Local Flavor :)

It's chile harvesting season in New Mexico! And there is nothing like fresh roasted chile, let me tell you! While there are many roasters set up in parking lots & at the farmer's market here in Santa Fe, I had always wanted to go to the Chile Festival in Hatch, NM, so I got the weekend off from work, and off I went. For those of you that are not familiar w/ Hatch... it is considered "The Chile Capitol of the World," and there is something special about Hatch Green Chiles!

Here's a shot driving into the Festival, set just a mile or so out of town. Having never been before, I did not know what to expect. It had the feel of a small town county fair~ rides for the kids, vendors & booths (both local & out of state) selling all sorts of items, & tons of food options.

(I had the green chile relleno burrito & green chile ice cream!)

Booth & vendors~ nothing (except the food!) really caught my eye...

until I found the "chile section..." sampling the red chile salsa, I was sold.

:)

I think more than the festival itself, was just walking around the town of Hatch & seeing chiles hanging from nearly everywhere... and the scent of fresh roasting chile wafting through the air. Not to mention to observe a typically sleepy little town transform into a bustling metropolis of chile lovers!

I did not eat at Sparky's  this time around, but I have before, and I will tell you they've  got a pretty darn good Green Chile Cheeseburger... as you can probably tell by the line out the door!

Chiles...

chiles...

... and more chiles!

It was a really fun experience, especially as a photographer & chile lover.

For more information on Hatch & the Chile Festival, click here .

For an interesting & important article about the fate of the New Mexico Green Chile click here. For other chile related data & links, here's a fun website~

http://www.nmchileassociation.com/id20.html

 Before I wrap it up, I've got to share a couple other places w/ you, should you ever be out this way. :) The first is  The Buckhorn Tavern.  It's a little gem of a place just off of I-25 in San Antonio, NM. Their Green Chile Cheeseburger beat out Bobby Flay (of the Food Network ) in a "throw down."

Let me tell you, they live up to their reputation! It's gotta be one of the best Green Chile Cheeseburgers around.

Another place I've got to share w/ you that I just happened to find while looking for lodging in Truth or Consequences (what a cool name for a town,) is Blackstone Hot Springs. This place is quaint, hip, cool, relaxing... well just plain wonderful. They only have 7 rooms, most of which go for the rate of a regular hotel room, but their tubs carry healing hot spring water direct from the source! 

An awesome place for the weary traveler to relax. My only regret is that I only had one night, so I didn't get the chance to check out the town much. If you get the opportunity, I'd highly recommend this little oasis in the desert~ stay a couple of nights if you can!

...

When Bad Things Happen to Good Wolf Pups, Meeting Bloggy Friends, & Other News...

You probably won't recall, because it was sooooo long ago... but I had been working on a larger wolf pup sculpture using commercial micaceous clay, but was unable to complete the firing process when my class ended, so my work in progress has been hanging out in my storage unit. I actually had started this project in May! I had gotten this far when spring break started & figured I'd finish it during break, which I didn't get around to doing... it ended up riding around in my trunk for a week or more, and I planned on recycling it & turning it into a pot when I returned.

Once I returned to class after break, surprised that it survived covered & wrapped in my trunk, I decided to keep going with it.

Below is the wolf pup finished in it's wet state....

and then bone dry & polished with a Micaceous Slip.

It survived the bisque fire at the end of the semester, and I was planning on doing the final fire as a Raku firing this fall (see pot on the side bar, I was hoping for a shimmering black like the little pot.) It sat in my storage unit dutifully protecting my belongings until I returned to Santa Fe... BUT! Unfortunately, it became a casualty to the moving process. I had had him sitting in a good place where he wouldn't fall off something, but wouldn't you know it... in my hasty moving process, I knocked him over... and well, you see the rest. I couldn't bear to throw him out just yet, and may see if I can morph it into something else at some point.

In other news, as I was dealing with my noisy rental/lease situation from my last post, I was lucky enough to meet up w/a fellow blogger, Kate, from St Paul, MN, whose company was a welcome respite from all that stressing out! Look at that smile... that's enough to de-stress anyone. :) We had a lovely visit... she is a pleasure to be around & we got to chatting like old friends. Kate is the author of several blogs, one based on her experiences in & around Santa Fe (click on her name above) as well as a daily photo blog from her home state of MN: Visual St. Paul. Go visit her- she's awesome!

We went to The Pantry... a favorite locals hang out, 

and, because it's all about the food... (did anyone say "Green Chile?)

I am showing you about the best breakfast burrito ever. Smothered, of course.

In the time since Kate & I met, which was only a week ago, I have started clay classes again, moved all my stuff back into storage (yes, I know, I had just moved it out!) & I have managed to get out of that noisy lease arrangement (at a $500 loss- but sanity is priceless!) Being that I didn't find out for sure if the Property Manager had secured a lease from someone else until the last minute, I have been quite busy to say the least... packing, moving, attending class, and again looking for a place. In the interim, I have camped & hotel-ed it the past few days... and am currently writing you from Truth or Consequences, NM. Tomorrow I'll be attending the Chile Festival in Hatch, something I've been wanting to do since I first came to NM years ago... so stay tuned for a very chile related post!

