Ghost Ranch

Ghost Ranch, a few miles outside of Abiquiu, is a legendary site for paleontologists and artists alike. Indeed, the two professions mingle quite frequently, but not usually in such spectacular surroundings. Georgia O'Keefe lived here for many years before being able to buy her Abiquiu home (which we stopped at but couldn't see without an appointment). Here, too, is where Edwin Colbert made his major discoveries that totalled over a thousand well-preserved specimens of the small Triassic dinosaur Coelophysis (see-low-fy-sis), which is now the state fossil of New Mexico. And yes, O'Keefe and Colbert met.

With that in mind, here are a few photos of our visit today. For those familiar with O'Keefe's paintings, a look at this landscape shows she was not exaggerating much at all.

I shot a roll of black and white with the Mamiya as well. I suppose that sounds odd in this day and age, but I think I'll get some neat images if they turn out.

Lilies for Georgia

A must see venue in Sante Fe, New Mexico, is the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. I've always liked her work, but it wasn't until I saw her actual paintings on our first visit eleven years ago that I became a fan. Tina is attending the Oil Painters of America national convention in Sante Fe this week, so we again visited the museum. Thus fortified, we then we started gallery hopping.

The Verve Gallery had these lilies in their space to compliment their photography show. As we were contemplating the photos on display and in their backstock (Don Kirby has some marvelous work there) Tina decided she wanted some grab-shots of the lilies so she could try her interpretation of O'Keefe's style as practice. After asking permission to take some quickie shots (always important to ask "mother-may-I" in a gallery), I used our old cheapie Canon A-80 PowerShot and took a couple of angles. I liked the results, so here is my homage to the marvelous Ms Georgia.