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Take A Peek At Los Alamos, New Mexico

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Fun Facts About School Facilities in Los Alamos

August 13, 2021 /

As the kiddos suit up to return to school, let’s all take a deep breath and cross our fingers that the 2021-2022 school year is a success. It might not look exactly like school years in the past, but this is the new normal and we’re all going to have to come to terms with what that means.

However, whether your kids are Barranca Bobcats, Aspen Tigers, Mountain Lions, Chamisa Cheetahs, Pinon Panthers, Hawks, or fully fledged Hilltoppers, you might find yourself pulling up in front of the following school district facilities and wondering exactly who they’re named for.

Duane W. Smith Auditorium

This public auditorium may, for some of us, still be remembered as Civic Auditorium. Until 1994 that’s what it was called. It is currently the only building in Los Alamos capable of seating more than 900 people. The beautiful new facade was added in 2018 and on May 3 of 2019 a new portrait of Duane W. Smith was unveiled inside the structure. The portrait was painted by celebrated artist Craig Tyler and remembers Smith the way his family likes to think of him in sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat while spending time outdoors.

Duane W. Smith began working for Los Alamos Schools in 1959. He stayed with the school district for twenty years, eventually becoming superintendent of schools. He died at age 48 in 1979. In 1994 the auditorium was named for him as a nod to his tireless work for our district and community interests. The remodeling in 2018 was paid for by county and school district funds. But it’s important to realize that an endowment was created by Smith’s wife, Joan Brown, and his daughter, Kelly Myers, to cover further renovations and updates to this vital community facility so that it can be a self-sustaining part of not only our high school, but of life in Los Alamos.

Griffith Gymnasium

Many of you recently visited Griffith Gym at our high school in order to get your Covid-19 vaccination. Community health fairs, graduation ceremonies, and more Phys Ed classes and high school sports games than we can count have been held inside this structure. It has undergone plenty of renovations and at one time it was rumored that the Hilltopper painted on the wall inside the gym had been modeled after a certain popular English teacher.

According to Craig Martin’s book Los Alamos Place Names, the high school gymnasium was formally dedicated to the memory of Thurston A. “Turk” Griffith on January 15, 1966 just before a basketball game between Los Alamos and St. Pius. Turk Griffith was a 1958 graduate of LAHS. In December 1964 he was reported MIA in Vietnam. His body was found several days later.

Though Turk Griffith was the first person from Los Alamos to die in the Vietnam War, he is better remembered for his love of life. Turk played baseball, ran track, swam, and was captain of the football team. He was in Key Club, was president of Student Council, a National Honor Society Student and was also voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by his classmates. He was a popular and likable student who attended West Point after graduating from LAHS. He received his commission as a lieutenant in 1962. Members of our community, including later Senator Steve Stoddard, pushed to have Topper Gym renamed for Turk. They circulated a petition and gained more than 1100 signatures in favor of this change. In March of 1965 it was officially renamed and now a plaque commemorating Turk Griffith hangs inside to help students today connect with those who came before and lived with distinction.

Sullivan Field

If you’re like many people, you’ve been wondering what amazing athlete with the last name Sullivan commanded the field in such a way that he was honored to have our high school stadium named after him?

Um, Earle D. Sullivan was an important part of sports here in Los Alamos, and he might have been a really great athlete. But that’s not why the former High School Athletic Field was renamed Sullivan Field.

Sullivan was a community relations manager for the Atomic Energy Commission in the late 1940’s. Before that, he’d been a newspaper editor in Foxboro, Massachusetts. He served in various positions during the war, most notably as a regional publicity director for the War Bond Campaigns.

While none of that seems to have anything to do with football, track, or soccer, what Sullivan DID do was advocate strongly for recreational facilities for the youth of Los Alamos. His position as a liaison between the AEC and the youth of our community gave him the opportunity to be a voice for youth sports. And THAT is why his name is on our High School Stadium.

Next time you pull up to the Topper Field House for a game at Sullivan Field or drive up to North Mesa to watch a ball game at “Bun Ryan” Field, remember that our history goes back a long way and includes plenty of influential people who loved this community enough to leave their mark for all of us. And when you’re ready to call Los Alamos home, give me a call! I’d love to talk about Life in Los Alamos with you.

Plumbers, Plutonium, & D-Site

August 3, 2021 /

There’s been a lot going on down DP Road lately. Not only has the new roundabout construction brought this out of the way area to our attention. But the addition of dozens upon dozens of promising new residential dwellings has also livened up the conversation. Whether you’re a long time resident of Los Alamos or a newcomer, it’s possible the name of that road causes a bit of head scratching. Sometimes, if you’ve always heard something, it becomes the norm and you stop thinking about the strangeness of a name. If you’re new to the area, you might have looked at the road signs, scratched your head, and attributed it to the general oddness that is attached to Los Alamos in general.

