Wascally Wabbit

Although Albuquerque is NM's largest metropolitan area, there is enough open space in and around the area to support local wildlife.  In my neighborhood I've seen coyotes, roadrunners, and quail.

We also have a couple of wild rabbits.  During our last significant snow, I saw tracks that looked like one of the rabbits had done a couple of laps around my house.

In my front yard, I have a large pine tree.  It's taller than the house and is fairly full-bodied.  One of the local rabbits has discovered that the tree makes a relatively safe place to hang out and chill.

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It's actually a pretty good place when you think about it.  The rabbit's got its butt up against the trunk of the tree so nothing can nab it from behind.  The tree's branches go all the way to the ground so they offer a modicum of camouflage and protection without obstructing the view.  I've got several tall and thick shrubs nearby so if something gets too close, the rabbit has just a short sprint to even better concealment.

The rabbit doesn't spend every day under the tree.  As a matter of fact, I haven't seen it lately, but I just figured it was hanging out in a nice warm burrow due to all the very cold and/or windy weather we've had lately. 

In any case, it's always fun to check out the tree on my way to or from the car or mailbox.  If the rabbit's there, I say hello.

Papillon

Winter Color

The Albuquerque Botanic Garden has been having a display of cyclamens in January and February to help bring some color to winter.  It occurred to me the other day that if I wanted to see the color, I'd better get myself down there because, after all, the exhibit ends in just a couple of days.

Today seemed as good as any, so off I went.  Here are some of the pictures I took.

Red-pink cyclamens

Pink cyclamens

Red cyclamens

And - for a nice bit of contrast, a peace lily

All the color made a nice contrast to the greys and browns of the winter landscape.

Papillon

Book Recommendations

The first lists itself as a true-life novel.  It's Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls.  It describes her grandmother's life growing up in the early 1900's in west Texas, southern New Mexico, and Arizona (with a brief sojourn in Chicago).  Her grandmother was Lily Casey Smith and she was a real person and a distinct character.  Walls calls it a true-life novel because her grandmother died when Walls was 8 years old and therefore she couldn't confirm conversations.  However, most of the novel is based on stories told by her grandmother to her mother.  An entertaining read.

Another recommendation is 365 Thank You's by John Kralik.  At the time he wrote the book Kralik had his own law firm and was having problems both professionally and personally.  One day while hiking, it came to him that he needed to use gratitude to turn his life around.  He resolved that he would hand write 365 thank you notes over the next year (yes, and mail them also).  It actually took him 15 months, but he completed all the notes.  Although he kept track of how many notes and to whom they were written, this is not a diary but rather a recap of what happened to his life and attitude over the course of the note writing.  It's an interesting twist on the Law of Attraction.

Papillon

Photo Exhibit

I had a fun time today checking out a bunch of Polaroids. 

The Albuquerque Museum is currently running an exhibit (through April 10) that features Polaroid pictures taken over about 30 years by artist H. Joe Waldrum.  Waldrum was born in Texas in 1934 and was widely known for his photographs, paintings and prints of northern New Mexico churches.

According to the information from the museum, Waldrum was in New Mexico in the early 1970's.  He wanted to paint a certain church (San Jose de Gracia?), but didn't have enough time before he needed to catch a flight back to the east coast.  So he went to a local grocery store and bought one of those Polaroid cameras where you snap a picture, it pops out the front of the camera and then develops over the course of a few minutes.  This way he could have photos as references to work from to complete the sketching/painting.  Later he realized that the photos were artistic in and of themselves. 

Over the years, he took over 8,000 Polaroids.  This collection was later donated to Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe.  They are collaborating with the Albuquerque Museum.

It's an interesting look at how an artist sees form and light.

I did have to laugh at myself.  Normally when you walk into an art exhibit, the art is easily visible.  When I first looked down the length of the gallery, I thought, "so where's all the art?"  Then I realized the narrow ribbon running the length of all the walls was the art.  After that I had an enjoyable time.

Papillon