:)

A Little Slice of Texas

I had never been to Texas, so I figured it being my last week & all, I should at least see just a little slice of it, since I'm just a few miles from the west Texas border. The nearest big city is Amarillo, so off I went. Lots of open space... and LOTS of cows along the way. I didn't stop for pics until I saw this guy above. It's Tex Randall- he's a sculptural icon of Canyon, Texas, and has been around since the 1950's. Recently, a campaign has been started to save Tex, as he was slated to be demolished. Apparently, fundraising is going well... Tex is now on facebook! You click here to learn more~ http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2222

In search of some down home Texas barbeque, a woman at work recommended I go to Ribs & More, in old town Amarillo.... so I did, but you guessed it... it was closed! My second choice which I had long heard about was the Big Texan, a well known tourist icon just off the I-40.

This is the home of the "Free" 72 oz steak! Free that is, if you can eat the entire 72 oz steak & all the fixings in under an hour... and people have actually done this! Needless to say, I didn't even think about trying it! After a mediocre BBQ beef sandwich, I headed off to the Cadillac Ranch... perhaps you've heard of it?

It was the brainchild of Stanley Marsh & the Art Farm, a San Francisco Art Collective.

I really wasn't sure what to make of it... it's certainly a sculptural installation, (an interactive one at that... as people bring their spray paint cans to add some fresh graffiti) but is it really Art? I just kept thinking of the line from Field of Dreams... if you build it, they will come. And come they do... it's a popular tourist draw... I saw license plates from Washington, Nevada, Kentucky... and well, of course, Texas. Some closer views~

Like I said... I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but it was interesting. People visiting had various reactions... some looked puzzled, while others joined in with their spray paint cans to add the latest layer to the already much graffitied "works of art."

For more on the artist & other things Amarillo, visit this post from Pat at "A View from the Edge"

http://pat-aviewfromtheedge.blogspot.com/2010/07/flashback-friday-is-for-amarillo.html

Roswell, New Mexico... UFO Festival

The last stop on my journey to Eastern New Mexico was Roswell. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the 1947 "Roswell Incident," a purported Government cover up of UFO activity. A friend of mine recommended I go to the UFO Museum pictured above. I have to say, it was pretty interesting to say the least. Lots of newspaper clippings & affidavits about the events of 1947, as well as research into "sightings" all over the world. After touring the museum, it seems their was definitely a cover-up of some sort... maybe not of the Alien nature, but perhaps something top secret that the government did not want the public to be aware of. In any case, the town of Roswell has certainly capitalized on these events... and as luck would have it, I was passing through during the annual UFO festival~ a four day event that brings in an estimated 20,000 tourists, with various activities going on... from films to talks, parades & races, to lots of food & many booths set up to sell various UFO paraphernalia like t-shirts, books, mugs, stuffed aliens... even Alien salsa! I partook in the "Alien Chase 5K" & got this really cool T-shirt!

I know what you're thinking... but no, it is not an Alien abduction going on... it's just the camera flash, folks! But seriously, good thing there were no Aliens, 'cause my running was so slow they'd have caught me for sure! I also went to the parade... because, well who doesn't want to watch a bunch of people dressed as Aliens taking to the streets! There were a couple of Movie Stars in the parade, including Wes Studi (most recently of Avatar fame... though I have yet to see the film) and Zack Ward (Transformers... nope haven't seen that one either!) Sponge Bob & Elvis even showed up! I've put together a little slide show of the parade & various signs & store fronts around town to give you a view of my 24 hours in Roswell~

Southwest Sunset

I drove through Arizona yesterday & made it to Lordsburg, NM last night. Was thankful for AC as temps soared to 114! My start date for work has been pushed back a few days, so this time I get to see some sights along the way, instead of the usual non-stop driving. I'll be making stops in White Sands, Ruidoso & Roswell, NM... hopefully I'll get some interesting shots along the way!

Aaaaah... Sunshine

 

No, this is not really a recent picture. I pulled over on the side of the road to get this shot somewhere in Victorville, Ca... on my travels from Oregon to California to New Mexico in December. I just liked it, (partly because it is sunny, & you don't see the sun quite often enough in southern Oregon this time of year...) so I thought I'd post it. Also, my posts have been a little Printmaking heavy, & I wanted to start putting more of my photography in... only I haven't been out taking pictures much lately. That's something I'm going to work on in the near future. I've got lots more to write... but I'm off to print lab to do some printing of a Woodcut that I spent a good portion of the day yesterday working on... will blog again soon!

