kids

several photos from the last couple weeks — and some personal news

…and they go hand-in-hand. actually, i haven’t posted any photos for a few days, but i wanted to be sure and post them now, because the foreseeable future has me sorting, trashing, packing, loading, driving, and driving, and … I am moving cross-country! to New York (White Plains) for a staff job with The Journal News! enough exclamation points for now, here’s some recent work. enjoy.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Cedar Ridge Inn resident Bill Trotter, 90, reacts to a kiss on the cheek and an earful of flattery from Director of Nursing Nicole Templeton while slow dancing on Friday during the Senior Prom, named “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” which was held to celebrate Nursing Home Week, according to administrator Lisa Higgins.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Newly-crowned Senior Prom royalty Ramoncita Maestas, 93, and Miguel Valdez, 85, who makes a face for a photo, sit at a table Friday during Cedar Ridge Inn's event, dubbed “By the Light of the Silvery Moon," while surrounded by family.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Prom escort Dante Bird, 9, peers at the crowning of the Senior Prom King and Queen on Friday at Cedar Ridge Inn. The event, dubbed “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” was held to celebrate Nursing Home Week, administrator Lisa Higgins said.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Police officials Cpl. C. Malone, left of center, and Detective Ron Paquin, on the phone, investigate a fatal vehicle wreck on East 20th Street at Tucker Avenue on Friday. A man driving an older model Ford F-250 pickup truck, far right, was driving recklessly, according to officials, and caused private property damage in the area before crashing into another pickup truck and coming to a halt on the sidewalk in front of Aloha Salon on East 20th Street. Alcohol was a factor in the accident, according to Detective Paquin.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Julie “Snoop Dogg” Ellison interacts with an adoring crowd at McKinley Elementary on Friday after performing a reading-themed rap, set to the music of MC Hammer’s “U Can't Touch This,” during an assembly celebrating the school’s reading program.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Richard White, far right, gets excited as he talks about the horses racing in the Kentucky Derby, and the odds of them winning, with Chuck Slattery, far left, and Gerald Barber at SunRay Park & Casino on Saturday before the start of the televised race in Churchill Downs.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Horses carry their jockeys toward the finish line in the third race of the day, for a distance of 400 yards, at Sunray Park on Sunday.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Racehorse-owner Wade Whitehead, of Tucumcari, N.M., vents his frustration after learning that his horse, "Rances Reason," did not place higher in the second race of the day Sunday at the track at Sunray Park.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Jockey Adam Martinez, fresh from riding "Cala Me Debonaire" in the first race of the day at Sunray Park on Sunday, relaxes near the stalls between races.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; “Jenuine Joy” appears to be recovering from taking first place in the fourth race of the day Sunday, while director of racing for SunRay Park, Lonnie Barber, right, waits to congratulate jockey Ricky Ramirez.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Piedra Vista High School sophomore baseball player Shilo McCall hits the ball with a solid crack of the bat Thursday during practice at PV.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Bloomfield High School player Rockey Mackey follows through on a tag on Robertson High School’s Fabian Montoya at third base Saturday during the first round of Class 3A state baseball tournament play at BHS. Montoya tried to advance to third base on a sacrifice fly ball to the outfield, but centerfielder Jeremiah Duran rifled the ball directly to third for the double play to end the fifth inning for the Cardinals’ at-bat.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Mesa State center-fielder Kevin Becker makes a run to the outfield fence Saturday after a hit by New Mexico Highlands University batter Danny Brown in the fifth inning of the Division II Central Regional NCAA Baseball Championships tournament at Ricketts Park in Farmington, N.M. NMHU won, 11-8.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Mesa State’s Austin Buck congratulates catcher Brett Nigbur after Nigbur hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning Thursday to tie the ball game against the Winona State Warriors during the Division II Central Regional NCAA Baseball Championships tournament at Ricketts Park in Farmington, N.M.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys pitcher Cruz Sedillo leans down to hug teammate Phillip Rodriguez after the Cowboys’ 12-8 loss to the St. Cloud State Huskies on Saturday night at Ricketts Park in Farmington, N.M., during the Division II Central Regional NCAA Baseball Championships tournament. The game was the Cowboys’ final one in the tournament, which wraps up Sunday, May 16, 2010.

