Land of Enchantment: http://www.newmexico.org

The new home is twenty-five (25) miles east of Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city. See: http://www.itsatrip.org

Forty (40) miles north is Santa Fe. Established in 1607, Santa Fe is the State capital and our County seat. See: http://www.santafe.org

A short drive north from our new home is the old mining town of Madrid. See: http://visitmadridnm.com

Our new *street* looking east toward Texas.

The view west from in front of our lot. Only ten (10) miles away and an easy drive are the Sandia Mountains with the highest peaks over 10,000 feet. Albuquerque is on the other side of those mountains.

Skiing and snow boarding are just minutes away at Sandia Peak. See: http://www.sandiapeak.com

Looking northwest from the lot a view of (left to right) South Mountain, San Pedro Mountains, and Ortiz Mountains. The top of South Mountain is 8750 feet. This string of mountains runs roughly southwest to northeast just on the east side of State Route 14, also known as the Turquoise Trail: http://www.turquoisetrail.org

A view to the north from the lot of the Sangre de Cristo range. These mountains are the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains. The highest of these mountains are over 13,000 feet in elevation. The City of Santa Fe lies at the base of these mountains.

View from the lot looking generally northeast. The flag on the left marks the location of the southwest corner of the house. The flat landform in the distance in the center and left of the image is the Glorieta Mesa slowly rising toward the north until it collides with the Sangre de Cristo range forming Glorieta Pass.

View from the west side of High Meadow Loop. Our lot is on another part of High Meadow Loop to the left and downslope of the new homes on the right.

The winter of 2006-07 brought some of the worst snowstorms in New Mexico history. This photo was taken looking northwest from just above the lot in early January 2007 after a recent snowstorm.

Cane Cholla in bloom.

Prickly Pear cactus in bloom.

Purple flowers in foreground are Sand Verbena. Dark red flowers in the back are Mexican Hat.

Over Memorial Day weekend 2007 Catherine checks out the flags on the lot that mark where the house will be located.

Homebuilder Bob Sloan, Caballero Homes, at work on the jobsite.

Charlie Cooper is the Caballero Homes Construction Superintendent. I took this photo at our lot the day we broke ground: Tuesday, June 26, 2007.

Catherine checks out the lot grading for the house pad in this photo looking northwest.

A view up the first driveway entrance looking southeast.

Foundation work has begin. Footings have been poured and forms for the stem wall have been set in place.

Looking northwest at the forms for the foundation stem wall.

Stem wall has been poured and plumbing rough-in has begun.

New water meter and water line to the house.

Holes for the footings for the support posts for the covered front porch have been dug.

Slab still to be poured. Tubing for in-floor radiant heat must be installed first.

Slab is poured.

Slab is poured. Framing is next.

Framing begins. Still to come is the L-shaped covered front porch that will wrap around the great room and the front entrance.

View of the rear of the house looking north.

Looking to the southwest.

Framing continues including the beginning of the rough-in of the covered front porch.

Rear porch starts to take shape.

Garage door portals taking shape.

Testing Verizon wireless broadband connectivity from Catherine's future office. Streaming video of Charlie Rose's most recent interview with Tom Friedman of the New York Times.

New neighbors across the street.

This baby is really starting to take shape.

Lots of great local New Mexico wines will be consumed under the covered front porch watching the spectacular sunsets of the Land of Enchantment: http://www.nmwine.com

The cut-outs in the exterior wood sheathing are for single and stacked glass block.

Northwest view. Garage is almost 1300 square feet.

Hope to park in that garage in early 2008.

View from the Kitchen bar through the Great Room to the kiva fireplace.

View from the kiva fireplace through the Great Room to the Kitchen bar. Vigas radiating across the vaulted Great Room ceiling have been framed in.

Getting ready for stucco: tar paper and chicken wire.

Getting ready for stucco: tar paper and chicken wire.

Getting ready for stucco: tar paper and chicken wire.

Getting ready for stucco: tar paper and chicken wire.

Getting ready for stucco: tar paper and chicken wire.

Getting ready for stucco: tar paper and chicken wire.

A little exterior stain and paint.

A little exterior stain and paint.

A little exterior stain and paint.

Insulation and sheet rock.

Insulation and sheet rock.

Insulation and sheet rock.

Insulation and sheet rock.

