I’m home, but there is one more excursion to share. On my final morning, Jeanne and I drove up Sandia Mountain to view the changing of the aspens. The autumn colors in my part of the US (the northeast) is ablaze with a dozen shades of red, orange, gold and every conceivable permutation. There’s a reason people come from all … Read More
Balloon Festival Glow: Albuquerque, New Mexico
The mass balloon ascension is the big draw for the festival, it’s what attracts the most people. But each evening there is a second event, the “glow.” Rather than heading into the skies, the balloons are tethered down. Lit from within by propane in bursts, the vibrant balloon envelopes shimmer against the dark sky. While we were waiting for the … Read More
The Turquoise Trail, New Mexico
On my first trip to New Mexico, nearly fifty years ago, I explored the Turquoise Trail which connects Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The fifty-mile trail is named for the rich deposits of turquoise mined in the region. It meanders through the Sandia Mountains and connects several historic mining towns like Cerrillos, Madrid, and Golden. The trail has been used for … Read More
Balloon Festival — Albuquerque, New Mexico
The mass ascension of the balloons is scheduled to begin at sunrise. You need to get up incredibly early to drive to the fairgrounds, park, and find a good viewing spot. We were up and on the road by 3:30 AM. As we neared the area, traffic came to a standstill. Inching forward with a battalion of cars, we eventually … Read More
Albuquerque, New Mexico
I’ve flown from the pancake flat land and water of Louisiana to the high mountainous desert of New Mexico. I’m here, staying with my friends Jeannie and Jack, for the balloon festival. Jeannie and Jack recently bought a new home with breathtaking views and frequent visits by wild horses, bears, and other wildlife. I’m staying in their casita, which in … Read More
Lafitte, Louisiana
I’ve known about the pirate Jean Lafitte for many years and have recently been running into him along the gulf coast, first in Galveston Texas and now in Louisiana. Lafitte’s legacy is deeply intertwined with the lore of the area, where he remains a legendary figure of adventure, rebellion, and piracy. But I never knew there was a town named … Read More
Grand Isle, Louisiana
I left Breaux Bridge early yesterday morning for the 3-1/2-hour drive to Grand Isle, Louisiana. The terrain through the first part of the journey was familiar to me. Miles upon miles of sugar cane, which at this time of year is beginning to be harvested. Even early morning trucks filled with cane were on the road, heading to the sugar … Read More
Washington DC – Day 3
After my late night at the Kennedy Center, and without needing to walk Pookah, I slept in this morning. For me, that means until 7:30. By 11am I was at the National Mall, heading into the Hirshhorn Museum. It was the exhibit of the work by Simone Leigh that attracted me. I’d read that she had represented the US at … Read More
Washington DC – Day 4
Yesterday I explored a neighborhood I’d never been to before—NOMA. NOMA, north of Massachusetts Avenue, is actually about a mile north of Mass Ave. There’s a good reason I’d never visited there before, until about eight years ago it was an old industrial area filled with warehouses and parking lots. Then gentrification and development began, and the neighborhood is rapidly … Read More
Washington DC – Day 5
Yesterday was my final day in DC before returning home. One of the great things about the Smithsonian museums is that they are open seven days a week, year-round, except for Christmas and New Year’s Day. My first stop was at the National Museum of the American Indian. This too is new since the last time I visited the museums … Read More