R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 131

Hatch Valley Road Trip—Clint Eastwood was hanged near here

[image error]

Along the Rio Grande

One of our favorite weekend day trips is along the back roads between El Paso and Hatch, New Mexico. It’s scenic. It’s historic. It’s delicious. Deliciously spicy, that is. Hatch is home of the world famous Hatch chile. And what is Hatch’s green chile good for? Glad you asked. A while back I posted my chile rellano recipe using poblano chiles, but Hatch green really makes that recipe shine. And let’s not forget that modern culinary miracle, the green chile cheeseburgers....

Fun Photo Friday — Another spectacular El Paso sunset

[image error]

El Paso sunset — 11/4/2017

We love the views from our home here in El Paso. As you can see from this backyard view, we face out over the Mesilla Valley to the left, and the Franklin Mountains form our backyard view to the right. Frequently we are treated to some very spectacular sunsets.

[image error]

El Paso sunset — 11/4/2017

All the pictures you see today are pretty much untouched except for some mild tweaking of contrast, however on one photograph I upped the saturation level ever so slightly. This is...

A Tale of Two Berettas — 92FS and 92FS “Reverse Two-Tone”

[image error]

Standard Beretta 92FS (top); uncommon 92FS “Reverse Two-Tone”

The Beretta 92 family of handgus  is a design that until recently I hadn’t much interest. It’s big, bulky, and heavy, and there are smaller, lighter high-capacity pistols out there — the exceptional Walther P99 comes readily to mind (for a review of the P99c AS compact see: When Fashion Goes Macho—Walther P99c AS in 9mm). And while Beretta would love for you to believe they invented that locking block system that keeps the barrel p...

Interesting Collectables: “Old” 1st issue Ruger Bearcats

[image error]

Rare unmodified Ruger “Alpha Cat” Bearcat

Until recently the Ruger Bearcat wasn’t even on my radar, as the new production models are pricey (MSRP $639 blued; $689 stainless) and older models seldom come up in the market. So, when the above pictured Bearcat showed up at my favorite local gun store (Collector’s Gun Exchange) for what looked to be a relatively so-so price, I took a chance. The only reason I did was because this particular example had not been modified with the Ruger transfer blo...

Fun Photo Friday — Quito Hop-on/Hop-off Favorites 2

[image error]

Streetlights

This series on Ecuador began nearly five months ago, and the images presented during that series are but a fraction of the many taken during our ten days there. My first photos of Ecuador were taken in Guayaquil on February 14, 2016. The last shots were taken in Quito on February 23. In between we saw a cocoa plantation, walked the streets of Cuenca, stayed at the beautiful La Andaluza resort, traveled to Alausí and took the Devil’s Nose train, journeyed deep into the Amazon Rive...

Ecuador — Quito, Hop-on/Hop-off Part 4

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

In this final Ecuador series on Quito we’ve discussed some of the many things to see and do in this city of nearly 2,700,000 people. So, beginning last week and continuing through this week I’m letting some images do the talking. These images are some of the many shots taken from our Hop-on/Hop-off tour aboard the red double-deckers of the Quito Tour Bus company. Of course, the favorite photos will be reserved for Fun Photo Friday.

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus si...

Ecuador — Quito, Hop-on/Hop-off Part 3

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

In this final Ecuador series on Quito we’ve discussed some of the many things to see and do in this city of nearly 2,700,000 people. So, beginning last week and continuing through this week I’m letting some images do the talking. These images are some of the many shots taken from our Hop-on/Hop-off tour aboard the red double-deckers of the Quito Tour Bus company. Of course, the favorite photos will be reserved for Fun Photo Friday.

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus si...

Fun Photo Friday — Quito Hop-on/Hop-off Favorites 1

[image error]

Palms and Streetlights

In this final Ecuador series on Quito we’ve discussed some of the many things to see and do in this city of nearly 2,700,000 people. So, for this week and next I’m going to some images do the talking. Here are some of the many shots taken from our Hop-on/Hop-off tour aboard the red double-deckers of the Quito Tour Bus company. Here are today’s Fun Photo Friday images from that tour:

[image error]

Traffic Jam

[image error]

[image error]

The Rooster

[image error]

Knights

[image error]

El Panecillo above the Street

Filed under: Fun Photo Fri...

Ecuador — Quito, Hop-on/Hop-off Part 2

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

In this final Ecuador series on Quito we’ve discussed some of the many things to see and do in this city of nearly 2,700,000 people. So, for this week and next I’m going to some images do the talking. Here are some of the many shots taken from our Hop-on/Hop-off tour aboard the red double-deckers of the Quito Tour Bus company.

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

[image error]

Ecuador — Quito, Hop-on/Hop-off Part 1

[image error]

Quito Tour Bus sights

In this final Ecuador series on Quito we’ve discussed some of the many things to see and do in this city of nearly 2,700,000 people. So, for the next two weeks I’m going to some images do the talking. Beginning today and for the next five articles after I’ll be presenting some of the many shots taken from our Hop-on/Hop-off tour aboard the red double-deckers of the Quito Tour Bus company. Of course, the favorite photos will be reserved for the next two upcoming Fun Photo...