A New Slide Show.

Previously on these pages I presented my new, cool idea of fast digital captures, shot one-handed from a speeding vehicle. Having just completed another round trip from Deming to a New Mexico location further north (in this case, Mountainair) on I25, and other federal and state highways, I now have sufficient samples of this fun, new art form to load a new slide show to the blog.

Very little tweaking of the images have been done. Mostly the simple, subtle enhancements available from Google's Picasa program- straightening, adjusting contrast, cropping, etc.

Since there was snow on the Floridas yesterday, I think it's time to remove the "Spring/Summer" show from the sidebar. This new show will replace it shortly, and will be added to as we travel further afield. Hope you enjoy.

The Golden Hour

Took a short drive tonight, to try and capture what photographers call, "the golden hour", or "godlight". That brief period just before the sun sets, and the colors are all golden toned. It wasn't perfect, because there were too many clouds, but I hung around this windmill for about a half hour with the super wide angle. Like the distortion effect.

Very Early in the Morning.

Most mornings, when Sandia demands to be let out at 6AM, I get really cranky, and ignore the barking as best I can. But there are advantages to getting up so early in the morning... for instance, we would have missed this amazing rainbow over the Floridas had we slept in just another 30 minutes!

Watching the weather radar, the rain causing the rainbow made an S-curve through the gap to the left and went behind the Little Floridas, missing us. Again. The annual "monsoonal flow" has begun, but you couldn't prove it by us. We can sit on the porch and watch it rain on Deming, but so far, with the exception of an hour-long splash the other night, it keeps missing us. At least it keeps the weeds down.

By the way, this was taken with my new phone! It's got an amazing camera. It's an LG enV Touch, with a 3.2MP camera with a Schneider Kreuznach lens, and tons of editing software. I'm using it a lot!

How'd You Say She Was Built?

One New Friend.

Was grilling the other night, caught movement in my periphery below the deck. Here was this yard-long Bull Snake (aka Gopher Snake). According to one website, they're their own worst enemy because they do a very passable imitation of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake when threatened.... and end up dead. This was the second one we've seen, so I knew it was just cruising for food. It disappeard under the house looking for mice or packrats. What the Border Pest Control-placed bait stations don't kill, this reptile will. Note: it's only one snake, making a U-turn, not two.

So far (fingers crossed) no rattlers in the yard.

Mission Accomplished!

Don't think I mentioned it, but I'm going through one of those "bachelor periods" that happen a couple times a year.  Margaret flew off to New York late last week to visit with her kids, then made the hop to Michigan last night to visit her mother.

The fun addition to this trip is that she'll also be looking at vehicles.. something to load up with a fair amount of stuff from our storage unit and haul back here to New Mexico.  Right now, so I've been told, the leading candidate is a Ford cargo van.  We'll see what happens.

So with a lot of free time on my hands, and a cool (but very windy) day at my disposal yesterday, I decided it was time to climb a mountain.  There're plenty of them available, but I picked one that I can see from the back porch.  There are a couple of towers up there, so it makes an inviting target.

I filled my pack with water, a box of crackers, my Kabar knife, and binoculars, put my camera on the harness and walked away from the house at 11am.  By noon, I was probably a little better than halfway up.  I should note that this isn't exactly "technical climbing".  I only had to use my hands a couple of times, but the last bit was damn steep, and the rocks were shifting around. The wind was blowing strong enough to practically blow me up the hill.

Two hours and fifteen minutes after I started, I was back at the house, soaking my shaking legs in the whirlpool bath.  Today my legs are very sore, as I knew they would be, but not too bad.

Next time I do this, I'll make sure that someone knows what I'm doing.  It's not exactly wise to go off on an excursion like this alone.  But I do want to do it again.  There's a higher point on the Little Floridas I want to try.

Meanwhile, here's a little slide show.. images I stopped regularly to capture (and catch my breath) on the way up and back down again.  Enjoy.

Thus, the Name.

Image, New Mexico Garden Club

Apparently, there's a side to the Florida (pronounced Flor-ee-dah) Mountains we haven't seen yet.  Not sure when we'll see it, but the mountains have been known to occasionally sprout vast quantities of Mexican Poppies.

