El Cazador De Suenos

It's a shadow from the candle candelabra on the picnic table in our backyard. That's what it is. You might think that this is a contrived shot, but it isn't! I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Wrought iron makes for great shadows and this would be wrought iron n the miniature I guess!

And what's with this doll? Find out more about it by going to this link here. Which will also explain the title of this posting!

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted!

You can also view all Shadow Shot postings I've done by scrolling all the way down and on the left side you will see an archive of labels for my posts. Look for Shadow Shot Sunday and click on that link for an "all you can view" buffet of shadow shots!

Snow on the Sandia Mountain!

This was taken last night in front of Rio Rancho's City Hall right before sunset. It was taken on my cell phone, no less! But, here it is, not even Halloween yet and we have snow on the Sandia Mountain. We even got a bit of a snowfall this afternoon too! The fruitless mulberry trees in our neighborhood usually drop their leaves just before Thanksgiving. You can just about set your clock to them as they loose their leaves somewhere between Nov.15-18th. Many of them dropped their leaves today and we suspect that our giant in the backyard will be raining leaves all day tomorrow.

It is so strange to have winter come so early here. This is not unusual for folks up in Colorado to experience this, but here in Rio Rancho? Unheard of!

We know that Angel Fire has gotten three feet of snow between last weekend and today (you can check out the images posted on their Facebook page by becoming a fan).

I feel a bit shortchanged on the fact that fall did not luxuriate in the manner that it typically does.

It'll be a three dog night again here tonight!

Oscillating Ornate Obsidians

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. Our Host, Mrs. Nesbitt hails from Great Britain. Says Mrs. Nesbitt: "Some have been with us from the very first round, others have joined in along the way! What fun! Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture! ABC Wednesday is now entering a 3rd year of fun! I'll raise a glass to you all!". We started with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter is, "O".

The mighty oak. A common symbol of strength and endurance.

The humble onion. Where would we be without this in our daily diets? Life certainly would not be as tasty! What is even more fascinating are the medicinal uses for onion. Some claim it to clear the congestion up in your lungs by cutting it in half and rubbing it over your chest. It is at least a harmless thing to try and the worst side effect you could have is your mate complaining of the smell!

And this little lovely is for my shrine donation for the up coming on line auction to benefit the Oaxaca Street Children. I'm almost done with the shrine (not much time left!). The auction will begin next week and I encourage each and everyone of you to at least stop by the site to see the auction items and bid on a few things. The monies raised from this will go to the orphans of Oaxaca and it will provide them with a high school education. Talk about the "butterfly effect" and making a difference! Consider this a collaborative project: for those that organize it and work with the orphans (by the way, this is a grass roots organization, so all the money goes directly to the children), for the artists who create and donate their art, and for YOU in bidding and buying one of the donated pieces of art. Click here to see what I created and donated last year.

Obsidian. I like that word. It sounds nice just to say it! This here is an obsidian scalpel from website of the Maricopa Community College in Arizona. I didn't know about the honing aspects of obsidian (click through the link to find out). Worn as a pendant (not the scalpel, but just a polished stone), it is thought to also absorb all the negative energy in the room. Yah, I can just hear some of you now saying that you need to wear a boulder sized pendant!

Bonus round: opu. That's a Hawaiian word for "stomach"-not the organ, but that part of your body that we all want to look flat.

Osculation. Weird word; sounds a bit on the naughty side. Well, it kind of is. It's kissing.

Not to be confused with osculating; which is a differential geometry of curves.

Osmium. The densest natural element: it is a metal.

I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted!

Discover the Talents Within Yourself

Our Lady of Kazan Monastery

It's not too often that I'm on this part of 4th St. in Albuquerque, but whenever I am, I am tormented by the fact that I don't have my camera with me to take a picture of this wonderful church (Our Lady of Kazan Monastery).

So, my most 'recent' trip to that area, I thought I was clever enough because I did bring my camera with me and I planned to photograph this on the way home when the light was at it's best. All I got was this ONE shot. Failed the "Girl Scout" test that day as my battery went kaput.

But, I guess, one shot was enough. It will have to do for now. The bonus is that I have a nice shadow of the light pole in the mural on the church. I'm good with that.

Thanks to everyone on the well-wishing earlier this week. I am on the 'other side' of the flu (yes, it was the dreaded flu that the media loves to sensationalize) and almost feel my 'normal' self again. It's nice to have all that positive energy coming my way!

The title for today's post is inspiration from the Fortune cookie that came with my lunch. I think that the journey of that discovery is an on-going one, isn't it? Sometimes it's in high gear and sometimes many jump starts are needed. Ebbing and flowing. Learning to be patient with yourself and others as we are all students here and teachers.

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted!

You can also view all Shadow Shot postings I've done by scrolling all the way down and on the left side you will see an archive of labels for my posts. Look for Shadow Shot Sunday and click on that link for an "all you can view" buffet of shadow shots!