video from youth-league players’ ceremony, HS game

here’s a recent video from Farmington last Friday. i’m uploading right now from my mom’s rancho in the South Valley of ABQ (beautiful!). the video’s a bit long, but it’s actually two events in one.

i shot stills from the game for our sports section (i’ll post a few here later), and this video of the whole afternoon of the young’ns followed by the game (in Canon 5d Mark II, 640×480 compressed-video format). it was my first time shooting action (or anything major, really) with the 5D’s video mode, which is manual focus so a bit tricky…but it turned out fun. it’s awesome to have an SLR that can do that! i’m looking forward to shooting more video with the 5D in the future, and since most other events will be shorter, i can use the full 1920x1080p and have enough memory to handle it.

Enjoy.

back to work! here’s a few photos from a fun, busy week

just a quick post before work here. my regular schedule has me working Thurs. through Mon., so I just wanted to post a few photos before going in today. kind of like cleaning house (maybe i should do more of that, too?!).

enjoy.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Juanito Garcia, 7, tries to catch water in his mouth — which posted signs say should not be consumed — from a water spurt at the fountain at Berg Park on Sunday. His family was in town from Del Norte, Colo., for a wrestling tournament at Aztec High School.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Seven-year-old Kaylin Bryant, far left, waits in line with her dance squad, the Danz Force Twinkles, to perform at the Four Corners Dance Exhibition at Farmington High School on Monday. The event, also known as the Kelly Greens exhibition, is a fundraiser for the FHS Kelly Greens.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Bart Robinson, of Cottonwood, Ariz., talks with his son, 17-year-old Samuel, between events on Saturday at the 7th Annual Ty Waybourn Memorial Rodeo at McGee Park’s Memorial Coliseum.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Danielle Montoya, left of center, is comforted by her sister, Gabrielle Montoya, after finishing strong in her relay to take first for the Cuba High School girls’ medley team during Saturday’s track meet at Fred Cook Memorial Stadium in Aztec.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Jamira Lewis, 7, shrieks after being pulled by her friend, 10-year-old Jermiah (CQ) Manning, into the cold water from the fountain at Berg Park on Sunday.

news magnet

the first few photos are from a chase and subsequent arrest that passed me while i was on my way to a sports assignment. i’m glad no one was hurt (including me — i try to be sure i don’t surprise/startle officers — or suspects for that matter — when i arrive early to a scene) and our cops/courts reporter wrote a brief on the event. the last couple of photos are from a really minor fire that was so small, it escaped detection from the Farmington Fire Department — initially. i was at the scene when they left, so decided to make the best of it and get wild art of a couple kids flying kites on a windy day, but i was glad i stuck around. smoke started to billow out of the vents behind one of the buildings, so FFD was called back. they returned, and quickly put it out. there were never any flames visible, and although there was smoke damage to a few other apartments, everyone in the building was lucky it wasn’t worse. apartment fires have the potential to spread quickly and end tragically.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Police Officer Jerry Worrell escorts a suspect from hiding in a structure on a property near the corner of North Orchard Avenue and East Comanche Street, where a vehicle pursuit involving police ended on Thursday.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; FPD Officer Travis Sprell shouts to another officer Thursday to follow a fleeing suspect after a vehicle pursuit ended in the neighborhood of North Orchard Avenue and East Comanche Street.

the photo below was just a quiet, interesting photo i had to post. life goes on.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Police Officer Jerry Worrell, far left, detains a suspect found hiding in a structure on a property near the corner of North Orchard Avenue and East Comanche Street, where a vehicle pursuit involving police ended on Thursday.

here’s a straggler-photo from last month. for no particular reason.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Xavier Tsosie, 8, holds up a book he examines while his two aunts look for other books Monday at the Farmington Public Library. The library has activities scheduled for children throughout the spring-break week.

