life in roswell new mexico

I am still working at oil pump location.  I have been checking the weather forecast, but you can never trust it since New Mexico weather is unpredictable.  It changes so quickly.  This time I was hopeing to shoot a couple of figures but the sun never came up.  It turned out to be a cloudy day.  It is not so much fun getting up around 5:00am, but I have seen the most beautiful sunrise in my life.  Also by doing this project, I have learned so much about the sun and area around Roswell.  Hopefully I can get this project done before leaving Roswell.

before sunrise at photo location

My exhibition is up and my residency is about to end.  I have about 2 months left.  Time goes so quickly and I can’t believe that this will end soon…  Well, it was the incredible year and I have no regrets.

Anyway, I am trying to work as much as I can before I leave this place.  I have two more projects I want to finish. One of them is the on-going Hubbit project.  Right now I am shooting in front of oil pump about 20 miles out of Roswell.  It is a beautiful location with many antelopes running in the field. I am shooting at sunrise, which is one of the most beautiful time of the day.  But the thing is that winter is here and it is extremly cold… yes, I am in desert climate.  And I am wearing Hubbit costume, which is one long sleeve cotton shirt and thin white tights…  I feel almost naked. Yesterday I went out there to shoot and it was 24F.  The weather forecast said it was 24 but felt like 19F.  It did feel like 19F.  By the time I finished the shoot, my legs were numb and I couldn’t feel a thing…  I hope that pictures will come out good so that I don’t need to go back so many times.

show catalog

Finally the show opened.  It was amazing turn out.  So many people and such a good time.   Thank you for everyone who came to the show.   It will be up until January 4th 2009.  If you are in Roswell, please go see it at Roswell Museum of Art and Art Center.

I was so happy that Byron came up here to see the show.  WIthout his help, I couldn’t shoot at Sitting bull falls.  Such a beautiful place.  Thanks, Byron!!

Byron and me

And with Sally.

Sally Anderson and me

New website is coming soon.  Thank Jimmy for making me a new better site!  It should be done today or tomorrow.  Please come back to check them out.

Finally my photographs came back from the printing and mounting company. I opened the box and found out that the hanging bars on all the photographs fell off….. How am I supposed to hang them??? And the mounting job was poorly done….

It will be a battle tomorrow talking to this company. Wish me luck….

The exhibition still opens this Friday though.

So this time, we went back with all the equipments we needed to observe birds, such as egg sandwitch, egg nog, and binocular. It was probably the best sunset of the year. Amazingly beautiful.

Bitter Lake Sunset

The air looked pink and more birds than last time. The bird we wanted to see was the sand hill craine. They are the one frying in V-shape. Very big beautiful gray bird.

sand hill craine

After observing the birds by drinking egg nog, we decided to drive the path around the park. And see what we found.

Porcupine!!

He sure did look pointy.

So here is our pumpkin lantern.

Hubbit-o-lantern

The Hubbits are coming.

My Roswell show is coming up next month (opens on November 21st at Roswell Museum of Art) and I am getting ready for it. We have just made a trip to Albuquerque to pick up some plexi for framing and now Jimmy is slaving away to make frames for me. Thank you!! The show title will be “Secret Tribe of Hubbits” and it is all about my imagination of secret creatures. Right now I am waiting for my photographs to come back printed and mounted. I have never sent out my prints, so I am a bit worried about how they willcome back. They will be here next week and hopefully they will look great. Images of the new work will be up on my site shortly after my exhibition.

Jimmy working with our new plainer

I have been hearing loud noises coming from the sky recently. Today I went out to find out and it was at least 40 birds flying in perfect V-shape heading toward the Bitter lake. Yes, the birds are back! I came to Roswell at the end of January which was too late to see these migratory birds and I have been looking forward to seeing them. I heard that the birds come into the lake close to sunset, so Jimmy and I went to Bitter Lake wildlife refuge to see them flying in.

sunset and birds

We watched for a while and the bird traffic seemed to last forever. It was amazing to see birds flying in a V-shape. I have never seen these birds fly and I was impressed to see them take turns to be in different positions in the same V. Also when groups meet, some birds depart the original group and join the new one. Why is that? Because each group flies at a different speed or member birds are cooler in some groups? Or do they ever think? I wanted to stay and watch them but the sun went down and it started to get cold so we left. Next time I am coming back with hot coco and a blanket.

I have never seen so many fries… Here is a Texas style cowboy tater that we found at Eastern New Mexico State Fair. It was really good at the beginning but we started to notice vegetable oil dripping from our faces…

Cowboy likes fries

After this tater, I still had to consume a funnel cake. Who can pass up a funnel cake at the fair??