When it comes to DP Road, that’s pretty much right on the money. Just for fun, let’s look at some of the possible origins of the letters D-P as researched by Craig Martin for his book, Los Alamos Place Names.

DP Site

It is a fact that in 1945 the production of plutonium took place in the Chemistry building which was referred to as D-Building. At the time it was located near Ashley Pond and pretty much right in the middle of everything else too.

Three things happened fairly close together to spur on a location change. First, the full health concerns in the handling of plutonium began to be recognized. Secondly, the amount of plutonium being handled at D-Building increased rather drastically. Thirdly, there was a fairly large fire in C-Shop not far from D-Building.

In order to prevent a large scale plutonium disaster that would not only be a health and safety hazard, but could also shut down activities at the Technical Area, TA-1, management determined it was time to move operations at D-Building to a new location at D-Site. Somewhere a little more remote and therefore safer.

With the barracks and Technical Areas clumped together, the potential for disaster seemed high.

Damn Plumbers

This particular name suggestion came from the number of contractors working at the site who belonged to the plumbing profession. Realistically however, plumbers certainly didn’t make up the entire workforce at the new site.

Displaced Persons

There’s a good chance that anyone who has been in Los Alamos for a period of time, whether by choice or by necessity, has felt somewhat displaced. Part of this phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that the Secret City on the Hill was always intended to be somewhat remote. Most of the workforce in the early days were brought in from somewhere else. They were displaced. Not only that, but the personnel sent away to the new D-Site from the main Technical Area near Ashley Pond were being displaced quite a large distance from the original D-Building. The new Chemistry building on DP Road was supposed to be far away from everything else. Sure, it was a practical decision, but many of those people certainly felt like “displaced persons”.

D-Plutonium

A good number of the original workforce at the new Chemistry building assumed DP stood for D-Plutonium because of the nature of the work they were doing there and the materials used. Although another construction worker at the time the facility was built thought that P stood for Polonium, which is an element in the uranium-radium series of radioactive decay. How many elements on the periodic table start with P? We will never know which one it was really meant to be!

D-Plant

This likely candidate was suggested because in the original building documents at the time refer to the “Plant” Committee overseeing the building of the “plant”. If you believe this bit of rational history, DP stands for D-Plant where plutonium was manufactured. It’s a rather unromantic origin story, but sometimes those are the most accurate.

D-Prime

This one is probably the most widely accepted meaning behind the DP in DP Road. There is a practicality to this given the scientific jargon and the fact that D-Prime eventually replaced D-Site. There was also another building called P-Prime nearby. Eventually, this was shortened to D-P and then years later the road going down to the facility was referred to as DP Road.

D-Production

Something that isn’t always made clear is that D-Site (on DP Road) was a new Chemistry building to replace D Building (back over by Ashley Pond). However, D-Building was still a thing. Calling D-Site by that name emphasized the relationship between operations at D-Site that used to take place in D-Building. This relationship created some pretty hefty confusion in the mail service here in Los Alamos. A lot of the mail addressed to D-Site would be delivered to D-Building by mistake.

A man named R. H. Dunlap was in head of administrative and personnel issues, which included the mail service. Urban Legend and some historical documents suggest that he solved this confusion of mail delivery by calling the new building DP, short for D-Production. The idea was that all of the production activities formerly taking place at D-Building had been transferred to D-Site and therefore mail pertaining to production needed to be sent to the new facility.

Who Knows?

The truth is that we don’t have any actual written records. There are historical documents and anecdotal information provided by those who were part of the community “back in the day”. But we will really never know. Whether you want to think DP Road is Displaced Persons, D-Prime, or was named for D.P. Macmillan (a LASL scientist at the time), that is YOUR decision to make. In the meantime, DP Road is just one more strand of the charming and unique fabric of Los Alamos History.

If you’re ready to weave yourself into the fabric of our community here in Los Alamos, give me a call. I would love to get to know you and your family and introduce you to life in Los Alamos!

Play Ball in Los Alamos!

July 22, 2021 /

Los Alamos has always been a hotbed of athletic activity. Check out my previous post on Sawyer’s Hill if you want a peek at the history of winter sports in the “Secret City”. But since we’re right in the middle of summer and sports have finally picked up again after the pandemic shutdown, I thought it might be fun to look at the long (and I do mean LONG) history of Los Alamos’s love affair with baseball & softball. Whether you were part of Lassie League Los Alamos or your rode your bike to your weekly Little League games, you’re part of a long tradition here in Los Alamos!

