Mystery bus on the Rio

Is it abandoned? Is it a camper? Is someone living there full time, as the slightly parted curtains suggest?

In the era of COVID-19, does the image speak to housing insecurity or self-isolation in serene surroundings? It’s impossible to solve the mystery of the vehicle’s use. But one thing is certain. The photographer’s skill at capturing the atmospherics of a fall afternoon along the Rio Grande turns a battered old-time school bus into an object of exquisite beauty.

—Tom Hinson, editor, Photograph of the Week

Editor’s Note: Click on the photograph to view it in a light box for even greater clarity.