Virtual-Doug

Remembering Karen

Last week was wonderful.  A family thing.  A good thing.

Angel Fire, New Mexico, has been close to my heart for years.  Along with Karen, the Mystery Guest Blogger and I bought a small two-bedroom condo there back in 1991 – eighteen years ago.  Back then, the MGB and I lived in Albuquerque and we spent a lot of time in Angel Fire – winter and summer.  Karen brought her kids and grandkids there to ski.  Last June, the MGB and I took two of our grandkids there.  I blogged about their adventures with horses, pueblos, baseball, and their being “unwired.”

Just before Karen died, she asked my brother to organize another family reunion.  She wanted the family to gather in Angel Fire, to laugh together, and maybe drink a few homebrews.  She also wanted us to ski down her favorite run and sprinkle her ashes on the snow.

And we did.  Karen was called Mom, Sis, mother-in-law, aunt, Grandma, sister-in-law and a bunch of other affectionate names.  On Tuesday, we gathered at the base of the mountain near the main lift to say a few thoughts and prayers.  Her two children hugged – and laughed – and were thankful for the gift of having Karen as their mother.  One of the Karen’s favorite poems was read – and she had written it on this same blog way back in April 2006, while the MGB and I were still living in Việt Nam. 

Did I mention that we partied too?  Karen was anything but a stick-in-the-mud.  One of her favorite toasts was “This is why we go to those sucky jobs!”  There was a lot of laughter – just as she wanted.  We enjoyed ourselves.

We also had a chance to celebrate the cycle of life.  Yes, Karen left us but we had a new addition to the family.  Having a baby around was a real treat – Paul and Kymberlee shared Evy with all of us.  A clearly emotional Grandpa Dick charged all of us with the responsibility of ensuring she be dedicated to God.

The condo is for sale now – another of life’s changes.  It has been a wonderful escape place over the years.  We drove home, through the snowy valley.  As I drove, I thought of having Karen and Evy there to teach me what gifts I have been given.

Thanx, God.

Shootin’ the Game

Shootin’ the Game

My wife says it keeps me off the streets and out of the bars.  True enough, but I do love shooting high school sports.  I sell the photos to the Progress Times , a local weekly newspaper,  and I sell the photos on my own web site, RGVSportsPix.com.  The money I make hardly justifies the amount of work, but its fun.

Sharyland High School is close by the house.  Last night, the boy’s had a big game against a district foe.  Two undefeated teams (undefeated in district play, that is) duked it out.  It was a nice cool evening – perfect for a basketball game.  Admission is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for students, but I just flash my press credentials and get in free.  (No, I don’t get to eat for free.  If I go to the snack bar, I pay like every one else.)

(Don’t forget – click on each photo to see a full sized version.)

I like to get there a little before the game starts so I can shoot some of the JV game to get “warmed up.”  Yeah – I know that sounds silly, but shooting fast moving sports requires I get myself into a groove.  The gym is still quiet – only parents show up for JV games.  That’s too bad because this game itself is exciting, even if the home team Rattlers lost by a bucket that was scored by the other team with 1.5 seconds left on the clock.. 

As the JV game wound down, the fans begin to fill up the bleachers.  This was a big game and the excitement was high.  High school students, wearing t-shirts and face paint, help put some electricity in the air.  These girls made a lot of noise – I mean a lot of noise.  Later in the game, when an opposing player made a shot that touched nothing,  the cries of “air ball, air ball” were heard every time that player touched the ball again – and the taunting came from these sweet gentle young girls.

Before the game starts, I head over to the scorer’s table to get photos of each team’s roster.  Besides taking the pictures, I have to write a “cutline” for the newspaper – the little caption that goes under photos you see in the paper.  The purpose of a cutline is to identify the athletes in the photo as well as give basic information about the game.  I have taken photos of the rosters so many times that most of the scorers see me coming and just slide the scorebook toward me with a cheerful “Hi Doug.”

After the warm ups, introduction of the players, and the singing of the National Anthem, the game starts.

The lenses I use on my camera are called “fast primes.”  That means they do not zoom in and out and it means they let in more light than most lenses.  I use two of them:  an 85mm f 1.8 and a 135mm f 2.  I need as much light as possible because most high school gyms are very dark and I must shoot with a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action.  When I use the 85mm, I sit right on the floor at the baseline – far enough away from the line so I don’t get clobbered by players diving after a loose ball.  I sit rather than stand so that I am look upward – that minimizes distracting backgrounds and adds an unusual angle to the photo so it will attract the eye better.  Looking up, I get shots like this.

