Amazing Welcome Center near Joplin, MO

At the Missouri Welome Center (Exit 2 eastbound on I-44) near Joplin, Missouri, I met several interesting folks quite by accident.  I stopped to eat my lunch and stretch my legs.  When I sent inside the Welcome Center to wash my hands I saw the most amazing wall mural made from recycled license plates from many states.  There were four highway workers posing in front of the mural and seeing that I had a camera around my neck asked me if I would mind taking their group portrait.  I happily obliged them and as we started talking about the mural and the Welcome Center the workers told me that today was their last day working at that rest stop.  After several months working together at the Welcome Center they had all been transferred to another rest area down the road.  They were happy that they had been transferred as a group but were sorry to leave the Welcome Center and I could see why. It was a lovely place, especially with the public art mural. 

Zane Livengood, who manages the Welcome Center saw us conversing and came over to point out an interesting piece of serendipity within the mural.  He told me that his wife had passed away four years ago but pointed to his name on a vanity plate on the wall.  Amazingly, he next pointed to his wife's name two plates away - Dora. Zane had given these two plates to the artist to be used in the mural but Matt Dehaemers, the Kansas City artist who created the mural told Zane that he had no idea that Dora was Zane's wife when he put them up almost side by side.

Group of Welcome Center workers on their last day.

Zane Livengood pointing out his name and his wife's name on license plates on Matthew Dehaemer's mural.

Matthew's website is http://www.matthewdehaemers.com/.  You can read about the 2009 Public Art Commission for the I-44 Welcome Center for MODOT in  Joplin, MO at http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_352211833.html.

Here's another shot of Matthew Dehaemer's mural.

Leaving New Mexico

As I drove out of New Mexico headed into Texas I saw this interesting cloud formation. I used my newly discovered "Bill Allard" drive-by shooting technique for capturing the scene along Route 40.  There are so many things I learned last week and everytime I pick up my camera I think of many of them.

Trip Along the High Road to Taos, New Mexico

Today I drove from Santa Fe to Taos via Chimayo, Truchas, Las Trampas, Rancho de Taos and the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. It was an excellent photography day with clear blue skies and great New Mexican scenery. A few unrecorded events of the day included a wolf crossing the road on New Mexico Route 68 on the way back to Santa Fe and the police escort of pilgrims on the way to Chimayo for Holy Week.  I was in Chimayo in the morning and was able to witness the arrival of a small group of pilgrims as they progressed from the road to the El Santuario de Chimayo.  They sang and prayed as the neared the church.  This northern part of New Mexico reminds me of the lovely little town of Morelia which I visited some years ago for the Day of the Dead festival.

Bandelier National Monument, White Rock Overlook, Camel Rock Sunset

It was a busy day hiking in Bandelier National Monument, climbing ladders at the Tsankawi prehistoric site, taking panoramas at the White Rock Overlook and finally a few sunset shots at Camel Rock near Santa Fe.  How can I ever leave this place?

Let's start with the sunset at Camel Rock.  I shot this silhouette of a large tree near the Camel Rock monument.  

Abiquiu, New Mexico

On Sunday I drove up from Santa Fe to Abiquiu to visit the home of Georgia O'Keeffe. I read that you had to have a reservation for tour the home and that they were closed on Sunday but I wanted to visit the town and surrounding area.  O'Keeffe moved from New York to make New Mexico her permanent home in 1949, and lived either at the Abiquiu or Ghost Ranch houses until 1984, when she moved to Santa Fe because of ill health. I had seen paintings she had done in Abiquiu at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe and wanted to see the colors she vividly described in her writings.















Driving up the dirt road off the main highway I got the feeling I was traveling back in time. Modern Abiquiu is a quaint village clustered around the historic church of Santo Tomas.  The town square was extremely quiet except for a rooster crowing.
















I parked in front of the Abiquiu Library and took a stroll around photographing a man sitting outside his house whittling.















I walked over to the O'Keeffe compound and took a few shots outside the walled area when over walked Leonard, the person in charge of security for the day.  He and I chatted and he told me much about the town. It turns out his grandfather used to own the land that the O'Keeffe house now stands on and he himself had lived in the village all his life.  He was very engaging and told me about a great restaurant for chile rellenos nearby.  I asked him if I could take his portrait (having learned these techniques from Bill Allard at the National Geographic Workshop) and he posed quite a while for me.

















I walked up the hill on the dirt road to the mesa top Pueblo of Abiquiu that was established by the Spanish in 1754. The three crosses on the hill stand out against the snow capped mountains in the background. The stations of the cross were situation on an adjacent hill.  The view was spectacular and I can imagine Georgia O'Keeffe strolling up this hill to paint and enjoy her view.