The Bombers

If you’ve ever spent much time at the ball fields on North Mesa, you’ve probably noticed Bomber Field. What you might not realize is that the field was named not for a modern Little League team, but for the original team from the Hill. The Los Alamos Bombers, sometimes called the Atomic Bombers, were a semi-pro baseball team that played in the Northern Rio Grande league. The team was initially made up of military personnel. Their first practice field was on Canyon Road. Eventually they moved to the new ball fields up at Urban Park in 1947. Eventually, locals started calling the field “Bomber Field”. When the new sports complex was built on North Mesa in 1951, the largest field was dubbed “Bomber Field” and this was where the Bombers played.

Fun Fact – The Atomic Energy Commission felt the team was so good for the recreational value of Los Alamos that they sponsored the team. They paid for field maintenance, uniforms, and even sponsored their travel expenses. More rumor than fact was the possibility that Zia Company was recruiting minor league players to work in Los Alamos just so they could play for the Bombers.

Early on, Lon Alexander – former major league player for the St. Louis Browns – managed the Bombers. Later, they would be managed by Dewey Molleur. Molleur was a longtime resident of Los Alamos, a lifetime lover of baseball, and a 67 year veteran of the Local 412 Plumbers & Pipefitters Union. Just a regular guy who loved the town and the team and became a part of the Bombers’ Legacy. Molleur wasn’t the last regular guy to use baseball put Los Alamos on the map.

Pierotti’s Clowns

If you’ve never stopped to look at this monument, it’s outside the Los Alamos Public Library on Central.

This first ever five man Softball Team is an integral part of the fabric of Los Alamos. Pierotti’s Clowns was established as an amateur fast pitch softball team in 1953 and played until 1977. These guys played a five man squad against other teams of nine. Not only that, but founder Lou Pierotti’s son Mike began playing first base with the team when he was eleven years old.

The team never made a penny off their games. They donated the $0.25-$1.00 ticket sales to charity and earned over $200,000 dollars for organizations like the Los Alamos Kiwanis Club during their 25 year run. The biggest draw for crowds was the fact that the Clowns acted like actual clowns. During games they were known for playing outfield with ash can lids instead of mitts, wearing full face paint and gaudy, colorful uniforms, and also for occasionally throwing a “mushball” pitch, which meant a grapefruit painted to look like a softball went sailing toward the batter.

The team held a staggering 177-23 final record, their wins made possible mostly because of the incredible skill of Bun Ryan. Yes, THAT Bun Ryan. The guy whose name is stamped on the North Mesa baseball field closest to the Stables. Bun Ryan could throw a 100mph fast ball. And he managed to create what his teammates called a Rise Pitch, a pitch that actually struck out a hefty number of players from the Albuquerque Dukes. At that time, the Dukes were a farm team for the LA Dodgers. The game between the Dukes and the Clowns was played using alternating baseball and softball home plate placement depending on which team was at bat. If you want to know more about Pierotti’s Clowns, check out this wonderful spread from Los Alamos History.org.

So, the next time you pick up a ball and a mitt to play ball here in Los Alamos, remember that you’re part of a LONG legacy of baseball and softball in the Secret City! And if you’re ready to become a part of our community, give me a call! I’d love to share my love of Los Alamos with you!

Trampolines, Playhouses, & Forts…

July 12, 2021 /

In my last blog post we talked a little bit about what makes a backyard epic. Whether it be a patio, a conversation space, a deck, or a backyard that manages to be everything at once, the needs of your family determine the definition of epic. But if you decide that it’s time to make a play area for the kids, here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re improving your backyard here in Los Alamos.

The Trampoline

There’s no doubt that kids can get some serious fun out of a trampoline. As a parent myself, I’m certain I don’t have to remind all of you to get a safety net for your bouncing toy. Another thing to keep in mind here in Los Alamos, is the placement of your trampoline. Thanks to space issues, many trampolines in our area are tucked into tiny corners of the resident’s yard. Please make certain the tension on your safety net enclosure keeps your kiddos from accidentally coming into contact with any surrounding fencing. A stucco or concrete wall can create an incredible road rash risk if a trampoline user gets too close mid-flight.

Another important consideration is storage and maintenance. If you’ve been outside in the last few days, you’ve felt the extreme UV rays. These rays are devastating to your trampoline. Between the UV and the dry climate, the dry rot rate of the average trampoline is fairly accelerated here in Los Alamos. So, when you’re not using that trampoline, you might want to fold it up, store it in the garage or shed, or cover it somehow. And if you don’t? Please make sure you inspect it regularly to avoid any major incidents that could end badly for your kiddos.

