@valwestonnm
📸 Digital photographic artist and 📣 micro-entrepreneur cheerleader 👩💼 Co-founder of Southwest Art Towns – https://southwestarttowns.com 📍Silver City, NM 🖼️ Artwork – https://art.valinreallife.com 💻 Biz blog – https://exposure.valinreallife.com
Happy Saturday, #BlueskyArtShow!
This week's #Flowing theme has me a little bit giddy. In a former lifetime, fluvial geomorphology was my jam. 🤩
📸 Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN (2016)
The rest of the story 👇
valinreallife.com/postcards-fr...
#ValinRealLife #ThisWasNotInTheBrochure
#EchoSummit on US 50 is usually open in winter. The road was constructed between 1936 and 1938 and offers one of the most spectacular views of Lake Tahoe as you drive in from the west.
Learn more:
sierramountainpasses.com/listings/ech...
#SierraPasses #SierraMountainPasses #LakeTahoe #US50
Calling all #photographers (and photogrpher wannabes)! The 2026 virtual photography study group is in full swing but it's not too late to join.
Open to all levels. Come join the fun!
southwestarttowns.com/photography-...
#SouthwestArtTowns #ConnectionCommunityCollaboration #PhotographyStudy
Happy Saturday, #BlueskyArtShow!
I was hunting flowers when I came across my little #round friend here.
📸 Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN (2014)
The rest of the story 👇
valinreallife.com/postcards-fr...
#ThisWasNotInTheBrochure #NaturePhotography #Millipede
Color photo of the deep yellow center of a sunflower.
#Sunflower #BlueSkyArtShow #Round
That detail! 🤩
Long exposure night photo of a colorful Ferris wheel spinning at Mihama American Village in Chatan, Okinawa, with blue and purple light trails reflected in calm water below.
🎡 Night spins in Okinawa.
For #blueskyartshow #round the Ferris wheel at Mihama American Village in motion, light turning into color and reflection.
#photography #nightphotography #longexposure #Okinawa #Japan
Photo of the moon with text over it reading: Join the #BlueSkyArtShow Saturday February 28, 2026 The theme is #Round Any interpretation Any form of art Use both tags to be included in our feed Multiple entries welcome
Join the #BlueSkyArtShow
Saturday February 28, 2026
The theme is #Round
No need for perfection, if it's anywhere close, it fits.
Tell your friends, it's easy to join & fun to follow
Use both tags to be included in the feed
#art #artists #photgraphy #drawing #painting #sketching #writing #poetry
Digital photographic art of two mule deer sisters hug in the high desert of New Mexico.
Happy Saturday, #BlueskyArtShow!
#Two affectionate mule deer does showed up to happy hour one time. And I happened to have my camera. Then I had some digital fun with it.
📸 Gila Hermanas, Silver City, NM (2021)
The rest of the story
🔗 valinreallife.com/postcards-fr...
Camera on tripod overlooking field and mountains with graphic text that reads Join our Photography Study Group.
Calling all photographers (and wannabes)! The 2026 virtual photography study group is in full swing but it's not too late to join. Open to all levels. Come join the fun!
southwestarttowns.com/photography-...
Pro tip - it's not just for people in the Southwest!
#SouthwestArtTowns #Photography
Woman in motorcycling gear standing next to an orange BMW F700GS motorcycle on the side of the road above frozen Caples Lake in California.
Somehow we're already halfway through Feb. and I've neglected to wish you all a Happy #NationalCherryMonth.
Here's the time we rode 300 miles for cherries. Like we *needed* an excuse 😅
🔗https://valinreallife.com/three-hundred-mile-cherry-ride/
#ValinRealLife #ThisWasNotInTheBrochure
I love digital heroes. 🦸♀️
Photo of two street lights shining in the dark with text that reads: Join the #BlueSkyArtShow Saturday February 21, 2026 The theme is #Two Any Art. Any interpretation. Use both tags to be included in our feed. Multiple entries welcome.
Join the #BlueSkyArtShow
Saturday February 21, 2026
The theme is #Two
Simple assignment this week,
a pair of anything and you're in!
Use both tags to be included in the feed
#art #artists #photgraphy #drawing #painting #sketching #writing #poetry
I really hope PMC can beat Google on this. It would be a re-righting of the web ecosystem.
www.searchenginejournal.com/antitrust-fi...
The Central Sierra offers some of the most dramatic and rugged scenery in the mountain range and is jam-packed with amazing roads.
🔗https://sierramountainpasses.com/about-the-sierra-nevada-passes/central-sierra/
#SierraMountainPasses #SierraNevadaPasses #SierraTravel
Damn, here it's Valentine's Day again and we still haven't launched our Lug Nut Lingerie (tm) merch.
