Meta tags:
description=Casual Commentary;

Headings (most frequently used words):

lens, challenge, the, artist, post, navigation, monochrome, madness, composition, trip, view, from, here, main, menu, public, busts, la, luz, summer, heat, golden, hour, gallery, 2019, rio, puerco, cabezon, 404, letter, wildflowers, in, drought, artists, 403, photo, perspective, depth, and, scale, 402, on, wonderment, 401, looking, at, elements, pics, june, 2026, amtrak, chicago, home, archives, meta,

Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (232), and (100), that (35), for (33), have (30), photography (29), was (29), this (27), are (26), but (24), from (21), 2026 (21), posted (21), new (20), mexico (20), with (20), there (16), some (16), mountains (15), out (15), desert (15), chicago (14), train (14), challenge (14), trip (13), you (13), june (12), area (12), louis (12), lens (12), geology (12), what (11), about (11), they (11), one (11), rio (11), beach (11), monochrome (11), here (10), tagged (10), great (10), home (10), day (10), photos (10), see (10), klh048 (10), wonder (10), our (9), into (9), few (9), were (9), get (9), 2023 (8), plains (8), after (8), got (8), little (8), much (8), not (8), river (8), several (8), maybe (8), can (8), near (8), artists (8), july (7), architecture (7), had (7), went (7), time (7), just (7), photo (7), far (7), puerco (7), cabezon (7), year (7), madness (7), other (6), may (6), climb (6), down (6), days (6), missouri (6), through (6), like (6), very (6), offered (6), found (6), images (6), usually (6), these (6), often (6), jemez (6), volcanic (6), peak (6), view (5), 2022 (5), 2025 (5), amtrak (5), headed (5), albuquerque (5), later (5), don (5), think (5), before (5), being (5), space (5), hours (5), people (5), grand (5), place (5), looking (5), interesting (5), getting (5), staircase (5), composition (5), art (5), ocean (5), continue (5), reading (5), color (5), edge (5), rift (5), field (5), monsoon (5), now (4), january (4), 2018 (4), march (4), 2019 (4), 2020 (4), august (4), 2021 (4), posts (4), post (4), city (4), local (4), two (4), more (4), colorado (4), along (4), your (4), only (4), could (4), too (4), left (4), once (4), most (4), three (4), which (4), would (4), bed (4), old (4), while (4), way (4), garden (4), how (4), will (4), its (4), another (4), leading (4), lines (4), called (4), artist (4), birds (4), hour (4), still (4), wonderment (4), something (4), part (4), grande (4), rain (4), 100 (4), log (3), february (3), april (3), october (3), december (3), november (3), 2024 (3), older (3), cell (3), phone (3), west (3), kansas (3), mostly (3), been (3), trail (3), comes (3), close (3), station (3), stop (3), freight (3), trains (3), over (3), pass (3), rise (3), high (3), cattle (3), sleeper (3), trips (3), sleep (3), going (3), well (3), car (3), mississippi (3), neighboring (3), due (3), has (3), around (3), daughter (3), good (3), shedd (3), aquarium (3), afternoon (3), game (3), stadium (3), street (3), henri (3), cartier (3), bresson (3), thinking (3), person (3), might (3), sometimes (3), dusk (3), landscape (3), negative (3), because (3), photographing (3), problem (3), flower (3), essential (3), flowers (3), botanical (3), gardens (3), county (3), native (3), those (3), years (3), places (3), came (3), elements (3), canyons (3), sand (3), beaches (3), back (3), wonders (3), live (3), sea (3), pebbles (3), besides (3), east (3), sunset (3), walking (3), want (3), valles (3), caldera (3), drought (3), golden (3), heat (3), head (3), sun (3), san (3), volcanism (3), nacimiento (3), tree (3), 000 (3), required (2), comment (2), content (2), sign (2), subscribed (2), subscribe (2), already (2), wordpress (2), com (2), account (2), join (2), create (2), september (2), newer (2), navigation (2), journeys (2), since (2), santa (2), town (2), lamy (2), next (2), than (2), short (2), maintenance (2), seen (2), any (2), tracks (2), raton (2), slowly (2), horizon (2), marks (2), scenery (2), green (2), saw (2), illinois (2), trees (2), room (2), coach (2), arrangement (2), private (2), stuff (2), worth (2), long (2), when (2), breakfast (2), air (2), off (2), couple (2), traveling (2), dark (2), put (2), beds (2), café (2), madison (2), southwest (2), towns (2), finally (2), crossing (2), large (2), number (2), delayed (2), full (2), cars (2), lounge (2), tuesday (2), decided (2), bedroom (2), use (2), big (2), work (2), twin (2), comfortable (2), watching (2), first (2), class (2), spend (2), belugas (2), chinese (2), restaurant (2), visit (2), fun (2), lot (2), take (2), tour (2), hotel (2), north (2), she (2), wind (2), last (2), soccer (2), bosnia (2), across (2), population (2), quote (2), above (2), same (2), must (2), away (2), idea (2), attention (2), patti (2), beluga (2), using (2), white (2), shot (2), animals (2), statuary (2), best (2), conditions (2), closer (2), ottoman (2), photographer (2), spent (2), brick (2), limestone (2), better (2), top (2), 401 (2), all (2), dunes (2), william (2), blake (2), palm (2), wild (2), world (2), country (2), sandoval (2), seashore (2), creatures (2), actually (2), various (2), their (2), ashore (2), pebble (2), piece (2), always (2), tend (2), groups (2), bird (2), never (2), amazing (2), let (2), week (2), know (2), lost (2), perspective (2), depth (2), wildflowers (2), nature (2), forests (2), climate (2), weather (2), balloon (2), fiesta (2), letter (2), beth (2), lightning (2), range (2), fire (2), broken (2), luis (2), rainfall (2), dry (2), western (2), flows (2), cactus (2), seven (2), feet (2), resemble (2), named (2), navajo (2), giant (2), eastern (2), known (2), prominent (2), pigs (2), roam (2), monsoons (2), road (2), clouds (2), drifting (2), look (2), landmark (2), fossil (2), landmarks (2), times (2), teeth (2), obviously (2), sandia (2), even (2), trails (2), hot (2), foot (2), degree (2), sandias (2), public (2), figures (2), website, name, email, write, loading, comments, collapse, bar, manage, subscriptions, site, reader, report, privacy, subscribers, blog, meta, 2016, archives, search, rivers, following, route, expected, stops, ever, congestion, plus, slowed, gone, eleven, glad, rocky, trinidad, begin, climbing, tunnel, entry, starkly, different, farms, dryer, elk, herd, pronghorn, antelope, lots, sleeping, easy, matter, able, stretch, makes, four, sound, fresh, junta, walk, smoke, soon, crossed, dinner, salad, flatiron, steak, grilled, chicken, wine, dessert, shared, table, canyon, florida, reached, attendant, ready, tired, heads, napierville, goes, open, farmland, small, galesburg, iowa, fort, earlier, usual, probably, encountered, delays, made, packed, travelers, dining, chief, book, unit, costs, roomettes, solo, cannot, squeeze, adults, roomette, americans, adult, child, tried, family, wasn, designed, fold, convert, sofa, set, during, offer, decent, bedrooms, bathroom, sink, running, water, window, meals, included, price, stations, nice, wait, layover, happy, nearby, chang, noodle, really, food, recommend, monday, beatrix, then, landing, tourists, montgomery, ward, warehouse, condos, waited, architectural, boat, enjoyable, informative, sunny, pleasant, guide, presentation, uneventful, chilled, planned, supposed, morning, storm, toppled, railroad, her, behind, greyhound, bus, farm, pontiac, saturday, occupied, excitement, international, friendly, between, panama, start, energizer, loved, largest, bosnian, outside, deal, turned, droves, support, team, panamanian, fans, leave, rocking, ended, tie, pics, immediate, reaction, drawing, meditation, second, seems, contradictory, famous, pioneering, explain, his, avoid, however, snapping, shooting, quickly, without, thought, overloading, ourselves, unnecessary, clutter, memory, diminish, clarity, whole, enjoyed, refreshed, approach, subjects, relevant, quotations, gives, pay, skills, highlighted, pair, lake, michigan, sailboat, lonesome, horizons, chances, explore, moving, own, problems, motion, bumpy, ride, dirty, windows, buildings, baseball, prickly, poppy, bottle, brush, sculpture, pomegranate, smiling, skill, possible, helps, come, cooperative, rooted, hope, lighting, orangery, circa, 1850, 2nd, tier, stairs, park, prairie, wonderland, many, pictures, ankle, level, highlights, walkway, love, playing, 1930s, wpa, project, bluff, stairway, tiers, begging, photographed, obscurity, descent, steep, stonework, needs, stabilizing, reluctant, shows, stairways, hints, right, does, job, showing, gray, coloration, also, presented, contrast, returned, ten, midwest, hundreds, favorites, ways, accomplish, focuses, techniques, six, tips, focus, them, steven, pinker, directing, viewer, said, bill, auguries, innocence, eternity, hold, infinity, hand, heaven, grain, poet, words, 