exposure Arts & Leisure in Southern New Mexico
Tamal Fiesta y Mรกs Page 9
Growing concerns Page 28
Building a future Page 39
NOVEMBER 2016 Volume 21 โ ข Number 11
2 • NOVEMBER 2016
www.desertexposure.com
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www.SmithRealEstate.com (575) 538-5373 or 1-800-234-0307 505 W. College Avenue •PO Box 1290 • Silver City, NM 88062
Quality People, Quality Service for over 40 years!
PRICE REDUCED! UNIVERSITY AREA VIEW SPOT – Great California St. location gives this mid-century modern home spectacular views! 2 Story with walk-out basement. 3 BR 2 BA with extra plant room and hobby workshop. Ready for your own updates, this house has super potential. $185,000. #33372
NEW LISTING – COUNTRY LIVING – 5+ acres with 2 water sources - well and community water system. Spacious main house has 3 BR, 2 Ba + sunroom. Guest house or studio has 1 Ba, 1 Ba. Also includes garage/workshop, Well house/storage, garden space and more! All for $179,500. See it soon! MLS #33744
NEW LISTING – UNIVERSITY AREA, Sweet and tidy, with easy-care yard and exterior. This 2 bedroom 2 bath stucco home has a great southern deck, spacious open living area, wood floors, and lots of appeal. $149,000 – See it soon! MLS #33745
TROUT VALLEY Getaway or Year-round Seclusion! Beautiful mountain home in the pines boasts vaulted ceilings, rock fireplace, sunroom, 2 or 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, community water, new metal roof, garage w/workshop, storage, and lots of peace and quiet. Priced to sell at $269,000 – See it today! #33308
Main Office: 120 E. 11th St., Silver City, NM Toll-Free (866) 538-0404 Office: (575) 538-0404 www.bettersilvercity.com karen@bettersilvercity.com
MLS# 33717 • $119,000
MLS# 33703 • $55,000
Highly desirable Sanctuary Rd. area location. Gorgeous views of the surrounding hillsides, mature cottonwoods, piñon and juniper trees. Seasonal streams run through the land - deer, rabbits, wild turkeys, elk, ducks, cranes, javalina abound! The Gila National Forest is one accessible mile away, and you can ride trails adjacent to the forest (no trailer necesssary). Owner would consider financing with a substantial down payment. **LARGER NEIGHBORING PARCELS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE
MLS# 33389 • $129,000
PRICE REDUCED AGAIN! NEARLY NEW - Custom Southwest style on .35 ac. Bright open floor plan, large master suite with dual walk-in closets, garden tub, shower and dual sinks. Ceiling fans throughout, breakfast bar, pantry, wood cabinets in the kitchen. Nice privacy wall surrounds the native/ xeriscaped yard, with shady covered patio. Too many amenities to list! Take a look! A Great Deal at $219,000! MLS # 31984
PINE RIDGE VIEW SPOT – This custom 4-5 bedroom home has lots of open living area, an enormous walkout basement perfect for your home gym, dance or studio needs. Energy efficient, well-insulated, tile floors, lots of windows. Take a look! $295,000. MLS # 33460
Patrick Conlin, Broker
MLS# 33715 • $129,900
Lots of potential for someone with skills! Great, private courtyard space with maOpportunity! 5 acres next to National ture trees for privacy and entertaining or Forest with great shop and yurt. just relaxing! Unfinished loft area could make a great office! Country living just Owners lived in the Yurt and used the travel trailer for cooking/bathing/ 15 minutes from town.
bath as water is plumbed to it and it is hooked into septic. Small house foundation is already poured and plumbing stubbed in for future building plan. Bring your imagination!
NEW LISTING – GREAT OPPORTUNIY! 3+ Lots with home, shop and garage space, and utilities for another mobile. All fenced. Priced to sell at only $49,000! MLS # 33742
Mimbres Office: 2991 Highway 35, Mimbres, NM Toll-Free (866) 538-0404 Office: (575) 574-8798 www.mimbresvalleyrealestate.com robin@bettersilvercity.com
MLS# 33716 • $199,000 COMMERCIAL BLDG. IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN, ON S. BULLARD ST. Formerly a bakery, property includes a commercial kitchen and all equipment conveys. Range, hood, oven, refrig., mixer, shelving, tables & chairs. 3-phase Electric. Continue use as a bakery or restaurant, or re-purpose as a live/work space, retail, etc.
MLS# 33695 • $250,000 2-3BD/2BA HISTORIC HOME IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN, SET ON AN OVERSIZED 0.3 ACRE LOT. WRAP-AROUND PORCH, REMODELED KITCHEN, NEWER WINDOWS, METAL ROOF. Lovely hardwood floors, high ceilings, entry hall. Walk-in pantry, large laundry room. Attic storage, updated plumbing & electrical too!
MLS# 33679 • $109,000
MLS# 33747 • $146,900
UPGRADED TYRONE HOME WITH FAMILY ROOM ADDITION & LARGE WRAPAROUND COVERED PATIO. Well-kept, and located on a desirable street at the base of a cul-de-sac, and backing up to open land. 3Bd/1.75Ba
ESCAPE TO THE WILDERNESS – This unique 13 ac. property has a common boundary with the Gila Wilderness in the Lake Roberts area. Wonderfully set up for both people and horses – custom, comfortable, modern home + horse barn, hay, tack and storage buildings. A rare find - $695,000. MLS 33590
Massive 4 bedroom 3 full bath home that has been meticulously cared for, it will be evident the moment you drive up. Large open kitchen with island will make a spacious gathering place between the 2 living areas. Enjoy a cool summer with the refrigerated air. Owners Motivated.
Welcome to Mimbres Paradise Acres! Comfortable home in a park like setting. Features include metal roof, woodstove and screened in back porch. Property has numerous outbuildings; workshops, storage, chicken coop and small “garage” for motorcycles, four wheeler or OHV. 12’ x 24’ (288 sf) studio built in 2014 with sleeping area. 1 acre is fenced, perfect for 4H animals and horses allowed. Close to public access along the Mimbres River, Bear Canyon Lake and the Gila National Forest. Appliances convey including washer, dryer and new refrigerator. Closing cost assistance with full price offer
MLS# 33726 • $269,000 3BD/2BA CONTEMPORARY HOME 2/3 ACRE IN TOWN. Open floor MLS# 33714 • $220,000 ON plan, two-sided fireplace, gorgeous This is a Great property for country oak hardwood floors throughout. living! Set up for horses with lots of Covered deck off the kitchen and cross-fencing. Easy access to National master bedroom offers beautiful Forest. Tack/feed shed. Workshop. Great southwest views. Oversized 3 car views and lots of trees. Manufactured home is 2013 and lightly lived in. attached garage with storage.
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 3
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4 • NOVEMBER 2016
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Postcards From the Edge
PUBLISHER
Richard Coltharp 575-524-8061 • editor@desertexposure.com
EDITOR
Elva K. Österreich 575-680-1978 • editor@desertexposure.com
ABOUT THE COVER
Desert Exposure Travels
This photo of a Tortugas Guadalupe Feast Day Chichimeca dancer was taken by Santa Fe photographer Charles Mann. Mann is a full-time freelance photographer and journalist. He has written two books on New Mexico gardening and is the featured photographer in several other books. The Tortugas Guadalupe Feast Day takes place each year in the village of Tortugas from Dec. 10-12 and includes a pilgrimage up Tortugas Mountain as well as numerous dance and feast activities. For more information about this year’s event visit olgtortugas.com later in November.
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Pam Rossi 575-635-6614 pam@lascrucesbulletin.com
DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Teresa Tolonen 575-680-1841 teresa@lascrucesbulletin.com
ADVERTISING SALES Silver City Ilene Wignall 575-313-0002 jiwignall@comcast.net Deming/Cloudcroft Claire Frohs 575-680-1844 claire@lascrucesbulletin.com
Otero County Pam Rossi 575-635-6614 pam@lascrucesbulletin.com Ruidoso Elaine Sasnow 575-635-1188 elaine@lascrucesbulletin.com
LAYOUT AND DESIGN
Cary J. Howard, Stacey Neal, Ryan Galloway
WEB DESIGNER Ryan Galloway
COLUMNISTS Fr. Gabriel Rochelle, Marjorie Lilly, Sheila Sowder, Marty Racine, Bert Stevens, Jim Duchene, Lucy Whitmarsh, Gabriele Teich 1740-A Calle de Mercado • Las Cruces, NM 88005 575-524-8061 www.desertexposure.com Desert Exposure is published monthly and distributed free of charge at choice establishments throughout southern New Mexico. Mail subscriptions are $54 for 12 issues. Single copies by mail $5. All contents © 2016 OPC News, LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission. All rights to material by outside contributors revert to the author. Views expressed in articles, advertisements, graphics and/or photos appearing in Desert Exposure do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or advertisers. Desert Exposure is not responsible for unsolicited submissions of articles or artwork. Submissions by mail must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for reply or return. It will be assumed that all submissions, including email letters, are intended for publication. All submissions, including letters to the editor, may be edited for length, style and content.
Barbie Williamson of Silver City read her Desert Exposure while visiting her father in Okinawa, Japan in September. If you are traveling, don’t forget to share, do the selfie thing with yourself holding a copy of Desert Exposure and sent is to diary@desertexposure.com. Having guests from far away, we would love photos of them being introduced to our little paper as well.
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DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 โ ข 5
Contents 6 DESERT DIARY โ ข On the Road Again Sometimes it might just be safer to stay at home 6 GUEST COLUMN โ ข Food Banks Assistance Act could increase reach by Ben Rasmussen 7 EDITORโ S NOTEBOOK โ ข New Mexico the Great Special state reflects special country by Elva K. ร sterreich 7 GUEST COLUMN โ ข Go Bond Go Why support higher education by Dr. Joseph Shepard 8 LETTERS โ ข Looking to Peace Our readers write about freedom 8 FUNNIES โ ข Beezwax The bees are asking questions again 9 IN THE STREETS โ ข Tamal Fiesta I Mรกs Ready to dance, eat and celebrate
13 MOTIFS IN MOTION โ ข Exploring New Mexico Guided tour of Three Rivers Petroglyph Site 14 ARTS EXPOSURE โ ข Gallery Guide Area Gallery Locations 15 ARTS SCENE โ ข Happenings Area galleries busy for September 16 CALL FOR ARTISTS โ ข Opportunity Knocks Las Cruces gallery looking for art works 17 CREATING THE STAGE โ ข Designing Spaces Some steal scenes, Wilson creates them by Lisa Maue 18 CHROMATIC SCALE โ ข The Monthly Jam Out of the digital world by Marty Racine
28 GROWING CONCERNS โ ข Fighting for Breath National group advocates legal marijuana by Billy Huntsman 29 ALTERNATIVE CHOICES โ ข Cannabis Possibilities Naturopath specializes in herbal possibilities by Susie Ouderkirk 30 BIG PLANS โ ข Spaceport America Open house welcomes visitors for exploration 30 SUBORBITAL โ ข Museum Celebrates 40 Years Gene Roddenberry induction by Cathy Harper
47 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS โ ข Events Guide For November and a little beyond 52 IN THE AIR โ ข They Are Not Drones RPAs into the future by Lisa Maue 53 CONSERVATION โ ข Restoration in Grant County NMSU students in the Mimbres by Kristie Garcia
44 WRITING CONTEST โ ข Star Time Anyone can dare to dream by Tom Hester
54 FOOTBALL FOLLIES โ ข Getting Benched Put me in coach by Susie Ouderkirk
32 GHOST HUNTERS โ ข Investigating the Paranormal Ghostly Concerns is concerned with ghosts by Billy Huntsman
55 LIVING ON WHEELS โ ข Single RVers Are they really that odd? By Sheila Sowder
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21 ARTS EXPOSURE โ ข On Stage CW Ayon plays at Buckhorn
12 HORSE WORK โ ข Jousting Transmutes Time Bringing the feel of the Middle Ages to the ArtsFaire
41 RED OR GREEN โ ข Dining Guide Restaurants in southwest New Mexico
46 WRITING CONTEST โ ข An Unattended Death A poem from the headlines by Prinnie McCourt
Western Stationers 20 ON THE SHELF โ ข Passport to Wilderness New wild guide out for N.M. by Elva K. ร sterreich
12 DRAGON CRAFTNG โ ข Renaissance ArtsFaire Magellan floats for popular event by Kathleen Albers
40 TABLE TALK โ ข New Chef in Town Richardson at the Toad by Lucy Whitmarsh
31 SUBORBITAL โ ข Taking to the Air Drone summit coming to Spaceport by Elva K. ร sterreich
10 WILD EXPOSURE โ ข Creative Coloring Plant Dyes from area are traditional
11 LIFE IS A PARADE โ ข Lights, Cameras, Christmas Silver City event always a hit, taking entries
39 BUILDING A FUTURE โ ข Experiencing Epiphany St. James Parish Hall by Susie Ouderkirk
Need a 2017 calendar? We have many different styles to fit your needs at school, work or home...
Stop by and check them out... 33 RIVER RESPECT โ ข Trash Flows Away Tularosa students fight mess by Joan E. Price
22 RANDOM ACTS OF NONSENSE โ ข One Dollar, One Vote Writer makes plans for presidency by Jim Duchene
34 IN THE CARDS โ ข Coach turns to Bridge Henson plays the cards he is dealt by Susie Ouderkirk
23 STARRY DOME โ ข Equuleus, the Little Horse Competing myths by Bert Stevens
35 BODY, MIND & SPIRIT โ ข Grant County Events Weekly happenings in Grant County
24 BORDERLINES โ ข Water Issues Mennonite ranch springing up by Marjorie Lilly
36 CYCLES OF LIFE โ ข I am a Vehicle Thought from the machine by Fr. Gabriel Rochelle
24 PALOMAS LIFE โ ข Spreading Hope A new high school built by Morgan Smith
37 WHATโ S COOKINโ โ ข Gluten Free and Me Feeling better in the midst of choices by Mike Cook
27 PUBLISHERโ S NOTEBOOK โ ข Cowboys & Astronauts Finding New Mexicans everywhere by Richard Coltharp
38 HIGH PLACES โ ข Three Rivers Trail Crossing the river by Gabriele Teich
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6 • NOVEMBER 2016
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DESERT DIARY
On the Road Again TALKING TURKEY A little treat from Jim Duchene. What did the Thanksgiving turkey say when offered dessert? “No, thanks, I’m stuffed.”
BREATHALIZER TEST The Packrat Out Back has gone right over the ocean. This actually happened to an Englishman in France who was totally drunk. A French policeman stops the Englishman’s car and asks if he has been drinking. With great difficulty, the Englishman admits that he has been drinking all day, that his daughter got married that morning, and that he drank champagne and a few bottles of wine at the reception, and many single malt scotches thereafter. Quite upset, the policeman proceeds to alcohol-test (breath test) the Englishman and verifies that he is indeed totally sloshed. He asks the Englishman if he knows why, under French Law, he is going to be arrested. The Englishman answers with a bit of humor, “No sir, I do not! But while we’re asking questions, do you realize that this is a British car and that my wife is driving on the other side?”
MUSHROOM STORY Geerichard must have food on his mind. She wanted to serve her guests mushroom-smothered steak, but she had no mushrooms and no time to buy them. Her husband suggested, “Why don’t you go pick some of the mushrooms that are growing wild down by the stream? “No, some wild mushrooms are poisonous.” “Well, I see squirrels eating them and they’re OK.” So she picked a bunch and washed, sliced and sautéed them. Then she went out on the back porch and gave Spot, their dog, a double handful. Spot ate every bite. All morning long, she watched the dog. The wild mushrooms hadn’t affected him after a few hours, so she decided to use them. The meal was a great success. After everyone had finished, her daughter came in and whispered in her ear, “Mum, Spot is dead.” Trying to keep her head about her, she left the room as quickly as possible, called the doctor and told him what had happened.
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The doctor said, “That’s bad, but I think we can take care of it. I’ll call for an ambulance and I’ll be there as quickly as I can. We’ll give everyone enemas and we’ll pump out their stomachs and everything will be fine. Just keep them calm.” Before long they started to hear the sirens as the ambulance tore down the road. The paramedics and the doctor had their suitcases, syringes, and a stomach pump. One by one, they took each person into the bathroom, gave them an enema, and pumped out their stomach. Well after midnight, after the last one was done the doctor came out and said, “Everything will be okay now,” and with that he left. The hosts and guests were all weak and knackered sitting around the living room when the daughter came in and said to her mum..... “I can’t believe that guy!” “What guy?” “You know, that bastard who ran over Spot; He never even slowed down.”
JUST BROWSING Henry Duchene’s father leads him to some unexpected places sometimes. New Mexico is known for quaint little historic towns like Old Mesilla in Las Cruces or Old Town in Albuquerque. Tourists come from miles around to visit the charming museums and shops and galleries and restaurants mixed with old homes and churches. In fact, in Chengdu, China they have one called Ancient Town. But who wants to travel all the way to China? While visiting one such town in our beautiful Southwest, my elderly father looked into a front window and saw an inviting selection of books sitting along a row of shelves. “Hang on,” he told us, “I want to take a look.” He opened the door and walked in, with my wife and I following close behind. A woman was sitting down in a comfortable looking chair, and looked up from a book she was reading. “Howdy, ma’am,” my father said, nodding in her direction. Why he took on a western affectation is beyond me. “Can I help you?” she asked. “No, thanks,” my father told her. “I’m just browsing.” “O-kaaay,” she told him, “but, just so you know, people usually knock before they come into my home.”
