the water just seeps into the ground, thereby robbing the neighborhood of having a running stream. Running water, and water in general, is really what is most important in this area. I was told the land is actually rather cheap, but getting water is another problem all together. The area has actually seen mini-feuds over water rights.
This is a good reminder of just how precious water is. Most of us never give it a thought since we can go to the tap and fill up a glass any time we want. But not all parts of the country have that option and those in the mountains of New Mexico are some of those that have to be careful with the water they have.
Take A Seat
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Mountain View
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The Log
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Spring Fed Pond
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Tree Ladder
I took this while hiking up in the mountains several weeks ago. It is outside of Cloudcroft, NM., at about 8,500 feet in altitude. I’m planning on taking my boys there next week for a few days.
Cloud Haven
I spent some time up at Cloud Haven Retreat Center in Cloudcroft, NM a few months back. I’m hoping to go up there again soon now that all the snow has melted. When I went, there was so much snow I couldn’t get out and walk around. Hopefully this last freeze didn’t dump a bunch more snow up there.
Cloud Haven is a great place to go, relax and unwind.
This second one, I had to work with more to bring out the bear’s face. It didn’t turn out quite like I imagined it.
