2,592 Eggs

As most of you probably know, we're currently camp hosting at South Monticello campground in Elephant Butte State Park. Our duties are not terribly hard, so when they ask for assistance, we try to comply.

The Friday before Easter, they put out a notice that they needed help with dying eggs for the first ever Easter Egg Hunt at Elephant Butte, so we figured we'd swing on by and give them a hand.

What a Hoot!

Once we heard that there would be 2,592 eggs, we had lots of questions!

For starters,
you certainly don't use
those minuscule bottles of dye
you find at the supermarket.
We got to use the industrial size!

And what do you use to boil them in?
Why turkey fryers of course!

Lots of colors!

The first batch comes out.

And soon, there were eggs everywhere!

Now I don't want you to think
that we were slaving over hot turkey fryers all day.

In fact, the whole scene
kind of resembled a picnic.

There was quite a group,
young and old,
egg carton stuffers,

turkey fryer monitors,

more egg carton stuffers,
(isn't the one in the hat cute?)

And of course, supervisors

In addition to dying Easter eggs,
we performed some scientific experiments.

In the end, we had all these times four.
Even with my excellent wide angle lens,
I couldn't fit them all in one picture!

And once we were finished,
it seemed that a bit more
than Easter eggs got dyed.

It was a great afternoon, meeting Rangers, Firefighters, other camp hosts and an assortment of civic minded volunteers.

I think I can safely say a good time was had by all.

ABC Wednesday M

I love photography.

I find it makes me so much more aware of my surroundings. I'm usually up for the sunrise, but not always ready to greet the public. Photography has taught me to get up and at least make myself semi-presentable, because El Sol waits for no one. Many a beautiful shot has been missed because I couldn't find my shoes or my camera, causing that one minute delay that completely changes the dawn.

Fortunately, I was up and dressed and didn't miss daybreak this morning

ANYHOW . . .

Today is ABC Wednesday and I will be presenting

Scenes from South Monticello Campground

As I mentioned the other day, we had a bit of rain, and in its' own inimitable style, the desert has responded with a subtle yet powerful exhibition of color. In celebration of Spring, we took a little trip on the new trail that has been carved from South Monticello all the way down to Hot Springs, close to ten miles!

This is very near the beginning of the Trail

The cholla are blooming,

as is just about everything else.

Take a close look at this cholla.
Look hard before you go to the next photo.
Maybe click to enlarge.
Do you see it?

Someone has taken up residence!

Is this heaven or what?

I saw this sprawling mass
and had to take a closer look

Looks like the aliens have landed.

Does this shade of lavender
exist anywhere else?

Finally, we're back on the road.

Back home, I noticed the virga off in the distance

Virga appears as a sort of cloud
drifting down to the earth.
It's actually rain that falls,
but evaporates before touching ground.
Gotta love the weather in New Mexico

More than ever, I can truthfully say that

By the Dawns Early Light

Sorry I've been so lax in posting lately, but I'm still VERY busy playing with my new toy, which I'll tell you all about when I stop playing with it long enough to write it up for the blog!

We've actually had some rain here in the last couple of days. Much needed and actually quite beautiful. I so wish I had the very expensive doo dah that allows you to take shots of lightning, I would really have something to show you then, but for now, these will have to do.

The sunrise . . . So astoundingly majestic, so moving, so soul stirring.

A picture really is worth a thousand words, so I'll just let these speak for themselves (but PLEASE click on each image to see the true magnificence of this dawn)

All I can say is

ABC Wednesday L

I almost didn't make this one, sorry!

I had to go back into the archives for this since I've been WAY busy with my new toy, which I'll be writing about soon.

But for now, it's ABC Wednesday

L is for Lunar

This will be a short one with just some of the moon shots I've taken with my Pansonic FZ28, which takes such clean shots of the moon.

This was shot down at Bosque del Apache, outside of the tiny burg of San Antonio, New Mexico. I had to run outside to get this one and the next shot. I forgot my tripod, so I was happy to get anything at all.

This one is my favorite. While the moon is not in focus, I love the colors and shapes of the branches against the yellow of the Harvest Moon. Remember that you can click on any of these for a larger image.

