View from the Innside

Goya exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum through May 13, 2012

Los Caprichos, an 80-print exhibit by Francisco Goya, is showing at the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History through May 13, 2012.While the artwork itself is fascinating, even more stunning is the commentary that accompanies and somewhat explains each print.

As stated by the exhibit's curator, Robert Flynn Johnson, "... the imagery unleashed in the unrelentingly dark and cynical series of Los Caprichos continues to provoke and disturb our contemporary consciousness--even after two centuries! That is the essence of great art, to endure, and to continue to have relevance."

Albuquerque Museum of Art & History
2000 Mountain Road NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104
(505) 243-7255
www.cabq.gov/museum
open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:00-5:00
admission $4 with special rates for seniors, children and New Mexico residents; free to New Mexico residents on Sunday until 1:00 p.m.

I’m having fun--come on along!

Kathy
Bottger Mansion of Old Townhistoric bed & breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
www.bottger.comfollow us on Facebook

 

Historic homes tour in Albuquerque--May 8, 2011

A tour of historic Albuquerque homes and gardens on Mother's Day--what more could one want? I just received this a few days ago. And while the Edward Buxton Cristy House at 201 Walter Street SE isn't on the tour, you can walk by it and see this charming house. He was the architect who designed the Bottger Mansion of Old Town.

HUNING HIGHLAND HISTORIC DISTRICT 

2011 MOTHER’S DAY TOUR

11a.m. - 4 p.m.

Tickets $10 to benefit the Historic District Neighborhood Association 

HOUSES

416 WALTER SE

306 EDITH SE

217 ARNO SE

419 IRON

GARDENS

307 EDITH SE

518 WALTER SE

OLD ALBUQUERQUE HIGH LOFTS & BELVEDERE, MANUAL ARTS BUILDING, ARNO & CENTRAL NE

Tours on the hour: 11 a.m., 12 noon, 1, 2, 3 p.m.

PRESERVATION STATION (FORMER CONOCO GAS STATION)

601 COAL SE   TOUR TICKETS SOLD HERE

PLAZA ESCALANTE  418 CENTRAL SE, 111 EDITH SE

ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH  308 HIGH SE

Tours of the sanctuary from 2-4 p.m. Greek pastries for sale

IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH  300 GOLD SE

Tours of the 1918 sanctuary & 1934 school begin at 1 p.m.; restrooms available

PARQ CENTRAL HOTEL / RAILROAD HOSP.  806 CENTRAL SE

Enter from Central Avenue to view lobby and rear courtyard

WHITTLESLEY HOUSE / ALBUQUERQUE PRESS CLUB, 201 HIGHLAND PARK CIRCLE SE

TOUR TICKETS SOLD HERE ON PORCH; building will be open at 2 p.m., restrooms available

I’m having fun--come on along!

Kathy

Bottger Mansion of Old Town
historic bed & breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
www.bottger.com
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spring flowers in Old Town Albuquerque

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring is here!  All the trees, shrubs and vines are leafing out, and flowers are filling the landscape with color. On my stroll through Old Town early Monday morning, I saw lilacs, irises, mulberry trees, Bradford pears... and a roadrunner.  To those of you who have a while yet to be done with winter, please enjoy the flowers.

I’m having fun--come on along!
 
Kathy

Bottger Mansion of Old Town
historic bed & breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
www.bottger.com

 

Bodies The Exhibition in Albuquerque through January 9th

Last night we attended the monthly business exchange of the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau held at the Albuquerque Convention Center.  Part of the evening's activities was admission to Bodies The Exhibition, which is open in Albuquerque through January 9th.  Here's a excerpt from the website:

"Celebrate the wonder of the human form

"BODIES…The Exhibition provides an intimate and informative view into the human body. Using an innovative preservation process, the Exhibition allows you to see and celebrate your body’s inner beauty in ways you never dreamed possible. Over 200 actual human bodies and specimens, meticulously dissected and respectfully displayed, offer an unprecedented and wholly unique look into your amazing body. Come explore, experience and celebrate the wonder of the human form."

I wasn't certain I wanted to see this exhibition.  I'm not normally very squeamish.  My favorite television show is NCIS, which can depict some fairly gruesome crime scenes.  However, I wasn't certain what my reaction would be to actual bodies.

