12 on 12 for December 2008

It was a Friday, a work-day, and not a lot was happening, but here are some pictures from my day.

6:36 AM - Home, in the family room.
Before work this morning, I wrapped a few Christmas presents. The story behind the little red velvet hat is that my granddaughter asked Santa for a "doll with a hat." I happen to know that Santa was already planning to bring her a doll, but it didn't have a hat. Grandma to the rescue! Now the doll will have a hat.
6:52 AM - On Eagle Ranch Rd.
I was stopped at an intersection, on my way to work this morning, and took the moment to capture the sunrise colors.
7:16 AM - Downtown Albuquerque, near the city plaza.
Still on my way to work, I swung by the city plaza. These statues sit on a wall there. The gentleman is the late Senator Dennis Chavez (1935-1962), a New Mexico senator remembered for his concern for the common folk. In this piece of art, he is depicted as sitting and listening to the needs of a poor lady, as he was often known to do.
8:08 AM - My office.
When I got to work, my teammates and I had to deal with some decision-making about what colors and fabrics and surfaces would go into the new office space they are creating for us on the upper floor of our building.
12:58 PM - Albertson's supermarket at Coors and Montano.
My work-day ends at 12:30. On my way home I stopped by a grocery store to pick up a dessert to take with me to a party tomorrow. I chose a white cake with raspberry filling and a cream cheese frosting.
1:10 PM - Albertson's supermarket at Coors and Montano.
The store had all of its Christmas decorations and items out, and I thought these poinsettias were really pretty.
1:17 PM - New housing development near Coors and Montano.
Although there's a "slump" in the housing market, Albuquerque continues to build. These are going up across the road from the grocery store.
2:05 PM - Home, in the kitchen.
After having a little lunch, I had to get to work emptying the dishwasher and tidying up the kitchen.
4:33 PM - Zio's, on Coors.
We decided to have an early dinner, to avoid the Friday night crowds. We went to Zio's.
4:39 PM - Zio's on Coors.
Their french bread is fresh and hot and delicious!
6:32 PM - Our neighborhood.
After dinner we went to the mall to pick out some luggage, which is going to be our Christmas gift to each other. On our way home we went by some homes with pretty holiday lights.
6:43 PM - Home, in the living room.
Here is the luggage we got. All of the luggage at Dillard's was either 50% or 70% off! We picked out these pieces, which were 50% off. I know my mother, when she sees this picture, is going to say, "UGH!" She really doesn't like green. But that's okay, it works for us. We are hoping to make a trip to Ireland next fall, and what better color than green for traveling there!

And that was my day! Thanks for stopping by.

12 on 12 for November 2008

6:14 a.m. - Home office
After getting up and ready for work, I downloaded the current day's class materials for an on-line class I'm enrolled in, from JessicaSprague.com.


7:11 a.m. - Downtown Albuquerque
I was stopped at this intersection, on my way to work, so thought I'd whip out my camera and get a shot of some of the downtown buildings, in the morning light.


7:15 a.m. - McDonald's on Lomas Ave.
I decided to stop for a breakfast sandwich this morning. This picture was taken through the open drive-up window, as I was waiting for my order.


7:18 a.m. - My office parking lot
I always park in this same spot. Only a week or so ago, this tree was still hanging onto all of its leaves. This morning I can see right through it!


9:09 a.m. - The atrium of my office building


12:57 p.m. - At the Octopus Car Wash on Coors Blvd.
I left work at 12:30 p.m. and, on my way home, I stopped to get the car washed. It was badly in need of a bath!


1:15 p.m. - Costco
And then, after getting the car washed I had to fill it up. I paid $2.06 at Costco, although I saw one station selling for $1.99! That's the first time I've seen the price under $2.00. But, I didn't feel too bad about buying it for a few cents more, since we will be getting a lump-sum 3% rebate from our Costco gas purchases. Take a look at my last month's 12 of 12 to see how much gas has gone down in one month.


1:33 p.m. - Our kitchen table
By the time I got home, I was really hungry. I made a big, fat tuna sandwich for lunch.


3:02 p.m. - A medical clinic in Rio Rancho, New Mexico
After lunch, it was time to run a couple errands. I recently switched doctors and clinics, so had to go fill out a form to have my medical records transferred from the old clinic to the new one.


3:05 p.m. - Clinic parking lot in Rio Rancho
As I was getting back into my car, I noticed this lonely clump of wild grass, blowing in the wind. To me it seemed to say, "Winter is coming!"


