Travel

Church in the Mountains

sofijaburton, 2 Comments

Friends,

A few weeks ago my husband took me shopping for my birthday. We took the scenic route to Santa Fe through the mountains. One thing I love about New Mexico are the little quaint churches in every town. This one is in a ghost town, and the church is all that is left. Take a look.

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I think it is in Golden, near the quirky hippy town of Madrid, if you ever want to venture there. As I make my way through New Mexico I plan on taking pictures of the little churches in remote places.

Have a lovely day,

Sofija

Church in the Mountains

Winter in the Desert

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We have had a bit of snow lately and I am always in awe how beautiful the high desert is in the winter. Nearby us is a Bosque del Apache, a National Wildlife Refuge. Thousands of birds descent on it every year.  One photographer who has captured this event beautifully is our friend Sam Mulder. He is a father of four, scientist and a home-school dad, who does wildlife photography in his spare time. Take a look.

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PicMonkey Collage

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He goes to the Bosque several times a year trying to photograph and then  catalog all  the wildlife that lives there. One time he took my oldest son who helped him spot a few animals. What an opportunity for my son to see what it takes to be a wildlife photographer. There is a  lot of hiking involved, and patience.

If you come to New Mexico in the wintertime, make Bosque del Apache one of your destinations. Stop by at Buckhorn and eat their famous green chili cheeseburger in San Antonio (NM) on the way (call first to make sure they are actually open). The best times to be visit the Bosque is at sunrise or sunset.

Have a lovely day,

Sofija

Winter in the Desert

Sledding

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Hi there,

how was your weekend? Did you try to squeeze in as much fun as you can before school starts up again? My kids certainly did. Thanks to dear friends they got to go ice skating twice and sledding. Here are some pictures my 11 year old daughter took when she went sledding. I must say this girl takes some good pictures.

sledding one

sledding 2

The picture of the girl is Esther’s good friend. Looking at these pictures makes me sad I missed it. I did make it into the mountains once, I’ll share pictures soon.

Have a lovely day, and good start back to school!

-Sofija

Sledding

Sedona

sofijaburton3 Comments

Friends,

If you plan on visiting Sedona, do it in the fall. It is not too hot, and the colors are pretty. Sedona is nestled in a valley. We started from the north, thus getting beautiful views of the valley from the top (see above).

As you drive down into the valley you will see a wall of rocks for miles. A river runs parallel to the highway, and there are lots of camping spots along the way.

This at the bottom of the valley. You can park here and go on long or short hikes. Nearby here is also the center of Sedona, with lots of touristy shops, restaurants, and hotels. I found Sedona much bigger than I expected. If you camp near the center you can mountain bike or hike right from the town. Be aware that you must secure a camp site down there months in advance, they fill up quickly.My husband got a shot of me taking pictures.

We didn’t have much time as we were driving through on our way to Phoenix. I will be back soon for sure. My husband has taken his Boy Scout troop there several times. They go mountain biking, and then cool of in the river at Slide Rock. You can rent bikes and fuel up on coffee at BikesNBeans.

How about you, have you been here? How long would you recommend staying?

-Sofija

Sedona

Road Trip

sofijaburton2 Comments

Friends,

we just got back from Arizona. We met up with my sister in Phoenix and had a great time with her and her family. Here are some pictures I took as we made our way to Phoenix. When I think road trip my mind goes to Route 66, vast open spaces, and blues skies.

Grumpy travelers are always part of our trips.

We took a detour to Sedona.

We stopped at a fantastic pie place. Still thinking about that chocolate cream pie.

What would be a road trip without gas stations??

I will be back here with some more pictures from our trip soon.

-Sofija

Road Trip

Balloon Fiesta

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One of our favorite things to do in Albuquerque is the annual balloon fiesta. The fiesta is a big event. It seems like the whole city shuts down and traffic comes to a screeching halt (which is unusual around here). For 9 days you can see hundreds of balloons flying above the city every morning. It is quite a sight. But it is even better to be there. I was told it is the only hot air balloon event were visitors can walk on the field amongst the balloons. You can stand right next to them as they take off. We go on the days when all the special shapes take off. We try to be there by 6am because the balloons take off at sunrise. Here is a picture of me in front of scores of balloons being inflated.

There are favorite shapes that come back year after year, like Darth Vader (below), Spider Man pig, a haunted house, and many more. One year I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a balloon shaped as a pitcher with apple wine which is only made in the county of Germany where I was raised. Balloonist from all over the world come here. My kids collect the cards they hand out telling people who owns the balloons and where they are from.

My kid’s favorites are the bees below. The first year we came there were a girl bee and a boy bee. They would hold hands as they go up and even kiss up in the air. The crowd always cheer when they kiss. Last time we went they had had a baby, now there are three bees. So sweet. You can only see two, they third one hasn’t been inflated yet.

Here is a ballon from the inside. I was told Noah’s Ark is the only one that has a scenery on the outside and inside.

Here is Noah’s Ark on the outside, just about to take off.

This picture shows you how close these balloons are and how many people stand around them watching. The butterfly was my 4 year old’s favorite.

Here is my 4 year old warming up with some hot chocolate. It is pretty cold until the sun comes up.

