Back on the road

Today was a road day, I drove north from Albuquerque about 170 miles to Angel Fire which is a ski and summer resort area high up in the Sangre de Christo Mountains. Elevation here is about 8,600 ft. while Albuquerque is about 5,000 ft. It is a lot cooler and I'm glad I brought at least one sweater and a couple long sleeve shirts.

The drive up was nice and I went through Santa Fe but didn't stop and had lunch in Espanola which was the first Spanish colonial headquarters back around 1600. I took the low river road up to Taos. There is a high road that I will probably take on the way back to Albuquerque. The river road follows the Rio Grande, which is a whitewater rafting Mecca. This time of year there is a lot of water and the rafters were out in force. The river gorge is impressive when you are in it but when you get closer to Taos you rise up on a flat area and the river gorge looks like a wound gouged out of the plain.

Taos is sort of jumbled. Probably grown up from old village streets and alleys and it looks like it would be hard to find anyplace that you specifically wanted unless you just stumbled on to it. Taos was not like anything I expected. I have always thought of it as a dry and dusty place but it is very green and surrounded on three sides by green mountains. It must have some kind of cosmic connection to Sedona because there are all kinds of wellness, wholeness, self-ness places here and you can take all kinds of classes and get various cures. It is kind of a Cowboy, Indian, Spanish, Buddhist sort of place.

I went up to Taos Pueblo and paid my visitor fee ($10) and my camera fee ($5) and walked around for an hour visiting little shops and taking pictures. It was a nice place with lots of friendly people. I was blessed a couple times. The shops were inside some of the old pueblo buildings and once you were inside they just sort of kept going from one room to another. The old church sits in the middle of the plaza and looks a little different than what I recall it looking like in Ansel Adam’s photos. It is interesting to see the mix of very old and very new. Pick-up trucks, old mission church, horno bake-ovens, visa card signs all mixed together...but they are trying to keep it traditional as much as possible. You drive past some more modern homes on the way back to the actual pueblo. And the ever-present casino is down the road a little.

The road to Angel Fire is a twisting mountain two-lane blacktop that has a few challenges. It also has herds of Elk at some point in the year because there are a bunch of warning signs. There are also the ubiquitous roadside memorials for car crash victims. That seemed like a good idea some years back but now it is both depressing and something of a hazard. The first time I saw roadside crosses was in New Mexico almost 30 years ago. At that time I asked at a local village what they were for and I was told that they marked the spot where pall bearers stopped to rest when they were carrying a coffin in a funeral procession. I think that is the actual traditional purpose of the roadside crosses – not as crash memorials.

I got to Angel Fire and checked in. The condo is nice – two bedrooms and two floors. It is very quiet and has a deck and a patio for sitting out and watching the mountains. What I really like is that it has a washer and dryer since I was beginning to run out of clean clothes.

Angel Fire resort is jumping with motorcycles…not just any motorcycles but antique motorcycles. In just a few minutes walking across the parking lot I saw old and not so old Harleys, a couple of Indians and a Henderson. I never heard of a Henderson but I was assured that it was a rare thing to see. It looked weird. I’ll have to look it up. Also saw some motorcycles with sidecars of various shapes and sizes. A guy I talked to was saying that most, but not all, were authentic and restored but a few were replicas or else modified to look like something they weren’t. He asked me what kind of bike I ride and I said it was stationary but I got to tell him about my one 1940s Indian experience when back in college.

Angel Fire has limited internet access. I can’t get anything at the condo so I have to go to the hotel lobby where they have wireless so I will be off line pretty much. My cell phone works. No word on the property offer so far and I’ll have to keep connected with my builder to see if there was a counter offer.

Home Show & a Marrrgarrrita

Well, with all that has been going on the Custom Builder's Home Show was a little anti-climactic. I went to about nine houses and saw pretty much what I've been seeing. One developer has a number of houses with roof-top decks which was different. Another one had a house that was almost self sufficient and generated almost all of its own electricity from solar panels on the roof. I think that if he would have sized the house better it would have produced all the electric it needed. The builders are committed to building huge houses. Another one had sliding glass walls so there was no separation from the house to the courtyard.

