Blue Skies & Green Lights

Cranes headed south at sunrise

2012-01-31T23:43:00.001-07:00

In the sky over my house

2012-01-30T21:01:00.001-07:00

this afternoon

Crows harassing a hawk

Flowers inside

2012-01-11T18:07:00.001-07:00

They are asking me when I will go to Hawaii...

and who will go with me.

Fullish Moon

2012-01-09T19:07:00.001-07:00

caught in the branches of my neighbor's tree.

My best best boy

2012-01-01T20:28:00.002-07:00

is gone.

Departed 31 Dec 2011 between 7 and 7:30 am.

He was my friend and companion for 17 years.

I miss him terribly.

Total Lunar Eclipse

2011-12-10T07:20:00.001-07:00

This is as much as I got to see.
Totality occurred after moonset here.

Icicles on Tuesday

2011-12-06T17:16:00.001-07:00

Tonight the called-for low is four (4!) degrees Fahrenheit.
Too cold for me, but great for icicles.

Goldfinch in the Maximillian sunflowers

2011-12-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

Snowed out Monday, though little to no snow in Albuquerque.
Watched this little fellow working the seedheads over thoroughly.

These wonderful flowers keep giving even after blooming.

That big ol' moon

2011-11-10T20:49:00.001-07:00

There'll be lots of light tonight.

Here's the moon with a little more zoom.

Good cat, bad cat

2011-11-03T20:42:00.000-06:00

His own winsome self at the garden gate

and wicked little Sammy, destroying the upholstery

More cranes

2011-11-02T20:20:00.000-06:00

Taken at sunset -- that's why they have that rosy glow.

The day it got really cold

2011-11-01T20:24:00.000-06:00

This is what the sky looked like. I was outside wrapping pipes.

Fall colors

2011-10-20T20:29:00.000-06:00

Virginia creeper puts on a show.

Backyard Mirage

2011-10-18T20:33:00.001-06:00

Rosa woodsii reflected in one of the birdbaths

Where those cranes were headed

2011-10-15T15:01:00.000-06:00

They wanted to join the geese upriver, no doubt.

So many geese, so many cranes.

k.d. lang in Santa Fe

2011-10-15T00:54:00.000-06:00

Friday night, Oct 14, 2011

Pay Dirt! was the song.

Frost on the Accord

2011-10-08T13:02:00.000-06:00

little empires of ice crystals

and, for a different perspective, snow on the mountains

Rain in New Mexico

2011-10-04T13:08:00.001-06:00

A lonely hummingbird took shelter under the eaves.

Coral flower and the clouds bringing rain...

and later on, the first crane sighting. They were headed north, upriver.

Over at Jean's place...

2011-10-02T13:22:00.001-06:00

Goldfinches on the thistle feeder

a straggler in the vitex

and Fall's bounty!

Double Rainbow!!

2011-09-22T13:28:00.000-06:00

A Pleasant Afternoon

2011-09-17T13:54:00.000-06:00

Solo nasturtiam with morning glory and virginia creeper leaves

the Autumn Glory sedum that clings to life

my glorious Big White Cat

and yay, Anna came to visit before she left for England!

End of dissolution and blessing

2011-09-11T14:48:00.001-06:00

and there's joy in it

A very good way to spend a Sunday afternoon

more mandala dissolution

2011-09-11T14:28:00.000-06:00

Sectioning

Sweeping up

Invocation

Hats off

Mandala dissolution

2011-09-11T14:26:00.000-06:00

Packing up after completion

Fait accompli

Beginning the dissolution, ground level

Calling the divinity down into the mandala

Monks making a mandala

2011-09-10T14:13:00.000-06:00

in honor of Green Tara...

Cool guys, very focused, happy/joyful?

Materials:

Inspiration

Hummingbirds in the back yard

2011-09-07T14:03:00.000-06:00

This is the view I have most frequently -- hummingbird butt.

Here's the ferocious little rufous glaring at others who would dare approach his feeder.

Himself again.

A dragonfly who expired in situ.

Little Orange Cat

2011-09-05T14:53:00.001-06:00

Harem style

which is what he prefers

At the movies this afternoon

2011-08-05T20:19:00.004-06:00

I really enjoyed it.

Underwhelmed by Kadomatsu

2011-01-09T19:54:00.001-07:00

Jean and I went to the Rio Grande Botanical Garden to view the Kadomatsu exhibit.

