Hubbell Trading Post AIR.

The snow has come and gone.

Only tumbleweeds block the gate.

Hubbell AIR: Two early landscapes, then snow storm blows in.

Up before 5:00 loading holders and interneting.  Got up pretty early and checked the Horned Owls.  Found two little scenes in the early light and took Deardorff out after them.

The wind picked up and by 11:00 it was snowing.

The snow soaked in quickly.  I'd been out in the 42mph gusts with the Nikon, finding sheltered places to shoot.  I took the 5X7 out in a lull and got a couple of shots.  Too unusual an event to miss.

  Long day.  After closing time now so I'm locked behind the gates with everyone gone.  Beautiful slanting late afternoon light.  If the wind wasn't blowing 30 mph it would be perfect.

  Packing up and leaving tomorrow.  Hard to believe it is over.

Hubbell AIR: Shooting doors.

Just seven sheets through the 57 holders today as the wind blew in during the afternoon.  It's still blowing now and has been in double digits for the last 14 hours.  Weather Underground says wind and rain all day.

One of the Chicken Sisters at the door of the coop.

Shot the front entrance door in pretty good light, then moved down to the double barn doors and picked one.  (There are about 10 cars parked behind it.)  Propped the door open nearly parallel to the direction of the Sun.  The negative won't have as much sky.  Pushed the Ektar 190 Wide-Field lens limits. 

This blacksmith shop door is going to the archive soon.  Shot it in place before it gets replaced.

Inside the chicken coop.  That's a nesting box built into the adobe wall.  

One of the Chicken Sisters watching.

Hubbell Artist-in Residence: Raven Feeding.

The second day I was here I watched two ravens scavenge a bag of garbage in the bed of a pickup parked in front of the store.

It was plain that the local Ravens had adjusted to the presence of human activity.

I put out a rock, loaded it with stew meat.  Gradually moved it closer.

Now I'm feeding them right outside my window.

Around 2:00 a tourist reported seeing a big Bull Snake in the barn but by the time I heard about it he was back in cover.  Not a trace or a track.  There was a digital photo, but I didn't get to see it.

Hubbell Trading Post AIR: Down to last days.

Wanted to get into the canyon early, (though it turned out that the light is better late.), so Tulley and I rolled out at 8:00.  I had a quick breakfast at the Thunderbird, in line with Ben Teller from the Antelope House Tour group, then off we went.  The old Thunderbird Lodge is now Sacred Canyon Lodge.  Hate to see things like that change.  I've been staying and eating at the Thunderbird since the 70s when a whole trip out West cost about 250.00.  We used to drive up on Spring Break and sleep in the camper shell of a Toyota pickup in the cottonwood campground.

Shot this last year at Martini Rock and was glad to have another go at it.  Tulley says he's never heard it called martini, he just calls it "Place where rock leans over," -a little more poetic.

On the del Muerto side we turned right at Fortress Rock and went up that side canyon as far as we could.  To find the best viewpoint of this tree I edged around, gave up and then made a final move that made visual sense.

Tulley and his faithful climbing jeep.

With longest lens.

The Deardorff at mid-day.

Fortress Rock road junction with an astounding Cottonwood that resisted photography.

Scarecrow, though I suppose in this country it would be a Scareraven.

More rock in any one acre here than in five East Texas counties.

Iphone laying on camera case.  Always shocked to see myself when it turns view around.  It's more like a view camera than a traditional camera.  You look AT it, not THROUGH it.

Last shot of the day coming out at 7:00

  

Artist-in-Residence Marathon drive-around yesterday.

I brought a framed photo of Shiprock along that had been accepted into a show at Farmington.  Thought I would just drive it over.  Needed to talk to curator and see the gallery anyway.  Started out early and went to Window Rock and then North to 134 in the mountains, dropped over the pass at Sheep Springs and down into the desert just South of Toadlena and the famous two grey hills.  On the drive into Shiprock town I stopped to see Lightning Man.

The only film photo of the day.

Then into Farmington- another 40 miles to drop off the print, talk to the curator and tour the gallery, ate  a real sit-down meal at Sonya's in Bloomfield, over to the Salmon ruins, (I hadn't visited since the 80s.), and then out to visit Shiprock.

Raven nests were stacked three deep in one of the cracks on the pulpit and the wind was howling.  Left Shiprock and headed over to an old favorite Cottonwood with a big Raven nest in it.

Desert Racer.

Visited a Happy Place at Red Valley and then went over the pass to Chinle.

Happy Place, Red Valley.

Shiprock from Buffalo Pass.

Grafitti.

Heavy crosswinds the whole day.  Glad to get back in my stone Hogan at Hubbell.