Adios Albuquerque, Bonjour Berkeley!

 

Has it been an inexcusably long time since my last blog post?  Yes.  Do I have an excuse?  Of course!  July has marked the beginning of a remarkable journey in which I have bid farewell to my hometown of Albuquerque, and hello to a new life in California.  My journey to Berkeley has been to pursue a Masters degree in Architecture, and begin an odyssey into a new chapter of my life.  My mom and I loaded up a moving truck, I took the reigns, and we drove across the country to sunny California!  I will have to say that one of the most strenuous parts of any move involves the packing and unpacking of stuff.  The unbelievable amount of stuff that one accumulates over the course of many years can be nothing short of overwhelming.  Without having too much of this 'stuff' to pack, I somehow still ended up with boxes upon boxes piled in my apartment.  Very slowly these boxes are being unpacked; and I am attacking them with the same ferocious procrastination as I attack most things. 

Seasonal Switch-Up

If there's one thing you can count on in Albuquerque, it is the unpredictability of the weather.  Spring not only shepherds warmer, longer days and relief from bitter winters; but also wild weather fluctuations.  It is also not entirely uncommon for the mid-year snow storm to blow into town, and turn things upside down.  This climactic curiosity came about in mid May, when a snow storm rolled over the Sandia Mountains and left a decent dusting of fresh snow.  Luckily, I was caught in the middle of it, and was able to experience a high-desert snow storm in the throws of Spring.  Photographs taken with Minolta XE-7 on FujiPro 800z film.

Joyeux Anniversaire

Joyeux Anniversaire, originally uploaded by Design.Her.

Today is the welcome to another year on this Earth; here comes twenty three! My mom, my sister, and I went to the bosque to take some photos today, birthday balloons in tow. They were remarkably patient with me as we stumbled and walked precariously through the fallen leaves and roughage. We all took some pretty close calls when a seemingly steady surface turned out to be a sinkhole of leaves. They were good sports, and I cannot thank them enough for being such amazing helpers.

Maggie - "How does the photo look Miranda?"

Miranda - "....you look.... cool."

Oh, teenagers.

Not only was today my birthday, but also the anniversary of getting my camera one year ago. The last year of photo taking has been such a great adventure. I have learned so very much and developed a love for photography. I hope my camera and I have many more years of photos.

Farewell to Twenty Two, originally uploaded by Design.Her.

This was taken yesterday to celebrate the last day of being twenty two. 

Pride 2010

To the Beat of One Drum, originally uploaded by Design.Her.

My first, and certainly not last, Gay Pride parade. I have either not been able to go before, or had to watch the parade from work. Either way, I was very excited to go this year! The weather was beautiful, and the spirits were high. Mike, Tara, and I staked out a pretty good spot; and Mike and I got to shooting.

Everyone was so fabulous, posing for the camera. Some hamming it up, others showing just how fierce they could be. I must say, I've never seen so many boobs and butts in one day. For that matter, it was a very successful event.

For just about half an hour, Central Avenue was lined with rainbow clad onlookers, joyful parade participants, and [best of all] CANDY!

Albuquerque, stay PROUD.

Bad Romance, originally uploaded by Design.Her.

The Lady is a Tramp, originally uploaded by Design.Her.

The Skipper, originally uploaded by Design.Her.

United Colors of Pride, originally uploaded by Design.Her.

David and Goliath, originally uploaded by Design.Her.

¡Baila!

Cast a Spell, originally uploaded by Design.Her.

I have always found flamenco to be quite fascinating. The power, passion, and artistry that so many have put their souls into is something that is worthy of tremendous respect. However, I still haven't found my way to actually trying it. Lucky for me, my good friend Kris is a flamenco dancer, and she was kind enough to let me borrow her for an afternoon of photos.

We jaunted down to the New Mexico Hispanic Cultural Center and the historic neighborhood of Barelas to have our fun. The Cultural Center has been host to numerous flamenco, folklorico, and other dance performances, including one going on this week; so fitting in was no problem.

Kris was a wonderful model; and although she was still for most of the shots, I hope I get to see her in action soon.

Summer Satisfaction

Summer Satisfaction, originally uploaded by Design.Her.

The past few days we have experienced record breaking temperatures in the city and there are very few options for cooling down. With the mercury hitting 100 degrees and above, I would love to live in a swimming pool. Although I don't have complete access to any large pools of water [this is a desert after all], There are some other ways to cool down.

Walking a couple of blocks to Gecko's to enjoy a couple of cape cods and tasty tapas was a welcomed chill out from the hot day. This photo was part of the June photo-a-day project, but doesn't it just look so good? Mmmm... may just have to go grab another.