You can get an idea how many balloons are in the sky, I read we have around 600 taking off each morning.

Friends, if you are planning a trip to New Mexico, this is the time to come. If you are brave you can even hitch a ride for about $250.

Have a wonderful day,

Sofija

Balloon Fiesta

Family Mountain Biking Outside of Albuquerque

sofijaburton, , 4 Comments

Friends,

We like to Mountain Bike. That is, my husband loves it and he is getting us slowly into it, as well. Last week we all piled up in the car and went to the East Mountains, outside of Albuquerque to go for a ride. It was a rather spontaneous thing, so I was surprised that our 6 kiddos could have fun without the usual snacks, gear, extra clothes, etc. Take a look:

We put as many bikes as we could fit on the bike rack (everyone except the baby had a bike), and the rest we piled in the trunk of our suburban.

David and I took the 4, 6, and 8 year old on the bike path. While my two oldest stayed back to watch the baby. The baby is almost 2 years old, but we call her the baby, and probably always will…My 4 year old can’t really ride yet, so we put her on a scoot, the kind of bike that does not have pedals.

She got tired pretty quickly going uphill on her scoot, so she decided to take a rest and do a pine cone dance.

Here is my man in action after the younger kids were done and heading back to the parking lot.

Natasha had a great time walking around the picnic area with no one stopping her.

Lucille taking a much needed rest after her 10 minute bike ride.

At the picnic area I wanted to shoot some action shots of my husband jumping off a ledge on his bike. This turned into everybody jumping off and having a really fun time.

I think we are on our way to becoming a mountain bike family. I so hoped we could find a sport that we can all enjoy on different levels, and this might be it.

So, if you are ever in the area, bring a bike!

Have a great day, I’ll see you back here soon with a kid’s fall fashion shoot I did with my friend. So exited to share it with you.

-Sofija

Family Mountain Biking Outside of Albuquerque

Old Town Albuquerque

sofijaburton, , 2 Comments

Hi there,

On Friday I had a chance to go to old town Albuquerque. We had an international student stay with us last week, so I wanted to show her the sights. Founded in 1706 it is quite charming. Spanish settlers organized the center in the traditional Spanish colonial way: with a central plaza anchored by a church. This is San Felipe de Neri church, built in 1793.

There are shops all around the plaza shaded by pergolas like this one.

What makes Old Town so fun are the little shops hidden in sideways like this one.

Here is the plaza in the center. On the weekends there will be bands playing life music and children dancing.

New Mexico is all about manana. Life is slower here.

Here you can see the blending of cultures in this area. Native Americans side by side with Spanish settlers and poeple of Mexican origin. This is reflected in the stores, museums, and performances in old town. When you get here on the right day you see a Native American dancer performing on the street.

Found this water well in one of the side passages.

Here is my 2 year old, Natasha.

The building still look very much like when they were built centuries ago.

This is me and Natasha cooling off with a smoothie. It was quite hot.

Hope you enjoyed it. Come visit us sometime.

Have a wonderful day,

Sofija

Old Town Albuquerque

Jemez Mountains

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Hello,

how was your weekend? Ours was fabulous. We went on a family outing with the six kiddos in tow, and it was actually smooth and pleasant.  By that I mean nobody threw up, starved, had accidents, or got hurt. If you have little kids you know what I mean. Everybody had a great time, which is no small feat with 8 people. It was so fun, we might try it again. 🙂 We drove through the Jemez Mountains, northwest of Albuquerque. Take a look:

Love the color of the rocks.

Our first stop at soda creek. Everybody is acting like they haven’t eaten in days…

So pretty. Waiting for this cabin to be for sale.

The girls checking out soda creek, wondering if it safe to go in. They decided not to.

Next stop: Battle Ship Rock.

Here is my man.

Found a spot to go in. Lucille’s not quite sure…

Natasha sporting my sun glasses. The cuteness factor went up a couple notches.

Plotting a different route home involving four wheel driving. My 6 old commented: “This was the bumpiest short cut ever!”

On the way home.

What’s ahead for you this week? Is school starting or are you savoring one more week of summer? We will be gently easing into school, which will be disrupted by a German college student. Anna will be staying with us for three days until she can get into the dorms. We don’t know her yet, but she seemed quite nice in her e-mail.

Have a fantastic day,

Sofija

Jemez Mountains

Frankfurt Gardens

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Hi there,

most people in Frankfurt live in small apartments.  A lot of people have potted plants on their balcony but if they really want a place of their own to relax they rent a nearby plot from a garden association. These are tiny gardens, much like a typical back yard, but it was fun to see how everyone did their garden differently. It shows how people express themselves in their space.

Here are some pictures I took while walking around Sachsenhausen, the part of Frankfurt where I grew up.

The gnome is holding a flag of the local soccer team.

While most of the gardens I saw where wild and overgrown, my sister’s garden was nicely manicured.

My son and nephew playing in my sister’s garden.

Every garden has a little house where people have little kitchens and even a bed for staying overnight.

I really enjoyed these lush, green gardens, especially because we live in the desert and our yard consists mostly of rocks and shrubs.

Have a lovely weekend,

Sofija

Frankfurt Gardens