from the loom
June 07, 2026
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19 Comments
Having participated in some 14 Taos and Santa Fe Wool Festivals, it became relatively easy for both Fred and I to anticipate and give appropriate answers to many questions asked during these events. "Is this your work?" "Where do you get your patterns for these rugs?" "Do you dye your own wool?" "Do you have your own flock of Navajo-Churro Sheep?"...
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wandering along the river
June 01, 2026
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9 Comments
Welcome to summer! Today, June 1, is the first day of meteorological summer, as opposed the 21st of June which is the summer solstice. The 1st of June is more convenient for meteorologists to use as a point in time to reference the beginning of the summer season, which lasts through the month of August. Ah, the strangeness humans use to categorize...
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remember
May 24, 2026
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15 Comments
If you are viewing this blog on 25 May 2026, it is Memorial Day. The name has become a conflation of the original meaning and purpose, and modern culture because it falls at the end of the first big "holiday" weekend of the summer season - a time for barbecues, getting together with family and friends, or beginning vacations in places near and far.
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taste of summer
May 18, 2026
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7 Comments
Once again, we find ourselves on the cusp of a new season as days grow longer, and baby birds appear in gardens and trees. Both spotted towhees and house finches taking flying lessons and doing ungainly landings this week, with wings shaking and mouths wide open waiting to be fed, were definitely smile-worthy. In the human realm, students are gradu...
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inspiration, persistence and perfection
May 10, 2026
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6 Comments
Perhaps it is the onset of spring in earnest. It could be the still images presented by nature and those that have already been photographed for books, magazines, or catalogs. Or drop dead gorgeous stills that creative cinematographers insert into movies and series. Or getting together with other photographers and writers to discuss our work. All o...
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seasons change/times change
May 03, 2026
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8 Comments
Spring is literally everywhere in the Rock Mountain west. In the higher elevations, it has just begun or is beginning, whereas in lower climates, it has already completed its cycle. In Santa Fe, the temperatures have been on a bit of a roller coaster ride, as they frequently are here, so we are somewhere in the middle of spring. Since I started pay...
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the beauty of low tech
April 26, 2026
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15 Comments
After twelve days of being without connectivity which meant the lack of publication of one Monday blog, in today's, I turn to the beauty of low tech that requires wood, a few gears, ropes, nuts and bolts, along with strips of machined metal. The Counterbalance Loom has a long history beginning between the 10th and 12th centuries. Fred's loom is a c...
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At the intersection of high-tech and low-tech
April 17, 2026
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13 Comments
Given the rapid pace of events and communication in the 21st century, it is not uncommon to hear journalists and news readers on daily programs say “We had a show planned for you today, but given the latest news, it will be presented at another time.” It is sometimes the case with blogs as well - today's blog, for instance.
To begin, an orange bli...
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spring surprises unfolding
April 05, 2026
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6 Comments
Whether spring is happening in a yard or around the neighborhood, in the fields or mountains or in gifted blooms, there are endless photographic opportunities at this time of year, as flowers and leaves unfold, presenting surprises everywhere. The images today are of Gerber daisies, used by florists in bouquets for huge splashes of color. The birth...
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NK 3
March 29, 2026
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7 Comments
"No Kings" protest rallies were conducted around the United States of America and the world yesterday. The group Indivisible, which organized the rallies, estimated that 8,000,000+ people turned out for the 3rd such rally. Albuquerque had an estimated 50,000 people in attendance and Santa Fe had 7,000+ protestors of all ages. The numbers have grown...
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red again
March 21, 2026
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5 Comments
For those of you who enjoyed the red in last week's blog or are otherwise lovers of the color, here are the five images that were included in a mini-portfolio in the "Color It Red" issue of Shadow and Light Magazine. They are as varied in theme as is my photographic subject interest. The first is a detail of one of the suspension towers of the beau...
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red is ready for its closeup
March 15, 2026
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6 Comments
Writers, artists, and creators of every ilk have what I would call source material - whether it is an absolutely wild dream or something imagined, elements of nature, media, or a fellow artist or someone who might be thought of as a muse - we all look to our surroundings for inspiration and ideas. My father had what they used to call in the newspap...
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thoughts and inspiration
March 08, 2026
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5 Comments
A number of things this week have been thought provoking and inspirational. First was the eulogy delivered on Friday at the memorial in Chicago for the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jr. The words of President Barack Obama never fail to lift my spirit and nearly bring tears of joy to my eyes. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest orators of our times, pres...
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change is coming
March 02, 2026
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9 Comments
Yesterday was the beginning. Meterological spring - March 1-May 31 - is the transition period between the three coldest and three warmest months of the year, according to The Weather Channel. The birds have been behaving as if spring was coming for at least a month, no doubt prompted by nearly non-stop, record-breaking temperatures in the western t...
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the joy of good tools
February 22, 2026
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13 Comments
According to Intelpoint, nearly half of the world's total population is between 20 and 54 years old. Given that number, I suspect some of you reading this may think what I am writing now is unfathomable. But others, because of the times in which we are living, may well identify completely with some of what I say here. It has to do with the inabilit...
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© Daryl A. Black