Building An Outdoor Living Space

In May of 2005, we moved "up the hill" from our old ranch-style single-level cookie-cutter home on the Pajarito Plateau, to a custom home built some 10 years earlier at the base of the Jemez Mountains. When I say the base of the mountains, I mean, at the base of the mountains. Our back yard is a steep sloping hillside covered with poderosa pine and oak scrub, and the girls wanted a place to go outside.

Right out our back door, about 10' from the back door and running parallel to the back of the house stood a retaining wall nearly 10' tall, the hill sloping upward from there to the back fenceline. The back yard was not a place to spend quality time.

In the summer of 2008, after much deliberation and planning, I started a project to dig out the volcanic rock of this hillside and create a livable space. The plan was to dig down and level off the center of the yard, pushing back the top rows of the retaining wall, lay patio pavers, add a stately arbor to provide shelter from the intense summer rays, add seating and a fire pit, and start to enjoy the outdoors.

Well, the ground here is volcanic tuff -- what a pain. With no room to get much equipment in, tons (I estimate about 6 to 8) of rock were removed by hand using a pick, shovel, and my ATV with a trailer. I tied the retaining wall block into the existing wall on both sides of the area to make a natural transition that appeared like it was planned from the start. The real difficulty was creating a trail from the house to this new area. Lots more retaining wall block and a whole lot more pick work.

Add a massive arbor, some oil ship lanters, a custom railing, some outdoor furniture, and whalah, a great place to sit and enjoy a summer evening.

Oh, did I mention I broke my ankle working this project? So, add a couple plates and 16 screws in the ankle to the cost of this new outdoor living space.

Floating on Air

Multicolored floating rigs of ripstop nylon atop wicker gondolas dot the sky, their blazing hot propane burners casting a warm glow in against the breaking dawn, emitting sounds reminiscent of Darth Vader's ominous mechanically-assissted breath.  Heck, there's Darth Vader himself, reflected as one of these hot air craft rising from the grassy field at the base of the Sandias, his squadran of fully costumed Imperial Stormtroopers and a few bounty hunters manning the ropes. 

Such are the sights and sounds of the 2010 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, where over 600 balloon and their human masters take flight in morning mass assensions and glowing brightly in tethered evening glows, all vyng for prizes in competitions, performing "splash-n-dash" maneuvers in the Rio Grande, or just drifting gently aloft, propelled by the cyclic winds of that unique meterological phenom called the "Albuquerque Box". 

This is the place to be in early October each year.  Here at Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta Park, tourists and balloonists from across the globe gather to be part of this great spectacle.  It's an event that stimulates children to dream and photographers of all ages to create.  Here are just a few pics from last Sunday morning as my youngest and I mingled amongst the balloons and photographed the world of hot air ballooning.  You can find a few more on my Flickr site, though I have a load I'll save for other use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling Nostalgic

Every now and then there comes a time for contemplative reflection.  It seams there are much simpler times in everyones past that have a certain apeal and just tug at your heart in a special way.  Maybe it is a special scent, a comment or phrase, or something visual that trips our mind to those distant memories. Perhaps the path that leads you back is well known to you, or maybe those memories just come pouring back without any idea of what tripped the trigger.  It really doesn't matter -- it's not the point you left, but the point you reach that is the majic.

For me, there is a simple place that was always special to me.  My upbringing was on the banks of a river in a smallish town on the plains of the Dakotas.  The days of my youth were spent exploring the woods and river banks on the outskirts of town.  I knew every inch of this place -- from where to find clams in the creek to where the snapping turtles would haul themselves onto the logs to bask in the sun. I could fish the river like a pro, and even watch the ducklings hatching in their nests.  Yes, this simple place holds special meaning and fond memories for me.

In my later high school days, I strolled these woods with camera in hand -- an old Yashica FX-3.  Bulk black and white film -- developed by hand in the school darkroom -- captured images of this world of mine. 

