Category Archives: Life in New Mexico

Columbus and my neighbors

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Jim

This is an updated version of a post from 2017. Columbus Day used to be a really boring holiday (unless you’re Italian). Now it’s nearly as controversial as, say, a football game, as a growing number of cities dump Christopher … Continue reading →

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Confessions of a Civil War addict

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Jim

A couple of weeks ago I spent a few hours hiking around the Civil War site of the Battle of Glorieta Pass, which ended an ill-conceived Confederate invasion of New Mexico in 1862. Last year I attended a Civil War … Continue reading →

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Bringing the Civil War to life in New Mexico

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Jim

When we saw a couple of women in hoop skirts and sunbonnets walking across the dusty parking lot, we knew we were in the right place: the annual re-enactment of the Civil War Battle of Valverde near Socorro, NM. The … Continue reading →

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Pumpkins in the air

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Jim

Pumpkin chunking! Elaborate, home-made machines hurl ripe pumpkins high into the air to smash down hundreds of yards away. What’s not to like? I stumbled across the World Championship Punkin Chunkin on cable TV a few years ago and was … Continue reading →

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Two cheers for Columbus

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Jim

Today is Columbus Day in the United States. But in Albuquerque it’s been re-named Indigenous Peoples Day to commemorate the struggles of Native Americans against genocidal invaders like good old Chris. What makes this a little odd is that about … Continue reading →

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Feeding the hummingbirds

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Jim

It’s hummingbird season at my house. The Rio Grande, a few hundred yards from my house, is a bird superhighway with seasonal flyovers of geese and sandhill cranes. Quail and roadrunners trot across my yard every day. But the hummingbirds … Continue reading →

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Confessions of a weather snob

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Jim

Albuquerque got an unusual six inches of snow last night. The skiers are ecstatic, the city is paralyzed and I get to annoy my neighbors once again with tales of my hometown of Chicago. Yes, I’m a weather snob. While … Continue reading →

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Rio Grande opera

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Jim

I spent a pleasant afternoon at the opera last Sunday, enjoying Opera Southwest’s performance of Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers in Albuquerque. In June, the season begins at the Santa Fe Opera and I’ve already ordered tickets for two performances. I … Continue reading →

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Cinco de Mayo on the Old Town Plaza

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Jim

I spent a pleasant Cinco de Mayo afternoon pretending to sell books on Albuquerque’s Old Town Plaza. The plaza, traditional center of every Hispanic town, is one of my favorite places. For those of you in Anglo territory, picture a … Continue reading →

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A lawn grows in the desert

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Jim

I bought a rain gauge for my garden a month ago and finally got enough rain to measure: almost two-tenths of an inch. That’s a big deal because Albuquerque averages only 9.4 inches of precipitation a year – compared to … Continue reading →

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