Today I read several articles that all point to signs that the Housing Slump is recovering nicely! While one article can make a skeptic of me, three in a row has me very hopeful as I hope it will you as well. See the first below, more to follow:

Housing Crisis to End in 2012 as Banks Loosen Credit Standards
	dsnews.com - Capital Economics expects the housing crisis to end this year, according to a report released Tuesday. One of the reasons: looseningcredit. The analytics firm notes the average credit score required to attain a mortgage loan…

Faralito Walk, Santa Fe, NM

Thousands of people strolled Canyon Road and Acequia Madre, sipped hot chocolate and cider, ate bizcochitos and other sweets, and sing carols around the luminarias and farolitos on Christmas eve. Many stopped in to visit the galleries along the way.

This annual Christmas Eve Farolito Walk started in the late 1970s to highlight Santa Fe’s traditional holiday decorations — small bonfires of pitchwood called luminarias and votive candles in small bags called farolitos.

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Pickleball at Los Altos Park, Albuquerque, NM

Like many cities in the US, Pickleball has become a popular sport in Albuquerque. It can be played both indoors and outdoors. You can find a game almost any day of the week, as well as lessons and clinics at many of centers community centers such as Paradise Hills, Raymond Sanchez and Manzano Mesa as well as Tanoan Country Club, Los Altos Park and the Bernalillo Recreation Center.

The sandhill cranes make Bosque Del Apache in New Mexico their winter home.  Although the 2011 Festival of the Cranes started November 15^th and ended November 20^th, this is still an exceptional time for bird watchers and nature enthusiast to get amazing pictures, attend lectures and tours and see a large variety of migratory birds. Bosque Del Apache is within easy driving of Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

In Flight Near the Rio Grande

The air was cool and crisp, with fall colors and chamisa’s in full bloom. It was a perfect day for a hike on one of the many public trails in the Albuquerque Foothills. The trail we picked doesn’t even have a name that I can determine– just south of the Embudito Trailhead off of Glenwood Hills Drive. Peaceful and quiet, with not a soul in sight, we hiked a gradual trail up for maybe a mile into a long cascade of massive boulders. The view in front of us was spectacular and the city vista behind was breathtaking. The Sandia Mountain Range is a perfect playground for hikers, bikers and even horses. There are as many trails to explore as there are days in a fortnight. Many are not for the faint of heart but there are plenty for even the casual stroller. Having opportunities like these make me thankful to be living in Northern New Mexico!

Although the temperature is dipping the beautiful fall colors continue to provide the perfect backdrop at Tanoan Country Club in Northeast Albuquerque, for a spectacular day of tennis and golf. Tanoan has fourteen tennis courts, twelve hard courts and two clay courts to accommodate a variety of players. For golfers, it has 27 holes of golf, three nine hole golf courses, Sandia, Zia and Acoma.

Tahmina and Carol welcome you to our new blog page!

Watching the news today about the huge snowstorm in the Northeast US we were reminded why we LOVE the Southwest and especially New Mexico! While the kids in the NE have a snowday, we are basking, golfing, playing tennis, horseback riding, biking, hiking, etc., all in a glorious blue-sky-filled 70 degree day! Can’t get much better than that! So for all you snowbirds, forget Florida with it’s big humidity and even bigger bugs and check out Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Fall is our most beautiful season and it is absolutely glorious right now with all the fall colors beginning in waves. There is a reason why we like to say ‘New Mexico is a state of mind’!

Fall colors in 4th of July Canyon, Manzano Mountains