The PlayHouse

Whether you want to purchase a playhouse from a manufacturer or build one from a kit or your own imagination, those pesky UV rays are going to affect this project as much as they would that trampoline. Whether you’re ordering your kit or cutting the wood parts yourself, consider using a protective exterior paint to put a layer of stoppage on those sun rays. Metzger’s has several options in dozens of colors guaranteed to either match your home or your child’s wildest desires.

Playhouses don’t have to be dead center in the yard by the way. If you’re building your own playhouse, try planning it in a way to utilize an otherwise non useable part of your yard. Tucked up against the side of the house? Tucked into the trees or bushes in an awkward corner of the yard? Goodness knows that the properties in and around Los Alamos boast more than a few awkward spaces. Perhaps in a spot like that, you can utilize some shade. Or, you could even create some shade for both the playhouse and the wilting kiddos by adding a small awning or suspending a sunshade between trees or even the house and the fence. Get creative and you’ll be surprised by what you can accomplish!

The TreeHouse

You’re not likely to find a lot of treehouse worthy trees in and around Los Alamos. Either you’ve got an eighty plus foot Ponderosa in your yard, or you’ve been graced with a tangle of juniper and scrub oak that couldn’t support a treehouse for your ant population.

However, don’t be discouraged. It’s quite possible to give the impression of a tree house by building your playhouse up on stilts. Not only does this make for a super fun playhouse option, it also gives you an opportunity to put a sandbox in the shade beneath the “treehouse”. You might even put a trapdoor in the floor of that treehouse to allow someone to drop right into the sandbox. It could also allow you to really utilize some of that awkward yard space by eliminating the need for a square foundation on the ground. You can build your treehouse above rocks, that pesky scrub oak, or even on a hill or other uneven terrain of the sort we find all over the county.

The Fort

The truth about a fort is that is can be made of anything, anywhere, anyhow, and in any dimension. That means if you have a series of strangely shaped juniper trees on your property, you can build a fort.

Oh yes, that’s right! With a set of hedge clippers and some scrap lumber, you could possibly enclose a little space that would be perfect for your little adventurer to use as home base for his excursions. You could even put a little “garage” against the side of the fort designed for a bicycle or a scooter.

There is no doubt that a trampoline, a playhouse, or a fort could be excellent fun for your children! It can also be a fantastic way to exercise the creativity that kids seem to have in spades. Or, you might be able to use any or all of these incentives to keep your kids outside instead of parked behind a screen enjoying their video games or watching shows on the tablet. I hope that you take these suggestions and put your own personal touch on them. I’d love to see what you come up with. Post your photos on Facebook and tag me at Kendra Ruminer Real Estate Los Alamos!

If you’re already a part of our unique community on the hill, I’m so glad! If you’re ready to move into or out of Los Alamos, give me a call. I’d love to talk about finding the perfect home here in Los Alamos!

Your Epic Backyard in Los Alamos

July 3, 2021 /

When we look at our backyard, whether we have a great view or a view of the house next door, we want to feel satisfied. But the truth is, the satisfaction we’re looking for depends a lot on where we are in life. Do we have kiddos chasing the family dog through the yard? Does your idea of the perfect evening involve a glass of wine and the crackle of a fire in the outdoor fireplace? Are you a gardener who loves to tend your plants against a backdrop of clucking chickens?

A natural backdrop of trees and open land is a perk of many properties here in Los Alamos!

Backyard Playgrounds

Kids love swing sets and playhouses. No doubt about it, many parents turn their yard space upside down and inside out trying to make it kid friendly. There are so many options these days for making play spaces in your yard for the kids, that you can run yourself ragged trying to decide how to fit Rocket Park onto your property. But the truth is, you probably need to think really carefully before investing in a lot of expensive equipment and elaborate buildings. Kids grow fast! You need to consider how many children you have, how many you’re expecting, their ages, and their interests before making a decision about backyard play equipment. Otherwise they’re going to outgrow or lose interest in your hard work and you’ll be left with a ghost yard instead of a play yard.

The playhouse kids dream of…
The playhouse your kids probably need…
This is a happy medium. Modular jungle gym for the kids, plenty of space left to run and play, and a nice high top table for mom and dad to enjoy on the patio!

Hobby Homesteading

If you’re interested in chickens, plants, and a spot of gardening before you kick back and enjoy your evening, don’t worry. With a bit of ingenuity, you can fit all of those things into one backyard. No problem. If you’re looking for some tips on chicken raising in Los Alamos, check out this post from a few months ago. Or maybe your idea of a perfect backyard is garden space. You might want to look back at this blog if you’re looking to garden here in Los Alamos. Gardens, chickens, maybe a few fruit trees, and you could be looking at a great way to turn your yard into a mini hobby farm in no time!

This particular chicken house was created from a playhouse sadly outgrown by the family’s children.
A beautiful balance between lounging space on the patio and deck, garden boxes, and a chicken house in the background. Every backyard homesteader’s dream come true!

