Three smithsonite specimens, ranging from approx. 2.5 to 9 cm. in longest dimension.

Waxy to vibrant luster on this larger specimen, with associated calcite at top.

Botroidal Smithsonite coating limonite showing nice chatoyancy

Gem-like blebs of smithsonite filling a crevice in limonite

As a sucker for blue-green carbonates, you'll find a lot of smithsonite in my collection. These Kelly Mine examples- including the 9 cm. cabinet specimen and two miniatures - were purchased from Tony Otero of Magdalena, NM.

#mineralmonday #smithsonite #carbonates #kellymine #newmexico #limonite

A compelling question. Only time and defunded science will tell.

I try to exercise respect, especially when it comes to other cultures and populations. "Anasazi" would be so much easier, but it's rife with negative connotations.

That is my fervent desire.

A mountain slope has received a dusting of snow while the leaves of the aspens are still golden. It looks like the kind of light snowfall that will melt away as soon as the sun hits it. The sky above the mountain is gray with clouds.

Autumn dusting: La Sal Mountains, October 2013

#mountainmonday #eck #autumn #snow #lasals #moab #utah #landscapephotography #nationalforest

Early evening view of an abandoned gas station with a 3-tiered appearance, starting with a high-ceilinged truck garage at left, a lower car garage at center, and an even lower-roofed office/store at right. The foreground is a flat gravel approach, with scrub brush in front of the buildings and several tall trees behind and to its left. At far left is a tall sign pole without a sign. The sky is deep blue with wispy white clouds.

Take the other: La Sal Junction, 2013

#blueskymonday #eck #utah #abandoned #gasstation #derelict #hwy191

Thank you.

I believe that's the correct conclusion.

Petroglyph of an individual on a sandstone wall. The smooth surface upon which the image stands is chipping or weathering away all below and around it, leading us to wonder if other figures were present before the erosion occurred.

Last standing: Shay Canyon, Utah

#stunday #eck #petroglyphs #canyonlands #utah #backroads #monochrome #blackandwhite #classicmono #sepia #sandstone #ancestralpuebloan #erosion

No argument. I'm far from expert on Pleistocene megafauna.

Craig Childs, "House of Rain"

Indeed.

Thank you!

Oh, so beautiful.

The silence merges into music
infinitely far
and as unbroken as silence.
For all all matters now.

Beckett, Ill Seen Ill Said
📷Donald Boyd

#photography #Literature
#Beckett

Go for it!

Face-on at an angle to a steeply sloping sand dune, we see the horizon line angling upward from left to right. The sky is featureless and transitions from gray at lower left to completely black at upper right. Ripple marks add texture to the dune and provide context as the eye transitions from right foreground to left background.

#edge of creation: White Sands, New Mexico

#eck #blueskyartshow #landscape #blackandwhite #whitesands #artistic #classicmono

A huge grove of aspen trees proceeds upward toward the top of a rolling hillside. The leaves have mostly fallen, exposing the bare white limbs to full view. In the middle of the picture, a cloud shadow has darkened a strip of ground, creating a split between upper and lower slopes. The top of a tall pine tree anchors the image at lower left. Canon 5DII, f/5.6, 90mm

On the border between light and shadow: La Sal Mountains, Utah

#edge #blueskyartshow #eck #landscapephotography #utah #forest #backroads #blackandwhite #classicmono

Two halves of the same ammonite. After sawing, unfortunately the interior detail was lacking.

Some nacreous material remains, but much of it has been worn away from this specimen - which is why we decided to risk sawing it.

The advantage of having exterior detail absent is that you can clearly see the complex suture marks imprinted on the interior.

It's #fossilfriday, and since my wife Anne is crazy about ammonites, I have many to choose from for photography purposes. Here is a heavily-weathered Acanthoceras (Upper Cretaceous) collected from a streambed in Grand Prairie, TX. 10 cm. dia.

#cephalopod #fossil #ammonite #northtexas #paleontology

I'd forgotten I had it. It was taken with my little Sony pocket camera and never bothered with until now.

Spooky and atmospheric - nice!

The remains of a circular stone structure rest on the floor of a protected area under a cavern-like roof of sandstone. Some of the stones once part of the structure can be seen falling away from it at lower right. The top half of the image shows the beginnings of the overhanging roof, falling into shadow at the very top. Sony DSC-RX100, f/5.6

Archae-scape for #scape day: Canyonlands Natl. Park, Utah

#eck #ruin #falsekiva #canyonlands #landscapephotography #classicmono #blackandwhite #sepiatone #ancestralpuebloan #sacredplaces #utah

High-contrast image of a stunted leafy plant in full foliage against a shadowed crevice in slickrock sandstone. The top half of the image slopes upward out of frame, while the slope below shows the shadow of the plant against native rock. Sony DSC-RX100, f/5

Improbable life: Canyonlands Natl. Park, Utah

#blackandwhite #classicmono #eck #photography #lightanddark #slickrock #sandstone #leaves #stilllife

And thank YOU for your kind comments, Jason.

Here we have a 2 + 2 situation, with two adult canada geese escorting two ducklings between them down a rough dirt road that disappears around a bend in the distance. Full grown trees and shrubs abound on either side of the dirt track, while the sky above shows wispy white clouds. Canon 5DII, f/5.6, 148mm

Right of way: Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico

#twosday #geese #wildlife #blackandwhite #dirtroad #naturepreserve #newmexico #eck

Well that's unusual. It's pretty much accepted at this point.

Thank you Jaycee.

Maybe you're in the picture, Robot!

Started with the Antique Plate setting in Nik SilverEFX. The slight tilt bothered me, so I straightened the image and cropped. Added a yellow filter that enhanced the marquee somewhat. Use vignetting to increase the "island of light" effect. Added film grain. Cloned out the "WALK" sign. Stuck on a plain white border. Not bad for an amateur hack (he though to himself).

Thanks to @rjrock.bsky.social for providing this challenge pic. I went for a 40s-50s era look.

My skills are insufficient to remove people or make substantive content changes, but I like the result nonetheless. My treatment is detailed in ALT.

#PostProcess #EraShift #eck #antiqueplate #sepia

A deep blue sky arches over a desert landscape populated by oddly shaped rock formations on a sloping terrain of silt and mudstone. Someone has placed an apple core atop a hoodoo, and in the low, slanting light its shadow is visible at left. Hills and other rock formations can be seen in the distance at the left horizon.

Shadow of an apple core: Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness, NW New Mexico

#blueskymonday #eck #landscapephotography #fruit #shadows #rockformation #wilderness #newmexico #hoodoos