Aperture, Wide Open!

After Jota got his 50mm lens and seeing how fast it was (and how inexpensive it is), I decided to get one for myself! I've been having fun taking photos (indoors, no less!) though I do have to say that I need to stop using such a wide aperture all the time! I just got the lens last week so it'll take some time for me to get used to the fact that I can't zoom in and out, and it'll also take some time for me not to stick to the widest aperture setting all the time (but it is so much fun!). Aperture!

Decor of California Missions in Adam's parents' house

Desert flowers in front of Adam's parents' house in New Mexico

Garlic knots, pre-oven...not as gorgeous as Jason's but tons of garlic on top! Yum!

Ginormous bento box...my new lens lets me have a really shallow depth of field (good or bad...lol, in this photo only the rice and a bit of the tempura is in focus)

Mmm, salmon inside and out!

Adam out on the deck with Mickie!

Last night Adam's mom made baked apples...these are pre oven...look at all that butter on top! YUM!

And we're back!!

Things have been great since being home! Family time, showers with hot water and lots of pressure, clothes that smell clean, and a trip to the Albuquerque Annual Balloon Fiesta! We headed out to see the balloons at 5am and were rewarded with seeing hundreds of hot air balloons take flight. I really enjoyed the special shape balloons (my favorites of the shapes were the Japanese Ebisu balloon, the Pondemonium balloon, and the owl) but really, everything was just stellar (minus the bad red chile breakfast burrito that Adam's mom and I shared).

First balloon to take off at around 5:45am

Decided to stop for a breakfast burrito (seemed to early for turkey legs, haha). Green chile one was decent, but we couldn't even finish the red chile burrito!

Finally! People started to get their balloons filled up! We had gotten up extra early to see the Dawn Patrol and the Morning Glow, but it didn't end up happening. 

All the balloonists filling up their air balloons

Slowly but surely the balloons started to fill up

And take off!

Pepsi can and a guppy, amongst the others

Starting to realize I am not in Ecuador anymore (everybody is too tall so I have to stand on tippy toes)

It really is amazing to see hundreds of balloons in the air, love it!!

I thought the dead cat balloon was hilarious

I thought the balloon on the right was just adorable! It is a pond scene with fish, swans, frogs, birds...

The Ebisu god balloon, holding a fish!

Wells Fargo stagecoach didn't quite get aloft

The balloon field from the parking lot