These ducks seemed unaware of the koi lurking below them.

Couldn't identify these, but they added color to the afternoon.

Behold the amazing Kadomatsu arrangement!
(This represents half of the exhibit.)

Ice on the falls in the Japanese garden was more impressive.

A thousand wings, a million stars

2010-09-12T12:13:00.003-06:00

in my back yard this weekend

Sulphur butterflies and purple asters,
a little Eden in this desert

Sunflowers of a different color

2010-08-11T14:21:00.002-06:00

or colours, as the case may be...

here's another, closer in

Liberation Day

2010-08-10T17:25:00.000-06:00

I was transferred out of hell. I feel like I've been emancipated, like I can be happy again.

Monday morning blues

2010-08-09T14:30:00.001-06:00

the good kind of blues

unfurling

Southwestern weather at a glance

2010-08-07T20:42:00.000-06:00

Beginning, middle and end...

I've been seeing so many rainbows lately, bound to find something wonderful ahead.

Horns work, try the lights

2010-08-07T19:34:00.000-06:00

Longhorn parade at the Great Southwestern Antiques Show

in Albuquerque at the State Fairgrounds

Many other wonders to behold.

Hummingbird watching me

2010-08-06T19:52:00.000-06:00

from its perch in the willow tree

just a closer look
(the best my little camera could do with that wingspeed)

then back to the perch

Birds on the UNM campus,part two

2010-08-06T13:30:00.002-06:00

One of the two hawks hanging out just northeast of the duck pond

Then there were three.

Same nest as previous, but one is missing.

Birds on the UNM campus

2010-08-04T13:38:00.000-06:00

One, two, three, four -- four little swallows!

and one of two hawks I saw

Not Hawaii

2010-08-03T15:13:00.000-06:00

UNM, next to one of the dorms

Art is everywhere

2010-07-30T15:20:00.000-06:00

Keeping Beanie company

2010-07-24T15:27:00.000-06:00

Such a wonderful place...

thanks to Susan and Bill

and Beanie, who keeps a sharp eye on things.

In the green room

2010-07-07T11:33:00.000-06:00

where I go in the middle of the day

to hide away

Spring-ish

2010-03-29T22:39:00.001-06:00

thanks to me dotter the Muse

Kyle Turley

2010-03-22T23:58:00.001-06:00

at the Sunshine Theater in Albuquerque

Saturday, March 20

Thanks to Jean for talking me into going out.

New Mexico evening

2010-01-03T21:10:00.001-07:00

Lovely colors out there, and a little snow.

LOC at the garden gate

2009-10-24T13:48:00.001-06:00

(Little Orange Cat, brother to Big White Cat)

keep looking up

2009-10-24T13:44:00.001-06:00

(even if you have bees on your face?)

The cranes are here!

2009-10-23T20:51:00.000-06:00

Seen here from the I-25 bridge over the Rio Grande at Isleta --
they are headed south to the Bosque del Apache.

took a quiz

2009-10-21T20:33:00.001-06:00

one of those that are supposed to enhance self-knowledge, I suppose
Results here:

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a

Romantic Extroverted Reinventer

Autumn bouquet

2009-10-18T20:40:00.000-06:00

Glad I got to see this in the sun.
Back to work all day every day, and no sun, no flowers, no vines or leaves for me.

But the return is temporary. I'll be gone before you know it.

Buggy

2009-10-15T20:46:00.001-06:00

As seen on the way back to UNMH from Bradbury

which is quite the long walk.

The Horror

2009-10-15T19:02:00.000-06:00

This is what greets me when I walk into my area at the hospital.

Creepy, isn't it?

After suspension

2009-10-14T21:07:00.002-06:00

comes the storm

Today was my first day back at work since 5pm Sept 17.
Thanks to J Grimes and M Ohara for the time off.

Ah, the sunflowers!

2009-10-13T21:02:00.000-06:00

The seed package was labelled "ornamental sunflowers".

These certainly lived up to the name.

on the field of play

2009-10-08T21:18:00.002-06:00

one of his favorite pastimes

He seems pleased with the result.

The Magic of Mr. Pearl Fryar's Garden

2009-10-07T21:27:00.001-06:00

Words are inadequate to describe this place, created by one man with a vision.

