CORRALES, NEW MEXICO

On our trip to New Mexico, we spent the first three days in Santa Fe and the last two in Albuquerque.  On our way from the former to the latter city, we spent a few hours in Corrales, a lovely town northwest of Albuquerque, situated along the Rio Grande (yes, that Rio Grande).  Here first are a couple of semi-random photos I took in the town.

I had checked out touring a historical residence museum situated in the town.  However, when we got there late morning a docent told us that tours were generally limited to groups that had reserved in advance.  However, she said, the group of fourth graders currently touring would be gone at 1 p.m. and that we could return for a private tour.  So we had lunch at a nice little cafe in town and returned around 1 p.m.  When we did we were treated to a wonderful 1-1/2 hour private tour by a very knowledgeable docent.

The residence is known as Casa San Ysidro.  It was built in the late 19th century by the Gutiérrez family.  In the 1950s the Minges family acquired it, expanded it, and furnished it with Spanish Colonial memorabilia.  More recently it has been converted to a museum.  Following are a few photos of the facility that I took.  Here first is the entrance.

This is deceptive because the actual doorway is the smaller opening in the panel on the left in the photo, which was, at best, only five feet high.  Not sure of the reason for the smaller opening, but I liked the light that I caught when I took the shot, which I thought showed off the combination of adobe and old wood.

Here is another doorway, leading to another doorway that I shot for the symmetry it provided.  The problem here was that my image was reflected in the doorway glass.

One of the rooms housed a number of religious objects.  The docent pointed out that the room included many more objects than a family living in such a residence would have owned.

One of the shots that I liked was of a courtyard behind the residence.

The early afternoon sun was high in the New Mexico sky, casting shadows that were approaching vertical.

Finally are a couple of detail shots.  The first is of a wood cabinet the lock and the patina of which I found appealing as a composition.

The second is of a simple vessel sitting on a simple table.  I thought the soft light and the neutral colors helped to make this shot.

John