But, in the end, a toilet is a toilet...no pun intended. And why would you design a fancy utility room with cabinets and washer/dryer hookups and not have a place to hang your clothes when they come out of the dryer. I asked that question and they said it was an option. Lets see a show of hands...how many want a place to hang up your clothes? See? How many want a fireplace in the master bedroom? How many want a door on the bathroom? Yeah...a door on the master bathroom is an option. They put a door on the little water closet with the toilet but if you want to take a bath you might as well do it in the kitchen sink. Well, they say the privacy is afforded by the master bedroom. So if you get up to go to the bathroom at night you have to turn on the bathroom light and then trudge twenty feet to the little water closet, go in and do your business and then parade back the twenty feet to turn off the bathroom light and then go back to bed with an irate spouse. Maybe the light from the blazing fire in the master bedroom fireplace is supposed to provide enough light to get to and from the little water closet. See...I missed my calling....I have a gift for home design.


I ended the home show at one of my builder's houses and met with her assistant to go over the paperwork for the purchase offer. It was all in order generally -- the trust sort of threw them but I've been talking about it for days. They don't see that many revocable trusts, I guess. So I wrote out my earnest money check and the offer is being faxed tonight. We shall see what happens.

I decided to go out to Little Anitas for some New Mexico food and a margarita (I apparently have to practice rolling my 'r's if I'm going to order marrrgarrritas here). I had a chile rrrelleno and carrrne adovada. The later is sort of pork stew meat (en adobo) -- marinated in red chiles. It was good but I had them put the green chile sauce on the side so I could control how much I wanted. Anita's green sauce is mild, as you know, and tastes like green peppers with only a little heat. It was all good food and they give you sopapillas, rice, beans and a taco to go along with the other stuff. This was on top of the marrrgarrrita and the chips and salsa they give you when you sit down. So I eventually unwedged myself from the booth and paid my bill and waddled to the car.

Tomorrow I head north to Angel Fire for several days. That is about a 4 hour drive and I'll be fishing and chilling out...and waiting for word on the property offer. I fully expect to have to make a mad dash back to Albuquerque to sign more papers sometime this week.

A Fun Day

(Note - I've added pictures at the end of the blog)

I've been having a good time but I decided that today I wasn't going to do any real estate stuff...just have a fun day. I started out by watching the Italy vs. Romania soccer match in the Euro Cup tournament. Italy finally got a goal (even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while) but the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Then I headed to Two Fools Tavern, an Irish pub I found last time I was here, and had a Guinness and a Reuben and watched the Netherlands trounce France. Most everyone was pulling for the Dutch so it was a happy crowd. This is a picture I stole from their web page.....I guess there was no game that day.

Then I decided that I wanted to scope out some of the local wineries. There are about 6 or 8 wineries close to Albuquerque. I went to the Casa Rondena winery (with a squiggle over the 'n') in the little village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Los Ranchos is a little enclave along the Rio Grande...think big money...and it is very rural with a lot of trees and farms. I suspect the movie people will be moving in there if the Tamale-wood movie industry expands. Anyway...the the winery is big and sort of pretentious but it is a nice place to spend a few hours. They have a tasting room but they charge you $5.00 for the experience. I went ahead and plunked down my money and I must say that the wines are good. They do several blended wines such as part Merlot and part Cabernet. I liked the "Serenade" which is 80% Riesling and 20% Gewurztraminer -- and I don't usually like sweet white wines. The taster lady kept pushing the "Founder's Reserve" which is a special Cabernet and very good but $45 a bottle. The least expensive wine was $14 a bottle. I ended up getting a glass of Viognier, which was a nice crisp and fruity white wine. I had intended to go to two other wineries close by but I ended up sitting in their courtyard enjoying my glass of wine and looking at the scenery.

I asked the taster lady for directions on how to get to Bernalillo without using the interstate. She was helpful and I headed up along the river through the Sandia Indian reservation to Bernalillo. The railroad line takes the same route and I got to see the Rail Runner Express go by. The Rail Runner is the local commuter train that everyone laughed at as "The Guv's Train" until gas prices went sky high...now it is the greatest thing and being extended up to Santa Fe. Maybe Gov. Richardson isn't so dumb after all. Part of the route up to Santa Fe will be in the median of the interstate so all the hummer drivers will see the commuters whizzing by on a $8 round trip ticket.

I got to Bernalillo just as fast on the back roads as when I took the interstate. No traffic. I went to a Target store and got a few things and then went to eat supper at Capo's Bottega (no squiggles over anything). I've been doing my own supper cooking so far on this trip so today was a reprieve. Capo's is a nice and casual Italian place with a back yard patio and, I think maybe a micro brewery (note to self...pay more attention next time). I got a Chile & Artichoke cheese Bruchette (like Chile con Queso with artichoke hearts on toasted bread) and a bowl of minestrone. Really good.