Down to the bay

2009-10-06T21:58:00.002-06:00

a private garden, with gardener

Oops, lost her little cap!

pelicans are always worth watching, great fliers

small wonders seen in Charleston

2009-10-05T21:47:00.000-06:00

Views from the Wentworth

2009-10-04T21:35:00.001-06:00

Timothy showed us this incredible place.

take the train to Santa Fe

2009-08-08T22:41:00.003-06:00

My mimosa bloomed!

2009-08-07T21:47:00.001-06:00

Now blooming...

2009-08-04T11:20:00.001-06:00

the 'hearty'* hibiscus!

* That was the written description at the nursery. I think they really meant 'hardy'.

on the way

2009-07-12T19:56:00.001-06:00

I've been travelling a long time, but only back and forth.

first roses of spring

2009-05-01T22:51:00.001-06:00

Hey y'all, I'm back!
Glad to see me?

This shot turned out almost perfectly.
I am impressed with myself.

today was better

2009-04-08T21:24:00.001-06:00

than yesterday by far

railroad men, taking in the morning

the most amazing teapot, from my best friend in Baton Rouge, and indeed, the world

and a moon that reaches full tomorrow morning

ah, Spring!

2009-04-07T22:20:00.001-06:00

Going home

2008-12-31T23:06:00.002-07:00

Maybe...

as it looks now, probably not...

for Auld Lang Syne

2008-12-31T22:29:00.001-07:00

Let's take a cup of kindness.

A New Year coming

2008-12-31T22:20:00.003-07:00

another chance

for happiness

for all of us still here

willing to take that chance

Fullest moon of the year

2008-12-13T19:52:00.006-07:00

my first attempt with the little tripod

It would have been a lot more fun if it hadn't been so windy out.
Warmer, too.

Catfish, please

2008-12-13T19:01:00.002-07:00

return the frog to me.

looking up

2008-12-13T18:46:00.001-07:00

it just gets better

Sitting in a tree...

2008-12-04T17:38:00.001-07:00

at sunrise this morning, a nest...

and these two in the dying cottonwood

inland seahorses

2008-11-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

Trip to Bosque del Apache

2008-11-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

My sister and I went to see the cranes.
First we had to get our ducks in a row.

She thought there wouldn't be any cranes around.
Then we spotted these, and I said "See?"
She replied "Three?"with the utmost disdain.

We saw thousands of snow geese.

Just three? No, there were plenty more.

The cranes, Boss, the cranes!

2008-11-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

We were lucky to spot a field with geese.
As we walked farther south, we saw the cranes flying in.

My sister was greatly impressed.
"I didn't realize they were so big."

Many, many more cranes...we saw enough to satisfy the most demanding crane aficionado.

They just kept coming.

Other birds

2008-11-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

You can tell I was much better focused on the cranes.
Here are some Canada geese --

some poule d'eau, or coots as I've heard them called here,

...an unidentified bird in the bush...

and a roadrunner that gave us a great show for the grand finale.

Sunflowers

2008-11-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

at the end of their season, taken fairly early Sunday morning
at the Blackstone in Truth or Consequences

Evening sky

2008-10-20T21:46:00.001-06:00

the finale of a beautiful day -- this must be what the Navajo mean by walking in beauty

cranes heading south to the Bosque

en fin, very fine

crossing UNM

2008-10-20T21:08:00.001-06:00

Walking across campus this afternoon, I came across these sights.

What kind of lily? Saffron?

This wonderful room in the Potter Building

one very fine cat, friendly but thin...I hope she'll be okay.
I was prepared to take her home with me, but she twisted out of my arms when I picked her up, and trotted off, very self-assured.

Visiting in Magdalena

2008-10-04T10:50:00.001-06:00

Yesterday

Little Winged Fury

2008-10-03T10:46:00.000-06:00

Retrieved and released this morning.

Not all that

2008-09-25T21:13:00.005-06:00

It seems to me that I'm just dropping words into the void, call without response.

No picture for this one

2008-09-25T20:29:00.000-06:00

I worked for Habitat for Humanity in South Carolina for nearly four years before being canned because the Executive Director wanted an Executive Secretary (who promptly learned to forge his signature and absconded with over $10,000 before she was caught -- but that's another story). This man was a Republican who thought Reagan was a genius and that Nixon was persecuted. He did rather well by doing good: got the Board to double his salary by handpicking the members, had all vehicle expenses paid and pressured me and the homeowners to buy into his wife's Excel phone plan. He felt that he earned his due and more by getting white people into Habitat houses, and spoke of the black homeowners as "those people".

