The same week I had a conference (CIC15) in Albuquerque, NM, my daughters had a four-day weekend, so I thought it would be fun to fly them out for a little vacation/exploration. I also asked Elizabeth if she and her daughters would like to come, and she agreed it was a fun idea, and was even willing to take care of the travel duties getting them all out to the airport and onto the plane on Friday -- no small feat.
HotelAlbuquerque1.jpg
Here is the front lobby of the hotel where we stayed,
and also where the Color Imaging Conference was held
the week before. Some of my fellow geeks stayed on
for the weekend also, and we kept running across them
hearing snatches of conversation such as, "...but that
would limit the gamut to sRGB again."
Keywords hdr
AlbuquerqueSunset2.jpg
The sunrise and sunset were both visible from my balcony,
and usually quite beautiful.
Keywords hdr, sunset
HighNoonLuminaire.jpg
Hand-crafts are everywhere you turn in New Mexico.
This clay chandelier was in a restaurant called "High
Noon," where I dined with some of my associates Tuesday
night.
Keywords art, hdr, nice
OldTown2.jpg
One of many jewelry stores in Old Town Albuquerque,
this one with a tin roof.
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Dad, pretending to be a fake flower.
Owner Tessala Larson
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This is the courtyard next to the restaurant where we
had our first breakfast together. Alina liked the chai,
which I tasted and also thought excellent.
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ColorfulDish.jpg
An iridescent plate in a shop window.
Keywords art, hdr
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Silver wares.
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Tessa took lots of photos in the Walgreens, where we
probably spent more time shopping than the entire rest
of the trip.
Owner Tessala Larson
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We resisted the temptation, strong though it was, to
purchase singing holiday plushies.
Owner Tessala Larson
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The store was full of them, and Tessa was having fun
setting them off.
Owner Tessala Larson
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Tessa's self-portrait taken in one of the many security
mirrors.
Owner Tessala Larson
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OK, I'm dizzy.
Owner Tessala Larson
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"Tessa is more of an artist than you!" says Alina.
Owner Tessala Larson
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Church Albuquerque of the Latter Day Santas. (Also
known as "St. Boxing Day.")
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The sky over Sky City, about 50 miles west of Albuquerque,
which we visited Saturday afternoon.
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This is the mesa on which the Acoma Pueblo is perched,
visible just left of center.
Keywords panorama
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Our tour began at the Acoma Mission, which was built
upon the demolished site of the Acoma's original relgious
temple, as our guide was quick to point out.
AcomaMissionTower1.jpg
One of the two bell towers. The place was immense,
but we weren't allowed any photographs inside, even
having paid $10 for a camera permit. It was an interesting
combination of Catholic and Native American art and
decoration inside, but they only held Mass there twice
a year.
Keywords hdr
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Our guide (Kristin) was very amusing, and had many things
to say about her life and the lives of her fellow Acoma.
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Elizabeth was fascinated by the different lifestyles,
and didn't shy from asking questions.
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Kristin said that a cottonwood tree was generally a
sign that there was water available nearby, and offered
this as a desert survival tip. Some of the inhabitants
sold handmade pottery and other wares to interested
tourists.
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The Acoma traditionally gathered water filtered through
the sandstone for drinking, but with all the traffic
these days, they use a more contemporary source.
AcomaOven.jpg
This is a traditional oven the Acoma still use for baking
bread.
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The vistas from the mesa were spectacular.
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Enchanted Mesa
The story is that many moons (planets?) ago, the original
Acoma lived on Enchanted Mesa. One fateful day, a lightning
strike took out the only path to the top. Fortunately,
all but two of the tribe had gone down to the plains
that day, and the tale says that the stranded pair lept
to their deaths hand-in-hand rather than face slow starvation.
AcomaPueblos2.jpg
I think I can see a small leak in the roof.
Keywords hdr, nice
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This was the last mica window in the Pueblo, with Pipsqueak
added (by Alina) for scale.
Comment This was the last pane left made of mica.
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Kristin couldn't tell us what was inside the special
house the men used for their religious ceremonies, because
women are not permitted inside. I guess even in a matriarchal
society, men retain certain privileges (or make them
up).
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The walk down from the mesa was my favorite part. We
got to use the same trail that's been used by the Acoma
for thousands of years.
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The hand-holds were perfectly placed for the steps,
neither of which I used.
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This was the only really steep bit, formed like a ladder.
