It's All Happening at the Zoo

Today was the first day in a looooong time that it went above 45 degrees. Well hell...I sure wasn't going to stay inside on such a beautiful day. So after work I headed to the Rio Grande Zoo along side the Rio Grande River. It has been a good 10 years if not more since I was last there and it sure has grown. Thought I'd share some pictures of my day with you.

I'm losing it.

As I re-read my 'museum' post I kept thinking something was missing.After two days and several re-reads I realized I had forgotton to post several pictures. At one point my computer crashed and I did not post them. So here goes. Remember, to see a larger version of the pictures below click on them. Most have been resized to make them easier to load [I'm still on dial-up]. The exception being the last one. I wanted you to be able to clearly see the size of this sculpture. The scuplture is directly across from the National Atomic Museum.

Day at the Museum Part Deux

Most of the major museums in Albuquerque are across the street from Tiguex Tricentennial Park [yeah..Albuquerque turned 300 this year...but we don't look a day over 259] The National Atomic Museum, Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque Museum of Art and explora!. I took a walk around the area and captured these images. Many bronze sculptures were to be found.

Day at the Museum

Wow...busy day for me. Decided to hit the Museum of Natural History and Science today. Similar images were posted in one of my first posts: ARTbuquerque; however, I uh...uhm...well see its like this...ok ok...they were out of focus...there I said it. hahaha...

Anyhow...just a few snapshots of the day. Enjoy.


As you approach the entrance your eye catches this image in the window.


One million years B.C. give or take a millennium.



The main reason for going to the museum today was to see a new exhibit called START UP: ALBUQUERQUE AND THE PERSONAL COMPUTER REVOLUTION.
Here is some trivia info for you, did you know Bill Gates [yeah that Bill Gates] and Paul Allen, founders of MICROSOFT started their company in Albuquerque?? They were here four years before moving to Seattle to be close to their families.

The museum exhibit follows the history and evolution of the personal/micro computers. If you happen to be coming to town I highly recommend it.

Here I am waiting to be digitized.


I've been digitized. Beam me up Scotty. Scotty?? SCOTTY??? HEEEEEEELP! i'M CAUGHT IN THE MATTER/ANTI-MATTER TRANSFER DEVICE!!! JANE!! STOP THIS CRAZY THIIIIIING!!!


On board the starship Enterprise?? No, this is the first video game SPACEWAR -- designed simply to sell the computer. The designers had no knowledge of things to come. Written in April of 1962 by Steve Russell, Peter Samson, Dan Edwards and J Graetz, the two player game consisted of two small spaceships flying around shooting at each other trying to avoid gravitational pull of the central star.


The grandaddy of all computers: UNIVAC [UNIVersal Automatic Computer] was the first commercial computer made in the US and delivered in 1951 to the US Census Bureau.


When I was 17 I worked for Sandia National Laboratories. The computers back then [yeah..I'm dating myself ] were huge, filled a room and still used reel to reel mag tapes. I remember the secretaries using punch computer cards. We used these things called 'floppy discs'.

The Altair 8800. The first commercially successful personal computer.


Does not compute does not compute. I remember the first time I ever saw a 'mouse'. I was at a friends in the oh...mid 80's and he was showing me the computer and said "pick up the mouse" at the time I had no idea what a 'mouse' was. I picked it up...upside down. My friend rolled his eyes and said 'not like that'. The rest is history.


Hey mac users...remember these??? HAHAHA

hahahahaha...too funny.




There was this GREAT framed piece of art made with hundreds of vacuum tubes. The perfect gift for a computer geek.








After this nostalgic tour I can't help but think of one thing...I'VE BECOME MY DAAAAAAAD!!! AAAAAAAHHHH!! hahahahahah.

The Albuquerque Museum of Natural History and Science
1801 Mountain Rd NW
Open daily 9am to 5pm
And its only $7 bucks!!! dig it.

www.NMnaturalhistory.org

Viva la Raza

So I'm getting cabin fever already being stuck inside due to the cold and snow. I decided to run to the video store just to keep busy [I rented Syriana, Holy Grail and X-Men 3 for those keeping track]. When I came out it was snowing like crazy. Funny thing though...as I'm driving south on San Pedro to Gibson THE SUN COMES OUT!!! I've seen rain and sun but never snow and sun.

As I drive west on Gibson it clears up even MORE. I look back and there is this ominous cloud hanging over the area I was just in. I decide to make the best of it since I have my camera with me and head to the National Hispanic Cultural Center. I had always seen the rooftop peeking over Interstate 25. Now was as good a time as any.

The center is used of course for cultural events and houses a magnificant auditorium. Of course gift shop and restaurant included

Your first sight is the Torreon [tower] It is sealed until 2009 as an artist is painting this 'fresco' inside. It's a beautiful building in its simplicity.

The architecture of the main building itself is very beautiful taken from Mexican pyramid style.

These huge steps also function as seating for events on the plaza.

One thing I have always liked about New Mexico are the clouds. As did D.H. Lawrence, Georgia O'keefe and Ansel Adams. I should note Steve Martin also mentioned them in the movie 'LA STORY'.









Another thing I like about the southwest is the marriage between Native American and Spanish architecture. The mixing of adobe and hand carved wood as in doors, vigas, window frames. Very 'earthy' style.













One interesting note. When the land for the National Hispanic Cultural Center was purchased, several families were bought out. Except for one. They STILL own two houses on the property. When they would not sell, the center was built AROUND the two still standing houses. Had a hispanic center of national importance tried to use eminant domain to evict a hispanic family the press would not have been very good to be sure.Its kind of odd to drive up to the center and see these two houses in the middle of the parking lot.




www.nhccnm.org