I drove around Bernalillo a little -- they have a historic district but a lot of the really old stuff is gone. The place started in the 1600s and they have been making wine here, they say, since 1620. The state wine festival is held here on Labor Day weekend. (Note to self...)

That's it for today. Tomorrow I am going to look at the custom home show...all the local builders are opening up some of their houses. I also have to meet with my builder to see what the status is on the lot. She had a bunch of technical questions that needed answers from the developer.

Lets Go Isotopes, Lets Go - clap clap

Tonight I enjoyed a good baseball game as the Isotopes came from behind to beat Round Rock. As you can see I was sitting two rows behind the famous Mr. Who -- who was once on first...but now sits in the stands. I saw two baseball firsts...for me, anyway. An "inside the park" home run by an Isotope which was almost an out except the Round Rock catcher dropped the ball. I also saw a run disallowed...the umpires conferred and reversed the call and disallowed a Round Rock run. I don't quite know why except that it had something to do with a bunt. There must be some obscure rule. The Round Rock team didn't protest very much.

The game was tied at the bottom of the ninth inning and finally one of the Isotopes got a base hit. Unfortunately for the visiting team, the bases had been loaded by the Round Rock pitcher at the time. It was an enjoyable game. They serve margaritas at the ball park but I had an Isotope Amber beer which was pretty good. The Isotope's mascot is "Orbit", a strange looking animal-space alien hybrid. They also have chili peppers and a taco that race each other around the bases.

I had lunch at the Flying Star restaurant in Corrales. Flying Star is a chain (local, I think) that is sort of like a Panera's with beer. There are a few extra gimmick's that they use as sort of a spin-off on the name. It all alludes to the 1950s -- satellites, atomic tests, etc. Much the same theme as the Isotopes team name and mascot.

Earlier today I met with my mortgage banker and also with my builder. Both were very helpful. The mortgage process was explained to me and now I have a better idea of how all of this will mesh together. In general, I pay. Whatever it is, I pay. But the builder is in the position to pull money out of the preapproved loan amount to cover costs of construction. Then it all gets rolled up into one big loan...which I pay.

I went with the builder back up to Bernalillo to look at the lots I saw yesterday. She said I should go ahead and purchase it because I won't find anything better at that price in the similar location and the lots look good as far as being buildable. She also knows the developer and thinks I can get a good price reduction because he wants to sell and he wants her to build in his development...so that is good. She said she will make the purchase offer for me and by Saturday she should have it ready for my review. Then she says we should expect a counter offer and maybe some back and forth. We shall see.

She showed me a number of floor plans in the general size that I want but we may need to adjust them to the lot dimensions and orientation. I have a fist full of plans to look at as homework.

Success...maybe

I went up to the northern edge of Rio Rancho near Bernalillo to meet with a real estate agent who represents another builder. The builder is selling lots but doesn't require that he build the homes. Also there are no restrictions on home size so my smaller home can be built there. And, there are utilities already installed except water and sewer...meaning I need a well and a septic system. The lots are reasonable...about $25,000 less than I was afraid I would be paying but there are the added expenses of drilling a well and installing a septic tank which would eat up part of the savings. It is high desert but there are juniper trees and tall chollo cactus on the lots. Otherwise, they are pretty sandy and rocky...but level. There is an elementary school within walking distance which helps with resale value at some point. I'm pretty happy with what I saw. My builder will go up there tomorrow to look at the lots so I'll know more then. Here are some pictures...






This picture is the Sandia Mountains from the area. That is some distance away...probably 10 miles or more, across the river.





This shows one of the lots and the view north toward Santa Fe. These are half-acre lots which is about the right size. Vegetation is juniper trees, chollo cactus and yucca but not much grass. They have about a gazillion kinds of yucca here.






This shows the school building roof just over the hill. That big barren space is the unpaved street. This is considered a rural area. The school and points east have real paved streets...that is civilization clawing its way up the hill. I would pretty much have the run of the place for a while -- at least until streets are paved.

There are still a couple other places I need to look at in the same general area so I'll be back up there over the next few days.

I spent a couple hours at the Santa Ana Star Casino near Bernalillo (which is not within walking distance of the aforementioned lots). The casino is owned by the Santa Ana pueblo which is located just north of Bernalillo. They have a slogan..."This is your casino. Walk around like you own the place". It was a nice place and large enough that I got lost and had to ask how to get out. The people are friendly. I met Tomas, an old indian playing slots next to me. He had several machines going so our conversation was a little sporadic.