The person we talked to today thinks this has happened maybe 3 times in the last 15 years.  Since there was a lot of rain in last Summer's monsoon, we may have a chance to see it this Spring.  Here's hoping.  I'd like to get my own pictures of this event.

By the way, "Florida" is Spanish for "flower".

Capitol Dome - Redux

It snowed yesterday.  First time since we arrived this Winter.  Put a dusting on the car and the Express, which was gone two hours later.  The sun came out, and the wind, strong to begin with really picked up.

I looked at the Florida Mountains, still resplendent in their white coat, and channeling Tina Fey said, "I want to go to there".  The clouds were spectacular, the sky was deep blue, and every detail of the mountains, and their most noticeable feature- "Capitol Dome"- stood out in deep relief.  In other words, paradise for a landscape photographer!

So after that buildup, I'm going to show you a Photoshopped "black and white graphic pen" image...

The spectacular color images can be found in the sidebar slide show.  Don't miss the new portrait of our new home!

Shot On Site. Going...going... ??

The other day I posted a picture of a beat up 2-story barn in the middle of some very spacious ranch land. We had our listing guide in hand and used up more than a half tank of gas looking at various levels of abode.

Today, we got more serious, and called a realtor, so we could look at one place in particular that captured our fancy. She told us about another place that was just coming on the market, and not listed yet. It was, she said, "in the mountains". The price she gave got our attention.

We met the agent at a nearby crossroads, and followed her, as promised into the mountains. The North Florida Mountains to be precise. Which means one of the views from the porches is...

...The South Florida Mountains. Look behind, or to the North and the North mountains are practically in the yard. This little, (about a thousand sq ft) house sits between Rock Hound State Park, and Spring Canyon State Park. The view straight west from the front porch is of the Deming Plain, far below.

For people who would want to come visit, there's a bonus:

This little guest cabin sits behind the main house, on the 1 1/2 acre fenced lot. It has a kitchenette, bed, and 3/4 bath. The main house comes with a washer and dryer, side by side fridge with ice maker, dishwasher, 2 full baths, a perfect room for an office, and one bedroom. Yes just one, which is probably why the price for all of this on a nicely cactus-landscaped lot is.. wait for it.... $60,000. Margaret loves this place. So do I.

But we still wanted to see the house we originally called the agent about..

...an adobe "work-in-progress", 16 miles south of Deming. Also 1000 sq ft, with 18" thick walls, the owner/builder began this project in 2004. There's a detached workshop/garage as well. I really like this place, but it's priced considerably higher than the mountain house. But not out of reach. And there are miles and miles of jackrabbit habitat right out the back door!

Interior is still under construction, and is only two rooms. The bedroom is to the right of the bed, which had been moved to install the bedroom floor tiles. Next, this large main room will get tile on the right, which is the kitchen side, and the left will get hardwood. Love the exposed beam ceiling!
As if that weren't cool enough... he's put in Sherita's shower!

...and added a cedar plank ceiling. On 4 acres, this one goes for $79,000, has views of the Florida Mountains as well as the Tres Hermanas mountains near the border, which is only about 20 miles south.

We've probably never been closer to getting off the road, and settling down than we are right now, right here.

But don't worry. Shot On Site Photography is not going away... at least not completely. If we do this thing, we'll still have the Hare-Brained Express, and will continue to shoot the high profile sighthound events like the ASFA II, and breed specialty trials, and we'll probably continue to travel East to Georgia at year end. Margaret would insist. It's that grandchildren homing device implanted in her brain.

We'll be starting a new business in this neck of the woods, too, doing photo and video home inventories for insurance and estate purposes. In fact, Margaret ordered the software today.

And a photographer could make a career out of just recording the various faces of the Florida Mountains. Plus, there's so much more of New Mexico to explore and discover.

Just a heads-up. What a day.

Air Show.

