Thursday, June 30, 2011
Conchas Fire Pictures
I was driving from Santa Fe to Albuquerque Wednesday afternoon and I was able to take these pictures of the fire that is close to destroying Los Alamos. As a bit of perspective, I am about 40 miles from where the fire is burning when I took these shots.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Shut Out!
From any and all hiking. Every mountain, national forest, city open space has been closed because of the fire danger. We're all hoping the residents of Los Alamos find their city saved.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Return to Trail of Death
The "Trail of Death" is one of the first trails that I blazed when I moved to our current home in 2000. It is really a series of informal trails that go up and down one of the foothills just East of our house. I was a pretty novice hiker and this particular trail seemed to be quite a challenge. As I got more experienced, I confirmed to myself, "this really is a challenge!" The reason for this is the steepness of the trails and the quality of the trails themselves.
For years prior to my getting my snow hiking gear, it would be my winter hiking grounds. It has been a couple of years since I've been on it. But it has the distinct advantage of not being in the National Forest. Hence it is a trail still available to me during this period of drought and forest closures.
(Note: I was facing east early in the morning and with the rising sun my pictures were not very good.)
Here I am ready to go up. I will head up on the diagonal line that you see mid-picture going from lower right to upper left. Then, I follow the ridge line as I head up.
These two pictures show the nature of rock strewn and hard packed quality of the trails that make it extremely difficult both ascending and descending. The "Trail of Death" got its name from me because of how easy it is to slip and loose your footing. That is still true.
I took this from close to the end of the first major climb to give you an idea of the steepness.
After the first few climbs (my pictures of the stair step nature of the climbs didn't turn out) you transverse an area that is almost tundra like.
Climbing the last big climb, I am looking down on the south side area I will be descending through.
From the highest point looking west back of Albuquerque.
This the area that I was look down upon after making my first steep descent.
And looking back the way I came.
And looking down the final descent.
I was thinking as I was finishing the hike and heading home about how cool it is and how lucky I am to have something like this that I can walk to from my house and still live in a place where I'm 25 minutes from an airport where I'm just a plane change from getting to my kids spread over the world.
For years prior to my getting my snow hiking gear, it would be my winter hiking grounds. It has been a couple of years since I've been on it. But it has the distinct advantage of not being in the National Forest. Hence it is a trail still available to me during this period of drought and forest closures.
(Note: I was facing east early in the morning and with the rising sun my pictures were not very good.)
Here is the hill just a few minutes from the house. I will head to the left side to go up. Transverse the top. Head due east and then go down on the right (or south) side.
Here I am ready to go up. I will head up on the diagonal line that you see mid-picture going from lower right to upper left. Then, I follow the ridge line as I head up.
These two pictures show the nature of rock strewn and hard packed quality of the trails that make it extremely difficult both ascending and descending. The "Trail of Death" got its name from me because of how easy it is to slip and loose your footing. That is still true.
I took this from close to the end of the first major climb to give you an idea of the steepness.
After the first few climbs (my pictures of the stair step nature of the climbs didn't turn out) you transverse an area that is almost tundra like.
Climbing the last big climb, I am looking down on the south side area I will be descending through.
From the highest point looking west back of Albuquerque.
This the area that I was look down upon after making my first steep descent.
And looking back the way I came.
And looking down the final descent.
I was thinking as I was finishing the hike and heading home about how cool it is and how lucky I am to have something like this that I can walk to from my house and still live in a place where I'm 25 minutes from an airport where I'm just a plane change from getting to my kids spread over the world.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Hats Off To Albuquerque!
Our local newspaper recently published a story that said that the water consumption in Albuquerque had dropped 19% over the last 10 or 20 years (I don't remember exactly which). The important thing to understand here is it dropped in real terms not just in per capita terms.
That means that even though we've had a lot of growth here, the rate of water use savings has been greater than the increase of water use from additional population. There are a lot of Western cities that have decreased per capita water use but their total water use has been undone by population growth.
