This week we did another brief trip to Sleepy Grass Campground, Cloudcroft, NM. It was lovely again, but this time it rained a whole bunch. 

Our cabin in the mountains.

Purple Thistle.

Campfire.

Rainy morning in the forest.

Wild horses in the rain. 

Tiny Blooms in the rain. 

Driving across the desert towards home, the clouds hung very low due to the humidity rising from the desert in the sunlight.

Early morning sunlight on the east side of the Organ Mountains

Elk playing in a puddle. 

(Click to play, and then click on the box in the lower right hand corner to enlarge.)

 

Hometown Photos – Las Cruces, New Mexico

For reasons explained in our last blog post, Dennis and I have not been traveling much or very far this year. I have continued to take photos of Las Cruces and a few nearby communities. I also have used the time to learn new techniques of editing digital images. Here are some examples of my efforts. Michael

Desert Rabbit

Avocado Salad

Water and Light

Red Mesquite Beans

Jim's Parrot

The Mexican Trestle - Cloudcroft

Sunset from our front yard

The Organ Mountains

The Patio at Chala's Wood Fired Grill - Mesilla

Mule Deer

A Home in the Talavera Neighborhood

Free Range Calf

Pansies

Rest Area - Radium Springs

Community Building - Tortugas Pueblo

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church - Tortugas Pueblo

Side Yard - Mesquite District

Prickly Pear Cactus

Curve-billed Thrasher

Yucca Blooms - The New Mexico State Flower

Ocotillo at Sunrise

Approaching Storm and Holy Cross Church

Free Range Cattle

Different Ocotillo, Different Sunrise

Organ Mountains at Sunset

Window View at the Charles Hot Springs - Truth or Consequences

Yucca Seed Pods

Sunflower on our Fireplace Mantle

Michael and Apricot in the Backyard

 

We haven't had a blog post since February. 

Dennis was diagnosed with multiple blood clots in early March. He is doing well, although still going through a world of medical tests to make sure everything really is okay. 

But our traveling/camping has been disrupted since then. We had to cancel all of our BIG plans for the summer and will just be doing smaller (local) trips for the next few months. To that end, we went out to Aguirre Springs (about 20 miles from home) for 2 nights a week ago and visited Cloudcroft (about 90 miles) this week. 

They were both good outings. And here are a few pictures. 

(FAIR WARNNG: Both of us have begun to get more creative with our photographs, so some of these will look more like paintings. Most of those are by Mike, but Dennis has gotten into this as well.)

Bird of Paradise bloom in Buena Vida Park, across the street from our house. 

Aguirre Springs Campground

The Drive into the Campground

Dennis with Sotol Blooms and the Organ Mountains 

Sotol blooms were everywhere

Young Mule Deer Buck

Lizards

Cholla Cactus Blooms

A neighboring campsite

The view from our campsite

Cloudcroft and the Sleepy Grass Campground

Aspen trees

Sunny Afternoon in the Lincoln National Forest

Starwort

Wild Iris Blooms

Yellow Evening Primrose

Wild Stallion from the Mescalero Apache Reservation

Father and Son

Mule Deer

Elk

Mike on the Osha Trail looking out upon White Sands National Park

The Lodge at Cloudcroft - Lobby

The Lodge at Cloudcroft - Inside the Tower

The view from the Tower of the Lodge at Cloudcroft

I always knew that "The Crying of Lot 49" was true

Calla Lily

Campfire at Sleepy Grass Campground