That's it, I'm off once again to play with my new toy. Reports coming soon!

ABC Wednesday-K

Boy Howdy, does the week ever fly by!

Last week I promised to be diligent and have an actual letter K all ready for ABC Wednesday, but here it is Tuesday night again, and I'm scrambling!

In looking over my backlog of photos (which is a pretty daunting task) I finally found these and decided to do Kachina for the letter K.

Actually, I was looking for Kokopelli, which is also a Kachina, but can you believe I don't have one single picture of Kokopelli? Oh well, you probably already know what he looks like anyway.

Kachina dolls are representations of Pueblo Gods, used in various religious ceremonies. You'd think that after all this time in the southwest, I'd have a slew of pictures of various Kachinas, but I only came across this one . . .



Named Pahlik Mana, it actually represents a Maiden, signifying the springtime and a spirit of renewal. She is sometimes referred to as the Butterfly Maiden.

Sorry this is so sparse, but it's all I've got (unless you want pictures of me, my name is Kate after all, but I'd much rather do Kachina).

I can guarantee one thing, there will be no more promises from me on how prepared I'll be "next week".

RIP Lorne

Regular readers know I am a HUGE Joss Whedon fan (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along, Serenity and now Dollhouse).

So it was with a heavy heart that I learned this morning that Andy Hallett had passed away at the much too early age of 33.

For those of you who watched Angel, you would know Andy Hallett better as Lorne, or the Host. On his native planet, he was known as Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan,

In all, Andy appeared in seventy six episodes of the series.

If you've never seen either Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel, you really are missing some of the best storytelling of recent times. Involving, evolving characters, amazing story lines, they had it all.

And Lorne was one of the best characters, no question about it.

Originally arriving on Earth from the demonic dimension Pylea, he quickly fell in love with the culture and society and decided to stay forever. He became the Host at a karaoke bar, where he used his powers to "read" people as they sang for the patrons.

He stood well over six feet tall and was an an incredible shade of green. Possessed of a truly wonderful singing voice and a unique sense of style, he was a real stand out on the show.

This is a poor representation of the character and the man who created it. It really does need to be seen to be understood.

I can plainly say that I loved the character and was constantly enthralled with the actor who created him. And now, he is gone forever.

What a loss and how very sad.

RIP Andy Hallett.

Spring Cleaning Part 2

I woke up this morning to this . . .

Realizing that I had another day of reorganizing the rig, this brightened my spirits considerably.

I busied myself, moving everything around, deciding that there was quite a bit that we could certainly do without. It's an interesting project, scrutinizing things that at some point seemed important. I know the difference between what is really important and the things we choose to surround ourselves with, but this is always a good reminder.

So things are moving along well when the drawer under the refrigerator decided that it wouldn't close. Here we are, trying to work, when right in the middle of the traffic pattern, a projectile is sticking out a good eight inches at shin level, do you get the picture?

Several hours later (much of it spent on the floor, scrutinizing the undersides of our fridge) we can now say the we intimately understand the inner workings of the drawers in our Lazy Daze!

But the end is in sight, we figure to finish up the loose ends tomorrow, then we'll do a thorough surface clean, and voila! we're good to go for a nice long time.

And just to show that I can multitask, l wanted to share this picture of the bread I made today.

I think I've finally mastered bread in the solar oven.

As long as the sun holds out, I can't imagine using the gas oven again!

So how much can you fit in a 30 foot motorhome?

Well, it would appear quite a bit.

Let me backtrack here and tell you that all RVs (recreational Vehicles) have weight limits. This is determined by the chassis, the weight of the "house" and a variety of other elements unique to each unit. While many RVers ignore this limit, we try to adhere to it as closely as possible. We do this by closely monitoring our tire pressure, and constantly maintaining awareness of what we bring into the rig.

And there's the rub. I have to admit that this is a tough one, but we are pretty careful.

To stay on top of this, every three months or so I go through a couple of easily accessible cabinets, closets or drawers and get rid of things we don't need.

But once a year, I do a REAL clean out, and that's what I'm in the middle of right now. I'm opening every drawer, cabinet, closet, bin, nook and cranny and taking everything out and giving it the once over. So far, three large bags of "stuff" have gone to the Goodwill.