below is a photo from a surprisingly fruitful assignment today, when i was asked to get photos of a neighborhood that had its mail service interrupted for several days due to a postal carrier being chased by a dog that got loose from one of the homes. the reporter showed up at the same time i did, and we immediately saw a home that we thought may be the one where the dogs in question lived. it had about four dogs (mostly pits) visible, and a couple of children she said she was babysitting in the front yard. read the reporter’s story here for more info, but long story short, i suspect this woman might very well get a visit from the authorities (she mentioned one of the dogs on her property had bitten a child and herself — and she didn’t seem reluctant at all to talk to us, which i found very odd. and refreshing;)

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; A dog living at a home in Farmington reacts to strangers Thursday while chained on the property. The home has been the subject of numerous complaints regarding aggressive dogs kept there.

what can i say. i’m just happy i made it to practice in time, after the breaking news, to at least get a portrait.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; The Piedra Vista varsity girls golf team, from left, Grace Gutierrez, 17, Gracey Brown, 17, Kyra Garrison, 18, Domi Dinallo, 17, and 14-year-old Miel Johnson hang together at Piñon Hills Golf Course on Thursday after an afternoon practice.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Billy Howard, an employee of Shiya-Strephans Contracting Co., keeps his attention toward a water truck while working on construction of a water pipeline Monday at West Apache Street and West Main Street. The pipeline will carry water through Farmington to the Navajo Nation when completed.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Zyan Begay, 9, works to help untangle a kite flown by his friend, 7-year-old Tierren Wyatt, after high winds took it for an unpredictable flight Monday outside the San Juan Apartments on East Main Street.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Fire Department personnel work to extinguish the fire on the third floor at San Juan Apartments on Monday. There were no injuries reported, but the Fire Department said there was heavy fire and smoke damage to the two units.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Robert Gonzalez, a resident in the building affected by Monday’s fire at San Juan Apartments in north Farmington, watches smoke billow out of an open window in what he said was his apartment on the third floor of building C. Gonzalez tried to contain the fire until the Farmington Fire Department arrived on scene.

15 photos from the last couple of weeks

it’s been a crazy last couple of weeks — tax time! i’m also excited to be judging monthly clip photos for a NPPA region, and i’m seeing some really great stuff. it’s inspiring, and a peek into the clip contest process. i’ll update here when that’s done.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Cadet Jonathan Nyce, a recruit for the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, is sprayed directly in the face with pepper spray by Farmington Police Officer Reyes Flores on Friday at Safety City as part of the 25-week law enforcement academy training.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; The Atcitty family's hogan sits in the foreground of a wind-blown landscape showing Shiprock peak Thursday. The land pictured, called "txaash hedíín aahí" in Navajo, according to Teri Atcitty, means "dirt that comes together."

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Swim Rio Rancho’s Luis Conejo, 13, completes a turnaround in the consolation heat of Sunday’s 100-yard breaststroke at the Four Corners Championships Invitational at the Farmington Aquatic Center. Conejo, swimming to the cheers of a crowd of supporters from Rio Rancho, came in second in the race.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; The Carpenter family, from left, Danny, Krickitt, Kim and LeeAnn, sit at the table in their home in Farmington on Friday for an interview. The Carpenters have been the subject of media attention since a car accident in 1993 left Krickitt with amnesia, and Kim to care for her.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Alma Ballón, right, who sings a duet of “Go and Sin No More” with Jacqueline Sigala, expresses a serene look as she listens to Sigala’s part during a rehearsal of the Passion Play Ministries International production, “He’s Alive,” at the Farmington Civic Center on Thursday.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Nine-year-old Kyle Rippingale performs an “ollie” on a skateboard Friday in front of the community center at Sycamore Park. San Juan Safe Communities Initiative is trying to secure a grant from Pepsi to build a skate park at the site in south Farmington.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Police recruit Tyler Brown celebrates his 25th birthday by washing pepper spray out of his eyes and off his face Friday during the law enforcement academy training at Safety City.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Nine-year-old Celeste Rudolfo, left, and fellow Four Corners Aquatic Team member Claire Madera, 10, cheer on another teammate, 12-year-old Cheyenne West, as she races to the finish of her race Saturday at the 2010 Four Corners Championships invitational at the Farmington Aquatic Center