1803, true, today, won, geography, enough, why, photograph, inland, link, shells, fossilized, barcelona, guess, almost, relics, washed, carrying, yin, yang, symbol, messenger, symbolizes, balance, harmony, positive, life, principles, find, interested, details, washes, coral, colored, glass, worn, waves, everchanging, channels, platoon, watcher, wondering, teacher, drill, sergeant, watchers, itself, act, differently, less, inhibited, restrained, having, lived, recreational, scuba, diver, habit, sitting, floor, divers, chasing, things, moved, patient, became, california, chesterton, perishing, revisit, considering, offering, inspired, encounter, unexpectedly, ability, answers, everything, childhood, steeped, lose, grow, sofia, 402, ireland, dublin, design, important, thing, camera, eye, alfred, eisenstaedt, john, visual, 403, scale, orleans, sunday, preserve, outing, cooler, told, myself, hoping, weekly, asking, starting, everyone, sticking, 404, rises, ziggurat, torn, shattered, stabbed, knives, ice, blasted, countless, searing, summers, hammered, bolts, shook, roaring, blasts, thunder, mythic, monster, lolls, everlasting, diné, legend, cast, stone, higher, unfolds, reveal, formed, hills, blackened, brittle, settles, continental, divide, runs, heights, canada, normal, hence, ness, vegetation, toasted, major, geologic, features, huge, widening, stretches, valley, difficult, chollas, growing, eight, height, yard, tall, vibrant, red, late, spring, hibiscus, elevation, northern, chihuahuan, iconic, saguaro, arizona, cholla, forest, views, approached, spanish, story, represents, killed, war, gods, black, traditional, lands, tsenajin, larger, mount, taylor, numerous, necks, plugs, notable, 800, relatively, young, relic, widespread, likely, javelinas, peccaries, sort, squadrons, dozens, severely, overgrazed, sheep, supported, pueblo, indians, hispano, settlers, heavily, eroded, sparsely, populated, horses, roaming, region, archive, files, captured, village, beaten, path, supper, afternoons, early, gallery, caught, unpaved, risk, flash, floods, didn, miles, virga, sky, trailing, teasing, hint, evaporates, reaches, ground, flying, jellyfish, currents, split, rock, where, size, ammonite, lying, surface, help, remind, nearest, paved, highway, cephalopod, offers, mineral, hunting, personal, below, distance, active, 600, mile, taken, approximate, jumbled, mix, deposits, violent, cataclysmic, episodes, upheavals, massive, flooding, erosion, super, volcano, rose, collapsed, multiple, common, minibus, loads, university, student, visiting, cloudless, brings, skyscapes, impressive, scary, storms, paleontology, haul, dinosaur, bones, every, ridge, bike, ojito, wilderness, needless, say, bicyclists, tell, gather, slumbering, uplifted, tectonic, fault, block, rough, sloping, topography, ysidro, anticline, share, sharing, took, presentable, hottest, month, ridiculous, humidity, single, digits, stay, tolerable, breeze, blame, global, warming, current, extravaganza, officially, unofficially, beyond, continuing, promise, coming, relief, season, bad, couldn, else, closed, smoky, instead, stingy, summer, wildfires, wandering, obvious, roughly, 678, directly, luz, travel, theme, built, environment, tons, gargoyles, busts, skip, main, menu, casual, commentary, page,

Text of the page (random words):
et off the beaten path and still get home for supper i spend a lot of time there usually in the afternoons since i m not much of an early bird the rio puerco river of pigs is likely named after javelinas peccaries that sort of resemble pigs and often live in groups called squadrons of dozens of animals i have never seen one the area was severely overgrazed sheep and cattle and once supported a population of pueblo indians and later hispano settlers it is now heavily eroded and the river is dry much of the year and the area is sparsely populated you might see a few cattle and wild horses roaming the area you can roam the region all day and not see another person the rio puerco volcanic field is part of the larger mount taylor volcanic field and is known for its numerous prominent volcanic necks and plugs most notable being 7 800 ft cabezon peak the field is a relatively young relic of widespread new mexico volcanism these are various afternoon views of cabezon peak approached from the east the peak is named cabezon spanish for head due to a navajo story that it represents the head of a giant killed by a the twin war gods in navajo it is called tsenajin black peak and marks the eastern edge of their traditional lands sunset and cabezon cholla forest and cabezon peak there is a way to climb to the top of cabezon a difficult climb and people do climb it but not me the chollas are the