Veterans Memorial

     The VFW post 7686 has built this memorial for it's members.  It is a rememberance for our service men and women who have fought on foreign soil.  Simple, yet very nice, this is on Highway 70 next to their post.  We have a long tradition in this area of military service, from many different eras.  Bataan to Vietnam to current day, let none of them be forgotten for their sacrifices.

Missile Crossings

        A part of our life here in Alamogordo-the road closings for missile firings.  They close Highway 70 to Las Cruces regularly, several times a week, and sometimes several times a day.  The highway closes for about an hour while they fire the missiles.  It is always prudent to check the paper or call the # before you leave.  Now they have porta potties at the stopping points, but that is a modern convenience...BTW cell phone coverage is spotty at best, so always best to have a patient demeanor.

October Snow

We had our first taste of winter yesterday.  Very early for us!  I only remember one Halloween as a kid where we had snow, and one Easter.  Rare to be this cold this fast.  It will be warm again by the weekend I am sure.  It was 37 degrees this morning at 8:30 am as I came to work.  You can see the east mountains had a slight dusting of snow visable, but the cars coming down off of the mountain were covered with snow and chunks of ice.

What was cool was that the west mountains also had snow!  They had more than the east ones which doesn't happen often either due to our weather patterns.

They were really quite beautiful in the "brisk" morning....

Moonset

I took this one on the road to San Antonio last month, I love the vast expanse of sky!

Mountain Tractor

      I spotted this one day and truthfully wondered how long it has rested here.  There are alot of these antiques around, most just like this one.  It is a ghost, forgotten and waiting....

Zia Marching Festival

We went to the 32nd annual Zia marching festival in Albuquerque last weekend. Alamogordo and Clovis have 8 wins each over the years to tie for first, alas we did not get a win this year. It was a glorious fall day and we all ended up sunburnt.

The size of bands have shrunk dramatically over the years due mostly to budget cuts. I think it is neccessary and the kids get so excited to be there. The shows have changed since I was in high school, they are alot more show now with themes and props.

I was proud of the Tiger band and the effort they put forth.

Sunrise over the Basin

I have been going on about our wonderful sunsets, but the sunrises are pretty incredible also! This is looking up Tenth St.

A little further along the sky begins to lighten and the intense golden promise of the sun peaks over the Sacramentos to begin another beautiful day.

Local Color

I am back~ I feel like I have abandoned you all. I had a wonderful time in Seattle and enjoyed its' fall colors. Here is some of our color. These flowers bloom in the fall each year.

They are all along the sides of the roads, I wait for them each fall, they always make me think of the book Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour. A great read if you haven't already.

We call them sunflowers although I suppose they are some sort of weed/daisy?

A River Runs Through It

Sister post: The trip from Albuquerque to the Tularosa Basin is different every time and for every traveler. As we came back on Monday, I enjoyed the subtle changes of color on the cottonwood trees by the river and the lone trees sprinkled along the road. While Albuquerque is a city whose character is shaped by the river that runs through it, most of New Mexico is defined by its lack of water. The green valley of the Rio Grande disappears and the desert and hills engulf the traveler headed east and south toward Alamogordo. This drive from San Antonio to Carrizozo is one of openness and solitude that I welcome. We had visitors from Wisconsin this week who had just made the same trip. Aaron had never been "west" before and found the scenery and lack of vegetation odd and perhaps a little unnerving. He was astounded by the appearance of "paradise" when he arrived at the oasis of La Luz in our Enchanted Basin.
JM

Fall Harvest

Sunday

Autumn broke loose of the basin for a Seattle get-away, and big sister gets the honor of posting a blog or two while she's gone. We were headed to Albuquerque and taking some of the cornucopia of harvest time with us. I just thought the red of the suitcases went well with the pomegranates, tomatoes and peppers, so snapped a picture. What a bounty we've had this year in La Luz!

In Albuquerque the balloon fiesta was on, but it got cancelled today for wind. Too bad. Other than no hot air balloons in the sky, it was a perfect New Mexico fall day.

JM

Salt Cedar

I took this of a salt cedar bush. They taste salty, and are non-native and very invasive. They will suck all the water out of the area. A single one can absorb up to 200 gallons a day of water and are not desirable habitat for animals and birds. Best to get rid of these guys...

Lone Palm

More of these amazing clouds and sunsets that we have been having! I just happened to be on a street that I am never on and turned around to see this!

The cloud layers make these pictures that seem surrealistic. It reminds me of paintings you see that have light like this in them and you think that it is all in the artists' imagination.

The fire colored sunset lasts but a few minutes and I was lucky enough to be paying attention...

Sunset over the Basin

The sunsets here are a joy! I have probably mentioned before that I think no sunset beats ours. I have watched them over the ocean from Key West and they are great, but here is better. This one was two nights ago from my backyard.

I took these next two last night as I was driving. I love the various types of clouds and how the light hovers and plays.

A few short minutes later it had transformed into the brilliant oranges and pinks.

Fresnal Canyon

This was taken a bit below the tunnel, looking down Fresnal canyon. We have amazing vistas here! It is easy to imagine the first peoples here, living in the caves and hunting along the water.

This one is looking back up towards the tunnel, which is just out of sight between the mountains. You can see the road to the right.

Tunnel Vistas

About 7 miles from Alamogordo, on your way up hwy 82 to High Rolls and Cloudcroft, you will see the famous tunnel. I have always been amazed at the change of climate as you emerge on the other side. This side of the tunnel is still desert. When you emerge on the other side, it is a distinct difference. You know you are entering the mountains.

These next few photos are looking west from the tunnel. If you look, on top of this mountain is a cross.

Here you can see the bottom of Fresnal canyon and the green where water flows. In the distance, the White Sands, and beyond that, the mountains on the far side of the basin.

Here is another one where you can see the road cut into the mountain on the left. People that are not familiar with area see the White Sands in the distance and think it is water. I tell them we have beach, but alas, no water. On a clear day it seems you can see forever . The climb to Cloudcroft is steep and passes through six of the seven life zones of the United States: Arctic-alpine, Hudsonian, Canadian, Transition, Upper Sonoran and Lower Sonoran.

Ristra Madness

This one I took up north, in Albuquerque, but it fits as we all love our chile! It is a happy time to see the bright red fresh chile. Time to make up a huge batch of red sauce and freeze it for the coming year. My refrigerator went out a couple of years ago, naturally it was Sunday. I went down to get a new one as soon as the store opened and pleaded for my green chile. They understood and had me a new one to my house within 2 hours!!! Gotta love it when people understand the addiction!