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Civil Air Patrol cadet Dominic Pile listens closely as cadet Senior Master Sgt. John Ellsaesser gives details on their next marching drill Thursday during their routine afternoon meeting at the Four Corners Regional Airport. The Civil Air Patrol’s Cessna 182 airplane, which is housed in the hanger where the cadets train, was recently repainted to make it easier to identify from the ground.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Game action from the San Juan County Fire Department against the Bloomfield Fire Department on Thursday at Aztec High School as a part of “Paint Our Town Purple.” The San Juan County Fire Department won the game, 41-10.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; The view past runway 25 at the Four Corners Regional Airport shows incoming stormy weather Monday. Part of the $975,000 the airport could receive in improvement funds if approved by City Council, with $926,000 of that coming from the Federal Aviation Administration, would go toward snow removal equipment.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Mary, played by Linda Harris, appears grief-stricken as she beholds the dead body of her son, Jesus Christ, during the Passion Play Ministries International production, “He’s Alive,” on Friday at the Farmington Civic Center.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Civil Air Patrol cadet Senior Master Sgt. John Ellsaesser, center, calls on volunteers to answer a question Thursday at the Four Corners Regional Airport during cadet training. Cadets Dominic Pile, left, and Christian West raise their hand to answer the question.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; A guardian angel, played by Ashley Lucero, appears from the background to help comfort Jesus Christ, played by Rick Bibo, in the garden of Gethsemane in the Passion Play Ministries International production, “He’s Alive,” on Friday at the Farmington Civic Center.

below is a photo of the Marshall Plummer, the Navajo Nation’s first vice-president, who recently passed away. the photo is an outtake (at the time) from a ground-breaking ceremony i photographed last year. he was a amazing guy, on and off the Navajo Nation, and will be missed.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; In this photo from the groundbreaking of the Navajo Heritage Center at Navajo Ministries on Sept. 9, 2009, Marshall Plummer stands next to a horse he uses in a skit during the groundbreaking ceremony. Plummer, a former Navajo Nation vice president, died the night of March 25, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

here’s a few photos from the last week

i had a great time shooting Shiprock HS against Kirtland Central HS on Saturday…two district championships! i was pretty excited about it because i haven’t shot much basketball this season, and i was not let down. those Shiprock and Kirtland fans are passionate about their teams, and although the both games were pretty scrappy, there was a sense of great sportsmanship throughout. and the boy’s game at Chieftain Pit in Shiprock was PACKED. i didn’t get out of the parking lot for about an hour after the game was done — i’m really glad i took my laptop to send photos. enjoy

-also, check out the galleries on The Daily Times’ Website for more photos:

http://daily-times.mycapture.com/mycapture/category.asp

photos from the boy’s game in Shiprock

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Shiprock High School super-fan Malan Jones, 19, races around the court to spark the crowd's excitement during the second half of Saturday's district championship game between the Shiprock Chieftains and the Kirtland Central Broncos. KCHS beat SHS 63-56 at the Chieftain Pit.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Shiprock’s Colby Nahkai tries to brings in an offensive rebound Saturday night against Kirtland Central’s Damian Charley at The Chieftain Pit.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Fans sitting on the Shiprock High School fan side cheer and reflect on the first half of play Saturday while the teams head into the locker rooms halftime.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Kirtland Central’s Damian Charley, left, snags a defensive rebound during the second quarter Saturday at The Chieftain Pit.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Shiprock’s Jeff Tsosie walks off the court as the Kirtland Central boys basketball team celebrates at the end of the Broncos’ 63-56 win Saturday night at The Chieftain Pit.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; James Gilbert assists John Kendall on Monday with cleanup of the accident site in Kendall's bedroom in Aztec.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Butch Ozbun shows off a half-stock fowler in his collection Feb. 22 in his workshop.