native tree cactus growing maybe seven or eight feet in height i have one on my yard about seven feet tall they have vibrant red flowers in late spring that resemble a hibiscus being the high elevation northern edge of the chihuahuan desert we do not have the iconic saguaro cactus found in arizona more golden hour photos the rio puerco flows from the nacimiento mountains besides volcanism one of the major geologic features of this area is the western edge of the rio grande rift a huge still widening rift that stretches from colorado through new mexico and into mexico the rio grande flows through the rift valley 2019 was a near normal rainfall year in this area hence the green ness of the vegetation this year it is mostly dry and toasted by the sun the continental divide trail runs along those heights from mexico to canada sunset near san luis nm some desert statuary monochrome dusk settles in cabezon it rises like a ziggurat in the desert torn by the wind shattered by the elements stabbed by knives of ice blasted by the heat of countless searing summers hammered by lightning bolts and shook by roaring blasts of thunder the mythic monster s head lolls in its everlasting sleep the diné s old legend cast in stone climb up go higher the far horizon unfolds to reveal range after range of fire formed hills blackened broken and brittle in the sun the home place 2026 posted in photography new mexico geology desert volcanic local color nature tagged photography canyons new mexico desert geology golden hour lens artist challenge 404 the letter b posted on june 29 2026 by klh048 7 our weekly challenge is asking for images that are starting with the letter b offered by beth b as in beth this will b a fun challenge to see what everyone comes up with i m sticking with a few continue reading posted in balloon fiesta beaches birds lens artists monochrome photography tagged balloon fiesta birds lens artists photography wildflowers in drought posted on june 22 2026 by klh048 3 spent sunday up in the valles caldera preserve on a photography outing i was actually looking for cooler weather up in the mountains but i told myself it was a photography trip i was hoping to get some photos of continue reading posted in climate desert forests jemez mountains nature new orleans photography tagged desert drought flowers jemez mountains new mexico valles caldera wildflowers lens artists challenge 403 photo composition perspective depth and scale posted on june 21 2026 by klh048 6 the important thing is not the camera but the eye alfred eisenstaedt this week s challenge is offered by john looking at the photo composition elements of visual space perspective depth continue reading posted in art composition design dublin lens artists photography st louis mo tagged art ireland lens artists photography st louis lens artist challenge 402 on wonderment posted on june 14 2026 by klh048 4 our challenge this week from sofia is to revisit the very first lens artist challenge by considering and offering something of wonder what do we wonder about how are we inspired by wonderment we often encounter wonder very unexpectedly some of the people we know have lost the ability to wonder and must have answers for everything childhood is steeped in wonderment and we might lose some of that as we grow older but it comes back if you let it we are perishing for want of wonder not for want of wonders g k chesterton never having lived near the ocean the beach and seashore are usually places of wonder for me i was a recreational scuba diver for several years and had the habit of sitting in one place on the floor of the ocean while other divers went chasing after things that moved by being patient i became part of the landscape and the ocean wonders often came to see me but walking along a beach can be just as amazing there is so much to see and wonder about that s what i do now if i get to the beach so let s go to the beach most of these beach photos are from california beaches in 2018 i think that people watching at the beach is a world of wonder in itself people act differently maybe less inhibited or restrained my daughter the photographer sunset watchers the beach birds are always up to something they often tend to be like me a watcher maybe wondering about something but they are more interesting in groups is that one bird a teacher or a drill sergeant is this a class or a platoon i get interested in the details of what washes up on the beach sometimes it s coral or a piece of