Spring brings forth a burst of color in Placitas gardens as trees bud, fruit trees flower and annuals begin their yearly rites. Evenings are generally cool, with daytime temperatures in the 60s or 70s. The placitas sky is truly a wonderland of lights that dance in the night.

Summer is time for the great outdoors. Afternoon skies fill with massive billows of cloud, resulting in sudden, cleansing rain. Forget about humidity--it's tolerable to non-existent.

Fall is when the aspens on Sandia Peak and the cottonwoods on the Rio Grande suddenly turn to gold, signaling the onset of cooler weather. Fall colors are brilliant (Who needs New England?). This is perfect evening sweater weather.

Winter brings perhaps one heavy snowfall for the season, with gorgeous intermittent snow cover every now and then from December through March. Daytime delivers lots of sunshine. You can snow ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon. Deep freezes are very rare, with average daytime temperatures in the high 30s and 40s.