Albuquerque a2k roundup, May 14-19, 2008

Ah, Santa Fe. It is such a beautiful town, and I remember buying jewelry
from the Indians there.

Ohhh I remember the jewelry market. Some times you find truly unique jewlry there.. sometimes you find mass produced junk.

Luck of the draw..

I bought a bracelet I still like from a similar market here in Abq when I first visited. Sharp woman jewelry maker, intricate bracelet.

bean calls dys poopity head.. yes..

but after the second time seeing him, with out any prompting from us, she began with ' wheres grandpa?'......... 'i wanna go to grandpas house'

so, we labeled him grandpapoopityhead.

Well, that works.

I use a D80 with a handfull of super cheap lenses.

Super cheap meaning under 120.00 for the most part.

My favorite lense is a cheap 70-200 zoom.

I spent .. I think.. 135.00 for it.. including shipping.


I use mostly the M and P setting on the 80 and hate HATE HATE flash.

above and beyond that nothing special..

head up to the turquoise trading post some day.

Tourist trap from hell.. but you can find some really beautiful stuff there for not too much of your right arm and some of your leg

I did not ask permission.. but I do have a photo of Thomas that looks like he is praying to Roger..

And Roger looks like the pope.. ( only because he is truly over exposed..not that he is saintly or anything..>snort )

Oh.. and I do have a photo of Mame..

but she will string me by my butt-hairs if I post it..

What a coincidence. Like Sir Walter Raleigh, I buy my tobacco from them.

Roger, one of the Indian ladies told me to go to her house at the Pueblo reservation as she had better jewelry there. So we drove out there -
it was quite an experience and I am so glad we went.

Be glad you didn't sit next to Roger.

He stole my lemon cheesecake at the Flying Star when I wasn't looking. I'm pretty sure Diane was his accomplice. But that's okay. I got her back! I stole a piece of her homemade apple pie the next day when she wasn't watching.

It was good!

well, I suppose it needs to be said; other than (****) and (****) everyone was a delight to have in our home this past week. (Bean remains by only true friend)

OK, one last photo. I could ask for approval on this and the more distant other photos of them posted recently, but both folks are busy, seeming laissez faire, and these have seemed ok. (Awaits knives.)

My newest idea is to ask re the iffys. Trouble is figuring out what is iffy.




OK, Mame and Thomas on Bench with Friend ---



(We were all looking into blinding light.)

Oh, and we got this idea because a couple sitting on the bench spied Mame with a digital camera and asked her to take a photo of them...

I lied, that wasn't the last photo.

Then we tromped to the car (a fellow saw us at the intersection of Sandoval and something going this way and that and then that and then this, a comedy except that it was an intersection, and pulled over to ask us if he could help. Map maven Mame had repossessed her smarts by then and we could assure him we knew where we were going.

And so we went to Canyon Road.

I had an episode with a woman and a dog at the Palace of the Governors. (Did I spell it right this time?).

Dogs tend to stop me in my tracks, and with this one I tried to get a snapshot. But, film out. While I was trying to empty the film canister and access a new one I was also petting the dog's nose. I told the woman I'd really like a photo but had to load my camera. I had the damnedest time getting it to turn. Meantime, she had the dog at sit, and "watch me". I finally told her that as soon as she would leave, I'd be fine with the film. And that turned out to be true, it caught the spoket right away.

I found her again some yards away and she posed the dog. I zoned in. My camera said ERROR.
I just said, Thank You.

Swore to self.

Meantime Thomas came out of a building wanting me to see some commentary on the transition in the mid 1800's from Mexico... and I read that and took his point. Then I decided to readjust my film and start it in again, and then tried to get rid of the first several frames I figured were exposed when I opened the camera. So I shot off blanks.

Which brought the authorities, as NO FLASH prevails with serious texts.
Well, I know that, if I'd have thought for even a few seconds. I'd just been stupid. So I apologized up the kazoo. They seemed amazed I agreed with them and reassured me..

Camera ready, I left the building to see a few feet later the woman and dog. I took a going away photo.

Aha, maybe the dog ate my Saturday film.

Of course, I figure this is what she does, pose her dog. I'm fine with that. Or maybe that is not what she does. Nice woman, smart and beautiful dog, either way.

A bit on Canyon Road tomorrow.












And that was sprocket..

Now i feel better..


Here is Thomas..
In the confessional booth...

And Pope Roger Rat

Consider me a dork if you will..

But we saw these on our drive TO new mexico late at night.
They looked like alien propellers from a swarm of UFO's landing in a large desert plain ready to dominate the world.

They really made me look and made me uncomfortable.
I did not do a good job at portraying how LARGE these things are.. or how.. ODD they appear. ( at least to me..) But I did pull over on the way home and avoiding the giggles and stares of cars and truckers speeding by, I snapped this shot of the windmill for my own reference. Not a good photo by any means.... but.. these things just really freaked me out.








And a photo while driving-