Passages : May 2026

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Echoes Of Drought

Thanks to an entrenched La Niña weather pattern—spawned by cooling of Pacific Ocean waters along the western coast of South America and equator—Eastern New Mexico currently suffers one of the driest springs in 132 years.

Cloud-free skies limit legendary Llano Estacado eventide blazes. But, occasional and thus especially impactful sunsets help ease drought effects on moods of the high plains populace.

Said sporadic nightfall spectacles paint skies over dwindling water holes on the American bison rangelands of the 3,200-acre Ned Houk Park—six miles north of Clovis, New Mexico. This is buffalo country. From dawn till dusk park visitors can enjoy close encounters with a small herd of the iconic beasts—managed by rangers in partnership with the city’s Hillcrest Park Zoo.

Echoes Of Drought

Buffalo water hole in Ned Houk Park, Clovis NM

Monday, May 18, 2026

Indomitable

Time always takes a toll on hopes and dreams,

Relentless tides of years pound hearts and souls;

Yet, fortune thrives on the edge of extremes,

Where life builds grit and resolve towards goals.

Pioneer Spirit

Abandoned homestead on "Staked Plain" south of Broadview NM

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Poetry Of Light

Nature provides the palette,

Light is the medium,

Hearts are the canvas…

For the poetry of light.

The physical world brims with colors, textures and endless supplies of subjects for those inclined to capture sublime, timeless fragments of life. Some create photos, others put paint brush to canvas, a handful weave symphonic masterpieces and a few channel said moments into poetry. For most of us who are more casual observers, moments of elation become soul-stirring, singular memories destined for innermost treasure troves that shape our essence.

During the golden hour of a Llano Estacado morning, the quality of light shapes, reveals and brings natural elements to life. It defines our visual experience—how we perceive colors and depth of field, for example. But the interplay of light with the natural world also triggers emotions, It gives rise to feelings and sets moods. The latter influences how we respond to events and interact with people.

The Golden Hour

Llano Estacado east of Clovis NM

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Llano Moonrise

A late afternoon sojourn across seas of Llano Estacado grasslands and scattered islands of agriculture circles near Broadview, New Mexico tugs at heartstrings. However, the masterful cultivation of inhospitable high plains tablelands is a double-edged sword. Irrigated crop circles threaten the demise of native grasslands.

Just before sundown the world slips into a palpable silence as the sun takes final bows and settles into the infinity of the western expanse. Lingering light floods the short-grass prairie with amber hues and fond farewell kisses.

Determined to match the drama in western skies, first whispers of night veil the eastern edge of the world and gently buoy dying embers of daylight—a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. A rising Moon, eager for his ordained traverse of a boundless and starlit firmament, melts into said celestial eventide medley. I pause in awesome wonder and drink deeply from the cup of life.

Llano Moonrise

Tablelands south of Broadview NM

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Silence Is Golden

Minds play games with truth

Wisdom thrives in silent vaults

Time lays bare veiled truth

Blue Secrets

Abandoned garage along US Highway 60-84 near Taiban NM

Monday, May 11, 2026

Muleshoe Sandhills

The Sandhills on the New Mexico-Texas border near Muleshoe formed some 12,000 years ago, when wind-blown river deposits from the Portales Valley to the west formed sand sheets, dunes and rolling hills. Over time grasses, cacti, mesquite, shin-oak and sage stabilized the delicate ecosystem. The rough-hewn land refuses the plow and sand makes irrigation impossible.

But, in its wild state the prairie easily sustains light cattle grazing and echoes with sounds of yesteryear, as family ranchers and cowboys continue to honor historical practices of tending to the land while eking out a livelihood. My days in the saddle during round-ups, chasing steers across ridge lines and through draws, remain a memorable lifetime of adventures packed into ten years.

(Excerpt from my cowboy poetry penned years ago follows)

Rain rarely falls, but wind does blow.

Dust time and again shrouds azure skies.

Cowboys brave harsh wilds of New Mexico,

Where cattle bawl and the Red-tailed Hawk flies.

Blue skies hold sway, but when Blue Northers blow

They unleash raw squalls from angry skies.

Said High Plains drama in New Mexico

Feeds cowboy-life lore and tall tales likewise.

Sand Dune Lookout

Blue Norther over Sandhills west of Muleshoe TX

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Llano Springtide

At 4,500 feet of elevation the arid tablelands of the Llano Estacado Plateau stretch across some 40,000 square miles of Eastern New Mexico and Panhandle of Texas. Large cattle ranches and irrigation agriculture defy the raw climate and thrive.

Long gone are the indigenous Great Plains horse cultures that lived in harmony with the land. But, sprawling stretches of primal prairie survive. After embracing spring rains the Earth once again laughs in countless arrays of flowers—a stunning awakening on the wheel of life.

Llano Estacado In Bloom

East of Clovis NM

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Saddle Days

It’s been eleven years since I stopped chasing endless Llano Estacado horizons and kicking up prairie dust in rollicking range herding adventures. I swapped carefree saddle days and open range for more leisurely meanders and rumination about life in verdant Carolina woodlands.

I hung up my spurs and cowboy lid—a wide-brimmed, Cattleman-creased straw hat—yet, mind’s eye often drifts into nostalgic reverie about the short-grass prairie, shin-oak and sage-covered Sandhills on the eastern reaches of New Mexico’s high plains. A spirited American Paint named Trouble was a favored mount…even in my early “greenhorn” days.

(An excerpt from a poem I penned years ago)

Roll out of bed, stumble, it’s o’dark thirty;

Find gloves, don’t forget hat hung on rack;

Grab spurs, slide into boots worn and dirty;

Make tracks in old pickup, dogs in the back.

Saddle up Trouble at first blush of dawn.

The stallion joins Melon Head a red mule

And two weathered cowpokes ‘bout to have fun

With a wide-eyed greenhorn…flat-out old-school.