It was tasteful, even artful.  One of the most beautiful displays was that of the system of airways and alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs, backlit and suspended in a glass case.  Most of the exhibit centered around the various systems of the human body--bones, organs, muscles, tendons, circulatory system, respiratory system--and how they work.  Interspersed were displays of diseased tissues with explanations of their causes.  What does the liver look like in a person with cirrhosis?  Heart damage?  What does the mechanism for a hip replacement look like?  Between the displays of healthy lungs and lungs full of cancer was a large box for the disposal of cigarettes from people who decided to quit smoking that instant. 

Even the music played throughout the exhibit was serene, meant for contemplation and reflection.  I left with new respect for the complexity and magnificence of the human body and its abilty and determination to heal itself and survive in spite of injuries and self-imposed abuses.

Go see Bodies the Exhibition.  Add a little wonder to your life.

Bodies the Exhibition   

When:  Sunday-Thursday:  10 am-8 pm.  Friday & Saturday:  10 am-10 pm. 

Where:  Albuquerque Convention Center, Northwest Exhibition Hall, 401 2^nd Street NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico

I’m having fun--come on along!

Kathy

Bottger Mansion of Old Town
historic Bed & Breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
www.bottger.com

 

 

 

 

nearly perfect weather for the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque

This year was the first time in the seven years we've lived here that a mass ascension took place every morning of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  Usually we have at least two or three mornings when lift-off is cancelled due to rain or windy weather.  This year, every morning was nearly perfect, with only one morning determined as launch at pilots' discretion--it was a little breezier than many pilots would have liked.

We did have a couple of the evening balloon glows cancelled, but the fireworks went as scheduled.

The weather in general was perfect, with cool mornings and warm days.  If you missed the Balloon Fiesta this year, make plans for next year--October 1 through October 9, 2011.  Come stay with us at the Bottger Mansion.  Make your reservations as soon as you finalize your vacation plans--nice places to stay, plane flights and rental cars sell out early.

I’m having fun--come on along!

Kathy

Bottger Mansion of Old Town
historic Bed & Breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
www.bottger.com

 

Cowboys and Indians--1903 New Mexico Territorial Fair

From the pages of Albuquerque:  A Narrative History, by Marc Simmons, 1982, pages 321-322:

The fair always attracted large numbers of Indians, who performed dances and foot races in front of the grandstand.  Pueblos [Indians] living in the Rio Grande Valley usually arrived by train, taking advantage of free passage charitably offered them by the AT&SF.  The Navajos, scattered through the mesa lands to the west, came by horseback.  During the 1903 fair, some 200 rough-looking members of the tribe rode in from the remote Chaco Canyon area of northwestern New Mexico.  Colonel D. K. B. Sellers, president of the fair that year, saw them and conceived the idea of staging a sham battle, modeled after the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, then immensely popular throughout the country.

He had little trouble gaining compliance of the Indians, the Fort Wingate cavalry troop, and a crew of stray cowboys.  According to a hastily devised program, the colonel would ride across the baseball diamond in the center of the racetrack mounted on his stout gray horse.  On signal, the Indians were to ambush him with much shouting and shooting.  Then enter the cowboys firing six-shooter volleys.  When it appeared they were getting the worst of it, the cavalry would rush to the rescue amid another crescendo of gunfire. The United States Army commander willingly supplied a plentitude of blank cartridges for all this staged mayhem.

It was early afternoon and the stand was packed with spectators contentedly downing sack lunches.  Just as the performance was about to begin, Colonel Sellers received a shocking bit of news:  some of the warriors were planning a genuine massacre.  The Indian wars had long been over, but a number of these particular Navajos, it seems, still nursed a grudge against white men in uniform.  They had thrown away their blanks and substituted live cartridges.

The colonel moved quickly.  Slipping up behind the band leader he snatched his pistol from the holster, broke open the cylinder and, sure enough, real bullets.  Summoning members of the Albuquerque police, Sellers conducted a hasty search and found thirty other loaded revolvers.  The culprits were marched off to jail.  The crowd, unaware of the near tragedy, waited impatiently for the start of the show.  Colonel Sellers, as scheduled, rode his big gray onto the field and the battle went on according to plan--with one minor adjustment.  The remaining Indians confined their demonstration to loud whooping; they had been relieved of all their firearms.

The curious incident at the Albuquerque fair was reported to Washington.  As a result, the army issued explicit orders that no troops should ever again be allowed to join in a sham battle with Indians.

I’m having fun--come on along!

Kathy

Bottger Mansion of Old Town
historic bed & breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
www.bottger.com

 

 

 

Judge William C. Hazeldine--another dead end

I'm still looking for Judge William C. Hazeldine.  I found a reference that he died in 1892, but I've been unable to find an obituary or a photograph.  However, his daughter Nellie died in 1902 and the newspaper article mentions that she was buried in Fairview Cemetery.

