This is my favorite picture from this year’s Balloon Fiesta. It was taken by Deb Schwalm at the balloon field. Just after the field was cleared for competition, a fog rolled in and Deb got this unique shot.
Author: Mark Costlow
Tree Lizard
We stumbled on this awesome lizard in Bernalillo, a few minutes north of Abq. He looks like he’s been part of the family for some time, but they still keep him outdoors. I bet those claws would tear up the sofa.
High Tech Sunflower
PNM (the electric utility here) has installed a small solar panel array on the property of an old (and decommissioned) gas-fired generating station about 15 minutes north of Albuquerque. The array has 22 of these panels. PNM calls each panel a sunflower. The array generates 25kw, enough to power about 5 average homes, or 12 newer low-energy-use homes.
Big Red Ride
We have one amusement park in Albuquerque. Last year they erected a new ride. At night, it glows red or blue. It appears to be about 150 feet (45m) tall. I don’t know the official name of the ride. I’ve heard several suggestions, but none of them are appropriate for a family photoblog 🙂
Iris Door
Jamii took this picture of the irises in our neighbor’s courtyard. I love the composition. The contrast of the vibrant purple flowers to the bland brown/grey tones of the surroundings is somehow emblemmatic of Albuquerque: people living in the desert, huddled around the watering hole, hoping the water will last until the next rain.
Lightning 1
During the monsoon season (July-September) in Albuquerque, we often have clear sunny days followed by thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. Many include beautiful, and dangerous, electrical storms. It’s hard to get a good picture of lightning though — it never seems to happen where you’re looking, while you’re waiting for it. Over the course of 3 nights in August 2003 I shot about 1000 frames and got a couple of nice lightning photos, including this one.
Door to Nowhere
This door always reminds me of the doors on the beach in The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King.
Pine Tree Hawk
I looked out the window one morning while getting dressed, and this fellow was looking back. He (and his friends) are the reason our cats are indoor cats.
TV Tower Babies
Sorry for the long hiatus — our trip to Europe was great. This picture doesn’t really belong here since it’s from Prague, not Albuquerque. I’m including it because it represents a level of weirdness to which Abq can aspire. David Cerny is a Czech sculptor. He persuaded the local mayor to let him install his crawling-babies sculpture, Miminka, on the 200-meter tall communist-era TV Tower. There are a dozen bronze babies, each about a meter long, attached all over the tower. It’s the best piece of public art I’ve ever seen.
Auf Wiedersehen Albuquerque
This photoblog is on hiatus for a bit while my wife and I travel in Europe. I took a few minutes in a Vienna cafe to upload this picture of Albuquerque seen from our departing plane. I’ll resume Albuquerque photo postings in October.
