Without the ACLU many rights would not exist.
Pride gives wings to some...
Tutus to others...
There were the Duke City roller derby players
the Brujos rugby players
and a rodeo cowboy
Sandia National Labs sent Einstein
There was Posh club
and a posh dog
Some have rythm...
Some have speed
And many have crowns...
Happy Pride day!
While the roots of the fiestas are religious in origin, they have a much larger meaning. They are about culture, community, and, bringing people together. The Fiestas de San Felipe de Neri went down this past weekend.
We enjoyed watching the people who came to enjoy the fiestas in Old Town. Here they are.
El Santo
Señor Pedro Rivera and his spouse. Wearing a beautiful belt buckle in the courtyard of the church. We were flattered that he posed for us. He bought the belt buckle in Juarez and embellished it himself.
We met the Brothers of the Franciscan Friars of Renewal San Juan Diego Friary. From left to right - Brothers Isaiah, Joachim and Maximillian.
A hard working vendor. With a smile.
Black Pearl was jamming in the gazebo.
You are never too young, or old, to dance. Jumping for joy.
An Albuquerque institution, and, one of the most principled people around. Don.
These were the best dancers - in our opinion.
Groovin'.
The formal Procession around the square.
The conclusion of Saturday's festivities.
Maybe the budget has been cut. Maybe they didn't have enough volunteers. Maybe they have run out of new, innovative ideas. Maybe there is infighting that has prevented the growth of the Albuquerque Founder's Day celebration.
What we do know is that we dig parades. We went to this year's celebration in anticipation of watching the Founders Day parade - a parade that has historically showcased our rich and diverse New Mexican culture. We left disappointed.
In years past we have seen tall, colorful puppets in the parade. It has also included a Native American presence packed full of color and sound.
This year it was a slow procession void of sound and enthusiasm. At least one banner carrier was holding up two signs (seriously, in New Mexico, there wasn't one "Lucero" to carry a banner?)
Despite the sad procession, there were some highlights that made us smile. The Mariachi Tradicional and Folklorico Fiesta Mexicana included Mariachi music and dancers who stomped and twirled in front of a large, happy crowd.
Baila
The tone changed and an upbeat buzz started with The Porter Draw. The crowd enjoyed these guys.
The procession.
Colores
Children for sale
What would a Birthday party be without Pinatas?
The Wild West in Plaza Viejo. The New Mexico Gun Fighters enthusiastically posed for us. They have live gunfights in the streets of Old Town on the second and fourth Sundays of every month.
The City's climbing wall. A nice quality of life project for the kids.
And who doesn't like a hot firetruck with some of Albuquerque's finest Firemen?
Last but not least doggies.
What happens when the City of Albuquerque closes down Central between Washington and Girard?
Great things happen. Our historic main thoroughfare fills with people of every shape, age, sex and color. Burquenos from every neighborhood join with skaters, artisans, car junkies, dancers, performers and bystanders to enjoy a day and night together, on the same asphalt, under the same sun, clouds, stars and moon.
This years Summer Fest at Nob Hill was a good time. The crowds seem to be getting larger, and more diverse, for the Nob Hill Summer Fest party each Summer. We like this. Generally, Albuquerque gets along. City sponsored functions, like this one, faciliate community involvement like no other. Unless you want to eat, it is free to walk up and down Central to window shop, watch people, and, listen to really good music.
The City moves these festivities to different locations around Albuquerque - this is one of our favorites.
As usual a large number of cars were there to be seen and admired. Most were there to participate in the Neon Cruise at sunset.
A number of musicians performed throughout the festivities, we came across this soon to be famous little guitarist. He was the definition of adorable.
There was temporary public art.
...and dancing in the streets in front of Rhythm Dance Company.
We got our groove on at the Latin Music dance floor.
And this young lady offered Free Hugs. Hugs are good.
We love Albuquerque.
This is the second Good Friday we have made the trek into El Santuario de Chimayo. We parked along Santa Cruz Road and walked through Chimayo into the Santuario. We aren't your typical Santuario "pilgrims." We are watchers from Albuquerque - we take pictures, stroll along the roadway and take in the beauty of the rituals involved. It would be pretentious for us to even include ourselves in with the faith driven pilgrims who come the distance. These people amaze us.
The cultural diversity of the Pilgrims that descend upon the Santuario is classicly New Mexican - a culturally diverse human rainbow.
It was a humble walk to Santuario.
The street was lined with fruit trees and flowering bushes.
Peaks, valleys and small family farms.
An old truck neighbored by flowers.
A gathering of the faithful.
The black Madonna
Hand crafted crosses made the trek.
Artisan walking sticks.
David Young carried a walking stick hand crafted by his Father, Reuben Young.
Remembrances of the dearly departed.
A procession prior to prayers
Founders Day was celebrated this past Saturday at Old Town. Our city is 308 years old. The plaza was full of birthday revelers. They listened to music, danced, and enjoyed the day under a beautiful New Mexico sky. Elm seeds, along with a handful of raindrops, fell from the sky.
