Untracked Texture – Ibex Sand Dunes
We were only supposed to walk around 3 sandy miles. But it turned into almost twice that. Ibex Sand Dunes It was day two of Action Photo Tours’ Death Valley Photo Workshop. The word was that Mesquite Dunes, the most accessible dune field in the park, was pretty...
The Old Car and The Milky Way
The message came via WhatsApp. "Meet in the same spot at 12:30 to go out for sunset. We should be able to eat at the Panamint Restaurant. But bring some food just in case as we'll be shooting stars after sunset." The old car It was day three of Action Photo Tours'...
Online Privacy in the Time of Coronavirus
I'm Fed Up With Online Data Tracking I have a pet peeve, especially in these days of stay at home/work from home due to COVID-19, with all of us on our computers a lot more. This is what I say to many websites and online service providers: If you want me to subscribe...
Snow in April – Dog Parks and Swamp Coolers
Warm Weather is Bad for Berners It had been warm here in Albuquerque - highs in the low 70s. But Bernese Mountain Dogs were originally bred for Bern, Switzerland, and Bern's summer temperatures rarely range above 75 degrees. I didn't want our Berner Taylor to cook if...
Photography in the time of Coronavirus
Coronavirus Restrictions and Photography - Many times, I choose lenses for their short focusing distance and field of view. But I won't be shooting close compositions with people in them anytime soon. As a photographer, I'm looking for ways to document the effects of...
The Best Dog A Guy Could Have
It's hard to write this. My Sheltie Buzz had been a constant presence by my left leg for 12 1/2 years of his 14 1/2 year life. If I wasn't visible, he always looked for me until he found me. He was a quiet two year old adult when I first took him home from Northern...
Take Em to the Balloons
Flame on! To you, it may be the same old stuff you've seen a thousand times. But out-of-town guests consider your local attractions to be something special. Driving to Balloon City We had my brother and sister-in-law in from Chicago for the Albuquerque International...
Shoot the Dog 5 – Puppy Pickup
It was supposed to be cool and easy. A quick pickup with our RV, then back home to Albuquerque. Stopped by the camera... We looped our way through Utah, southern Idaho and the Columbia River Gorge over to good friends' 60th birthday party in Portland, Oregon. Then the...
Happy Birthday at Hovenweep
Hovenweep Castle and diffraction sunstar Hunter-Gatherers - Long before it became the quiet deserted valley of the Utes, hunter-gatherers roamed through Hovenweep in search of now-extinct mastadons and other game. They gathered edible plants when they could, but gave...
Ghosts at Fort Stanton
Indian Uprisings and a Fort of Stone - The place always was pretty empty. New Mexico had no more than 93,516 people in it before the Civil War. Of those, around 10,000 were Indians. There were enough of them to make trouble for the remaining population, mostly whites,...