GUEST COLUMN ï BEN RASMUSSEN
Food Bank Assistance Act Can Assist More Than Just Food Banks
R
ecently, Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-NM District 1, introduced the Food Bank Assistance Act of 2016 (H.R. 4967) to fully fund the $100 million annual allocation authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill to food banks for the purpose of distributing food. Each year these funds are usually whittled down to about $50 million a year, forcing food banks in New Mexico and across the nation to scramble for other sources of money to ensure the food reaches the rural and frontier corners of our state. Examples of allowable TEFAP administrative costs include but are not limited to expenses related to the storage and transportation of food, salaries for staff who determine eligibility of participants, and supply costs, including costs associated with the publication of notices on distribution times and location Rep. Lujan Grisham is well aware of the desperate need for emergency food in our home state. New Mexico has one of the nation’s worst food insecurity and access rates. One in three children in New Mexico didn’t have enough to eat, according to Roadrunner Food Bank. Feeding America’s 2015 Map the Meal Gap study reports that New Mexico has the fourth highest rate of food insecurity in the country at 17 percent, and is among the worst 10 states for food insecurity among seniors. Moreover, Luna County has the second-highest rate of child food insecurity (21 percent) among 89 Latino-majority counties in the United States. Our recent health impact assessment (HIA) of Southwest New Mexico food pantries found that of the 538 food pantry recipients, 24 percent were 65 years or older, compared to the statewide average of 15 percent. Also, 45 percent reportedly were disabled or have a family who was disabled, significantly higher than the statewide average of 19 percent; 32 percent reporting having children in the home; nearly 16 percent said that the cost of transportation often or always is a difficulty; and more than 50 percent said that they sometimes, often, or always ate less to make food supplies last. The HIA study also surveyed food pantry coordinators to have a better understanding of their concerns and con-
ditions they face. Pantry coordinators reported a significant lack of storage and transportation, which limits the opportunity to collect, store and distribute fresh food. As a result, local food pantries in our region of the state are almost entirely reliant on food from food banks. Rural and frontier communities are often in the most need of food and the most challenging to reach for the states five food banks responsible for distributing food to all 33 counties. The cost per pound of transporting food out to remote areas of the state is far more costly than distributing food to pantries that are in close proximity to the food banks, headquartered in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Farmington, Gallup and Clovis. The cost per pound to distribute food can hindered more frequent deliveries, according to the HIA, resulting in many of the state’s food pantries receiving deliveries only once per month, compared to weekly in some urban areas. The Food Bank Assistance Act of 2016 aligns with the top recommendation of the recent HIA, increasing the dollars available for the pantry food supply and the administrative funds to cover costs such as storage and transportation so that food can reach the people it’s meant to help in the rural and frontier areas of New Mexico, and the nation. This bill is important because it has the potential to provide resources necessary to improve the infrastructure of local food pantries so that they are able to collect, store and distribute fresh and healthy food. If this bill passes, it is imperative that entire food distribution infrastructure be considered with emphasis on improving the capacity of our local food pantries so they can meet the growing demand through various creative, collaborative and successful local efforts to grow, collect and rescue fresh produce. The Southwest New Mexico Food Policy Council is the regional food and farm advocacy voice for Southwest New Mexico. We work to assure that the voices that represent the rural and frontier region is not only heard, but are a key part of the solution. For more information on Southwest New Mexico Food Policy Council contact Rasmussen at 575-534-0101 ext. 2102 or email brasmussen@swchi.org
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 7
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK • ELVA K. ÖSTERREICH
Marching into Antiquity What is great about New Mexico is great about America
I
tried to write about forced marches after hearing a radio news piece about some Native Americans forced to leave their homeland long ago. It made me think about our local Apaches’ forced march to Florida. In turn it made me think of the Bataan Death March, about which I once stage managed an event. Then I started looking more. And I saw so many forced marches, death marches, deportations; I found so many millions who almost died, and more millions who did die, I was overwhelmed, depressed and completely unable to write. So I will urge you to look. To type the words “forced march” into a browser and face the human capability of what you find there, if only for a little while. Meanwhile ... I found something else. The Garden, an ad agency in Toronto, Canada, launched a campaign called “Let’s Tell America It’s Great,” encouraging Canadians to send videos of themselves telling America the reasons it’s already great. So ... As a Can-alien myself, I am taking the challenge. In this divisive, angry, desperate election season, I am going to move forward and let New Mexico (yes, it is part of the United States) know that you are great and why the state’s greatness is just part
of the whole great package of America. New Mexico is great because it exemplifies the open spaces, purple mountains and independent thinking that is everything good about the Wild West. The actual heritage of the state makes for a historical display of diverse experience, from a Hispanic legacy of color, spice and energy; to pioneering Caucasian fortitude; and Native American beat resounding with the land. Then there is New Mexican light. The sunlight, rising with blue and purple hues cast over the desert and setting in the brilliant golds, reds and undefinable shades that creep over the hillsides. The light is one of the things bringing and inspiring the many artists who claim the countryside their own. There is an artist in every corner, every town, and every city who shares our state across the world. “When I got to New Mexico that was mine. As soon as I saw it that was my country. I’d never seen anything like it before, but it fitted to me exactly. It’s something that’s in the air — it’s different. The sky is different, the wind is different. I shouldn’t say too much about it because other people may be interested and I don’t want them interested.” — Georgia O’Keeffe, artist And too, there is starlight.
Because of the vast spaces where there is little light pollution, cloudless skies and simple darkness, the heavens open up into star vistas that most people in the world can’t countenance. The Milky Way spills across the sky, casting its own light on the ground. And the history of man’s reach into space — that makes New Mexico great too. From the ancients, those who marked the stones at Three Rivers and numerous other New Mexico rocks with markings depicting things happening with time and the sky to the beginnings of the hand of the world stretching itself away from the planet toward other things. As Joe Kittinger takes the “highest step in the world” over the southern New Mexico desert on Aug. 16, 1960 in the infancy of what was to become NASA’s space program, he jumps from the gondola of a balloon at the altitude of 102,800 feet. Project Excelsior was initiated in 1958 to design a parachute system that would allow a safe, controlled descent after a high-altitude ejection. Kittinger set a record for longest free-fall which was not broken until 2012. “We’re at 103,000 feet. Looking out over a very beautiful, beautiful world … a hostile sky. As you look up the sky looks beautiful but hostile. As you sit here you realize that Man will
GUEST COLUMN ï DR. JOSEPH SHEPARD
Voting For The Future of Our Community
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very two years you can directly impact our communities in a positive way through the passage of bonds for our colleges and universities. This election, General Obligation Bond C (GO Bond C) is on the ballot. Bond C asks voters to set aside more than $131 million in higher education funding to colleges and universities across the state, with no increases to taxes. If passed, this year’s GO Bond C will allocate $5 million to Western New Mexico University which will be used to invest in important infrastructure updates across campus as well as continue the renovations on the science building. The passage of Bond C will create jobs and boost our local economy. It will all be done without the increase of taxes. The improvements provided through projects generated by Bond C monies will mean that companies will
be able to hire contractors and construction crews who will then spend their wages in our local communities which benefits all. Small and large businesses throughout the state will hire people, which in turn will mean that our local businesses will benefit from the newly generated salaries and disposable income. Downtown restaurants, stores and hotels will all profit. Established in 1893, the Western New Mexico University campus is a classic mixture of historic buildings and pathways, nestled along with modern facilities and structures. Bond C monies will be used to bring needed updates to the hilly landscape of our 123-yearold campus as well as repair roofs and other deteriorating infrastructure. If Bond C is not passed, projects will be halted for most campuses in New Mexico, as this year’s bond will be the only major
source of funding for several years to come. Politics aside, Bond C is something that voters of all backgrounds can support. It supports our students. It supports our communities. And it advances the quality of life throughout New Mexico. Early voting began October 11 and runs through November 5. Election day will be Tuesday, November 8. Bond C will appear at the bottom of the ballot. With your support of Bond C, our students and the community will benefit by receiving a successful higher education experience, all without any tax increases. Dr. Joseph Shepard is president of Western New Mexico University in Silver City.
never conquer space. He will learn to live with it, but he will never conquer it. Can see for over 400 miles. Beneath me I can see the clouds… . They are beautiful … looking through my mirror the sky is absolutely black. Void of anything… . I can see the beautiful blue of the sky and above that it goes into a deep, deep, dark, indescribable blue which no artist can ever duplicate. It’s fantastic.” — Joe Kittinger, in the Excelsior III balloon over the western edge of the Tularosa Basin, just before stepping out of the gondola In 1982 space shuttle Columbia lands at White Sands Space Harbor on White Sands Missile Range, about 30 miles west of Alamogordo. In 1995, the Delta Clipper Experimental (DC-X) made strides into the arena of reusable vertical launch space vehicles, also at WSMR. Finally, the future of space exploration stays alive in New Mexico with Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport, designed to make space travel as accessible to all as air travel is today. The wide open spaces between populations in New Mexico also make it possible for a vast contiguous protected air space commercial aircraft can’t cross offering a platform experimentation, military (WSMR, Fort Bliss, Holloman Air Force Base),
commercial (Spaceport America both vertical and horizontal launch facilities) and space program (NASA), unavailable anywhere else in the country. Just a few more things that make New Mexico great: Santa Fe, the highest capital city in the country; the Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta; White Sands National Monument; Hatch — “the green chile capital of the world;” mountains and pine forests; Smokey Bear; the state constitution makes it officially a bilingual state; scientific research at Sandia Labs and Los Alamos; aliens near Roswell; The Santa Fe Opera House; and many hot mineral springs. So, as one can see, New Mexico is but one of the 50 that make America great. No matter who may be president of this land by the end of this month, the country retains its history, beauty, amazing and diverse peoples in all of its United States. Elva K. Österreich is editor of Desert Exposure and delighted to be holding office hours in Silver City on the second Wednesday of the month (Nov. 9) from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Yankie Creek Coffee House. Please drop by and say hello.
GUEST COLUMN ï SUSIE OUDERKIRK
Loving the Governor Perceiving politicians as people
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’m not a political person. Politics don’t interest me because very little of what goes on in Washington (or Santa Fe, for that matter) affects me. At least I don’t suffer from what the governments around me do. I’m a happy, economically steady, normal New Mexican woman. I pay the taxes I owe because I like having all the benefits of being governed. I don’t care who sees my tax returns. I have nothing to hide, which makes my life simple. I like Governor Susana Martinez. I like her personality and the way she carries on a conversation. She looks you right in the eye and always has a pleasant expression. She smiles a lot. She’s warm. I get the feeling she recognizes me. And no matter where we are, she takes a few seconds to really listen to me. I know because she’ll answer my question or respond to my comment immediately and relevantly. I know she paid attention — just to me — at least at that moment. To me, that’s far more important than what kinds of decisions she makes politically. I’m more interested in personal interaction with those around me, which includes politicians. I’ve met a number of them because I work at the Las Cruces Bulletin. Representative Bill McCamley told me the questions I asked him were “stupid,” but he answered them just the same, and I got the story, so no harm, no foul.
Senator Lee Cotter always takes my calls. He might get chippy about the other political party, but he talks to me as if I’m smart and he tells me what’s really going on in his head: no whitewashing. Of course, politicians are on their best behavior with me because I work for a newspaper. However, in the case of our governor, our acquaintance goes back about 25 years to a time before I worked for a newspaper, and before she was a governor. She was a prosecutor in Las Cruces, and she was vocal about her stance on crimes, especially on crimes against women and children. I was a young mother and I appreciated that Susana stood up face to face, day after day in the same room with some really awful people. It’s more than I could have done. Fast forward to now. While enjoying a meal at the Tough Enough To Wear Pink luncheon on Oct. 20, I was pleasantly surprised to see Governor Martinez coming down the runway, looking like 110 pounds of fantastic. And when she got off the runway, she sat down at a table, watched the rest of the show, and stayed to talk. On her way out the door, she stopped when she saw me, leaned down and gave me a big hug. I whispered to her, “Stay strong. Keep doing what you’re doing. Keep putting those bad guys in jail.” And she whispered back, “Always!”
8 • NOVEMBER 2016
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Letters Ask Congress to Endorse Peace Congress is in recess until after the election. Just before going home, they passed a continuing resolution to fund the U.S. government at FY2016 levels until Dec. 9, 2016. Regardless of election outcomes, they will all be back in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 14 for a 16-day lame-duck session to tend to unfinished business. A principal item on their plate is the FY2017 budget for the rest of the year. In that budget is a plan to spend a trillion dollars over the next decade to upgrade and improve our nuclear arsenal, including a new ICBM to deliver nukes. New Mexico’s Los Alamos and Sandia labs will clearly benefit from that project. But, as Sandia Laboratories director Jill Hruby said in Silver City on August 12, “We execute the will of Congress.” If Congress directs Sandia to refurbish and upgrade nuclear weapons, Sandia’s people and facilities will do that. But if Congress directs Sandia to step up the pace of dismantling deactivated nu-
clear weapons and take steps to improve safety and security of our nuclear weapons in storage and deployment, Sandia’s people and facilities can do that. I urge New Mexicans to ask Sen. Tom Udall, Sen. Martin Heinrich and Rep. Steve Pearce now to scale back and redirect this trillion-dollar program to the course recommended in this minute from Intermountain Yearly Meeting of Quakers, a minute that originated with Gila Friends Meeting (Quakers) here in Silver City. “Intermountain Yearly Meeting, including the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico and the southwestern part of Texas, (Quakers), calls upon our elected representatives in the Congress of the United States to endorse United Nations Resolution 70/48, “Humanitarian pledge for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons,” adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 7, 2015. In addition to documenting the unacceptability of nuclear weapons today, the Humanitarian Pledge, endorsed by 123 nations (none of them nuclear), calls for these actions by endorsers: 4. Requests all States possessing nuclear weapons,
The remaining nukes have many times the devastating power of the Hiroshima A-bomb; let’s not lose sight of the ultimate goal — a world free of nuclear weapons! Tom Vaughan Silver City
pending the total elimination of their nuclear weapon arsenals, to take concrete interim measures to reduce the risk of nuclear weapons detonations, including by reducing the operational status of nuclear weapons and moving nuclear weapons away from deployment and into storage, diminishing the role of nuclear weapons in military doctrines and rapidly reducing all types of nuclear weapons.’ For the United States, compliance with the Humanitarian Pledge would at least include: • Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty • Termination of U.S. plutonium pit production • Acceleration of U.S. nuclear warhead dismantling • Cessation of the B61 tactical nuclear bomb refurbishing and upgrading • Cessation of the new nuclear cruise missile (Longrange Standoff Weapon — LRSO) • Reinvigorated negotiations with other nations to further the goals of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty” Nuclear nonproliferation efforts have been successful - 85 percent of the nuclear stockpiles of the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. have been decommissioned.
Time to Say No to Hate “Can’t we just skip it this year?” I keep asking myself regarding International Transgender Day of Remembrance. But in conscience I cannot, because the murders of transgender people, especially transgender women of color, are continuing to rise throughout the world. Most of the victims in the United States lately have been African-American transgender women; but there have been transgender male and female victims of all ethnicities. We have every reason to believe there have been many times the number actually reported, as even now these crimes are being hushed up or the victims themselves maligned and mis-gendered. It’s not only anti-trans violence that is on the rise: people are being daily murdered throughout the world for their gender, for their sexual orientation, for their ethnicity, for
their religion, for their occupation, just for being themselves. Women are being attacked for being women, people of color for being dark-skinned, gays and lesbians for being homosexual, and all kinds of people for being the “wrong” religion” or choosing the “wrong” occupation. And in the so-called free world, the United States appears to be the most violent nation second only to Brazil. These assaults and murders don’t occur in a vacuum. Throughout the world, and especially in the United States these days, political rhetoric is focused on attacking underprivileged people. And anyone choosing to defend underprivileged people’s rights is labeled with the hateful, sarcastic term “politically correct.” This month of November, from election day until Transgender Day of Remembrance and beyond, let us all say no to the hate-fueled rhetoric that only encourages more attacks against disadvantaged people of all genders, ethnicities, and walks of life. Let us say yes instead to equal rights and to an end to violence. Joni Kay Rose Silver City
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DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 9 LEFT: Silver City’s Sixth Annual Tamal Fiesta y Más will feature dancers, musicians and plenty of Hispanic food, not limited to tamales. (Photos by Tom Vaughn)
IN THE STREETS
Tamal Fiesta y Más
Prepare to dance, eat, celebrate
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amal Fiesta y Más is a festive, family-friendly celebration of Hispanic heritage in historic Silver City. This year the event takes place on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bullard at Eighth streets. Free parking is available at The Silver City Visitor Center (Hudson at Broadway) and on-street throughout downtown. General admission is free and open to the public. The fiesta treats the Hispanic heritage of southwest New Mexico as a treasure to savor, respect, preserve and enjoy. It begins with a mariachi procession that starts at the visitor center and works its way through the streets of downtown to the festival site. Visitors can follow the music and the aromas of holiday food to the location. In addition to tamales, vendors will be selling biscochos, menudo, champurrado, posolé, fry bread tacos, and much more. In addition to the food, participants
can shop arts and crafts, play huachas and other games and enjoy live entertainment and heritage workshops. Western New Mexico’s award-winning Mariachi Plata is scheduled to perform, along with traditional Folklorico Dancers from Deming. This year the event has added the Disco Cookoff, featuring carnitas and other foods prepared on large metal disks originally fashioned from traditional farm implements; these cooking disks are often handed down in families through generations. Tickets will be available at the event to sample savory disco-cooked foods, but the tickets are limited. Tamal Fiesta y Más is hosted by the Southwest New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce, with community partners including the Town of Silver City, Nuevos Comienzos Community Kitchen, Western New Mexico University, and other organizations.
Music is a big part of the Hispanic culture and cooking event Dec. 3 in Silver City, Tamal Fiesta y Más.
10 • NOVEMBER 2016
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ON STAGE
Aerial Dance Festival Aerial dance, circus arts found ‘Above Borders’
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roject In Motion’s fifth annual “Above Borders” aerial dance festival takes place Nov. 11-13 with a preshop starting Nov. 9. Project In Motion has been granted an NEA “Challenge America” grant to bring multidisciplinary artists including: Bill Evans, acclaimed modern and tap dancer; Sam Tribble, circus artist (roue cyr, travelling rings, acro-balance); and Brandy Leary, Canadian circus artist (aerial dance) and classical Indian dancer. This festival has run for the past four years in Las Cruces with the aim of offering a New Mexico audience the opportunity to experience world class dance and circus arts. The week of the festival entails rehearsals for three new pieces created by the visiting artists for all those registered for the preshop. Participants may register for this preshop along with the workshop. Registration, teacher collaborations and introductions for workshop participants is on Friday, Nov. 11. The concert, including perFile
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Canadian circus artist Brandy Leary demonstrates her work on silks. (Courtesy Photo) formances by guest artists and local professionals, is at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11. Student’s Showcase and newly created works are at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 12. Prices are $10 for shows and $50 for the workshop. Preshop is $100, including Wednesday to Sunday activities, and starts Wednesday, Nov. 9 in the morning. Visit www.projectinmotion. com to register and for tickets to the concerts.
