Sunday, April 27, 2008 - Albuquerque NM

New Mexico hasn't seen the last of this guy

New Mexico has a firm hold on my heart - I'll be back come next fall. This is one beautiful, friendly state I want to spend more time exploring. Once I get my affairs in order back in Red Rock I'll be headed back to New Mexico for next winter, hopefully in time for the Albuquerque Balloon festival in October. A sizable contingent of Lazy Daze folks gather there each year and I'd like very much to join them.

First stop - the Apple Computer store in Albuquerque

My trusty iBook laptop is showing its age and I'm beginning to think about an upgrade. It works splendidly but with all the pictures I've been taking out here I'm running out of hard drive capacity. Plus it might be nice to have a faster chip and a bit more screen real estate. Unfortunately for my pocketbook I've discovered Apple has equipped its MacBook successors to the iBook with glossy screens. The screens offer a beautiful, crisp image but unless room lighting is carefully controlled reflected glare spoils it completely. Alas I fear that would be a big problem in the RV with it's big windows. I may be forced up to a MacBook Pro model where anti-glare screens are offered as an option - but, other than whacking my budget, that might not be a bad idea. The processors are faster, hard drives are bigger, and bigger screens are available too. We'll see....

Night camp

Wal-Mart Parking Lot in Albuquerque NM

Wal-Mart Supercenter in Albuquerque NM

Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #835, 400 Eubank Blvd Ne, Albuquerque, NM 87123 - (505) 293-8878

Good level parking
Verizon cell phone service- Very good
Verizon EVDO Broadband service - Very good
Find other Wal-Marts in the area
Check the weather here

Crayfish Chimney

Late one afternoon I sat upon my camera case beside the path where it wound through the darkest part of the woods, down near the pond, and watched a crayfish building his "chimney," the land entrance to his underwater tunnel. He had just started to work above the ground when I first arrived. He came up through the moist black earth, carrying a ball of it between his two enormous fighting claws. Using the claws as hands, he spread the soil around the hole to form the base of the chimney. He then backed down the hole and after several minutes came up with another armful.

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