Leap

Track and a leap. Clearing the hurdles and setting a record.

PINK

Ah a girl after my own heart! Cooking at age 4 and loving pink! I told her I would turn the kitchen pink and she loved it! She kept eyeing up my equipment and wanted to see the photos. She was super cute!

Topes Tower

Not quite the 'Tower of Terror' at MGM, but exciting for the kiddies. The guys operating it let me ride it and preceded to warn me about the drops. After the tiny weenie drops I got off and they wanted to know if it made me sick or affected me. I told them I grew up at the theme parks in Florida and they laughed.

Doghouse

Dog parade/walk/costume contest and fund-raiser. There are so many dog-people here it was a surprisingly fun event.

Tax Day

I am waaaaaay behind on my posting but luckily I was NOT behind on doing my taxes! A few days before tax day I remembered about these people that had been standing on the sides of the road for the tax services for the past few months. They were very nice and I think I kept them entertained for about an hour of their long day.

Train Laugh

A historic steam engine is being restored for the state's centennial in 2012. The governor flew in to sign a piece of paper about it. This guy's laugh was much more attention grabbing during the press conference. Good thing he thought the governor's jokes were so funny.

Juvenile Jail

Does anyone else get sent on as many jail assignments as me? Maybe I just pay more attention to them because I always compare them to the Ecuador experience. This youth rehabilitation detention center is getting a makeover. Although food isn't going to be part of the makeover the guys said they go to bed hungry and will eat each other's food if a guy doesn't make it to the table in time. And the food isn't even good they said.

Unhappy Catch

Ah Tingley Beach, not a beach, but lots of stocked fish in the man-made ponds. It was the boy's first fish. Once it started bleeding and flipping around and splattering blood everywhere they were not as excited.

Filled with Faith

For the past two weeks I have been working on a story on the Church of San José. It is a small little adobe Catholic church in the South Valley here in Albuquerque. The majority of parishioners are Mexican immigrants. The church is so popular in the area that the parish has out grown their church. There is standing room only on Sundays. And to take pictures during Palm Sunday I had to attend two masses because I couldn't move once I was in place. I grew to love the church and the people and hope they didn't mind me being there. The story and photos ran today, Easter Sunday, on A1.

To hear the Soundslides hit the play button.

Tomé Hill

Pilgrims from surrounding cities make their way to the top of Tomé Hill every Good Friday morning. People walk for miles as local police close roads nearby due to the high amount of human traffic. Crosses and statues are carried to the top, but the most popular item carried along the way is a rosary. Many are left behind at the top after a person has finished praying. A few people walk the steep and rocky 1/2 mile path to the top barefoot and one man even crawls the entire way on hands and knees. It was pretty amazing to experience.