A Kettle Of Buzzards Above Los Alamos

Soaring Turkey Buzzards (or Vulture) catching the updrafts above the canyons around Los Alamos. Turkey Buzzards show up around April 1 and leave around November 1 every year. 

Remodeled Credit Union

Del Norte Credit Union in Los Alamos has remolded inside and out.

Father and Sons Weekend In THE VAN!

A father and three sons (twins and a younger brother) maybe 5 and 3, came into the store. Looked like a day grocery shopping with dad at the co-op. Outside, however, what their van towing a home made camper. Couldn't resist the sun on the hood and the bears and elephants. (See below).

 

Bandelier National Monument Reopens

Shuttle buses take visitors to Bandelier National Monument's Frijoles Canyon from parking lot in White Rock. Buses leave to and from Bandelier about every 30 min. Bandelier main ruin site is just now opening after the Las Conchas fire. This service started yesterday and will continue until the end of October. 

Yellow Fields in Santa Fe

Cholla cactus and sage in the field of yellow flowers. They may be a type of sunflower

One Way To Beat The Dead Grass

A few homes in White Rock have put in artificial grass in their yards. Green year round. No water required. Just needs to be vacuumed once in a while.Sure cuts down on water bill and NO MOWING. Sometimes you can see plastic bunnies feeding on the plastic grass.

Drought and Dead Grass

Due to the drought and the cost of water, some people just let their yard did off. In many places around the country, grass turns brown during the dry season. However, it doesn't bake and die like it does in our community. (Not my house, I watered every Wed, Fri, Sat between before 10 AM and after 6 PM as recommended. My weeds, I mean, my grass is green)

It's NOT Astro Turf!!

New LAHS artificial turf completed and in action. Below is close up of turf and rubber granules.

On Your Mark! Set! Go!

LASH all weather track around the new artificial turf.  The trees around the track and the mountain in the background are real, however.

YMCA in Los Alamos

A View Of The Rio Grande In The White Rock Canyon

While all of this area was once part of New Spain and the Mexico, the far side of the Rio was once part of Texas, but not this side of the river - in Los Alamos County. Actually, the Texas Santa Fe Expedition to claim northern NM from Mexico for Texas. Their mission failed.

Fiber Optics Coming To White Rock

They've been laying fiber optic cables in White Rock and is part of REDI-net in northern NM bringing high-speed, fiber optic, open access broadband network to Los Alamos, Rio Arriba county and other northern Santa Fe counties and the Pueblos of San Ildefonso, Ohkay Owingeh, Santa Clara and Tesuque.

Statue Outside Bradbury Science Museum

Water Canyon - Major Flash Flood Area

After Las Conchas, one of the areas of highest flash floods is here at Water Canyon near the "Back Gate" where highway NM 501 and State Road 4 meet. Sometimes the water has been 5 feet above the road in this location.

Castilleja - Indian Paint Brush

Recent rains have allowed the wild flowers, like the Indian Paint Brush (Castilleja) to bloom.

Back Burn Line

Careful back burning stopped the Las Conchas fire from moving onto LANL property. Here you can see where back burn singed the bottom of these trees. The ground cover has turned very green due to the recent rains and the ash which acts as a natural fertilizer.

More Than Meets The Eye

Sometimes in some rock formations there's more that meets the eye.

Western Harvester Ant

I think this is a Western Harvester Ant mound. Notice how the ants have completely eaten everything with in this 6 foot radius of the ant mound.

Swimming Pools Closed After Labor Day Weekend

Los Alamos and White .have 4 or 5 membership "private" pools that close on Labor Day weekend. This is Piñion Pool in White Rock. We belonged to this pool when my children were growing up. Many fond summertime memories playing "Mr. Mom" during the summer.

9/11/2001 - 9/11/2011

September Nice Time Of Year

Inside Bradbury Science Museum

While Los Alamos is know for Fat Man and Little Boy that ended WWII, LANL also does lots of basic particle physics research and ....

....environmental sciences of all kinds.

UNM-Los Alamos

Court yard plaza of the University of New Mexico's Los Alamos branch.

New Sign at Dental Office

New Dental Care sign at dental office in Central Park Square where my wife works. New office is remodeled location of Daylight Donuts and LA Subs. Picture taken on a Saturday morning - so no dental patients today.

Bradbury Science Museum

A view of the entrance to LAN L's Bradbury Science Museum in downtown Los Alamos. Below is the poster next to the front door of the museum.

Community Bank

Location of Community Bank's location in Los Alamos.

New LAHS Field Ready For Play

New LAHS Sullivan Field state of the art artificial turf field completed just in time for this weekend Louie Cernicek Memorial  Soccer Tournament.

Canyons Closed

Due to the Las Conchas fire removing trees and ground cover, most of canyons around Los Alamos closed due to real threat of flash flooding after mountain down pours.

Buckman Crossing

 Buckman area where both Los Alamos and Santa Fe have water wells to serve both communities.

Sun FlowerPower

Above: Large sunflowers growing in the front yard of a home in White Rock. Must be well cared for to grow in this climate with this drought. Below: Even larger Sun Flowers in La Senda.