Kendra Ruminer's Two Cents of Real Estate

Take A Peek At Los Alamos, New Mexico

Month: May 2023

Hear the Music!

May 26, 2023 /

Summer is here. School is done this week. Graduation is upon us. And the best part of summer is beginning! The Los Alamos Free Concert Series opens on May 26, with Billy Bob Thornton & the Boxmasters.

Why You Should Go

I suppose it’s possible to live here in Los Alamos and be unaware of the Los Alamos Concert Series going on at Ashley Pond each Friday. However, for many of you, knowing the concerts are available isn’t necessarily incentive to go. I get that. The crowd is sometimes enormous and it could easily seem overwhelming. But as we kick off this summer’s series, I’d like to give you a few things to consider.

Our concert series has been lauded as the best free concert series in New Mexico. It runs from Friday May 26 until Friday September 1 and there are artists to fit any taste in music. Some are local and well known, some are local and unknown. Several are well known all over the world! But because this is a free concert, you don’t have to feel compelled to stick around for the whole thing. You can make your concert experience pretty much whatever you’d like.

Even If You Don’t Like Crowds

Don’t want to squeeze yourself onto the lawn in front of the pavilion? No problem! Utilize the free shuttle service and eliminate the need to park at all. Or park several blocks away or more and walk to the pond. Wave to your friends and neighbors, get a crazy awesome view of the crowd at twilight from the steps in front of the Justice Center. Listen to the music as you wander through the garden behind Fuller Lodge. Find a slice of the concert atmosphere pretty much anywhere in the downtown area on Friday nights. Part of the charm here in Los Alamos is the option to enjoy the entertainment in a way that works for you.

A Snack For Everyone

Food trucks are a novelty that has resonated with plenty of us these days. And there’s no doubt that the amount and variety of food trucks is almost incentive enough to pop by the pond on a Friday night. Local favorite Senor Tortas got their start in a food truck and they often still make an appearance on Friday nights. Snow cones, slushies, cotton candy, and other carnival style faves are available too. Whether you want dinner or just dessert, you can find something amazing. And that while your kids bounce themselves silly in the bouncy houses and run wild across the lawn like kids are supposed to do!

Something you may not realize is that the Youth Activity Center located in the Community Center basement is open during the concerts. The YAC will be in their parking lot offering treats like popcorn, candy, sodas, slushies, and even cotton candy. The proceeds all go back into free community programs for the YAC and the inside snack bar is available for taquitos, personal pizzas, and other regular menu items. The YAC even offers the opportunity to whip out the credit card for Square payments and their menu is priced significantly lower than many other available options.

On a semi-related side note, the YAC staff would like to remind the local public that if you’re enjoying a jaunt around the pond anytime during operating hours, they’d be happy to sell you a beverage at the snack bar. You don’t have to be a 3rd-8th grader to head inside and purchase a snack or a drink. So stop by during the summer to say hello!

Get Involved

Sometimes it’s easy to feel isolated up here in Los Alamos. I hear from folks all the time that there’s nothing to do and that they have difficulty finding social groups. The truth is that there are things to do all around us here in Los Alamos, but we have to get out and find those things. The summer concert series is an amazing example of that. It’s a huge local event and even if you went every week for the whole season you’d probably not run out of things to do and see!

If you’d like to step it up a notch, check out the concert’s website for job opportunities! They’re hiring everything from opening acts to social media coordinators. It could be a fantastic way to get involved with one of our amazing local traditions.

A Local Legend

A lot of folks might not realize that the Los Alamos Concert Series began as one local businessman’s attempt to bring music to Los Alamos. Russ Gordon and his family opened a record store (that sold ice cream!) in White Rock in 1988. The store eventually moved to the MariMac center in Los Alamos and the first “Gordon’s Stage” was a slapped together wood platform in the parking lot where the entire town gathered on Friday nights for a free concert. Gordon’s Concert series hosted over 500 music acts from all genres and Russ was an incredible influence on so many young people who wandered in and out of his record store over the years. With Russ’s retirement in 2017, the Los Alamos Summer Concert series became a thing, but many of us still call these events “Gordon’s Concerts” and there is a plaque on the pavilion at Ashley Pond celebrating Gordon’s contribution to the fabric of Los Alamos.

We are a tight community with tons of history and so much local flavor it might seem slightly crazy to outsiders. But we are also welcoming and eager to share our history and our amazing amenities and opportunities with everyone. So get out and enjoy the concert series this summer! And when you’re ready to join our community here in Los Alamos, give me a call! I’d love to chat Los Alamos Real Estate with you.

It’s A Dog’s Life

May 11, 2023 /

There is no doubt that Los Alamos loves dogs! If you spend any time driving around town, you’ll notice plenty of folks outside with their dogs. Most of our paved trails have doggie clean up bins stationed at regular intervals, and we have three dog parks here in town. Several businesses have cropped up to keep dogs active and happy too. The Doghouse offers Doggie Daycare, training, and boarding services. And we have more than a few dog walking services. But if you really want to get to the hub of the dog community in Los Alamos, you should check out the Los Alamos Dog Obedience Club.

The Los Alamos Dog Obedience Club is a 501(c)4 non profit organization that has been supporting Los Alamos dog owners since 1951. Yes. 1951. That’s a really long time! Their building is located next to the Animal Shelter and the East Park Dog Park. The metal building is an old Quonset Hut left over from the Los Alamos war years, which might be enough of a curiosity to at least visit the club. Honestly though, this group has the resources to take your dog ownership to the next level.

