Concordia Cemetery, El Paso, Texas.
Joni at Rum and Robots nominated me to be part of a travel photo challenge. I normally do not participate in WordPress awards and challenges. However, since this is travel photo related, I thought it would be a good opportunity to post some old travel photos. What I gathered from the challenge, is to do at least one travel photo every day and nominate another blogger to participate in the challenge each day for 10 days. In other words a chain blog.
I am going to post travel photos from the past since covid cooties did not allow us to travel as planned this year. I’m am also going to post the link to a photographer I follow each day, but it’s so you can visit their sites and see what kind of travels they have been up to. Otherwise, the Chain Breaks Here. I’m not nominating or challenging anyone to participate.
The first photographer I’m giving mention to is Bruce Welton. Bruce is our main programmer at the office. He has appeared in various forms on this blog over the years. However, with the demise of downtown, and the fact that he works from home during the covid crises, we have not done any downtown photos together in a long time. But alas, Bruce has been making day trips around New Mexico and has done wonderful photos of some of the places he’s visited. You can see photos of his day trips on his Echoes of Eden blog at http://www.brucewelton.com/category/day-trips/
Day 1 includes photos of Concordia Cemetery in El Paso, Texas. We went to a Native Plants Society convention in El Paso in 2004. Before we headed home, we stopped by the cemetery and had a look around. At the end of this post are photos a Christine’s new young cottonwood tree.
You can read about the Buffalo Soldiers on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Soldier
Richard Ramirez slept here. I read that Richard Ramirez (serial killer) lived in a house across the street from Concordia Cemetery when he was young. He often slept in the cemetery, and one of his favorite places to sleep was said to be John Wesley Hardin’s grave.
Back to the present, Christine who has Before Sundown had laid claim to a tree in the bosque about 1/2 mile north of Beaver Point. Since the cranes have been roosting south at 4th of July Point, I haven’t walked north for quite a while, so poor Christine’s tree has been ignored. Christine, who loves sunsets, asked if she could lay claim to a young cottonwood by the levee that’s on my way to Beaver Point, therefore, I walk by it every time I go to Beaver Point. Christine’s new tree is in a great spot for sunsets, and tonight had a decent sunset.
Christine’s Tree, young cottonwood on the right, looking east with the Sandia’s in the background.
Looking west with cololful clouds at sunset.
A panorama of the wild sky radiating from Christine’s Tree.
Off Center & Not Even 
Really like that last image! Beautiful sky.
Thanks, Teri.
The travel images make me more than ever hope for the return of photographic excursions in 2021. 🙁🤔🙂
Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
🤞
Lovely images Timothy….
They reveal bits and parts of a story….intriguing
Thanks Ruelha. Cemeteries have lots of history in them.
Totally agree….now I’m remembering the one at my old parish….there used to be this treasure chest like thing with random bones and dont know how but hair still attached ….we were rotten kids so we’d love to dare each other to open it and run away….
Tim, all the travel photos are incredible. I love to see new places through the eyes of a photographer. And learn about the area. Now, I am so happy to see my new tree, the young cottonwood with a gorgeous sunset background. It’s heartwarming! The little tree flourishes because of your attention. Thank you so much. I’ll feature it in a blog post after the holidays. And feature you too as the photographer. 📚🎶 Christine
Thanks, Christine. You made a good choice.
I’m very happy with the new young cottonwood. 🥳🎶
Glad you took up the challenge because we get a chance to take this virtual trip with you.
Thanks, Dale. We’ll be tripping together for the next 10 days. I started the challenge today after the conjunction. It works out that I’ll be done on New Year’s Eve.
No complaints from me! And yes, today is Day 1… bring it on 🙂
These are fascinating Timothy! My Uncle a retired military man stationed in El Paso toward the end of his career lived there the rest of his life. these pics of the cemetery are fascinating. I especially Am intrigued by the Buffalo Soldiers. I’m glad you joined the challenge! Excellent!
Hi Holly. El Paso is an interesting place. It’s a combination between Texas, Mexico and New Mexico. I can see why your uncle stayed. I find cemeteries interesting for the stories they tell.
I’m very fascinated by cemeteries. Not in a morbid way but history has always held such great interest for me. In my family cemetery there are many centuries of graves, one head stone “ unknown soldier “ from the Revolutionary war.
I never visited El Paso. My uncle passed away last year. Your photographs are wonderful.
You have a family cemetery? My grandparents and my father are buried in the Veteran’s Cemetery in Santa Fe, NM. I assume my grandparents on my mom’s side are buried in Kansas, which is were I believe most cousins, aunts and uncles are buried as well. I don’t know anything about my family history before my grandparents.
