Christmas Day The Day After T – 6 Days
Sasha found Christmas!
Tristan snapped this photo of Laurie's reaction to opening yet another piece of plumbing.
All the pieces of plumbing Laurie unwrapped made sense when I brought out the new kitchen sink.
Lola watching Spunk doing a quality control inspection on the new sink.
Spunk could hardly wait to unwrap packages Christmas morning. We had been making him leave the decorations and packages alone all week.
Tristan working in the adult coloring book she got for Christmas.
The Day Before Christmas T – 8 Days
Twas the morning before Christmas and geese flew through the mist rising off the Rio Grande at sunrise. The Sandias had a dusting of snow with the bosque's fall colors frozen in the grip of winter's cold. Jetties stood like giant jacks tossed into the bosque, tangled under the winter's white sky. The sunset shown through the cottonwoods and made them stretch their tired shadows on the Rio's sandy beach as it cast yellow rays that turned into Sandia's pinks. The light faded to blue and gray as it turned the day into the night before Christmas.
Catwalk T – 9 Days
The Catwalk National Scenic Trail is located in the Gila National Forest in Western New Mexico, north of Silver City. In the late 1800's a 3 mile long pipeline was built in the canyon suspended up to 20 feet above the whitewater Creek that flows through the canyon. The pipeline supplied water to a mining mill and the town called both Graham and Whitewater. There was a wood plank walkway built over the pipeline that the men who maintained the pipeline called the Catwalk. The mining operations were closed in the 1940's, and the catwalk was rebuilt years later by the Civilian Conservation Corps and assigned to the Gila National Forest.
A section of the original 18 inch pipe.
Suspension bridge over Whitewater Creek
Stairs down to one of the pools and waterfall
Laurie sketching at the bottom of the staircase
Holiday Preparations T – 10 Days
Laurie assembled leftover greens, birds and pinecones into a beautiful centerpiece
In the thirty-three and a half years Laurie and I have been married, we have never had a "traditional" cut or synthetic Christmas tree. We did get one of those tiny, pre-decorated live trees that we planted after Christmas a couple of different years — those trees were as close to traditional trees as we ever had. We usually decorate a house plant or indoor tree. For years we had a pot with 5 Norfolk Pine trees that looked like one bushy tree that we decorated year after year until it outgrew the house; we finally gave it to a friend with an atrium. For the past 10 years or so we have decorated our big, gnarly bonsai ficus, which makes a rather nice Christmas tree.
Spunk and Sasha helping take decorations out of the box
Laurie looking festive in the outfit she wore to the Medieval Studies holiday bash.
Holiday cheer with candy canes, cookie cutters and sparkly nails.
Laurie preparing for a holiday run in the pre-white Christmas snow.
Sasha peeking around the corner to see where Christmas is. This is her first Christmas and she's excited.
An abstract photo of our gnarly bonsai that we decorate for the holidays
Birds waiting to be put in the tree
Sasha checking out the lights, balls, butterflies and birds on our gnarly bonsai
Since we rarely get snow in the Albuquerque area, Santa leaves the reindeer up north and drives a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere.
Spunk does 4X5 T – 11 Days
Spunk checking out the 4X5 view camera.
After seeing yesterday's post where I had used a 4X5 view camera to create a photo essay, Spunk wanted to try his paws at using a large format view camera. After all, he had done pretty well using a medium format camera.†
"This thing trips the shutter? I thought is was dangling there for me to bat around and chew on!"
After figuring out the camera, Spunk set up another flash.
Spunk carefully inspected the umbrella to make sure everything was in order.
"Look at the birdie, Rosencrantz! Ok pretend there's a birdie where the lens is! The lens is the round, glassy thingy in the middle of the camera. Glass is... Oh! forget it! Just look this way, Rosencrantz!"
Spunk's first photo of Rosencrantz using a large format camera.
Spunk finally learned that it's a lot easier to focus a 4X5 from underneath a shade/focusing cloth.
