Well, it's balloon fiesta time again in New Mexico!

Yes, the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta wafts into Albuquerque this weekend, as it does every October. Visitors and residents are treated to morning mass ascensions of hundreds of colorful balloons, including many "special shapes," while evenings bring "balloon glows," fireworks, and even a "Special Shapes Glow-deo!" There are flying competitions, and even special events for gas balloons.

October 3-12 are the days set aside this year for the Balloon Fiesta. Each morning, hundreds of balloonists assemble at the 78-acre balloon fiesta park in the pre-dawn hours, and soon are filling ALbuquerque's azure skies with an astounding spectacle.

Check out this year's schedule, and come on out and experience the wonder!

Still not convinced? Check out a virtual tour of the Balloon Fiesta, or view live "Balloon Cams" at Balloon Fiesta Park, and then decide!

A year or so ago I wrote a blog post about a therapeutic riding program in Albuquerque called "Cloud Dancers of the Southwest." (see http://activerain.com/blogsview/130006/Therapeutic-Riding-Albuquerque-Horses ). I described the program as "hippotherapy."

A recent reader of that blog emailed me to explain that there actually is a difference between "therapeutic riding" and "hippotherapy." This reader, Karen Molony, should know the difference, as she actually is a hippotherapist! She is currently working with Cloud Dancers setting up a hippotherapy program in additions to their already-existing therapeutic riding program. And she kindly provided me with a detailed explanation of the differences, so that I could set the record straight.

Apparently, while both types of programs use horses to help children, there are what Karen calls "immense differences" between the two.

In a recent email, Karen said:

"Basically, hippotherapy uses the horse's movement as a therapeutic tool provided by specialized therapists (occupational, speech and physical therapists) trained to provide hippotherapy.

Therapeutic Riding is riding lesson conducted by a riding instructor specially
trained to work with children with varying disabilities. CloudDancers is known for their "Therapeutic Riding" programs. CloudDancers recently asked me to start a Hippotherapy Program with
them. So now they offer Therapeutic Riding and Hippotherapy programs to children who love horses."

More questions? You can reach CloudDancers at 505-363-1277, or call Karen direct at 505-908-0717.

Thanks, Karen! I try to present helpful and accurate information about various horse-related events, activities and opportunities on this blog and on my Albuquerque Horse Properties website, so I appreciate it when someone in the know can help me correct any misunderstandings.

If you're in the state of NM at the moment, and haven't checked out the New Mexico State Fair yet, get on out there!

The Fair will just be running one more week, so stop procrastinating, get a move on, and enjoy!

There's an endless list of things to see and do, far more than I could possibly cover, but I'll list just a few of the events, shows, and general opportunites for fun, as there are bound to be a few of these that grab you!

1. The Midway--- full of fantastic rides, fun houses, and opportunities to win prizes
2. The Racetrack--- where a bit of luck and a couple dollars placed on just the right longshot could more than pay for your entire State Fair experience!
3. Horse Shows--- different breeds and disciplines showing every day. Check the full Horse Show Schedule here!
4. Art Shows--- from the School Art exhibit, to the Indian and Hispanic arts displays, you're bound to find something that tickles your fancy
5. Livestock of all kinds--- watch exhibitors showing off their prize cattle, sheep, goats, poultry or porkers! There's the great little red barn with all the baby animals for the small fry to delight in, too!
6. Music, dance, and other events are going on constantly at the Native American and Hispanic Villages!
7. Check out who's submitted the very best canning, baking, needlecraft, arts and crafts, and more.
8. Support the local 4H and FFA kids at their shows and exhibits.

Hope you're hooked---

Come on out and check out the State Fair this week at the fairgrounds in Albuquerque!

Recently I wrote a couple of posts about Albuquerque's new Mesa Del Sol development and its location on or near both city of Albuquerque landfills and the Sandia Labs Mixed Waste Landfill.

For reference, these previous posts are:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/641852/Green-Community-Location-Landfill and
http://activerain.com/blogsview/644815/Green-Community-or-Toxic

The folks at Mesa del Sol, through Anne Monson, the Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, then provided me with some information regarding the city landfill situation, and the fact that those areas were planned for open space uses and not for residential or commercial building areas, which I detailed in my post http://activerain.com/blogsview/656913/Albuquerque-s-Mesa-del .

Ms. Monson has now also provided me with some details regarding the nearby Mixed Waste Landfill, which I'd like to make available to everyone.

In a personal email dated September 5, 2008, Ms. Monson said:

1. Mesa del Sol will receive all of its water supply from the
Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority just as the rest
of the city of Albuquerque does.

2. An independent peer review conducted by WERC, a consortium of
institutions including New Mexico State University, the University of
New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia
National Labs shows no groundwater contamination has occurred.

3. The Sandia site is engineered to contain the waste materials.
Mesa del Sol has no reason to question the results generated by the
teams of scientists at SNL or the New Mexico Environmental Department.
SNL began capping the site in January 2007. The engineered disposal site
design has sides and a bottom to prevent or limit the release of waste
materials to the environment. It is designed with a three-foot deep
rock and dirt cover to prevent animals from digging or burrowing in the
ground and prevent plants from growing at the landfill and it is fenced
off.

4. The landfill does not pose a health risk to future residents of
Mesa del Sol. The Mesa del Sol Phase I Environmental Assessment (EA)
did not identify the landfill as creating any environmental risks for
development at Mesa del Sol. URS Corporation conducted the Mesa del Sol
Phase I EA.

For further questions, You can contact Ms. Monson via phone or email:

Anne L. Monson, APR
Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations Mesa del Sol
801 University Blvd SE, Ste 200
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-452-2600 main office
505-850-6119 cell
505-452-1900 fax
amonson@fcmds.com
www.mesadelsolnm.com