A Relaxing & Epic Space

Whether your style is simple or elaborate, the thing that really matters is to create a space that is both relaxing and uniquely you. Keep in mind if you want to enjoy a fire pit, it needs to be covered in order to prevent sparks from flying out and starting a fire where it wasn’t intended. A fire pit can be a very relaxing way to wind down on nice evenings. The crackle of flames makes a beautiful addition to any starry mountain night.

Not all of us have the opportunity to watch the sunset on a porch like this one in Pajarito Acres.

No matter what you choose to do with your backyard in Los Alamos, I know it will be epic. After all, half the fun of a new space is making it your own! Please feel free to drop me a picture of your very own perfect backyard in Los Alamos. And don’t forget, if you’re ready to buy or sell in Los Alamos, I’m your hometown broker! Give me a call. I’m always ready to talk Real Estate in Los Alamos.

Growing Families Strong in Los Alamos

June 24, 2021 /

Last week we talked about Los Alamos Family Council and the many services they offer to the community, most of them at low cost or even no cost. This week, I want to dig a little deeper and feature two non-profit organizations that are absolutely dedicated to strengthening families from the ground up.

First Born

As you might expect from the name, First Born is an organization that helps first time parents get a grip on the parenting experience. Kids don’t come with an instruction manual and goodness knows it can be difficult to cope when you were already juggling a life packed with responsibilities and commitments even before you added your bundle of joy!

First Born specializes in home visits beginning during the prenatal time to help moms and dads get ready for the big event. Typically, a home visitor will remain attached to the family for a period of up to three years after birth. Imagine having Google Answers – Baby Edition right there in your living room each week! Talk about an invaluable service! Not only are home visitors available, but First Born provides lactation counselors at no charge for those who have questions or concerns about breastfeeding.

If the organization has the resources, they also work with families who are new (again) to parenting simply because a good chunk of time has passed between their current youngest and their current pregnancy. Or, perhaps one of you has gone through the parenting process before, but one of you hasn’t. Or, maybe you’re trying to breastfeed for the first time and need some extra help.

Pretty much, if your family needs a bit of extra support, First Born will try to lend a helping hand. It’s what they’ve been doing since the organization first kicked off in Silver City, NM in 1997. Since then, they’ve opened offices and offered support in 15 different counties here in New Mexico. The mission of First Born is to encourage relationship building within families through curriculum based early intervention models in an effort to strengthen families and empower parents to raise healthy, happy kids. It’s an awesome organization and if you know anyone who is starting or growing their family, you should absolutely get them connected to our local chapter!

Family Strengths Network

If your kiddos have already made it past toddlerhood and into that rather long stretch of childhood, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Family Strengths Network has you covered. Their mission statement is as follows: “Through our work, Family Strengths Network improves the quality of family life for generations. FSN provides educational and fun activities to all types of families, parents, teens, and children. FSN: Empowering Families, Building Community.”

Empowering Families, Building Community

From Saturday activities for special needs children to teen groups focused on communication skills, Family Strengths Network is all about just that. Strengthening Family. They even have a lending library with hundreds of books about topics near and dear to the parents’ heart. The organization also offers parenting classes and social groups to help moms connect.

If you’re looking for an activity to get your kids active again, check out the FSN website. They’ve got classes for all ages as well as cool activities for the whole family to enjoy. As advocates for early intervention, they have a strong focus on empowering families to understand human growth and development in a way that helps them guide their children through the milestones of life. With access to other local resource networks such as Los Cumbres and even First Born, FSN is committed to putting you and your family on the right track to a healthy, happy, and productive life!

So don’t forget to check out these two great organizations here in Los Alamos! Our community is always growing and always looking for ways to support one another. If you’re ready to be a part of Life in Los Alamos, give me a call! I’m always happy to talk about my hometown!

Meeting Community Needs in Los Alamos

June 18, 2021 /

There is no doubt that our community on the hill has a lot to offer when it comes to resources. We’ve got miles of trails, beautiful parks, a golf course, horse stables, libraries filled with books and activities, community swimming pools, and even a brand new splash pad for the kiddos! However, what you might not realize is that we also have some seriously amazing local organizations dedicated to improving daily life in Los Alamos on a whole other level.

Los Alamos Family Council

Los Alamos Family was officially opened as a community mental health provider in 1963. They’ve been a non-profit community service organization for nearly sixty years and during that time they’ve seen a lot of changes in both mental health treatment and in the community of Los Alamos. LAFC has been located in the building on the corner of 15th Street and Nectar since 1982. They were one of the first organizations funded by United Way and have always tried to grow and change with the needs of Los Alamos by offering individual and group therapy as well as a variety of other services. Over the years they’ve been instrumental in implementing services such as Adult Day Care, the Senior Center, Meals on Wheels, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board. If you’re not familiar with these programs, you’re probably familiar with one of LAFC’s most popular offerings.

