Blocker Spring

I thought this little spring house was cute.  You see them still in the mountains here and there...

I would have never noticed this with out my camera.

These old homes always call out to me.  I wonder why they were abandoned, what the stories of the place were, what they were like when they were new and had families.

I leave you with a shot of autumn flowers.

Balloons and Mountains

These had drifted north of town...

I love the flags hanging off of this one.  If I had a balloon I would want it to look more like this, or a Jules Verne balloon, lots of swags and flags!

Slainte, means Health in Gaelic.  It is used as a toast in Ireland.

We were south of town here, just incase someone recognizes the mountains and calls me on it!

Here you can see them in the distance, floating above town.

Balloons close-up

I see most of these balloons each year and have pet names for them now...

This one I call the Purina Balloon.  Balloonist chow, champagne and propane.

Close-ups and under-shots...

 This one reminds me of the old NBC (I am corrected)  logo of the peacock that used to fan its feathers.

If you haven't been up in one, the baskets are sturdier than they look.

Slipping the surly bonds of gravity

I can never get enough of these beautiful sky creatures... 

 They remind me of butterflies, their life in flight is never long enough...

Sky Watch Saturday

I didn't think quickly enough and by the time I thought about a photo,

I was down the road...

This is one of the things I love about it here, you can see.  Yes, it IS raining somewhere in the basin, just not where you are.

Up, up and away

The balloon fiesta was this weekend.  I saw many old favorites. Perfect weather!  We went to the launch site in town this year.

Sac Peak Lookout....

Talk about Fantastic views...

It is more of a climb than you would think...

Yes, that is my toe in the shot.  This is one of the old time survey markers.

I wonder how it was back in the day when these were being placed...

Or even further back when they had mules and chains to measure and mark the land.

Sunspot Armillary

One of my favorite things ever!

Who doesn't want an armillary?

They have my birthday imortalized.  I have always been fascinated with these.  By the way, we are still up at Sunspot.

Sky Watch Saturday

I don't recall if I mentioned, I got the idea for Sky Watch Saturday

from a blog I read out of Scotland.

Since I believe New Mexico has un-paralleled skies, I went forth to conquer...

This was a quick shot~ no time to get another angle away from the pesky electrical lines.  I barely had time to run inside, grab my camera and snap a couple of shots before it changed.

Sunspot

This is the silo building up at the observatory, one of the oldest ones on the site.

This beauty is my favorite structure there,

you dont grasp the size of it from here...

Up close....

and from a distance...

Sunspot Observatory

I have been meaning to post....

I have a ton of photos from these places.  It's hard to know where to begin, hence, the sign.

Yes, Sunspot is also a community. 

Sunspot is worth the ride, it does have a museum/interactive center.

I really enjoyed the trip, from the moment of arrival onward.  This art at the center caught my eye.

Have to give credit to the artist!  Both places, Apache Point and Sunspot are huge contributors to the astronomical community,  and not so well known locally.  Many people do not realize that right here we have some of the best skies in the country.

Apache Point Observatory

Awe-inspiring

You

Should go.

I am reminded

How vast our universe is... 

        

Lunch at the Top of the World

It was a blessed 65 degrees up here today.

You can see

for miles and miles....

Across the entire Tularosa Basin

from here to eternity?