Another one of Spunk's photographs of Rosencrantz done with the 4X5.
Rosencrantz wanted to try his paws at portrait photography. "Sasha! SASHA! Pose with the zebra! Sasha! Come on already! Saasshaa!"
Rosencrantz: "I give up! Trying to get Sasha to pose for a photo is harder than herding humans!" Sasha: "Hey! Catographer! Where are you going? I'm ready!"
Spunk finally had to take a break. Using a 4X5 view camera is hard work. "Hey human! Put down that camera and bring me a cup of coffee!"
†Spunk's adventures with medium format photography:
When Kittens take up photography: http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/3/when-kittens-take-up-photography/
Spunk does Film: http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/3/spunk-does-film/
Positive Notes on Negative Development: http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/3/positive-notes-on-negative-development/
Kitty Prints: http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/4/kitty-prints/
The Window in My Dreams T – 12 Days
Laurie commented that this series of photos is a proto-blog because I created this photo essay in 1981 long before the Internet — I have a photograph of a written, typeset introduction, and a photograph of a written, typeset conclusion. I created this series before photoshop existed and before word processing was readily available. It was a major undertaking to typeset the first and last photo in the series. I made each photo using a 4X5 view camera and B&W 4X5 sheet film with a combination of long exposures and manually triggered flashes to capture movement with clarity in the images. I had to carefully calculate each exposure and plan the details to successfully execute each photograph, because I could not preview each shot before I processed the negatives. Only one negative was exposed for each image in this series.
Then and Now T – 13 Days
The alley behind the block of buildings our office is in taken in 1980, 5 years before I started working downtown.
In 1980, I did a series of photos of downtown Albuquerque. I found a box of proofs I had enlarged from some of the negatives I had developed from the series. While I was restoring a backup on a new hard drive in the afternoon, I walked around downtown and got as close to the same places I stood in 1980 and took photos of what the blocks and buildings look like today. The cameras and lenses I used in 1980 were much different from what I use today, so the perspectives are different as well.
The two buildings on the east end of our block burned on December 18, 2013. I posted a blog "Burning Down the block" exactly two years ago today on December 19, 2013.
The buildings that burned have been removed and the Imperial Building is under construction — the construction fence prevented me from standing closer to the same place I stood in 1980.
These are the County Building, City Hall, Police Building and City/County jail in 1980 in order from right to left.
Today you can see the old County Building, newer City/County Complex built between the old County building and the original City Hall. There is a bridge that connects the Bank of the West Building with City Hall and blocks the view of the Police Building. The old Jail is in the shadows and you can see the new judicial complex with the circular roof in the background.
Looking east from 6th Street between Copper and Central in 1980.
Looking east from 6th Street between Copper and Central 2015.
Stores at 2nd Street and Central in 1980.
The Hotel Andaluz remains today, but the stores have all been torn down and parking lots are all that remain.
The Alvarado Square at 415 Silver under construction in 1980. The building opened in 1981 and is built over Silver Ave and connected to the PNM building across the street at 414 Silver.
This block has changed the least in appearance over the past 35 years, but PNM has moved out and the building is for sale. The current asking price is $6,250,000 for a total of 251,523 square feet — a deal at $24.85/SF.
This is the corner of 2nd Street and Gold Ave at 4:00 am on a cold, snowy morning in 1986 taken with a 6X6 cm medium format camera.
Today a building stands where I was standing in 1986, the yucca has long been removed and there is a building across the street. There was no snow at 6:45 pm last night, but with the temperature at freezing it was cold enough to get the spirit of the scene.
White Mesa T – 14 Days
Looking north up a valley with the Jemez Mountains in the background.
White Mesa is about 45 miles north and west of Albuquerque, west of San Ysidro, NM, south of the Jemez Mountains. It's called White Mesa because of the white gypsum cliffs on the north side of the mesa — you pass a gypsum mine on the east end of the mesa on the way to the trails. There are eggshell-like rock domes, sulfur springs and a lot of colorful geology that makes up White Mesa.