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Atriplex canescens foliage and Rumex hymenosepalus stems can create vibrant colors for fabric arts materials. (Photos courtesy of the Dale A. Zimmerman Herbarium)
WILD EXPOSURE
Creative Coloring
Plant dyes from area are tradiitonal
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t its meeting on Nov. 18, the Gila Native Plant Society will feature a program, “Creative Coloring: Dye Plants That Grow in the Greater Gila Region,” presented by Ann Hedlund, cultural anthropologist, and Hosana Eilert, weaver, that should be of special interest to both lovers of botany and those who engage in or appreciate the fabric arts. The roots, bark, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits of many plants can produce long-lasting and vibrant colors when properly applied to sheep’s wool fibers and vegetal basketry materials. From the 1,100 regional plants listed in Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness (www. gilaflora.com), more than several dozen provide potential dyestuffs. A number of these dye plants are well documented; some were once used in the American Southwest by pre-Columbian as well as Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache peoples. Others are known anecdotally and still others have
yet to be proved. In their illustrated presentation, Hedlund and Eilert will discuss Gila regional plants that could be developed for natural dyeing. From ethnographic evidence and from their own and others’ experimentation, they will describe processing of plant parts, application of mordants and dyes, and resulting colors that might be expected. Ann Lane Hedlund advanced to Silver City after retiring from the University of Arizona a few years ago; she is still affiliated with the Arizona State Museum in Tucson. Ann is a cultural anthropologist who works with living (and some past) artists, especially Navajo and Pueblo weavers. The author of many books and articles, she consults widely with museums on their textile collections. She is also an avid native plant gardener and hiker. Hosana Eilert owns and operates the Wild West Weaving Gallery in downtown Silver City, where she showcases her own woven art, features
exhibits of other fiber artists’ work, and restores and mounts textiles for collectors. Hosana teaches classes in dyeing, spinning and weaving in the traditional Rio Grande style. She grew up in the Espanola area, where she apprenticed with Lisa and Irvin Trujillo of Chimayo. Meetings of the Gila Native Plant Society are held the third Friday of the month at 7 p.m. in Harlan Hall, second floor, on the Western New Mexico University campus. They are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following the program. The Gila Native Plant Society is committed to promoting education, research and appreciation of the native flora of the Southwest, encouraging the preservation of rare and endangered plant species and supporting the use of suitable native plants in landscaping. For information on programs, publications and membership, visit www.gilanps.org.
Rumex hymenosepalus
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 11
Life is a Parade
Holiday cheer moves down the street in the form of numerous lighted floats in the Silver City Christmas parade last year. (Photo by Tom Vaughn)
Lights, Camera,Christmas
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he 26th Annual Lighted Christmas Parade starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26 at the intersection of Cooper Street and Broadway Boulevard. This year’s theme is “Lights, Cameras, Christmas.” The deadline for entry applications is Nov. 10. Not all entries need to be a float. Walking, dancing, or biking entries, as well as classic cars, fire trucks, or other utility vehicles are encouraged, as long as they are well lit. Be creative; remember that lighting is crucial and decorations should focus on the holiday season. All entries are judged and prizes will be awarded. Judges consider four criteria in assigning points to the entries: relation to theme, child appeal, lighting and originality. Entries are judged in five categories: commercial, nonprofit, civic/ school, individual, and live music. Awarded are for first, second, and third place in each
category. Rules for Parade entries: Candy and other items may not be thrown from floats or handed out during the parade. MainStreet has invited Santa to be in the parade and he has accepted; please do not have live Santas on your float. The height limit for floats is 15 feet due to overhead wires on Bullard. All headlights on towing vehicles should be partially covered or dimmed. (Construction paper with slits or colored cellophane paper works well) Only holiday music may be broadcast. All children on floats must be seated. All entries must be well lit. The Lighted Christmas parade is sponsored by the Silver MainStreet Project. For more information, contract Silver City MainStreet Project at 575534-1700 or downtownsilvercity@gmail.com.
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Even the farm equipment gets out into the community during the Silver City lighted Christmas parade. (Photo by Sandy Feutz)
Holiday Pottery Show Coming Up in Las Cruces
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he Potters’ Guild of Las Cruces is having its 36th Annual Holiday Sale Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18 and 19 with a gala opening at Peace Lutheran Church. Friday hours are 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Peace Lutheran Church is on the corner of Locust Street and Missouri Avenue in Las Cruces. There is lots of free parking, handicap accessible, and there is no entry fee to the show. There will be functional pottery, sculpture and decor, mosaics, jewelry, pillowcases and other textiles for sale. Los Colcheras Quilt Guild has tickets available for a drawing to win a handmade quilt with
Strain’s Tree Farm will have live Christmas trees beginning December 1. Get your tree at the Silver City Food Basket parking lot on Fridays & Saturdays, during the month of December. Call Mike Strain 285 Hwy. 92 Virden, NM 575-358-2109
proceeds benefitting Empty Bowls and the El Caldito soup kitchen. For more information go to the Potters’ Guild of Las Cruces on Facebook.
Call Walt Strain for more information: 575-590-0519
Locally ly grown in New Mexico Mex
12 • NOVEMBER 2016
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DRAGON CRAFTING ï KATHLEEN ALBERS
Magellan’s Adventures
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Familiar icon floats again at ArtsFaire
sually spotting a dragon is cause for concern — just watch an episode of “Game of Thrones” — but at the Doña Ana Arts Council’s 45th Annual Renaissance ArtsFaire Nov. 5 and 6 at Young Park in Las Cruces, seeing the new and improved Magellan floating on the lake could bring a loud “HUZZAH!!” from the crowd. Local artist and Renaissance man Bob Diven first came up with the idea for a large-scale dragon when he was serving on the board of the arts council in the early 1990s. It occurred to him that while the faire filled the park, the lake was not being utilized. He proposed creating a dragon that would float on the lake and soon was busy building a dragon using materials such as chicken wire, upholstery fabric, plywood, and Peterbilt truck horns to give him a lusty roar. With about $1,000 in materials and some volunteer help, Diven brought Magellan the Dragon to life. “Magellan was built like those wooden disc dinosaurs you’d see at a natural history museum.” Diven said. “We launched him that year not knowing if he’d float, turn over, or sink, but he floated just fine. So within the next four or five years, we just got it dialed in. We improved it for ease of assembly and transport. He would open his mouth and roar. The sound was a collection of air horns that
was taken off a wrecked Peterbilt semi. People said it sounded more like a honk than a roar, and that made sense.” Over the past 20 years, Magellan became the mascot of the faire and a local Boy Scout troop began offering canoe rides as a fundraiser to give faire attendees the opportunity to see the dragon up close and personal. But, as time went by, Magellan began showing his age. “Age and a handling accident ended up severely wounding the front part of the dragon,” Diven said. “So the question was if we should put money into repairing it. But I thought it was a good opportunity to build the dragon anew. I had spent a summer working with an internationally renowned dinosaur sculptor and wanted to make him a true sculpture.” But the new Magellan was not going to be a one-man job. There had been an article about the injured dragon, which Dr. Pat Hynes, director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, had read. She was interested and got together Diven, the arts council, the New Mexico State University College of Engineering Capstone Program, and a grant from NASA to provide funding, matched by Diven’s in-kind contribution of his talent and labor. Diven began the involved process by sculpting a scale model, a cast of which was sent to Cali-
fornia where it was scanned and a three-dimensional carving was made out of foam at full size. Back in New Mexico, Diven applied a fiberglass cloth reinforced epoxy coating to the dragon, molding and casting the head and jaw parts, and creating the spines and horns. NMSU students in the Capstone Program, seniors in their final semester, would work on the new Magellan to help make him more technically advanced than the first dragon. This Magellan can turn his neck and head, and open his mouth to roar (with a new sound recorded by Diven of his own voice, lending a bit more of himself to his creation), and blow smoke. There is the potential to upgrade it so there can be a live feed showing what Magellan sees and a motion sensor so he can automatically turn to look at canoes paddling by. Last year, after two years of work by numerous Capstone teams, NMSU turned the project over the Doña Ana Community College’s Engineering Manufacturing Program, led by Luis Meza. They hit the ground running in 2015 when they took over the dragon from NMSU and worked to launch him in the lake but running into problems. So, last year Magellan spent the faire resting on the ground rather than floating majestically on the lake. Which, both Diven and Meza say, pro-
Magellan the dragon is returning to his place on the lake at Young Park after a break in 2015 when he rested on the shore to greet visitors. (Photo by Emmitt Booher) vided a unique and unexpected opportunity for people to interact with the dragon. “I was concerned about disappointing people, but something magical happened,” Diven said. “It had been handed off to DACC, so Luis brought in his students. They were there with their controls and the kids were coming up interacting with Magellan. I have video of this little girl communicating with him. It was roaring and blowing smoke. She was shushing him when he roared, and then hugging him to calm him. It saved the weekend for me, this unexpected gift.” This fall, DACC students have been at the lake getting Magellan back to his rightful place. They have worked to correct some of the issues that plagued the dragon last year and do some tests to ensure he will float properly. So, just as it takes a village to raise a child, it has taken a wide range of people with various talents and skills to bring the
beloved Magellan back to the Renaissance Arts Faire. When you wander by the lake at Young Park this year snacking on a turkey leg or other delectable snack, ponder how much work it took to bring the dragon back to life. And if you catch Robert the Ratcatcher’s catapult show, take a moment to thank him (because the rat catcher is that Renaissance man, Bob Diven). The 45th Annual Renaissance ArtsFaire at Young Park (just south of Lohman Avenue on Walnut) is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, and from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6. Tickets are $8 per person and children 12 and under entering for free. There is a “Royal Carriage” (free park-and-ride shuttle) running every 15 minutes from the south-west corner of the Mesilla Valley Mall parking lot. More information can be found online at www.daarts.org or by calling 575-523-6403.
HORSE WORK ï KATHLEEN ALBERS
Jousting Transmutes Time Bringing the feel of the Middle Ages to the ArtsFaire
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ne of the most thrilling events at the annual Doña Ana Arts Council Renaissance ArtsFaire is a competition between brave knights mounted on their fearless steeds. Jousting is a way for knights to show off their courage and skill on horseback and can be seen in action at this year’s faire. The Order of Epona is a troupe of expert equestrians based in Fort Collins, Colorado, who travel to Renaissance fairs to bring these ancient tournaments to life. Their riders, like Knights of the Round Table, are mostly men, but they also have fair maidens who choose to fight the good fight rather than simply present a favor to the winner of the match. Jousting takes place on horseback, but the performance also includes daring sword battles. “Both horse and rider must be physically fit. Knights must undergo a minimum of one year basic training until riding becomes second nature,” said Jeremy Johnson, who along with Dave Batzer founded the Knights of Epona. “That way the knight can focus on lance and shield control, which in it-
The Order of Epona jousters on horseback will perform twice daily, 10:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. at the 45th Annual Renaissance ArtsFaire at Young Park. (Photo by Emmitt Booher) self take a few months to master. Our noble steeds must also undergo training in the basics and only if they have the correct mindset will they get to
continue on. Safety first and foremost.”
JOUSTING
continued on page 13
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 13
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Many petroglyphs at Three Rivers Petroglyph Site are placed to wrap around the stones. The creator of this face spanning the corner of this stone incorporates a mouth to issue a message.(Photograph courtesy of Joan E. Price)
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Guided tour of Three Rivers Petroglyph Site
J
oan E. Price, a writer, photographer and educator, has been visiting and studying the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site north of Tularosa, for more than 20 years. She is a research associate with Jornada Research Institute, a nonprofit educational organization, a member of the American Rock Art Research Association and of the El Paso Archaeological Society. On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 12 and 13, Price will lead a free guided tour and discussions beginning at 8:30 each morning at Three Rivers Petroglyph Site parking lot. There is a $5 fee for day use of the site maintained by the Bureau of Land Management. Camping is allowed for an additional fee. Price has documented interpretations of several Native Americans who have visited the huge collection of images that they consider an ancestral sacred landscape. Participants will be looking for and discussing solar animation of images on stones and discussing ethnographic and cultural landscapes created by prehistoric occu-
Joan E. Price with a stone covered with prehistoric petroglyphs at Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. (Courtesy Photo) pants. Participants also will have a rare chance to view a solar alignment of a thin shaft of light casting across a well-made metamorphic figure that takes place at this time of the year. Several petroglyph experts have noted the strong visual and thematic relationship between
the Mimbres iconography on the famed prehistoric Southwestern pottery styles and a style of petroglyphs at Three Rivers. Tour participants will see several Mimbres style glyphs and are encouraged to study some Mimbres style paintings before they come to learn the two different media applications — beautiful clay bowls and rugged stone facades. Participants should take a broad brim hat and sunglasses, sunscreen, long sleeve shirts, long pants, sturdy walking boots, water and light snacks/ lunch. There will be a lunch break under shade about half way through the day. Remember that directional compasses are distorted by the iron content in the surface and will need to be compensated for and photography can be challenging due to the contrast of light and dark on each image. Call the hosts at Three Rivers Petroglyph Site for camping facilities and fees. For more information and reservations (required), call Price at 575-5854983.
JOUSTING
continued from page 12 Jousting in days of old could certainly result in fatalities or severe injuries, the goal was to strike the opponent with the lance and even knock the other knight from his horse. The knights of the Order of Epona work hard to keep it safe for horse and rider while making it exciting for the audience. “The knights will fall off from the force of the hit or a staged fall from time to time,” Johnson said. “But they are well padded and have protective gear. Learning how to fall is also key. It is an extreme sport and one does know that before entering the list. With that said,
any equestrian sport can be dangerous; it’s literally the nature of the beast.” The horses used by the Order of Epona are not your average riding horses. These are large, sturdy steeds capable of carrying a fully-armored knight into battle. Johnson said they use Shires and Gypsy Cobs, both draft horse breeds most people rarely see in person. Think of a horse about the size of the Budweiser Clydesdales and you’ll be on the right track. While the humans get to choose to do this exciting work, the horses are chosen. Do they enjoy it, too?
“Miss Brina, Sir Ronan’s black Shire mare, loves to joust,” Johnson said. “She will give the other horses dirty looks and will put her shoulder in the hit.” Horses and riders will line up opposite each other on their own sides of the list, or barrier, and charge at high speed, with lances at the ready. That’s the moment when all their training and preparation will pay off, with only one knight being proclaimed the winner. “Giving people an experience, happy memories, smiles and cheers — that’s why we do what we do,” Johnson said.
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14 • NOVEMBER 2016
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ARTS EXPOSURE
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Alaska Mudhead Studio-Gallery, 371 Camino de Vento in Wind Canyon. By appointment, Letha Cress Woolf, potter, 907-783-2780. Ann Simonsen Studio-Gallery, 104 W. Yankie St., 654- 5727. [a]SP.“A”©E, 110 W. Seventh St., 538-3333, aspace.studiogallery@gmail.com. Azurite Gallery, 110 W. Broadway, 538-9048, Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. www.azuritegallery.com. Barbara Nance Gallery & Stonewalker Studio, 105 Country Road, 534-0530. By appointment. Stone, steel, wood and paint. Sculpture path. www.barbaraNanceArt.com. Blue Dome Gallery, 307 N. Texas, 534-8671. Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. www.bluedomegallery.com. The Cliffs Studio & Gallery, 205 N. Lyon St. and Yankie, (520) 622-0251. Diane Kleiss’ encaustic multimedia art. By appointment. doart2@yahoo.com, www. dianealdrichkleiss.com. Common Ground, 102 W. Kelly, 534-2087. Open by chance or appointment. Copper Quail Gallery, 211-A Texas St., corner of Yankie and Texas streets, 388-2646. Open every day, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Fine arts and crafts. Cow Trail Art Studio, 119 Cow Trail in Arenas Valley. Monday, 12-3 p.m. or by appointment, (706) 533-1897, www. victoriachick.com. Dragonfly Studio, 508 W 6th St., 388-8646. By appointment. . Francis McCray Gallery, 1000 College Ave., WNMU, 538-6517. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Glasserie Studio and Store, 106 E. College, Monday to Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Guadalupe’s, 505 N. Bullard, 535-2624. Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Hutchings Fine Art, 406 B N. Bullard, Downtown Silver City. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 313-6939. Leyba & Ingalls Arts, 315 N. Bullard St., 388-5725. Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Contemporary art ranging from realism to abstraction in a variety of media. www. LeybaIngallsARTS.com, LeybaIngallsART@ zianet.com. Lois Duffy Art Studio, 211C N. Texas, 5340822. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Original paintings, cards and prints. www.loisduffy. com, loisduffy@signalpeak.net. Lumiere Editions, 108 W. Broadway, 956-6369. Vintage and contemporary photography. Monday to Friday. Mary’s Fine Art, 414 E. 21st St., 956-7315. Mary A. Gravelle. Mimbres Region Arts Council Gallery, Wells Fargo Bank Bldg., 1201 N. Pope St. www. mimbresarts.org. Molly Ramolla Gallery & Framing, 203 N. Bullard, 538- 5538. www.ramollaart.com. Ol’ West Gallery & Mercantile, 104 W. Broadway, 388- 1811/313-2595. Daily 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The Place@108, 108 Yankie Street. Seedboat Gallery, 214 W. Yankie St., 534- 1136. Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. or by appointment. info@ seedboatgallery.com. Studio Behind the Mountain, 23 Wagon Wheel Lane, 388- 3277. By appointment. www.jimpalmerbronze.com. The StudioSpace, 109 N. Bullard St., 5349291. www.jessgorell.com. Studio Upstairs, 109 N. Bullard St., 574-2493. By appointment. 21 Latigo Trail, 388-4557. Works by Barbara Harrison and others. Soul River Gallery, 200 N. Bullard St., 707490-4367. Tree Spirit Gallery, 206 N. Bullard St., 303888-1358. Vibrations Gallery, 106 W. Yankie St., 6544384, starxr@ usa.net. Wild West Weaving, 211-D N. Texas, 313-1032, www.wildwestweaving.com. Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wind Canyon Studio, 11 Quail Run off Hwy. 180 mile marker 107, 574- 2308, 619-933-8034. Louise Sackett. Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and by appointment. Wynnegate Gallery & Studio, 1105 W. Market St., (214) 957-3688. Monday and Thursday to Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday 11:45 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment. Yankie St. Artist Studios, 103 W. Yankie St., 519-0615. By appointment. Zoe’s Gallery, 305 N. Cooper St., 654-4910.