When most of us think of dog obedience, we immediately imagine basic manners class with a puppy. If you have a puppy, you can certainly sign up for some basic training courses. It’s a great place to start. But if you’ve got an older dog at home, that doesn’t mean you’re left out!

Along with basic manners and tricks for fun, our local dog enthusiasts participate in beginner to advanced agility training, herding, tracking, dock diving, breed showing, nose training, and even schutzhund (protection training). Our locals get together on a weekly basis and even arrange trips out of area for training events, shows, and competitions. Professional dog trainers come to Los Alamos from as far away as South Africa to assist with specialized work such as Schutzhund and some of our local dog owners have successfully competed dogs internationally!

Even if all of this sounds overwhelming, you might be surprised at the unusual services our local dog obedience enthusiasts can provide to the community. A great example is snake training for your dog. A professional trainer comes to town fairly frequently during snake season in order to expose you and your dog to possible snake encounters on the trail. For those of us who trail run or hike with our dogs, or even those of us who live in an area where snakes might appear in our yard, training our dogs not to get bit is a huge bonus! The snake specialist travels with several varieties of snakes who are specially prepared to keep your dog safe while offering them the experience of a snake encounter in a way that prevents them from making a critical boo-boo at a later time. Contact the Dog Obedience club for details, or check their Facebook page for upcoming dates.

Summer sign up for classes begins on June 14. So this is the perfect time to look at your summer schedule and make some time to get fit with your dog. Dog training is a passion sport with tons of benefits for both you and your canine companions. And it’s just one more cool thing to do here in Los Alamos! Get involved with Dog Obedience and when you’re ready to join our community here on the Hill, give me a call! I’d love to chat real estate in Los Alamos with you.

Elevate Your Biking!

May 5, 2023 /

There’s no doubt that Los Alamos has a crazy long list of outdoor activities to keep the fun going all year round. With miles upon miles of trails, quick access to a variety of public lands, ice skating, skiing, horseback riding, hiking, trail running, and mountain biking, we’ve got outdoor fun no matter the season! But if you’re ready to elevate your mountain biking experience, you need to head for the ski hill.

Did that look like a typo? It wasn’t a mistake. During the off season, Pajarito Recreation LLC offers a Mountain Bike Power Pass that not only gives you the opportunity to utilize the ski lifts up on the mountain to elevate your ride, but also offers the opportunity to bike other resort properties!

Bike Pajarito Mountain!

If you’re an avid mountain biker, you’re probably aware of the Pajarito Mountain bike trails. However, for those of you who are simply looking for a fun activity this summer, you might want to check it out!

Is your bicycle looking like it just can’t hack a 1440 gain in elevation? No problem! The Pajarito Mountain Bike Shop has you covered. They stock the latest and greatest in Mountain Bikes for rental. This means you don’t have to drop your summer vacation budget on a bike. You can rent the cream of the crop and enjoy! This is also a cool plan if you’re shopping for a new bike. It’s like getting the test ride of a lifetime.

Not Just A Simple Trail

Pajarito Mountain has always been a place for outdoor enthusiasts to volunteer. The original ski mountain was created in the fifties by a group of locals who just wanted to enjoy the outdoors in winter. You can read more about the history of skiing in Los Alamos HERE. But sometime in the early 2000’s, a group of Mountain Bike enthusiasts approached the management at Pajarito Mountain and offered to expand the summer activities by hand cutting bike trails to make a truly awesome riding experience.

Over the last twenty years, these trails have been developed and maintained by hardcore enthusiasts, expanded, and mapped until they create a network of bike experiences to satisfy all levels of mountain bikers. You can see a map of trails on the Pajarito Mountain website. And best of all, it’s possible on certain days to ride a chairlift to the top of the mountain and cycle down! It is beyond cool to enjoy the breathtaking summer views from the chairlift to the top of the ski hill before riding your way to the bottom.

Bike Patrol

Anyone who has tried skiing has probably heard of the Ski Patrol. At Pajarito, the ski patrol also includes the Bike Patrol. In the last few years, the club trained and maintained Bike Patrol has joined with the National Ski Patrol (NSP) organization. Some members of the winter Ski Patrol also belong to the Bike Patrol, but not everyone does year round duty. And if you’re a cycle enthusiast who has any interest at all in becoming part of the Bike Patrol, you don’t have to be a NSP member to join in!

Cyclists interested in Bike Patrol should check out their info page here. Bike Patrol is on duty anywhere on the mountain during operating hours. For those members of the NSP, the duties aren’t much different from that of the winter season. Except you can’t toboggan an injured person during the summer so logistics takes quite a bit of planning and communication. Patrol members often say that the rewards of being an outdoor/wilderness first responder are worth every second of hard work.

If you want to volunteer with the Bike Patrol, you’d become a “Bike Host”. Bike hosts become a point person for visitors to the mountain helping with navigation, safety, and even helping with small bike repairs when necessary. While bike hosts don’t go through the same rigorous Outdoor Emergency Care certification process, they do receive a lot of the same training until they feel comfortable with their role on the mountain.

Take Your Power Pass On The Road!

As with ski passes purchased through Pajarito Recreation LLC, the Summer Mountain Bike Pass gives you access to a variety of other resorts with Mountain Biking opportunities. This includes Spider Mountain Bike Park in Austin, TX! Talk about a great way to enjoy summer. Check out Spider Mountain on the web HERE.

So next time you’re wondering how to get the whole family outside for some fun on a beautiful summer weekend, visit the Pajarito Mountain Website and plan to get out and ride! And when you’re ready to join our community here in Los Alamos, give me a call. I love to talk Los Alamos!

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