When a last minute drive presents itself, I take my cameras, regardless of destination.  This week, the drive was normal, just to Taos, but I had time to wander around and do some photography.  It was a "this and that" day, one of meandering with my cameras.  A part of the photographic process, whether it produces a profound image, classic shot, or stunner. Or not.

However, I did have one initial mission - to investigate the Taos Territorial Compound. On the National Register of Historic Places, the compound includes the Territorial House, the Chicken Coop, and Wagner Casitas A and B.   It is the site of a wedding I am photographing later in the year, and I never photograph a wedding without first becoming familiar with the location.  Fortunately, on this particular day, the father of the bride-to-be was doing some work in the Chicken Coop, so I had a tour of the coop, and the Territorial House.

Leslie Fay, Taos designer, restored the buildings in 1998.  Bright colors were used inside and out, such as the turquoise porch uprights and trim of the Territorial House, and purple doors of the Chicken Coop, including the one shown below.

Chicken coop door, Territorial House, Taos I was also able to see an extremely photogenic part of the Territorial House, which is the stairway.  Hidden behind massive wooden doors, it is not exposed until you open the doors, and there it is, waiting.  The bride will come down that stairway on the day of the wedding.

Taos Territorial House stairwell I wandered around the compound grounds for some time, finding possibilities and trying to imagine the light as it will be on the date and at the time of the event.  Always an interesting exercise.

After that, I walked around the Bent Street area, and found this wonderful reflection of Coffee Cats.

Coffee Cat reflection

It would hardly be a blog without a flower photograph of some sort.  I was completely surprised to witness the "outside the box" thinking of some gardener when I encountered a bleeding heart amongst the daffodils.

bleeding heart You can really see the "This and That" (all over the map) theme in my final photograph.  A Harley Davidson motorcycle caught my eye in the Taos County complex parking lot.

Harley gas tank

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image@