Chile Pepper High

Hummingbird of the Day - Painted

I offered a couple pictures of Rufous Hummingbirds a two days ago. I must admit, I have a soft spot for their coloring - very southwest!

Well, here is a nice painting of a male Rufous (notice the large red patch under the chin) from New Mexico artist Jon Conkey. Check out this and other paintings here (small one per day site) and here (his main site):

River Rocks

they’re born as boulders
not puny little rocks
slammed against others
fractured and ground round

they come from mountains
grand, tall, large, in command
crash down bust open wide
stumbling stone tumble weed

thrust up from the earth’s core
each range reveals a story
energy of eons compacted
proud glimpse of the inner heart

river rips, mills, and collides
unrelated rocks slice and smash
boulders to pebbles to sand
edges sanded soft round

sun bleached and crowded
on a ride always losing more
self as water drives pries
away the mountain range

we are all river rocks sloshing
down life’s path smoothed
by time rammed into each
other made round and small

spawn pebbles set off
grains collect and harden
sink into the hot inner core
molten souls waiting to be born

WhiteSands21.JPG

WhiteSands21.JPG
Originally uploaded by Lisa Haneberg.

I couldn't resist!

WhiteSands25.JPG

WhiteSands25.JPG
Originally uploaded by Lisa Haneberg.

I put up another 15 photos from White Sands to Flickr. These are all numbered WhiteSands21-34. This is from my morning visit and the lighting is much more moody.

White Sands National Monument - Photo Batch 1

WhiteSands11.JPG
Originally uploaded by Lisa Haneberg.

I just uploaded 20 photos from my afternoon visit to White Sands National Monument. Click on this picture to be taken to Flickr to see the others.

I LOVE this place and am going back for more tomorrow morning.

White Sands National Monument - part 1

This 7 minute podcast was recorded atop a gypsum dune at White Sands National Monument.


MP3 File

Blue Front Café

The window A/C unit is screeching
nonstop at the dive on route 180,
Glenwood. Best of the three
food dives in this five block town.

Nice lady brings me a vat of iced
tea and I pour in a cup of sugar.
Says she doesn’t want me to go
home thirsty – no chance of that.

Got red chile today they were
out last time and had green instead.
Nice lady asks the three people
eating if they got enough to eat.

Peeling old wallpaper held up with
cheap framed art, one says, beef it’s
what’s for dinner, one has pink hibiscus
that don’t grow in these parts.

Chalkboard lists today’s homemade
pies, coconut crème and carrot cake
which isn’t a pie but it’s on the sign.
Nice lady brings red chile enchiladas.

White cowboy hat man is cutting
hay today. Hoping it doesn't rain
later. Nice lady says winter will
be cold according to the almanac.

Cook chats with white cowboy hat man,
swinging a blue fly swatter up and down.
Nice lady asks if I had enough to eat.
Cowboy hat man has a vat of tea, one dollar.

I feel guilty leaving so much undrunk
tea so I gulp it, which I will regret down
the long twisty road back to the casita.
Nice lady smiles.

Casita de Gila

Casita de Gila
Originally uploaded by Lisa Haneberg.

Here's another shot of my casita at Casita de Gila. I snapped this mid-day, as I was coming back from lunch at the Blue Front Cafe in Glenwood (about 35 miles north of Gila). Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas with an egg. Yum. Anyway, I noticed the mountain glowing in the back as I came in and captured it on "film."

Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird
Originally uploaded by Lisa Haneberg.

This is a female Rufous Hummingbird. Notice the pretty iridescence under her chin and on her back.

Rufous Hummingbird 2

Rufous Hummingbird 2
Originally uploaded by Lisa Haneberg.

Here is another shot of this pretty female Rufous Hummingbird. She is posing. I think this is a female because the male has more red under the chin and is not as greenish on his back.