colored glass sometimes it is a pebble or a piece of worn brick the waves create everchanging channels around these beach pebbles this pebble came ashore carrying the yin yang symbol a messenger from the east it symbolizes balance harmony and positive life principles a good find besides the pebbles there are various ocean creatures or their relics that are washed ashore the last time i was actually at an ocean beach was in 2023 in barcelona guess what they have almost the same pebbles there one of my other wonders is the geology and geography of the west i can t get enough of it which is why i live here and photograph it the idea that i live on what was once the seashore of an inland sea is maybe a link back to the beach the shells and sea creatures here are fossilized home sandoval county nm wonderment great sand dunes rio puerco country dusk great plains i could go on with this but won t the poet william blake offered a few words on what wonder is back in 1803 still true today i think to see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour william blake auguries of innocence well said bill posted in beaches birds desert geology great plains lens artists new mexico photography sand dunes tagged canyons desert geology great plains lens artists mountains new mexico photography wonder lens artist challenge 401 looking at composition elements posted on june 12 2026 by klh048 3 the art of photography is all about directing the attention of the viewer steven pinker so what are some of the best ways to accomplish this challenge 401 from patti focuses on several essential composition techniques for our photography she offered six essential tips and i ll focus on three of them i just returned from a ten day trip to the midwest with several days in st louis and chicago i went by train and i came home with hundreds of new photos some of those will be trip favorites i m using trip photos for this post leading lines i love playing with leading lines i had a problem on this trip photographing a 1930s wpa project near st louis called the grand staircase it is a limestone staircase going down the river bluff to the missouri river the stairway was in several tiers and it was begging to be photographed after 90 years of near obscurity the descent is very steep and the stonework needs stabilizing in places so i was reluctant to climb around for a better shot the photo on the left shows the top of one of the stairways an interesting photo but it only hints at the way down the photo on the right does a better job of showing the way down the limestone gray coloration also presented a problem with contrast leading lines grand staircase 1 leading lines grand staircase 2 the missouri botanical gardens is a photographer s wonderland and i spent a day there many of those pictures will be posted later the ankle level photo from the ottoman garden highlights the old brick walkway county park native prairie trail grand staircase 2nd tier of stairs botanical gardens orangery circa 1850 botanical gardens ottoman garden getting in closer another essential skill is getting in as close as possible for the shot with animals it helps if they come close to you the chicago shedd aquarium belugas were very cooperative flowers and statuary are rooted so you have to hope for the best lighting or other conditions smiling beluga pomegranate flower sculpture in the garden bottle brush flower white prickly poppy using negative space my new mexico landscape photos will usually have negative space just because of the far horizons this trip offered other chances to explore negative space photographing from a moving train has its own problems the motion and bumpy ride and dirty windows can be a problem photographing the city high rise buildings or a baseball or soccer stadium can be an interesting challenge lonesome new mexico chicago architecture lake michigan sailboat beluga pair shedd aquarium dusk on the great plains i enjoyed this challenge and refreshed my thinking and approach to some photo subjects i was looking for relevant quotations for this post and found this one which gives an idea of how i sometimes work if i don t pay attention to the skills patti highlighted in the challenge we must avoid however snapping away shooting quickly and without thought overloading ourselves with unnecessary images that clutter our memory and diminish the clarity of the whole henri cartier bresson while thinking about the quote above i found a second quote from the same person