Good job Albuquerque!
And now back to our ex-University President, Internet prostitution scandal...much more representative of our city.
That means that even though we've had a lot of growth here, the rate of water use savings has been greater than the increase of water use from additional population. There are a lot of Western cities that have decreased per capita water use but their total water use has been undone by population growth.
Good job Albuquerque!
And now back to our ex-University President, Internet prostitution scandal...much more representative of our city.
Friday, June 24, 2011
It's Official...Progeny Now Will Be All Over The World
We got the word today from venerable daughter # 2, Pulisha and husband 2B on their first Foreign Service (not to be confused with French Foreign Legion) posting. They will be going to Manila in the Philippines for a two year assignment!
They never expected this because they were told that they would not teach her another language, since she needs a brush up on her Mandarin. (As most of us would too...actually most of us would need a deep steam cleaning on our non-existent Mandarin...unless it was Mandarin Oranges). So they will be staying in the same apartment in DC until next April. Summer will be spent doing Consular training. (According venerable Pu consular work consists of having lines of people seeing you requesting visas; your job being to say "No you can't come to the USA...Please don't shoot me.) Then in September she will start an 8 month course to learn Tagalog (language of the Philippines.
2B will be able to work for his former company while they are in DC. So they will ship out in April of 2012 and be back in the states in April of 2014 when Pu will be doing 8 more months of Mandarin training before they will be sent to China. (Got it - DC..Philippines...DC...China)
They are over the moon excited about this assignment. The climate is supposed to be good. The cost of living is not bad. The climate is temperate. They’re close to the water which 2B loves. There are evidently a lot of spousal employment opportunities. They will be close to Australia and New Zealand (which Wife and I would love to visit again!). So start making those vacation plans for 2012-2013!
They never expected this because they were told that they would not teach her another language, since she needs a brush up on her Mandarin. (As most of us would too...actually most of us would need a deep steam cleaning on our non-existent Mandarin...unless it was Mandarin Oranges). So they will be staying in the same apartment in DC until next April. Summer will be spent doing Consular training. (According venerable Pu consular work consists of having lines of people seeing you requesting visas; your job being to say "No you can't come to the USA...Please don't shoot me.) Then in September she will start an 8 month course to learn Tagalog (language of the Philippines.
2B will be able to work for his former company while they are in DC. So they will ship out in April of 2012 and be back in the states in April of 2014 when Pu will be doing 8 more months of Mandarin training before they will be sent to China. (Got it - DC..Philippines...DC...China)
They are over the moon excited about this assignment. The climate is supposed to be good. The cost of living is not bad. The climate is temperate. They’re close to the water which 2B loves. There are evidently a lot of spousal employment opportunities. They will be close to Australia and New Zealand (which Wife and I would love to visit again!). So start making those vacation plans for 2012-2013!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
12 Hour Days - Not Happy :(
I've been trying to slow down a a bit. You know sort of make some compensation to my advancing age. But there are still those pesky clients to serve. Especially those darn ones who are your major clients and paying you lots of money. So today was a long day.
- Started with the 7 AM pre-breakfast with important client
- Then drive 60 miles to Santa Fe for real breakfast at 9 AM
- Then back to Albuquerque.
- 2 PM meeting with old client that had new work for me (yay money!)
- The long ass meeting from 4 PM to 6:30 PM with important client again.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Al Fresco Dining...At Last
The weather has been so crazy this year (you get that kind of thing just before an impending Ice Age...yes I said Ice Age...read your geologic history over the last million years). Our "windy" season has gone on two months longer than normal. We are cooler than normal. It's crazy.
As a result tonight was the first night that we've been able to eat outside for dinner (al fresco is an Italian term for eating outside...I think). We're hoping that this is finally the end of the incessant winds. And we're hoping for rain.
As a result tonight was the first night that we've been able to eat outside for dinner (al fresco is an Italian term for eating outside...I think). We're hoping that this is finally the end of the incessant winds. And we're hoping for rain.
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