The Activity Center

In the mid 2000’s LAFC partnered with the county to open Youth Activity Centers in both Los Alamos and White Rock. This provides a safe environment for kids grades 3-8 to be supervised while enjoying crafts, games, and other fun things at no cost to their parents. While the White Rock AC isn’t open during the summer, the Los Alamos AC is located at the Community Building by Ashley Pond and is currently open. During the summer, field trips to the YMCA Climbing Wall and Bandelier National Monument are often available. Last week the kids got to visit the brand new Splash Pad at Pinon Park! So if your kiddos are tired of being at home after Covid, check out the Activity Center FB page and get them out and about for some much needed fun!

Community Groups

Although Family Council does sponsor several groups focused on substance abuse/relapse and recovery prevention, there are also groups for people just like you. If you’ve never experienced group therapy, you might be surprised at what you could get out of it. This summer, LAFC is partnering with the YMCA to offer a support group for Moms focused on recognizing and dealing with stress. After a year of being isolated, it’s a fun chance to network with other moms in town and just chat about life. Contact the YMCA at 505-662-3100 for more information or to sign up to be a part of this group.

LAFC Executive Director, Jordan Redmond, hopes that there will be more opportunities for the community to benefit from the group experience. There are plans for everything from groups focused on Boundaries and Emotional Regulation to Art Therapy this summer and fall. And in August, LAFC is excited to begin SMART Recovery meetings. SMART is an international organization dedicated to a science based method of dealing with addiction whether you’ve got a secret handbag fetish, substance issues, or just too many cats!

Individual Mental Health

And as always, Los Alamos Family Council offers individual therapy for all ages. The organization was started with the purpose of community mental health and that is their focus. Better understanding of emotions. Better success in personal relationships. Increased satisfaction with life. Give them a call if you need someone to talk to no matter the reason.

So keep checking back to get the latest info on other organizations dedicated to bettering life here in Los Alamos. And in the meantime, if you’re ready to buy or sell your home here in Los Alamos, call me! I would love to talk about Life in Los Alamos with you!

When to Refinance Your Home in Los Alamos

June 9, 2021 /

We’ve talked about the way current mortgage rates affect your buying power, but do those historic low rates on new loans benefit a homeowner who purchased their house five, ten, or even fifteen years ago when the rates were a whole lot higher? Maybe not in the same way, but whether or not you’ve been in your home for a few years or a lot of years, it might be time to consider refinancing.

Refinancing. That word tends to pop up frequently for some people and others never even consider it. The simple explanation is that you pay off your current home loan and get a new one. It sounds like a lot of trouble to some people. After all, it was a decent amount of work to get your first mortgage. But there are a few really important things to look at that could make refinancing your home a choice that improves your financial situation a lot!

Some experts suggest that the rule of thumb says you refinance if you’re going to get a 1% drop in interest rate. But this is a blanket statement that doesn’t actually apply to every situation. The rate a lender will offer you when you refinance your home has to do with your credit score and the amount of equity you have in your home.

Equity. Here in Los Alamos, residents who bought their homes in the last decade or more have seen an incredible rise in the value of their house. Some of you might have even gone from being upside down on your home (you owe more than your house is worth) to having 20% equity or even more! This is wonderful news! First of all if you have a good amount of equity in your home, you might not need to carry mortgage insurance anymore. Sometimes you see this on your payment statements as PMI. This could either reduce your monthly payment, or allow you to apply more dollars every month to the actual principal amount on your loan. Either way it’s a win!

Maybe you’d like to shorten the term of your mortgage. With the increased buying power that comes with lower interest rates and higher equity, you could get a fifteen year mortgage instead of a thirty year and potentially see very little change in your current payment. Imagine not feeling stuck in your home here in Los Alamos because there’s nowhere else in town to move. Imagine feeling closer to paying off your home and having the opportunity to make changes in your financial situation and your life in other new and exciting ways!

Perhaps you bought your home when mortgage lenders were offering creative financing options like 80/20 loans where you borrow your down payment. Or you might have cashed out on equity at some point and gotten a second mortgage. This could be the perfect time to consolidate and only have one payment with an improved rate.

No matter which of these situations apply to you and your family, there are a few things you should consider when you think about refinancing your current mortgage.

How long are you planning to stay in your home? If you’re planning to move away from Los Alamos in the next year or two, refinancing your home might not be the right choice. There are closing costs associated with refinance. Credit checks, appraisals, and other necessities cost money. It takes a certain amount of time for any savings you might get on your payment to recoup those closing costs.