First stucco coat.

First stucco coat.

First stucco coat.

Interior paint.

Interior paint.

Floor tile delivered and stacked in garage.

Floor tile begins to be laid.

Floor tile completed in the guest bedroom.

Some of the delivered cabinets. Cabinets by Superior Woodwork of El Paso, Texas: http://www.superiorwoodwork.com

Installation of the kitchen cabinets begins.

Part of the master bath cabinets installed.

Final stucco color coat has been applied. Catherine checks it out from the back porch.

Golden West: front view with stucco color coat.

Catherine talks granite with Steve Thornton of La Tierra Interiors at the granite yard. See: http://www.latierrainteriorsinc.com

The La Tierra Interiors crew moves granite slabs for inspection.

Five (5) slabs of Chocolate Gold granite from Brazil weighing eight hundred (800) pounds each will do the kitchen countertops and full backsplash.

This slab of Juparana Bronze granite, also from Brazil, will become the master bath vanity countertops.

Jamal, with HVAC vendor Thompson Heating & Air Conditioning, installs a vent.

Two (2) new Caballero Homes houses going up across the street. With minimum two-acre sized lots on the street that's as crowded as it is going to get.

We decided to go with a masonry kiva style fireplace in the Great Room. This required demoing the wood frame and sheet rock fireplace that had begun to be built. The new firebox has been set and the venting installed. Next the plumber must connect the hanging gas line to the firebox.

Caballero Homes' Charlie Cooper (left) supervises trenching for the gas line.

Fresh trenching for the natural gas line.

The floor-to-ceiling metal cage has been installed around the Great Room kiva fireplace firebox and ductwork. Victor of Southwest Kiva trowels the first of three coats of plaster on to the cage. See: http://www.southwestkiva.com

Del Vigil of Stock Building Supply's Albuquerque location on the phone with Charlie Cooper. Stock is the door and door hardware vendor. http://www.stockbuildingsupply.com

Snow in early March.

Awesome beauty of the American West.

Great room tile.

Great room tile.

Kitchen tile.

First floor tile grout in guest bedroom.

Kiva fireplace continues to take shape as the first plaster coat has been applied. More plaster coming.

Stained pine baseboards beginning to be installed.

Gravel driveway appears.

The second plaster coat has been applied to the kiva fireplace. More plaster in the form of the finish coat is still to come.

Kitchen granite installation.

Kitchen granite installation.

Kitchen granite installation.

Kitchen granite installation.

Kitchen granite installation.

Got sink?

Kitchen island.

Baseboard detail.

Brian's home construction field office.

Flooring crew works the wetsaw in the garage cutting floor tile for the Master Suite and Bath.

Master Suite floor tile.

Kiva fireplace tile has been added. Still to come the final plaster coat and terracotta paint. Great Room ceiling fan is roughed in.

Kitchen getting closer to completion.

Cooktop and vent hood installed.

Kitchen sink hardware is installed.

Kitchen island sink hardware is installed.

Master Bath shower in progress.

Master Bath vanity in progress.

Master Bath sink hardware.

Master Bath light bars.

Master Suite closet.

Great Room ceiling with some work remaining.

Dining Room chandelier installed.

Guest Bath vanity in progress.

Guest Bath shower receives tile.

Powder Room vanity receives tile.

Front view of the ceiling mounted garage gas heater.

Rear view of the ceiling mounted garage gas heater.

Front doors installed as seen from the interior.

Mexican sink and sink hardware installed in Powder Room.

Master Bath jetted tub ready to be set.

Master fireplace and tub tile surrounds well underway.

Mexican sink and hardware installed in the Guest Bath.

Bill from East Mountain Specialty installs the alarm hardware on the front doors. Exterior of the front doors still to be stained and porch ceiling still to be painted.

Kitchen appliances arrive.

Kitchen appliances arrive.

Kitchen appliances arrive.

Master Bath shower hardware installed.

Guest Bath shower hardware installed.

Inside the tank of the 1.1 gallon ultra low water flush toilet. It only looks like a Briggs & Stratton.

The 110 pound, 48-inch wide, 60-inch tall, wrought iron foyer chandelier is lit. It was a bear getting this monster hung.

Foyer chandelier in daylight.

Swinging!

Kiva fireplace finished.

Front doors.