We went to the Ballet Repertory Theatre of New Mexico’s production of “The Nutcracker” last night in the historic Kimo Theater. Laurie wore her pink stripes and pleats with “Count of Monte Cristo” boots, white silk scarf, and her Harley Davidson leather jacket for the cold walk back to the car.
Ben Lolli is producing a series called The Beer Trale at http://www.thebeertrale.com, which is about the people behind craft beer. Ben worked for me in 2009 as one of a team of techs who inventoried technology in our local school district. He is on the road interviewing some of Albuquerque’s award winning breweries, and he asked me to help out with still photography and video. Last night we visited La Cumbre Brewery (http://lacumbrebrewing.com/aboutus.html) owned by Master Brewer Jeff Erway and his wife Laura — school teachers turned master brewers — who now produce award winning beer.
Our stay at Desert Harbor Resort was a Christmas gift from Laurie’s parents, and we scheduled our stay for our 32nd wedding anniversary. Desert Harbor Resort is run by Raymond and his wife Wesley. Guests stay in a small house up the hill from the main house nestled below undulating cliffs among the juniper and piñon trees. The nightly rate includes breakfast, and guest have the option of ordering dinners as well. Guests can also get life counseling, time in a hot tub, and schedule messages for additional fees. There is a labyrinth guests can walk in and then sit in the center and meditate. On the other side of the cliffs the porch faces is a covered lookout, with a chair and a hammock, overlooking a canyon where one can relax, read or meditate. There are also trails for hiking in the canyon and beyond.
Guesthouse
Laurie drawing a selfie
hot tub
Laurie drawing the cliffs from the porch swing
View of the cliffs from the porch
Interior of the guest houseLaurie modeling her new dressInterior view looking towards kitchen and bath areaLaurie modeling her new pants and sweater
The labyrinth
view of the east side of the Sandias from the guest houseRaymond set chairs on top of a cliff for us to watch the sunsetThe sunset from the chair on the edge of a cliffLaurie sketching the sunsetCliffs after sunsetView looking west from the cliff after the sun had set
After a week of lectures on Medieval Mystics and Masters that kept us out late every night, I ended the week photographing the Urban Olympics put on by a downtown charter school. Various professional offices and other businesses put teams together to compete in silly events, such as mop javalin throwing, toilet plunger toss, a rely race that included a mad dash in high heels — tag the rider for the tricycle slalom — tag the backward skateboard racer — tag the office chair drag racer — and lastly, tag the tricyclist for the final speed run. There was waterboarding, a 100 yard dash, urban bowling with orange barrels and shopping carts, water fights, and other events. Cherry/See/Reames Architects, who shares office space with ARC, and one of our staff members participated in the event.