Pinos Altos
Pinos Altos Art Gallery-Hearst Church Gallery, 14 Golden Ave. Pinos Altos, 574-2831. Open late-April to early October. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Mimbres
Chamomile Connection, 3918 Highway
35N, 536-9845. Lynnae McConaha. By appointment. Kate Brown Pottery and Tile, HC 15 Box 1335, San Lorenzo, 536-9935, katebrown@ gilanet.com, www.katebrownpottery.com. By appointment. Narrie Toole, Estudio de La Montura, 3137390, www.narrietoole.com. Contemporary western oils, giclées and art prints. By appointment.
Bayard
Kathryn Allen Clay Studio, 601 Erie St., 5373332. By appointment.
Cliff
Gila River Artisans Gallery, 8409 Hwy. 180. Eclectic collection of local artists. Friday to Sunday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Northern Grant County & Catron County Casitas de Gila, 50 Casita Flats Road, Gila, 535-4455. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. or by appointment. gallery@ casitasdegila. com, www.galleryatthecasitas. com.
Mesilla
Adobe Patio Gallery, 1765 Avenida de Mercado (in the Mesilla Mercado), 532-9310. Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Galeri Azul, Old Mesilla Plaza, 523-8783. Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Galeria on the Plaza, 2310 Calle de Principal, 526-9771. Daily 10 am.-6 p.m. Galería Tepín, 2220 Calle de Parian, 523-3988. Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery, 2470 Calle de Guadalupe, 522-2933. Daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Potteries, 2260 Calle de Santiago, 5240538. Rokoko, 1785 Avenida de Mercado, 405-8877.
Las Cruces
Alegre Gallery, 920 N Alameda Blvd., 5230685. Azure Cherry Gallery & Boutique, 330 E. Lohman Ave., 291-3595. Wednesday to Thursday 12-5 p.m., Friday to Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Blue Gate Gallery, 4901 Chagar (intersection of Valley and and Taylor roads), open by calling 523-2950. Casa Blanka Home Décor & More, 1615 N. Solano, Ste. C, 575-526-5272. Charles Inc., 1885 W Boutz Rd, 523-1888, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Cottonwood Gallery, 275 N. Downtown Mall (Southwest Environmental Center), 5225552. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Cutter Gallery, 2640 El Paseo,541-0658. Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Galerie Accents, 344 S. San Pedro #3, 5223567. Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Griggs & Reymond, 504 W. Griggs Ave., 5248450, Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Justus Wright Galeria, 266 W. Court Ave., 526-6101, jud@delvalleprintinglc.com. Las Cruces Arts Association, Community Enterprise Center Building, 125 N. Main St. www.lacrucesarts.org. Las Cruces Museum of Art, 491 N. Main St., 541-2137. Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Main Street Gallery, 311 N. Downtown Mall, 647-0508. Tuesday to Friday. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Mesquite Art Gallery, 340 N. Mesquite St., 640-3502. Thursday to Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. 2-5 p.m. M. Phillip’s Fine Art Gallery, 221 N. Main St., 525-1367. MVS Studios, 535 N. Main, Stull Bldg., 6355015, www. mvsstudios.com. New Dimension Art Works, 615 E. Piñon, 373-0043. New Mexico Art, 121 Wyatt Dr., Suite 1, 525-8292/649- 4876. Wednesday 1-6 p.m., Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. NMSU Art Gallery, Williams Hall, University Ave. east of Solano, 646-2545. Tuesday to Sunday Nopalito’s Galeria, 326 S. Mesquite. Friday to Sunday, 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Ouida Touchön Studio, 1200 N. Reymond St., 635-7899. By appointment. ouida@ ouidatouchon.com, www.ouidatouchon. com. Quillin Studio and Gallery, behind downtown Coas Books, 312-1064. Monday to Thursday and Saturday. Tombaugh Gallery, Unitarian Universalist Church, 2000 S. Solano, 522-7281. Wednesday to Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or by appointment. Unsettled Gallery & Studio, 905 N. Mesquite, 635-2285. Virginia Maria Romero Studio, 4636 Maxim Court, 644-0214. By appointment. agzromero@zianet.com, www. virginiamariaromero.com.
Deming
Deming Arts Center, 100 S. Gold St., 5463663. Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Gold Street Gallery, 112-116 S. Gold St., 5468200. Open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Call first to be sure they are open. Orona Art Studio, 546-4650. By appointment. lyntheoilpainter@gmail.com, www.lynorona. com. Reader’s Cove Used Books & Gallery, 200 S. Copper, 544-2512. Monday to Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Photography by Daniel Gauss. Studio LeMarbe, 4025 Chaparral SE, 5447708.
Rodeo
Chiricahua Gallery, 5 Pine St., 557-2225. Open daily except Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hillsboro
Barbara Massengill Gallery, 894-9511/8953377, open weekends and by appointment.
Chloride
Monte Cristo, Wall St., 734-0493, montecristogallery@windstream.net. Daily 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Ruidoso
Art Ruidoso Gallery, 575-808-1133, www. artruidoso.com, 2809 Sudderth Drive. The Adobe, 2905 Sudderth Dr., 257-5795. Monday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dizzy Lizard Tile, 254 Hwy. 532, 336-4061. Hand sculpted and painted tile. Call first. DJ’s Jewelry, 618 Carrizo Canyon Rd., 630-1514. Monday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Specializing in turquoise, Native American traditional, New Mexican contemporary and estate jewelry. Earth-N-Stone, 2117 Sudderth Dr., Ste. 14, 257-2768., 808-1157. Pottery studio/gallery of Alan Miner. Gazebo Potters, 2117 Sudderth Dr. #7, 8081157. Pottery classes, workshops, wheel time, kiln firing, works by local potters. Josie’s Framery, 2917 Sudderth Dr., 2574156. Framing, gallery representing regional artists and photographers. LongCoat Fine Art, 2825 Sudderth Dr. (at Mechem), 257-9102. Monday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Contemporary Masters and historical works of art. Burnett Interiors showroom. Mountain Arts, 2530 Sudderth Dr., 257-9748, www.mountainartsgallery.com. Daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tanner Tradition, 624 Sudderth Dr., 257-8675. Monday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Quality Native American art and jewelry. Thunder Horse Gallery, 200 Mechem Dr., Ste. 1, 257-3989. info@thunderhorsegallery.com. Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m.-5p.m. Bronze sculpture by Rory Combs, Sarinova Glass and fine art. The White Dove, 2825 Sudderth Dr. #A (at Mechem), 866-257-6609, www. thewhitedove2825.com. Daily, 9:30 a.m-4 p.m. Authentic Native American jewelry and artifacts. Kenneth Wyatt Galleries of Ruidoso, 2205 Sudderth Dr., 257-1529, www.kennethwyatt. com. Fine art by the Wyatt family.
Ruidoso Downs
Pinon Pottery, MM. 26465 Hwy. 70, 937-0873, 937-1822, www.pinonpottery.com. Pottery by Vicki Conley and other area artists, fine art by Anita Keegan and Virgil Stephens.
Alamogordo
Creative Designs Custom Framing & Gallery, 575-434-4420, 917 New York Ave. Patron’s Hall/Flickinger Center for Performing Arts, 575-434-2202, 1110 New York Ave.
Tularosa
Red Door Gallery and Gifts, 575-491-5100, 1201 St. Francis Drive. Thursday to Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
Carrizozo
Heart of the Raven, 415 Twelfth St., 9377459, www.JudyPekelsmacom. Functional and decorative pottery, classes.
Lincoln
Old Lincoln Gallery, across from Visitor’s Center in Lincoln, 653-4045. Coffee bar featuring 45 New Mexico artists. Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
San Patricio
Hurd La Rinconada, MM 281 Hwy. 70, 653-4331, www.wyethartists.com. Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Works by Peter Hurd, Henriette Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, N.C. Wyeth and resident artist, Michael Hurd.
White Oaks
White Oaks Pottery, 445 Jicarilla Rd. (3 miles past White Oaks), 648-2985. Daily 10 a.m-5 p.m. Porcelain pottery by Ivy Heymann. Submit gallery information to Desert Exposure, 1740-A Calle de Mercado, Las Cruces, NM, 88005, email editor@ desertexposure.com.
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 15
ARTS EXPOSURE
From advent candles to zebra masks, gifts large
Arts Scene
and small, inspirational and playful, we have
something for all of your holiday gift-giving needs.
Upcoming area art happenings SILVER CITY
505 N. Bullard • Thurs. – Sat., 10 - 4
575-535-2624
SEEING: Inside/Outside JO THOMAS
These are just two of the multiple works available at Holly Day House Nov. 19 and 20 with the Artists of Picacho Hills.
LAS CRUCES Artists of Picacho Hills will hold its seventh annual “Holly Day House,” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 19 and 20 at the commercial plaza in Picacho Hills. Twenty artists will display their work, including jewelry, painting, photography, glass, metal and wood sculpture, gourd carving and fiber art, all of which will be available for purchase. The event is free to the public and features a Treasure Chest Raffle that provides chances to win artwork donated by the artists. Proceeds will be donated to the Mesilla Valley Hospice. To get there take Interstate 10 to Exit 139 and turn North onto Motel Blvd. Continue on Motel Blvd. to the second light and turn left onto Picacho Ave. Take Picacho Ave. to the 2nd light and turn right onto Picacho Hills Drive. The commercial plaza is .6 miles further on the right hand side and will be marked by red flags.
DEMING November 2016 at the Deming Art Center is the annual “Recycle Show,” sponsored by Keep Luna County Beautiful. Featured are pieces of art made from 90 percent recycled materials, and crafted by artists from 1-100 years of age. Intake will be Tuesday, Nov. 1, and the show will run from Nov. 2-29. An Artists reception will be held from 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 6. For more information visit www. demingarts.org or call 575-546-3663. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. For more information call 575-546-3663, or visit www.demingarts.org.
ALAMOGORDO Creative Designs Custom Framing & Gallery features photographer Armando Rhoades with “Images of New Mexico” during the month of November. Photography has been a hobby of Rhoades since his early teenage years. A reception for Rhoades and his works will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18 at the gallery, 917 New York Ave. in Alamogordo. For information call 575-434-4420.
This print by Armando Rhoades is only the beginning of Images of New Mexico, on display at Creative Designs Custom Framing & Gallery in Alamogordo.
CLOUDCROFT The Cloudcroft Art Society is holding a Holiday art and craft show through November and December. CAS invites browsers to the village of Cloudcroft in the Sacramento Mountains any Saturday during the months of November and December to browse lovely art and craft gift items on display in the CAS gallery. The show is open on Saturdays, and other days like Fridays and Sundays as shown by signs outside, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., inside the historic Red Brick Schoolhouse Building at the intersection of Burro and Swallow streets.
past year, including you, our wonderful customers!
Happy Thanksgiving from Nora, Arlan, and Andrew
The Holiday Fiber Art Sale will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Nov. 26, at the Silver City Woman’s Club, 411 Silver Heights Blvd. is sponsored by the Southwest Women’s Fiber Arts Collective. Nearly 20 members of the collective will be have booths with handmade, high-quality items including weavings, knits, hand painted silks, quilts, wall hangings, tapestry weavings, fiber art tools and more. For more information visit www.fiberartscollective.org. Copper Quail Gallery presents “SEEING: Inside/ Outside,” the mixed media assemblages and modern mosaics by local artist Jo Thomas. Thomas has created her new collection of works as an invitation to look at the possibilities within ourselves, and to imagine and explore Jo Thomas creates colthe worlds we may orful yard art as well as be missing. The smaller pieces. Her work show runs from Nov. is featured at the Copper 1 - 29, with an openQuail in Silver City for ing reception and November. refreshments from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5. The Copper Quail can be found at 211-A N. Texas St. in Silver City. New gallery hours at the Copper Quail are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.
We Give heartfelt thanks for all of our blessings of the
Mixed Media
a new collection Reception with refreshments Saturday, Nov 5th 1:00-5:00 SHOW DATES: NOV 1-29
Copper Quail Gallery
211 A N. Texas-Corner of Texas and Yankie in Silver City • OPEN EVERY DAY 11–4 • 575-388-2646
FABULOUSE HOLIDAY SALE NOVEMBER 1ST THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, 2016
10-15% 15% OFF ALL ART & JEWLERY
MOLLY RAMOLLA GALLERY ORIGINALS PRINTS SCULPTURES
CORINNE’S RARE GEMS & FINE JEWELRY
HANDCRAFTED UNIQUE GIFTS Works by W. Bruce Stanford, Jacob Carpenter and Mary Beagle are part of the November Mesquite Art Gallery show in Las Cruces. The Mesquite Art Gallery, 340 N. Mesquite St. is hosting a special sculpture exhibit featuring W. Bruce Sanford, Jacob Carpenter, Mary Beagle and Ben Hoffacker. A reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 and includes demonstrations of cast modeling with Sanford and bottle cap art with Carpenter. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery located at 2470-A Calle de Guadalupe, Mesilla, across from the Fountain Theatre, features two local artists, Arlene J. Tugel and Sylvia Hendrickson for November. Tugel likes the pure, glowing color that can be achieved with watercolor, her preferred medium. Hendrickson’s love for gourds occurred when she moved to the Las Cruces area in 2007. Her technique includes carving and wood burning, using dyes, inks, paints, beads, feathers and leather with a variety of other natural products. The gallery will hold a reception from 1 to 4 p.m. on Nov. 12
203 N Bullard St Silver City NM
575-538-5538 OPEN Tues. - Sat., 10 - 5
VICTORIA CHICK
‘Gathering Courage, She Was Almost Ready’ 40” x 44” acrylic
COW TRAIL ART STUDIO # 29 in the RED DOT ART GUIDE www.victoriachick.com
16 • NOVEMBER 2016
www.desertexposure.com
Call for Artists Aa Studios, located at 2645 Doña Ana Road in Las Cruces, is calling for regional artists to exhibit in 2017. The 17’ x 25’ studio/gallery features fine contemporary art in all media from regional emerging artists and artists with limited local gallery representation. Owner Roy van der Aa opened his working studio as a gallery in August 2012 and participates in the North Valley Art Loop openings every 3 months. One-month or two-month slots are currently available taking either 2 feature walls or the whole gallery. The gallery has posted hours 3 days per month and is open by appointment the rest of the month. There is no fee to apply or show, but the gallery takes a 20 percen commission on work sold. Shows include advertising and postcards are available at cost. A floorplan of the gallery is available. Interested artists can email a proposal, short artist bio, resumé, and 8 jpeg images (4” on the longest edge at 150 dpi) to wysiwyg@zianet.com. Proposals are due by Nov. 15. For details, email or call 1-575-520-8752.
Calling all Fiber Artists! Would you like to exhibit and sell your fiber art? Join the Southwest Women’s Fiber Arts Collective! visit us at www.fiberartscollective.org
An que and Collec ble 19th and 20th Century Original Prints and Drawings
American ar sts and ar sts of New Mexico
Arlene Tugel’s watercolors and Sylvia Hendrickson’s gourds are featured at the Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery in Las Cruces. for “Rush for the Holidays,” there will be refreshments, live music and artists demonstrations. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Sunday. For information, call 575-522-2933 or visit www.mesillavalleyfinearts.com. El Paso Electric Gallery Artist of the Month, Ruth Drayer, is featured for November. Drayer’s work is non-objective. She is painting color and color relationships, and has developed her own technique. Rather than beginning with an idea, she textures her blank canvas with a gel or compound, paints on a sacred symbol or word, and then works to conceal it. Sometimes something recognizable appears as she paints, other times, the work is simply a harmony of color. Every month the Doña Ana Arts Council welcomes local artists to exhibit in the El Paso Electric Gallery in the lobby of the Rio Grande Theatre. Regular exhibit hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, or to book an exhibit, call the Arts Council offices during regular working hours at 575-523-6403. The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Main
www.victoriachick.com
Arizona Landscape by Gerry Pierce, etching
Cow Trail Art Studio 119 Cow Trail, Arenas Valley, NM Noon - 3 Monday or by appt.
Linda Gendell’s Green Peppers is one of many artworks at an invitational show and sale held at the Quesenberry Farmhouse Nov. 26 and 27 near Las Cruces. Street, Las Cruces. The Quesenberry Farmhouse Show and Sale takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 26 and 27 at the Quesenberry Farmhouse Gallery. This invitational event features the artwork of Bonnie Mandoe, Arlene Tugel, Hand in Hand Jewelers, Jeri Derochers, Judy Licht, Linda Gendell, Linda Hagen, Mary Zawacki, Nancy Begin and Rhonda Winters. See website for directions, www.
“SOUTHSIDER”
Seedboat Gallery / Flower and Flourish 214 W.Yankie St. • Silver City, NM seedboatgallery.com
Spend Saturday in Silver City Studio open to the public Sa Saturdays from 10 to 4 pm 1 o or by calling (57 (575) 313-9631 St to
Open Thanksgiving Weekend 211-C N Texas St., Silver City www.loisduffy.com
The Las Cruces Arts Association features Brittainy Barnes as November Artist of the Month. Barnes considers herself a “Jane-of-allTrades” when it comes Brittainy Barnes is to artistic mediums. Her the Las Cruces Arts Association Artist of preferred wet mediums the Month and her are watercolor and India work can be found ink; dry mediums condisplayed at downsist of graphite pencil town events in Las and colored pencil. She Cruces. enjoys fiber arts, including dying and spinning fiber and knitting. Barnes’s works will be featured at the First Friday Downtown Ramble from 5 to 7 p.m., Nov. 4, and at the second Wednesday Market, Nov. 9 and the third Saturday Market, Nov. 19, in downtown Las Cruces at the Community Enterprise Center next to the Bistro Ale House. For more information contact Jack LeSage 575 532-1046 or jacklsg1@gmail.com. The art show at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces brings viewers close up to some of history’s most iconic Native American leaders. Santa Fe artist Narrie Toole’s paintings pay tribute to Native American culture, spirituality and leadership. The 16 oil paintings – some on canvas and some on linen – are large, several of them 36 inches by 60 inches. They are bold and intense. The show will be in the Museum’s Arts Corridor through Dec. 4. For information, call 575522-4100. The Museum is located at 4100 Dripping Springs Road in Las Cruces. After three years Julie Ford Oliver is ready for another one woman show. Her new show at M. Phillip’s Gallery in Las Cruces is called “Bird Feather Egg Nest.” The show opens during Art Ramble from 5 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 4. Oliver will also hold a painting demonstration at 10 a.m. at the gallery on Saturday, Nov. 12. The gallery is located at 221 N. Main Street in Las Cruces. For information call 575-525-1367 or visit www.mphillipsgallery.com.
