Catching a selfie at Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta 2014

My mom used to say she could be content just sitting in a parked car at the downtown square, watching the people go by.  And so I guess I’ve come by this pastime honestly.  If you, too, enjoy watching people, especially happy ones, you need to get yourself to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta — any session, any day.  ‘Cause happy people are everywhere you look.

Watching patiently as balloons lift off at daybreak.

Camera enthusiasts are some of the most focused people around — adjusting lenses, positioning their bodies up or down, and then wrinkling their faces to capture just the right angle for the best shot. (Sometimes I watch to see what they’re watching and then position myself in the same place for that same great shot.  Is that cheating?)

We saw some mighty big cameras at Balloon Fiesta 2014. No wonder it’s called the “most photographed event in the world.”

Others just enjoy sitting on the sidelines — taking pics and sending ’em on via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

Havin’ a ball tweeting pics of balloons (and people, too) to the folks back home.

Balloon crews are also watchable.  Like this threesome taking on the responsibility of letting the air out.  That’s right.  Not all balloons go up.  This team went through the motions of ballooning, right down to the moment of lift-off, and then took it all down.  It’s something they do, they said, to educate the crowd.  (And we learned a lot!)

Letting the air out at Balloon Fiesta

Even the official Balloon Fiesta Launch Directors — ZEBRAS, as they’re known — have fun at Fiesta.  Who knew you’d see grown men with tails acting official but hamming it up with the crowd all the while!

No one, however, commanded any more attention than this guy — Steve Stucker, C0-host and Weatherman for KOB Eyewitness News 4 Today.  Even at 4:30 AM, Stucker smiled, pinched babies’ cheeks, greeted the crowd standing around him, and then delivered the news onsite just as he does all nine days of Balloon Fiesta.  When we weren’t watching this always smiling man, we were staring at the buttons he’s collected over the years of attending balloon events.  An article on KOB 4’s site says, “Steve jokes that he is the Most Photographed Human at Balloon Fiesta.”

KOB New 4 Anchor and Weatherman — Steve Stucker, the Most Photographed Human at Balloon Fiesta

So, if you like people watching along with balloon watching, you need to book a trip to Albuquerque during Balloon Fiesta.  You’ll be smiling right along with ’em!

For more information:

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta: balloonfiesta.com 

Balloon Fiesta Photo Contest: http://www.balloonfiesta.com/event-info/photo-contest

Las Vegas — like no other city in the US!(

(We are republishing this post from Christmas 2012 so you can take a look at one of the most over-the-top holiday rooms we’ve ever seen — the Bellagio Conservatory in Las Vegas.  You just may get inspired to deck out your own abode accordingly!!

I’m one of those rare people who had never visited Las Vegas.  Now, thanks to working with Discovery Communications and training teachers in Clark County, Nevada,  I’ve been there three times since October!

And I like it!  There’s nothing better for me than strolling through hotel lobbies, looking at sculptures (especially love Chihuly!), artfully decorated rugs and drapes, fountains that shoot sky high to the “Star Spangled Banner,” and interiors that imitate street scenes in Venice or Paris or New York!

And then there’s one of my favorite hobbies:  people watching.  Which, in a town like Vegas, is a 24/7 pastime whether you’re on The Strip watching the fashion parade or in a casino catching glimpses of folks caught up in roulette or the new “penny” slots.

Fountains of Bellagio, Las Vegas

If you follow my blog, you may remember that in November, the Bellagio Conservatory was decked out with three-hundred-pound pumpkins, towering scarescrows, and a talking tree surrounded by lines of people listening for his next phrase.  It was, in short, “over the top”! (Click here to read “Fabulous Fall at Bellagio.”)

If I’m lucky, I’ll return again just in time to see the Chinese New Year display debuting January 9th, 2013.  (Click here for schedule.)

The talking tree in the fall display at Bellagio’s Conservatory

But during the month of December, the Bellagio Conservatory was all Christmas and winter wonderland — in the best sort of way.

If you want magic, you can’t get much better than this Bellagio dream world. It begins with a centerpiece tree reaching almost to the top of the Conservatory’s glass dome. Silver and gold bells (hung by brave people in cranes, I suppose) draw guests and photo bugs into the expanse, inviting us to leave the grown-up world at the doorstep to become a child again.  I did, for sure.

Visitors snapping pics of the Christmas bells and ceiling-height tree

Snowflakes, soldiers, and silver bells!

