Showy Daisies in the Valles Caldera.
Globe Mallows near the Jemez River.
Oak tree near Battleship Rock.
Birch, maybe?
A caterpillar at home on an oak branch.
Moth blending in to ponderosa pine.
More oak.
Trees damaged by the wildfires near Las Conchas.
Firs in the Caldera.
Last Thursday I attended my first burning of Zozobra – Old Man Gloom. The burning of the 50 foot effigy is the opening celebration to the Fiestas de Santa Fe. There there were bands, mariachis, lots of food, fireworks, dance and fire. Lots of fire. Read more about Zozobra here. View more pics here.
Old Man Gloom waiting patiently for the festivities to begin.
A fire dancer walks among the crowd before the festivities begin.
Another fire dancer in the crowd.
The queen of the Fiesta de Santa Fe for 2011.
A young girl watches as the queen of the Fiesta approaches.
A smaller version of Old Man Gloom can be seen among the crowd.
Fireworks illuminate Old Man Gloom just before he bursts into flames.
Old Man Gloom goes up in flames.
Having been here a little over three months, I’m still getting used to a few things – slower life style, more fresh air, cooking at a higher elevation, etc. One thing that still makes me catch my breath like a kid at 4th of July: Animals. I’m talking about being woken at 3:30am because a bear is going through the trash; or looking out the window while making a cup of coffee to see a buck staring at you from 7 feet away; or driving down the road and being stared down by a coyote two lanes over; or humming birds dive bombing you as you try to grill because you’re standing too close to their feeder (seriously, humming birds are the douche bags of the avian world).
I love this little town.
I’m finally taking the time to start exploring Los Alamos and I decided to check out Fuller Lodge and its surroundings.
One of the benefits of being home during the day is being able to make dinner. Last night’s dinner came from two places: an arugula salad from Mark Bittman and barbecue chicken from Serious Eats.
Barbecue chicken with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce.
Strawberry and Arugala Salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
Sourdough toast with chevre (soft goat cheese), tomato slices and avocado. Salt and pepper to taste.
Plate of goodness.
Chicken tastes better with charred bits.
Normally I don't like strawberries but they tasted great at the Co-Op.
The toast was my idea. Chevre tastes a lot like cream cheese. But more goaty.
by Salvador Zapien