This weekend's lure coursing trial was held at the Triple Crown Dog Academy in Hutto, TX, and while there was plenty of speed, grace and agility on the ground, (Sandia picked up another 2nd place finish in Singles.... and he now runs a complete course without stopping in the middle!), the real show was in the air!

There were birds of prey aplenty, and they made the most of their photo ops, by flying directly overhead several times a day.

Of course, there will always be Red Tailed Hawks...

...and this was one of a pair that were doing quite the aerial ballet most of the weekend. I think they may be up to something.

As I was shooting the second runs of the day, I heard a commotion in the thicket next to where I was sitting. I glanced over in time to see all the small birds diving into the brush. I knew immediately what I was going to see overhead...

...this Sharp-shinned Hawk, on the prowl for lunch.

Finally, there was this large fellow; a Red Shouldered Hawk. My Peterson Guide says the red on the shoulders is not always visible from below, but it shows up just fine here. But just in case it didn't, there is the "window" at the base of the primary feathers to confirm the identification, which shows up plainly here as well.

Making A Little History

Today, Tuesday January 30, 2008, Sandia became the first Galgo Español to run officially in an American Sighthound Field Association lure coursing trial. Granted, it was only the "Singles" stake.. (hounds run by themselves, with only a ribbon as a reward), and he didn't win... but he did take the 2nd place ribbon... Out of an entry of 2. It has something to do with his propensity to stop in mid-course and want to come back. A simple shouted command to keep going gets him around the rest of the course. It wasn't always that easy, so I'll take what we get.

This image was supplied by photographer, Lee Gearhart of Uma Rapiti Photography, who plies his talents in the Southeast US. You may find more Sandia images at his website.

I'll have more on the pond in the picture in a future post. It played a big part in keeping everyone entertained this weekend.

Portraits: Dogs at Play.

Man, I've missed this place. It might be snowing and blowing elsewhere in New Mexico, but down here in Deming, it's been mostly sunny and in the mid-60s the last couple of days.

That's weather to take the dogs out in, and out we went. On Tuesday, I took Randir and Buffy to the other side of the Floridas. We jumped one jack that Buffy chased for a while, till it went through a fence. Randir didn't see it, so I didn't get the annual picture of the old dog and the rabbit. There'll be more opportunities next month when we return. Today, Sandia and Fanny got to chase 3 hares with Dutch's and Beth Ann's dogs. One was neatly dispatched after a 2 minute course.

So.. without further adieu...

Randir. AKA "freak of nature". To paraphrase David Allan Coe*, if he looks 12 and a third, I'll kiss your ass.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Still the prettiest dog on the planet. Don't you even try to disagree with me.

Buffy's sister, Fanny. Getting in touch with her "inner Lion".

And Sandia. Now over a year and a half, and looking debonair. (And showing off the evidence that he now knows how to go through barbed wire, although the secret is to go under it.)

*Be advised, if you follow this link, it ain't work safe.

Br'er Rabbit. Lepus Californicus.

The Blacktailed Jackrabbit. Nice of him to consider the composition, too, don't you think?

I went out with the 12+ YO Randir, and the nearly 9 YO Buffy today, and got some really nice late afternoon-lit shots of them. When I figure out which ones I like best I'll post them.

Moonset.

Brownfield, Texas.

Socorro, New Mexico

Watch for more images from the current trip on the slideshow window to the right!

Another Adolescent Fantasy Gone....

Bettie Page has left us, at age 85.

What? You don't know Bettie Page? Poor kids. Have Netflix send you a copy of The Notorious Bettie Page, the 2005 biopic starring Gretchan Mol.

I may cry.

Nearly SFW:

Lure Coursing?

Well.... yeah. From the ASFA Region 3 Invitational in New Mexico a couple of weeks ago. Didn't I tell you the field was way cool? Looks very much like another activity I enjoy in New Mexico.

But, of course, it couldn't be, could it?

I've got a shit-ton of images to post going back to this Summer. This is just the start. It is, after all, primarily a photography blog...

Lemonade.