The office at Fairview had very sketchy records, which said that only Nellie was buried in the "family plot in the Masonic section" and noted that even at that, there was no memorial stone.

What I've been able to find out is that William Hazeldine had three daughters.  Nellie died in 1902; she had been a member of the MMM Club at the University of New Mexico in 1893.  His daughter Lucy married William Edmund Dame "at the home of the bride's mother" and moved to Mexico City in 1909.  His third daughter May married James Pettijohn and moved to Long Beach, California in 1910. 

There were two more Hazeldines mentioned, Lura and Louise, who was also in that UNM club with Nellie.  They might be cousins of the Hazeldine girls.

But still, no William Hazeldine.

I’m having fun--come on along!

Kathy

Bottger Mansion of Old Town
historic bed & breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
www.bottger.com

 

 

This is MY Albuquerque

I've been doing a lot of historic research on Albuquerque since last October.  It's been a fascinating study, particularly regarding the buildings that once populated our fair city and at one time made it look like every other American city of the time.  A recurring theme in the narrative descriptions and commentary is the lament that many of those incredible buildings were torn down in the name of urban renewal or "progress."  Included on that roster are the Commercial Club, Castle Huning, the Alvarado Hotel, and the Franciscan.  These are notable particularly because they were not derelict or poorly built.  In fact, the Franciscan Hotel was so solid that it took seven swings of the wrecking ball to even begin making a dent in it.

As I was driving east on Central Avenue on a warm spring evening with the window open, I realized that those buildings were a part of their Albuquerque, those people I've been studying who were so important to the city's development--Huning, Hazeldine, Stover, and Rodey, among many others.  

My errands on that evening took me through MY Albuquerque and by some places I love.  The University of New Mexico is unique among schools.  Simply walking on campus is a treat, past buildings whose architecture is like none other.  My favorite restaurants are from a wide variety of ethnic groups and include some fabulous restaurants--Crazy Fish, Sahara, Bumblebee, Zinc, Scalo, Rudy's, La Crepe Michel, Antiquity, Taj Mahal--and the list goes on.  Art Deco style buildings in Nob Hill rub elbows with bungalow homes the next block over.  I can have great coffee in many places, eat incredible desserts at Flying Star, cruise the web on wireless networks all over the city, and enjoy one of the most spectacular views in the world from Sandia Peak.  I can enjoy a soft summer evening outside at Kelly's and have a phone conversation with my daughter who lives 1200 miles away. And always there is Old Town, the historic heart of the city.

These are all places I can go, meals I can enjoy, and things I can do today that our forbears couldn't do 100 years ago.  And while I can appreciate the history and architecture for what it was, I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

That was their Albuquerque, and this is mine.

I’m having fun--come on along!

Kathy

Bottger Mansion of Old Town
historic bed & breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
www.bottger.com

 

Founders Day--Albuquerque's 304th birthday party

Albuquerque's birthday party is fast approaching--Saturday, April 24th, from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. in Old Town.  This year's events include mariachi bands, flamenco dancing, Native American drummers, a parade, singers, dancers, potters, and even "Kit Carson."

Various patios and plazas around Old Town will host themed entertainment, representing the peoples and eras important to the founding and history of Albuquerque--Native American, Spanish, Mexican, Territorial and Statehood.

For a complete schedule of events, click here: Download Founders Sched 2010.

Come on down on April 24th and join the party!

When:    Saturday, April 24th, 12:30-5:00

Where:  Old Town--north of Central Avenue, just east of Rio Grande Blvd.

I’m having fun--come on along!

Kathy

Bottger Mansion of Old Town
historic bed & breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
www.bottger.com

 

An evening at the Albuquerque Opera House, 1883

More entertaining reading from the pages of Albuquerque:  A Narrative History by Marc Simmons:

"The competing Albuquerque Opera House, in spite of its high-toned name, leaned toward popular entertainment such as melodramas, musicals, current plays, and minstrel shows.  One troupe of traveling actors in 1883 provided a most memorable performance when, in the course of the show, they became angry with one another and staged a barroom brawl.  Both men and women swung fists and threw props.  Some members of the audience became so excited, they rushed on stage to join in the battle.  Patrons who remained in their seats to watch the bloody spectacle agreed afterward that it was the liveliest production seen on an Albuquerque stage to date."

I’m having fun--come on along!

Kathy

Bottger Mansion of Old Town
historic bed & breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
www.bottger.com