ABQ.Strange

Silver Chandelier

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:35 -0600

This chandelier made of silverware hangs in the entry to Cosmo's Tapas in the Nob Hill area. The owners made it themselves. It's a great restaurant with wonderful food and a friendly staff, and the local artworks give it a welcoming vibe.

Smokin' Sunset

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:52 -0600

The Wallow Fire in eastern Arizona has been burning for almost a week. Each afternoon it blankets ABQ in smoke. Often the sun is completely obscured, but today it powered through the haze with an eerie red glow.

Downtown Fractal

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:19 -0600

The Fractal Foundation created this huge fractal mural which hangs on a parking garage downtown. The Fractal Foundation does a lot of cool art in Abq, especially with kids. They are unveiling 3 new student-created murals at the end of January. Check their web site at http://fractalfoundation.org/ for details.

Old Glory

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 09:01 -0600

Not strictly in ABQ, but close by. Found this on Highway 4, near San Ysidro.

Shoe Pole

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:18 -0600

This phone pole is in a neighborhood near downtown Abq. I saw a blurb about it in the paper a few years ago, and drove by recently to see if it was still there. As you can see, it is. I'm not sure what it means, but it's awesome.

Sky On Fire

Tue, 12 May 2009 23:33 -0600

A nice Saturday evening in May.

Welcome back IE users. There was a bug in the photoblog software, introduced in the last upgrade I did a few months ago. It caused the images to be blank for IE users. I didn't notice it myself because ... well ... what's IE? :-) Anyway, fixed now.

Fiery Foods 2009

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:23 -0600

We went to the Fiery Foods show this weekend. Lots of cool stuff. Most interesting find was some Mexican "sipping chocolate". Think intensely rich hot cocoa with a jalapeno kick. These folks from Defcon Sauces had the only booth with a cyberpunk theme.

Cruising San Mateo I

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:20 -0600

A new year, a new camera, a new abq-strange post. This sculpture's real name is "Cruising San Mateo I" but everybody in Albuquerque knows it as the Chevy On A Stick. It was quite controversial
when it was installed in the early 1990s. Art has always been in the eye of the beholder and all the old arguments against funding public art came out on this one (and still surface every now and then). But now that the tiled '54 Chevy has been there for almost 20 years, most people are quite used to it, and will at least concede that it makes the area unique. For me, I love it!

Big Red Arrow

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:51 -0600

This huge red arrow has marked the Indian Plaza shopping center for decades. The center was completely rebuilt a few years ago, but they kept the arrow since it had become almost a landmark. The mayor has been pushing to pass a sign ordinance in Abq to forbid commercial signs that are more than about 6 feet tall. Existing sign owners would have a few years to tear down their big old signs and replace them. As far as I know, they're still arguing over the issue, but they did make it clear that the big red arrow at Indian School and Carlisle would get an exemption and be preserved.

Roadrunner Showdown

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:57 -0600

We spotted these two roadrunners (Geococcyx, according to Wikipedia) sparring in the library parking lot. There was a third bird nearby just watching. I'm not sure if this was two males fighting over a female, or a male courting a female while another bird watched. Either way, they are very cool when they run. The guys who animated the velociraptors in Jurassic Park must have studied roadrunners.