Fringe | Photograffy » Summer

Halcyon Sandias

david — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:48:06 +0000

The lazy end of a late summer’s day: what a magnificent time. The days are growing shorter, and there is a certain crispness to the mornings that wasn’t there a short time ago. The trees themselves, while still vibrant green, are showing the early signs that there are ready to slip into the fall colors. The rainy season has long passed, and the few clouds remaining are there mostly for show, or perhaps practicing for the winter snows ahead: either way, they are in no hurry to be anywhere in particular.

The Rio Grande river flows serenely by the Sandia Mountains, just as it always does here. It, too, is in no vast hurry, instead preferring to linger on about its journey.

The sun heads down into the western horizon, and in so doing, provides rich, golden light for the end of the day. The river reflects the sky’s deep blue tones, the mountains light up in warm tones, and all watching are rewarded by the halcyon scene.

Winter will be coming soon, but that’s OK. We have today.

Crystal’s Summer

david — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:45:36 +0000

Crystal’s Summer

Back in 1892, well before the widespread use of electricity, the need for power tools certainly existed at the Sheep Mountain Mine near Crystal, Colorado. After all, there was silver in that mine, and mining it was backbreaking work. Not having a power plant nearby, human ingenuity came once again to the forefront.

There just happened to be a small, yet powerful river nearby: the Crystal River. A power plant was built just above a small fall on the Crystal River–this power plant ingeniously turned the water’s motion into compressed air using a horizontal water wheel, which was then fed to the mine and tools that used it. And with that advent, mining in the Sheep Mountain Mine became just a tad more efficient. The mine eventually closed in 1917, and the residents of nearby Crystal drifted away… the mine, power plant and town all faded into the past, just as so many mining towns eventually do.

Yet, Crystal remains a very special place and today, the power plant (now colloquially called “Crystal Mill,” even though it was not and never was a “mill”) remain an iconic Colorado location. Although the buildings next to the mill have long since collapsed, Crystal Mill itself remains standing steadfast against the elements and time. Crystal Mill is also virtually unique in the United States, since very, very few such power plants were ever built in the first place: to have one still standing is a true rarity. Nestled against the river and in between a beautiful stand of aspens, Crystal Mill remains today as a symbol and a sign of Colorado mining at its finest.

Oddly, even today the town of Crystal does not have electricity, even though it does have a handful of seasonal residents. In talking to these sons and granddaughters of the original miners, they don’t miss it and life there is wonderfully idyllic. Time marches on, but not everywhere.

Daisy Blue

david — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:38:19 +0000

Daisy Blue

Originally uploaded by ifringe (david)

January. For us here in the Northern Hemisphere, our days are often short and dark, and sometimes there is no blue sky at all to remind us that summer hasn’t forgotten us. But there is no reason we can’t get our blue fix in other ways, is there?

Enter Daisy Blue. A daisy, dyed blue, against a field of daisies dyed not blue. In fact, the rest of the daisies are about every color imaginable (ahem. A slight poetic license, that statement; mostly they are yellow and orange and purple and green). At any rate a picture to remind us that summer will be along quick enough. Besides, something bright on a winter day always makes me forget that winter is cold. And this time, I was inside, which is nice and toasty warm. Ah, daisy blue.

Wheel in the Mountain

david — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:45:27 +0000

Wheel in the Mountain, originally uploaded by ifringe.

Summer isn’t done! It isn’t! It isn’t time for fall yet because we just haven’t had enough of summer. Of course, we can’t stop the seasons (and really, when it comes down to it, that would just be no fun. New seasons mean new photo opportunities), but we can hold onto the seasons just past.

And that’s what this shot is. Taken when fall was just this far future time, this shot happened in the Jemez Mountains. We were cruising along a cartpath up a tree when off to the side we saw this… jumping out we looked at it every which way, and then decided this was a good angle. Out came the camera and quick as that we had this.

I really like the orange wheel against the mountain and the blue sky and think it makes a nice contrast. I hope you think so to.

And I think that summer is wheeling away… but that’s OK. We have pictures.