CHRIS ALVAREZ
Open Wed–Sat 11-4 pm and by appointment
Science and the Zuhl Collection” exhibition, which is on display through Dec. 21 at the University Art Gallery. “NEOMAGIC,” the student show, features 12 art works created by undergraduates and graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Exhibiting artists include Jennifer Abeyta, Debbie Jo Baxter, Maggie Day, Felicia Castro, Rachel Cover, Joshua Flores, Eva Flynn, Carissa Staples and Lara Teich. Show hours are from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 5 p.m. on the second Saturday of the month at the Zuhl Museum inside the Alumni and Visitors Center. For information, visit zuhlmuseum.nmsu. edu, or call 575-646-4714. The University Art Gallery is located in D.W. Williams Hall. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Designated gallery parking is available. For more information about the University Art Gallery and its upcoming programs, visit uag.nmsu.edu/upcoming/.
“Encounters,” a digital print by Jonathan Marquis is part of the “Walking on Ice,” exhibition at the Tombaugh Gallery in Las Cruces. bonniemandoe.com. An opening reception for Jonathan Marquis’s exhibition “Walking on Ice” will be held 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, in the Tombaugh Gallery, in the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2000 S. Solano Ave. The show runs through the end of November. Through sensorial encounters with glaciers in remote wilderness areas, Jonathan Marquis, in his work, seeks the threads that link nature and culture, and wonders about the impacts that remote glacial bodies have on the imagination. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. For information call 575-650-5440. “NEOMAGIC: 2016 Zuhl Student Exhibition” is open at the Zuhl Museum at New Mexico State University. The exhibition is focused on spirituality, technology and the natural environment from a student perspective. “NEOMAGIC” is a student show running in conjunction with the “GEOMAGIC: Art,
Artist Carrie Greer will demonstrate creating batik on paper on Sunday, Nov. 20 at the Las Cruces Arts Association NovemJulie Ford Oliver’s show “Bird Feather Egg Nest,” ber Meeting. The can be found at the M. process involves Phillip’s Gallery in Las applying hot wax Cruces. to brown paper or rice paper. To apply the wax a Tjuanting, Tjap, or brush is used. To apply the media: brushes, crayons, watercolor pencils, watercolors, pastels, markers, colored pencils whatever you like to create the effect you wish to achieve. When the work is completed the wax is ironed out between sheets of newsprint. It is possible to continue to embellish the piece after the wax has been ironed out. The business meeting is at 1:30 p.m. and the demo begins at 2 p.m. at the Art on Easels Gallery, 125 N. Main St. in the Community Enterprise Center next to the Bistro. Visitors and new members welcome. Las Cruces Arts Association can be found on Facebook and at www.lascrucesarts.org.
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 17
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Wilson explaining the backstage at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. (Photo by Lisa Maue)
1338 Picacho Hills Drive - in the Commercial Plaza
CREATING THE STAGE ï LISA MAUE
Designing Theater Spaces Some steal scenes, Wilson creates them
T
heater Consultant R. Duane Wilson of La Luz has spent much of his life in the center of things. At different times and in different places, he worked under two very different brothers and he studied under two renowned designers whose theories could not be more extreme. In his own career as a theater consultant, Wilson has been at the nexus of art and science, technology and craft. Wilson always wanted to be an engineer. He caught the theater bug after seeing the play “Once Upon a Mattress” with Imogene Coca in El Paso when he was still in high school. The two interests coalesced at New Mexico State University where, while studying electrical engineering, Wilson met the legendary theater designer James Hull Miller, who specialized in building inexpensive, low-tech theaters. Among Miller’s advancements were large open stages, a steeply raked audience space so everyone had a good sight line, projected background images and self-standing two-sided scenery that could be used over and over and yet folded up for transport. “Miller’s epiphany was department store windows where if you wanted to say ‘France,’ you’d pose mannequins with berets and put in an Eiffel Tower prop,” Wilson explained. “It was a simple way to suggest an elaborate scene.” After graduating college, Wilson worked at White Sands Missile Range. In 1970, Major General Frank Izenour from Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland came to New Mexico for an inspection. That same year, Wilson enrolled at the Yale School of Drama where he began his long relationship with George Izenour, the major general’s brother and inventor of the first
electronic dimming system for theater lighting, and more than 27 other patents that brought automation to the often physical jobs that required several people maneuvering around each other backstage. The Izenour system, developed in an abandoned squash court at Yale, allowed one person sitting at a console at the rear of the theater to control all the lights. Izenour went on to develop a winch system to easily move scenery and lifts that controlled massive walls, transforming a large theater space into smaller, more intimate areas. Izenour’s concept of multiuse theaters revolutionized theater design during the 1960s and 1970s. While building several dedicated spaces for opera, symphony, drama and ballet is an ideal situation, Izenour saw that this model was quickly becoming outdated. The space and funds needed to build separate dedicated buildings would swamp the financial capabilities of even large cities. Even if initially funded, once built, these facilities would need to be booked constantly in order just to break even. Furthermore, building such specialized structures belies the fact that each community has its own needs, often defined by a home town institution or group of individuals. On the other hand, skimping on expenses and/or using a one-size-fits-all space to present more than one art form undermines both the ability of the performer to give a nuanced performance while forcing the audience to strain forward to hear or being blasted back in their seats by a too-loud orchestra. Izenour understood the space must be designed collaboratively to take into account the needs of performers and the
Artists of Picacho Hills Holly Day House Saturday & Sunday, November 19 & 20, 10am - 4pm
expectations of the audience and that it must be done economically. Rather than making performers adapt to the space, the space should adapt to the performance. To that end, he brought together architects, engineers and theater consultants. Together, a team would design seating arrangements and walls that moved. Combinations could be created transforming a 2,500-seat opera house into a 900-seat drama theater or a 350seat recital hall into a theater in the round. The key was technology and Duane Wilson, the electrical engineer and theater enthusiast, was to play an important part to make sure this type of building worked. One of the first projects Wilson worked on after graduating Yale and working for George Izenour Associates (he was to become a partner in the mid1990s) was the Edwin Thomas Performing Arts Hall at the University of Akron in Ohio. Caudill, Rowlett and Scott of Houston and Dalton, Van Dijk, Johnson and Partners of Cleveland were the architects on the 125,000-square foot hall that opened in 1973. The poured concrete 3,000seat concert hall incorporates steel — a favorite material of Izenour due to its easy fabrication, price and acoustic properties. The ceiling, made up of steel panels, weighs 44 tons and, at two pounds a square foot, is able to reflect and manipulate sound waves and even regulate volume. The panels themselves can be folded down to cut off a flying balcony and/or grand tier that are suspended by 10 miles of steel cables. Wilson designed all the control systems for the movable ceiling. “Removing a balcony elim-
THEATER
continued on page 19
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THE CHROMATIC SCALE ï MARTY RACINE
The Monthy Jam Out of the digital world
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pastel sunset warmed the evening of Oct. 3, but it was a Stormy Monday inside the Warehouse, formerly Hurricane Alley, tucked into a weathered Las Cruces shopping center. Some blues guys (Blues Messiah, etc.), some country guys (Tom Foster Morris) — singers, string-benders, horn- and reed-blowers, skin-pounders and piano-ticklers — were stomping through another monthly First Monday jam. The jam is a byproduct of the Mesilla Valley Musicians Guild, which formed on Facebook four years ago, creator and drummer Dave Jacko says, as a place to network within the Cruces musical community, a place to find fellow travelers. Members (currently numbering around 1,200) share videos, promote gigs and CDs, barter equipment and solicit help in forming bands. Several months later, the original guilders, most of them longtime friends, agreed to emerge from the digital world into the flesh. Hubbard’s Music, a 37-year Cruces institution on Wyatt Drive, hosted an inaugural meeting. “We were all just talking on Facebook one day,” store owner Dru Hubbard recalls, “and Will Sadler (KW Sound) brought up, ‘Hey, why don’t we just get this club together and start supporting
Mike Baker, David Jacko, Barrick Jacko, Chris Baker & Travis James Manning play together during a recent open jam. (Courtesy Photo)
each other and have a meet-andgreet and, oh yeah, play a bit, have an open jam.’ They asked me about it and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s just come here and do it.’ “ The response was overwhelming. “There were probably 40 people in this store. After hours, I was sitting there going, ‘Yeah, this isn’t going to work here, so let’s find a venue.’ ” Hurricane Alley manager Scott Guthrie offered his club — a 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. slot on Mondays, before the late-night karaoke. The bar had a high stage, lights and a sound system installed several years earlier. Hubbard’s would supply the backline (amps, drums). Players just needed to bring their instrument. “You’ve got to have some kind of structure,” Hubbard said. “There’s not going to be 10 guitar players bringing in 10 different amps. I wanted to make it easy for everybody, not to have to set up their
rig. You’ve got to keep it revolving.” Hubbard’s role was crucial, Jacko said. “Without Dru [the guild] would just be a Facebook page that people talked on.” They considered a weekly jam but settled on once-a-month, Hubbard said. “You don’t want to burn people out. This way, people look forward to doing this, instead of, ‘Oh, I’ll skip this one and go next week.’ “ The guild also launched a monthly Saturday band showcase at the Cane, as regulars called it, but it was discontinued. “It was just too much,” Jacko said. In December 2014 Hurricane Alley was sold, and the new owners, two married couples, rebranded it as the Warehouse. Check it out: garage doors, corrugated metal, black cinderblock walls, an industrial vibe. Yep.
JAM
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Finn’s Gallery
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Nov Upcoming Events • • • • •
Nov. 1 Toddler Tuesday Class 10:30 -12:00 Nov. 2 Wee Ones Wednesday Class 10:30-12:00 Nov. 5 Open Mic fo Music Poetry 5:00-7:00 Nov. 19 Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest 10:00-5:00 Nov. 26 Small Business Saturday Open House Reception 2:00-4:00
Call or email for more info 406-790-0573 finns406bullard@gmail.com
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 19
It’s Not Too Early!!
THEATER
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continued from page 17 inates 600 seats, so now you have a 2,400 seat theater for musicals and operas,” said Wilson. “Then the ceiling can come down even further and cut off another balcony for an 800 seat theater for drama.” In the lobby, 27 chrome-plated well casings filled with lead and weighing in excess of 40 tons act as counterweights for the ceiling. Despite and because of the weight, the winch system that control the panels are designed so separate rigging systems move a more reasonable three or four thousand pound load, accomplished in about 15 minutes. In addition to housing the counterweights, the lobby was also designed as a space in-andof-itself. “People don’t appreciate the value of lobbies. They can be used not only to hold people before the show but for shows themselves, for weddings and all that helps make money to pay for overhead,” said Wilson, reiterating Izenour’s commitment to the improvisation of buildings and the need for economic feasibility. Wilson’s long-time experience in building new, highly complex structures makes him particularly sensitive to the role of economic highs and lows. “From the 1960s to the 1990s, there were 4- or 5- or 6-year cycles of boom and bust,” Wilson said. “That is about how long it takes to build a theater. So we’d start at end of a boom when the funding was in place and we’d be working in a bust. When the theater was ready, the economy would be back in a boom. Today those cycles are longer and more drawn out, so you need to plan a space what will be used in future. You can be assured that someone will adapt it. It is your job to make it as easy for them as possible.” Ironically, Wilson faced the frustration of modifying an existing structure firsthand on one of his own projects — the Akron hall. “They wanted to put in a door
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Counterweights in lobby of E.J. Thomas Hall. (Courtesy/Margo E. Ohlson) leading to the outside. Imagine trying to cut through three feet of solid poured concrete to put in a door,” said Wilson, laughing. And yet the current trend of retrofitting old buildings so popular in small towns, including some in New Mexico, has its own challenges. Apart from having to re-engineer the visual and acoustic dynamics of the interior is the question of whether to save the historical integrity of the exterior and its often emotional ties to the community. “The secret is finding something to tie it into to make it relevant. We did a study for a little town in Maryland with multi-story buildings and a movie theater built in the 1940s or 1950s, just after the war, about two blocks from the city center,” he said. “They bought the buildings on either side, so they had added space. The idea was to restore the movie theater to its glory days which many people remembered. They wanted to add additional performing spaces on one side and offices and backstage support spaces on the other side. Given that the cabaret theater only operated on weekends, they wanted a way to generate income during down times. “We suggested to them fast food franchises and to put them all in one place. The food court could then serve food Friday and Saturday evenings and lunch during the day for business people. That is an option
for a small town theater with an adjoining business district.” Wilson concedes that the days of building a Lincoln or Kennedy Center may be gone, even for large metropolitan areas. Similarly, the multi-use new performance center with its mechanized and electronic features may prove to be too cost prohibitive and, given the astounding speed of changes in computer systems and LED lighting, other formidable challenges and required upkeep may force small and middle-sized communities to turn their backs on a new structure in favor of an existing one, like an old movie theater. Ultimately it takes dedicated people who live and work in the area to define and make a burgeoning revival of a performance space or art district a success. “If you have the arts community support, you can then go and gradually develop an arts complex with separate facilities that meet the particular users’ needs in every way,” Wilson said. “Then again if all you are going to play is heavy metal, in the long run, it may not matter.” So, again, Wilson finds himself in the middle, an icon of an ambitious aesthetic idealism while having to consider more mundane economic trends, of taking into account the existing in thinking about the new as he designs for immediate, localized needs while drawing on his experience and memories of engineering designs for the future.
Opening October 8th 4pm– 6pm Pat Clayton Leff Dennis Weller Alan Cox (Late) Leonard Leff WED — SAT 11 – 4
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One of the many wilderness area in New Mexico, the Gila welcomes visitors to explore the wild places of the state. (Photo by Nathan Newcomer)
ON THE SHELF ELVA K. ÖSTERREICH
Pick Up a Passport to the Wilderness
C
LOOKING FOR
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Holiday TRADITIONS . D
oes your family eat strange things in December? Do you celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas in a unique fashion? Please share with us your personal and family traditions, recipes, stories and/or photos to be included in the December 2016 issue of Desert Exposure. We want to reflect the special nature of our readers by sharing their happening holidays in our “Biggest little newspaper in the Southwest.”
To submit, send items by Nov. 7 to: editor@desertexposure.com Desert Exposure 1740-A Calle de Mercado Las Cruces, NM 88005
or
reating a yearly booklet of hikes and essays several years ago, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA) shared the little publication with people looking for adventure. But pretty soon the product became obsolete too quickly. “It got to the point where the shelf-life was not very long,” said Nathan Newcomer, NMWA Gila grassroots organizer a former associate director. And he, and others in the group began work on a new product. Now “The Wild Guide Passport to New Mexico Wilderness” reflects the wild spaces of the state, providing descriptions, facts, maps and suggested hikes as well as photos by New Mexico photographers of those spaces. Newcomer has been with NMWA since April 2002 and still loves his job and the opportunity to spend so much time in the wild places of New Mexico. “It really showcases all of the New Mexico Wilderness Areas,” he said. “There is so much to see in New Mexico. In 14 years, I have not even been to all the areas. Newcomer said the book provides a snapshot of each of the areas, of which there are 76 in the book. “You have a really nice write-
up on each and each has a suggested hike,” he said. The Wild Guide is the only book that features each of the state’s designated wilderness areas and wilderness study area as well as other public lands treasures such as the Rio Grande del Norte and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks national monuments. New Mexico provides a wealth of opportunity for people to get out and encounter nature, Newcomer said. “Some people do encounter wild nature,” He said. “It’s the chance to be able to experience some of the last vestiges of wild nature — humbling. It’s a chance to see that mountain lion or bear cubs or just a clear stream.” To Newcomer the wilderness means freedom, he said. Freedom to enjoy nature, walk where you want, tent wherever you want and swim wherever you want. “You are free to have fun,” he said. “It is most gratifying for me to know that little hiking guide I developed when I was 21 or 22 has come to this. Hopefully people will be inspired to go experience wild nature.” The 255-page “Wild Guide” is priced at $19.95 and can be purchased online at www.nmwild. org and in stores across the state.
The Gila River carves its way in three forks through the Gila Wilderness. (Photo by Nathan Newcomer)
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 21
ARTS EXPOSURE
CW Ayon Performs at Buckhorn
C
ooper “CW” Ayon takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Buckhorn Opera House, in the scenic mountain town of Pinos Altos, just a 10-minute drive from Silver City. The Mimbres Region Arts Conference Indie/ Folk Series showcases unique and emerging talent that reflects the ever-expanding boundaries of the folk genre. With a simple kick/snare and tambourine setup CW Ayon lays down solid beats while picking out some catchy hooks on anything from acoustic to resonator guitars, sometimes dropping in a bit of harmonica for good measure, all the while building a sound and playing style that is deceptively larger than it seems. Ayon has lived in various places around New Mexico, but hails originally from Reserve. Since 2009, Ayon has released original albums under the Solitary Records label out of Chicago. He took a recording break in 2013, but recorded a live album from the Rio Grande Theatre and came back with Setting Son in 2014.
