NM

67:365

----------------------------------photos by Elaine A. Russell


We did not get an early start... but we got the car checked at Jiffy Lube and were on the road around 1pm.

Today has been an interesting day. My dad had surgery this am... and according to my mom; is having a very rough post-op. The surgery took much longer than anticipated.. and frankly; I am not sure what all they did. I know it was focused on his hip joint... which was so full of cancer, that the bone had essentially deteriorated and was ready to crumble. But that is really all I know at this point.



I did not know that when we set out on our journey today. We ran into interesting weather before we even got out of ABQ. When we hit Tramway Blvd & the base of the Sandias... a huge storm was gathering and the wind was building. By the time we got heading up the mountains... we had snow. Snow and lots of wind. We traveled in and out of this storm for quite awhile.... experiencing snow, hail, rain, massive winds... and about 3 miles of calm in the middle of the eye of the storm before we went thru it all again.




The scenery is just gorgeous though.. and for awhile... it was really nice out. Windy... extremely windy... but nice. Awhile later, we ran into massive dust storms that pushed all kinds of red dirt everywhere. It was like driving in fog.
Kristin drove the rest of the way to the edge of Texas --- when we stopped at San Jon, NM. San Jon is a small town... very small. We stopped at "A Taste of India" cafe/truck stop/mini store.... really, expecting it to not be that great. We had seen signs along the highway for authentic Indian food... and we decided to check it out. We were very pleasantly surprised. While the outside is heavily under construction... and makes the place look a bit "questionable"... the inside has a wonderful little cafe. The owners are first generation Americans who serve awesome authentic Indian food. They were very friendly, very nice... and dang was the food good. According to the last census, about 300 people lived in the San Jon area... but the owner said now it is down to about 7o homes. Apparently, there just isn't a whole lot to do in ole San Jon....



Bellies full and very, very happy... we headed out again. Finally, we made it to Amarillo.... and considering the weather and such; we decided to just stop for the night. An early night; we thought. Take a long bath... watch a movie... we thought....




We got a room at Motel 6; then decided to go get a burger for Sabrina's dinner as a special treat. However, once we got the food... we couldn't find a way to get back to our hotel. Lots of one way streets... overpasses.... etc. We ended up taking a back alley-way that we thought we take us in the direction of our hotel. We ended up on a dirt road behind all the hotels on that strip, which was great... except that it was very muddy. Kristin decided to turn around when things started looking bleak... and we got stuck in the mud. Not just stuck. Really, really stuck. We tried for about an hour ... pushing, yanking... swearing... then we tried 411 to get a tow. After the 4th try of not being able to reach a business that was open... Kristin went to the nearest hotel and asked for help.
Fortunately, we got a tow from a great guy... and a chuckle from the local cops who came to check it out as well, and even a laugh from a passerby on a bicycle. "Angel" (yes, that's his real name)... the tow truck guy....was able to get our car un-stuck... and even drove ahead of us to our hotel so that we would be able to get there in one piece. And now... having had a warm shower... and snacks we got at from the "Taste of India" store.... we are safe... warm.... and in for the night.

I wish I would have thought to have taken a photo of the car stuck in the mud.... but a SmartCar up to it's bellybutton in mud is not a pretty sight....


Link to the Taste of India: http://tasteofindiaamerican.com/

28:365


One of the other things I was able to do this past weekend; was to visit the VLA.

"The Very Large Array, one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories, consists of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico."

Essentially, a friend of mine happens to work there, and I was able to get a tour! We set out around lunchtime, and even though it was the hottest time of the day; it was still only 28 degrees out... and there was alot of wind. It had been snowing off and on for a couple of days there.. and there was quite a bit of snow about. We saw fresh deer tracks (actually -- they were probably prongehorn antelope tracks), bird and bunny tracks... and one of the biggest jack rabbits I have ever seen in my life!