photos from the funeral for Lance Cpl. Alejandro J. Yazzie.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Lt. Col. Mike Callanan, with the Marines out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., holds his white barracks cover, or dress uniform hat, at his side while he watches a slideshow of pictures of Marine Lance Cpl. Alejandro J. Yazzie set to music during the memorial service for Yazzie on Friday at the Farmington Civic Center. According to the Department of Defense, Yazzie died Feb. 16 while supporting combat operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Calvert Owen, left, hugs Geraldine Jones on Friday while Owen waits outside the Farmington Civic Center to participate in the flag line during the funeral for Marine Lance Cpl. Alejandro J. Yazzie, 23, of Rock Point, Ariz. Owen, also of Rock Point, is Lance Cpl. Yazzie’s cousin. According to the Department of Defense, Yazzie died Feb. 16 while supporting combat operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Lamar Roberts, a student at San Juan College, sits on the the dock by the pond at Riverside Park on Friday, fishing. Roberts went fishing a group of friends from Aztec, who were all out enjoying the seasonably warmer weather.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Jaylen Jeffries, 3, shakes a noisemaker while parading through the halls with his mother, Jalea Steen, at San Juan College’s Child and Family Development Center on Thursday for the center’s 20th anniversary.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Children at the Child and Family Development Center at San Juan College, like the babies pictured here riding a red wagon, parade though the halls of the center Thursday for the center’s 20th anniversary.

this little guy was having fun time, spinning around in his ‘super-hero’ cape.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Todd Robinson, 2, spins around in circles while wearing a cape after a parade Thursday in his Toddler Two class. The class, along with the rest of the classes at San Juan College’s Child and Family Development Center, participated in the celebration of the center’s 20th anniversary by marching through the classroom halls.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Kirtland Central High School forward Amanda Kerr goes up for two points against Shiprock High School during the district championship game at KCHS. Kirtland took the first place title, with a 46-27 win over Shiprock.

…and the Kirtland Central girls took the district title

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Kirtland Central’s girls basketball team celebrates and hold its District 1-4A championship trophy while the home crowd cheers Saturday after the Lady Broncos’ 46-27 win over Shiprock at Bronco Arena.

a quick update since January. icy, icy January.

i’m loving the weather — finally heating up, or at least not being freezing@$$cold. now if i can just get my landlord to fix the water-heater!

photo-wise, it’s been pretty productive. i’m hoping to start on an upcoming project that would take me out of Farmington a bit more (that can’t hurt). so, if anyone is in the Shiprock area and wants to say hi, holler. for now, please enjoy the photos.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Bryan Begaye feeds his 8-month-old son, Kyree, who cries for his bottle, while attending the eighth annual young parent conference with Kyree’s mother, Monyca Nelson, on Wednesday at San Juan College.

I liked the kicker on the next photo, it worked with the photo well, i thought. good job copy/designers. it read :

“Altrusitic Warfare”

