Golden Moment

​I had barely stepped out of the truck when . . . "GOOD MORNING!" 

​​The voice filled me with warmth on that damp morning when I'd stopped for a better look at an unusual roadside assemblage along New Mexico's Turquoise Trail, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

This roadside assemblage caught my eye and drew me in

​​"Come on in! Take all the pictures you want." The man with the welcoming voice emerged from behind a rustic fence of planks and crooked tree limbs, decorated with railroad spikes, old tires, metal barrels, cast-off toys and colorful bottles and jars.

Visitors are always welcome to stop and explore Leroy's world.

Cast-offs become parts of his creations

​Come in I did, and that's how I came to meet Leroy Gonzales, self-proclaimed mayor of Golden, New Mexico, population 37 at last count. Once the site of the first gold rush west of the Mississippi, Golden has been considered a ghost town since 1928. Leroy, on the other hand, is alive—and lively—as can be. With a showman's flair and a comedian's pacing, he gave me a guided tour of his property, starting with the adobe cat and dog sprawled in the yard. The dog is plumbed with a fountain-like spout of colored water, which Leroy obligingly demonstrated.

Leroy's well-worn card

Leroy Gonzales

Leroy demonstrates the fountain in the adobe dog (which looks more dog-like from the front)

​​From there, he hustled me over to the "gold mine," a mirror-backed tunnel that Leroy winkingly told me extends all the way to the Ortiz Mountains in the distance. Then a stop at the cantina, another trompe l'oeil façade of corrugated metal and cow skulls.

The gold mine

The cantina and "tattooed tree."

​When he invited me to step inside a small structure behind the cantina, I didn't hesitate, even before he assured me, "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe." Inside, the walls were covered with tacked-up notes that previous visitors had left in the spiral-bound guestbook Leroy keeps on a table out front. I read a few, then he showed me a plastic storage tub filled with more notes and letters and a collection of photos visitors have taken of him and his surroundings.

Leroy treasures notes and photographs from visitors

Everywhere you look, Leroy has left his mark

​​"Stay as long as you want," Leroy said as he headed off to tend to his creations. "Just let me know when you're leaving."

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Bottles everywhere!

​By the time we said goodbye—me with a bunch of photos in my camera, Leroy with a few bucks I left in the tip jar, along with my promise to send him some pictures—I was in high spirits. 

A visit with Leroy will brighten your day

​In just a short visit, this man whose main mission in life seems to be welcoming people into his world, had cast a colorful light on my day. I hope I carried some of that color and sparkle away with me.