Much older now, with a family and a home of my own and all the stress and chaos that comes in the middle of one's journey through life, I find a simple joy as I trip through those youthful memories each time I view one of  those special images.  One such image graces one of the walls of my home.  It's a simple image, really, now browned with time; an image of a Cedar Waxwing perched in a leafless chokecherry tree in the dead of the Dakota winter.

When I see this image, I remember that walk through the snowy white woods like it was only yesterday.  A much simpler time in my life where stress meant dreading a high school test or worrying over who to ask to the dance.  Yes, that was a wonderful and simple time when the world was enormous and full of experiences not yet experienced and scenes not yet seen.  I often wonder what it would be like, to turn back the clock to those innocent days and wash away the scars of time and mileage.  Would the road lead to different places than those I've been?

Creative Mischief

Ever just have one of those days where you needed to just create something?  Once in a while, I get that urge. In fact, I have got it right now; I just can't decide what to go and do.  I am going stir crazy.

One of the last times that happened, the result was the image on the right.  I call it "Lethal Combination".  Of course, guns and alchohol should not be mixed. But this image of Bacardi Gold on the rocks and a Smith & Wesson Chief's Special with autoloader, brings one to envision all sorts of potential mayhem or dark thoughts. Mission accomplished!

Now, where's my camera?

The Challenge of Self Portraits

Ever try taking a picture of yourself? Once in a while, it's a fun thing to do. The image below was taken today in the Jemez Mountains looking toward the Sandias (see that peak on the horizon, Albuquerque sits along its far side).

This first image was a rough shoot. I had a Canon 580EXII strobe and a Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 mounted in a silver Photoflex umbrella on a Bogen stand at camera left. It was calm when I started setting up and I did not brace the stand; up came a sudden gust of wind and BANG! It toppled hard to the volcanic rock. Fortunately, the flash and radio slave were fine -- just a few unpleasant but superficial marks. The umbrella/flash mount broke, but remains usable, and the umbrella was badly bent.




It was very bright and hazy, so trying to get enough light out of the flashes to overcome the daylight was hard. There were two flashes, the one in the umbrella at camera left, and another at camera right, both triggered by Pocket Wizards. The image was captured on my Canon EOS-5D Mark II with a 70-200mm USM f/2.8L.

This photo was in the woods -- less wind potential!  Simple shot, although I'm almost lying down on the rock, not kneeling behind it as it would appear. Just one flash here, at camera left and high, bounced into a silver umbrella.

This one make me look fat!  I know that since breaking my ankle just over a year ago, I have not been in the best of shape, but... I hate the way the shirt drapes. 

This was an experiment with my flashes -- and a real workout as I had to run quite a ways between camera and the rock!  It seams that when I combine my 580EXII on ETTL with my much older 300TLs on manual, I have some challenges to overcome and have to remember some basics.  No matter, it CAN work -- I just can't use the high speed sync capabilities of the 580EXII.  I can hardly wait until I get my second 580! 

Two flashes here -- at camera right, the 580EXII bounced from a silver umbrella and at camera left, a bare 300TL on manual low.

The Miracle of Life

Ever notice just how varried life is? Ever wonder just how it all came to be? Just a simple stroll through the woods brings so much of life's variety to view...

Still Tracking Lizards

I have spent many weekends this summer criss-crossing the state looking for lizards in an attempt to complete my personal project. As summer winds down, in sets the reality that I am not going to make it this year. There are just too many left to find; I still have 11 species to go. Besides, I have a home remodel kicking off that will put an abrupt end to my weekend freedom.

At any rate, I felt I would share some of my recent work. With all the driving, hiking, and searching, I have not had the time to publish all my pics here, though most can be found on my Flickr site.

You cannot spend a lot of time in the desert without coming across some interesting non-lizard inhabitants. Some I photographed, some I did not (like many scorpions -- hate those things!) Strangely, I have not run into many snakes this year, and not a single rattler. Perhaps that is good luck, but I think it not since I would like to get some more photos of our legless friends.

Enjoy the photos, and see if you can name them all! Click on the image to go to the original in Flickr where you can get the details.