Sunset on the Sandias with cranes in the foreground from Southbend.
Just after sunrise one of the cranes made quite a show of dancing for another crane. There are 21 photos in the sequence with three intermissions. At the end of the post, I included an animated GIF that shows the crane dance in motion.
Quarter moon at sunset.
Daddy Owl slept through the show.
“How do you like my impersonation of a Crane?” Oh, Spunk! I think you look more like Chupacabra. “What do you know stupid Paparazzo?”
“We think Spunk looks a lot like a Crane.” Who asked you Daddy and Mama Owls?
Sandhill Cranes landing at sunset. Another colorful sunset. The sliver moon was just above the trees after sunset.
“It looks like the wind is blowing in a nice afterglow tonight.” Wise words Daddy Owl.
Crows on the crow highway.
Ducks basking in the afterglow.
Cranes, ducks, and geese enjoying the glow.
More crows heading south.
Sandias catching the afterglow long after sundown.
Clouds from the bosque view.
Frosted backlit leaves.
We had a light dusting of snow combined with frost this morning. The sky cleared in the early morning hours and the temperature dropped to 20ºF (-6.66ºC).
Cranes and geese in a frosty mist.
Frosted links.
Marina’s Incognito Pear tree all cold and frosty.
Snow and frost on the black bamboo.
“EEK! A mouse!” “Nice jump Dude!”
“That was close.”
“I’m not impressed.”
Intermission
“Did someone say ‘Mouse’?”
“Meh!”
“False Alarm!”
The excitement in the Rio Grande and bosque this evening. Cranes and owls. Spunk and Sasha had to comment.
Crows peppered the sky
Jets few by
Cranes fly by
Landing gears down
Mama Owl & Daddy Owl
Jupiter & Saturn
Setting Moon over Teagan’s Trees at Dawn.
MEMORIES
Lyrics by Ruelha
Music by Timothy Price
Vocals, Guitars, Bass and virtual percussion by Timothy Price
Memories is a new song collaboration with Ruelha at https://ruelha.com/. She posted the poem called Memories on December 20, 2020. I commented that it would make a good song. Ruelha gave me permission to see what I could do with putting her poem to music. The first go-around I used the poem as written using the reaping stanzas as the chorus. The first version is really long at 6:05. I asked her if I could cut out all but three of the choruses, and then I reworked the song. The final version is posted above. Ruelha posted the long version with her poem at https://wp.me/sb0Mrv-memories if you would like to hear the first take in comparison to the final.
The Rio Grande and Sandias at sunset. January 2, 2021.
Colorful clouds at sunset looking north on the levee. January 2, 2021
Sunrise. January 1, 2021.
I had a different post planned for tonight, but things got in the way. Happy New Year!
Seagull heading south.
Sandias, Rio Grande, clouds midday. January 1, 2021.
I was buzzed by a Bald Eagle.
Pink Sandias at Sunset. January 1, 2021.
Blonde Porcupine sleeping in the top of a cottonwood.
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
Our neighbor’s star reflecting on conjunction.
Mia’s tree (center), clouds moon, large cottonwood.
Susan’s Tree, Teagan’s Trees, Gabriela’s Tree, and Tiffany’s Tree from the levee looking northwest.
Shey’s Tree with the moon above.
Tangle Heart Tree embracing the moon.
Saturn and Jupiter. 6:15 pm, December 20, 2020.
Off Center & Not Even 