View from the Innside

"Lavender in the Village" Festival in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque

The "Lavender in the Village" Festival reminds me of the small-town festivals we used to attend in New Hampshire, like the Strawberry Festival in Hollis or the Sheep Festival in New Boston.  While there were lots of people there, it was obvious that many of them live in Los Ranchos as neighbors and friends greeted each other.

The festival is hosted by the Los Poblanos Inn and takes place on their lovely estate.  It centers around the lavender fields and their many lavender products, like soaps, lotions, and even lavender honey.  Visitors can go out into the field and cut lavender.  They don't charge by the bunch of lavender--they "rent" you the scissors!  Booths included all sorts of agriculture and wildlife interests, like the Wildlife Alliance, soil conservation, and a goat farmer selling all kinds of goat cheeses and goat milk products.  They had also brought four small goats in a petting pen.

The 4-H kids were also present with their Chinese crested chickens, baby turkeys, and rabbits.  One kid's exhibit chicken (with a really long breed name that I promptly forgot) regularly perches on his head.

While I was there, a great bluegrass band was playing in the apple orchard.  Thank goodness there are LOTS of trees there, because July can be hot here, and it was already fairly warm by 11:00 a.m.  Of course, there were booths that sold cold drinks and food, and even a gelato vendor was there doing a great business. 

Most of the grounds were open to visitors to the festival.  I hadn't been on the north end of the property before and seen the lovely pond surrounded by some willow trees and filled with huge water flowers--I'm not sure, but they look like lotus.

It was a really lovely local festival and worth going and spending some time.   I look forward to the Seventh Annual Festival next year.

The "Lavender in the Village" Festival reminds me of the small-town festivals we used to attend in New Hampshire, like the Strawberry Festival in Hollis or the Sheep Festival in New Boston.  While there were lots of people there, it was obvious that many of them live in Los Ranchos as neighbors and friends greeted each other.

The festival is hosted by the Los Poblanos Inn and takes place on their lovely estate.  It centers around the lavender fields and their many lavender products, like soaps, lotions, and even lavender honey.  Visitors can go out into the field and cut lavender.  They don't charge by the bunch of lavender--they "rent" you the scissors!  Booths included all sorts of agriculture and wildlife interests, like the Wildlife Alliance, soil conservation, and a goat farmer selling all kinds of goat cheeses and goat milk products.  They had also brought four small goats in a petting pen.

The 4-H kids were also present with their Chinese crested chickens, baby turkeys, and rabbits.  One kid's exhibit chicken (with a really long breed name that I promptly forgot) regularly perches on his head.

While I was there, a great bluegrass band was playing in the apple orchard.  Thank goodness there are LOTS of trees there, because July can be hot here, and it was already fairly warm by 11:00 a.m.  Of course, there were booths that sold cold drinks and food, and even a gelato vendor was there doing a great business. 

Most of the grounds were open to visitors to the festival.  I hadn't been on the north end of the property before and seen the lovely pond surrounded by some willow trees and filled with huge water flowers--I'm not sure, but they look like lotus.

It was a really lovely local festival and worth going and spending some time.   I look forward to the Seventh Annual Festival next year.

"Experimental Geography" exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum

Last Sunday we had a chance to visit the new "Experimental Geography" exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum.  It's where geographical study and artistic experience meet, in displays by 19 different artists from six countries.  The description of the exhibit says that "every estuary, landfill, and cul-de-sac has a story to tell." 

I've heard that artists believe everything in the world is art; since geography covers everything in the world, then geography = art.  For example, somebody put this sign along the road and took a photo, and now it's art.  An empty field or a vacant lot may not draw much attention, but the same vacant lot with a parking attendant booth suddenly becomes a parking lot.  Put the booth in unexpected places and watch the reactions of people passing by.  The booth now stands on the sidewalk in front of the museum, and we commented about it as we walked by, unaware that it was part of the exhibit.  Experiment, indeed.