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Sacred Heart Catholic School students and a teacher frantically stuff pennies in a glass jar Friday as a part of the “Penny Wars” fundraiser. Proceeds from the school-wide event, which were tallied at over $1,000 by the afternoon, will go toward helping Cornelio Ramirez with the expenses related to a kidney transplant.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Kirtland residents Josh Snyder, 24, and Ginny Gustin, 27, plow through a muddy puddle in a Polaris RZR all-terrain vehicle at the Dunes Vehicle Recreation Area on Sunday.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Bryant Padilla, 16, holds his adoptive sister, 3-year-old Kylie, while she attempts to tickle him outside Judge Sandra Price’s courtroom Monday after the adoption.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Amanda Padilla hugs her newly-adopted daughter, 3-year-old Kylie, closely while spectators and family members celebrate in the moments following the adoption Monday in District Court Judge Sandra Price’s courtroom. Kylie and her sister, 18-month-old Emily, both Navajo, were adopted into the Padilla’s nine-child family.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Harold Lampton, 89 years old, looks at a 1900 U.S. Census book Friday detailing New Mexico’s population at the turn of the last century. The book once belonged to his father, who referred to it before moving to New Mexico.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Harold Lampton, who was born in 1920 in the hospital which would later be named San Juan Regional Medical Center, is seen in a reflection looking at a family photograph hanging in a hallway in his Farmington home Friday.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; A paramedic, far left, attempts to move an injured man from his vehicle, which hit a power pole, onto a stretcher while a Farmington firefighter keeps an eye on the power lines above the scene of a two-car accident Sunday that caused power outages downtown. The wreck at the intersection of Lake Street and Broadway occurred when the man drove through a red light and was hit by a man driving with his children, who were not seriously injured, according to Farmington Police Cpl. Donnie Kee. The man driving alone, not identified by police at the time of the accident, was conscious when he was taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center with injury to his head.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Craig Lozier holds tight to his 3-year-old grandson, Landon Lozier, while Landon's father, Luke, gives them a shove down a hill Thursday at Civitan Park in Farmington, N.M.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Piedra Vista High School guard Cheree Charley hugs teammate Ali Rhodes on Saturday while holding the third place trophy after the Panthers beat Aztec High School in overtime during the Lady Tiger Invitational at AHS.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Nathaniel Brown, an instructional assistant at Esperanza Elementary with the National Indian Youth Council Inc., gets work done Thursday on his laptop at the Farmington Public Library in Farmington, N.M. Area schools were canceled Thursday due to the weather.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Bloomfield High School student Shantell Pinto, 16, enjoys a chilling moment during her lunch break Tuesday under a wall of water, created by melted snow from the previous night's precipitation, draining from the roof of the high school's main building. The snow finally gained ground Thursday, after a week of smaller flurries.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Clear blue skies during much of the day can be seen past a wall of water, created by melted snow from the previous night's precipitation, draining from the roof of the main building at Bloomfield High School on Tuesday.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Mariah Jaramillo, 9, and her Grace Baptist Academy classmate, Jerilyn Lange, 11, center, check out part of the robotics interactive exhibit Thursday at E3 Children’s Museum and Science Center, while education specialist Kelly Hile, assists them.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Guy Shephard, executive director at The Well, looks Monday at the damage done to the window he believes vandals broke and entered through overnight Sunday.

my best of 2009 photo collection

this is culled down from a lot (well over 70 at one point — i need a photo editor!), and even though i left some out that may have had some good impact, also, i think these best represented the year’s work for me.

thanks for looking, and enjoy! and Happy New Year to everyone.

2009 photos, non-slideshow format

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Maj. Xavier Miller of the New Mexico National Guard, second from right, leads family members and workers in burying Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth W. Westbrook in the veterans section at the Shiprock, N.M, Community Cemetery on Oct. 16, 2009.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Bean Crop Manager Roselyn Yazzie holds pinto beans fresh from the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry fields Sept. 11, 2009. Behind her is farm equipment to help harvest the crop.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Trista, 6, a child staying at the Christian organization Navajo Ministries in Farmington, N.M., plays under a skylight July 10, 2009, in a shared room in Jonathan and Christine Wood's house on the 17-acre site. The Wood's asked that the children only be referred to by first name to avoid identification.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Five-year-old Mandy With, left, and Ashlee Ryan, 3, rest after they rehearse their dance dressed as baby-chickens May 28, 2009, at Mann Dance Academy on East 20th Street.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; San Juan County volunteer firefighters from Kirtland close in with a hose on a propane "fire tree,” which is used during a training exercise April 2, 2009, at the District 2 fire station.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Helen Moore, with Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, sorts and grades potatoes Sept. 11, 2009, at the potato processing plant. She tosses potatoes into the bins in front of her, often sorting different types simultaneously in one drop.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Cheryl Cadrain hugs her son, 18-year-old Vista Nueva Alternative High School graduate Micah Szumlinski, after the class' graduation ceremony at the Aztec, N.M., Boys and Girls Club on May 16, 2009.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; The scene of a fatal motorcycle accident on East Main Street on June 17, 2009.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Charlene Tyler, aunt of missing woman Kayla Begaye, holds her 2-year-old grandson, Jharrin Tyler, as she waits for news on the identity of the female found dead April 16, 2009, on the Bluffs off Bisti Highway outside Farmington. Begaye, whose identity was confirmed later that day, had been missing since March.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Woody Benally, a participant at the May 7, 2009, National Day of Prayer observance in front of the Civic Center, raises his hands during a prayer.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; New Mexico State Police Officer Jeremy Yazzie walks past his patrol car Sept. 4, 2009, on U.S. 64 on the west end of Kirtland. He had pulled over with his police lights on to help a motorist in the right-hand lane of eastbound U.S. 64, according to N.M. State Police Officer Gary Chavez, when a semitrailer hit his car from the rear. No one was seriously injured, but the patrol car was totaled and traffic was slow in the eastbound lane entering Kirtland.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Cynthia Sosaya, the new principal at Mesa Verde Elementary, keeps an eye out for her students crossing College Boulevard, with the help of a crossing guard, for International Walk to School Day on Oct. 7, 2009.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Jay Fann, small business owner of Mancos Doors LLC, works on a wall hanging he called “Madonna and Child” in his discounted commercial space offered by the business incubator at San Juan College’s Quality Center for Business on Dec. 11, 2009.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington High School’s Nico Lewis beats Durango’s Dylan Schwantes to the ball for a header during the second half of play at FHS on Sept. 15, 2009. Farmington took the game, 2-0.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Tibbets Middle School eighth-grader Gheron Litke, 13, participates in a group dry-land exercise during the high school swim practice Dec. 2, 2009, at the Farmington Aquatic Center.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington High School sprinter Josh Newsome poses for a portrait March 9, 2009.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Amari Salazar, 3, who is dressed as a bee, and princess Lacie Kay, also 3, admire each other’s costumes outside the cake-walk room at the Bloomfield Police Department during the BPD and Police Athletic League’s annual Halloween carnival Oct. 29, 2009.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Ten-year-old Erin Mitchell, a fifth grader at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Farmington, N.M., points out a particularly large bubble to friends while classmate Joel Sutherland, 11, reaches out to pop it during the 11th Annual San Juan Basin Water Fair on May 18, 2009, at McGee Park. Fair director Shaun Bishop, with the San Juan Water Commission, said the goal of the event is to teach fifth graders water safety and conservation.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Natalie Howard, with Pine River Community Learning Center in Colorado's La Plata County, puts up a token protest as she allows herself to be buried in the corn pit at Sutherland Farm by home-schooled students she supervised on a field trip Oct. 2, 2009.

