Friday, October 30, 2009

(New) Mexican Stand Off.

Buffy barks at a lot of things she sees out the window; cottontails, quail, jackrabbits. Sometimes they're in the yard, most often the things she sees are outside the fence.
She started barking this morning. We looked out the window. Coyotes. Four of them, just crossing the road right in front of the gate. Buffy hates coyotes. She was bred in Iowa to be a coyote hound. She's loudly voiced her hatred for coyotes since she heard her first pack of yodelers as a 15 week old pup back in Franklin, Wisconsin.
So, what the hell.... we opened the door and let everybody out for a mad dash to the gate.
Coyote wasn't intimidated, and probably would have continued the stare down if I hadn't come
out on the front porch with the camera. He trotted off immediately after this picture was taken.
Buffy will never outgrow her hatred of coyotes.
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Thursday, October 29, 2009

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.

History Quiz.

Since we've been in a nostalgic frame of mind lately, this is a picture of the 1964 Ann Arbor (MI) High School debate team.
Why?
(Some of you know, and I know who you are, so if you answer, your comment won't be published until the quiz is over. If ever. Clues may be found in the labels.)
Of no particular connection to the quiz, but currently topical, the write-up accompanying the picture (which appears in the 1964 Omega, the high school's yearbook), recounts the teams win at the Flint Northern Invitational Debate Tournament, where the debate topic was: "Resolved that the federal government should provide essential medical care for all citizens at public expense."
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Better Late Than Never.

A little more than 2 years ago, I wrote a brief memorial to honor Ann Arbor's most famous "street person", Jake Wood. At the time I said that somewhere amongst my thousands of negatives and slides I had a picture I'd taken at the 1974 Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival . (That was the "exiled to Canada" festival.) I said I'd post the picture if I ever found it.
Yea! And here's to you, Jake.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

"Please Release Me, Let Me Go"

A very short slide show of the best "slips" of the weekend in Stanley, NM.


We're laughing with you.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Photographic Art At 75 MPH.

I may have created a new photographic niche. Any good photographer can go off into the country, and painstakingly set up the perfect shot. But if you're traveling down an Interstate, in a hurry to get home, and don't want to stop to to capture the stunning images you're passing.. it's simple: roll down the window and, keeping one hand on the steering wheel, point the camera at the scene with your other. Fire away. Instant art at 75 miles per hour.


Tuesday, October 06, 2009

The Long Wait is Over!

Counting on my fingers I see it's been 6 months... 6! A half a year since Sandia's been able to chase a jackrabbit. He was ready.
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Monday, October 05, 2009

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.
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Friday, September 18, 2009

Wedding Album

As promised..



It was a beautiful day in the Gap. You couldn't imagine a better setting. To review, the day was 09/09/2009. We began promptly at 9:09 in the morning. Unplanned, but pretty cool, was the fact we had 9 guests including ourselves. Getting in the spirit of the day, Dutch and Cherie Salmon brought 9 red roses, and 9 assorted bottles of wine. Also in attendance are our neighbors, Marilyn and Jim Woods.. (the unofficial "Mayor" of the neighborhood; better neighbors one couldn't have). Margaret's daughter, Stephanie, and sister, Tori attended. And to tie it all together, figuratively and literally, was Margaret's son, Tony. He assures us the ordination he obtained on the internet was legal! We were his second wedding, in fact. The county accepted the license, so I guess we're good to go! Best image of the day is when the Tarantula Hawk landed on Tony's back towards the end of the proceedings. I had been telling him how big they were, and he got first hand experience with one.

Having the dogs out added to the fun, and casual atmosphere. And believe me, we like casual.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Camo.

I was merely trying out the used Nikon macro lens I'd recently purchased. Taking close ups of things around the yard, like the Oleander flowers. It wasn't until I was taking the second shot of this particular bloom that I noticed this Green Lynx Spider patiently waiting for me to move on so it could get back to doing whatever it was it was doing.

Things got a little dicier last night when, while walking around the porch to retrieve a dropped burger bun, I nearly stepped on this young Diamondback.

As he showed no inclination to leave the yard, I was forced to end his (young) life with one of the garden implements we have strategically placed around the yard for just this purpose. Dogs and poisonous snakes don't mix.

When we moved in we fully expected snakes all Summer long. In fact, this is the first rattler we've seen (emphasis on "seen") in the yard, and with the Gopher snake cruising up the eaves for dove eggs a couple of months ago, only the second snake of any kind inside the fence. OK with us!

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

A Wedding? Cool!

Somebody got married today! Wonder who? The dogs were in attendance. I'm sure even Randir was here. Details to follow when things slow down around here. And a slide show. And a video on YouTube! The marriage 45 years in the making.

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Datura Wrightii


Funny that while Patrick was writing about Jimson weed on the East Coast, I was taking pictures of our Western variety. Nasty, nasty stuff that even the Native Americans don't partake of anymore. This picture was taken in the evening at Spring Canyon State Park.
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Monday, September 07, 2009

Rolllll Out.. the Barrel!!

Fish hook barrel cactus. How on earth did they come up with that name? Ahhh.
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Leelanau Mithrandir (Randir) 8/19/96 - 9/6/09

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We put in almost a million miles together. He will be greatly missed. I'll try and put together a "celebration of Randir's life" slide show soon.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Dangerous Downtown Deming

Lightning re-visited. Tonight.

They're promising that maybe the monsoon is finally upon us. Good thing, too, as we're more than 2" in debt to Mother Nature so far this year.
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Why Do They Hum?

Allen's Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Because they don't know the words.
Two additions to the list from the yard. Let's see.... we're up to 4 this year: Broad tailed, Black Chinned, Allen's, and the Rufous.
Do you know it's almost midnight!?!? No.. but if you hum a few bars....
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Monday, July 27, 2009

As a Rule...

...I'm generally a bit slower than lightning. But with patience, and the ability with digital photography to delete a couple hundred images that have no lightning.. you can get something like this. I'm adding a few more to the "Around the yard" slide show as well. This little thunder-boomer worked it's way through Deming this afternoon and, as you can see, laid down a lot of water... down there. Once again, it barely sprinkled here at the Homestead.
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