I also went and looked at a place called Alegria which is an "active adult" housing development near Bernalillo. It basically a subdivision like any other but you have to be a geezer to buy a home. They didn't look very active to me. The homes were nice and it was close to the Rio Grande river bosque so there were trees within sight. It was pretty large so there must be medical and other services for those old people somewhere. I saw a "professional" building...I guess that is opposed to an "amateur" building. If someone "practices" medicine would they be in a professional building or an amateur building? Never mind.

I also will meet with my mortgage banker to see what is happening on my application now that they have figured out that I'm alive...but that is another story.

I cooked Swedish Meatballs for supper in the microwave oven...yum.

I feel like I had a pretty good day. Hope tomorrow is as good....maybe a little less windy.

Your correspondent.

June 10 - St. Louis to Albuquerque

I had a rather uneventful trip on Southwest Airlines from St. Louis to Albuquerque. This was my first trip on Southwest so it was my first encounter with Lambert airport's east terminal. I thought the guy driving the shuttle was going to take me to Illinois....but it all worked out.

The check-in and security operation was fairly painless. I recently read that the airport security check is actually a "ceremony of control" because it really doesn't have much of a bearing on real security. It has the purpose of giving passengers the illusion of security and imposing a level of control. They apparently thought my CPAP was a dangerous object and wiped it down with ionizer swabs looking for explosives (didn't find any). They did this while I was hopping around on one foot trying to get my shoes off. Later I discovered that my duffel bag with my fishing gear was inspected by the Federal Transportation Administration. They put a note in the duffel in two languages explaining what they did. That's fine with me...nothing is missing and it looks the same as I packed it.

The flight was nice. I actually saw Jefferson City and Lake of the Ozarks. There is not a lot of interesting stuff to see otherwise until you get to New Mexico. The approach to Albuquerque had our full attention since it was windy and they have to fly around some mountains and do a hair-pin turn to line up with the runway....it was pretty bouncy by my standards but the local passengers said it was nothing. Hmmm.

Albuquerque's Sunport is a nice airport but it takes a lot of walking to get to the baggage area and then a shuttle to get to the off-site car rental desks...and they are all off-site at a special rental facility. It worked slick enough...just a little confusing as a new experience. I got my rental (a Cobalt) and got to my motel. This is the same place I stayed before so I know the neighborhood.

Well it was 93 degrees here and 5% humidity and a pretty afternoon. It didn't seem very windy once I was on the ground. I decided to chill out a little and then went to get some food and groceries. The motel has a kitchen so I'll do my own breakfasts and some suppers. I talked with the contractor's assistant already so we are on track there. I still need to talk to the mortgage people...I had to leave a message there.

Before I got my groceries I decided to have supper and to sample some of the international fare they have here so I went to a local Weinerschnitzel and ate a chili dog. They have a bunch of unusual (to me) fast food chains. The Weinerschnitzel was only a little larger than a phone booth. Whataburger is really huge here but I've never tried it. There seems to be a Whataburger on most major streets and sometimes only a couple blocks apart. As you would guess there are a number of Mexican food places but I'm not sure if they are chains. There are also the usual places -- Wendys, Arbys, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, etc. Weinerschnitzel is the worlds largest hot dog chain and their slogan is "Pushing the boundaries of taste". I think it is an open question on the direction they are pushing the boundaries but I liked the chili dog so maybe they are ok.

That's it for today. No pictures but I'll make up for that.

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Fire in the mountains still burning 5/3/08

About a half-dozen people said "Ken...You should look at property in the East Mountains..." Well, this isn't exactly in the "east mountains" but it is close enough and an example of what I'm worried about over there.


Officials say New Mexico wildfire has burned nearly 60 homes
By MATT MYGATT Associated Press Writer
Article Last Updated: 05/03/2008 03:42:16 PM CDT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Firefighters worked in cooler, calmer weather Saturday to clear lines around a blaze that has burned nearly 60 homes and more than 20 square miles in the mountains of central New Mexico.

Authorities were able to confirm Saturday that 50 homes burned Wednesday in a fire caused by humans in the Manzano Mountains, souteast of Albuquerque, said Linda Peters, a fire information officer. Nine homes had burned earlier.

The 50 homes—most in an area called Sherwood Forest, west of the community of Torreon—went up Wednesday after the fire jumped containment lines.