A wintry touch with snowflakes suspended mid-air

A soldier stands at attention near the centerpiece Christmas tree at Bellagio

In the center of room stood shoulder-high log houses resembling their miniature counterparts made of gingerbread.  And through the village ran trains on winding tracks.

Hundreds of poinsettias form the landscape for artful gingerbread houses

Varietal mums (the likes of which we don’t see in my neighborhood greenhouse) formed the base of the village with tags proudly defining the blooms and bracts.

Beautiful variegated leaves in these Picasso Premium Poinsettias

Probably more than one child has asked a parent if he can ride this rocking horse that almost reaches the height of the stars. (Another popular photo-op, judging from the families using him as a backdrop!)

Rocking gracefully — this horse stands tall among the landscape.

And penguins moved, too, flapping their wings and taking a spin around the ice as they showed off their best moves under the crystalline trees.

Home for the penguins — a miniature pond for skating!

Costumed carolers added sounds of the season and then graciously posed with young and old.

What fun! A picture with the Carolers at Bellagio!

Polar bears danced, pranced, and swam to the delight of everyone.  (An awesome sight made more spectacular when you realize they’re covered head to toe in white carnations!)

The center of attention — a polar bear of white carnations.

Later that week during the morning hours, we happened upon the “refresh” team cutting more carnations and doing balancing acts to make sure only the whitest whites would be visible to guests that day. (Reminded us of the Rose Parade preparations, if you’ve ever been to Pasadena.)

Cutting the stems of replacement carnations for the dancing bears

With thigh-high waders, this team works on keeping this bear lookin’ good!

And their efforts paid off.  Here’s that bear in great form!

The Bellagio’s floating polar bear!

Other bears required more maneuvering, but the prep was worth it!

A bit precarious, if you ask me, but necessary to maintain that awesome white polar bear appearance!

Perhaps it was by design that the section with the postcard backdrop (all flowers, too!) had the longest line.  Everyone wanted a family picture in front of Happy Holidays so that, I suspect, the photo could anchor their 2012 Christmas Card or, at the very least, be forwarded to Facebook and on to the folks back home.  We loved it, too!

A very busy, very popular Happy Holidays backdrop

Photos weren’t just taken by the guests at the Bellagio Conservancy.  Trains also got into the action. A camera mounted on the locomotive panned the crowd and then sent the images to a screen held high above the poinsettias.

An inset camera on the locomotive reverses the action by photographing the crowd!

Ohh, ahh said the crowd.  And then they pointed to themselves and smiled at the fun technology can bring!

Look!  Here we are!

Watching ourselves on the screen as the locomotive videos us!

Some people were definitely in the Christmas spirit. When we saw one person in front of a tree, bear, horse, etc., and one person readying the camera, we heard this quite often: Would you like for me to take a picture of the two of you?

And the answer was almost always Oh, would you?  That would be wonderful!

People loved watching others being photographed. Some offered to take pictures for them.

It worked for us.  Here’s our picture snapped by a very friendly visitor from Osaka, Japan!

Merry Christmas from Vegas!

So, from the Bellagio Conservatory to you, we wish you Happy Holidays and new travels in 2013!
Thanks to all of you for reading our blog this year.  And a special thanks to those of you who clicked Like or Follow. (Your support meant a lot.)

We hope to bring you more Places to See in the coming year!

Sincerely,

Rusha and Bert

Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

888.987.6667

http://www.bellagio.com/attractions/botanical-garden.aspx

For more information, check this out:

For us, the word relic seems linked to the phrase from the past. So, when we were driving through Spokane hunting for antique stores and came upon this farm relic from the past, we couldn’t resist stopping by for a closer look. Where had this old guy been?  What crops had it seen in better days?  What stories could it tell?  All unanswered queries, of course, but this old relic has present-day charm for those of us who love faded glory, peeling paint, and the encroachment of rust.  You just can’t beat relics of the past for reminding us that there were other times with other useful instruments, and some of what we know and use today will be relics in the future.

For more relics, click here for the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Relic.

If you’ve been following us this past week, you may be among those who looked each day at three photos and voting for your favorites to submit in each of the five color categories — blue, yellow, red, white, and green.  You have been awesome!  Thanks for your support and for comments and votes.

So here are our entries in the competition!

Blue

Nepali Schoolgirl

When we visited Bhabiskya Ujjwal Primary School in Kavre, Nepal, one child captured our hearts.  Her soulful eyes, rumpled blue uniform, and smudgy face reminded us of little girls everywhere who relish a day when school books are abandoned for a brief visit by grown-ups from America.  She followed us to the edge of the schoolyard where we took her picture standing near one of the older children.