🔗 propaneandbourbon.com/gear/lug-nut...
#PropaneAndBourbon #IsItHappyHourYet #LugNutLingerie
Colorful mural depicting a man of Asian ethnicity holding a tea pot and sledge hammer.
Sign at entrance of El Paso Museum of History exhibit that reads Mountain of Gold: A History of East & Southeast Asian Cultures in El Paso del Norte, 1880s–1980s
Wide view of the Mountain of Gold exhibit at the El Paso Museum of History with two lion statues prominent in front
Man standing beside an interactive museum exhibit map
We got to see the Mountain of Gold exhibit at the #ElPasoMuseumOfHistory just before it closed. Here's a quick look at it. More pix in the blog post.
propaneandbourbon.com/places/mount...
#PropaneAndBourbon #IsItHappyHourYet
Close up of old, gnarly wooden door and a rusted metal hinge that has stained the wood.
Happy Saturday, #BlueskyArtShow!
How much fun is it to shoot wood? The details and textures are glorious! And for a time I lived near a town steeped in wood that had endless photography possibilities.
📸 Virginia City, Nevada (2018)
The rest of the story👇
valinreallife.com/postcards-fr...
Woot!
Graphic reading Happy National Entrepreneur Week from our micro-business to yours with a picture of a man and woman wearing baseball caps with desert mountains in the background.
Happy National Entrepreneurship Week!
Here's to our fellow resilient, resourceful, hard-working micro-business owners out there creating jobs, fostering innovation, and making our communities a better place.
#ValWestonNM #EntrepreneurLife #MicroBusiness #NatlEshipWeek #EcosystemBuilding
[2/2] We don't have the same massive resources that corporations have to manage all the complexities that come with running a business. But we have you—our customers who believe in supporting the "little guys".
exposure.valinreallife.com/micro-busine...
#MicroBusiness
Shop Small door mat in open doorway .
[1/2] Did you know you can be a micro-business digital hero? Simply by getting in touch if you see a glitch on a website. It's really that easy to help micro-business owners compete with big business.
🔗https://exposure.valinreallife.com/micro-business-digital-hero
#ValWestonNM #EntrepreneurLife
Closeup of an old utility pole with text over it reading: Join the #BlueSkyArtShow Saturday February 14, 2026 The theme is #Wood Any Art. Any interpretation. Use both tags to be included in our feed. Multiple entries welcome.
Join the #BlueSkyArtShow
Saturday February 14, 2026
The theme is #Wood
Anything from a toothpick to a forest this week. Carvings, driftwood, carpentry, jewelry, show us!
Use both tags to be included in the feed
#art #artists #photgraphy #drawing #painting #sketching #writing #poetry
👏👏👏
There's only a short time left to claim your Charter Membership on Southwest Art Towns. Join as an artist or art fan at any paid level to get a lifetime discount on renewals as a Charter Member.
southwestarttowns.com/what-is-a-ch...
#SouthwestArtTowns #ConnectionCommunityCollaboration
Line of trees in a field highlighted by morning sun with a shadowy background.
Happy Saturday, #BlueskyArtShow!
I've embraced more midday shooting over the years but this week I'm reminded why getting up to catch early morning #Sunlight is worth the pain. 😅
📸 Cades Cove–Great Smoky Mountains National Park (2018)
valinreallife.com/postcards-fr...
Man spraying motorcycle with hose in driveway surrounded by other motorcycles and vehicles.
Man in motorcycling gear attempting to jump start a motorcycle in a driveway
A person on a motorcycle riding on a desert road under a blue sky and a few wispy clouds.
I raced into 2026 with my hair on fire in all areas of my life. Except motorcycling. And apparently it was too much to ask that our first ride of the year go smoothly.
valinreallife.com/my-inauspici...
#ValinRealLife #ThisWasNotInTheBrochure
Image of motorcyclist on Tioga Pass with text that reads Explore the Passes-learn more about the major paved passes in the Sierra.
Visitors to the Sierra are often surprised by the dramatic weather, road closures, and other factors that impact travel in this big, rugged mountain range.
Learn more👇
sierramountainpasses.com/about-the-si...
#SierraPasses #SierraMountainPasses #SierraNevada #SierraNevadaMountains
Happy Saturday, #BlueskyArtShow.
I grabbed this #clouds shot at a pretty shitty time in my life and it takes me right back like it was yesterday.
The power of photography, eh? For better or worse. 🤷♀️
📸 San Luis Valley, CO (2015)
The rest of the story👇
valinreallife.com/postcards-fr...
