Dogs of Santa Fe - The Great Furmonsters of the Southwest

I have quite a few updates to do about our recent trip to Santa Fe.  I am going to try and do one per day, maybe more, perhaps less.  Santa Fe blew us away.  So much so in fact, we have already looked at apartments and scouted jobs in the region.  Some recurring themes such as great food, unique architecture, art, nice people, lots of dogs, and gorgeous surroundings planted Santa Fe as one of our favorite places in the world.  For this entry though, I will speak only of dogs.

With goboogo.com, it is a common theme for me to include a daily picture of a dog that is crowned "Furmonster of the Day."  Through this feature, a diverse array of four legged furmonsters have been appointed champion in countries all over the world.  In Santa Fe, the sheer magnitude of canine personalities moved me to include an entire entry about the friends we met while in Santa Fe.

 After walking around the plaza and seeing all stripe and badge of dog, we knew Santa Fe was a great dog town, but it was not until Friday evening that we stumbled upon the motherlode.  While footing it to a nearby restaurant for dinner, we walked passed a shop called Zoe and Guido's, a very chic and fun pet boutique.  We saw a sign in the window, "Small dog Halloween Party 6-9."  After basking in the splendor of this serendipity, we pulled open the door and waltzed into a haven filled with small costumed dogs.  We had missed the rush, which was disappointing, but had a great time visiting with the remaining party animals.  We were also informed of a costume contest to be held the following afternoon.  We were so there.

 The contest the following day was a great time.  A giant named Hugo (Saint Bernard) wont the costume contest, but all applicants seemed to shine in their own way.  There was Maggie the poodle dressed up as a skeleton and Coco the devil.  The owner of the boutique, dressed as Ms. Havisham, presided over the contest with several other human admirers.  It was a great time. Below are pictures from all over Santa Fe. 

 A distant cousin of Libby's searched for scraps in Chimayo

 This fella in Taos gave my camera the eye 

 One of our favorite furmonsters of the trip was Ella, this gray poodle named after Ella Fitzgerald 

 She was big girl and just loved attention 

 Great smile and check out her eyelashes

 Hard not to love this face 

 One moment you are sitting around staring at humans 

The next you are meeting similar friends in Santa Fe plaza

 A goldendoodle or "dood" saunters up and shows off his golden locks

 This papillon looking Chihuahua was traveling with its owners through Santa Fe.  He was really curious about the camera.

 A Welsh Corgi suspiciously glances back

 I love this little Pomeranian's markings 

 He looks like he has a head of hair!

 A poodle apprehensively looks on at the festivities, from the outskirts

 This is precious Maggie dressed up as a skeleton 

 A smiling poodle with a silver party hat 

 The canine handshake 

 This little one was having a great time at the little dog party party

 I believe this guy placed in the top 3 at the costume contest 

 The owner of Zoe and Guido's, dressed as Ms. Havisham 

 A little rescue poodle with her owner 

 Hugo, the St. Bernard, getting dressed up for a convincing run at the championship 

 Spiderman and a lizard 

 A firefighter trots by 

 Saying hello

 There were two Spiderdogs, this one 

 And this shy cute pup

 Coco defiantly wearing her horns around her neck 

 The full costume, with a little help 

 Hugo is crowned champion.   He basks in the afterglow of his accomplishment with this massive bonety.  He sat like this in the middle of the store for several minutes; his prize laid out for all to admire.

 Hugo is a managing partner of "Fido's Bed and Biscuit," a bed and breakfast for dogs in Santa Fe

 Peaking through his ghost holes 

 The little poodle finally warmed up to me 

 The poodles bodyguard sniffed at me suspiciously, finally letting me pass 

 I was granted an awkward handshake from her highness

 

Maggie and her owner say goodbye to us 

Bert's Burger Bowl - Santa Fe, New Mexico

As with most travel days, the morning came to soon.  We rose a little passed 3am, and slowly zombied our way through the morning operations:  breakfast, grumbling, cups of orange juice, cold shoulders, commuting, removing shoes, veiled sarcasm, waiting, boarding flights, fighting for the elbow rest with portly grey strangers, landing, and thrashing onto the open road northbound in a wimpy little Chevy Cobalt - care of the Albuquerque Budget Rental Car.  With 2 flights and a robust morning of happenings behind us, the devil was in the detail of the time - 9:45am.  As we tore through the desertish shrublands towards Santa Fe, I resented the amount of life we had already crammed into this extended morning.  Our accomplishments were worn with a grimace and a our growling stomachs spoke tales of malnourishment.  

We were famished.  Food was needed and fast.  As our car alighted with Santa Fe proper, we began scanning buildings for a den of sustenance.  We happened upon a ramshackle abode with promise and a heady "as seen on tv" endorsement.  One of those shows, with one of those guys, that talks about food, had gone ahead and extended to the world a recommendation that we accepted as we peeled open the weathered teal door.  It was going to be chili burgers.  My god, it had to be.

This restaurant, Bert's Burger Bowl, is one of those hole in the wall establishments that locals adore and travelers embrace.  Using the locally sourced chilies, Berts has created a burger concoction that bears a familiar badge - chili burger, yet it is not the usual sloppy concoction.  No sir, this chili burger is made using green hatch chilies and a familiar cast of characters - cheese, beef, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, a slightly charred structural bun, and a little bit of mustard.  The whole experience is unbelievably balanced, each ingredient is noticeable with nothing overpowering.  The burger is humble, simple, and perfect.  The meat is thin and tender, a part of the whole.  The green chilies are the true star, and they add a kick that takes this burger to addictive new heights.  I dipped my burger in the Bert's red chili sauce, and that took the taste up a glorious notch.  All in Bert's is a fantastic hole in the wall, and if you find yourself in Santa Fe, find yourself a Bert's burger.   

