Appleby Hall houses many of the University's student counseling and group support programs. It's also a place where students feel comfortable getting together to study or just hang out.
(click to enlarge) A refreshing nap by the river
(click to enlarge) More serious students
Mostly I've been taking photos of the insides of academic buildings at the University of Minnesota. Unfortunately, these two buildings, which face each other on Northrop Plaza at the head of the Mall, contain mainly administrative offices -- not fertile terrain for interesting photography. However, they are handsome on the outside, especially on a sunny day like we had a few months ago.
(click to enlarge) Johnston Hall
(click to enlarge) Morrill Hall
(click to enlarge) Field House
(click to enlarge) Armory
Looks like pretty old stuff, but presumably still useful.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge) Structural testing lab, many stories high
(click to enlarge) Base of the stairwell, on floor -7
Done with New Mexico for a while. Now back to Minnesota, specifically to buildings on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus.
The Civil Engineering Building starts at ground level and goes seven stories underground, so the central stairway is pretty dramatic.
(click to enlarge) Looking up ...
(click to enlarge) ... and looking straight ahead.
Here are a couple of other views posted last month.
Some eminent photographers say that photography is all about light. I generally think that's a great oversimplification, but here are a couple of good examples from a wall of the church in Taos, New Mexico.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge) Many great photographers, and many more not-so-noted ones, have taken photos of the church from this vantage point - the rear. There's such a strong feeling of fundamentality and solidity: "hulking grace" is the oxymoronic phrase that comes to mind.
Here's a front/side view. Nice, but not nearly so striking.
(click to enlarge)
Two final pictures from the Enchanted Circle Scenic Bypass in north central New Mexico. Rusty red can be found in a variety of circumstances.
(click to enlarge) Along the roadside between Red River and Questa
(click to enlarge) Old car collection in Questa
On the Enchanted Circle drive between Red River and Questa.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
Three final photos from the Memorial, in Angel Fire in north-central New Mexico. It's well worth a trip.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge) Prayer flags
(click to enlarge) Chapel
According to Wikipedia,
"Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park was the first major Vietnam memorial in the United States. It is currently the only state park dedicated exclusively to veterans of the Vietnam War." The history and present-day use of the park are interesting and worth reading about.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
One of the most striking sites on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park in Angel Fire. The architecture and landscaping are beautiful, and the museum and chapel are moving. I'll be showing more photos of the Memorial in the next several days.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
From the Enchanted Circle website:
"Follow the signs as you enjoy an 85 mile US Forest Scenic Byway connecting Taos and Questa with the resort communities of Red River, Eagle Nest, and Angel Fire. This beautiful countryside offers dramatic mountain vistas of aspen and pine in the shadow of 13,161 foot Wheeler Peak, New Mexico's highest point."
Along the road from Taos to Angel Fire:
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
We spent an overnight at the Inn on the Rio B&B on the outskirts of Taos. A very nice place, decorated with every manner of New Mexican and western paraphernalia.
(click to enlarge) The delicate light of sunrise
(click to enlarge) A New Mexico scene wouldn't be complete without a ristra of red chile pepper pods.
A beautiful evening in Taos, New Mexico
(click to enlarge) A flower vendor's cart
(click to enlarge) Near the Plaza
(click to enlarge) If the sky and the branches seem to have a too dark blue color, it's because the photo is of a reflection from the well-polished hood of a Porsche Carrera parked outside a restaurant in Taos, NM.
(click to enlarge) Here's the proof.
The final two photos of this theme ...
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
It's not just the cottonwoods that turn color. The brush and bushes turn subtle shades of orange and yelllow-green, presenting a shimmering curtain.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
Along the Paseo del Bosque in Albuquerque
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
This has been the most colorful fall in recent memory in New Mexico. For the next few days I'll be posting photos from along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. Watch for lots of yellow and orange.
(click to enlarge) A cottonwood near our home in Albuquerque. I like the calligraphic quality of the big branches.
(click to enlarge) Along the Paseo del Bosque, the walking and bike path that runs beside the Rio Grande.
(click to enlarge)
In the San Pedro Mountains...
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge) Harbinger of darker days to come
Bright yellow aspens in the San Pedro Mountains.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
The San Pedro Mountains are in north central New Mexico, west of Los Alamos and northwest of Santa Fe. Last month we went there for the first time, but not the last - it's beautiful territory.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
Last month we were down in Albuquerque and had brunch with friends at a trendy (and very good) new restaurant in Corrales: Casa Vieja.
(click to enlarge) Sitting at an outside table, I was intrigued by the different shades of blue, set off by the pinkish-brown of the adobe.
(click to enlarge) Dried-up flowers against an adobe wall
(click to enlarge) Extra-tall, almost exuberant corn plants
(click to enlarge) The tip of Manhattan, viewed from the Staten Island Ferry. Very crisp!
(click to enlarge) Staten Island Ferry dock pilings
Lower Manhattan near Wall Street. One wonders how builders can work in such tight quarters.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