Arriving at the Alvarado Station in Albuquerque

2008-09-24T20:37:00.001-06:00

Beautiful day, wonderful sky -- good way to start the day

morning glory

2008-09-21T20:44:00.001-06:00

happy birthday to Timothy

An Explanation of the Grasshopper

2008-09-20T20:54:00.001-06:00

by Vachal Lindsay

The Grasshopper, the Grasshopper,
I will explain to you: -
He is the Brownies' racehorse,
The Fairies' Kangaroo.

This one was found on a rock in a barren flat that was once a copper mine.

at the State Fair

2008-09-13T21:05:00.000-06:00

Horses whicker "good morning".

Taking it easy before entering the show ring

Sheep in blankets!

Here's looking at you, kids!

Tuesday on the way

2008-08-12T18:18:00.001-06:00

on the way to get my car out of Anna's driveway, I saw this wonderful desert willow.

That's a lot of tree in a small space, but it fills it so elegantly.

Semi-secret Garden

2008-05-13T10:22:00.000-06:00

This is the scene looking up. It's an oasis of verdancy, and it smells like the woods in North Carolina, where we used to hike out to see waterfalls in Brevard County, Pisgah National Forest.

Sigh.

Seen at the train station

2008-05-13T10:01:00.000-06:00

Tuesday morning, hanging around waiting for the hospital shuttle

Porsche 944

2008-05-12T22:12:00.000-06:00

My favorite car. This one belongs to the people living next door to Anna on Stanford. I always wanted one, but Elizabeth "Bootsy" Hutchinson put me off with the reality; she told me I could never afford one unless I was married to a mechanic like she was, because they require lots of maintenance and tinkering to run well. She had a gold 944.

Owl Cam

2008-05-12T16:27:00.000-06:00

from Mother Jones online, about citizen scientists

Amazing Sky

2008-05-07T19:18:00.000-06:00

Driving back from Albuquerque this afternoon, I nearly left the road mesmerized by looking up.

the owl I saw

2008-04-20T16:44:00.000-06:00

when I was on the way to a delicious brunch at the Sierra del Rio (I think that's the name). The owl looks like it already had lunch.

hospital flowers

2008-04-07T12:25:00.002-06:00

People's paths come together all too briefly when sharing friendship, but that makes those times no less valuable. We must take advantage of support and sharing in a mutually beneficial way. Whenever we take from another, we should try to give back something. This is fundamental. No one should lean on another person, or expect another to carry them a long distance down the road. Friends should walk side by side for as long as their journey carries them, without becoming dependent on one another.

There should be no obligation. If I can help someone do something,then I should do so without any hesitation or expectation of reward or debt. If there is something that I need to learn and my companion can show it to me, then I should accept it in humility.

Parting is inherent in all meeting. Nothing lasts forever.Transience is what gives life poignancy. Every person is responsible for himself or herself. There is no road to walk but your own.

enough good

good enough

Bare trees at Sand Creek

2008-04-05T12:28:00.001-06:00

*Farewell*

We part at the crossroads,

You leave with your joys and problems,I with mine.

Alone, I look down the road.

Each one must walk one's own path.

zia of light

2008-04-04T22:38:00.001-06:00

No matter how much is going on outside of oneself, one still reaffirms what is in one's heart, taking comfort in the regular pulse.What works in the shelter of home or temple works everywhere. Only when we know such constancy will we know that our quest is succeeding.

first night icu

he spotted it first

amazing how aware he always is of the visual

Daily Tao

2008-04-01T12:50:00.000-06:00

When the sun begins its new pattern, spring follows.

The air warms, and the world rejoices.

A new breath comes over all things, and even the trembling leaves are attuned to the vernal rhythm.

Turn your face to the sun, as flowers know how to do.

MedEvaced to Aurora

2008-03-29T09:00:00.001-06:00

All our lives, we seek union. We try to please our parents, we try to do well for our teachers and society, we try to make love and get married, we try to touch the universal through art, music, and meditation. Yet all our lives, our every attempt is flawed. Accord and harmony are transitory states. Their duration and quality come only from our determination. Once our mind gives way, we can no longer hold the connections that we want.

Don't wait for death to solve your difficulties. Do what you must while you are alive.