The Sun's Gone Dim and the Sky's Turned Black

For about the past week and a half or so things around here have been very creepy.

This time of year in Los Angeles the weather effect called June Gloom is in place. A thick marine layer sits on top of the LA basin until about mid-July or August. The skies remain gray most of the time....but it cannot compare to what is happening here in the southwest.

Fires in Arizona and along the NM border combined with the jet stream right over Albuquerque have turned our skies dark. Smoke and ash have wafted over the city now for almost two weeks with this effect:



This is about 5pm!! From here I can USUALLY see to the other side of the valley and the three volcanoes to the west.



My dad likes to sit outside in late afternoon and wait for the ice cream man to come around. He can't do that now as he is on oxygen 24/7 and all this crap is in the air. Your eyes burn if you are outside too long.

A local weather dude says it reminds him of growing up in Montana when Mt St Helen's erupted.

I'm out.

Both Sides Now

Belated

Wow... been away awhile.

Last month I celebrated my 48th trip around the sun... what a ride it has been.

My old roommate from LA, Andre, joined me in Vegas for a long weekend.




The weather was perfect, low 80s. We stayed at the Golden Nugget down town, what a cool place. Really enjoyed my stay there.



In room amenities were a bit stiff.... $12 a DAY for internet service...are you serious???



The Golden Nugget is downtown along Fremont Street. There are a lot of casino's and shops and places to eat. Perfect for late night partying...not to mention being able to walk back to your hotel was great.








We also took a drive to Hoover Dam, I was curious in seeing the new bridge that was built over the gorge after 9/11.



In several places along the strip and on Fremont Street, there were characters you could have your picture taken with. Batman here actually whispered to Andre, "you know I do this for tips, right...?" DOH!!



Overall I had a very good time. I've known Andre now for over 25 years. I'm very glad to call him friend.

DOH!!!




UP NEXT:

WALKABOUT V: IN SEARCH OF JOHN MUIR AND THE HETCH HETCHY VALLEY!!

BREAKING TORTILLA NEWS!!

A local favorite for over 20 years is changing hands!!

Mexico based Mission Foods has purchased the Albuquerque Tortilla Company!! The horror!!

Having grown up primarily in the west I've tasted many tortillas and Albuquerque Tortilla Company, in my humble opinion, makes the best.

One thing I have noticed about 'national' brand tortillas is that they are thinner and larger than the Albuquerque Tortilla brand, my guess is that the larger/thinner ones make for better burritos.

Albuquerque Tortilla Co's are more like mom's. A little thicker and chewier. Slap some butter on there and heat it up and ooooh man... makes for a good late night snack! Peanut butter and jelly, de-lish! And nothing beats them when served with red chili and pork.

Ok, I'm hungry now.

I've tried Mission Tortillas. Eh.. less said the better.



Below is a link to an article on the sale:

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april262011/tortilla-commerce.php

The Dark Horse

Gary who??

Former New Mexico governor, Gary Johnson, has thrown his hat into the ring as a Republican presidential candidate.

He is a fiscal conservative, slashing the size of state government growth in half and the state workforce by 10%

He left office with a $350 million dollar surplus -- to which former Democratic Governor Bill Richardson turned into a $500 million dollar deficit!! He also did not raise taxes for the eight years he served as governor and cut 1,200 state government jobs without firing anyone.

He is an outdoorsman and businessman.

He supports abortion rights, same-sex marriage and legalizing pot.

Did I mention he is a Republican?

He rebuffed efforts by the Libertarian Party to draft him in the 2000 presidential election. His support went to Ron Paul that year.

He had broad suppport from conservatives and liberals when he ran for governor.

He was known as Governor 'Veto' for using the fiscal axe on Democrats as well as fellow Republican politicians.

Still... hard core conservatives might find him a hard pill to swallow.

2012 could turn out to be very interesting, considering current New Mexico Republican Governor, Susana Martinez, is on Republican lists as a possible vice presidential candidate.

Did I mention he is, I beleive, the only announced candidate to have taken part in several Ironman Triathlons AND climbed Mount Everest?

I'm out.

"Today's mess didn't just happen. We elected it -- one senator, member of Congress and president at a time. I can help fix it. I'm a 'fix-it' man!" -- Gary Johnson

http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/

www.twitter.com/govgaryjohnson

The Man Who Walked Up a Hill And Came Down A Mountain of Faith.