Now I'm into the hardcore, not so easy to reach places. You know, the ones that you only get into once a year.

Poor Cholula looks like a bomb has gone off in her innards.

This is a long process, one I don't take lightly. Since I started with my closet, every once in a while I have to run back there and open the closet door to see how nice and roomy and organized it looks.

It gives me hope.

While we're talking about "stuff", where did all this Tupperware, Loc-Tite and Snap-Ware come from? I suspect there are wild parties going on when we're away, leading to a colossal bacchanal that results in massive plasticine reproduction.

And books. We very rarely buy new books, but we do go to many yard sales and junk stores. And honestly, our intentions are to read every single one of them; however during this time of the year, those too have to be dealt with. We both look long and hard at every book and decide which ones we'll really read and those that simply look good on the book shelf, or were just purchased with the best of intentions.

It's a hard job, but someone has to do it.

I also use this time to go through my pantry and check out our food supply. I try especially hard not to hoard food, try being the operative word here. All it takes is to put one bag of beans or one can of green chili in the wrong place and before you know it, I have six of everything. And that bag of chips that slipped behind the flour really doesn't look so appetizing any more. . .

It's all such a huge daunting task that I decided to take a break and moan and groan via this blog.

So think of me kindly as I continue on this (seemingly) endless task. It can't take forever, can it?

Here's till I can once again say that

ABC Wednesday - J

Once again, it's time for ABC Wednesday. This time I actually have a post that relates to the letter of the week!

J is for Javelina

Javelinas are also called peccaries,
and are part of the swine family.
Before we came to New Mexico,
I had never heard of Javelinas,
but they seem to be pretty common
in this neck of the woods.
They grow up to about ninety pounds
and apparently can be pretty fierce.

We have seen Javelinas in the wild,
but the only time we had a chance to take a photo
was during this visit to
the Living Desert outside of Carlsbad, New Mexico.

I love this photo of this Javelina relaxing in the sun.
There is some talk that the Javelina
might be related to the hippopotamus!

If you want to see a Javelina in a larger photo,
click on any image.

On My Soapbox-Faces

Regular readers know that I am a huge movie fan. Actually, I like all kinds of entertainment including books, movies, music, theater, whatever.

I also have a real passion for BBC series. I am a fan of their Victorian dramas, the mysteries, the comedies, the romances and especially their ongoing rural series, like Monarch of the Glen, and Ballykissangel, which we are currently enjoying.

The writing is always involving, but what really engages me are the actors.

While watching Ballykissangel, I think I've finally discovered a huge part of the attraction.

In Hollywood, the "standard of beauty" has become so skewed, so standardized to an unreal benchmark that most signs of individuality and character have virtually been erased from faces. Then there are the bodies. The women are excessively thin with giant chests, their faces tight and overly made up. The men fare a bit better, but most are overly muscular from days spent at the gym. These folks bear no resemblance to the people I know, and their faces seem almost incapable of showing emotion.

But on British television, the faces still retain character. The people resemble real people. Their teeth may not be sparkling white, and their skin isn't flawless and their figures may be a bit thicker than what is (in America) considered stylish; however they shine with a force of personality that seems to have been lost in much of what passes for entertainment here in the US.

It's such a great journey to start a series like Ballykissangel or Bramwell. At first, the people all appear rather plain. That's not to say they aren't attractive, it's just that they seem to lack the "sparkle" that we are used to seeing on our televisions and silver screens. But as you get into these characters, something magical seems to happen. The faces that at first seem plain take on a beauty that comes from within. You see the true beauty of the human condition that goes well beyond the physical. You wonder how you could have ever failed to see their beauty, it is so intense.

On the other hand, I find that with so many American (make that Hollywood) actors that I first thought had beauty, it seems to fall by the wayside. In fact after a while, I have a difficult time telling them apart. After all their toning, makeup and "work" that they do to themselves, they seem to have shed so much of their individuality along the way.

Take a look at some of these British series or plays and you'll see what I mean.

That's it, off my soapbox for now.

Tomorrow will be ABC Wednesday the letter J!