I use the 135mm lens up in the stands.  This lens creates a different look.  I can either get photos of an isolated player dribbling or catch the action under the boards.  Yes – this is the same guy you see in the above photo.  I had to feel a little sorry for the opposing player who was a split second too late in getting his feet planted, so he not only had two points scored over him, but took a knee to the chest.  He was a bit woozy getting up off the floor.

Of course, the coaches are fun to watch too.  Sharyland’s coach is not a Bobby Knight type, but in this nail-biter game, he actually got a little excited.

After an overtime period, the home team lost – their first district loss of the season.  They lost by one point after one of their best players missed an easy lay-up with 1 second on the clock.

The agony of defeat as the winning team jumps in celebration.

Football American Style

Trang went to her very first American football game last Friday night.  I say “American football” because in the rest of the world – including Việt Nam – football means soccer.

Interscholastic sports are unique to America.  Yes, I know there are a few colleges in Canada and northern Mexico that play sports, but it is not the norm.  Americans not only love sports but they believe there is much value in sports for their children.  Sports are a part of a young person’s education because many parents believe athletics teaches kids to work hard to achieve success, to play as a team, and to use failure as a learning tool.

Trang went on the perfect night for her first game – it was a game close to the end of the season with a lot of importance.  I was also Homecoming – that distinctly America ritual where past graduates come back to school for a football game.  Each Homecoming is celebrated by the election of the Homecoming Queen (some schools have Kings too). The crowd was large and noisy.

And she saw the game at field level.  Yeah – I got her in the gate as my “assistant”.  See that camera around her neck?  It’s a lot older than she is – I bought it in 1969 (strangely) in Việt Nam.  We arrived early enough for her to watch the pre-game warm-ups, the singing of the National Anthem, and the coin toss.  It took awhile to explain the large snake was a representation of the team’s name – the Rattlers – and when the team came on the field, the players would run out of the snake’s mouth with much cheering and yelling from the crowd.

(Be sure to click on each photo to see a larger version of the picture.)

The game was a total blur for her.  She had no idea what the rules were – or even the object of the game, despite my much-too-short lesson about each team having four tries to move the ball ten yards and eventually move the ball over the goal line.  I discovered American football is difficult to explain to someone who has never seen it.  I grew up with it – its easy for me - but not for Trang.  You try it - explain why a PAT gets only one point, but a field goal gets three points – and do it before the next play begins.  Why do they call it “football;” when the ball is usually carried in the hands?  Why is the ball shaped funny?

Half time was the Homecoming ceremony.  Trang saw marching bands and dance groups and cheerleaders.  I didn’t have time to explain the significance of the crowning of the Homecoming Queen, but she understood the winner was not known beforehand and that the announcement of the winner was very important to the girl who won.  She was also quite amazed that the girls she saw on the field were high school girls.  “They look much older.”

I actually put her to use as my “assistant.” I asked her to hold my long lens for awhile as I put a wide angle lens on my camera for some halftime photos.  Marching bands were something new to her.  As I came back from the middle of the field, I saw her sitting on a bench among a group of cheerleaders.

During the second half I could tell she was getting bored – probably not much different than if I were watching a soccer match.  I was loving the game – it was exciting and well played by both teams.  The game was decided with four seconds to go when the home team failed to make a field goal.  I think Trang was glad to hear the game wouldn’t go into overtime.

But she has now seen Texas Friday Night Lights.

Trip Finis

The two weeks has past.  The kids are now back in the familiar environs of home – back to being with predictable parents rather than the strange ways of two old people.

We never made it to Los Alamos – we substituted Red River.  It’s a funky old mining town turned ski resort.  In the summer, lots of flat-landers come to Red River to escape the heat of the cities.  The women shop in the myriad boutiques, while the men enjoy the saloons.

You may wonder why there are no pictures of the kids in Red River.  Oh yes – we had our cameras with us, but there was no opportunity to get pictures of the kids.  What happened was this: once I parked the car, I turned around to face the two of them in the back seat and told them to “get lost.”  We didn’t want to see them until they wanted to leave town.  With cell phone in hand in case they needed us, we turned them loose in the one-street village.

They had a ball – and took care of some of the money that was burning a hole in their pockets while wandering around.

One last comment about “unplugged.”  As we went back into the mountain areas outside Red River, Boy-san was heard to say “Wow!  This is great!  We’re in the mountains – and I’ve got three bars!”

