Nambé Pueblo
On October 18th we happily turned in toward Nambé Pueblo and its intriguing geological formations. As much as I would have liked to get close to them, they were on fenced-off tribal land, so I got as near as I could from the closest roads and zoomed in with my 100–400mm lens.
In the top picture, two cottonwood trees, Populus deltoides subsp. wislizenii, had turned yellow. (Click to enlarge the panorama.) I eventually managed clear shots of the hoodoo in the last picture but I still like the view of it hiding behind trees.
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A November 13th commentary discussed the way people add an unnecessary qualifier to a word. Here’s another example. News is called news because it’s new. In spite of that, news announcers on television now almost always call it breaking news. News flash: if it weren’t breaking it wouldn’t be news, so drop the breaking and just call it news.
© 2022 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
The ‘towers’ clearly show the contorted layers indicating the tremendous forces that have been working on the geological formations.
Peter Klopp
November 30, 2022 at 9:24 AM
I find that sort of geology fascinating. The “badlands” were a highlight of the trip.
Steve Schwartzman
November 30, 2022 at 1:56 PM
Here’s another flash! more breaking news! hot off the press! I also keep seeing “emerging story arc,” I guess when the news announcers want to throw you a curve.
Robert Parker
November 30, 2022 at 10:34 AM
“Throw you a curve” is a good take on “emerging story arc.” I hadn’t tuned into that one yet; now I’ll probably start hearing it a lot.
Steve Schwartzman
November 30, 2022 at 1:58 PM
Houston’s primary AM news station promises that they’ll keep everyone abreast of ‘breaking information.’ For some reason, that irritates me more than it perhaps should.
I really like the last photo. The laciness of the branches contrasts nicely with the solidity of the hoodoo, and the colors combine well. Green leaves wouldn’t have been so attractive — and not nearly as ‘southwestern.’
shoreacres
November 30, 2022 at 9:30 PM
“Breaking information” is yet another highflutin’ way of saying “news.” You have a right to be irritated.
I saw the plant with pale gray-green leaves in several places but never found out what it is. It did strike me as “southwestern” and, as you said, it seemed to go well with the hoodoo. In addition, it gave me a different sort of picture from my usual fare.
Steve Schwartzman
November 30, 2022 at 10:03 PM
[…] the badlands. Today’s first two pictures provide closer looks at hoodoos on opposite sides of the panorama that set the scene two posts back. The patch of yellow at the edge of the second picture was a […]
More from Nambé Pueblo | Portraits of Wildflowers
December 2, 2022 at 4:34 AM
What are your thoughts about the expression “old news?”
tanjabrittonwriter
December 4, 2022 at 6:20 PM
I could be flippant and say that that expression is old news. If I approach it more seriously, I’m reminded of the way some people use it to try to dismiss a true allegation of wrongdoing by claiming it’s “old news,” as if that made it any less wrong.
Steve Schwartzman
December 4, 2022 at 6:48 PM
But if I understand the term correctly, it doesn’t only apply to a history of personal misdeeds, but to an entire range of topics. I have a sense that it’s used mostly in a derogatory way, though.
tanjabrittonwriter
December 4, 2022 at 7:00 PM
Merriam-Webster gives this definition: ‘something or someone not new or exciting any more.’ Similarly, Free Dictionary defines “be old news” as ‘to no longer be novel and interesting.’
Steve Schwartzman
December 4, 2022 at 7:08 PM
Thank you!
tanjabrittonwriter
December 4, 2022 at 7:28 PM