Thoughts about Galisteo

Photographing Galisteo was this week’s Artist Date.  I had always thought about photographing this little artist colony type of town.  It’s not a ghost town, but has really cool dirt roads throughout the town proper and the roads just sort of curve and meander.  I was excited about doing this, right up until it was time to go.  At that point, I wasn’t enthusiastic about it.  In all fairness, I hadn’t slept well the night before and had to get up early for an appointment in ABQ, but I could feel the negative thoughts creeping in.  As I drove there, I told myself I’d find nothing to photograph!  Of course, that argument didn’t hold any water, and I knew it, but that’s just how my mind was operating at that point.

 

 

When I turned in on one of the dirt roads, I almost completely passed an old adobe building in ruin, falling down, before it registered what was there.  I made a point to remind myself to drive out this same way so I could shoot it then. 

 

I drove to a little bridge that’s buried in the town, among the residences, and began my photography.  I then told myself to give up the negativity and start thinking like the photographer that I am, looking for the wonderful images I was sure were around me. 

 

After the bridge and a small metal gate in a rock wall, I then saw a lovely set of old doors to someone’s driveway.  I had never noticed them before, and I realized that was because that was one of the artist’s homes that are open during the Artist Studio Tour that goes on there one weekend in October.  Whenever I’ve been to the house, the doors to the driveway were open so we could visit that artist’s studio.  I could feel the negativity melting away. 

 

As I drove down the narrow, curvy dirt road, I noticed a window in a wall of some sort just before I intersected with the main road thru town.  I’m thinking it will make a lovely image, so I capture it. 

 

I then turn and see a gate door into someone’s property that has some nice character and has a bell set above the gate door – a very Southwest look. 

 

I shoot that a number of different ways, hoping I’ve chosen at least one good angle!  Onward I go…….I  turn on the main road just to get to the next small dirt road that will take me back to the bridge and the adobe ruin.  Just as I turn on that, I notice the church across from where I’ve turned.  I take a few shots of that, but I think those would be best against our New Mexico vivid blue sky, and we didn’t have that on that day.  Oh, well, shot it anyway and figured I’d come back to capture that again another day! 

 

 

I then started down the road I had turned down and found 2 other photo ops – an old general store type of building and another gate door leading into the side yard of the building next to the general store building. 

 

Very cool gate door and shot that several times as well.  I’m thinking some of these may make good photo paintings – we’ll see! 

 

I then drive over the little bridge I began my photo shoot with and ended up next to the adobe ruin.  A gentleman across the road from it was setting up a sign for the Artist Studio Tour which will begin the following day, smiled at me and said hi.  A simple act, but one that did me a world of good in terms of confirming the washing away of my negative thoughts and feelings and confirming that I was just fine stopping where I had to photograph that building.    

 

 

I walked up and in the remains of the building, trying to capture the character of this piece of not quite forgotten history.

 

 

As I drove home, still a bit tired, but in a much happier state of mind, I marveled at how doing what speaks to your soul is also good for anything else that ails you!

Enjoy!