There is a family cemetery that we maintain. I still contribute but doubt I will go there again.
That is really interesting, and cool to have that family history.
It really is. There are a few graves on the outskirts that don’t seem to be family related. Such as the grave of the soldier. Intriguing.
Thanks for the nod, Tim. Tim is the one who nudged me to get a real DSLR, and helped me to get a first entry camera- a Canon Rebel, and by doing that encouraged me to dive in to the hobby. I appreciate he did that, and has helped me along the way.
I love a good cemetery visit. I hope to visit El Paso sometime in the future when the world sorta reopens. I miss our photo walks downtown.
Thanks, Bruce. Downtown used to be fun.
Beautiful photos, Tim, but that last one is my favorite. What a beautiful combination the sundown sky and Christine’s tree make!
Thanks, Lavinia.
…you call this a ‘decent sunset’?!!!! I mean this is spectacular and so beautiful! Great shots from the cemetery too.
Ok I give. It’s pretty awesome, but we do get more awesome sunsets. Thanks, Marina.
Oh, I know you do, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful! 😉
True.
Nice pictures of a peaceful cemetery and the strong contrast with the remakable story about Wesley and Richard….
Cemeteries do have interesting stories. Thanks, picpholio.
Now I’ve gotten here to read your fab post. Quite a cemetery, very, VERY interesting . Glad you chose to do this, having read this post. Great pics at the end too.
Thanks, Shey. I’m sure there are some interesting and very old cemeteries up your way.
Indeed, there’s a very old one in the centre of Dundee called the Howff. One seriously gets the feeling of being ‘jostled’ in there.
I can imagine you would get jostled. We have ghosts. Who knows what the Native Americans buried around these parts. Our ghosts are kleptomaniacs. They especially like to steal knives and barets. Go figure.
Oh yeah. I’ve heard other folks saying they can’t go in there. The thing is this reader who comes down to Dundee every so often to do some shopping and meet up, she loves museums and galleries so she was interested to go in there, so we did. i had not been in for years and within a few minutes she said, ‘Can we go, I feel we are not just being followed, we are being crowded and jostled.’ So it wasn’t just me on that occasion and I never said a word to her either. There’s another interesting one..well not the modern bit of it but the old bit on Balgay Hill, where that observatory is set. But you do see –in any cemetery–some fascinating stones that tell whole stories.
Sounds like a lot of lonely spirits who like having visitors.
These are some very nice pictures that you have taken here! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Feel free to read some of my blogs 🙂
Thanks, Naraj.
Awesome photos, Tim! I’m glad you are participating, and I like the way you are doing it! I know you and Laurie have been to some amazing places, I look forward to more of your photos!
Thanks, Tiffany.
Been through El Paso a couple of times, always on work in the previous life. Concordia Cemetery is considered to be one of the spookiest haunts, in terms of paranormal activity for those who follow those things. A lot of it seems tied to Richard Ramirez, the serial killer. Did not know, though, John Wesley Hardin was there. Hardin was a plain stone cold killer in the Old West. Most of Hardin’s ilk got it the same way they gave it, which is rather poetic.
Hi Tim, glad you said, “yes” to the travel photo challenge. The Concordia Cemetery photos are fascinating as is the bit about Ramirez (maybe more unnerving). Christine’s tree is lovely under the gorgeous sunset.
Thanks, Mia. When I read about Ramirez sleeping in the cemetery I wondered if I had parked by his old house when I parked on the street.
So much to wonder about. Now that you mention that, I’m wondering what if anything odd was buried in the backyard.
The wild skies of New Mexico ~ you could produce a book with all the incredible photos you have of this ~ and the last one “radiating from Christine’s Tree” is especially nice. The other photo which I found peaceful and educational was the one of the Buffalo Soldiers, well done.
Thanks Randall. The history of the Buffalo Solders is fascinating. I had know about them and was surprised to see so many of their graves in that cemetery. I love our wild skies.
Looks like a beautiful day to visit the cemetery Tim .. And Christine’s looks special against that glorious sky
Thanks, Julie.
Richard Ramirez lived on Ledo Street, which was torn down after the area flooded in 2006 so his old house is gone. It’s now a soccer field. This is on the opposite side of I10 so yes “across the street” but that street is an interstate highway.
My friends and I grew up living in that area and would see him at 7-11 and Chico’s Tacos in our neighborhood.
John Selman, who shot Hardin, has a grave marker not far from Hardin’s grave.
Hi Caesar. Thanks from the brief history. Little did you know what Ramirez would do in the future. That’s and interesting area.