CW Ayon Ayon has Native American roots. His father, Pete Ayon, is southern Cheyenne and his mother, Linda Day, has a mix of Native blood coming from Oklahoma. Although he has indigenous roots and does his long black hair in braids, he does not mean for it to come through in his music, “…although some people swear they can hear it,” Ayon said. For more information on CW Ayon and to listen to his music visit: www.cwayon.com/. MRAC members can purchase tickets for $15, non-member tickets are $20, available online (http://mimbresarts.org/), and at the MRAC office in the Wells Fargo Bank building. For information call 575-538-2505, frontdesk@mimbresarts.org
JAM
continued from page 18 Cruces native Laurie Freilino, who now manages the bar and books the entertainment, reassured the guild of her desire to continue the jam. “Once they saw new ownership they got worried, but they decided to give us a chance,” she said. “They’re easy-going guys, we have such a good relationship.” “They’re artists, free-spirited, they like to enjoy things,” said her husband, John, who met Laurie at New Mexico State 28 years ago. Musician Kim Wollard monitors the signup sheet, Mace Priestley or Chris Heyser of KW Sound operate the soundboard, and musician Chris Wollard coordinates. “Chris does more than 50 percent of everything,” said Jacko, chief MC and schmoozer. “He’s the muscles, he sets the stage up. My job is way easier than his.” “He’s the one behind the scenes who I don’t think gets enough recognition,” Jacko’s wife, Sherri, said. “Without him, I don’t know what we would do.” But it’s a collaborative affair. No egos allowed. Whoever’s available pitches in. “Pretty much anybody who’s in there, when they see Chris drive up, us drive up, they come out and help us unload,” Sherri Jacko said. The music often plows the deep soil of the blues, a firmament many players intuitively understand, but all genres from jazz to metal, from bluegrass to experimental, are encouraged. “Everybody gets a chance to play and a chance to play what they want,” Hubbard said. “Doesn’t matter how good or bad you are, everybody is supportive. “I had a guy a couple years ago
say, ‘I know you bring the drums, but I really want to bring my drum set.’ OK, great. So we walk in there and he’s setting up his kit and it had to be, like, 20 pieces. We didn’t have any room on the rest of the stage. It was a double bass, a double-level rack with at least 10 cymbals, but he was all jazzed about showing it off. All the drummers were, like, ‘Yeah, it’d be fun to play on this.’“ Some players are professionals in business, education or medicine having a blast making noise again. Younger guys might be in fledgling bands eyeing a career in the biz. Underage musicians, too, are welcome; there’s a dedicated space for them separated from the bar. The jam has given birth to several bands. Regardless of how the lineup is mixed and matched, the goal is connecting to this amorphous entity we conjure as the Las Cruces music scene. “You get up onstage and start feeling other guys out, you say, ‘Yeah I’d love to play with this guy’ or, ’No, I don’t want to play with this guy,’ “ Hubbard said. On Nov. 7 whoever wants to connect will again have that opportunity. Marty Racine spent 22 years as a music critic for the Houston Chronicle. After leaving the Ruidoso News in 2011, he fell back in love with the guitar. Racine can be contacted at martyracine@hotmail.com; 575-973-4644.
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RANDOM ACTS OF NONSENSE ï JIM DUCHENE
One Dollar, One Vote
T
his should be an especially happy Thanksgiving for me. I plan on spending it celebrating my winning the presidency of the United States of America. “What do you mean?” I can hear you saying. “We haven’t seen you campaigning! We haven’t seen you fund raising! We haven’t even seen you on the debates! And why are we using so many exclamation
points?!” Please. That stuff’s for the 99 percent. As for paying for my historic run for office, I’m self-funding. How? Easy. I created an alternative energy car manufacturing company called Fisher Automotive, a beneficiary of President Obama’s green energy loan guarantee program, which
subsidized my company to the snap, crackle, pop of $529 million in stimulus money. Sadly, no one liked my balloon-powered cars, they were too ahead of their time. For every prototype sold, my company wasted $660,000 in tax dollars and private investment. Then I outsourced manufacturing to Finland, laid off my American workforce, declared bankruptcy, and diverted all
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the money to my presidential campaign. See? Easy. Ever since I’ve thrown my hat into the political ring, I’ve had people (mainly my inlaws) ask, “So, what are you going to do for ME?” Hey, I didn’t enter this race to line the pockets of greedy entitlement-mongers. I find that kind of pandering disgusting. No, I entered the race to line my own pockets, a time-honored tradition going back to the Biblical days of Adam, who, when requesting a mate, was told, “That will cost you one rib.” I’m not spilling any beans telling you our electoral process is broken. The corruption in our political system goes as far and as deep as, well, a really cool metaphor expressing distance and depth that I can’t seem to think of right now. “How do I fix it?” Obama — the man who once saved my life in — Nam--recently asked me. Unfortunately, I considered his question to be a conflict of interest, so I didn’t answer. You see, I was interested in being paid, and he was conflicted about paying me. Now that I think about it, he still owes me three ferrets and a cat since the time we orchestrated the fall of Saigon. My solution would solve two problems: 1) it solves the problem of paying down our $20 trillion dollar debt, 2) it solves the problem of getting voters to the voting booth, 3) it solves the problem of a stagnating economy, and 4) it solves the problem of voter inequality between the rich and the poor. “Hey! That’s FOUR solutions, not two.” No, my friends. That’s a preview of the Jim Duchene presidency, where I give you MORE than what I promise. What am I talking about? I’m talking about things like naming hurricanes after gangsta rappers. Like Hurricane Ghostface Killah, for example. Names that will scare people out of their homes and into safety. Not sissy names, like they give them now. I’m talking about inventing a machine that converts a person’s personal fat into electricity to power household appliances. I’m talking about charging one dollar per vote. The dollar of a poor man is of equal value to the dollar of a rich man, a rich man just has more of them. I’m also talking about changing where we vote from the same old boring libraries and schools to topless clubs and the mall. Personally, I’ve never been
to a topless club, so I don’t understand the appeal of paying to watch a woman not wear a hat, but, from what I understand, there are two kinds of men in the world: those on their way there and those on their way back. As for the mall, what woman doesn’t like to go to the mall? While conservative media pundits have yet to endorse me, not one has come out against me. I’m proud of that fact. I’m also proud to have chosen Pat Paulson, himself a former presidential candidate, as my running mate. Being dead, however, he’s playing hard to get. “Are you running as a Republican or a Democrat?” No, I’m running as an Only Party candidate. In fact, I’ve legally changed my name to “Vote Here” for the election. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s all in the name. That’s why I’ve named all my children, even the illegitimate ones, after the profession I want them to be, rather than common surnames. Doctor Duchene. Attorney Duchene. Proctologist Duchene. See what I mean? The only thing Democrats and Republicans have ever gotten right is calling themselves a Party. Everybody loves a party. “What about the economy?” The economy is like peanut butter. If you feed it to a horse, he’ll look like he’s talking. “What? That doesn’t even make sense!” THAT’S what I’m talking about! The economy doesn’t make sense! It affects everybody, regardless of race, gender, or botulism. Not only do I want to make America great again, I’d like to take us back to the time of the Puritans. That’s right, the Puritans. They had buckles on their belts, they had buckles on their shoes, they had buckles on their livestock. Puritans were so well off they could even afford to put buckles on their hats. Now THAT’S well-off. You see, America has been down for so long very few of us can even AFFORD to wear hats any more, much less put buckles on them, and those who do wear them BACKWARDS. A sad indictment of an educational system I am proud to have never graduated from. God Bless America. And the statute of limitations. Born in the Southwest, Vote Here Duchene thankfully accepts your early-voting dollars at JimDuchene.BlogSpot.com, RaisingMyFather.BlogSpot. com and @JimDuchene.
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 23
THE STARRY DOME • BERT STEVENS
Equuleus, the Little Horse Competing myths define constellation
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wo-thirds of the way up in the southern sky is a constellation portraying the head of a horse. Equuleus, the Little Horse’s, head emerges from behind that of the larger neighboring constellation of Pegasus, the Winged Horse, as though the two were running neck and neck with most of Equuleus behind Pegasus’s larger body. Equuleus is the second smallest constellation in the sky, covering only 72 square degrees. The creation of Equuleus may be the creation of the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea, possibly the greatest astronomer of the ancient world. He compiled the first star catalog produced by the western world and possibly created the astrolabe and armillary sphere, two instruments that could be used to measure star positions. Geminus of Rhodes attributed Equuleus to Hipparchus in his writings, but Hipparchus did not mention it in his surviving commentaries. We would know if Hipparchus actually created the constellation if his star catalog had survived, but it was lost through the ages. Some think the Farnese Atlas, a scuplture of Atlas carrying the celestial globe on his shoulders, was based on Hipparchus’s work. Unfortunately, while the Farnese Atlas depicts 42 of Ptolemy’s 48 constellations, Equuleus is among the missing. Equuleus is recorded in Ptloemy list of constellations, so we know it is at least as old as the Second Century A.D. The mythology of Equuleus is somewhat obscure. In one myth, it represents the foal Celeris. Celeris is either the offspring or brother of the neighboring constellation Pegasus. Mercury presented Celeris to Castor as a worthy stead
for his travels. A slightly different version has Equuleus representing the foal Cyllarus, presented to Castor’s brother Pollux by Juno. Another myth has Neptune, the god of the seas, competing with Minerva, the goddess of war, to be the patron of Athens. Neptune struck his trident on the ground and produced a horse. Minevra produced an olive tree. The gods judged the olive tree more useful and awarded Athens to her. Neptune’s horse became Equuleus. There are only three stars brighter than magnitude 5.0 in Equuleus. The brightest star in this constellation is Kitalpha (Alpha Equulei). This magnitude 3.9 star is a giant star, nine times larger than our Sun with 2.3 times its mass. This star is 740 million years old and it is moving into the last stages of its life. Kitalpha is 190 light-years away from us. It is a spectral type G7III star. Spectral classifications are based on the bright and dark lines in a star’s spectrum. The bright lines come from the glowing gasses on and near the star’s surface. The dark lines come from cold gas that the light passes through after leaving the surface of the star. The dark lines and bright lines of a particular element are in the same place on the spectrum (same color), whether the lines are bright or dark depends only on the gasses’ temperature. Astronomers originally classified spectra based upon the red hydrogen-alpha line. A-class stars were the strongest, B-class next, on down through the alphabet. Later they realized that star’s surface temperature could be determined from the spectrum and was not related to the hydrogen-alpha line. Rearranging the stars by their surface temperature and eliminat-
Calendar of Events – November 2016 (MST) 06 07 15 17 21 23
2 a.m. 12:51 p.m. 6:52 a.m. 4 a.m. 1:33 a.m. Evening
29
5:18 a.m.
Daylight Savings Time Ends First Quarter Moon Full Moon Leonid meteor shower peaks Last Quarter Moon Venus passes 3.5 degrees south of Saturn New Moon
November evenings feature the second smallest constellation in the sky, Equuleus. This constellation of uncertain origin dated back at least to the Second Century A.D. There are just a few naked-eye stars to be found here and few deep sky objects. The Little Horse is represented by just the head, with the rest of the body being hidden by the larger horse, Pegasus.
ing some categories, resulted in the sequence O, B, A, F, G, K, and M. An easy way to remember this is by the phrase “O, Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me.” The hottest and biggest main sequence stars are type O stars. The stars get cooler and smaller as you move down the list. Our Sun is a G2 yellow dwarf main sequence star. The coolest stars are red dwarfs in the M classification. While this applies to main sequence stars (referred to as dwarf stars), giant stars can have the same spectral classification as a dwarf, because this is a measure of the star’s surface temperature and not its structure. Other classifications (usually Roman numerals) define more about the actual structure of the star. The Planets for November 2016. Mercury does not appear in our evening sky until the second week of the month as it comes out from behind the Sun and its glare. Mercury will reach its highest point next month, but at the end of this month, Mercury will be only five degrees above the southwest horizon as it gets dark. Mercury moves eastward through Libra, across the northern panhandle of Scorpius, across Ophiuchus and into far western Sagittarius. It passes 3.5 degrees south of Saturn on Nov. 23. The Messenger of the Gods’ disc will be 5.5 seconds-ofarc across and 83 percent illuminated. Mercury sets by 6:05 p.m. Saturn sets around 6:30 p.m. The Ringed Planet is only ten degrees above the southwest horizon as it gets dark. Saturn’s disc is 15.1 seconds-of-arc across while its Rings are 34.3 seconds-of-arc across that tilt down 26.7 degrees with the northern face showing. Saturn is moving slowly eastward in central Ophiuchus. The Goddess of Love moves from south-central Ophiuchus into eastern Sagittarius this month. At midmonth, Venus has a disc that is 15.3 seconds-of-arc across and 73 percent illuminated. As is gets dark in the evening, Venus will be 19 degrees above southwestern horizon and it sets by 7:30 p.m. Venus shines at magnitude -4.1. It passes less than half a degree south of the 2.8-magnitude star Kaus Borealis on Nov. 17. Mars shines at magnitude +0.5 at midmonth with a disc that is 6.9 seconds-of-arc across. During November, Mars moves from eastern Sagittarius to central Capricornus. It sets around 10 p.m. It appears 36 degrees above the southern horizon as it gets dark. Jupiter is 32 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon in the morning sky as it starts to get light, after having risen at 3:30 a.m. The King of the Gods is moving slowly eastward in central Virgo. It has a disc that is 31.9 seconds-of-arc across and shines at magnitude -1.8. Comet Tempel-Tuttle’s orbit is full of tiny dust particles that were shed by the comet during previous close passes to the Sun. On
the morning of November 18, the Earth will pass through the edge of this dust stream causing the annual Leonid meteor shower. The waning full moon will interfere with observing it this year, but you still might see fifteen to twenty of these meteors an hour. So get a lawn chair set up facing east and some thick blankets to keep you warm as you sit back and “keep watching the sky”!
An amateur astronomer for more than 45 years, Bert Stevens is co-director of Desert Moon Observatory in Las Cruces.
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BORDERLINES ï MAJORIE LILLY
Water Issues Always a Concern Mannonite ranch springing up amid broken towns
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raveling in Mexico, what I noticed most about the two little towns, Las Palmas and Chepas, was the pure silence that prevailed. There were no cars, except my own, moving in either town. An almost inaudible murmur of bleating sheep from a crowded pen was all I heard in Chepas. Both towns were full of houses crumbling as if they were chalk, or as if they’d survived a battle. No one lives anymore in Las Palmas, and in Chepas there were just a few families left — 30 to 35 people. The towns are about 12 and 16 miles, respectively, west of Palomas on the dirt road that runs along the US-Mexico border. I hadn’t driven out in that direction for a decade because of my fear of the violence. It seemed as if the road was in a lot better shape than it had been before. Today I was whipping along at 40 mph with no problem.
The tall border fence with huge metal teeth just a few inches apart tapers off a couple miles from the Port of Entry. It morphs into several different styles of fencing, designed to keep vehicles out, but all much lower and totally walkable.
Town swallowed up I drove into Las Palmas, where every house was now abandoned. There was a blue sky with puffy clouds, a windmill creaked, and the sign saying “Las Palmas” was gone. A Mennonite couple had bought the land, and Las Palmas now part of their ranch. Just a few families had lived there 10 years earlier. Franz Peters had bought the property from another Mennonite. There were 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres), he said, stretching from his big metal shed to the Boca Grande mountains way in the south. In 2012 a controversy raged
Epifanio Ruiz and his father Armando Ruiz in Chepas. (Photo by Marjorie Lilly) in Chihuahua state over the dramatic increase of Mennonites drilling wells for new farms as their large families outgrew old ones. El Barzon farm activists protested at their well-drilling sites, claiming Mennonites paid bribes to get permits. But the well issue hasn’t made the news much since then.
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Peters drove his ATV with his dog lying on the back of it. He was from Cuauhtemoc, a large center for Mennonites, and had just six years of schooling. He’s been raising cattle to sell in Mexico for two years now and said there were no buyers for onions or chile yet. I asked him if his ranch supplies work to Mexicans. “They don’t want to work,” was his reply. I paused a moment and said I knew that some people lived off money from drugs or from relatives in the U.S., but that there’d been a factory in Palomas a number of years ago where as many as 300 people worked. Peters didn’t respond to that. About the issue of well-drilling among Mennonites, he said he didn’t think water supply would be a problem for him. He showed me a map of Chihuahua on his phone that indicated what he called lugares verdes (green places). The green stretched from just west of Palomas to a place not far from the border of Chihuahua and Sonora. Peters said he had graded the road twice, and Ascension (the capitol of the municipio) had done it once.
Resistance to Mennonites In a phone call to Ignacio Montoya, the administrator of the stockyards in Palomas (Union Ganadero Regional de Chihuahua), he said he’s worried about what the Mennonites in the area
are doing to the water table of Palomas and the municipio of Ascension. “It is an issue,” he said. “They pump a lot of water.” Joel Carreon, the high school director, agreed. “I’m against them using water out there and in Camello and Los Papelotes (Mennonite colonies),” he said. He said Mennonite farms don’t produce employment for Mexicans. There was no one to ask in Palomas why Ascension repaired the road to the farm, whether to favor a major producer or to help the town of Chepas, which has always petitioned Ascension to fix it. There may be more opposition in the future to Mennonite farmers if the water table drops much more (and a lot of people expect it to). But for now the area is palpably calm.
Chepas survives, just barely The road from the Mennonites’ farm to Chepas was studded with stones, and when I arrived I noticed a lot of broken glass on the ground. Cows roamed through town. The school was empty, and the grocery store was gone. I drove around until I found a house that looked inhabited and knocked at the door. A man named Epifanio Ruiz answered and invited me to sit down on the high sidewalk beside the house. He was living with his father Armando, who later came out and shook my hand with an iron grip. Residents have to go to Palomas to buy everything — food, gasoline, medicine. It’s convenient that they can buy animal feed from Peters. “They’re good people,” Epifanio said of the Mennonites. He bought the argument that because Chepas and the Mennonite ranch were in a “green place,” there wouldn’t be any problem with water.
“There’s very good water here — it’s purified,” he said. “It’s not like in Palomas, where it’s brackish.” But there is little water in the wells, he said. There are 120 joint owners of the Dona Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez ejido (government granted land), most of whom live on the U.S. side of the border. (The town’s name is the nickname of Josefa.)
Drawdown of people in Chepas Back 30 years ago Epifanio often walked illegally to Deming to work in the chile fields of Ruben Diaz. He says it took him 16 hours to walk there, and he came and went about 10 times a year, for five years. There are almost no people crossing the border from Chepas now because la migra (Border Patrol) patrols the road on the American side regularly. He said there were never many drug traffickers operating there, but there had been lots of human traffickers. There were 219 residents when the ejido was established in 1971, 137 people in 1999, and not much more than 30 now. A lot of people moved to the U.S. during the amnesty of 1986 and 1987. In recent years residents have moved to Palomas or other places so their children could get educated. They weren’t fleeing violence, as I’d imagined. The towns are just dying a natural death.
Little breath left Just before I left, Epifanio noticed I’d gotten a hole in my tire from either the glass or the rocks. He had an old-fashioned looking gadget to inflate it. “Could the improved road bring new people to Chepas?” I asked him while he worked. He hadn’t really thought about it. But the town has very little breath left, it’s clear.
