WEEKENDer

The lazy days of summer continue. Not sure what I have planned for Sunday.
I'm still on a high from the Drive-by Truckers show. [Craig, the DBTs are playing the Pier Six Pavillion in Baltimore on 9/21 get your Josh Grobin/Michael Buble' listening arse out there man!! lololol]

These guys are definately the heir to Skynard or 38 Special and hopefully bring back good old rock n roll. Dig it!!

HAM ON RYE, HOLD THE MAYO.

Should work now.

HOT N STICKY

In the last two weeks the moisture in the air has increased. You can smell it. It's been in the upper 90s. Hot and sticky. That can only mean one thing: the monsoons are back.

Those hot afternoons where huge thunderclouds roll in and warm rain falls down on you. It feels and smells great. Ahh to have four seasons again. Granted, LA had four seasons too: fire season, flood season, earthquake season and riot season.

I'm out.

HAPPY 400TH BIRTHDAY!!

Santa Fe, NM turns 400 years old in 2010, and it doesn't look a day over 300. It's a beautiful and romantic city, unlike it's urban neighbor to the south [Albu-turkey]. This city must look gorgeous at night...guess I'll just have to stay at the La Fonda on the plaza sometime to find out.




The minimum wage in Santa Fe is $9.50hr making it the highest in the nation.




The adobe architecture gives the city a very neutral, earthy feel. City codes have been implemented so that new and re-built structures must have a Spanish-Pueblo Revial look or the Territorial pre-statehood look. Ala the 'Santa Fe Style' craze.



According the the US census bureau, Santa Fe has the highest percentage of gay couples living together of any place in the country outside of San Francisco.







Santa Fe is the oldest state capitol in the US and the highest in altitude.



I MUST have this mirror!!!!! Serious. I LOVE this.





Santa Fe once had the Confederate Flag fly over the capitol until the Union troops regained control of the city.



This is the 'legendary' Loretto Chapel, who's story was dramatized back in the 90s in a movie called The Staircase in which Barbara Hershey played a terminally ill nun who organizes a nine day prayer for some one to help them build a staircase to the choir loft after the original architect dies before completing it.. The movie takes ALOT of dramatic license.




The story of the miracle continues as follows.

Needing a way to get up to the choir loft the nuns prayed for St. Joseph's intercession for nine straight days. On the day after their novena ended a shabby looking stranger appeared at their door. He told the nuns he would build them a staircase but that he needed total privacy and locked himself in the chapel for three months. He used a small number of primitive tools including a square, a saw and some warm water and constructed a spiral staircase entirely of non-native wood. The identity of the carpenter is not known for as soon as the staircase was finally finished he was gone. Many witnesses, upon seeing the staircase, feel it was a miraculous occurrence.




Sadly, the church is no longer active and is privately owed by the Inn next door. It will cost you $2.50 just to go into the church and look at the staircase.




I'm out.

postscript:

I would like to wish my good friend Dale a warm and happy BIRTHDAY!!!!! WOO HOO!!

Elton Richard Update

A couple of months ago I wrote about Elton Richard the ex-marine and Iraq war veteran who caught a man breaking into his garage, chased him and in a struggle shot him. There was a large up-roar when Richard was sentenced and ordered to pay the family of the car thief!!

Today the judge reversed his decision and Richard was released on five years probation.


"In giving him time, I've made the point that I want to make, " Judge Murdoch said. "I see really no service to more time in prison."


Richard agreed to continue to pay restitution to the family of Daniel Romero for funeral expenses. He was allowed to serve out his probation in Texas where he has family.


Governor Bill Richardson and U.S. Senator Pete Domenici had publicly called for the sentence to be reconsidered. The judge said this had no bearing on his decision.

...well not if he wants any type of future in politcs, eh.





I'm out.

BRIGHTER THEN CREATIONS DARK

Tuesday night the Drive-by Truckers played a gig at the Santa Fe Brewing Company up in Santa Fe. I hollar'd at my buddy Clay to go with me and man did we have an awesome time.


We started out by taking the back way to Santa Fe, along the Turquoise Trail on the east side of the Sandia Mountains.