(I jumped, stubbing my toe on landing.)
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I'm sure these brothers have a name, but I didn't catch
it.
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I could have spent all day just photographing rocks,
if anyone else had the patience...
AcomaRocks6.tif
It really is a skateboarder's paradise.
Keywords hdr, nice
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El Rey Inn
This is the reception of the hotel we stayed Saturday
and Sunday.
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Parts of the grounds are very pretty and feel secluded.
Our room was right next to a lovely spa, which we enjoyed
both nights.
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Sunday morning, we got up early and had breakfast so
we could make it to the Cedar Crest Ranch for a horseback
ride in the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque.
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We arrived early, and found animals before we found
people.
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Everyone had a turn, and we found some kittens as well.
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Very cute, but they had a bit of a little flea & tick
problem. (Too young for collars.)
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This horse was very friendly, and seemed to look everyone
straight in the eye.
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Riders regarding their mounts.
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Eliz was the first to saddle up on a horse Donald called
"Little Man."
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We followed a property fence for a mile or so before
heading into the wilderness area.
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Alina was riding "Snoopy," who liked to snack at every
opportunity.
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The trail was dry but beautiful.
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Donald borrowed my camera for a couple of group photos.
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Do I look like a weekend cowboy or what? (Actually,
Alina looked a lot cooler in her helmet than I did in
my hat.)
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Enjoying the view.
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Donald
Our leader was quite the horseman, and had numerous
riding trophies to show for it.
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Pretty nice day, eh?
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How far?
That afternoon, we went in search of a vegetarian restaurant.
Unfortunately, the place was farther from the downtown
square than we initially thought, so I walked back to
fetch the car while the women hiked the rest of the
way there.
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We made it to the restaurant at last.
Owner Tessala Larson
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It's closed?!
Which took Sundays off. Tessa captured our expressions
when we heard the news, which the others had been keeping
quietly to themselves.
Owner Tessala Larson
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On the edge of downtown, there was this interesting
salvage shop, full of old goodies collected over the
last century or so.
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This seemed to be a secondary church or some other competing
denomination. Very impressive, but an entrance fee
prevented yours cheaply from getting a peek inside.
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Luckily, the main church had no such fee for entry.
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St. Francis himself was welcoming visitors.
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I was the only one from our group who went for a look.
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StFrancisSF2.jpg
I think Eliz was curious, but she was dedicated to giving
our kids a good shopping experience.
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StFrancisCathSF3.jpg
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The sunset was catching this tree in the central square
just right.
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Pasqual's
Monday was our final day, and we had breakfast at this
famous southwestern eatery.
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After brunch, we drove a short distance to a mall to
locate a particular store.
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Alina pointed out that there was quite a "Wizard of
Oz" theme going on our trip, including daily glimpses
of the classic, which we caught on our hotel cable.
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The store display was quite humorous.
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The famous Ruby Sneakers.
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Jackalope
On the way out of town, we stopped at this well-known
novelty art store.
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Elizabeth pointed out that many of the wares actually
came from Mexico or Indochina.
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These guys were obviously local, though.
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Alina really liked the handstanders. (The other girls
were hanging out in the car.)
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My favorites, the Street Sisters.
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Elizabeth showing off her new earrings.
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On the way to the airport, we stopped at the art/tourist
town of Madrid. Just outside Madrid was the eternally
funky "Tiny Town," which is the work of local artist
Tammy Jean Lange.
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This truck is going places, but not in any of the regular
dimensions...
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Weird things going on at Ken & Barbie's Lounge.
Owner Elizabeth
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Um...
Owner Elizabeth
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French Revolution Barbie.
Owner Elizabeth
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Sticks and Bones
Owner Elizabeth
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Another familiar scene.
Owner Elizabeth
MadridNM1.jpg
The town of Madrid gained recent celebrity as one of
the key settings for the movie "Wild Hogs."
Keywords hdr
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Takes me way back, to before I was born in this case.
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I loved the atmosphere. It was so funky and hippie
in places, and so formal and artsy in others. Truly
unique.
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Rusty!
Owner Elizabeth
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A cool old motorcycle with sidecar.
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I would have liked to go inside the coal mining museum,
but most of the kids were sitting in the car, being
obstinately bored.
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I recall he was very soft.
Owner Elizabeth
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Parting shot.
Owner Elizabeth
Page created Nov 18 2007 10:03:26a