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 25
The introduction of a public high school in Palomas, Mexico, encourages traditional school activities, like this band member enjoys. (Photo by Morgan Smith)
Palomas High School Principal Gustavo Soto talks about the opportunity offered by a public high school in the town. (Photo by Morgan Smith)
PALOMAS LIFE ï MORGAN SMITH
Spreading Hope
A new high school blooms in Palomas
I
magine a town that doesn’t have a public high school. That was the case in Palomas, Mexico until Friday, Sept. 9. High school students there either had to go to the elementary school building in the afternoon after the elementary students had finished their day or to Juárez or some other town to the south or to a much more expensive local private school. Or simply not go and forego the education they desperately need to make any kind of future for themselves. This began to change two and a half years ago when the leadership of La Casa de Amor Para Niños – Jim and Pat Noble and Eunice Herrera, all from Santa Fe – realized that they could not pay the increased prices in the private school for the high school students in their program. Therefore, why not try to create a public high school in Palomas? They received encouragement from the Telebachillerato program in Chihuahua and eventually got the necessary support from the Mayor or “Presidente Muncipal,’ Estanisláo “Talaco” Sanchez. That was a painful process since several of his staff members were associated with the private high school and were opposed to the idea of a public school. It did take time, however, and for the 2014-2015 school year, they had to bus several students down to El Entronque to go to the Telebachillerato school. Then Sanchez threw his support behind the project and the Telebachillerato school came to Palomas in the fall of 2015 and conducted classes in the Ford Elementary school building. There was still much resistance, however, and the unwavering support of Sanchez was critical. In the meantime, the Nobles met with Sanchez and offered to help raise the funds for a completely new building. The building has been completed and the
dedication was held on Sept. 9. The total cost is hard to define because there were so many donations – desks and chairs from the First Baptist church in Silver City, for example. The Nobles, however raised more than half and the Mayor’s office was extremely helpful. A key person in this whole process has been Betty Jurado, La Casa’s Director in Palomas. Last year, the Telebachillerato program had 40 10th grade students in the Ford Elementary School building. This year there are 50 new 10th graders plus the 40 who have now moved up to the 11th grade for a total of 90 in the new building. Next year, there will probably be another 50 to 75 10th graders. This will fill out the three grades and result in about 130 to 155 students in all. This is an extraordinary plus for Palomas, and its high school students who will now have the education necessary to help them find decent jobs or to go on to college. I first visited La Casa de Amor Para Niños in May, 2000. Knowing little about it or Palomas, I was surprised to learn that its leadership was largely from Santa Fe where I live, and that it was the effort of a coalition of 11 churches in Santa Fe, Deming and Silver City as well as Durango, Colo. I quickly realized it was much more than just an orphanage for some 30 to 40 needy children. The second day of my visit was Mother’s Day and the sponsors of La Casa celebrated it with a huge event featuring a meal for anybody in the town who showed up, games for kids, music and “dispensas” for families. Eunice Herrera, a young woman from a Mexican family who was living in Santa Fe and working as an assistant in Jim Noble’s law office was the master of ceremonies and also played the guitar. Some 400 people showed up; this as well as a Christmas party are annual
Palomas Mayor Estanisláo “Talaco” Sanchez gives an award to Jim and Pat Noble. (Photo by Morgan Smith) community events. The Nobles, Eunice and other volunteers like Margie Roybal, who supervises the cooking at the big events, and Orlando Roybal from Santa Fe would come down once a month, bringing food not only for the orphanage but for local churches in Palomas to distribute throughout this very impoverished and once violent town. This was not an easy process because some local Mexican border officials have little sympathy for the needs of their citizens and are constantly denying permission to bring the food. This has been an issue throughout the 17 years that La Casa has been in existence. Elections take place every three years and each new mayor or “Presidente Municipal” brings new challenges. Several years ago, the orphanage had to shut down because of a conflict with the then-mayor. This didn’t deter the Nobles who then turned their attention to raising funds for scholarships for local kids who couldn’t afford to go to school. Five years ago, they had two students on scholarships. Now there are 148. I’m sponsoring one – Miguel Ángel Peredes – and he is about to complete high school. In addition, 11 former scholarship students are now in college
and the scholarship program is expanding to help them. Sept. 9 was a special day. First, I learned that Eunice Herrera had just passed the New Mexico bar exam and would be practicing immigration law in Jim Noble’s law firm in Santa Fe. Years ago I and others had encouraged her to apply to law school and although at first she was hesitant because of her English. Second, the turnout of local political and educational lead-
ership for this ceremony was impressive. Mayor Sanchez and his wife, Maria Luisa are the most powerful and dedicated “mayoral couple” I’ve seen in my years of visiting the town. Their daughter has a PhD from Harvard and is a professor at the University of Michigan so they know the value of education. The teachers were also there led by the very young looking principal, Gustavo Soto. Their enthusiasm was overwhelming. This has been a huge step forward for Palomas and, although many people contributed to it, I would have to single out Jim and Pat Noble, Eunice Herrera, Betty Jurado and Mayor Sanchez and his wife. Their determination to make things happen is simply awe-inspiring. Every community needs leaders like this. Morgan Smith is a free-lance writer and photographer who lives in Santa Fe and travels at least once a month to the border to document programs and issues there. He can be reached at Morgan-smith@ comcast.net.
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DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 27
PUBLISHER’S NOTEBOOK • RICHARD COLTHARP
Cowboys & Astronauts Whether it’s space or the frontier, you’ll find New Mexicans
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eady to go to Mars? If you’re from New Mexico, you might get a chance at that space flight. Silver City native Harrison (Jack) Schmitt was the 11th of the dozen human beings — all Americans — who have walked on the moon. NASA selected Schmitt, a geologist by education, as a scientist-astronaut. On the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, Schmitt and Eugene Cernan spent three days strolling the surface of the moon and collecting 249 pounds of rocks. It seems weird we did all of those missions in a span of three years, ending 44 years ago, then never went back. Then again, you have to bear in mind the micro-attention spans of Americans. When no little green men or giant cheese deposits were found we lost interest. Most Americans today would be surprised to know we’re still the only nation who has put someone on the moon. Very few average citizens can name any of the Apollo astronauts. They can typically name the first moonwalker, Neil (not Louis) Armstrong and often Buzz Aldrin because he has a cool name. Some older duffers remember Alan Shepard for hitting a golf ball on the moon; because of the gravity and atmospheric conditions, his mile-long drive remains an unbeatable record. Oh, and a lot of Americans recall that brave commander from the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, Tom Hanks. This month, you’ll have a chance to hear a real, non-Hollywood moonwalker. Schmitt, now 81, will speak in Alamogordo Saturday, Nov. 12, as the New Mexico Museum of Space History celebrates its 40th anniversary. Schmitt also served as a U.S. Senator from 1977 through 1982, when he was succeeded by Jeff Bingaman, who served through 2012. That means for 36 years one of the nation’s 100 Senate spots was held by a Silver Citian.
LIGHTING THE CANDLE The space museum’s beautiful, gleaming cube overlooks the city of Alamogordo from its nook in the Sacramento Mountains, still looking futuristic after all this time. If you haven’t been to the museum, or haven’t been in a while, you need to check it out. It follows the arc of mankind’s quest for space, going back to our earliest recognition of stars. A surprising
LIFE IMITATES ART
Harrison Schmitt amount of the research and testing for our space achievements was accomplished here in New Mexico, much if it in our own backyard at what was then known as White Sands Proving Grounds. You’ll see the museum’s examples of the now-primitive technology that loved Armstrong, Aldrin, et al, to the moon and back. You’ll marvel at the feat and at the astronauts’ bravery for lighting that candle and confidently expecting a successful round trip. Imagine the astronauts listening to the scientists for the first time about plans for the moon shot: “OK guys. Here’s how it’s gonna work. We’ll cram you in this tiny metal capsule and stick it way on top of this 35-story fuel tank and we’re going to set it on fire and shoot you way up into the air. At some point, those tanks are going to burn out and drop off, and you’ll be floating around in space. Eventually you’ll get in the moon’s orbit and you’ll climb in this other little tiny thing that will detach and you’ll guide it through space onto the lunar surface. Hopefully, there will be enough juice in the thing to get you back to the command module. Then you’ll re-attach and hopefully there will be enough juice to get you back into earth’s atmosphere. Then you’ll be in the tiny capsule again, hurtling down at 32 feet per second squared. The thing will catch fire, but it’s OK, because we put an extra layer of metal on the bottom. And it will cool off because you’re going to land in the ocean. Before that, you can slow yourselves down with these three parachutes. Then we’ll send a boat out and haul you in. “Should be fun!”
To sign up for that, you know all of those astronauts had to have at least a little cowboy in them. It’s appropriate, then, the theme of the space museum’s celebration is Cowboys & Astronauts. Another guy with a little cowboy in him was Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry will be posthumously inducted into the museum’s International Space Hall of Fame. Roddenberry spent some of his early career writing scripts for TV Westerns. He gained his fame, of course, as the creator of another little TV show called Star Trek. The show only lasted on NBC for three seasons from 1966-69, interestingly airing its final episode just a few weeks before the Apollo 11 astronauts made one giant leap for mankind. NBC coldly canceled the show two years before the end of the “five-year mission to explore strange new worlds …” Roddenberry’s Star Trek legacy, however, continues to grow and influence society and scientists in this, the 50th anniversary of its creation. To learn more about the New Mexico Museum of Space History anniversary celebration, visit www.nmspacemuseum. org.
NEW MEXICO MUSEUM SPECIAL:
New Mexico Museum of Space History celebrates its 40th anniversary in November in conjunction with the Space Hall of Fame induction of Gene Roddenberry. (Courtesy Photo)
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On a recent trip to Santa Fe with my daughter, I discovered the New Mexico Family Pass program, which grants you and family members free admission to 15 historic sites and museums in New Mexico. The pass is good for seven days only, and must be checked out from the library. It’s great if you’re in Santa Fe, which has four of the eligible museums, or if you’re traveling the state for a few days. It also includes the National Hispanic Center and NM Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque, the space museum in Alamogordo, and the NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces. Richard Coltharp is publisher of Desert Exposure and the Las Cruces Bulletin. Neither an astronaut nor a cowboy, he’s never been to heaven, but he’s been to Oklahoma. He can be reached at richard@ lascrucesbulletin.com
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GROWING CONCERNS ï BILLY HUNTSMAN
Fighting for a Healthy Breath National group advocates the social, economic benefits of legalizing marijuana
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national marijuana legalization advocacy organization is hosting a series of informational meetings throughout the state prior to the 2017 Legislative Session. The Drug Policy Alliance came to New Mexico in 2000, encouraged by former Governor Gary Johnson’s pro-legalization platform. Headquartered in New York, DPA has additional offices in New Jersey, California, Washington, D.C. and Colorado. “The DPA’s legislative successes in New Mexico include helping pass the medical cannabis law,” said Jessica Gelay, DPA policy coordinator and the presenter at an Oct. 12 DPA meeting at Doña Ana Community College – East Mesa. Because of the medical cannabis law, which was approved in 2007 by former Gov. Bill Richardson, more than 30,000 people in New Mexico have access to medical marijuana, Gelay said. Beyond medical marijuana, the DPA is looking to totally legalize marijuana for adult use, Gelay said. There are two ways marijuana could be legalized in New Mexico, Gelay said. One is a constitutional amendment that would have to be passed by both the New Mexico Senate and the House of Representatives before the people could vote it into law. The second way would require legislation to be passed by the state legislature and then presented to the governor for her signature. “At this point, we don’t have support from our current governor,” said Gelay. Gelay said legalizing adult-use marijuana in New Mexico could have substantial benefits, such as addressing the massive budget deficit the state is facing. By the end of fiscal year 2016, the state had a budget shortfall of $150 million. By the end of fiscal year 2017, the shortage is estimated to be an additional $300 to $500 million. Gelay said, while not a cure-all for the state’s budget difficulties, legalizing mar-
ijuana would substantially reduce the deficit. In the first year, the DPA estimates legalized marijuana business could generate $410 million in commerce. By the fifth year of legalized business, the industry could be worth more than $740 million in the state. Legalizing marijuana would create about 11,000 jobs, Gelay said, as a result of the dispensaries that would open up. Further, if legalized marijuana sales were to be taxed like alcohol and cigarettes, the tax revenues could be used to fund early childhood education; funding for public addiction treatment centers, police and corrections officers; as well as contribute to the state’s general fund, which disburses capital outlay funds for public works. The Oct. 12 meeting’s audience of about 50 people all greatly supported these and other avenues that could benefit from marijuana tax revenues. Whether “adult-use” should mean 18 or 21, the audience was divided over. Most in the audience agreed, however, that under 18 should not be allowed to use marijuana. For those worried about more young children using marijuana if legalized, Gelay’s presentation presented the findings of a University of Colorado – Boulder report: In 2009, 25 percent of under-18 individuals surveyed said they had tried marijuana at least once in the last 30 days. By 2011, that number decreased to 22 percent, by 2013 — the year marijuana was legalized in Colorado — the number dropped again to 20 percent, and in 2015 rose to 21 percent. Many states, such as California, Nevada and Arizona, are voting this month whether to legalize recreational marijuana. New Mexico is not among these. Marijuana use is completely legal in Colorado, Alaska, Oregon and Washington State. Some states, Pennsylvania, New York and New Mexico among them, have legalized medical marijuana. A number of states are voting in November whether to legalize medical Marijuana — Louisiana, Florida and Missouri. Other states have no legislation regarding legalizing marijuana — including Texas, Utah, Mississippi and Alabama. The DPA’s next meetings will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 25, in Albuquerque at the South Valley Multipurpose Center from 5 to 7 p.m. More information can be found at www.GrowNM.org or by contacting Gelay at nm@drugpolicy.org or at 505983-3277.
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 29
SUSIE OUDERKIRK
Naturopath Specializes in Alternative Medicines Non-psychoactive cannabis is high on her list
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A New Mexico patient, licensed to grow cannabis at home, shares photos from his garden. (Courtesy Photos)
ilda Luz Chavez, ND, is a third generation healer and curandera. Her work is all about educating and awakening the interest of the younger generations to herbal medicine and supporting the older generations with remedies they remember. “The Hispanic culture in the Southwest, including New Mexico, has a rich tradition in natural and herbal medicine,” Chavez said. “I am most grateful to my maternal grandmother, who taught me when I was a child about the value of the good herbs and especially the benefits of cannabis.” Although herbal medicine is seeing a resurgence, Chavez admits “it is still at risk of being forgotten,” even though “our abuelos, grandparents, tried to teach it to us.” Chavez defines naturopathic medicine as “the oldest form of medicine based on the philosophy that the body has its own innate ability to fight disease and heal itself with the help of nature,” and that “naturopaths are teachers first.” Chavez’s title is Naturopathic Doctor (ND) and she refers to herself as a “traditional naturopath” and often includes the term “curandera” in her presentations. “Being a curandera is more of a cultural and family honor; being a naturopath is about the higher education, bringing the two together and bridging the cultural gap,” she said. Of utmost importance to Chavez is a continuum of patient care. When patients come to her for treatment she supports their journey and follows their progress. “My relationship is one of teacher and student,” she said. “I meet the patient where they are and work toward teaching them self-responsibility for their health care and well-being using an integrative approach of body, mind and spirit. I follow their progress to the degree that they need and seek my guidance. Ultimately, I respect their ability to heal themselves and awaken their inner healer. In the spirit of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, my goal is to do no harm and act as a teacher.” As a healer who believes in the power of natural medicines, she has spent the last 37 years advocating for the use of medicinal marijuana — cannabis — and its multi-tasking cousin, hemp. “As an ND I do my best to bridge the gap between nature and science. The medical world respects and accepts science before nature,” she said. After a surgery in 1994 that “went terribly wrong,” Chavez went on a search for natural alternatives to find relief from her symptoms, which included pain, nerve damage and inflammation, and rediscovered the benefits of medicinal cannabis. In an article, Chavez wrote: “many cultures have used (cannabis) for hundreds of thousands of years, not by smoking it but by ingesting it, drinking it and using it topically. There was no science or research then, it was all experiential and empirical but it worked.” Chavez points out in the article that it was only in the last century that cannabis became popular
as a recreational drug. Due to this trend, “the good herb became abused and misunderstood, which led to its classification as a Schedule 1 drug in the U.S.” When asked to explain the difference between recreational marijuana and medic- Dr. Hilda Luz Chavez inal cannabis, she admits it’s a “deep and controversial subject.” One good thing about any cannabis discussion, she said, is that “Our younger generations, who do not know much about herbs in general, are now interested” because they want to know more about cannabis. “There are numerous active ingredients in cannabis known as cannabinoids,” Chavez said. “THC cannabinoids are psychoactive (make you high, alter your awareness). Cannabidiol (what Chavez promotes to her patients) is not psychoactive and is one of the most medicinal of the cannabinoids. It reduces pain and inflammation, relaxes the body, reduces anxiety and helps with sleep.” “Medical patients do not want or need the high; they want and seek relief from pain and desire to improve their quality of life,” she said. “You do not have to smoke it. Smoking is actually not a healthy way to medicate and is very expensive. The medical cannabis issue is still a hotly-debated topic, but, as Chavez said, “This herb is not going away. It is being accepted,” and she’s on the forefront of promoting the benefits and getting relief to her patients with cannabis licenses in southern New Mexico. Chavez can be reached at 915-204-5440 or www.NMMCPCONSULTING.com.
The politics of medical marijuana Chavez are 3,500 patients in Las Cruces who qualify and hold medical cannabis licenses. “I have patients from all walks of life and many cancer patients, all ages, all kinds of cancers,” she said. “The youngest is three-years-old and came in with seizures. This child now uses CBD oil and cannabis juice and the seizures are under control.” Chavez’s oldest patient to date is 89 and came in with crippling arthritis. “By using cannabis oil and topical salve, the patient’s medications are reduced, there’s less pain and inflammation, and more activity,” she said. “We see all kinds of patients with cancer, pain, arthritis, PTSD, epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Crohn’s, spinal cord injuries and more. We also go beyond the call of duty and do our best to collaborate with their primary care provider or specialist.” There are over 17 conditions that qualify a patient for a medical marijuana card: severe chronic pain, painful peripheral neuropathy, intractable nausea/vomiting, severe anorexia/cachexia, Hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, hospice patients, inflammatory autoimmune-mediated arthritis and post-traumatic stress disorder. “Many veterans with PTSD of all ages — 18 to 75 — use cannabis in every form,” Chavez said. “They are able to reduce medications, are more social and more able to hold a job, have satisfying relationships and are calmer.”