Anyway-- back to the VLA. We got an "insider" tour of the facilities and visitor areas... as well as the joy of getting up close and personal with a few of the beasts themselves. The antenna's configuration changes every few months to provide different data of the scenes they are viewing. When we happened to visit, the configuration was shut down... so it was actually a perfect time to see the structures.

"At the end of the VLA D configuration in 2010 Jan the VLA correlator will be turned off, and the VLA will not be available for an interval of up to 2 months while hardware is moved from the VLA correlator to the new correlator for the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA)."

And yes, we even got to see photos of Jodi Foster from when she made the movie "Contact" there....link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118884/


--------->and so... here are the pix!






*all photos by Elaine A. Russell





For more info on the VLA; check out these websites:
Old website: (link:http://www.vla.nrao.edu/)
and their new website: (http://science.nrao.edu/evla/index.shtml)

the Tome Gallery


so-- this past weekend I got to go to the Tome Gallery for it's Dia de Los Muertos celebrations.
The Tome Gallery is home to over 40 artists. It is a co-op gallery, which means the artists have the opportunity to work, consign or become an active member.... with different levels of membership available.
The gallery features art from a broad range of mediums.... weaving, pottery, wood carving, fused glass, paintings, jewelry, mixed media and more!
While there, I had the pleasure of meeting Pati Woodard, one of the co-op managers and featured artists. She was teaching a short class on Shrinkie Dink jewelry making, and I got to make a cute Catrina pin.
For more info on the gallery -- look here: http://tomegallery.net/index.htm
In the meantime... I hope you enjoy lots of photos from my visit.








*all photos by Elaine A. Russell

fall foliage





*all photos by Elaine A. Russell

Yesterday's freak snowstorm, reminded me of how very short life really is... how quickly the season's can change... how temporary things truly are.
I love fall. I think it has alot to do with growing up in the NE... and having such glorious fall foliage every year. Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. I usually am sooo incredibly happy this time of year. Today seems to be a black spot on an otherwise perfect sky. There is no reason for it. Sometimes it just happens I guess.
So-- rather than ramble on... I will stuff you full of pretty fall foliage pics that I took Tuesday at the entrance to the BioPark. I didn't have enough money to actually go in that day... so I took some shots around the parking complex and the entryway to the park.

VSA North 4th Arts Center





photos by Elaine A. Russell

The other day I went to visit a friend as she was getting done work. She works at the VSA Arts of New Mexico on 4th Street in ABQ. I have been to this place before, but only briefly. Now... I got the tour.

"North Fourth Art Center is a contemporary art center with a social mission. Our independent nonprofit name is VSA arts of New Mexico (VSA NM), affiliated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Our center is dedicated to full accessibility in the arts for people of all abilities, ages, cultures and income levels. Since 1981, we have focused on providing arts education and exhibition opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. "

The Center encompasses programs through AmeriCorps, The VSA CenterArts, City CenterArts, and an explosive Outreach program.

The center has a gallery, ceramics studio, multiple classrooms, and a theater. "N4th Theater is a state-of-the-art, fully accessible 4,000-square-foot black box theater that produces challenging and adventurous contemporary performing arts productions and events, hosts two resident companies and serves as a community arts, culture and education resource."
---Not to mention... ALOT of cool art from the people who go there :)

For much more information; including current events and programs: http://www.vsartsnm.org/.

Heritage farms



photos by Elaine A. Russell

These are all photos from the Heritage Farm at the Rio Grande Botanical Gardens. Wandering through there is not very much unlike alot of the farm scenes I grew up around. Now, we didn't have a whole lot of grapes growing in PA... but... the orchards.. yes.

It is a truly beautiful section of the parks, and I encourage you to visit if you can.

More info here: www.cabq.gove/biopark
*click on photos to see them bigger :)

Pueblo Montano park








photos by Elaine A. Russell

Fall is coming upon us. It is my favorite time of year. I love the chill in the air, how walks at night become a little more brisk, how the sunsets seem more vibrant, how the moon seems more full, how the leaves make that cool rustling noise when the wind blows... it all speaks to me.

