Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Another Photo Trip Back Home

While I enjoy taking photos while I'm out and about here in Iowa, I figured I'd take another trip (via photo) back "home" to the Southwest.

I say "home," because my maternal grandparents spent just about their whole lives in the Southwest, namely in El Paso, TX. My mom and her brothers were raised in El Paso. I spent the first three or so years of my life in El Paso. After my parents and I moved away, I still took many, many trips back to the Southwest to visit my grandparents regularly. I've even got a number of family members who still live in the area. Plus, I was stationed in the Southwest on two different occasions during the years I spent in the Air Force (in Tucson, AZ, and Alamogordo, NM).

Even when I was stationed elsewhere, I found myself in the Southwest, either for work or more often, on vacation.

So basically, the Southwest like home to me - my first home, my original home. (Chicago - or Arlington Heights, more specifically, is my "home of record" for the military, because that's where I'd been living when I'd gone on active duty . . . but that's a whole 'nother story.)

Anyway, when Andrew and I were stationed in Massachusetts for four years, we found ourselves in Las Vegas, NV for a week-long conference for work (October 2004). After we'd wrapped up on the last day, we had a bit of time for sightseeing; we took the opportunity to go to the Hoover Dam, a nice day-trip distance from the sensory overload known as Vegas (which I really enjoy, by the way). Not only was the Hoover Dam impressive on its own merits, the scenery to and from the Hoover Dam was spectacular!

So here are a few photos I thought I'd share. The quality isn't the best - I'd used one of those single-use "disposable" cameras (with film in it); anyway, their quality declined even further after I'd uploaded the photos and had them transferred from one online storage site to another. (The negatives, sadly, were lost/ruined in my numerous moves from one part of the country to another.)

(Again, you can click on each photo for a somewhat larger view.)

The reservoir, on one side.

The river, on the other side.

Andrew's looking down that dizzying downward distance.

9 comments:

Beth said...

I think the photos are very good. Interesting that you were in the military. I finished my working career at an AFB.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

I wanted to go to the dam but we weren't able to work it in. Cool pics!

Maude Lynn said...

Beautiful shots!

Randy said...

That's a great place to explore. Nice shots.

Nancy said...

We visited Hoover Dam in 2001 when in Vegas to get married. Awesome!

don said...

An interesting account of how the southwest has had a significant place in your history...and still does with relatives there. Nice shots of this impressive dam. I have yet to cross the new highway bridge there.

don said...

An interesting account of how the southwest has had a significant place in your history...and still does with relatives there. Nice shots of this impressive dam. I have yet to cross the new highway bridge there.

EG CameraGirl said...

How nice you have been to so many interesting places! I have visited the Southwest several times and think it's a photographer's dream. :)

Kranky Granny said...

My husband is retired navy so I understand about the reference to "home of record." His was a small town in Arkansas for most of his career even though he lived in California for most of that time.

Enjoyed reading this post. I have lived in Missouri since I was five but before that I was in my mothers home state of alabama and I still have an affinity for that part of the county.

Thanks for visiting my old barn this week.

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