Sunday, May 1, 2011

Of Birds and License Plates


Carlsbad sunset from Ron and Barb's side patio.


This was our last night in Carlsbad. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. Sometimes when you visit family after a long time apart, the visit can be a stressful one. With this visit and our Texas one this was far from the case. We felt welcomed into warm, loving homes. We picked up friendships right where we had left them several years before. We were chauffeured, fed, pampered, shown the local sights and treated to memories that sometimes moved us to tears. Thank you all!




We loved spotting license plates with you, Ron and Barb. They have set a yearly tradition for spotting license plates from all 50 states and seeing how early in the year they can complete their list. The rule is that the plate has to be seen by both of them to count. Ron recalls a time in Montana when he got called out of a meeting at work to go to the lobby to see a car. Barb had spotted a Connecticut license plate in the parking lot and wouldn't let the lady leave until he saw it also so they could add it to their list. New England plates seem to be the toughest for them to collect. Alaska and Hawaii are easier to spot than New England states. What? Are you Mainers homebodies? Barb said that the lady had suggested removing the plate and taking it upstairs to Ron but Barb said she didn't have a screw driver with her. We found it all a lot of fun. We helped them add three New England states to their list as were perused the parking lot at Carlsbad Caverns. Yippee. FYI-National Parks are always a great place to troll for plates. They have a few elusive plates remaining on their list. Hopefully some adventurous people from South Dakota and West Virginia will be heading to Carlsbad, New Mexico soon!

On this last evening in Carlsbad I received a special gift. As several of you know I am a dinosaur in photography, clinging to film. Though I use digital and it is extremely useful for sharing images through blogs,etc. I prefer to use film cameras and create my images in a traditional wet darkroom. I love toy and vintage cameras. If I can get film to fit into a vintage camera I will use it with childish glee.

Ronnie remembered a box that contained photographic equipment that had made the move from Montana to New Mexico but could not remember where it was. He checked a few closets but it was Barb who found it. I know it involved a lot of effort on her part, plus a tall ladder. What a treasure to find Ron's mom's camera that she used to photograph all the kids when they were young. Mamie (Mary) was my husband's mom's sister. I am so thankful and honored that Ron would give me this camera.

After figuring how to open the Kodak Brownie 620, I took some toenail clippers and trimmed a spool of 120 film to load into the camera. This technique sometimes work to alter 120 film to fit into a camera that takes 620 film, that is no longer made today. It was too dark to use the camera that evening but I definitely would use it the next morning to photograph the beautiful bonsai -like tree in the front of their house.

Buz also gathered some treasures to take home to Wisconsin. Mamie had saved envelopes over the course of her life, ones that she had received as well as those addressed to Buz's grandfather and great grandfather. It was fascinating to see some addressed simply as, "Bob Call, Town". I guess you can do that when you live in rural America. I can actually remember that one time Buz received a letter that was addressed simply as "Buz, Dexter, Maine" so I guess the tradition continued for quite awhile before automatic sorting machines intervened to kick out such items .
He gathered a shoeboxful of such memories, resplendent with flowing handwriting and colorful stamps to accompany us home. Some will go to the historical museum in Dexter, Maine and others to siblings if they are interested. Hmmm... maybe scans of some of the envelopes will find themselves into my new work!

We also left Carlsbad with a new found appreciation for the winged creatures in our life. If you are a birder you will never be bored wherever you are. There will always be species to get to know, to watch, listen to. Ron and Barb were never without binoculars when they stepped outside their house and their eyes have been finely tuned to see birds' slightest movements. They have set a goal of seeing 600 different species (North America) and they are currently in the 500's. Ron said that when they first started, it cost very little per new bird spotted as they were all in their local area. As the list grew, so did the cost as they traveled further to capture the sightings. Now they are into the expensive phase of the bird spotting with dreams of ocean trips,etc. in their future. I am sure we will be more observant of birds now. We have a nice set of binoculars with us and we will take them with us whenever we are out of our car hiking!

Now we are off to Santa Fe and the solo part of our journey. No more family but maybe some new friends? I will take a workshop in Santa Fe to learn how to combine Encaustic (wax) with my photographs. I am not sure it will be something that I will embrace but it is something that I have been interested in for over a year.

Thanks, Ron and Barb for the wonderful visit and my new "old" camera.


Enjoying a sunset and some evening bird watching at Ronnie and Barb's


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