For 3 days we've been trying to recover the Scottish Deerhound "ribbon" images from the AKC lure trial. No luck. We've tried the SanDisk recovery software that came with the flash cards. We downloaded GetDataBack, with which we had significant success a couple of years ago- recovering 5 trials worth of images from a crashed external drive. Nada. I Googled a couple of other options, but they just aren't to be had.

On Saturday, we decided to take some pictures of the lure coursing judge, Denise Como..

(All you trial secretaries out there can now put a face to the name that appears on all your trial premiums!).

We had her hold all the appropriate ribbons, and Voila!

That's why we say, "when life gives you lemons...

...there's Photoshop!" (Elements).

That's More Like It!

For all you suffering in unbearable heat and humidity back east? The "extended forecast" looks just like the current 5-day, and the previous week was identical as well. I suppose if you look back over the last 30 days, and ahead 30 days there will be little change. However, we're not bored yet. I could see how boredom could set in, though...... BAAAhaaahahaahaahah! NOT!

*****

The perfect weather notwithstanding, the Scottish Deerhound portion of the reason we drove the 2500 miles to California was pretty much a disaster. We missed two events due to breakdowns, and the one event we did shoot- the AKC trial- "we" lost the win pictures. Perhaps our luck will change now.

We've got two weeks before the next event, up in Hollister. Our schedule is starting to fall together as to how we will spend that time.

When we leave Santa Maria, we'll head up the coast to Paso Robles, where we will park for a day or three at Margaret's cousins. She thinks she remembers that her cousin's husband is a good cook. There's that "food theme" again!

Then we have some options. We've been invited by a total stranger- but one who is familiar with this blog, and knows someone who knows Dutch Salmon, and therefore we're all friends (I like that logic)- to stop and spend time in Coalinga.

Or.. we may drive from Paso Robles to Alpaugh and spend time with Dr. John Burchard, whom I haven't seen in 8 or 9 years, and his cohorts, George Bell, and Herb Wells, (another photographer whose open field coursing images many of you may be familiar with). There's a better than even chance we could go scare a few jackrabbits.

We may do both! And probably will.

That should get us near to where we have to be in Hollister, which I've been told is only about 25 miles from where we might get a chance to photograph one of these guys:

Stand by for that! For a Hollister weather image, just add 1-2 degrees to the above ;0)

Long range plans- beyond the Hollister trials- call for a return on Interstate 80, through Wyoming, where we may veer north to Medicine Bow and, you guessed it, kick up a few more jacks. White tails, in this case. Then up to I-90 so we can see the sites of our adopted state: Badlands, Rushmore, Crazy Horse. Then we need to get our driver's licenses renewed while we're there.

And finally, back to Michigan. Whew!

I've got to talk about our dinner here in Santa Maria the other night, but I'll save that for another post. I'm still processing that.. literally, as well as figuratively.

Time to feed the crew.

Using the Tools.

Click to see bigger image.

The Nikon D300 has a built-in intervalometer, (think of it as a self timer on overdrive). It allows me to place the camera up on a tripod, and set it to take pictures at any interval that I select, from every second to every "X" number of hours. It can also be set to take more than 1 image each interval. It's useful for doing things like flowers blooming, capturing the life on game trails, or my big plan: Set it up high inside the Express and see what these hounds do to amuse themselves while Margaret and I aren't at home.... But first I had to test it.

This was set at one image every second for 40 seconds.. (the first three images were culled).

I know, I could have just taken the Fuji, set it on movie, put it on a tripod and just make a short film, but.... what fun would that be?

Who is That Guy?

This has been driving me crazy.. ever since the first "McCain for President" TV ads started up here... (running incessantly about every 15 minutes). They always end up with this picture of some guy..

...supposedly this is John McCain. Does he look like this guy?

Now that looks like McCain.. (doing his best Pete Coors- well known right wing Nazi- impersonation; love the way the pocket flaps wave in the breeze!). Could it be that the first image has been manipulated to make him appear more... oh, I don't know... younger? Presidential? ...instead of like the old guy in your neighborhood who stands in the yard in his bathrobe, shaking his fist at all the cars, and yelling at them to "slow down!.. whippersnappers!" Hey, it works for all the fashion magazines.