No-knock Nincompoop Nibbling a Nesselrode in the Neritic Zone

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. Our Host, Mrs. Nesbitt hails from Great Britain. Says Mrs. Nesbitt: "Some have been with us from the very first round, others have joined in along the way! What fun! Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture! ABC Wednesday is now entering a 3rd year of fun! I'll raise a glass to you all!". We started with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter is, "N".

Neon

I have to do neon-even if I've done it before (have I? I don't know...)

Norfolk Pine

We have plenty of those in Hawaii. We cut the tops off of the tree (they get as tall as a two or three story building) and use them as our Christmas tree. The tree grows back another top or two. Pretty cool that you don't have to waste a whole tree! They also make a great windbreak.

Nut

Not much to say about this nut except that it was by Tom Sawyer's Island at Disneyland!

Nativity (of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

That's the church that we go to on 4th and Alameda. Now it has a beautiful bronze statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary out in front of it.

OK, so about this no-knock thing...it's a warrant that can be issued by a judge to allow the police to enter without knocking. Now, I'm not saying at all that no-knocks are nincompoops. It just happened to be a great way to string unrelated words together! Perhaps it is those that are being no-knocked upon that are nincompoops?

Nesselrode is a pie containing a mixture of fruits and nuts. Did you already know that?

Neritic. Certainly not used in day to day language. It sounds like a dead zone to me, but nothing could be further from the truth! Follow the link to find out what it is.

Nystagmus. It's a form of involuntary eye movement. Follow the link to learn more about it (truly fascinating).

And there you have it, the letter, "N"!

P.S. I am really sick in bed with the flu, so please forgive me if I cannot get to your sites to see what you have posted.

A Four Course 'Meal' of Shadow Laden Aspens...

A few weeks ago I was up in Northern NM with Linda. We had planned the trip in hopes of catching glorious fall colors.We did not find these colors right away as it seemed as though we were about 2 weeks early. Linda decided to take a scenic (and longer route) home in hopes of seeing the aspens at higher elevations in their glory. We headed up towards Chama and came across the State Hwy. 64 to Tres Piedras. Eventually, we did find our aspens. If you take the link to the map (Hwy 64 link), make sure you zoom out far enough to see Hwy. 84 on the left and 285 on the right with 64 connecting them. The 'hybrid" choice of this map will give you the topography.

A random side road that we pulled over on at the last second yielded these beauties. And the sign? Wow. What a bonus! Even more random than the road we turned on! How and why the heck that sign was there is a mystery to both of us! But, how inspirational!

Intersection of light, shadow, and tree trunk...

And this one seems to have a personality of its own.

Ad infinitum....the glory is yours now and forever!

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted!

You can also view all Shadow Shot postings I've done by scrolling all the way down and on the left side you will see an archive of labels for my posts. Look for Shadow Shot Sunday and click on that link for an "all you can view" buffet of shadow shots!

That's a Mighty Mama Mia!

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. Our Host, Mrs. Nesbitt hails from Great Britain. Says Mrs. Nesbitt: "Some have been with us from the very first round, others have joined in along the way! What fun! Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture! ABC Wednesday is now entering a 3rd year of fun! I'll raise a glass to you all!". We started with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter is, "M".

Mask

An old mask at that. I wish I could tell you where this mask hails from and how old it is, but at the time, I was so enraptured at taking pictures in this shop, that it did not occur to me. The name of this shop is Maison Faurie Antiques in Taos, NM. If you are passing through the town, be sure to stop by as he is on the Plaza. The proprietor is quite a character. If you do take pictures, ask first. If you ask, he will be pleased that you did. If not, well, then you get to experience the flip side of personality (I didn't, but he told me about it!).

Macro

I suppose I don't post my macro shots enough as I do have a ton of them. This is a close up of a gazing ball in my garden.

Mesa

Mesas abound here in the southwest. This lovely mesa is up in the Abiqui area, not too far from Ghost Ranch and not too far from the Chama River. And, yes, those colors are real. You can see why Georgia O'Keeffe fell in love with this countryside. The geology here is breathtaking.

Miniscus

Don't you just love that word? I do. But, I am a bit of a geek, so I would! This was from a drawing assignment in my first (and only so far) drawing class. It had to be done in graphite and it had to have hard light edges and you had to include the miniscus. The assignment was to draw an object in a glass of water. That way you had to capture the qualities of water, reflection, distortion, etc.

Are you ready for the brain twisters?

Mesophere. It's a middle layer in the earth's atmosphere. Not an everyday word, though, is it?

Next up, we have metier. A vocation, trade or ministry. I don't know about you, but I don't think I've ever heard that word in a sentence!

Have you ever received a mignonette as a house warming gift? Neither have I! Mignonette is also a sauce from French cookery. I think I'd rather have that than the plant.

Alright, just one more, if you insist!

Mimesis. It has to do with mimicry. The link I've provided here has a rather lengthy explanation of it (worth the read). You know, there is a branch of science called, bio mimicry. Scientists study how nature does things and they try to mimic it for practical applications. Such as, the mystery behind the strength of a spider web. For it's scale, it is stronger than any steel or titanium cable we could contrive. And yet, the 'how' behind it, I believe is yet to be unraveled.