Xavier Mascareñas; In May of 1990, Orlando Coto-Andrades and his wife, Olga Chicota-Guida, seen here in a photo Jan. 27, 2009, arrived in the United States following a period of six years that Orlando spent as a political prisoner in Cuba. In addition to the six years, he said, Fidel Castro's Cuba also took their livelihood, a textile factory. Olga is often found in the sewing room of their home off Yale Boulevard in Albuquerque, N.M. "Olga was very good with the sewing machine, but now not so much. She's not so good," Orlando said referring to Olga's medical condition, Alzheimer's Disease.

halloween hijinks at the aquatic center

this was a really fun shoot. it would have been nice to spend a little more time there, but i had to run off to football. as it was , i was pretty happy with what i got. the kids were having a lot of fun, and it was contagious.

enjoy

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Children attending the Farmington Aquatic CenterÕs Annual Frighty Night search for prizes in jack-oÕ-lanterns Friday in the pumpkin patch tent. The event is part of the City of Farmington Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs departmentÕs Safe, Affordable, Family Events, which started Oct. 24 and ends on Halloween with events downtown, at the Farmington Civic Center and at the Sycamore Park Community Center.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Children attending the Farmington Aquatic Center's Annual Frighty Night search for prizes in jack-o'-lanterns Friday in the pumpkin patch tent. The event is part of the City of Farmington Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs department's Safe, Affordable, Family Events, which started Oct. 24 and ends on Halloween with events downtown, at the Farmington Civic Center and at the Sycamore Park Community Center.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Aquatic Center lifeguard Mark Fischer, 23, who plays a "dead juggler" in the center's haunted house, shares a round of juggling with 6-year-old Isabela Rudolfo at Friday's Annual Frighty Night Halloween event. The event is part of the City of Farmington Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs department's Safe, Affordable, Family Events, which started Oct. 24 and ends on Halloween with events downtown, at the Farmington Civic Center and at the Sycamore Park Community Center.

let’s time travel

here’s some photos from August. just trying to post a few while i got a moment.
it’s been a long several weeks. we bought tickets to Florida for December (family visit), though, and can’t wait for the vaca.

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