Some of the interpretations were unusual.  I prefer more traditional art, but it's always good to stretch your mind and gain a new perspective.  One exhibit showed a car trip taken twice through a part of Israel, once by a Palestinian and once by an Israeli.  I didn't know that the area is divided into a patchwork of areas or zones, and nationality determines which roads a person may take or zones through which he may not pass.  In this case, the Israeli traveled on modern, well-paved roads with stop signals, and the journey took an hour.  However, the Palestinian was required to detour onto winding unpaved roads, stop numerous times for identity and security checks, and at one point get out and walk; his trip from the same starting point to the same ending point took five hours.

I've always been a map reader, so it was interesting to see how different maps look depending on what they convey--subway routes, public utility lines, coal mines, Native American reservations, national parks and campgrounds, or the concentrations of different ethnic populations.

There are so many man-made elements in our landscape that we don't really even think about them.  As I was driving down Rio Grande Boulevard the other day, I noticed the mailboxes along the sidewalk and road signs everywhere and tried to envision what the street would look like without them.  Then I imagined the chaos that would ensue if they weren't there.  One of the exhibits talked about entropy:  the degree of disorder or uncertainty in a system.  That would certainly be one word for it.

Go visit this exhibit if you can.  If you can't, take a look around your own world and really "see" the things around you.

Albuquerque Museum of Art & History

1000 Mountain Road NW

Albuquerque, NM   87104

www.cabq.gov/museum

open Tuesday-Sunday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

 

 

up, up and away!

This morning was absolutely gorgeous as I was walking to work.  In the sky to the north were several hot air balloons, one so close that it was going to pass right overhead.  I whipped out my phone and took several photos.  This is what that particular balloon looked like as it was directly above me.

They were so low that I thought they were going to land on the golf course of the Albuquerque Country Club across the street.  A man was looking out over the edge of the basket and when I waved, he waved back. 

They drifted south and went out of sight.  But a few minutes later they were farther away, high in the sky again, heading off into the distance.

Some guests who stay with us want to take a hot air balloon ride but are not terribly thrilled to find out how early in the morning they have to get up.  Hot air rises, but the surrounding air has to be cold enough to enable the balloon to rise.  And with the winds here being typically very still early in the morning, the conditions are perfect for hot air ballooning.

Dozens of hot air balloons in the sky is an incredible, unforgettable sight.  There's a reason that nearly a million people attend the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta each October.

It's great to have breakfast outside again!

Every spring, It seems to take forever until it's warm enough to have breakfast outside.  This year our first breakfast outdoors was May 8th.  It got colder for a few days after that, but now we're outside every morning if it's not rainy or windy.

The plants and vines are filling out, and our hummingbirds visit the feeders only a few feet away.  So far we have broad-tails and black-chinned hummingbirds in our yard.  Once in a while a rufous will come to visit and pick a fight with the others over the feeders--bossy little things!

the new ABQ Trolley

The ABQ Trolley is a new guided tour trolley that starts from Old Town and takes a 66-minute tour around the City.  We haven't had a chance to take the tour yet, but I'm sure it hits all the highlights around town.

The "grand opening" was on Friday, May 1st.  Most of the time I'm absorbed in my work, but occasionally I look out the window and see it pass by with a cheerful "ding, ding!" of the trolley bell as it returns to Old Town.

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

 

the Corrales Quilt and Wine Fair

Occasionally we have a little time to attend one of the many fairs and festivals in the area.  On Saturday we were able to attend the 2009 Corrales Quilt and Wine Fair.

I'm not a big fan of wine, so that wasn't much of a draw for me.  I think we tasted maybe three or four of the wines. 

We did enjoy the quilt show, which was held in a separate tent.  As innkeepers, we're very sensitive to spills on linens, so we appreciated the big signs at the entrance to the tent--"No food or beverages in the quilt tent!"

You can click on any of these photos for a full-size view.  These little wall hangings were three-dimensional, with layers of texture and beading.  So was the arm that managed to point up just as I snapped the photo!

It always seems that the ones that catch my eye are the ones with bright colors and bold designs.

I really like this quilt of an old Dodge truck heading off into the New Mexico landscape.

When I took the picture of this 3D blocks quilt, there was another perspective that I didn't even see until I looked at the photo.  This is one that you have to step back to see the design "pop" out at you.  In most of these quilts, the fabric is flat.  In 3D perspective quilts (as opposed to the actual three-dimensional quilts with details that are shaped and have several layers of fabric or texture), the 3D look is achieved in the shape of the pieces and the use of light and dark fabrics to create "sides" and shadows.

