More photos of Quarai

--the BB

More shots from today

Gran Quivira

Cactus

Me at Quarai

In my new bifocal sunglasses. The last pair were prescription sunglasses that I used all the time for driving in daylight but they were not bifocals. The new ones allow me to walk around and read while wearing sunglasses. (Those who have never worn bifocals probably cannot appreciate the ground not being where it should be.)

It was an incredibly beautiful day.

--the BB

I believe it was Fran

... who said Albuquerque is all about the horizon.

Whoever said it, I believe it is true. Here are shots from my walk today (some of them stitched together from four photographs, the first three cropped from single shots). You may click on the photos to enlarge them and see more details.

Sorry about the power lines in this one
but it was the best shot I could get of downtown.

A blessed vernal equinox to you all.

--the BB

The graveyard

Where might this little arroyo lead?

To a place where an abandoned couch presides in lonely majesty....

To the place where televisions go to die.


Needless to say, this was not the prettiest part of my walk. But it is part of urban reality. I assume - I hope - people who toss their electronics out like that are unaware of toxic metal content.

Since this was, nonetheless, part of my walk, I recorded it.

--the BB

After work

I know, I keep telling you how much I love living here. Well, it's true.

--the BB

Before Eucharist Wednesday evening

These photos were taken Wednesday after work and before Mass, both from the parking lot of San Gabriel in Corrales.

After work

Sandia Crest

This is what I see when I leave work each evening, though I see it filtered through trees and rarely walk up to the frontage road to capture a photo (as I did last night).

Here is a close-up for lovers of mountains (yes, you, Ralph), and lovers of Albuquerque.

I admit that I have tweaked contrast and a few other items so these pictures "pop" a bit more.

Enjoy.

--the BB

Playing with telephoto

This is a shot I took just after work yesterday: a portion of the Sandias in the late afternoon light.

--the BB

Why I love where I live (an ongoing series)

Sandias at evening
(from the Costco parking lot)

Manzanos Mountains
(viewed from about 2 blocks north of my house
on the way home from brunch today)

Mountain panorama

--the BB

Another shot of the mountains

I upped the contrast in this one a lot but it was shot by turning slightly to the right from the photo of downtown Denver.

Only if you must:



--the BB

Closing one trip to begin another

Catherine Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, Russia

I meant to do this last year and am finally doing it this year. Christmas present (yes, belated, of course) to BFF is an album of photos from our trip to Saint Petersburg in November 2004. I have printed 64 photos so far and probably have an equal number to go.

It is fun to revisit the trip, our second there. I hope there will be one more this side of glory.

This entails going through all the photos, taking advantage of the fact that one can adjust exposure and contrast (and occasionally saturation) to turn a so-so photo into one that is quite acceptable. Copying them into a folder to be printed. Moving them to the "printed" folder when they have been. Then trimming them with a paper cutter and putting them into the album in some kind of order.

A nice project for a long weekend. (Along with making my trademark spaghetti sauce tomorrow and having friends over for dinner, then preaching on Sunday.)

This is a form of closure on that trip. Today I submitted the passport application to go on the next one which is less than a month away. (Yes, cutting it way too close; let's not get into that story tonight.)

I am wondering how many photos I will take this time around. I think the first trip to Russia had about 185 photos and the second trip, of equal length, had about 370.

Alexandrinsky Theatre, Ostrovsky Square, St Petersburg

Russian birches

--the BB

The outing

I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK!

Said the Libby to the Miller: "The aspens are turning."

A beautiful day!

Kathy and I drove up to Hyde Park outside of Santa Fe and adjacent to the Santa Fe National Forest. It was an incredibly beautiful day. We saw the glories of autumn in forests where aspens turn golden, like a shower of coins (feeling nervous, Danae?).

She heard the full tale of how my ex and I met, the wild incandescent fling I had after he and I split, all the poems of love and grieving I wrote a few years back (well almost all). Themes of life and hope and loss and grief and ongoing transformation and the eternal invitation into the future.

As we were descending from the mountains we saw some plumes of smoke. By the time we got back down to Santa Fe you could see great clouds of smoke. Pray for those endangered by wildfires.

We had lunch at Tomasita's next to the train station in Santa Fe. Kathy remembers when Tomasita's was a converted private house on Hickox, many years ago. I promised to lift a margarita for Doxy and I did so. The food was delicious.

Lots of revisiting memories for both of us, and allowing time and grace to carry us forward.

And that, my friends, was my sabbath adventure. (I know - I traveled more than 1,000 paces from home; do I look observant? Mr. Green Chile Cheeseburger?)

The conclusion of one poem:

and I breathed the morning air
grateful for the time
our hearts made love
as we slept.

--the BB

Visual tour of Bishop Lamy's Cathedral

Baptismal Font
Cathedral and Basilica of St Francis
Santa Fe, New Mexico

You may see my album of photos of the Cathedral here.

--the BB

Once I learn to use my camera....

... and play with shutter speed, etc., I might get some really cool shots.

For now I am still a "point and shoot" guy. I took a few pics last night that are technically not much but they still say something about my love of what I see.

The emergent moon

Hau, Hanhepiwi!

Fireworks in my part of town.
This is the street on the other side of my back fence.

--the BB

A dinner outing

Conejo

There was a bunny on the way to my friend's house.


And fresh new penstemon blooming in his yard.


We had a lovely bottle of wine (thank you Steve!) to go with Dijon-slathered grilled chicken garnished with a chiffonade of basil that I had just plucked from his garden and spinach, also freshly harvested, sautéed with garlic.

We then went over to his dad's apartment for an early Father's Day visit. Jack (Dad) used to read a lot and listens to classical and jazz music but lately he has been tending some house plants, so instead of books or CDs we both took him potted plants to keep him off the streets and out of trouble.

Playing with the new camera, I took this detail shot of a painting acquired years ago on an adventure in Puerto Vallarta. It is a modern painting in the style of colonial Mexico. I love the detail of the hair in this painting, and the flow of her robes and sweet face.

Lots of detail flower shots in the garden. Later, and probably on FB.

Off to a church meeting on the other end of town!

--the BB

Gratuitous rock shot

I love decorative river rock in landscapes (and in riverbeds).
--the BB

Gratuitous flower shot from lunch yesterday

Just because.

The wind kept blowing, which posed a challenge.
--the BB

The Sundays after Pentecost

Welcome to "the long green season."


All of that was just silliness. I really wanted to post this photo taken while walking to lunch today.

--the BB

Flower photos - an album of closeups

A shot from the church parking lot in Corrales, NM

I put some flower pics in an album on Facebook. (Yes, my friends, I have succumbed and can be found there once again. Trying not to be too curmudgeonly about it.)

--the BB

Une fleur du désert

--the BB