1013 First St. NW

An old adobe door and jamb at 1013 First St near Marble. The house behind it has been razed.

This may have actually been part of a front gate and wall. This is the mail slot.

George Maloof statue

The son of a Lebanese immigrant, George Maloof built a business empire that now includes Las Vegas hotels, banks and sports teams. The Maloofs are one of New Mexico's most prominent families. It was recently announced that they would be selling the Coors beer distributorship which the family has owned since the 1930's. This is one of their last connections to the state of New Mexico.

The statue is located at 3rd and Tijeras in downtown. The inscription reads" George Maloof - Businessman, Philanthropist".

The Lobo Statue

The Lobo statue on the campus of the University of New Mexico. It is located on a hill in a grove of pine trees near Central ave and University blvd. The lobo (Mexican gray wolf) is the mascot of the sports teams at UNM.

English phone booths

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There are several of these English-style phone booths in the Journal Center area where I work. They are located on some of the bus stops on Jefferson between Ellison and Paseo del Norte. Some are painted red and others are green. Over the years, the pay phones have been disappearing since everyone now carries a cell phone.

The West Side Volcano Escarpment

The great geographic feature of the west side of Albuqueque is the volcanic escarpment. All along Unser Blvd are the remains of an ancient volcano. Sagebrush and desert vegetation grow among the black basalt rocks.

Old town alley

An alley in historic Old Town Albuquerque. It is traditional to paint window frames and doors in a turquoise color. I believe it's from an old Pueblo Indian tradition but it seems to look good on a brown adobe house.

Rail Runner station - Downtown

The Rail Runner sign at the downtown station near First and Central Avenue. The Rail Runner is the commuter train that opened in 2006. It runs from the villages of Belen and Los Lunas south of Albuquerque to Santa Fe seven days a week.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Special shapes day at the 2009 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

The hisoric KiMo theater

The KiMo theather opened in downtown Albuquerque in 1927. It was designed in Pueblo Deco style which is a combination of art deco and pueblo styles of architechture. The interior is decorated with bison skulls and southwestern Indian motifs.

By the 1970's. the theater fell had become run down over the decades and was purchased and restored by the city of Albuquerque. It now hosts live concerts, plays and movies and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Botanical Garden

The Albuquerque Botanical Garden at the BioPark. This was taken just as a spring storm was about to erupt.

Albuquerque from the air

Aerial photo of Albuquerque taken just after taking off on my way to Denver. The river is the Rio Grande and the buildings in the mid left-hand side are the downtown area.

San Felipe church in Old Town

The historic San Felipe de Neri church in Old Town. The original church was built on the west side of the Plaza in 1706 but was destroyed in the late 1700's. The church was rebuilt on the north side of the Plaza where is stands today.

Adobe wall artwork

A good example of the artwork seen throughout the city. This is a wall at a residence on Rio Grande Blvd.

Summer's End in New Mexico

A sure sign that summer is coming to an end in New Mexico is when the chile roasting begins. The last big crop of New Mexico chiles comes in around late August and early September. All of the grocery store and produce stands have a chile roaster. The fresh green chiles are roasted over an open flame in a rotating basket. The roasting gives off an incredible smell, like burning leaves with a spicy overtone.

The roasting loosens up the skins and stems which are then easily removed. The fruit and seeds are then cooked into a sauce. Green chile is used in many recipes in New Mexico. It is used breakfast dishes like huevos rancheros or on chicken enchiladas.

North Valley Vineyard

The Casa La Rondena vineyard in the North Valley. The vineyard is located less than a mile off 4th street in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.

Rio Grande spring storm

A spring storm over the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande is mostly undeveloped as it flows through the city. This picuture was taken while hiking near the Montano bridge.

Ticket window, Isotopes Park

The ticket window at Isotopes Park, home of Albuquerque's AAA minor league baseball team the Isotopes . The park opened in 2003 when Albuquerque rejoined the Pacific Coast League after a two year absence. It is nicknamed "the laboratory".

Acequia Gate

This is an irrigation ditch gate in the South Valley. Irrigation ditches are often go by the Spanish name "acequia" in New Mexico. Many of these have been around for centuries and continue to provide water for farm land along the Rio Grande.

Cottonwood Firefighter

A fire in the Rio Grande bosque in 2004 burned many cottonwood trees that could not be saved. Some of these burned trees were carved into sculptures. This one is dedicated to the firefighters who fought that fire. It is located at the trail parking lot on Montano road near Coors Blvd.

Tricentennial Storm Drain Cover

Albuquerque celebrated its 300th birthday in 2006. One of the ways the city commemorated the anniversary was to order Tricentennial storm drain covers. This one was installed in on Romero Street in Old Town. It had been recently installed and had not yet oxidized and resembles a gold coin. These can be seen throughout the city now. Hopefully, they recycled the old ones.