Laura Warden

Move over, Luke Skywalker and the Enterprise crew!

This is no joke! "Spaceport America," just outside Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, just broke ground last week, and tickets are already available to book your personal flight into space!

All you Trekkies, would-be Jedi, and Hitchhikers of the Galaxy, you actually can buy tickets for your first trip into space right now--- in fact, according to a recent article in the Albuquerque Journal, three hundred people have already bought their spaceflight tickets!

Virgin Galactic is selling tickets for their upcoming public spaceflights--- for a mere $200,000 apiece!

Virgin Galactic President Will Whitehorn claims they already have $40 million in deposits onhand from would-be spacefarers. Groundbreaking ceremonies at the Spaceport America site in Sierra County, NM, took place last Friday, and construction of the spaceport is scheduled to begin in July, with the first project being the construction of the 10,000 foot long runway. Bids for the spaceport terminal, which will look something like a flying saucer, are expected to be in place later this year, and completeion of the spaceport is expected in late 2010. New Mexico state officieals are touting the spaceport as a great new economic engine for the state, with about 400 jobs expected immediately just during the construction phase. George Nield, associate administrator of NASA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, was quoted as saying that the new spaceport will transform "New Mexico into one of the nation's gateways to space."

The new spaceport's location is a couple of hours drive south from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and should generate some more tourist revenue for our Land Of Enchantment!

(The cute clipart above came from a free clipart site http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/space/ships/ )

Young horsewomen of Valencia County, take notice! You could be a queen or princess!

The Valencia County Fair Rodeo Royalty competition for the 2009-2010 year will kick off soon, and entries are due by Friday, July 10th. There will be an orientation meeting and practice session on Friday, July 17th at the Belen Sheriff's Posse Arena, and the actual competition will be held on August 7th and 8th. Personality Competition and Personal Interviews will be held on August 7th at Calvary Chapel in Belen, while the Horsemanship competition will be located at the Sheriff's Posse Arena and held on August 8th.

This is a great event that my daughters really enjoyed competing in when they were younger. As I recall, Queen candidates were aged 17-22, Princess candidates were 12-16, and those 11 and under competed for the title of Valencia County Rodeo Sweetheart. The Valencia County Rodeo Queen then goes on to represent Valencia County at the New Mexico State Fair Rodeo Queen competition.

Cowgirls, here's your chance! Saddle up, put on your biggest smiles, and come on out and compete! To get your entry forms, contact one of the coordinators:

Sherlene Romero at (505)550-0536, Alexandria Romero at (505)261-4607, or Shirley Baca at (505)350-0241.

For more information about greater Albuquerque area horse properties and equestrian information just visit my Albuquerque horse properties website, or contact me any time by cell phone or email: (505)239-4796, nmbroker@earthlink.net.

OK, it's not the dogs and cats who will be changing color, but one of the places they're kept will be greener and more environmentally friendly!

Albuquerque is in the process of totally renovating its Eastside Animal Shelter. The 32,000 square foot center will be LEED Silver Certified*, and feature energy and water conservation and innovative uses for common building materials and building reuse. The project is set to open in early 2010, and will contain a Spay/Neuter Clinic, Pet Adoption Center, plus expanded kennel and support spaces. There will also be outdoor training and "get acquainted" areas to help future owners get to know their prospective new adoptees.

The Center, at 8920 Lomas NE, in Albuquerque, NM, is scheduled to remain open during the construction process, so you can come on out any time to find the perfect new Fido or Fluff to add to your family!

Looking for even bigger pets? There are loads of rescue horses out their who need adoption! Check my Albuquerque Horse Property website for more information on how you can adopt one of these wonderful horses!

(Once you've found a new equine friend through horse adooption, you'll find plenty of resources on my site to locate good Equine veterinarians, farriers, and tack, feed, and supplies in the Albuquerque area, too. )

*LEED certifications, developed by the US Green Building council, is an internationally recognized certification system to evaluate how well a building or community performs with regard to such concerns as energy use, water efficiency, CO₂ emissions, indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources.

The Supply vs. Demand statistics released by the Greater Albuqerque Association of Realtors for May 2009 were moderately encouraging.

The Supply/Demand ratio is calculated by comparing the number of active listings on the market to the number of total pending sales for the month, to give an idea of how many would-be sellers there were that month compared to willing and committed buyers.

Here are the statistics:

As you can easily see, the Supply vs. Demand figures for Albuquerque area homes are better than they've been for over a year.

Last winter, there were more than twelve properties on the market for every property in pending status. That ratio is cut in half by the time we reach April and May. Our current ratio of 6.31, while not outstanding, is getting back into the reasonable range.

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Interested in checking out some of these available Albuquerque properties? Our Albuquerque real estate statistics indicate that Albuquerque is one of the strongest markets in the country. Call or email me any time at 505-239-4796 or nmbroker@earthlink.net.

You can't claim there's "nothing to do" on a Saturday night in Albuquerque, New Mexico--- not with our terrific Albuquerque Summerfest happening in Civic Plaza each Saturday evening from 6:00 to 10:30!

Albuquerque Summerfest is an outdoor festival featuring live music, dance, and other family entertainment. There's plenty for both kids and adults, with lots of food, a beer garden, an arts and crafts market, and lots of children's entertainment like face painting, rock-climbing, juggling demonstrations, magic shows, and much more.

Check out the Virtual Tour of Summerfest:

You can get there in a "green" fashion, too-- just take "Rapid After Dark," a late-night extension of Albuquerque's Rapid Ride service on Central Ave.

Each Saturday's entertainment has a "theme," too:

• June 20th is "Cajun/Zydeco" night, featuring Antonia Apodaca and the Trio Jalapeno, Cedric Watson, and BAlfa Toujours.
• June 27th is "Country Night," starting with a square dance demonstration, and continuing with Boris and the Saltlicks, Asleep at the Wheel, and a dance contest.
• July 18th is "Jazz Night," with a whole cadre of jazz performers, including Le Chat Lunatique, Patty Stephens and the Brazil Project, the Marco Benevento Trio, the Dimian Disanti Group, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
• On July 25th, there will be an "Old Time Rock and Roll" night, offering entertainment by David and Company, Jayden, Three Fabulous Chekkers, and Sha Na Na. There will also be a dance contest that evening.
• August 1st will be "Hispanic/Latin" night, with Sorela, El Gringo, and Stefani Montiel. There will also be a "Senior Idol Competion." (All you seniors who've dreamed of being on American Idol, here's your chance to shine!)

(Keep in mind, though, that there is no Summerfest on the weekend of July 4th or July 11th!)

So mark your calendar and come on down and check out Albuquerque Summerfest! If you're not already an Albuquerque area resident, it will convince you to make that move! Then you'll just need to find your new Albuquerque area home-- call or email me for help any time, at 505-239-4796, or nmbroker@earthlink.net!