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PERSONAL ESSAYS & PHOTOGRAPHS from 7,000 feet in the Terrible High Desert™ of northern New Mexico. I write about this life like no one else and don't hold back. This is where I publish first. Free and paid subscribers welcome.

Late Spring '23

Recent Photos from El Norte

John Hamilton Farr

Jun 12, 2023

The great rift valley of the Rio Grande south of Taos

Slowly building up my strength again, I hit the trails at dinner time to have the vastness to myself. The peaks in the far distance are over 40 miles away. Sometimes I see farther. The clarity cuts cleanly through the fog of thought and part of me is home.

WHEN I DROPPED OUT IN ARKANSAS IN ‘71, I never intended to come back either. I felt so close to secrets beyond my grasp and knew my path would open up in ways I couldn’t dream of. All I ever wanted was to drink from that clear stream forever. When winter came I realized I was unprepared and decamped for the thrills of pre-boom Austin, which I already knew quite intimately. But Austin proved to be too hot and bothered after several years—time to cut the cord again—so in ‘75 I packed up everything I owned and moved to Maine. I gave it a month, but it was cold and wet and everyone smoked cigarettes. Free housing at my granny’s place on the Eastern Shore of Maryland proved irresistible, however, so I headed south with welding gear, guitar, and faithful German shepherd to be a famous sculptor with no training. I soon fell in with local iconoclasts, met my future wife, and life exploded with a richness I’m astonished to recall. We moved down here in ‘99 and 22 years later she was gone. It still does not compute and I know less than ever. The only thing that sticks is that she told me “share the beauty and the joy” and this was after… Those obviously aren’t my words which makes them real and what a perfect mantra.

Flowers on an unmarked trail at Taos Valley Overlook

“Queen o’ the Mountains” (‘01 Dodge Dakota) beside the apricot tree in bloom

Inside looking out. “Old Taos” in spades.

High up in the mountains, Rio Pueblo flooding at Agua Piedra

Amazing colors on this side trail at Taos Valley Overlook

Evening walk at Taos Valley Overlook, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument

Some of these images will be available as NFTs or professional prints at big discounts for paid subscribers. I’ll let you know. That’s it for now, take care. - JHF

Perpetrator with new haircut, Zuni inlay ring, & dobro on the wall

11 Comments

Jim Bob Moore

Writes Texas to the World

Jun 12Liked by John Hamilton Farr

For someone with your photographic eye and lyrical skills with the language, I can no longer imagine a reason you might leave, unless the cold becomes unbearable.

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1 reply by John Hamilton Farr

Susan Gaustad

Beautiful photos. Missing the high desert. There are a couple photos I’d love to get prints of! The death of a partner can reverberate for years. Walking helps--especially in lovely places.

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