December 12, 2007

It's been a good couple of weeks here in NM. And it's always nice to come home to the Holiday Inn Express at the end of a long day out in the cold. This is the staircase that leads up to my room on the second floor. It's all very festive and cozy. There is a fireplace at the top of the stairs, too, and a Christmas tree in the lobby.

This is a star hanging from a giant mobile in the lobby. I think it is a totally cool mobile and am thinking I might take a stab at making one for myself sometime.

July 17, 2007

Today's photo features Ale (Alejandra), prepping soil samples. I know you can't really tell, but she IS smiling under her N95 dust mask (standard equipment when one is sifting soil). I've done my time prepping, too, but today I "got" to sit and run the analysis on the XRF. Yup, a dream job, it's true!

July 16, 2007

It's what's for lunch! Okay, I confess, I love the creamy tomato soup, and this puppy microwaves in less than two minutes. When I was a little girl, my grandmother worked for Campbell Soup Company, so there is a bit of nostalgia there, too. I even have the Campbell Soup Kids dolls (still!).

Well, off I go... it's mmm... mmm... good!

June 25, 2007

Today, Michael made me a fantastic salad and an Enormous artichoke for dinner (oink!). Before dinner we walked downtown in Silver City and I took photos of several of the old buildings. Very picturesque!

This building was, according to Michael, a brothel at one time. It's quite pretty. Can't you just picture the "Ladies of the Evening" draped over the balconies calling to the miners?

This is the local Episcopalian church. It has lovely stained glass windows.

This is the 1st ChURCh of WhAT'S HAPPENING.

Michael, leaning on a fence.

June 14, 2007

O.K., remember the bird nest from the 12th? That was, like, the day-before-yesterday? Compare that to today - same nest! That bird has been BUSY!!

June 13, 2007

Tonight, Steve, Michael and I had dinner at Isaac's, after which we walked to Penny Park (which is a TOTALLY cool community-built park). I went on the swings and down the slide. Way fun. During our postprandial stroll I picked a piece of lavender and Michael picked the mimosa flower, and combined with a rock I had collected earlier, voila! The Picture of the Day!

June 12, 2007

Now, here is a clever bird! I'm thinking that wire is supposed to keep the birds away, but this bird had used it to advantage and constructed a very sturdy nest! I was getting a book out of my car when I heard singing, and when I looked up, this is what I saw. How totally cool!

Bonus photo: This is the top to one of my favorite pairs of pajamas (looooove pajamas!). It's Earl and Mooch from "Mutts." I LOVE Mutts! Mooch reminds me of my kitty, "Hey Cat," (who's since gone on to that Great Litter Box in the Sky). Hey Cat would eat that bird up there! I remember the time he came in and threw up a scorpion on the carpet. Sniff sniff. I miss him!

June 9, 2007

Down the hall from my room: the Enemy of Good Eating Habits. D8, the peanut M&M's, is my downfall. I swear, I will NOT succumb to temptation, tonight...

June 6, 2007

I drove up the fence at the smelter this morning. This is what's left of one of the stacks. Large metal tension bands had held the stack together, and so it retained a bit of its shape after it fell. The second stack was just a pile of rubble.

June 5, 2007

Today, when the stacks fell, I was staring at this: The console of the treadmill in the cardio room at the Holiday Inn Express. I just couldn't do it - go watch, I mean. Steve went and got video, as did many, many other people, and I've viewed the video and photographs. It was fascinating. Over quickly. Huge cloud of dust. And I was plodding along, listening to my iPod, watching the clock until I knew the moment had passed.

Bonus photo: Michael gave me this darling little cactus that has been putting out these lovely pink blooms. I've got it on the window ledge in the hotel room. Makes it feel a little more homey.

June 4, 2007

For the past year, this has been the view whenever I have driven to the trailer that serves as our field office. The smelter stacks in Hurley. Tomorrow morning at 10:00, explosions will destroy these two sentinels that have stood for decades, keeping watch over this small community.

I know they are inanimate objects, and I would be thrilled if a similar fate were in store for, say, Glen Canyon Dam, but I can't help but feel a little bit sad.

June 3, 2007

Just a still life of the coffee maker, cups, and a lovely little cactus plant that Michael gave me. The cactus has two pink flowers, although they're kind of hard to see in this picture.

May 8, 2007

Still sick, so today's picture features items in the nightstand: Jelly Bellies from the Tour de Gila, a new pair of socks from my Mom, a couple of rock samples that Steve and I picked up on Saturday, and a tile from Michael (it matches some salt & pepper shakers that I have).

Two hot showers and a hot soak in the tub, today. If I don't feel better tomorrow, I may go back to Phoenix. We'll just have to wait and see.

May 7, 2007

Not fun! Got some sinus crud going on. Feel like my head is in a vise. Stayed in bed ALL DAY! Did read a trashy romance that I found on the bookshelf out by the fireplace. Took a hot bath. Sigh.

May 2, 2007

Today was our Construction Manager's last day on the project, so we had cake to wish him farewell. It was chocolate marble with whipped cream frosting: deeelicious!

April 2, 2007

Steve's here! Steve's here! And this is where we ate dinner. The place was a three-ring circus! We ate at the bar facing a big-screen television. I had a yummy chicken taco salad. We watched some baseball, and then the NCAA basketball championship came on. It was rather cool that the 'Gators won back-to-back victories with the same five starting players that won last year.

March 31, 2007

It's a beautiful day, today. I know because I stepped outside briefly to retrieve my camera from the trunk of my car. The snot-producing machine called my nose is still in full action, so I thought I'd spend the day in my room resting.

One of the nice things about my "home away from home" is that I generally get the same room every time I stay here, and right outside my door and around the corner is THIS. Yup, a gas fireplace and a small library. It's at the top of the stairs (with a lovely wooden banister), that sweep up from the lobby below. Last night I borrowed an "Archy McNally" mystery (Archy's Risk), from the library and then read it while I soaked in a hot bath.

March 29, 2007

After arriving in Silver City on Sunday and being greeted by beautiful clear skies and warm temperatures, yesterday the weather decided that it was time to depart March "like a lion!" It's been windy and the thermometer is dropping below freezing at night. Wouldn't you know it: I didn't bring ANY long underwear nor my cozy winter cap. Ah, well. It's supposed to start warming again soon. In the meantime, these wildly blowing grasses caught my eye.

February 7, 2007

After class, today, a group of us fellow employees went to dinner to continue "bonding." The food was quite tasty!

February 2, 2007

Living in a hotel for three weeks straight can start to get tedious. I try to make it a little more homey by bringing my own supersize tea cup. I loooove Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies with my tea!