Founders Day has changed over the years. The formal procession isn't as long, or colorful, as it used to be. The formal procession of old showcased founding families, impressive native dancers (as they twirled in their extravagant, beautiful costumes,) and, large puppets that would sway as they were walked around the plaza. The birthday cake has disappeared leaving participants craving that old school party feel.
But it was still a good party. Pinatas were represented.
The congregation at San Felipe de Neri Church had food for sale.
We were treated to lively music, local artisans and vendors, and, traditional dance from Ballet Folklorico Fiesta Mexicana.
And period dressed characters.
Old Town Plaza is the heart of Albuquerque, and, during the year is host to family oriented events that are free. The man behind these events is Chuy Martinez - our favorite City employee who is also the best dressed. He does an admirable job at all of these functions.
Happy Birthday, Alburquerque!
Yesterday we spent some quality time at Old Town where San Felipe de Neri Catholic church was hosting its annual Santero Market . In conjunction with this arts market, the City of Albuquerque has coordinated some excellent music and dance for all to enjoy. The artisans at this event embody what is so very special about our cultural art history in New Mexico - they are authentic.
One artist stood out for us. Lorena Flores (daughter of artisan Carolyn Flores) draws and paints on wooden boards. Her color schemes are bold and bright. She is seven years old.
She has big stories behind her hand drawn, and painted, Retablos. We bought her lovely red and blue Retablo depicting Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was a major art find for us.
The Santero Market runs through five today. Go see Lorena. She is in booth 18. Just precious, this little one.
The Village of Tijeras (east of Albuquerque and off of I-40) had their 40th anniversary celebration yesterday.
We had a really good time on a beautiful New Mexico day.
We saw cool cars, an old firetruck, local vendors peddling their wares, a food truck, muscle law enforcement vehicles, a silent auction in a beautifully restored church, and, lots of families enjoying themselves.
The car show.
Our very favorite car show entry.
A special shout out to the keeper of the car show trophies, Joe Klaus. He told us about the festivities.
A band played under the gazebo.
Local law enforcement was represented.
A silent auction in the Santo Nino church.
The New Mexico Territorial Brass Band played some big, bold foot tapping tunes (and they had on great costumes.)
A little slice of Americana in our beautiful east mountains.
Last, but certainly not least, we were treated to free ice cream cones at the Senior Center. What a great day. :-)
Summer gives us the oppportunity to hit the road and see different parts of our fabulous state. We love going north and Cultura Promotions gave us a great reason to head to the beautiful Española valley yesterday - a lowrider show.
The Main Street Showdown didn't disappoint us. They had lowriders of every hue and shine. We saw hand crafted lowrider bicyles. We watched cars hop. To say that the experience was fascinating wouldn't adequately describe it. It was a cultural phenomenon.
This is what a lowrider car hop looks like.
While New Mexico clubs made up the majority of exhibitors, California, Southern Colorado, and Texas were also represented.
We are not authorities on lowriding and certainly don't profess to be. One can't help but notice that these cars are a labor of love and that the car owners express what is most precious to them via their cars. It is an underappreciated artform.
Lowriding is a religious experience. Hand crafted rosaries and crosses.
Our Lady of Guadalupe portrayed at the beach and on a trunk lid.
A statuary Christ sits next to awards.
We ran into Mike Martinez, of the Dukes Car Club, proudly displaying his mint condition 1948 Stylemaster.
The Dukes Car Club was represented in style.
Car show bling.
To our delight, we met some All Things 505 fans in person.
The struggle between good and evil are carefully exhibited on hoods, fenders and on door jams.
A homage to homies.
Before the crowds arrived.
Some bikes.
While walking around the show we were approached by a very nice young man. He handed us a CD with his newest single on it. Meet Jimmy MC, a very talented rising star in the New Mexico music world.
A satisfying day in a beautiful locale. We hope this show returns to the Española valley next year.
A community came together today and celebrated the 110th annual Fiestas of Sacred Heart church in Barelas. Barelas, settled in 1681, is just south of downtown Albuquerque. The physical heart of Barelas is the church on 4th street. The cultural blood of Barelas can be found in the community - several generations of families that have maintained strong connections to the land, local businesses, and classic New Mexican tradition.
There was something for everyone.
The Barelas Community Coalition was represented.
Sacred Heart Catholic Parish against a beautiful New Mexico blue sky.
The food was authentic. And, it was delicious. We opted for tortilla burgers with tasty green chile (the tortillas were homemade and brought back memories of one particular abuela.)
Families enjoyed a nice Sunday together.
Lots of kids activities. The water slide was most popular on a hot day.
The Sacred Heart Matachines performed.
The colors were spectacular. The love, and hard work, that went into the costumes was inspirational.
Tokens for fun.
4th Street has some beautiful tiled images near the church. The message on this one spoke to the day we had at the fiesta. Just beautiful.
