Mailboxes in a Small New Mexico Town — Image by kenne
Each box is a story painted over rust— names fading, but never gone. Abuela still checks hers at sunrise, like the sun might bring a letter from yesterday. We are a people of waiting, of holding onto envelopes like prayers, addressed to hope.
Located on the Scenic Turquoise Trail (State Highway 14) between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, Madrid has evolved into a bustling mountain community of some 300 people. Once a mining town, Madrid is now a creative community with over 40 shops and galleries, several restaurants, a spa and museum.
Although Madrid still likes to consider itself a ghost town, it represents a unique example of resurrection. In the 1920s and 30s, Madrid was as famous for its Christmas lights as for its coal, and airlines used to reroute traffic during the holidays to show passengers the sight. Coal became important in the 1880s, but when the demand for coal diminished after World War II, long forlorn rows of identical company houses stood empty. By the 1970s, the sound of hammers could be heard throughout the town from renovations to these houses.
La Fonda on the Plaza Lobby, Santa Fe, New Mexico (May 19, 2021) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
La Fonda on the Plaza holds a coveted place in Santa Fe history, a component in a rich tapestry of hospitality that predates American independence. City records indicate that La Fonda sits on the site of the town’s first inn, established when the city was founded by Spaniards in 1607, making the property the oldest hotel corner in America. — Source: https://www.lafondasantafe.com/
The Camera Shop near the corner of Old Santa Fe Trail and E San Francisco Street across from the La Fonda Hotel was opened in 1937 by Gene Autry. The building is now part of the corner property owned by Ortega & Sons Inc.
The camera shop The sign says closed, or is it It’s a mystery.
Questions still remain Where have all the pictures gone Memories of old.
This tempera on paper painting by Julian Martinez is in La Fonda On the Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Also known as Pocano (1879–1943), was a San Ildefonso Pueblopotter, painter, and the patriarch of a family of Native American ceramic artists in the United States. Martínez married matriarch potter Maria Martinez, and together they had a son Popovi Da, who also potter. Maria is considered the preeminent creator of San Ildefonso blackware pottery; however, Julian contributed to her accomplishments. Their son Popovi Da continued innovating Pueblo ceramic arts; his work has been widely exhibited and collected. — Source: Wikipedia
Camera Shop In Santa Fe (May 19, 2021) — Image by kenne
In the mid-90s, while vacationing in Santa Fe, I bought my first Nikon (N70) at the Camera Shop located off the plaza. The shop is no longer open. At the time, I was using a Canon (FTbQL), which I bought in 1968. I still have both cameras, which are packed away. Don’t ask me why since I no longer use them and several lenses that go with them.
Last week we spent a couple of days in the Mescalero and Ruidoso, NM area.
While there we stayed at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino,
which is owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe.
The Mescalero Apache’s, Inn of the Mountain Gods, Mescalero, NM — Photo Essay by kenne
(Click on any of the images to see in a slideshow format.)
The is one God
looking down on us all.
We are all the children
of one God.
The sun, the darkness,
The winds are all
listening to what we
have to say.
Cafe Rio In Ruidoso, New Mexico — Photo-Art by kenne
The Mescalero Apache’s, Inn of the Mountain Gods, Mescalero, NM — Photo Essay by kenne