There weren't that many people there when we arrived, but it was early on the first day.  I'm sure it got quite busy later on.

find nearly anything at the Expo flea market

A surprising number of guests ask us about the flea market that operates on Saturdays and Sundays at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds (Expo New Mexico).  Until now, my answer has been, "I understand it's a good one but I've never been there."  On Sunday we had some time in the morning and decided to go.

 You can find nearly anything there, from shoes to sunglasses, jewelry, pottery, toys...  Some of the sellers had all the same thing; obviously they go around and buy out the inventory of stores that are closing or their overstock.  Shoes seemed to be a popular item.  Some of it was obviously yard sale kind of stuff.  Glassware, dishes, socks, little girls' communion and party dresses, you name it.

One enterprising man had an entire fruit and vegetable area.  I kind of wonder where he gets his produce.  It's a long time until the season for watermelon, but he had them.  Unless he was driving all the way up from South America somewhere, where it's the end of their summer, where is he getting it?

And then there's my favorite sight--a row of mannequins from the waist down, displaying jeans for sale, with their perky little backsides pointed toward people passing by.  I know or see very few women these days who can fit into jeans that size.

Now we've been to the flea market.  I'm not the garage sale or flea market type, and I didn't see anything there that I absolutely had to have.

But if you're one of those who just loves a good garage sale, this is the place for you.

the new Albuquerque Open Space Center

The other day, we decided to do something a little different and enjoy some down time after all the time spent remodeling the bathroom.  We had intended to take a walk for about an hour.

First we headed to the new open space park and visitor center in the North Valley to see the sandhill cranes.  This is a beautiful public building with exhibit space for the open space information and some art exhibit space as well.  They also have a wonderful meeting room that can be reserved and used by the public. 

The building overlooks the bosque ("BOSS-kay"), which is the land along the river full of big trees, mostly cottonwoods.  Earlier in the year they planted the fields with corn and grain, then cut down the dead stalks and left the corn and grain on the ground for the sandhill cranes, among others, to feed on.

This is as close as we could get to the sandhill cranes that day.  The whole area is fenced in, with an observation platform next to the open space visitor center building.  There are some trails along the fence, and we walked as close as we could get.  See those gray blobs in the field?  Those are sandhill cranes.  They're actually fair-sized birds (like flamingos), and they have a very distinctive call that we hear when they're flying far overhead.  They fly fairly high up, as opposed to ducks and geese.  And the formations of sandhill cranes can be pretty difficult to see since they fly so high.  Also, they tend to circle and swoop when they fly as they look for feeding fields or water.  Sometimes I hear them and can't see them at all, but then they circle and the sun hits their wings--oh, there they are!

Our walk turned out to be very short.  While the sun was out and the day was bright, it was cold and windy. 

Autumn in Albuquerque—smells, sights and sounds

Today was a magical fall day in Albuquerque--warm with just a touch of cool around the edges. The cottonwood trees along the river are golden and the leaves are just beginning to fall. When I stepped out of the truck I heard sandhill cranes giving their distinctive warbling cry high overhead. The chile harvest is done but the roadside vendors are still roasting the chilies to blister the skins. That wonderful aroma and the smell of pinion fires are so uniquely New Mexican!  Ristras--red chilies that have been dried and strung together--appear in kitchens and hang under the portals.

Enjoy today and look forward to the coming seasons. Next up is December, which brings posole, las posadas and luminarias.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Are we ready for this year's Balloon Fiesta?  Yes... and no.

The guests are all checked in and everyone is going to the mass ascension tomorrow.  The scones are baked and ready, coffee is cued up, the fridge is full of yogurt containers. Cereal?  Check.  Milk?  Check.  Orange juice?  Check.

Somehow we're not quite ready to get up at 3:30 o'dark so we can have breakfast ready at 4:45.  Everyone eats in a hurry and is out the door by about 5:30, so breakfast is usually cleaned up by 6:00 a.m.  This is the only time of year we get to take a "break" and either go get huevos rancheros at the Frontier Restaurant or take a leisurely walk to Starbucks for an early morning mocha.