Location: Kavre, Nepal

Yellow

Sunrise at Pawleys

Taken from the widow’s walk atop our beach rental rental in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, this photo reveals the warm yellow rays of morning sun against the silhouettes of other rooftops around us.  What a great way to start the day . . . facing the Atlantic!

Location: Pawleys Island, South Carolina

White

Terra Cotta Warriors Facing the Light of Day

In Xian, China, unearthed Terra Cotta Warriors stand tall in an enormous windowed structure resembling an airport hangar built around them.  When we visited, natural morning light streamed into the room, changing the stoic, stone gray figures to white sentinels ready for visitors in awe of this amazing archaeological find.

Location: Xian, China

Green

Greens for Goats

While boarding the bus in rural Nepal, I noticed something coming down the road. Hurriedly, I fumbled through my bag to grab my camera just in time to snap this lady and her strapped-on bundle of green leaves and sticks. And then she was gone — moving nimbly up the mountainside to her home.  It’s really quite common, our interpreter told us.  All the women here gather greenery for their goats.

Location: Near Dhulikhel, Nepal

Red

Welcome to Nepal

Upon our arrival in Nepal to build a mud and stone house for Habitat for Humanity International, we were greeted by ladies dressed in red bearing strings of marigolds to lay around our necks.  Surprisingly, they also brought a red, gloppy concoction which they scooped up and smudged onto our foreheads.  Namaste, they said.  And then we knew.  We weren’t family, of course, but we were as welcome as any Americans could be.

Location: Near Dhulikhel, Nepal

* * * * *

And now, according to the rules of the challenge, we get to nominate five other bloggers to enter Capture the Colour 2013.  Here are my nominees.

Tina at Travels and Trifles

Connie at Clicky Chick Creates

Jean at Jean’s Photography Blog

Laurie at Pride in Photos

Jessie at Behind the Willows

Thanks again to all who participated. We’ve enjoyed hearing from so many as we looked through our photos and relived favorite moments.

Rusha and Bert Sams

P. S.  To follow the conversation about Capture the Colour 2013, use the Twitter hashtag #CTC13.

Filed under: Nepal, Photography, Travel Tagged: Capture the Colour: 2013, China, Gallivance, Nepal, Pawleys Island, photography, South Carolina, Terra Cotta Warriors, Xian ]]> https://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2013/09/29/capture-the-colour-2013/feed/ 28 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 rushasams Nepali Schoolgirl Sunrise at Pawleys Terra Cotta Warriors Greens for Goats DSC03268 https://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2013/09/24/help-us-decide-capture-the-colour-2013-white/ https://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2013/09/24/help-us-decide-capture-the-colour-2013-white/#comments Tue, 24 Sep 2013 20:25:26 +0000 http://ohtheplaceswesee.com/?p=2806 Continue reading →]]> We extend our appreciation to all who have clicked onto our blogs this week and voted for pictures for the Capture the Colour 2013 Photo Challenge sponsored by TravelSupermarket.com. We’ve been nominated by Terri and James Vance of Gallivance whose entry is colorful and quite artistic, so check it out also. (To see their photo challenge, click here.)

Each day, we post three photos on one of the color themes required by the challenge:  blue, yellow, white, green and red.  At the end of the week, we’ll take your suggestions and select one of each color to submit.  Please vote by leaving a message in the Comments section at the bottom of this post or on Facebook.  And thanks to all of you who have done so!

If you’ve missed the first two, here are links to those posts:

BLUE: https://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2013/09/22/help-us-decide-capture-the-colour-2013-blue/

YELLOW: https://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2013/09/23/help-us-decide-capture-the-colour-2013-yellow/

TODAY’S VOTE: WHITE

And here are today’s entries for the category WHITE.  (There are FOUR this time — we had a hard time deciding!)

1. Stonecutter in Nepal

When we joined a team from Knoxville to build stone and mud houses in Nepal for Habitat for Humanity International, we met several men busy at work planning the foundation, finding the right stones, digging the mud for the mortar, and cutting the cornerstones.  This stonecutter remained quietly aloof for about three days as he wasn’t sure what to make of us.  But as I “talked” to him using facial expressions and hand gestures, he warmed up to me and even allowed me to hand him suitable stones.  When he nodded that I could finally take his picture, I didn’t hesitate.  This photo, of a stonecutter dressed in white, remains one of my prize takeaways from the experience.

2. Southern Magnolia in Full Bloom

Sometimes the best pictures can be found in your own backyard.  This creamy white magnolia blossom showing off its ever-increasing shades of brown as it reaches maturity just begged to be photographed.