Happy New Year~ On The Road Again Part II

Happy New Year 2010~ to all those out in blogland. A little late, but what can I say... I've been on the road & much too tired to blog. 3 days & 1,420 miles later, I am once again safe & sound in Ashland. Still recuperating from lots of work, lots of driving & being sick on top of it all. Most of my first day on the road looked like this as I drove through the desolate stretch of I-40 in New Mexico... snowy & cold. Lots of people I meet seem to think I live this free, adventurous lifestyle~ and I guess some of that is true. But, what they don't take into account is the constant packing & unpacking, the long & sometimes boring drives, solo motel rooms & lack of roots. I know, I know, I am choosing this lifestyle. Sort of... but sometimes I feel like it's taken on a life of it's own. Kinda like Newton's 1st Law of Motion: The tendency of an object in motion to remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. I really do want to settle down, but can't seem to find the reason, the circumstance, or "the place" where everything seems to fit. And I am starting to wonder if such a place exists. It's just that I don't want to settle or stagnate. The phrase "a rolling stone gathers no moss" came to me somewhere on the 2nd day of driving. I thought, hmmm, that phrase really does apply to me. I've been a rolling stone of sorts for the past 5 years. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Neither, really... and honestly, in the past year, I've spent more time in Ashland & Santa Fe than anywhere else in the past 5 years, so perhaps I am narrowing it down a bit. Perhaps. I'll give it some more thought in 2010 & keep you all posted...

Christmas Eve on Canyon Rd, Santa Fe

Christmas eve on Canyon Rd~ no better place to be on Christmas eve in Santa Fe. The streets are closed down to traffic, and everyone walks the faralito lined walkways enjoying the festive atmosphere, stopping perhaps to warm themselves & sing a Christmas carol or sip some hot chocolate at one of the bonfires along the way. It's a Santa Fe tradition, and it being my first time, I can see why so many people come out to walk... despite the freezing temperatures, the experience warms the heart.

Christmas Lights on the Plaza, Santa Fe

Well, as most of you who know me can attest- when I am in work mode, I generally don't have much energy left for myself in the evening. But, since I'm only in Santa Fe a couple of weeks this time around, I have decided to fight the fatigue & at least get out a bit, if only to walk around the plaza & enjoy the Christmas lights. I am however, too lazy to set up the tripod in quest for the perfect shot. Therefore, my images are not the best to start with... but with a little editing, I am finding I can get some interesting images anyhow. My goal was to try to get that old film feeling... where the resulting pictures were always a bit distorted & had funky colors. Mission accomplished.

On the Road Again

Random pics from the road. Pokey & Gumby were in my stocking & I felt it appropriate that they be placed on my dash for the journey to New Mexico. They seemed happy to be out of the plastic wrap & on the open road. This time my road trip took me through Hatch, NM, which is actually "the chile capital of the world...." an interesting tidbit of info that may come in handy should you ever go on Jeopardy. The next pic is of what I assume to be an old water tower (silo?), somewhere along highway 26. The contrast, size & texture of the structure made it stand out among the emptiness that is highway 26... I actually drove past, but had to turn around & photograph it because it just looked so striking to me. The last photo kinda caught me off guard, as the logo on this ambulance bears a very striking resemblance to the computer drawing I had done in class... I swear I had never seen it before. Trippy. Well, that's it for now... safe & sound in Santa Fe. It's always a good feeling to get to where you were going safely. Back to work tomorrow, so it is possible these posts may thin out a bit...

The Open Road

Damn, this blogging thing is addictive. I don't think we even need to post images during Thanksgiving break. I think I am just putting off things I need to do... like packing up. So, I sit, looking through my images & thinking. I often take pictures through the windshield when I'm driving on long, desolate stretches of road. I really don't know why... it's just something I do. For this one, I actually pulled over & got out of the car. I am not for the paving of America, but there is something I love about fresh asphalt. I don't know what it is exactly... but something to do with the black shininess of it, the stark contrast to the natural surroundings, the way it sticks slightly to your feet if you walk across it... even the smell of it. I liked this picture because the road just seems to stretch out into forever.

DMF Week 8: Personal Image/Winter in Santa Fe

Well, so much for sleeping in. For whatever reason I just keep waking up early, though I would much prefer to catch up on my sleep. I've been up for the past 2 hours, mostly playing on my computer & looking through various images I've taken in the past few years that I've been traveling for work. This image was not well composed... I actually shot it through my windshield as I was leaving a friends house after a day of skiing at the Santa Fe ski basin. Why am I posting this image? Well, I got an email from my recruiter a couple of days ago, asking if I'd be available to fill in for the holidays back in New Mexico. Yes, that means packing up again, driving for days in the middle of winter... maybe not the best choice, but the financial strain of school made the decision easy at the time. Though now, I do question my decision. Pack up again? I've moved like 16 times in the past 5 years!!! That's 32 times packing & unpacking! What am I thinking? Well, I am thinking grocery money, & rent for the winter quarter. And, it would be good to see some friends... and Santa Fe is beautiful in the winter... let's face it. But working on Christmas day... without my family? Well, it could all fall through... that sometimes happens in this travel game. An anxiety producing way of life... but, I suppose for now, it is what I chose. Life is interesting...