Yesterday the hubby and I took a short walk around the Bosque near Montano bridge, and the open space park there that features wood carvings by Mark Chavez. Mark was a fireman back when the Bosque suffered a horrible fire back in 2003. Most of the cottonwood trees succumbed, and many suffered severe damage. Out of that catastrophe, Mark, who is also a wood carver/ sculptor.... made art from the remnants of tree trunks and fallen trees. It is gorgeous... and a testament to our own lives... how we can build beauty from ashes if we just try.


See this link: http://www.examiner.com/x-1972-Albuquerque-Travel-Examiner~y2009m9d10-Hidden-Albuquerque-Pueblo-Montano-park-and-the-wood-carvings-of-Mark-Chavez

the GO Arts Festival

on Gold Ave...


Court Lurie Fine Art

Ping Irvin

Kevin Eslinger

St. Clair Winery

*all photos by Elaine A. Russell



this past weekend there was sooooooooooo much we could have done. It was the last weekend of the State Fair, the Go Arts Festival was going on downtown, Globalquerque! was at the Hispanic Cultural Center on Saturday, and the Aki Matsuri (Japanese Fall Festival) was on Sunday.....

In the end, we decided to go to the Go Arts Festival, because we had never been before. It was in the heart of downtown... off of Gold Ave. About 150 artists from all over New Mexico... and a few from Texas, Arizona, and Colorado... set up camp and basked in all the best that is NM. The weather was perfect, the music was great... and there was wine from St. Clair !

Strolling around, I was overwhelmed with all the great art. Everything from paintings, sculptures, wood carvings, glasswork, jewelry, leather arts, metal lamps, furniture, marbles and more !

As a bonus: I got the chance to meet Brandon Maldonado... one of my fav painters. He did the murals for Masks Y Mas on Central, and has published a book that I just adore. He has been featured on the cover of the Alibi... and several other publications. Total coolness.

imprisonment


-------photo and self portrait done by Elaine A. Russell

There was a period in my life when I certainly felt imprisoned. It is a time I tend to not think about or dwell on, and most of the people involved are long gone.

I felt trapped, imprisoned, held captive by rules and responsibilities way beyond the norm. I was working as a waitress, going to school, taking care of my invalid grandmother from 4pm-midnight, and doing chores and more around the house. It began when I was barely 12-13, and stopped when I left for college at 19.
It was a horrible, horrible time on many levels. And yet, it made me stronger --and more compassionate-- and gave me a strong work ethic to which I still hold fast today.

I have read, "that which does not kill us, makes us stronger." I believe it is by Nietzsche.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche
Sounds trite.. but it is true.... at least in my case.

Photos are from my photo trip to the NM State Penitentiary in December.

NM State Penitentiary visit

-------------------------side view of the prison

---------------------my fav shot. View from inside the prison.

-----------------------the locked up Psych Ward.

-------------------a creative soul's cell.

............................................shell casings in C block.
===============all photos by Elaine A. Russell


So. Back on December 14, I went with a very small contingency of the FlickR photo group, and we went to the NM State Penitentiary up in Santa Fe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_State_Penitentiary_Riot

The prison is the site of one of the worst prison riots in US history, and certainly a bad memory here locally. I personally, have taken care of some of the survivors of that riot, and even years later.. it is still something.

On that day in December, it was so cold and windy that most of the FlickR members decided to go another time, but a few of us went, and I'm glad I did. It is a grand place... huge, confusing, damp, and disturbing. The guide (Rick) was awesome.

Having recently aquired a mangled Nikon D70, I didn't really know the controls on the camera.. so I managed to take all my shots from the day in RAW format. I didn't have the appropriate software to edit my photos.. but thanks to this awesome FREE program online... I can now post them ! WOOT !
So-- better late than never... and here are a couple shots from the day.
If you want to see more.. see the link ---> to my FlickR page.