Rush Hour in Placitas

This is rush hour in Placitas, NM. The morning commute means driving slow to see one of the wild horse herds that also call Placitas home.

Jennise Phillips, Associate Broker

Fall Colors in Your Placitas Backyard

To see lovely fall colors in your own backyard, just take a drive down Highway 165 to catch the beautiful golden colors of the cottonwoods that are in the spring-fed arroyos around the village of Placitas! Beautifufl!

Gail McGough-Maduena, Associate Broker

The Spider Web Maker

Look closely; you will see one of the Orb Spiders that make beautiful and huge orb-shaped spider webs at the corners of my portal.  This guy is about as big as a nickel. It will run away the moment it senses your presence. These webs are a site to behold when the early morning dew is sparkling on them.

Gail McGough-Maduena, Associate Broker

Sailing on Cochiti Lake

Sailing on Cochiti lake this week was wonderful.  We over knighted on our friends big sail boat.  The night skies were beautiful and the morning was cool and calm.  This lake is 30 minutes from our house in Placitas.

Gail McGough-Maduena, Associate Broker

Young Buck Still in Velvet

Thanks to Tom Ashe for these extraordinary photos taken at his house in Ranchos de Placitas -- with his iPhone!  WOW!!

Pepi Strahl, Associate Broker

Air Quality -- Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Placitas

The annual “State of the Air” report published by MSNBC this week on the best and worst places to live in terms of air quality, stated that both Santa Fe and Albuquerque were among the top 25 cleanest U.S.  cities for long-term particle pollution.  In fact, Santa Fe was second best in the nation and Albuquerque placed 17^th.  Since Placitas is in between and a bit higher in elevation than Albuquerque, we don’t get the pollution they get when there is an air inversion.  And according to the American Lung Association, Sandoval County, which includes Placitas got an A rating for air quality.  So I surmise from all this that Placitas is among the top communities in America with excellent air quality, which makes it a terrific place to live.  We who are here already knew that but it’s wonderful to be verified nationally!

Sandy Poling, Associate Broker

The Yucca - New Mexico's State Flower

This Yucca is now blooming in our front yard; the birds love to nest in this yucca. The yucca was adopted as the State Flower of New Mexico on March 14, 1927. The yucca is a member of the lily family and a symbol of sturdiness as well as beauty. In the early summer, pale ivory flowers bloom at the tips of its long, fibrous stalks. At the base of the plant are broad, sharp-edged leaves that look like stilettos. The yucca sometimes grows to the height of a small tree.

Randall Phillips, Associate Broker