Bert's burger bowl is in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  The green chili burger is about 3 bucks.  Open 8am - 7pm, Monday-Friday and 10:30am - 5pm on Sunday.   

Buns and green chili

More behind the scenes with the stars 

Bert's has no indoor seating, just a little counter to munch at.  There are plenty of outdoor tables, but it was too cold for us to sit out there.

Damn good fries with spicy Bert's red sauce 

The burger 

 Happiness is this right here

Nikon d700 vs. Nikon D7000 - The Verdict

I wanted to keep both cameras.  I told myself that the (d7000) Dx chip will be great for extending my 70-200, that I needed a backup camera for shoots, that I could use the video function for exciting endeavors, and that the cameras could possibly keep each other company in the dark confines of my think tank bag.  Alas, my justifications were burst asunder and I had to choose.  In a perfect world, I keep both.  But the shortage of the d7000 along with my complete lack of necessity for two expensive cameras led me to a hasty conclusion.  The d7000 had to go.

The Nikon d700 is a better camera.  While the colors seem to pop a little more in the d7000, and at low light, they perform similar, when I wrapped my hand around the d700, I knew it was meant to be.  I really like the bigger sensor on the 700, and the viewfinder is like looking into a massive cave with floor to ceiling windows.  These are the reasons that I chose the Nikon d700.  Also, having the big glass now, I did not like shooting on the DX chip.  I dislike the magnification, especially wide.  Sure, having the extra 100 focal length is great on the 70-200, but it just wasn't a strong enough justification for the $1400 I sold the used camera for on Ebay($200 over retail, must be a shortage).  

Without even testing anything from Canon, I am comfortable asserting that the d7000 is the best prosumer camera today.  I am the type of idiot that makes these sort of grandiose claims.  I used a Nikon d300s last year, and it cannot compare to the d7000 except in speed.  The 7000 takes wonderful pictures, and like an aapl earnings call, it beats expectations.  That is probably the coolest thing about it.  I opened it up and expected a better version of the Nikon d90, but it was a different beast entirely.  The Nikon d700 just happens to (still) be a class above the rest.

Here are some d7000 shots I took last weekend during my brief tryst with the camera at Andy and Kim's nuptials.  All natural light, unedited, no flash.

 

 

Photography - Nikon d700 versus Nikon d7000 Review Part 1

Okay, so I have, in my possession, the $1200 Nikon d7000 and the $2400 Nikon d700.  I purchased the d7000 last Friday from Best Buy, and moving up from the Nikon d90, it is a massive leap.  But I will get into that later.

It is funny, really.  I had just bought a Nikon rebate bundle with a Nikon d700 and the 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 before I went to Best Buy.  That was going to be my camera.  I waited for an entire year for Nikon to announce the d800 or d700x or d700s or d700xs or the D70,457.  I got impatient.  I gave up.  I filled my cart just as I had done 50 times before at B&H, except this time, I made the purchase.  So, when I brought home the d7000, it was supposed to be an eBay sale. I had no room for two new purchases in my stable.  First I put it up on eBay.  I started the auction at 1500 and placed the reserve at 2000.  I waited about 15 minutes before I started getting fidgety.  I got real curious about the d7000 as it sat there on my desk.  Just a peak I told myself...

The auction did not last an hour.  I first moved the buy it now to 2500, and than pulled it completely.  You see, when I peaked at the pristine Magnesium alloy d7000 body, my heart filled with lust.  I took it for a spin with my 35mm 1.8.  Wow.  Before I knew it, my d90 was up on eBay, the 18-105 kits lens (bundled with the d7000) was on eBay, and I was making absurd justifications.  Having just dropped quite a bit of money on the d700 bundle, I had no place having eyes for another camera body, but I did.  I would sell the kit lens, sell the d90, and keep the d7000 as a back up camera.  It was done.

The d7000 is a magnificent camera.  Much much better than a Nikon d90 and much better than a Nikon d300s, the d7000 is a low light monster, a 1080p shooting maniac, and a stunner that feels just so right in your hand.  I took it with me everywhere last weekend like a trophy wife.  Weddings, friend's houses, Quizno's.  Always buckling it in to the passenger side seat, and opening the door for it at destinations, I was in love.  But something kept nagging at me.  Something I had done the week before.  Like proposing to an old 7 before falling deeply in love with a young 10, I had made a commitment to the Nikon d700, albeit a rocky one.  Would I keep both?  Does that even make sense?

Well, the Nikon d700 finally arrived.  It was in full entourage mode, flanked by a 70-200vrII 2.8 and a 24-70 2.8.  It looked crazy, sitting there on my living room floor.  Me, 3 boxes, and a Nikon d7000.  It was an odd love triangle, me with these 2 phenomenal machines.  I slowly unboxed the d700 while holy choral music played triumphantly in my mind.

(To be continued)

In the mean time, here are two ISO 6400 pictures, one with each camera.

Nikon d700 ISO 6400 24-70 2.8

Nikon d7000 ISO 6400 24-70 2.8