3:33 p.m. - Bed, Bath & Beyond, back in Albuquerque
I bought a long rug, last week, to put in front of our double-sink bathroom vanity. It didn't fit right, so I returned it today and picked up two smaller rugs - one to go in front of each sink.


8:32 p.m. - On Paseo del Norte, heading west
This evening we attended a mid-week Bible study. Coming home on Paseo del Norte (a main east-west road), we met up with a road crew, laying out barriers for a construction project. The traffic stacked up a bit, but really didn't cause too much of a delay.


As you can see, it was a pretty ordinary day. Good night, and thanks for visiting me, and viewing my 12 pictures for the 12th of November.

12 on 12 for October 2008

9:29 AM - Going south on I-25, between Albuquerque and Socorro, New MexicoWe got up this morning in time to drive 80 miles, to Socorro, where Dan had been invited to preach. He occasionally "pinch hits" for the regular preacher, there. This is some of the scenery, zipping by as we were traveling.


11:58 AM - In Socorro, outside the church buildingAs we were driving away from the church, I took this picture. The congregation is very small, but they have a nice little building.


12:09 AM - Burger King restaurant,SocorroOur goal was to make it back to Albuquerque, in time to attend the 2:00 PM service at our home congregation. So we had to eat a very quick lunch. There was a Burger King in Socorro, so that's where we stopped.



1:12 PM - Going north on I-25, between Socorro and Albuquerque, New MexicoI snapped this self-(partial)-portrait while we were driving. You can see the road ahead, some of the scenery, and my arm-with-camera, reflected in my sun glasses.



1:41 PM - Near intersection of Paseo del Norte and Eubank, in AlbuquerqueWe are adding on to our church building. We drove around to the backside so we could see the progress.



2:58 PM - In churchWhen the service was over, I snapped a picture of this old favorite hymn - Amazing Grace.



3:12 PM - Going west on Paseo del Norte, AlbuquerqueAs we were heading home (with a planned side-trip to the grocery store), this car passed us. We both laughed. I don't think that's really what a sunroof is meant to be used for.



3:29 PM - Northwest AlbuquerqueGas prices are really dropping around here.



3:32 PM - Smith's Grocery Store, Northwest AlbuquerqueWe stopped here to do some shopping for the upcoming week. I like their produce section.



3:57 PM - On a corner near our houseThis bicycle has been chained to this street sign since Friday, Oct. 3. We figure that it was stolen, and then left there. But apparently the person who lost it doesn't know where to find it. I'm surprised that it continues to stand there without any sign of vandalism.


6:36 PM - Our family roomI was only half-watching this program on PBS about migrating birds, but all of a sudden I saw this picture and, although they never said where it was filmed, I recognized it as the Mendenhall Glacier in my old home-town of Juneau, Alaska! How cool!


6:55 PM - Our kitchenI was putting away some of the groceries that we bought earlier. This little extravagance gave me sticker-shock. I really wanted to use a whole vanilla bean in a recipe I'm making this week, but when I saw the price of $10.99 for ONE bean, I knew that I'd be cutting it in half and supplementing with vanilla extract. That's worse than the price of gas!

12 on 12 for September 2008

I was lucky this month, because I am staying at my mother's house, in Carlsbad, New Mexico, where I am taking care of my granddaughter for the week (she is known as Sweetpea in my blogs). That made for some fun photo opportunities for this month's 12 on 12, all of which were taken today, in Carlsbad. Since I'm away from home, I can't check the image data to see the exact times the photos were taken, so the times will be my best estimates.

8:30 a.m. - My Mom's house in Carlsbad, NM - Looking out her back door.
Mom lives in a community where the yard work is taken care of through homeowner fees. This morning Sweetpea was fascinated by the gardener, who was mowing the lawns. She waved every time he came by, and, occasionally, he saw her and waved back.


9:00 a.m. - The living room of Mom's house.
Sweetpea spent awhile playing with two of her "babies" and a little doll-sized kitchen. The kitchen came with a plastic turkey, to roast in the oven, but this morning she decided it would be more fun to roast such things as her babies' shoes, a hair brush, and pretty much anything else that would fit.


9:45 a.m. - From my Mom's back patio.
There's a pretty little man-made water feature that runs behind the houses on Mom's street. It is landscaped with plants, bushes and trees that do well in this southwest climate.


10:00 a.m. - On the bank of the Pecos River, in Carlsbad.
Sweetpea and I took a little walk along the river. The river is only a five minute walk from my Mom's house. This is the railroad trestle that crosses from one side to the other. I would have gotten a picture of the two train engines that crossed the river while we were there, but they were so noisy that Sweetpea got scared and climbed up into my arms. Hugs and reassuring came ahead of taking pictures.