Red, orange and yellow rocks and soil with the Jemez Mountains in the background.
Red soil with run off from a sulfur spring. The water is warm at its origin and eventually freezes. The temperatures were well below freezing when these photos were taken. We sank up to our knees stepping in places we thought were frozen, only to discover there was a thin layer of ice over a warm, soft, goopy mud.
Slushy ponds trying to freeze over the warm water.
Red soils and a stream that finally succumbed to the sub-freezing temperatures in the shade of the valley walls.
The craggy dome in the middle ground is hollow inside, The rock is less than a foot thick in many places. You can see the gypsum cliffs in the background.
One of the many sink holes found in the rock.
The rock is yellowed where a sulphur spring bubbles up and seeps out onto the surface of the rock.
One of the many long and sinuous cracks in the rock domes.
A broad, washboarded valley.
A wider view of the washboards and natural rock walls from a higher vantage point.
Looking southeast at the Sandias just before sunset.
Looking northwest to Cabazon just after sunset.
Silver City, City of Rocks T – 15 Days
Downtown Silver City, New Mexico
The historic Palace Hotel is a fun place to stay
The lobby
Another view of downtown Silver City
Prickly Pear cactus
Barrel cactus
Chino Copper Mine that opened in 1909
Closer view of the copper mine
City of Rocks State Park south of Silver City
Jack Rabbit resident of the City of Rocks
San Lorenzo Canyon T – 16 Days
San Lorenzo Canyon Recreation Area is about 60 miles south of Albuquerque, and 20 Miles north of Socorro, New Mexico. When we were there in November 2009 the trees were yellow and orange and there is a lot of red, orange and blue in the rocks.
El Malpais T – 17 Days
El Malpais lava fields with Mount Taylor at 11,305 ft (3,446 m) in the background.
Mount Taylor is the source of the malpais. I took these photos from the trail above the malpais while on a hike in October 2009. Access to the interior of the malpais is closed from October 1st to the end of February each year, so there are no photos from the interior of the malpais. There was a lot of growth on the malpais as compared to when we there in 2000 and years before. We've been going to the Malpais since the late 1970's. The area is now El Mapais National Monument. It's located southeast of Grants, NM, about 70 miles west of Albuquerque.
White Sands T – 18 Days
White Sands is another one of New Mexico's natural wonders that is well worth making an effort to visit.
Sunrise, Sunset, In Between T – 19 Days
A dragon's fire lit up the morning sky at sunrise
Spunk sleeping in
He just couldn't get his eyes to open after a late night hunting mice
I finally brought him a cup of coffee
It started raining about 8:00 am, so Laurie had to run in the rain
Warming up with Rosencrantz
Lola
Spunk guarding a mouse he caught
"Get that stinking camera out of might face!" Guildenstern thought it was way too early for photos.
Lola's not sure how to react to the paparazzo
Grilling in the rain! I'm grilling in the rain! I was grilling chicken thighs that we freeze and use in recipes
Pie is a happy dog, always ready to please
Suki the corn snake
Macuvious is a curious cat
Miss American Pie
Leo looking like a lion
Snake wouldn't hold still for the camera
Rosencrantz snuggles in with his zebra
We drive off into the sunset
Volcanoes & Taos T – 20 Days
Giant thunderhead west of the volcanos on Albuquerque's West Mesa
One of three extinct volcanoes on Albuquerque's West Mesa. This one used to have a big "J" painted on it. The volcanoes are above Petroglyph National Park.
Looking east from the trail up to Mount Wheeler the highest peak in New Mexico at 13,161 feet (4,011 m) above sea level.
We hiked through a hail storm in August 2008 that looked like snow on Wheeler Peak
Taos Ski Area
Laurie in the mist at about 12,000 feet above sea level