We’ve spent the majority of our time in Angel Fire, home of the first memorial to the fallen warriors of the war in Việt Nam.  Erected in 1971 by Dr. Victor Westphall, and dedicated to his Marine son, Lt. David Westphall, the memorial remains a mecca for us old veterans of that unfortunate war.  Of course we had to take the kids there, though it was uncomfortable to answer a 13 year old boy’s romanticized questions about war.  “Wow, Grandpa!  You got a Purple Heart?  That’s cool.”

(As always, be sure to click on each photo – you’ll see the full-sized version that way.)

I’ll end this series of postings with random thoughts and photos of the last two weeks.

While in Taos, we spent a bit of time in a kewl store – the Overland Sheepskin Company.  Grandma had to try on a hat, but I couldn’t convince her to buy it.

Next - this is for my Vietnamese friends.  There is a pedaled conveyance called a xich lo or cyclo (say sick low) that is still very common in Hûe.  We saw this in Denver – it’s for tourists to take a tour around the downtown area.  I’ve never seen anything like this before in America, my friends – so don’t think they are common.  Oh yeah – the lady is the driver, not a tourist.

Zach turned into a wild and crazy teenager during the trip.  The teenager is just starting to break through the boy – there’s not much evidence of teenage angst or rebellion - - yet.  Don’t worry, Mom and Dad – the photo was staged. 

There’s lots of boy left in him – if there was something to climb, he found it and shinnied up.  We had a great time with Zach, and we were also amazed at how well he got along with his sister.  They were almost inseparable and seldom fussed at each other.  (When I was growing up, my sisters were my enemies.)

I worry about Ely, though.  More specifically, I worry about her father.  In the near future, this pretty girl is gonna break some hearts.  I have offered to help her father buy a shotgun, but he’s declined my offer so far.  Ely has a lot of self-confidence for an eleven year-old.  Breaking through the girl is an ability to be reflective and thoughtful.  There were a number of times when she surprised us with her insights.

What kind of a trip was it?

Fun.

Angel Fire (story and photos by the Mystery Guest Blogger)

We have loved Angel Fire, New Mexico for 20 years.  It was fun to introduce it to Ely and Zach.    

The first engaging things to them were the prairie dogs. 

Geared with a camera, water bottles, a pair of binoculars and two walkie-talkies, they went in pursuit. 

Of course, prairie dogs are elusive and quick – as you approach, they dive into their holes – but there are lots of holes and lots of prairie dogs!   

Lying in wait ultimately made a few pop out, but not very close and not for very long.   

Ultimately, his frustration won out.  But it was a great way to pass the afternoon in the beautiful Moreno Valley in the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Unplugged

The only thing better than this two week trip with the two youngest grandkids is the kids themselves.  They’re great!  (But – did you expect me to say anything else about my grandkids?)

I got a nice Father’s Day phone call from the kid’s father – the usual niceties from son to father and back.  However – most of the conversation was about his two youngest children and how they were doing with Grandpa and Grandma.  I sensed a bit of separation anxiety on Dad’s part.  It seems this was the first time Mom and Dad had been without their kids in 13 years. 

Dad said something during the conversation – he said he was glad the kids were experiencing life “unplugged.”

Yeah – right!

We went to Taos Pueblo today.  Taos Pueblo is the oldest continuously inhabited place in North America – over a thousand years old.  A remarkable place, really.  Dad – here is your “unplugged” daughter at the ancient place.  She is standing in front of a bread oven – and earthen device used to bake bread for hundreds of years.

Yeah – I’m old, but Taos Pueblo is really old.  The Tiwa language is an oral one, so there are no written records, but it is believed the village and some of the buildings are around one thousand years old.  Made of adobe (mud and straw), the buildings are renewed each year with fresh coatings of mud.  Yes – some members of the tribe still live in the ancient buildings, but if they do, they must do without electricity or indoor plumbing.  Most tribal members live in more conventional housing on the reservation.  I suspect most of them buy their bread at the supermarket too – but bread ovens do come in handy to make the flat bread sold to tourists.

The kids had another chance to be “unplugged.”  We went horse-back riding for an hour and a half the other day.  Angel Fire is surrounded by national forest land, and it was great ride through the woods.  The 11 year old climbed up on John Henry just like she's been riding for years.  Likewise for the 13 year old as he clambered aboard Blazer.  I was truly impressed with the confidence both kids displayed as they tried something new.  Our excellent guide (a senior at the University of Arkansas) brought us to a nice little mountain pond, where we enjoyed a nice break.

