San Miguel de Allende - going back again...

There are so many places to travel to in this world.  And now that my wife and I will be fully retired as of May of this year,  the constraint of work and vacation days will no longer be a constraint as to where we are able to go.  Discretionary dollars will still be the biggest constraint but at least now we can travel without having to fly out and back on a Saturday or a Sunday just to maximize the trip.  

While there are so many new places to travel too, we have decided to once again go down to San Miguel de Allende with friends and this time for two full weeks!  We are looking forward to seeing many of the places we loved last year but also taking some day trips to the surrounding cities.  As a photographer, San Miguel is extremely photogenic.  Here are some pics from our trip last year:

 

 On the back roads...

First some news for those that might not know...I am officially retired!  Yay!!!!  What that means is I have more time to devote to the things that make me happy...working on my passions.  

In preparation for retirement, I purchased what might be my last vehicle, a Jeep Trailhawk, The TrailHawk is a trail-rated vehicle that is built to go off-road.  Why am I telling you this on my photography blog...good question.  The answer is so I can go to locations that are not often accessed by other photographers...simple as that.

The risk upon purchase the TrailHawk is would I actually go off-road...yes, yes I did!  With the help of some close (and experienced) friends, I have taken several trips onto the back roads of southern Arizona.  The following are some pics from my off-road adventures.

Ocotillo's (pronounced: Oh-cat-tee-yo) leaves are coming in...flowering in a couple of months.

The valley is amazing with miles and miles of ranch roads going in every direction.  Dozens (if not hundreds of open mines in these hills and valleys.

This is a good example of one of the minds...some are very shallow, others more developed.  If you are interested, here is a link to the history of mining in Arizona.

Finally, this is the view from the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory.

Friday night in Tubac

Dinner on the patio, a glass of wine and sunset in Tubac! Oh, did I mention the bats flying around and the sliver of a moon in the sky? The silhouette of my favorite cottonwood tree about 200 yards and to the left and the music just adding the perfect amount of ambiance?

What does this have to do with photography...maybe just the fact that our eyes, souls, and hearts will always make a better picture than any technology ever created.

The goodness is the desire and passion of photographers (amateurs and pros) to keep trying to capture the essence of our experiences digitally or with film. In this case, getting close makes for some damn good pics!




I wish I had thousands of followers on Facebook and Twitter so I could ask them all to post the photo that best grabs their soul. I am sure we would see some incredible shots that would touch us all deeply!

For now, I will grapple in my mind the best way to capture the light of my soul in this digital world.


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Location:Tubac Arizona

Tubac Car Show 2011

Great rides, great friends, perfect location and my nifty fifty...

Saving the words on this post to show off some of the gorgeous vehicles and some of the details....

The parade of cars coming in to Tubac.

Switched to my Nifty fifty (50mm prime) when we entered lawn area...

Great day and strong turnout!

Enjoy!


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Location:Tubac, AZ

Sunshine Blvd, Part II

Back in November 2009 I did a post on "Weird venue...". On a recent trip back from Tubac (we love Tubac), a few of us took took the Sunshine Blvd exit on I10 to take some more pics.

I also had an opportunity to do some more research about the area's history. Seems the name of this amusement park was going to be Family Fun World and was the dream of one Richard Songers.

Seems that with many dreams the realities of life often get in the way...in 2001 Songers auctioned off much of what he knew of Family Fun World. The general public never to see the race track, the wild life, the concert stage, the carnival rides...or experience the fun just off of Sunshine Blvd.

All is left are some 20 ft tall pastel bird cages (purportedly from a ride at Magic Mountain in California in the 70's) and some large pink and blue truck tires and some dead palm trees. A lesson for us to dream our dreams with a healthy dose of the practical side of life.

Check out my site at Bob Ochoa Photography

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