R. Doug Wicker — Author | Stories of Mystery and Adventure

December 12, 2012 · 5:35 am

Random Photo Week — Wednesday

We continue with this week’s theme of random, fun photographs. My favorite from today’s collection is this one:

Shades of Gray and White

As always, click on any of the photographs in the gallery below to see a larger version:

: Lock and Lumber

: Colors of Fall

: From Blue to Red

: A Sign of the Times

: Interesting Formation

: Fallen Leaves; Lonely Bench

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December 10, 2012 · 5:35 am

Believe it or not, we almost hit 70° (21° Celsius) again on Saturday. So, for probably the last time this season, out came the roadster for one last fling. This trip, like the one a couple of weeks ago, took us to San Elizario, but this time we went for the second annual Holiday Market, were artisans and craftsmen displayed for sale their various wares. Oddly, the fall colors were even more spectacular this trip than just two weeks ago, even though most foliage in the El Paso area have long passed their optimum viewing.

However, I’m sure you’re by now getting tired of reading about roadsters and road trips, and I’ve been accumulating an array of other interesting photographs over the course of the past month that are starting to get stale. So, this week I’m running a three-part series of just plan, ol’, interesting photographs taken not only this past Saturday, but over the past three weeks as well. You’ll see a searing sunset, a colossal cloud, archaic architecture, holiday hubbub, and nifty photographic conversions to black and white.

I’ll start off with my favorite shot from today’s collection:

A Fun Composition

Click on any image in the gallery below to see a larger version:

: Dark Clouds

: A Study in Rusts

: Christmas Shoppers

: Slats and Shadows

: Rustic Door, Rusty Lock

: An Ochestra of Color

: A Study in Reds

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December 7, 2012 · 5:35 am

Of Road Trips, Restaurants, and Recreation — Part 3

I was rather surprised to stumble across a reference to the Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park. I never knew it existed, even though I’ve lived in this area for over thirty years. Then I found out why I hadn’t heard about it before — this state park was only dedicated just four short years ago, and there wasn’t a whole lot of local publicity on it at the time.

So, what exactly is a bosque? A bosque refers to a narrow forested area (called a Gallery Forest) in and around the flood plain of a river running through one of the desert areas of the Southwestern United States. The largest bosque is along an almost 400-mile stretch of the Rio Grande running from Santa Fe, New Mexico, through El Paso to just beyond Fabens, Texas. Pull up the Google satellite view of this area and the narrow, green corridor of vegetation bracketing the river is easily distinguishable from the vast surrounding brown dessert environment. The most prominent wildlife refuge along this stretch is the famous Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, which acts as a refuge for migratory water fowl (including the endangered Sandhill Crane) and other wildlife. If you’re a birder, these areas are a must during the fall and spring migration seasons.

Alas, migration season has long since passed. We did see many a bird, but mostly of the quail variety. We also saw a cottontail rabbit, but none of the bobcat, coyote, deer, or javalina that also inhabit this reserve.

But we did see one unwelcome visitor to this land — the invasive salt cedar (tamarix) — which displaces native plants and disrupts the habitat. State Park employees are working diligently to eradicate this oversize weed, but it’s a struggle.

Click on any of the images below to see a larger version: