Cellpic Sunday – 6 August 2017

Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In late June, regular readers may recall, Lynn and I went on a hot air balloon ride with several other family members at our family reunion. In addition to my usual collection of images from my Nikon camera, I collected a few from my cell phone. The image above is a photo of our landing area. The large, flat area used to be a golf course. The pilot told us the story of how the developer of the homes and golf course got into an issue over water.

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Weekly Photo Challenge – Unusual

Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This week, Lignum Draco suggests that for our weekly photo challenge, we share something unusual. We were given the flexibility to share what we determine is unusual to us. You can read the entire challenge post here. Having just recently visited Albuquerque for our family reunion and getting the opportunity to take a ride in a hot air balloon, I recalled a couple of years back we were in Albuquerque for the annual Balloon Fiesta.

Cellpic Sunday – 16 July 2017

Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The week of our family reunion brought us to Albuquerque and the main purpose for our 3200 mile (5150 km) road trip. This was our second reunion trip to New Mexico. In 2002, our first family reunion in Albuquerque featured a balloon ride, so it was fitting that another balloon ride should be on the agenda. And so it came to pass on Thursday morning. We arose well before sunrise and a subset of our family carpooled the 20 or so minute drive to our appointment with a large hot air balloon.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Dense

This week, Ben Huberman asks us to show us our impressions of texture, specifically, his term is “dense.” He comments, ‘… you could focus on a natural landscape… or take the theme in a different direction.’ You can read the entire challenge post here.

Origins – Sandstone Cave Carving

Ojo Caliente, New Mexico.

Less than 40 miles from Santa Fe, a luxury guest resort offers accommodations and a venue for gatherings of all types. Our purpose for visiting Origins, featured in the opening photo above, is the Cave Tour through one of the cave creations of Ra Paulette. The soft sandstone lends itself to being manipulated and Mr. Paulette has built caves from the sandstone for over a quarter of a century.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Against The Odds

Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This week, Michelle W. asks us to share an image that reflects “against the odds”. From the challenge post, “Maybe it’s a photo of an unlikely occurrence. Maybe it’s the photo itself that goes against the odds.” You can read the entire challenge post here. Remembering a trip to Santa Fe last spring, I thought of the magnificent spiral staircase in a chapel we visited there and the miracle that surrounds its construction.

Bosque Del Apache Revisited

Socorro County, New Mexico.

Last year I was introduced to the Bosque del Apache by my sister who lives in Albuquerque. The Bosque is a short 90-minute drive from Albuquerque. We spent part of a day there and had a great time capturing wildlife pictures. This year on our way back to Arizona, we stopped there again. This time I was equipped with a new camera and lens. I’ve used the Tamron 16-300 mm lens for some time with my D7000 Nikon DSLR and am pleased with its performance over the 18-270 Tamron it replaced.