And, there you have it people! The letter, "M". Brought to you by moi. Me. Myself. Molokai Girl!

I'll stop now...

The Seat of the Navajo Nation: Window Rock

The government seat of the Navajo Nation, Window Rock, is not in New Mexico, but in Arizona. For those that live here, this seems like such a ridiculous thing to state. But, unless you live here, you probably don't' know that or ever thought about it. After having driven through Navajo Country, I will say that although it is an isolated area, it is stunningly beautiful and diverse. This formation, which is the namesake of the Government Seat, is a testimony to that effect.

This area is also a Veteran's Park which can jar your senses if all you were expecting to see is a fabulous natural formation.

But, I will say that I am quite distracted as I write this. Sunday, the 11th, Father Damien of Molokai will be canonized as a Saint. I've waited all my life for this. And, this story is one that few people know about unless you are from Hawaii or Belgium.

I created a body of work in hopes of using it as a 'teaching tool' to tell his life's work story. I hope you visit the site that explains the work:

www.damienofmolokai.blogspot.com

I have this body of work on exhibit in a commercial building not too far from where I live. There are no art venues in my neck of the wood, so this location will have to do. This Sunday, I will host a reception for this work from 2-4 p.m.. Stop by if you are in the area! The address is 1515 Golf Course Rd. in Rio Rancho.

I've worked my tush off on this project and I am happy with the outcome. A HUGE challenge! Even if you're not in the area, at least check out the site listed above.

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted!

You can also view all Shadow Shot postings I've done by scrolling all the way down and on the left side you will see an archive of labels for my posts. Look for Shadow Shot Sunday and click on that link for an "all you can view" buffet of shadow shots!

Leaping Lazy Lizards Leave Lithoania Lickey-spilt!

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. Our Host, Mrs. Nesbitt hails from Great Britain. Says Mrs. Nesbitt: "Some have been with us from the very first round, others have joined in along the way! What fun! Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture! ABC Wednesday is now entering a 3rd year of fun! I'll raise a glass to you all!". We started with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter is, "L".

Ladder

Hey, not just any ladder! This one happens to be many hundreds of years old! It is a ladder at the Bandelier National Monument Park here in NM. An ancient civilization lived here.

Ladybug

They possess magical qualities, you know. They are good luck, amongst other things. I found this one lovely in a wooded area in the Taos Ski Valley.

Loco Moco

A Hawaiian 'fast food'/diner menu item. My son loves these, but when I make them, I don't make the eggs so raw. This is what my brother, Tim Mondoy ordered when we had that last breakfast together as a family in the summer of 2008. The Hotel Molokai kitchen made these for his breakfast. This one contains a side of macaroni salad and a side of Kim Chee.

You can make this island concoction rather easily at home. I usually keep the rice part already cooked and frozen-ready to go after reheating it in the microwave oven. The burgers I get from Costco (a 'bulk/warehouse style grocery store) which are frozen but already fully cooked. And I keep packages of brown gravy mix handy. So, you heat up your rice and burger patty, prepare the gravy mix according to package instructions. Then, in this order, the rice gets plated, the burger patty goes on top of the rice. Next, the brown gravy gets poured over all of that. Top it off with eggs fried to your liking (sunny side up or over). It is too hearty of a breakfast for me (and I don't do burgers myself), but it certainly stays with you all day! A 'healthier' version of this would be to use a whole grain brown rice (instead of white), and use a veggie burger instead of beef. Bon apetit!

Laundry

On the line in a back yard of a home near the Plaza in Taos, NM. Don't you just love the energetic, graphic image on those sheets? How do they sleep...

OK, I am so busted! Nothing I am writing about in this post is related to the title except that they are the letter "L".

But, boys and girls, ladies and gents, I do have some brain scramblers for you again!

How about, "Oh! My aching lamina!"

Or, lysin? Ummmm, can you use that in a sentence, please?

Let's not forget the ever popular lamasery. It doesn't even mean what you think it might mean based on its sound. How about a monastery for lamas? I guess you'd have to be Tibetan first!

And the old leatherneck. Maybe you've heard of that word in your life time; I don't think I have! I'm sure a modern day Marine has....

I'll Have The Clay Jar, Please...

Why do I like shadows so much? I'm not sure I'll ever know.

I will say that whenever I need a shadow image, I just go to my file named, "Shadows" and cruise through it until I find one that I haven't used yet and pleases me at that moment. It's like going to a restaurant with lots of good things to choose from.

Today I was in the mood for something soft, simple and curvy.

"I'll have the clay jar, please."

Oh, I almost ordered a side of the window rock in Arizona, then thought that I wasn't quite in the mood for it. That would be too much.

Maybe a side of another canoe image from Molokai?

Hmmmm...no, just the clay jar, please.

Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Hey Harriet. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted!

You can also view all Shadow Shot postings I've done by scrolling all the way down and on the left side you will see an archive of labels for my posts. Look for Shadow Shot Sunday and click on that link for an "all you can view" buffet of shadow shots!