The Life of Grayling

Distant drums From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (4 days old)

I was up first thing and out with my camera to catch the early light. It was Saturday morning and the town was quiet. Around the back of the fire station was a collection of obsolete emergency veh… more

Ted, Rosie, Bob and Paula From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (5 days old)

A few miles from the Mexican border, in the Coronado National Forest, lies the small town of Patagonia. I arrived there in late afternoon after a drive from Bisbee, where I had spent an hour or so… more

In passing From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (11 days old)

Following a mid-morning breakfast at The Gadsden Hotel, I had the remainder of the day to spare before I needed to check-in at a pre-booked B&B in Patagonia that evening. After a stroll around… more

The heart is a hotel From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (11 days old)

I woke up and it was a clear motel morning. The turbulent skies of yesterday evening had cleared, leaving a whisper of cloud over the distant mountains, their undersides catching the early light. … more

There may be trouble ahead From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (13 days old)

The light on the dash warned that there was a problem. It was a symbol with which I wasn’t familiar. I checked in the handbook and found it to represent low tyre pressure. The advice was to check … more

Dreams that you dare to dream From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (19 days old)

On the return journey from Roswell, I saw in the far distance on a long stretch of two-way road, a cluster of orange flashing lights. Once I’d closed the gap it turned out to be, no, not a UFO, but a … more

Jesus loves you From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (20 days old)

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Out there? From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (20 days old)

Think of Roswell and the first thing to come to mind is…? You got it. UFO’s. The Roswell UFO Incident was the alleged recovery of extra-terrestrial debris, including corpses, from an object that c… more

Meal ticket From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (20 days old)

Whenever I visit New Mexico, it seems that it rains. This time was to be no different. When I opened the blinds on a new day, grey cloud clung like a shroud to the hills across the valley and a f… more

Flaming pies and blazing headlights From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (22 days old)

Next morning I returned to the flatbed Ford to get some daylight shots. At this hour I didn’t see the owners. Even here, where folks retire early and rise the same way, there was no one else on the st… more

It's a gas gas gas From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (25 days old)

What started out as a bit of spin, turned into a two hundred mile round trip. I set off from Winslow, heading north onto the Hopi reservation. Originally planning to go as far as some buttes (cons… more

Desperados waiting for a train From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (26 days old)

I woke early. The sun was barely up, but I grabbed the camera and went down to the lobby. I helped myself to a freshly brewed coffee and stepped out into the chill air, taking sips from the ‘styre… more

Ud? From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (28 days old)

‘Take It Easy’. Made famous by The Eagles – Glenn Frey co-wrote the song – first became known to me through his collaborator, Jackson Browne, as the opening track on Side 1 of his 1973 album, ‘For Eve… more

Take it easy From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (29 days old)

I walked outside into late evening’s half-light: the time, when, if you’re very lucky, some magic finds its way into a camera lens. I had a good feeling about this evening. I stopped at the road th… more

Saved From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (30 days old)

I arrived at La Posada Hotel in Winslow an hour before sunset. The city was founded in 1881, originally built as a railroad town. When the Santa Fe Railroad closed the hotel in 1957, it deeply aff… more

(Get your kicks) From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (33 days old)

Asleep At The Wheel There are over two hundred recorded versions of the song 'Route 66'. Written by songwriter Bobby Troup in 1946, it was first recorded by Nat King Cole in the same year. In Bri… more

Don't forget Winona From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (34 days old)

In the song ‘Route 66’ the lyrics go, ‘You'll see Amarillo and Gallup New Mexico, Flagstaff Arizona, don't forget Winona’. Well, going west, as the order of the place names imply, if you’ve motore… more

The ghost of Dean Moriarty From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (35 days old)

The I-40 east of Flagstaff runs through gently undulating, wide-open open desert, taking the same path as the ‘mother road’: Route 66. Long abandoned as the main highway between Chicago and Los A… more

Midday cowboy From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (37 days old)

Gene’s Shoe Hospital in Flagstaff Arizona is a store that sells cowboy work gear. That includes boots, which they also repair. Hence the name. There are quite a few stores around that feature West… more

Red is the colour From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (39 days old)

On the drive up to Flagstaff I left the freeway in order to pass through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. I was shocked and saddened to see what they’d done to Sedona. I’d been to the town some years … more

It's a turned back world From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (39 days old)

On the eastern edge of the vast metropolitan sprawl that is Phoenix, lies Scottsdale. In constant danger of being consumed by its voracious land-hungry neighbour, Scottsdale is not merely a suburb, bu… more

Baby I can drive my car From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (40 days old)

Before, the car hire companies were situated on the ground floor of the terminal building at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. The paperwork was completed at the desk of the preferred rente… more

By the time I get to Phoenix From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (40 days old)

On my third day in New York City, the precipitation the guy on the Weather Channel had been threatening for the past couple of days finally arrived. I pulled up the blind to see the flat roofs below s… more

In the jingle jangle morning From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (45 days old)

For those, like me, of a certain age, it’s not possible to walk around the streets in Greenwich Village and not hear an echo from the boot heels of Bob Dylan. It’s where he burst upon the scene, s… more

Chinatown From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (47 days old)

Chinese men on bicycles. That’s another thing. Oriental men of all ages, riding around, all over the city. With heavy chains clanking and dangling from the handlebars for locking up and plastic ba… more

Not so mellow From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (47 days old)

The colour of the streets in Manhattan is yellow. Yellow cabs. In their thousands. They duck, they dive, they swoop, they soar. They drive on their horns. They take hair-raising chances. But I’ve … more

Look who's walking From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (47 days old)

In New York, people walk. Thousands every day pound the sidewalks. Before I ever visited the city, it’s something I knew from watching movies. Cary Grant joining the lunchtime masses as he left hi… more

Asleep in the city that never does From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (48 days old)

Hotel rooms in New York City can be divided in many ways. But mainly by two. Those that face onto the street. And those that face the rear. To the front is noisy. To the rear is quiet. How noisy a… more

Subterranean homesick blues From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (48 days old)

New York is a hard town, built on solid rock. At first from wood, then iron and brick and now of steel and concrete. I speak of the isle of Manhattan, forced ever skywards through lack of space, w… more

For the Love of Cash From farquhar ^Pro in What's in a name? (69 days old)

Had I known that a box of Faber Castell Mongol 482 Series pencils I may have bought in 1990 were 'very rare' and now worth £500,000, I would never have sharpened them. Had I purchased said pencils the… more