Katherine Makes Her Way Up White Sands

This is White Sands, New Mexico, about 40 miles north of Las Cruces off Highway 70. White Sands is a gypsum deposit. Gypsum, which is water-soluble, is formed on mountains and washed into the sea by rivers. This being the center of the 6500-square mile Tularosa Basin, the gypsum deposits at White Sands had nowhere to go, thus forming these stunning dunes the color of snow.

Don't be fooled by our cold-weather attire. There is no snow at White Sands. It was just a windy January day. The gypsum was packed relatively solid by rain the night before this video was shot, but you can still sink into the surface near the tops of the dunes, as you can see here. Watch all the way to the end to get an idea what happens when you finally emerge into the endless white vista beneath a New Mexico sky.

Being there took my breath away. Behind me there are mountains, not shown here, which just...just...just go there. There is nothing like White Sands. I was moved.

Posted via web from Will Conley's Random Things

Christmas Eve Morning Walk - Roswell

First Snow...

...and it's still going. These photos were taken about two hours ago. Big, fluffy, relatively warm, white rain. It puts a freeze on things - tempers, insects. More to come tomorrow after B and I take some daylight snow shots.

Sunday Afternoon in Cahoun Park

This photo collage depicts today's jaunt in the park. It includes a very large grasshopper on a basketball court fence, Brittany and I playing a couple of rounds of HORSE (I lost both) with our new ball, some goofing around in the playground areas, shadows, Brittany's eye, and yes.

A Weekend in Albuquerque

Enjoy the slide show of our 24-hour excursion into the place where Bugs Bunny shouldn't have taken that left turn (eh, look it up, Doc). Slow the slide show down with the controls if you want to. You may also turn off the captions by clicking the green talk bubble thing, but this is only recommended for emergency use. My wit is not to be missed. Finally, if you would prefer to see these photos much larger, just click the blue link at lower left (or click here.) And hey stick dude, if you're reading this and you want to see that short silent video I took of you, scroll down a couple notches or click here.

Jesus Defiled

Someone defiled this statue of Jesus in a cemetery here in Roswell.

Stick Dude in Albuquerque

I don't know what this art is called, but this dude is pretty graceful at it. This public park is off Central Ave. SW and 10th St. near downtown, a block away from Java Joe's.

New Mexico Miltary Institute

The New Mexico Military Institute is a high school, junior college, and military school all in one. I recently read that the place is getting more mainstream than militaresque of late. However, you can still see the "new recruits" at the beginning of each term poised out on the lawns holding their rifles at the ready. There are no pictures of that, but here are the grounds, both in video form and in slide show form. If you would like to read more information about the place, click here.

A Rainy Reprieve

People love it when it rains in the Southwest - especially here in Roswell, New Mexico. It is raining now, outside my window, gently, as I type this. I was supposed to go to work this morning, but the rain will delay our work. I am a roofer. A blue collar worker. I like it very much. Even though I have plenty of snobby background, there is nothing like working off my abundant male energy on the roof of a house in 90-degree weather.

This area is blessed with the most ebullient cloud formations I have ever seen in real life. The sky is so big. The wind carries the water droplets across the land, where they explode onto the Roswell sky in every direction. Artists over the past century have flocked here in smallish numbers to paint the towering arrangements of clouds. Victor Higgins is my favorite sky painter. Look him up.

Normally it is very hot here. This first-floor apartment is usually muggy and suffocating, even when the weather takes a turn for the cooler. I usually prefer no clothes at all when I am indoors. The blinds shut, of course.