Hmm... We've got one of those back home. The county, not this lovely, lovely courthouse! She's beautiful in that century old way that we just don't do anymore. I'm pretty sure the craftsmanship itself is gone, but let's face it: as much as I gripe about modern buildings, we build far more functional and comfortable … Continue reading 315. Santa Rosa, Guadalupe County (NM15) →

Calling Estancia a postage stamp of a town might be considered a mild castigation of philatelists everywhere. Or maybe that was just the oppressive heat trying to bring me down or dictate my mood. It wasn't spear of Apollo level like I'm used to in Texas. In fact, this entire trip through New Mexico for … Continue reading 314. Estancia, Torrence County (NM14) →

I don't normally like this style of courthouse, that "modern" construction of the 1960's that seems so emblematic of the 1970's. I guess that can be said of anything trying to broadcast modernity from the past, especially the recent (last 50 years) past. That said, even those things that are timeless now were modern once. … Continue reading 313. Los Lunas, Valencia County (NM13) →

So, I rolled into Albuquerque, the land of mythical meth, with a lot of fancy plans and pants to match. Normally, I spend thirty minutes or less in a county, this was special and I blocked off three hours to get some things done. While I was going around doing my photography, I unexpectedly ran … Continue reading Well, I Actually WAS In Bernalillo County… →

So this regional adobe thing? It's beginning to annoy me. Seriously? Who is enforcing this? Is it just a practical thing? Is the material cheap? I guess I should have known this would be a thing after having seen it in every media product about the region, but seeing it myself is creating a minor … Continue reading 312. Bernalillo, Sandoval County (NM12) →

If you had asked me to imagine what the courthouse here would look like, I think I would have imagined something like this. This, however, is a special and strange case. There are a few strange cases when it comes to courthouses, some I've thought about (there are counties that have no county seat) and … Continue reading 311. Santa Fe, Santa Fe County (NM11) →

Welcome to the birthplace of Oppenheimer's deadly toy. As an amateur physicist and historian, I was all aflutter here. This is where the country's greatest minds assembled and the result was barely avoided doom in the age of reason (sidenote: if I ever had an emo band, I would name it Doom In The Age … Continue reading 310. Los Alamos, Los Alamos County (NM10) →

When I hit the courthouse, I could have kissed the ground. This leg was the most stressful one thus far, in fact the most stressful drive I've had in a very long time. Getting out to photograph was a delight because my adrenaline was just a little bit up and I needed to burn it … Continue reading 309. Taos, Taos County (NM09) →

The photographs aren't quite as good when the sun conspires against you, no? For a little bit I thought I was going to disappoint you further. I wasn't entirely sure that the county had an actual courthouse. It's an unincorporated community, so who knows? That said, I'm pretty sure that the county complex here more … Continue reading 308. Mora, Mora County (NM08) →

[UPDATE 10/09/20: The above is, as far as I'm concerned, the proper courthouse for San Miguel County, but it wasn't revealed to me until later. The photo below is what I got the first time...] We are not impressed with this courthouse. Serviceable perhaps, but definitely missing that certain je ne sais quoi. Or, really, … Continue reading 307. Las Vegas, San Miguel County (NM07) →