A Day Around Las Vegas

We've been in Las Vegas, New Mexico for a week or so and mostly it's been pretty chilly.

Then today, the sun came up and it was a balmy 75 degrees, heavenly!

I decided it was time to take some
photos of the campground.
While most of the trees have lost their leaves,
they still retain a majesty and beauty.

If you look hard,
there are just a few dried leaves hanging on.
I love their color against the turquoise
of the New Mexico sky.

Uh Oh! Dark clouds on the horizon!
Fortunately they blew right through
and the beautiful weather continued.

This line of trees stand like sentries.

This was actually taken a couple of nights ago.
Most of the sites here at Storrie Lake
have their own casitas.

It was such a beautiful day, we went into town to look around. The houses here in Las Vegas represent almost every style I've ever seen,

At one time, Las Vegas was the largest city between Kansas City and San Francisco. In its heyday, it was quite the town and remnants of its former glory are everywhere to be seen.

As we were driving around,
we saw a fence that was so striking, we had to stop.
Remember that you can click
on any image for a larger, more detailed version.

In looking over the fence,
I saw there were an array
of beautiful objects in the yard.
Not being one to shy away, I went to the front door
and asked if I could take more pictures.

A kind gentleman came to the door,
and I'm sure he thought I was quite insane.
I explained that we traveled in a motorhome
and that I kept a blog
of places we had been on our travels.

He seemed to think that was kind of interesting
and was kind enough to allow me to take pictures.
He also gave me permission
to post them here on the blog.

In talking with him, he told me that he and his partner
had created all the art pieces that decorate the yard.

This property was originally used to house the priests
from Our Lady of Sorrows,
the Catholic Church located nearby.
Our Lady of Sorrows
was first built in 1862 and was,
at the time, the largest stone building in New Mexico.

Aren't these free standing sculptures lovely?
I took so many pictures of them
because they appear different from every angle.

The setting of these pieces against the blue skies
and the autumnal trees truly fascinated me.

One more shot.

I took this shot so you could see
the stonework on the house.
I wish I had asked what kind of rock was used.

I included this shot because
I am enamored of these fences,
which are all over New Mexico.

This fence just added another layer of beauty
to this fabulous yard.

A shot of one of the gates, facing the street.

And one final picture of the yard.
The green of the ivy on the tree
added a whole new dimension.

After finally leaving this beautiful yard, we drove around a bit more.

Las Vegas has been the site of many film locations, including No Country For Old Men. Years ago, they shot the film Red Dawn in this area, with parts of downtown Las Vegas filling in for Calumet.

You might remember this sign,
which was used in the film.

As you can see, it was restored a few years ago.
It certainly spruces up the downtown area.

When we got back to the rig, after just a short time,
the sun started to set.
And what a sunset it was.

And there it goes. A perfect end to a perfect day.

Remember,