Travel Photo Challenge Day 10 Cranes In The Mist Then & Now

December 31, 2020 Timothy Price58 Comments

Cranes In The Mist. November 2009.

Cranes In The Mist is one of Susan Brant Graham’s favorite photos that I have done. Below are some cranes in the mist from this morning, but they don’t quite have the same magic as the original taken in 2009. Susan is not only my photographer of the day for my last post in the Travel Photo Challenge, but she is also one of my favorite photographers, period.

Laurie and I have known Susan for 20 years now. It all started with the Albuquerque Rose Society where Susan, Laurie, Tristan, Susan’s mother, and I all competed in rose shows and rose arranging competitions. I believe it was the summer of 2007, Susan was taking photos of roses in our garden when her camera broke. She had a Canon point-n-shoot then. That incident inspired her to get a Canon 5D full-frame camera, and she started taking photography seriously. She upgraded to a Canon 5D Mark II soon after it became available. Susan is an OBGYN and also has a Ph.D. in Anthropology. Over the years she has won many awards for her photography. She wrote the American Rose Society guidelines for judging photographs of roses and published a book on matting photographs for rose shows.

Susan and I share the same birthdate, so we have used our birthdays to do photography day trips. Susan, Laurie, and I have also photographed various special events together. Susan retired a few years ago and has recently been working on projects that show how colorblind people see color and on genealogy. She has published books on El Dia de los Muertos parade in Albuquerque, her colorblind project, and she is currently working on a book or books based on her family genealogy. Susan’s blog is http://susanbgraham.com/blog/. She has not been active on her blog this year with all her other projects and the craziness of 2020.

You can see photos from one of our more notable birthday excursions to Abó Ruins and Quarai Ruins at https://wp.me/p1yQyy-2cH and https://wp.me/s1yQyy-quarai. El Dia de los Muertos parade and the Blacksmith World Championships were two of the more memorable events we photographed together. Photos from those two events can be seen at El Dia de los Muertos: https://wp.me/p1yQyy-Vg. Blacksmith World Championships: https://wp.me/p1yQyy-1BG.

My last set of travel photos for the challenge are of Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge along the Rio Grande about 55 miles south of Albuquerque. The photos were taken in December 2009 when Laurie and I drove down to explore the area. It was cold and wet, and we saw very little wildlife that day.

Jupiter and Saturn were in the trees tonight. December 31, 2020.

Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge

Travel Photo Challenge Day 8 Taos Mountains

December 29, 2020 Timothy Price47 Comments

Dawn glow

We go to Taos in northern New Mexico for Day 8 of the Travel Photo Challenge. In August 2009, Laurie and I attempted to hike to Wheeler Peak, the highest peak in New Mexico at 13,167 ft (4,013 m). We got up to around 12,500 feet and turned around because the weather was becoming cold and stormy. We still had a wonderful time with beautiful scenery.

The photographer of the day is picpholio nature photography at https://picpholio.wordpress.com/. picholio combines photography with his love for nature, walking and cycling. He mainly shoots in Belgium and the surrounding countries and does especially great macro photography.

Jupiter with moons and Saturn getting ever farther apart. December 28, 2020.

Canadian Geese echelon flying over the Rio Grande with the Sandias in the clouds.

On the way to Wheeler Peak, 13,167 ft (4,013 m)

October Owls

October 13, 2020 Timothy Price50 Comments

Daddy Owl was in the bosque.

The owls were out hooting back and forth to each other at twilight.

He flew onto the trunk of a cottonwood before flying over to cottonwoods by the clearwater ditch

Mama Owl was on the tip-top of Mia’s Tree.

Getting a good hoot in. I pushed this photo 2 stops to get a little bit of detail.

Otherwise, Mama Owl was a silhouette.

Cranes and Canadian Geese flew by Mama Owl on their way to roost.

Cranes’ Law

February 16, 2020February 16, 2020 Timothy Price37 Comments

Cranes’ Law: Cranes will double in number every few minutes from 2 to 4 to 8 and then there will be a crowd of cranes in the shallows.

If you take a left past Holly’s Tangle-Heart Tree, followed by a few hops, a dozen skips and a great big jump, you will be on the west bank of Rio Grande where, especially at sunset, you will see a magical view of the Sandias with the river flowing by in the foreground. In the shallows of the river, this time of year, you will see Sandhill Cranes. There were two cranes in the shallows when made the final jump as the sun slipped behind the horizon. I photographed cranes circling and landing south of me, and the last of the red blaze on the Sandias. I turned to look at what the two carnes were doing and there were four cranes. A few minutes later more cranes flew in, then more flew in until there was a crowd of cranes in standing in front of me in the shallows of the river.

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Six, Seven

Twelve

As many as 28.

Sparing match.

010O9634 — Did you see that silly goose?

The Twelfth Day of Bosque Christmas

January 5, 2020 Timothy Price23 Comments

Tomorrow is Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas. I wrote a version of the Twelve Days of Christmas using the bosque animals that starts with the 12th day of bosque Christmas. Special guest Suzette Presti was gracious enough to do the vocals. Enjoy.

The Twelfth Day of Bosque Christmas
Lyrics by Timothy Price
Vocals: Suzette Presti
Arrangement: Timothy Price
Guitar, bass, percussion: Timothy Price

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Twelve coyotes crooning
Eleven flickers flitting
Ten finches feeding
Nine seagulls sailing
Eight badgers burrowing
Seven cats a purring
Six crows a cawing
Five beaver slaps
Four geese honking
Three cranes in flight
Two owls to hoot and
A pterodactyl in the Tangle-Heart Tree.

Birds of the Day

January 3, 2020 Timothy Price23 Comments

0A6A7921 — Half moon, Canadian Geese, Sandhill Cranes, Seagull, Great Blue Heron, Crow

Birds that flew overhead when I walked out to the river and back this afternoon.

Sunset & Hawk

December 1, 2019 Timothy Price33 Comments

DSCF5035-Pano

Below is a Red-Tailed Hawk that was in an apple tree in Wagner’s orchard nextdoor. The first two photos were taken this morning, and remaining photos where taken this evening after sunset. The mud had dried a little in the evening, so I walked across the field to get closer photos. The hawk flew which allowed me to get backlit photos of it flying.