Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

We took a day trip to see if we could see the sandhill cranes, snow geese and other migratory birds that overwinter here. Jeff doesn't like being anywhere at sunrise so we didn't get to see the morning bird lift off but we tried to see them come back at sunset. The refuge is near Socorro so it takes a couple hours to get down there. We scoped out the visitor's center and drove the loop stopping at one area to do a little walk about. The ground was a little sticky/caky due to recent snow but the day was gloriously sunny and warmish. A nice day to walk a little!

The refuge is 57,000 acres (give or take) and it is at the northern edge of the Chihuahuan desert along the Rio Grande river. It is surrounded by the Chupadera and San Pascual mountains. The water is diverted into wetlands, riparian zones and farmlands with channels in dammed up areas. Not much was going on during the hot part of the day so we went back to Socorro for lunch and then returned hoping to see birds fly in at sunset.

Not many birds (compared to other years) were around but I found myself mainly fascinated with all the reflections of grasses and twigs and mountains. The water was like glass and as the sun set the colors and reflections were spectacular and very beautiful. Some cranes did fly in but I was mainly interested in the colors on the water! We did see ravens, a group of peccary (javelinas), roadrunners, some mule deer and lots of ducks. Next time we will go in the morning or at sunset and just sit in one place for an hour or more before sun rise or set.  Any way, I did take some photos of the area. It is very nice and deserves a yearly trip.

Finally, a Post about the New House!

Well, we were pretty stressed out living next to people who were actively rounding up the free-roaming "wild" horses that live in Placitas. After living near awful behavior in Puerto Rico we decided we did not want to put up with it here. We rented near some nasty people who lured baby horses into corrals they erected with the sole purpose of rounding up horses...but THAT is another post.

We started looking for houses figuring it would take a while to find something we could afford and something that was to our liking. Fortunately/unfortunately we found something pretty darned fast after looking at a dozen or so houses in Placitas that were in the realm of financial possibility. Many houses were expensive and not cared for, or were situated on the lot stupidly (didn't take advantage of views) or were on "horse hater row." We did find a few that we liked and finally decided on THE one. We offered less than listed and started the process. 28 days later we had a house! The process involved a pre approval, then house inspection, appraisal, septic pumping, well inspection, heating inspection and on and on. To our amazement these inspections are primarily paid for by the SELLER. We got a super interest rate of 3.125 percent and moved in on December 8. The Unfortunate part is that we are still trapped in a broken lease paying for the rental until someone else moves in (and it is the holidays and winter). If we waited the house would most likely be gone (it is in beautiful shape), the interest rate would rise etc. We just did it. Of course we screened the neighbors when we were on bike rides and sat out nearby checking for activity. We asked about water problems and horse problems and all that. We now live in a place where our cluster of neighbors get along, like each other and leave each other alone! We live near a lady who puts hay out for the horses and no one else cares if we have water out. Everyone leaves them alone. Everyone was pretty happy when we took out all the wire fencing aimed at keeping horses out. Now for the pictures...

The house is 2200 square feet (a mansion but one of the smallest things you can find in Placitas). It is the true South West Adobe style inside and out. We love everything about this house - everything is very thoughtfully done from bent baseboards, to little niches, to heat registers under the sink in the kitchen and bathroom. There is radiant heat in the master bathroom floor, a light sensor for the laundry room you go through to get to the garage. Everything is wood. Just about every room in the house has a very nice view. Every time you go to turn on a light the switch is in the right place and the whole house layout is just right. Even the heater, refrigerator and house mechanics are placed away from the bedroom. It is just awesome. We don't have much furniture yet (and are taking our time) so things are a little empty looking but we don't plan on crapping it up with a lot of stuff anyway. I have big plans for the outside (courtyard wall and gardens) but they require some thought and $. So here are some shots!

El Santuario de Chimayo

This excursion was about a month ago but I am looking at photos again now so I thought I'd make a post! I had wanted to visit this little church for a while but reviews said it was small and not a "destination." Nothing else is nearby so we kept putting it off and putting it off. I am a big fan of cemeteries and churches but Jeff? kind of gets bored. I am not religious but I always find the displays beautiful, interesting and haunting/creepy. I find rituals of any kind bizarre and fascinating. Churches however are usually the best buildings in any town. So off we went to Chimayo, NM for a road trip about an hour to hour and a half away. It was a nice drive past Santa Fe and into the mountains on the road toward Taos. When we arrived we pulled into the lower parking lot and didn't even see the church, but rather some statues and photo collages and lots of crosses. After rambling around a bit we did find the church itself as well as the Shrine of Santa Nino Atocha (kind of a deceased baby church). The Chimayo Santuary was built in 1816 and became a pilgrimage of miracles with a little hole (el pucito) of holy dirt that supposedly cures all. This hole's dirt is "replenished" with dirt from the nearby hillside to a tune of 25-30 tons a year! Apparently everyone wants some dust. The church itself is a small and beautiful adobe structure. The arches and surrounding hillsides remind me of hobbit land or a fairytale movie set. There were a lot of the bag light luminaries in preparation for the holidays. It would be spectacular to see all lit up at night. The wood carvings were very impressive and inside the buildings the statues/figures and alters were truly wonderful. Unfortunately photos are not allowed inside the sanctuaries. One building didn't have signs so I took a couple quick photos but rushed because despite the lack of "no photo" signs I wasn't sure it was really ok. There was a wall of baby shoes that was oddly art-like. All around the premises there were crosses and rosaries. People make the trek there and leave these things behind. The setting, like many places in New Mexico, is just surreal with a quiet beauty. We saw some tile work of the same Saint or mythological creature we had seen at a high school a few weeks earlier. I'll have to look into the meaning of it since it has reappeared! The church has really marketed itself with free holy dirt for all, a restaurant (we didn't partake), gift shop, and rambling around caretaker type. I think it is worth another visit.

Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve

A couple weekends back we went on a drive to Pecos, ended up on a little mountain journey before finding Pecos, toured the ruins and then headed to Harry's Roadhouse for food at the recommendation of the park ranger. Harry's Roadhouse ended up being somewhere we'd definitely eat again - I had a veggie burger with beet/feta sauce and arugula and Jeff had a turkey reuben. The whole menu looked good! After that we were driving home and I spotted a bunch of fall colors along the highway and thought I saw a brown park sign. We took the off ramp, went on the frontage road and ended up at the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve which is managed by the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens. There also happened to be an art installation throughout the area! We had only 45 minutes but managed to see most of it. There was a lot of color and some of the "art" was kind of cool. After having hail in the mountains it was nice to have sunshine and this is a peach of a place that  I have no idea how you would actually know about it. Anyway, I took some photos of our first fall here. We thought these little ladders were kind of cool - who comes out to play on them at night?

 W

We loved the jackrabbit complete with the giant ears. the first time we saw a real one we didn't even know what it was!

I didn't photograph it, but there were some installations underwater in the pond. I was enamored with the reflections. So it was a peachy little spot and good find. A very nice spot to stop when returning from places up north. When the colors were really going it would be even nicer but still, how can you beat this?