Ever had a picnic at 10,500 feet?  Neither had the kids, so we rode up on the lift that normally takes skiers to the summit.  Grandma (otherwise known as The Mystery Guest Blogger) packed a great lunch of finger food.  However, we didn’t want the kids to be totally “unplugged”, so we gave them a small walkie-talkie to carry with them while they explored the nearby woods at the mountain summit. We didn’t really need them though – the kids didn’t wander more than earshot away.   And yes – the views can be spectacular at the top.  The mountains seen in the distance are in Colorado, and the water is Eagle Nest Lake.

Unplugged?  Looking out over the Rio Grande at the Taos Gorge makes you want to plug the kids into a harness.  Of course, the 13 year old boy had to spit over the side of the bridge to see how long it would take to hit bottom, but he was never able to see it hit.

The trip is coming to a close.  We still have a visit to Los Alamos coming up, and I have other activities to write about, but we’ll save that for later.  We’ll put the kids on an airplane early Thursday, then make the long two day trek back to South Texas.

I wonder what we’ll miss most – the kids or New Mexico.

If I’d Known Grandkids Were This Much Fun, I’d Have Had Them First

What happens when you mix grandparents with an eleven and thirteen year old, add in the fact that the kids live in Florida, and then pour the mixture into New Mexico and Colorado?  You have two weeks of fun.

We picked them up at the Albuquerque airport – their first time flying by themselves.  Not knowing it is almost illegal to eat hamburgers in New Mexico without green chile, they opted for plain burgers after their long flight, and then we drove into the northern New Mexico mountains to the town of Angel Fire.  Yep – it’s the middle of June, yet there is still snow atop nearby Wheeler Peak.  (In case Mom and Dad are wondering where Boy Child got the knit hat, he found it – somewhere.) 

There was time for some late afternoon soccer practice among the prairie dog holes, as well as a nature jaunt with Grandpa.  (As always, be sure to click on the photos to see the full sized version of them.)

But, we didn’t stay long – it was off to Colorado for a few days with Aunt Patty and Uncle Russell.  The trip took about five hours, and even kids can appreciate great scenery.  Ah, what a great ride for these two bikers. 

Okay – whadya do in Denver that can’t be done in Orlando?  Go to a major league ballgame – in this case, the reigning National League Champion Rockies blew away the Giants 11-5.  Coors Field is a great baseball stadium – a place where you can enjoy a game with 28,000 of your closest personal friends as the sun sets over the nearby mountains.  Nobody commented on my Red Sox hat either.

Ever wonder why grandparents and grandkids get along so well?  It’s because they have a common enemy.  When the kids are away, the can usually do all kinds of things they might not get the chance to do at home.  How about a little pellet gun shooting in the back yard?  (Targets – not birds or squirrels.)  Or, how about playing in a high mountain brook? 

Oh yeah – don’t tell Mom and Dad we let them watch the movie “Strange Brew” last night.

This photo is of just another quaint western town, eh?

Actually, somebody had too much time on their hands, so they built “Tiny Town” in the mountains.  There’s a railroad and lots of buildings – all welcoming little kids (and a few big kids) to clamber around the town and inside some of the buildings.  Our two are joined by Aunt Patty’s niece for a little operatic fun.

Then it was back to Angel Fire.  Of course, this gave us lots of time to teach our grand children the serious aspects of life – to act soberly and correctly.  There is no place for frivolity in this cruel world, and we want to be sure they understand that.

In this case, they were practicing saying “Luke – I am your father.”

We’ll catch you up on the doings in Angel Fire at a later date – provided I live a bit longer.  These kids have more energy in their little finger than I have in my whole body and they’re wearing me out..

And we love it!

Look Out, Sports Illustrated – Here I Come

Yeah – I keep busy.  I’ve decided that all those photos I take at high school sporting events should not be wasted.

Take a look at www.rgvsportspix.com.  Mom and Dad can wander around and find photos of their star athlete, then order photos.

To add more choices, I’ve asked a couple of photographer friends to work with me.  My only problem will be to watch my ego deflated as they take better photos than me.

Let me know what you think – would you buy a photo from the site if you were Mom and Dad?

Keepin’ Busy

Yeah – keeping busy.  That’s the real reason I haven’t posted lately – I’ve been having too much fun.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know that Texas had a primary election recently.  In South Texas, local politics get pretty raucous.  One race for a state legislative office was particularly rough – at one polling place, the cops were called because the two candidates were going at it in the parking lot.  During early voting, anyone getting near the voting place was met with whistling and screaming – in Spanish.

(Be sure to click on the photos – you’ll see a larger version that way.)

