1945 Diary Big Bend National Park Texas Mexican Folk Art RoMy,Paintings,Painting,Desert,Santa Elena Canyon,Photographer,Photography,Mexico,Hot Spring

Hola ~ Another gorgeous start to the day here in the Big Bend National Park area! Woke up at 2:30 A.M. ~ the sound of the rain so hard it raised me from a deep sleep! I drifted off and woke again around 3:30 ~ still raining but more gently. It's 6:30 now and still too dark to walk out and check the rain gauge ~ will take a look after sunrise ~~~

Hope everyone had a spectacular Labor Day weekend! Labor Day always marks the end of Summer for most folks ~ but Summer here in the desert along the Rio Grande lasts a long time! Our only really cold months are December & January ~ if you can even call our weather "cold" then! I wear shorts up till Thanksgiving or later and have them back on again come February ~ and I love it! I'd wear shorts, t-shirts and my huaraches all year long if I weren't so susceptible to the cooler temperature ~~~

I have finished my painting of Santa Elena Canyon and the vaqueros crossing the Rio Grande from the Mexico side over to Texas and the title is "Moonlight Border Crossing" ~ I'll have photos later today or tomorrow morning ~

Here is the next entry to Peter Koch's 1945 Diary (if you'd like to read it from the start please refer back to the post of September 3,2009

April 5th

Stopped at the Morris Ranch with Senter and Linder - at beginning of his road at junction with 227 saw a yellow headed black bird - solitary bird not easily frightened and feeding under mesquite.

End of Day's Diary Entry

This was a more brief entry than Peter's usual ~ maybe I'll combine two entries in the future when one is so short....

Muchos Gracias for stopping by & please visit again soon! RoMy

1945 Diary Big Bend National Park Texas Mexican Folk Art RoMy,Paintings,Painting,Desert,Santa Elena Canyon,Photographer,Photography,Mexico,Hot Spring

Hola ~ from "Where Rainbows Wait for Rain" ~

The rainbows had rain yesterday evening! Only a smattering here at mi casa ~ but every evening just before dark I hike to the top of a mesa on the back side of our property where we neighbor the Big Bend National Park ~ and I could see the rain ~ looked like a good one ~ up in the high country where the Lodge is ~ and the clouds white and thick draped over the Chisos (Ghost) Mountains ~ beautiful!

From top of the mesa I could see Rough Run Crik and it had quite a bit of water which also told me the higher country had gotten rain. Maybe today it'll rain here at mi casa!

And by the time I walked the trail back down the wind kicked up and the temperature dropped almost immediately ~ so cool that I had a few goosebumps!! ~

~~~ I am still working on my latest painting of Santa Elena Canyon in the moonlight and a couple of vaqueros crossing the Rio Grande ~ but it's not finished yet ~ I hope to have some photos of it in a few days ~

For those of you who are interested in reading with me from Peter Koch's 1945 Diary here is the next insert (and if you have just joined in and want to know what this diary is all about please read the post of September 3, 2009 ~ where you'll find explanation):

Century Plant Begun
Wednesday March 28th
Fair

Decided that a trip down to Hot Springs was in order as I could film the ocotilla, cactus and see the sunlight effect on the Del Carmens - We got started about noon and went down to Tornillo Creek in some rough arid section took a few feet of pictures. The Rosillos are in the background and show red against the yellow clay and gravel of the Creek foreground.

We went down the road and with frequent stops to photograph we did finally arrive at the Hot Springs dry - hungry. Ate our lunch on the creek - three killdee parading in the flags in front of us.

On our way back we made several stops but tonight the scenes lacked some of its beauty, so I did not make any more exposures.

The last of the Texas bluebonnet made a nice little scene in the valley of the Rio Grande.

Began filming the Agave - sequence of growth.
End of the diary's post for this day ~~~

The above photos are what was left of Peter Koch's darkroom, (many, many years after he penned this diary) when we bought this place. During the time that he wrote this diary in 1945 he and his familia lived in the Park.

When we bought this property ~ which had passed hands at least once since Peter lived here ~ this darkroom, unfortunately, had to be torn down ~ I hated losing a piece of history but the snakes had made a breeding ground of this building which was built right into the side of a hill. But inside were stacks of Arizona Highway magazines from the 1940's and 1950's ~ which I still have and so enjoy reading! And even though this piece of Peter's past is no longer in existence when I pass this area I smile as I picture him in there developing his film all those years ago!

To read more of his diary ~ please check back tomorrow & have a fabulous day! RoMy

1945 Diary from Big Bend National Park area in Texas

Hola ~ from "Where Rainbows Wait for Rain" ~ in the Big Bend National Park area in Texas ~ on the banks of the Rio Grande and Old Mexico ~

For several years I have had in my possession three diaries believed to have been written by Peter Koch. Anyone familiar with this name well knows who Peter Koch was but for those of you who don't know, Peter was an outstanding photographer of wildlife and a lecturer in the 1940's. Peter was working as a photographer for the Cincinnati Times Star (newspaper) but left there to do freelance work and one of his first assignments was to photograph the Big Bend which had just become a national park. (Peter also filmed the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and I have this diary as well)

This assignment of photographing the Big Bend National Park was however only meant to be a temporary position ~ Peter and his family were actually enroute to Arizona which would be their new home and where he would do desert filming.

All those years ago ~ while World War II was going on ~ and Big Bend was just getting its start as a national park ~ Peter, however, fell in love with this area and it became his home ~ ~ ~

As to how I came to have these diaries? The home I live in once was lived in by Peter. Years back when my husband and I purchased this property and the house, we were cleaning out the attic ~ and we found boxes and boxes of documents with Peter's name on them ~ bills and ledgers documenting his expenses for his bookkeeping records, letters and photographs ~ and three diaries. His initials "PK" and the date "45" are on the front. I have every reason to believe these are indeed Peter's diaries.

The entries are brief and never personal ~ mostly entries regarding the weather and wildlife ~ and because they are not personal in nature and because Peter Koch loved the Big Bend so much ~ I think he'd be pleased to know he is still able to share his love of this area with others.

I have enjoyed reading his diaries ~ perhaps you will, too. I will post to this blog as often as my schedule allows so please feel free to follow the entries if you'd like.

Also I am still working on my painting of Santa Elena Canyon ~ might be finished in a few days ~ hope you will check it out!

Post From Tuesday, March 27th, 1945:

Fair (I presume this means the weather was "fair" this day)

Went to Study Butte and photographed the people in a Rosary Service. Marched up the hill responsively reciting their Hail Mary's - beautiful scene as they climbed to the top of a butte where they knelt in solemn prayer.

This was outlined in a talk with - Rev. Francis Juaniz P.O. 476 Alpine, Texas. A high typle of Catholic priest.

On the way I took a number of pictures - the ocotilla are all doing well and now are at the heigth of bloom - the yuccas are doing well too, around Terlingua.

A very picturesque scene was filmed on Terlingua Creek - the green cottonwoods against the yellow cliffs.

14 mallards rose from the shallow water - circled and flew about half a mile up the creek - four of them were males -

Received roll of film from Lindy

End of today's Diary Entry

Have a great day folks and please stop in again soon for more! RoMy