that seems contradictory henri cartier bresson was famous for pioneering street photography which might explain his comment photography is an immediate reaction drawing is a meditation henri cartier bresson posted in amtrak architecture cell phone photography chicago garden great plains journeys lens artists missouri photography st louis mo tagged architecture challenge chicago missouri new mexico photography st louis trip pics june 2026 amtrak chicago the trip home posted on june 11 2026 by klh048 0 i left st louis on saturday afternoon by train to chicago my last hours in st louis were occupied by the excitement of an international friendly soccer game between panama and bosnia that would start in the energizer stadium across the street just before i left town i would have loved to see the game st louis is the home of the largest bosnian population outside of bosnia so this was a big deal they turned out in droves to support the team there were a few panamanian fans there too i had to leave but the stadium was rocking by the time i headed to the train station i found out later that the game ended in a 1 to 1 tie crossing the mississippi at st louis wind farm near pontiac illinois my train trip was uneventful and comfortable and i got to chicago on time and got to my hotel just before dark the hotel was in the river north area just a little north of the chicago river i chilled out and planned my visit my daughter was supposed to join me the next morning but was delayed 11 hours by a storm that toppled trees on the railroad tracks that put her way behind she finally got there by greyhound bus while i waited i decided to take the architectural boat tour and that was enjoyable and informative the day was sunny and pleasant and the tour guide offered a good presentation old montgomery ward warehouse now condos d day landing of tourists in chicago my daughter got in later and we went to a nearby chinese restaurant chang noodle and chinese restaurant for some really great food i would recommend it monday we went to beatrix s for a good breakfast and then went to the shedd aquarium for a few hours the visit was fun and i got a lot of photos happy belugas tuesday we headed for home on amtrak s southwest chief we decided to book a bedroom unit which costs a little more but worth it we use roomettes when traveling solo but you cannot squeeze two adults into a roomette americans are just too big and have too much stuff maybe an adult and child would work we tried a family room and it wasn t designed very well the bedroom has a full bed and a twin bed that fold down or convert from a sofa once the beds are set up you can t get around very much but they are comfortable during the day and offer a decent bed arrangement the bedrooms have a private bathroom and a sink with running water and a large window for watching the scenery go by as with any sleeper your meals are included in the price and you have use of the first class lounge in train stations if they have one chicago has one and it is a nice place to wait for your train or spend time if you have a train layover for a few hours the train left at 1 30 little earlier than usual probably due to the large number of freight trains we encountered we only were delayed once by the freight trains but we had two short maintenance delays we made up most of the time the train was packed full of travelers with three sleeper cars several coach cars a dining car and a café lounge car the train heads southwest out of chicago through napierville and other neighboring towns it goes through open farmland and small towns like galesburg before finally crossing the mississippi river into iowa at fort madison mississippi river at ft madison ia we soon crossed into missouri we had a great dinner salad flatiron steak and grilled chicken wine and dessert and shared our table with a couple traveling to the grand canyon from florida we reached kansas city after dark a little after 9 pm the attendant put our beds down at about that time and we were ready to sleep by 10 we could have headed to the café car but were too tired sleeping on a train is not easy no matter what room or coach arrangement you have being able to stretch out and have a private space for your stuff makes a sleeper worth it for long trips i only got about four hours of sound sleep going through kansas we were well into colorado when we got up and went for breakfast there was a fresh air stop in la junta colorado for people to get off the trai...