We opted to have dinner at the Mine Shaft Tavern in MADrid, NM, a sort of biker hangout/locals joint.

Now why doesn't Albuquerque have places like this?? Inside on the small stage was a fella singing on guitar. It was about six pm so the place was busy but very comfortable.




Clay had the blue corn tortilla tacos [with whole beans!! most places only serve refried]. I had a great chicken quesadilla. The Mine Shaft usually has someone playing around this time of evening and it goes great with a meal.

About 50 minutes north lies the edge of Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Brewing Company is outside the city and its only neighbor is the New Mexico State Penitentary down the road.

Man I LOVE this venue!!! The SFBCo is a bar and grill and has this big patio with a stage where the bands play. It was a BEAUTIFUL night too. The sun was setting over the west mountains the full moon rising over the east moutains a nice breeze winding through the crowd and a starry starry night!!! Could not have asked for a better evening. Even Patterson Hood of the Drive-bys commented on the perfect evening....as he drank from a bottle of Jack Daniels...lol. This band is definately the heir to Lynard Skynard!!





I


The Drive-bys are a political/social band and made it apparent by saying they did not like that 'mother-fuc*er in the White House' and urged everyone to get out and register to vote. Not sure how much of that message sunk in to the people smoking reefer but none the less a good message.






Here Clay laments dropping his beer on the floor. Oh well...he says the 'Belgian' wasn't very good anyway. Should have went with the Pale Ale buddy...hahaha.






I can't wait to come back to this venue again this summer!!!

I'm out!

[Hey T-Rob, if Denver is ANYthing like this we are gonna have ourselves a 'bad-ass, mo-fo awesome time!!!]

Donkeeeeeey!! Elephaaaaant!!!

I just love politcal ads be it left or right.





I'm on my way to Santa Fe to see Drive-by Truckers! Woo-hooooo!!

BREAKING BAD IN PLAIN SIGHT

It's going to be around the century mark all this week. Current plans are calling for a time travel trip for me next weekend so keep ya posted. Going to see Drive-by Truckers with my buddy Clay on Tuesday so that should be cool. Of course I'll have full reports for you.

FYI: If you are a tv watcher [I'm not really] there are two shows that I have been informed of that are filmed here locally...I happened to catch bits of both this week. One is BREAKING BAD on A&E starring Bryan Cranston , the father from Malcolm In The Middle.

In Breaking Bad he plays a father/chemistry teacher diagnosed with a fatal illness who turns to making 'meth' to support his family, or so I gathered. It's a dark comedy from what I could tell.

The second is IN PLAIN SIGHT on USA Network It's about a female US Marshal and her dysfunctional mother and sister. It was actually kind of funny. Can't say I will watch it weekly but it was decent.

Also, remember the movie CRASH that won the Oscar a few years back...well its a television show now on STARZ. I'm guessing it's still set in LA but they are filming it here in town. Damn Hollywood for closing streets downtown in the middle of rush hour!!

One cool thing; they both featured a scene at one of Albuquerque's culinary landmarks:

Now THESE are good dogs!!

I'm out.

ENGINE 769

As you continue on the Turquoise Trail [NM14] you will come to the town of MADdrid. See my posting HOG WILD for info on the town. MADdrid was a mining town back in the 1800s. When the coal business declined so did MADrid and it became a ghost town.

In the 1970s the hippies and artists arrived. They restored alot of the old 'company town' buildings and turned them into art galleries and other shops. The town thrives again with festivals and chili cook-offs. This past weeknd it was packed.

The last time I was here the Madrid Mining Museum was closed. Fortunately it was open this time.




Engine 769 is the oldest steam engine in New Mexico. If it could only talk.

Should you find yourself in MADdrid I highly recommend having lunch at the Mine Shaft Tavern. We did today and had some delicious blue corn, green chili chicken enchiladas. Very flavorfull!!! The blue and red corn chips and salsa were great too.

After spending the day visiting all the art shops and what not we made our way up to Santa Fe, but just to the edge of town where the Santa Fe Brewing Company is. I had found 'the joint' where the Drive-by Truckers will be playing.

A good day. Maybe next time I will finally actually make it into Santa Fe.

I'm out.