Around here, we have a phenomenon called “Winter Texans.”  In Florida, they’re called Snowbirds. Escaping the harsh winters of the upper Midwest, these retirees enjoy the warm Rio Grande Valley.  This gentleman is 83, and retired from being a golf pro in Minnesota.  He still walks 18 almost every  day.  I took a lot longer taking the photo than I needed to – I just enjoyed nursing a cup of coffee and chatting with him and his buddies.

With the advent of spring sports, I’m not always shooting inside a “dimnasium” and it’s nice to get a daytime assignment too.  Of course, when I’m assigned to shoot a soccer game, I’m in deep trouble because I know nothing about the sport.  Nothing.  However, I know a good athlete when I see one.

Spring break starts this week for the public school students.  It’s a great time for kids to get in trouble, especially here in deep South Texas where South Padre Island is a mecca for hell-raining college students.  One student at a nearby high school lost a friend in January.  The buddy had just completed Marine Corps basic training, but died in a car wreck while home on leave.  From that sad experience came a school club promoting teen safe driving.

If you are a high school senior, you know your life is about to change – big time.  These three girls have lettered in varsity softball together for four years.  That’s quite an accomplishment. They’re good friends, and it was obvious as I was working with them during the shoot.  They kept insisting I take more photos – then I realized they were having more fun posing for the camera than they would practicing.  They laughed when I pointed that out, let me take one more shot, then went back to sweating in the sun.

Finally, I shot a track meet last Friday, but the start pole vaulter didn’t even make his first effort until the sun was low in the sky – low enough that the stadium lights were turned on.  The photo sums up the day.

Small City Doings, Part III

(You might want to read the postings below first so you understand this one.  Small City Doings, Part I and Small City Doings Part II )

Who doesn’t love a parade?  Its one of those things that kids don’t have to pull Mom and Dad out the door to go see – most folks love a parade.  The parade was to start at 6:30, but folks began to line the route hours before the start.  Popcorn to munch on, and lots of barbecue too.

(Go ahead – click on the photos.  If you do, you’ll see a larger version of the pictures.)

The last rays of the sun were still in the western clouds as the fire trucks, police motorcycles, and other noise making contraptions passed by, followed by the King and Queen and their Royal Court.  The evening was a little chilly (for South Texas – the temperatures were in the high 50s) and I wondered how cold the girls would be by the end of the parade.  I don’t think they cared.

One of the local VFW Posts had this Color Guard made up of old timers like me.  As I was taking the shot, a thought came to me – so I turned around very quickly to look at the crowd.  Sure enough, the crowd came to its feet to render honors to our flag.  That impressed me.

And – a parade has to have bands.  There were four high school bands and at least three junior high school bands.  I guess they had to do a couple of rehearsals to get ready for the parade - football season has been over for two months.  But they were all proud and loud.

Lots of pretty girls.  All the duchesses rode atop convertibles, including the Duchess of Plumbago.  (The Mystery Guest Blogger tells me her gown is the color of the flower.)  They smiled, alternated arms to keep waving, and pretended they weren’t cold.

 

This duchess cracked me up – as I approached her car, I saw the cowboy boot poking out from under her gown.  How “Texas” can you get, eh?

Some floats were very elaborate, as was this one – lots of flowers and well lit up entered by the nearby city of Hidalgo.  It’s a bit of self-promotion as it depicts the annual Festival of Lights held in Hidalgo during the Christmas holidays – and is good advertising to the many Winter Texans here for the season.

Speaking of Winter Texans, they are an important factor in the economy of Mission, Texas, (and the rest of deep South Texas) and an extremely important part of the Citrus Fiesta.  In fact, the parade had two separate categories just for Winter Texans to compete in – and still another category for “Golf Carts”, which was for floats built on the golf carts owned by almost all Winter Texans.  I just had to get this shot of our Canadian neighbors having a lot of fun, eh?

A lot of the floats had kids on them – what could more fun than watching a parade than being in the parade?  This float was from the Mission Police Department.  On it was a Color Guard made up of the some of the officer’s kids.  This young man took his duties seriously.  He would not drop his salute until I let my camera hang around my neck and return his salute.  His Mom and Dad must be very proud.

And horses – you just gotta have horses in a parade.  There was a group from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church called itself “The Cavalry of Christ.”  This rider saw the camera, and just put on a show for me!

It was a fun night, though this blogger was a tired old man by the time I got home.  In all, I took over 1,000 photos during the day – and that many an hour in front of the computer.  But the newspaper ran an entire section devoted to the Citrus Fiesta, and three pages of nothing but photos.

Yeah – it was fun.