How is your credit? It might be that you’ve hit a rough financial patch after 2020. Check with your lender to see what you can do to get your credit score exactly where it needs to be in order to get the full benefit of a refinance. It might be that paying off a few credit cards or personal loans could get you a better rate and a deeper savings each month than you ever thought possible.

Regardless of what your situation is, don’t be afraid to ask for more information. Give me a call if you’d like a recommendation on a reputable mortgage lender who will work with you on your refinancing options. And as always, if you’ve decided to sell or buy a home in Los Alamos, I’d love to hear from you!

No-No-Bambi!

May 18, 2021 /

Gardening in Los Alamos isn’t the easiest of tasks. Our topsoil isn’t terrific. Our growing season is notoriously short. And don’t forget the weather tends to be unpredictable at best. These things never stop me from trying though. I LOVE to garden! I enjoy being outdoors digging in the dirt and begging my little green sprouts to grow. In 2020 our garden managed to produce a massive crop of the strangest looking cucumbers you’ve ever seen! Not only were they more yellow than green, but they tasted awful! However, a friend of mine diced them up and fed them to her chickens. Apparently the chickens LOVED them. Since the taste of the cucumbers didn’t bother the hens or affect the eggs, I call that a win! But one thing we’ve always had pretty good luck with is our jalapenos. Until this year…

Considering the unseasonably cool weather we’ve been having, (can you actually say that when it’s perfectly reasonable to get several inches of snow in May?) I finally got around to planting my garden last week. It felt good to get the plants in. Normally our dogs spend quite a lot of time in the yard, but less than a week after my garden was planted, we spent a day in Albuquerque and left the dogs inside.

Let’s just say Bambi went hog wild while my dogs were helpless to intervene.

This is what was left of my garden…

See the telltale hoof prints? Ugh! Who knew that mule deer would eat jalapeno plants? So, with my recent garden failure in mind, I’ve set out to find more information on how to keep deer out of the garden. Here’s what I’ve discovered:

All Deer Are Not Equal

What I understand from doing a bit of research on the topic is that different deer herds like different plants. This is not limited to breed of deer either, just because we have mule deer in this part of the country and you might have dealt with white tail deer somewhere else, that has nothing to do with successfully keeping them out of your garden.

For example, what the Bayo Canyon deer avoid might be completely different than what works to ward off the deer who live in Urban Park. However, most experts universally agree that if you can populate your garden with fuzzy, spiny, or strong smelling plants, you’ll have a better chance of convincing the four legged snackers to go elsewhere. Deer don’t like leaves that are furry. They also don’t like strong smelling plants. They avoid herbs like sage, thyme, lavender, and even dill. Things that are tough to digest like Elephant Ears are good deer repellants as well.

Even if you don’t want to choose your plants based on what deer dislike, you can sprinkle a few things throughout your garden just to try and get Bambi to browse elsewhere. For example, the next time I plant my jalapenos, I’m going to stick some strong smelling oregano plants right alongside them.

Unfortunately, Bambi Jumps Pretty Well

Fencing for deer can be costly. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re attempting to nudge Bambi to take his case of the munchies elsewhere.

Privacy fence, cinder blocks, and coyote fencing are excellent deer fencing. Deer can jump upwards of 8ft to clear a fence, but they don’t like to jump into an area where they can’t see a landing spot. While it isn’t likely to keep them from hurdling into your yard if they’re fleeing a predator, they aren’t going to come browse your garden if they can’t see what’s on offer.

Double layers of fencing are unattractive. According to some animal researchers, deer have less than perfect depth perception. They don’t like the appearance of layered fencing. So if you have a chain link fence or other see through fence, try fencing individual sections of your garden with some kind of mesh netting on a wood frame. Even the brightly colored orange plastic mesh fence wrapped around some T-posts could do the trick. While not the most attractive way to decorate your yard, it could well save your garden from Bambi and his buddies.

Rock barriers are strikingly effective! Hoofed animals like deer do not like uneven, rocky terrain. If you have a terraced yard or even sections of your yard where you have xeriscaping, you might consider adding some larger porous rocks as a decorative and effective way to suggest to Bambi that he might break his spindly legs if he attempts to eat your plants. The rock barriers have to be a combination of wide and tall in order to truly deter the deer. Think rock walls at Bandelier National Monument. Perhaps not 8ft in height, but at least waist high and too wide for a human to step across without climbing.

Treat Bambi Like a Naughty Kitty!

