Scenes From a Road Trip: Roswell, NM

In August 2000, I made a major road trip from San Francisco to Roswell, New Mexico. Why you ask? Mostly because I'd never been, and was in the thrall of the series Roswell at the time. (Even then I was much older than their target audience, but I found the series compelling, and I had to admit that Jason Behr in the role of Max Evans was dreamy….

But I digress.

Since visiting Roswell was not on our original itinerary but within the scope of our trip via a small detour, Ben and I decided to change our original plans and visit the place. He had never been there, and I wanted to do some "then and now" photos and figured this was a good chance to do so.

Of course, the only real tourist destination in Roswell is the International UFO Museum and Research Center on Main Street. It was a cheese-fest when I was there in 2000 and had no reason to believe it would be any different 22 years later.

August 2000
March 2022
August 2000
March 2022
August 2000
March 2022

And in case anyone was wondering, yes…the place remains just as cheesy as it was 22 years ago, although they've definitely upped their game as far as the displays are concerned.

August 2000: This was their premiere display that greeted you the moment you walked in. There really wasn't much else worth looking at beyond this.
March 2022: I guess a budget increase allowed them to hire more mannequins.
Although Nurse Ratched seems to be saying, "WTF do you expect me to do with this?!"
And now with added crash wreckage for your enjoyment—and now it's tucked in a back corner of the facility! (Notice the suit guy'sright hand. Is *he* an alien?)
A crash-test dummy – the government's latest attempt to explain away eye witness reports of alien beings having survived the crash.
Ben: I look constipated!
Finally found someone taller than Ben (although to be honest if they were both at the same level – DO NOT STAND ON STAGE! – I think it would be pretty close. And what, exactly "The Day The Earth Stood Still" has to do with Roswell remains a mystery. (They now featured a display of the 2000 Roswell television series, so there's that.)
They are absolutely NO fun at parties. So judgey.
Karen did not appreciate the review left of her anal probing and is demanding to speak to a manager RIGHT NOW.
Of course everything in Roswell has an alien theme, including the streetlights downtown.

Was the International UFO Museum and Research Center worth a visit if you're passing through town, ultimately heading somewhere else? Yes. The gift shop alone is worth the "outrageous" $5.00 admission. Is it a destination worth making a trip all the way from another state? Oh hell naw. I remember thinking in 2000, "I drove all that way for this?!"

Scenes from Another Lifetime

"San Francisco is my home. I love The City and The City loves me back." This was a personal affirmation—my mantra if you will—for the first couple years I lived there because as much as I'd like to think I took to the city like fish to water, my ex is always quick to point out the transition was not painless…

Flashback Friday

Not me this time, but my late friend Steve Golden, spinning at Hotbods in Phoenix, spring 1983:

And in a more relaxed state of mind…

He always thought me silly because of the number of photos I shot of him at work in the booth, but now, some 39 years (!) later, I'm so glad I did. Yeah, I was new to 35mm photography, never did really get the exposure right, and a lot of the shots are out of focus, but I'm so glad I took them. But that last one? Chef's kiss…

He would've been 64 last year.

GPOY

Some days the best I can muster when I'm out in public and dealing with the hordes of unmasked animals, is a selfie-smirk.

Ben takes much better pictures of me than I do of myself. Maybe it's because he elicits a smile in me when I look at him, such that it is.

Las Noches De Las Luminarias

Otherwise known as, "Date Night!"

Las Noches De Las Luminarias is something the Desert Botanical Garden does every year, although Ben and I hadn't been since 2009. This year we decided to eschew exchanging gifts (we both have everything we want or need materially at the moment), but decided to make Luminarias a shared gift. (We're also returning in March to capture the ongoing Chihuly exhibition at "golden hour.")

I just got a new phone, and figured this would be an excellent opportunity to put its camera to the test. It didn't disappoint.

(This is the best of literally a dozen shots we attempted of the two of us together.)