DataMike

The last two times I’ve gone on vacation, I’ve gone 2 hours out of my way to visit Fry’s Electronics. I’ve been to Fry’s in L.A., Phoenix and Austin. Each time it’s been a near religious experience. I’d sacrifice a goat, if I seriously thought it would get me one in New Mexico.

Imagine taking a Best Buy or CompUSA, multiply the floor space by 3 or 4 times. You’d have the usual white goods (dishwashers, fridges) and the computer systems and separate components. And, of course laptops, netbooks, mp3 players, and the usual apple crap. There’s the software and the computer books(but this time a real selection like Borders or Barnes & Noble). But also some real meat for an electronics tech: quality technical tools, RJ crimpers, digital meters, heat shrink tubing, oscilloscopes, discrete components (IC’s, transistors, they actually had a cross reference catalog),cool hobbyist kits like they had at Radio Shack back in the day, Parallax Stamp and Propeller kits. All of sitting on shelves like it was Wal-mart. Excuse me while I calm down… Please Fry’s come home. come home…

Valhalla

One of the visual indications of southwest flavor is the variety of murals on a lot of downtown buildings.

If you’re in San Diego, the first place to see is Balboa Park, which is huge with roughly 15 different museums (my favorite is the air and space museum).  Most of these pictures are from the Botanical Building with a couple from outside gardens.  The first picture is actually a stitched panorama using PTGui.

These are the door hangers(front and back) I print for my computer repair business,  Right now I’m getting ready for another print run, and I’d like to solicit any comments on the design (regarding effectiveness)

Computer Business Doorhangers

I use my Brother 4040cdn color laser printer to print the doorhangers.  The door hanger stock is bought from a local paper supply, the stock is 8-1/2 inches by 13 inches with 3 door hangers per sheet.  The holes are pre-punched with a perforated slit for each hole.  You need a paper cutter to cut them into individual hangers.

The White Sands National Monument is by Alamogordo in southeast New Mexico, best known, of course, for 275 square miles of gypsum sand.

Clovis, New Mexico is in the southeast area of the state close tomthe texas border.  At this point, Cannon Air Force base is its biggest economic source.  These are some shots of the local railyard during and after sunset

Clovis, New Mexico Railyard

Clovis, New Mexico Railyard

Corrales is a village about 10 miles northwest of Albuquerque.  The main street area is basically small art shops and restaurants.  As you go west from the main street you get up into the west mesa.   That’s were this panorama is from, specifically  from my niece-in-laws house.  Again This panorama is produced with PTGui.

Corrales, New Mexico

The mountains in the distance are the Sandia mountains that are visable anywhere in the Albuquerque area.  You can’t get lost if you tried; the mountains are always in the east.

Amarillo is about 3 hours drive east of Albuquerque.  Probably the most famous statue/roadside attraction is the cadillac ranch(you know, a bunch of cadillac cars planted headfirst in a row).  This is the other one by the same person about 10 miles south of amarillo

Huge Pair of Legs in Amarillo

You can read more about it here.

These were shot from my back yard last summer.  They are somewhat decieving, the moutains are a good 20 miles from my home and the pictures are 20 to 30 second time lapse.  The fires were  actually on the other side of the mountain.  The Manzanos run from Albuquerque to roughly 60 miles souths of the city.  I live about 30 miles south of Albuquerque.

Manzano Mountain Fire

Manzano Mountain Fire

The Sevilleta National Wild Refuge is about 50 miles south of Albuquerque.  The river you see is the Rio Grande.  You can’t see them, but there are some ducks along the bank.

Rio Grande Bosque

Rio Grande Bosque

both pictures are panoramas stitched with PTGui