3. Terra Cotta Warriors Facing the Light of Day

In Xian, China, unearthed Terra Cotta Warriors are housed in an enormous windowed structure resembling an airport hangar. When we visited, natural morning light was just beginning to stream into the room, changing the stoic, stone gray figures to white sentinels ready for visitors in awe of this amazing archaeological find.

4. Reconstruction

At the site of the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses is  an area called “the hospital” where shards are put together like an enormous 3-D puzzle.  As pieces form warriors or horses, the reconstructions (like this one standing in the white light) may be able to stand on their own, as if they are waiting for someone to find the final pieces to make them whole again.

P. S. Please leave us a comment below and vote for your favorite!  Check back tomorrow for our GREEN entries.  Thanks!

Rusha and Bert Sams

To fill you in on what we’re doing:

We were nominated for the Capture the Colour 2013 challenge sponsored by TravelSupermarket.com by Terri and James Vance of Gallivance.  (To see their entry, click here.)  Each day we will post three photos, one for each of the five colors required by the challenge (blue, yellow, green, red, and white) and ask that you vote for your favorite.  Then, at the end of the week, we’ll select the top five for submission.  Thanks, in advance, for reading and commenting. We appreciate you!

Here are our three entries for YELLOW today:

1. Sunflowers in the Cooler

At Billy Heroman’s flower shop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, you can walk right into the cooler and select a bouquet to your liking.  We loved the fresh colors in this assemblage of yellow sunflowers, but before we said Wrap ’em up, we snapped this picture of nature’s sunniest offerings for the day.

2. The Boudhanath Stupa

At Boudhanath in Kathmandu, Nepal, the eyes of Buddha stare down at you from this ancient Stupa, one of the largest in the world and situated on what was once a major trade route between Nepal and Tibet.  This picture (taken from a second floor office of a medical practitioner who prescribed a concoction of herbs to relieve a fellow traveler’s sinus problems!!) features one of four sets of eyes facing north, south, east, and west on a golden yellow face.

3. Sunrise at Pawleys

Taken from the widow’s walk atop our beach rental in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, this photo reveals the warm yellow rays of morning sun against the silhouettes of other rooftops around us. What a great way to start a morning . . . facing the Atlantic!

Please vote for your favorite YELLOW picture by commenting or posting on Facebook.  Your vote is oh, so helpful!

Thanks,

Rusha and Bert Sams

P. S. To see yesterday’s BLUE entries, click here.

The Capture the Colour challenge, sponsored by TravelSupermarket.com is pretty straightforward:

” . . . publish a blog post showcasing five of your favourite travel photographs which best capture the colour of our five categories: red, blue, green, yellow and white.”

Terri and James allowed readers a voice in deciding which five photos Gallivance would submit. Each day, Terri and James posted entries on their blog, and, each day, readers voted for their favorites.  At the end of the week, the Gallivance entry was ready for submission! (Click here to see.)

Now, Terri and James have graciously nominated us for the challenge.  So, taking a cue from Gallivance, we, too, are asking readers to help us select five entries for the Capture the Colour 2013 challenge. We’ll publish three pictures per color each day this week and ask you to select your favorite by posting a comment on our blog. At the end of the week, we’ll show you the choices for each color voted upon by our readers!

Today is our first request.  Here are our entries for the BLUE category:

1. Nepali Schoolgirl

When we visited Bhabiskya Ujjwal Primary School in Kavre, Nepal, one child captured our hearts. Her soulful eyes, rumpled blue uniform, and smudgy face reminded us of little girls everywhere who relish a day when schoolbooks are abandoned for a brief visit by grown-ups from America!

2. Otherworldly Earthship

Approaching Taos, New Mexico, you may have noticed protrusions resembling moonrise formations in the otherwise very flat earth. Upon closer observation, however, you discover actual dwellings created by a company called Earthship.  These futuristic homes, we later discovered, are built from sustainable, recycled materials and decorated with glass bottles, old tires, and found objects.  All are interesting, but the contrast of this white model against the clear blue sky seemed rather otherworldly.

3.  Blue Sky over Idaho City

As I headed to Idaho City, Idaho, from Boise one morning to meet with teachers, I was taken by this visual: a two-toned blue sky filled with cloud puffs over golden fields of grain.  Rusha, I said to myself, you’re not in Tennessee any more!

Please leave us a comment and/or vote for BLUE PHOTO number 1, 2, or 3.  And then check back each day this week to see our other colorful entries under consideration.  Thanks so much!

Rusha and Bert Sams