10:15 a.m. - On the bank of the river.
A little speedboat on the river. I was hoping there might be some water skiers for Sweetpea to see, but we weren't so lucky.


10:35 a.m. - In a picnic shelter beside the river.
Okay, in my defense, I only raised boys! Sweetpea asked for "two ponytails" today. I tried, but they don't look nearly as cute as when her mama does them.


11:00 a.m. - Mom's living room.
Each day Sweetpea and I have done some kind of craft together. Today it was a bunny mask, made from paper plates. She enjoyed it, and hopped all over the house with her mask until we had to "hop" into the car to run an errand.


11:20 a.m. - Pecos Valley Pecans, a part of The CARC Farm, in Carlsbad.
My mom wanted to stock up on some pecans for baking. CARC, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving people with developmental disabilities. They run a store to sell the pecans they grow on the farm. While we were there, this little lady was cracking and sorting pecans.


11:35 a.m. - The Pecos River Flume at Carlsbad.
On our way back to my Mom's house from the CARC Farm, we drove by this huge flume. From SouthernNewMexico.com: "The Flume was completed in 1890 but was destroyed by a flood in 1902. Rebuilt in concrete, at that time it was the largest concrete structure in the world. It is in use today as part of the Carlsbad Irrigation District."


1:00 p.m. - The No Whiner Diner in Carlsbad.
I ordered "dino-nuggets" for Sweetpea, assuming they would be chicken nuggets. Sure enough! But they were in the shape of dinosaurs. She ate three dinosaurs for lunch! (And, true to the name of the diner - the No Whiner - she did no whining.)


2:00 p.m. - Mom's guest room.
Sweetpea went down for a nap after we got home from lunch. She's been sleeping on a little pallet on the floor this week. I'm sure she'll be happy to be back at home in her own bed, but she's been really good about sleeping, even in this unfamiliar place. I didn't want to use a flash to take the picture, but I kind of like how it turned out anyway. (I used some lighting effects from Photoshop Elements.)


5:30 p.m. - Mom's family room.
Before dinner, Sweetpea discovered her sun-hat in her suitcase, and wanted to wear it while she watched a "My Little Pony" video (thus the glazed-over look in her eyes).


Tomorrow morning Sweetpea's mama will come for her. It's been a great week - a bonding week - for Sweetpea, Grandma and Great-Grandma. Thanks for the memories!

12 on 12 for August 2008

1) At home, in the kitchen, at 6:08 a.m.
Some fresh strawberries to go along with my bagel for breakfast.


2) At home, in our office, at 6:26 a.m.
After breakfast I checked my email, and took a quick look at the Scrapper's Guide newsletter.


3) On our driveway, in my car, at 6:51 a.m.
As I looked up the street, to see if it was safe to pull out of the driveway, I saw how golden the morning sun was making everything, so stopped to snap this picture.


4) In the parking lot of my workplace, in my car, at 7:21 a.m.
It took me excactly 30 minutes to get from home to work. Not too bad.


5) The hallway of my workplace, at 8:26 a.m.
It looks pretty empty - a lot of my colleagues work flexible hours, so might not be here this early.


6) At my workplace, in my office, at 9:29 a.m.
I brought a snack of almonds and raisins, and nibbled on them all morning.


7) At my workplace, in my office, at 11:15 a.m.
I spent a lot of time this morning making appointments and arranging meetings for my team.


8) At my workplace, in my office, at 11:58 a.m.
We use color-coding in our filing cabinets, and this bin holds a supply of empty folders. I love the colors - but maybe that's because I have no window in my office, so am easily amused by a little color.


9) At home, in our family room at 1:20 p.m.
I only work until 12:30 p.m., and then come home. Once home, I ate a little lunch while watching Burn Notice on TV. I only recently began watching this program and am finding it pretty good! This is the star, Jeffrey Donovan, as agent Michael Westen.


10) At home, in our dining room at 3:27 p.m.
I spent about a half an hour writing a few notes to drop in the mail, tomorrow, to friends.


11) At home, back in the family room at 3:29 p.m.
I recently bought this exercise mat, and am trying to use it on a daily basis. Ugh! I really do hate exercising, but I'm hoping to start seeing some results soon . . . and that would be encouraging!


12) On the deck in our back yard at 6:19 p.m.
Some clouds were gathering on the horizon, and this jet plane was heading right into them, making what I thought was a pretty picture.