Every year on Good Friday, thousands of pilgrims from around the state walk to a small Catholic church in a small town in northern New Mexico named Chimayo.

Here is a post from 2008 on the event:




Today is a special day in New Mexico. Good Friday signals for many 'believers'* the annual 'walk to Chimayo', a pilgrimage for many to the small 300 year old spritual town of Chimayo, New Mexico, north of Santa Fe.

Every year on Good Friday tens of thousands of people walk to a church in Chimayo in observance of the Easter Holiday.

Sheltered in a little valley in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Chimayo hisotrically has been known for its fruit and chile production as well as cattle grazing.

The Santuario de Chimayo was built around 1815 to house a crucifix that, according to legend, was founnd in the dirt at the site. Long before the arrival of the Spaniards and Christianity it was considered by Native Americans to be a sacred spot.

During Holy Week, peaking on Good Friday, pilgrims walk miles to the santuario, a few toting large wooden crosses. They trek 10 miles from neighboring towns, 30 miles from Santa Fe and 90*** miles from Albuquerque!!!!!!

At the church they scoop up handfuls of dirt locally dug and blessed by a priest that many believe has healing properties.** The dirt is rubbed on your body or it is taken home. It is a very devout and spiritual exercise for those involved.

** How about this on a t-shirt: "My brother made the walk to Chimayo and all I got was this dirt". I'm bad...I know I'm real bad.

Although El Santuario de Chimayo is the more well known site for pilgrims, another is Tome Hill in southern New Mexico.

Many have personal reasons for taking such an arduous trek. Some walk for miles with 60 pound wooden crosses, some, like the man in the story below, walked 12 miles.... barefoot!!







For those of you that cannot make it to Chimayo, worry not because Holy Dirt from the Santuario is now available ONLINE!!! YES!For free if you cannot afford it.... but a donation is accepted. But WAIT!! The website for the santuario has even MORE items for sale...check this out:

www.elsantuariodechimayo.us/holydirt


Fortunately, I get my scapulars here in town at St Charles.

Happy Easter everyone!!

I'm out.

Tweeting Live From Vegas, 'baby'

Maxpedition!!

WALKABOUT IV is around the corner, as such, T-Rob and I are getting ready for our annual expedition. This year we are in search of the legacy of conservationist John Muir, co-founder of the Sierra Club, and the disappearance of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in California.

One of the very cool web sites I've come across in preparation for the expedition is called Maxpedition.com

It is chock full of cool back packs and such, like this versapack I picked up for day hikes.


I also picked up this multi-purpose bag. Unfortunately my 17 inch lap top is a bit too big to fit in the side pockets; however, the quality over all is fantastic!




If you are a hiker or back packer I definitely recommend them!

www.maxpedition.com

Untitled Post No. 556

Ok, so I'm sitting at the computer one evening when all of a sudden my screen goes whacky!

VIRUS!

I had let my virus protection lapse and left myself wide open to infestation!!

We learn the hard way... well I do anyway.

It had been about five years since my last computer so I decided to head out and get a new laptop. What sucks is that the photo editing software on my computer was from 1998!!!

I LOVED that software!! Simple, easy to use... that is why I would just install it in new computers I would buy over the years.

Unfortunately Adobe hasn't supported it in ages and when I tried to re-install it on the new computer [Windows 7] it kept crashing and giving me errors, suffice it to say i can no longer use it.

I've purchased some new programs but damn.... they are soooo advanced and confusing I just keep bashing my head against the wall!!! ARRRRGGH!!!

Does anyone out there know of easy to use photo editing software?? I need to be able to choose a wide variety of fonts, cut and paste separate images on the same screen and need special effects filters.

I tried two Corel programs.... one was too confusing the other was crap. I tried LogoDesigner and that looked promising but I am having problems importing images and when I went to their website other people are describing the same problem but the designer isn't offering anything that has helped as yet.

I tried a new [and pricey] Adobe software photo/video package....dayuum, talk about confusing not to mention frustrating!!!

Until then, I will have to have a bland logo... so please send any suggestions.

I'm out.

Man's Best Fried Stricken by Mystery Disease.

A mysterious disease has stricken dogs in Durango, Colorado.

Tissue samples have been sent to the University of New Mexico for investigation.