That’s right! The number one suggested method for convincing deer that your garden is NOT the local farmer’s market is to use a motion sensor sprinkler. Most sources seem to agree that a taller model is better than a shorter one because it doesn’t get triggered by every bit of waving foliage and the spray manages to clear the plants and hit Bambi right in the nose. It is also suggested that the battery operated version is better than the solar option simply because the spray of water is more powerful. Deer aren’t all that easy to scare these days. If you want proof of that you can either check out the deer trotting down Diamond Drive or go take a peek at the Sportsman Club in Rendija Canyon where it isn’t unusual to see the buggers hanging out on the archery field watching rifle and shotgun practice across the dirt road. Their expressions are almost amused instead of afraid. Suburban life has changed them for good. But a nice blast of water is enough to make me want to turn and run. Seems like it should work nicely to tell Bambi NO!

If you’ve got other ways to save your garden from our local deer population, I’d love to hear them! The research I’ve done so far seems to suggest that nothing works forever and sometimes you have to switch it up in order to keep on top of the issue. But that’s part of living in Los Alamos County isn’t it? Wildlife abounds and unfortunately they’re not shy about sharing the amenities! Drop me a line if you’ve got deer repellents to share and don’t forget to give me a call if you’re ready to find your forever home in Los Alamos! I’m your local real estate expert and I love to talk about life in Los Alamos!

What’s the Deal with Group Housing?

May 12, 2021 /

There are a lot of imaginative things about Los Alamos. The names applied to housing developments in the 1950’s didn’t reflect this at all. If you’ve ever heard your neighbors or friends talking about their Group 11 or their Group 12 or anything all the way to Group 18, you might have scratched your head and thought that they were talking about housing somehow related to a research or other employment group at the Laboratory. As if perhaps the homes in Group 11 were originally designated as the living quarters for some mysterious Grp 11 at LASL back in the day.

Surprise! That’s not the case at all! Groups of homes designated by numbers 11-18b are actually named that way because they were planned and constructed in groups. And just so we’re clear, it doesn’t matter that half of some are located in one part of the community and the other half or third or two thirds are located in another. The point was that they were planned and the building was executed at a certain time in our Los Alamos Housing History.

As for the numbering system. There is no concrete answer to that. However, at the time the Group 11 buildings were proposed in 1948, there had been ten previous housing styles available over the years. With military precision, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the recently formed Housing Policy Board (HPD) determined that Group 11 was a functional name for the next phase of homes. 351 buildings were constructed, which increased the housing availability in Los Alamos by 584 units. Let’s just say that the residents of Los Alamos in the 1950’s were no less excited by the addition of nearly six hundred new dwellings than the current Los Alamos County residents are about every single housing development coming along in the modern era. Housing has always been an issue in Los Alamos!

Floorplan courtesy of Craig Martin

For the first time in Los Alamos Housing history, families with only one child could apply for and even be granted a home with three bedrooms. Sometimes its hard to imagine what it was like for people living here in the early fifties, but having an extra bedroom for an office or just to house guests was a luxury most families wouldn’t have dreamed of expecting in their home.

The most unusual feature became one of the most attractive though. In the two-bedroom duplex model, the main living area sat below the grade level of the rest of the dwelling in order to create a “sunken living room”. These homes looked a lot like their other Group 11 brethren, but this feature set them totally apart. These homes can still be found in and around some of the oldest sections of North Community in and around Urban Park on 41st, 45th, 46th, and 47th Streets as well as on Sycamore Street and west of Aspen School on 35th & 36th Streets. The key to spotting a “sunken living room” home is the recessed front door nearly hidden in the front wall of the home.

Floorplan courtesy of Craig Martin – Unit on the Right includes “Sunken Living Room” feature.

The oak flooring was super popular in the Group 11 homes. Less amazing features included metal cabinetry that tended to keep the contents a bit on the soggy and cold side. The porcelain sinks in the kitchen were less than easy to maintain and the exterior shingles were a mix of wood and asbestos. All in all though, most of the locals thought these homes were a giant upgrade from what they’d been living in before.

Floorplan courtesy of Craig Martin

The Cerro Grande fire took 30 of the original Group 11 buildings. These were not nearly as hard hit as some of the others such as the Group 12 units, of which we lost 72 buildings. Still, it is important to realize that as much as we might scratch our heads and feel as though these aren’t the most attractive option for a home here in Los Alamos, the Group homes are serving just as vital a part in our community life now as they did when they were built over fifty years ago.

If you’re even a little bit interested in the history of Los Alamos Housing, you can find Craig Martin’s wonderful book, Quads, Shoeboxes and Sunken Living Rooms on sale at the Los Alamos History Museum’s website. The book actually contains a field guide to Los Alamos Housing that can be just as useful for identifying the various group homes as an Audubon Society book can be at identifying birds. After all, the process is pretty much the same!

And if you’re ready to get out and identify YOUR next home in Los Alamos, give me a call! I love to talk Los Alamos Housing and Real Estate!

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