30 • NOVEMBER 2016
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More than 2,000 people registered for the Spaceport America Open House on Saturday, Oct. 1. Aircraft flown in by the U.S. Pilot’s Association and Civil Air Patrol, as well as powered parachutes were on display, while deejays, Fred and Anthony Ramirez spun space tunes across the 15-acre apron. Luchador, Joe Bob’s BBQ and The Milky Way Café fed the crowd, and Let Them Eat Cake took care of dessert with Starlight and Liftoff cupcakes. Spaceport America’s SAFE team demonstrated firefighting techniques while future firefighters looked on. Virgin Galactic and Spaceport America crew members were on hand to share the Spaceport’s latest commercial space developments. STEM activities lead by Explora, WiSTEM (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), and Spaceport America’s Dr. Bill (William Gutman) kept the future generation mesmerized. (Courtesy Photos)
SUBORBITAL ï CATHY HARPER
Museum Celebrates 40 Years Gene Roddenberry chosen for induction
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NATURAL BUILDERS PASSIVE SOLAR EARTHEN HOMES ADOBE REPAIRS & ADDITIONS - OFF GRID DWELLINGS & HOMESTEADS - SOLAR WATER HEATERS - GREENHOUSES GREYWATER SYSTEMS - COMPOSTING TOILETS - RAINWATER CATCHMENT SYSTEMS - RETAINING WALLS - DEMOLITION & REPURPOSING - VIGAS, BEAMS, & POSTS DRIVEWAYS & EROSION CONTROL
he New Mexico Museum of Space History and International Space Hall of Fame Foundation are pleased to announce this year’s inductee into the Hall of Fame. One individual will join the ranks of such notables as Neil Armstrong, Walter Cronkite and Arthur C. Clarke. On Nov. 12, the New Mexico Museum of Space History will be inducting Mr. Gene Roddenberry into the International Space Hall of Fame. “Mr. Roddenberry was chosen because of his vision of what space exploration could, be his commitment to promoting the future of space exploration and his work that inspired people worldwide to believe in the reality of the ‘final frontier’,” said museum executive director Christopher Orwoll. “Roddenberry’s leadership brought to the forefront social, political and cultural issues that impacted the world then and continue to do so now.” Roddenberry was born in
“Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, center, on the set of Star Trek: The Motion Picture with Leonard Nimoy, left, director Robert Wise, DeForest Kelley and William Shatner. (Photo Courtesy Everett Collection) El Paso, Texas, but grew up in Los Angeles. His father was a police officer, and after serving as a pilot in the Army Air Force during World War II and a commercial pilot, Roddenberry followed in his father’s foot-
steps. It was during this time he began writing television scripts for a variety of series. The first series that he created and pro-
40 YEARS
continued on page 31
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 31
SUBORBITAL • ELVA K. ÖSTERREICH
Taking to the Air
Drone Summit coming to Spaceport America
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ore than just toys, the dawning of the drone age is upon us. The inception of flying, manageable, electronic items that anybody can manipulate has opened up a new age of possibilities. The film industry has welcomed this technology, extreme sportsters delight in the ability to capture their own antics and racing fanatics have found something new to pit themselves against one another. Official rules are still in the process of being developed and there are many voices clamoring for a chance to speak and be heard. New Mexico’s Spaceport America is embracing the hubbub in November by becoming part of it all. Drone racing, r/c fixed wing aircraft and cinematography pilots, spectators, speakers, vendors and sponsors are now gathering for three days of drone racing, workshops, demos and an aerial cinematography challenge at the spaceport. Spaceport America has partnered with the New Mexico Filmmakers Give Back, the International Cinematographers Guild and the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) to bring together drone enthusiasts from across the country and beyond. The horizontal launch area at the spaceport will be converted into the “Gateway to Space Drone Village” for the duration of the summit, where spectators and participants can enjoy the races and demos as well as live music, and delicious food and beverages provided by local vendors. Vendors from the drone industry will also be on hand with their latest offerings on display. Registration is open now for pilots, workshop participants and spectators. All pilots must have registered their drone with the FAA at https://registermyuas.faa. gov and be current members of the AMA www.modelaircraft.org/joinama to race or fly at the summit. The AMA is the official sanctioning body of the Spaceport America Drone Summit 2016.
“This is a first-of-its-kind of event at Spaceport America designed to bring drone enthusiasts from the film industry, FPV racing circuit, drone manufacturing and regulating bodies together for an amazing three days.” said Tammara Anderton, Vice President Business Development Spaceport America. “We are very fortunate to have such enthusiastic and expert partners in the New Mexico Filmmakers Give Back, the International Cinematographers Guild and the AMA – Academy of Model Aeronautics.” “NMFGB are honored to be a part of this great event and the NM Film Annual Film & Media Industry Conference in Albuquerque that is being held in conjunction with it. New Mexico will truly be ‘Film Central’ in November,” said Jon Hendry, Member of the Board, New Mexico Film Makers Give Back. “Drones are a transformative technology with broad commercial applications as well as being off-the-hook fun for hobbyists and racers,” said ICG Business Representative Michael Chambliss. Our expert members believe that it’s vitally important for everyone who flies drones, professional and amateur alike, to attend events like this as part of learning how to fly safely and responsibly.” The AMA has designed three exciting race types with thousands of dollars in prize money: • 4-Cell FPV Drone Race • Race-What-You-Brought FPV Drone Race • 25-lap Team FPV Drone Race
Luke T. Davis and Allen Hrynick from ICG 600 develop the Spaceport America Drone Summit Cinematography Challenge. (Courtesy Photo)
tions are open to all participants and spectators and will begin from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 and again 10 a.m. until noon Sunday, Nov. 13.
Aerial Cinematography Challenge
Spaceport America’s two mile long spaceway will host the R/C Fixed Wing Airplane Demonstrations, where experienced radio controlled airplane pilots will be flying and showcasing their aircraft of all types. There will be scale aircraft replicas of World War I and World War II war birds, extreme acrobatic airplanes and more. Some airplanes will have 8 to 10 foot wingspans. The demonstra-
The Aerial Cinematography Challenge is composed of three phases: Practice Day (optional from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11), Camera Day and Judgment Day. The contest will take place from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and is designed to resemble the challenges and scenarios found on a live motion picture set. With specific targets and a storyboard that the “director” wants to see take life. The participant will help the director realize his/her vision. In addition to capturing the shot, participants will be evaluated on safety, and how they conduct themselves ‘on-set’. The Aerial Cinematography Challenge will culminate with judging and an awards party on Sunday, Nov. 13. Workshop sessions featuring the following speakers will be available on Friday and Saturday from 9:15am until 5:15 p.m.: • Colin Guinn, President, Hangar Technology, former CRO of 3D Robotics, former CEO of DJI NA — Topic: Drone Technology – from Hobbyist to Professional • Chad Budreau, AMA Government Relations Director — Topic: Know Before You Fly & The Future of Drones
continued his involvement as a consultant and shared his vision of the future with millions. He passed away in 1991 and years later actually travelled to space himself as he became one of the first humans to have his ashes carried into earth orbit. Special guests for the Induction will be David Gerrold who wrote the script for the “Star Trek” episode “The Trouble With Tribbles” and renowned science fiction author; David Stipes who is an Emmy award winning special effects artist and worked on “Star Trek” spin-offs; and Bill Kraft, a serious “Star Trek” fan who led a successful 13 year campaign to have “Star Trek” commemorated with a stamp. The Induction Ceremony will be held in conjunction with the celebration of the museum’s
40th Anniversary and will feature Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison “Jack” Schmitt as guest speaker. Schmitt was the last man, and only scientist, to walk on the moon and is a 1977 Inductee into the International Space Hall of Fame. He attended the museum’s dedication ceremony in 1976 and has remained a strong supporter of the facility. Dubbed “Cowboys & Astronauts,” the Anniversary Celebration and Induction Ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 inside the museum. Tickets are on sale now. The cost for non-members is $45 per person or $85 per couple. The cost for museum members is $40 per person or $80 per couple. Purchase tickets online at the museum’s website or contact the museum at 575-437-2840.
R/C Fixed Wing Demos
40 YEARS
• Luke T. Davis, Co-founder of Flytcam Motion Pictures — Topic: Flying for Hollywood – Challenges and Opportunities • FAA’s Safety Team (FAASTeam) — Topic: Federal Aviation Regulations Part 107 “$45 will buy you a full access ticket for both Saturday and Sun-
day to the ‘Gateway to Space Drone Village,’ a seat to the FPV drone racing, and fun for the whole family,” said. Rosa Banuelos, Business Development Manager Spaceport America. For information and registration visit spaceportamericadronesummit.com.
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continued from page 30 duced was The Lieutenant in 1963, which was about the lives of enlisted Marines and officers during peace time. Of note, the lead character’s middle name “Tiberius” was the same middle name Roddenberry later chose for “Star Trek’s” lead character James T. Kirk. Westerns were popular in 1960s era television and when Roddenberry created “Star Trek” in 1964 he pitched it to producers as “Wagon Train to the Stars.” Desilu eventually bought into the concept and the series debuted in 1964 but only ran for three seasons. It was the reruns that “Desilu” was famous for that kept “Star Trek” alive and increasingly more popular. Spinoffs and movies eventually came and fans became a worldwide legion of “Trekkies.” Roddenberry
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32 • NOVEMBER 2016
www.desertexposure.com
GHOST HUNTERS ï BILLY HUNTSMAN
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Investigating Strange Things
ew Mexico’s newest paranormal investigative service issues certification of paranormal activity to businesses seeking such accreditation, as well as verification and, if desired, expulsion services to residential locations. Ghostly Concerns (formerly Grave Concerns) Paranormal Investigations and Research, was founded three years ago by Jeff Conner. The organization is a free service that exists on donations and volunteers. “I’ve been doing this for more than 23 years,” Conner said. Conner said he did not believe in the supernatural before then. That changed one night in West Virginia. He was working as an ambulance driver. He had a partner, Lonnie. They worked together on 96-hour shifts. Between calls on these shifts, they resided in a trailer, often falling asleep. “Lonnie kept telling me the location we were in was haunted,” Conner said. “I explained to him that I didn’t believe in ghosts.” After hearing so much of this from Lonnie, Conner decided he had to see the ghost — a woman, Lonnie said — for himself and called out for her to show herself. “‘Dude, I would not have done that,’” Lonnie said. Nothing immediately happened. Then, at midnight, Conner heard the bathroom door shut, saw the light go on and then heard the toilet flush. Then the door opened, the light went off, but nobody came out. “I hollered out, ‘Lonnie, will you quit messing with me?’” Conner said. Then he heard Lonnie turn over and grunt in his bed, asleep. “There were only two doors into that trailer,” Conner said. “The back door, which was padlocked, and the front, which was padlocked from the in-
Paranormal investigative organization searching for volunteers
G The Ghostly Concerns crew with leader, Jeff Conner, in the center. (Courtesy Photo) side.” Conner then felt a sweltering heat in the trailer and got up to find the thermostat had been turned up high — in the middle of the summer. He turned it down and returned to bed, but shortly got up again because he felt cold. Returning to the thermostat, he said he found it had been turned down lower than he had put it. Then he saw her. “It was a lady floating about four feet above the floor,” Conner said, “in a white dress with the wildest hair, laughing at me, grabbing my blanket and pulling it straight up.” After this encounter, his eyes opened up, he said, and he believed in the supernatural.This eventually led to him to take part in several ghost hunts. That’s when he “caught the fever,” he said. After working with a few groups in West Virginia, Conner moved to New Mexico to found the current group, as well as several others, all serving the southwestern states. Before visiting a supposedly haunted location, Conner and his group have the requestor(s) fill out an extensive questionnaire including such questions as, ‘What, if any, medications,
illicit substances, do you regularly consume?’ and ‘How much alcohol do you drink?’ These questions are meant to weed out the people who may have only seen things while hallucinating, Conner said. If a location warrants a visit and further investigation, Conner said he and his team “go in as skeptics.” “When we go in, we’re trying to disprove that the ghosts are there,” Conner said. Electromagnetic fields can also cause people to hallucinate, Conner said, so when his team go in, they have EMF readers that scan for abnormal levels. If people call in about supernatural activity that Conner and his team find aren’t chemically or electrically induced, often it’s residual haunting, Conner said, “a playback of a past event.” “We don’t normally consider (residuals) as paranormal because (the ghostly presence) can’t interact with you,” Conner said. An example of a residual haunting could be seeing the same ghost standing in front of the same window every night. The theory is that a building’s material, even the atmosphere,
“records” an individual’s emotional state for future endless playback, such as analog film records events for future viewing. The only type of haunting that Ghostly Concerns certifies as paranormal activity is intelligent, a spirit that can directly interact with investigators, such as through answering questions and physical contact, Conner said. Ghostly Concerns only certifies businesses such as hotels for marketing reasons. This is the certification program’s first year and the first certificate recipient will be the Blackness, a haunted house attraction in Plainview, Texas. Conner and his team think the house is the location of a portal, where spirits can pass between this and their worlds. Ghostly Concerns does not certify residential hauntings because residences typically don’t want that reputation, Conner said. “90 percent of residential locations want to know why (a spirit’s) there, how can I get rid of it and, if I can’t get rid of it, who is it? Is it a loved one?”
PARANORMAL
continued on page 33
hostly Concerns Paranormal Investigations and Research of Las Cruces is seeking volunteers to train and aid in investigations. Jeff Conner, founder of the organization and 23year ghost-hunting veteran who started his career on ghost-hunting teams in West Virginia, said the ghost-hunting industry has a very high turnover rate. “We’re very selective on who we take,” Conner said. “You get a lot of people who have the whole ‘ghost-buster’ mentality, but there’s a lot of working to do this.” Conner said he is currently listening to 40 minutes of audio taken in a Texas cemetery. He’s listening for electronic voice phenomena, disembodied voices, and he said those 40 minutes will take approximately four days to work through. “Because you have to cut, paste, listen, and then go back, listen, reverse it, make sure you heard what you thought you heard, send it to the other investigators to see if they hear what you hear,” Conner said. “That’s just for one little clip. Then you have to do the video.” These services are provided at no cost to the business. The video with mixed audio is then sent to the requesting business along with a certificate of paranormal activity. These are valuable to certain businesses in attracting customers, Conner said.
VOLUNTEERS
continued on page 33
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DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 33 VOLUNTEERS
Corvin Chavez pulls garbage from the bottom of the waters from the Tularosa Rivers. Chavez cleaned a critical water filter last year and is studying forensic science this year. (Photos by Joan E. Price)
continued from page 32
Elizabeth Diaz and Sameria Cervantes pull a year of trash from under thorny mesquite bushes at Tularosa River remembering their childhood family outings to enjoy the clear cold waters from the Tularosa River diverted for agricultural needs in the town below. grade and squatters are driving people away from the water and shady cottonwoods. Now, high school students with classes in biology, chemistry and forensic science under Tularosa science teacher Kathy Eyster clean the informal public space up every Columbus Day. “I would rather be here on Columbus Day cleaning up than watching TV or looking at a cell phone,” said Daphanie Williams, who lived upriver from here for several years. Seven years ago, Eyster started the Science Club at the request of some of her students. Now it has grown to some 60 members. “Club members have to participate in lots of different events, not just one or two,” said Eyster. “We have had astronomy outings, field trips to Valley of Fires and Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, and T-shirt design contests.” Eyster is always working on the club activities on a volunteer basis and her students have responded partly “because they like to hang out together.” Then a parent had asked if “clean-up of the Tulie Creek picnic area” might be a project for the students. Eyster got together with Susan Flores. Flores, as vol-
unteer director for Keep Tularosa Beautiful, partnered with the Tularosa High School Science Club for the Rio Tularosa Cleanup project seeking donations and business support. New Mexico True, a statewide tourist promotional campaign, donated black T-shirts and seven students have a different T-shirt now from each year they have collected endless beer bottles, broken sunglasses, shards of glass containers, Styrofoam in every form, paper, baby wipes, twisted wire and much more to gather into black plastic bags that Tony Tafoya, a resident up river volunteered to haul away for this round. A traditional place with stories makes the river refuge a special place in the Tularosa River valley. It is more beautiful now. But much remains to be done. They could not tackle the layers of graffiti that impose modern underground messages, some dirty and threatening, on every concrete form of the water control features. That would require training and experience in cleaning different types of paint, cleaners, and surface retention for restoration to a true-to-life memory for generations past and future.
PARANORMAL
Conner said. If a residence wants to get rid of a ghost, Conner said he and his team are able to “cleanse through Christian principles.
“We use the Bible, holy water and oil, and we say, ‘Under the blood of Jesus Christ, you are required to leave this location,’” Conner said.
Ghostly Concerns has investigated between 15 and 20 hauntings, while Conner himself has investigated more than 30, he said.
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enerations of families along the Rio Tularosa have relied on its waters. Area residents, from Mescalero Apaches to Tularosans, would seek the turnout point to the irrigation system for a refreshing break during the unbearable heat of late spring, summer and early fall. Family gatherings centered around barbeques and exhilarating dips into the clear waters — sisters, brothers, fathers and mothers, grandparents and friends, splashed, surfed rapid runs of water, ate and socialized under huge cottonwood trees. Elizabeth Diaz, 15, a member of the Tularosa High School Science Club, remembers those childhood excursions. “When I was really small, I rode down the ‘shoot’ on somebody’s stomach and when I got bigger, I surfed the ‘shoot’ myself,” she said with a laugh. The “shoot” is a long cement lined ditch that gathers the water into a fast strong slide carrying the water off the river into the village irrigation system far below. Innumerable people have challenged themselves and each other in a water world playground of pre-commercial entertainment venues. “No one ever got hurt,” Diaz said. Sumeria Cervantes, Perfecto Provencio, Daphne Williams and Julian Hernandez, all members of the Science Club, have memories of family barbeques and the refreshing waters. But there has been a scary change since their childhoods. For more than 25 years, the idyllic place has been trashed and abused — graffiti of every description from beautiful art to tagging among gangs and their activities layers the cement forms that redirect the water into the village agriculture needs. Drinking parties after football games can end in fights, people are dumping trash, cars are abandoned there to de-
R IN G
Fall weather brightens annual river beautification project
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Trash Flows Away in Hands of Students
H WATC FOR E
RIVER RESPECT • JOAN E. PRICE
terialize, a ghost box, which scans all radio frequencies to find efforts of ghosts communicating over radio waves, laser grids, a Paranormal Puck 2, which registers temperatures, humidity and atmospheric pressure and sends the data to Android platforms, Conner said. “And believe it or not, we actually use a lot of apps,” Conner said. Conner said much of the equipment is not exorbitantly priced and in fact Google Play has a number of apps that the amateur ghost hunter can use in his/her own investigation and get accurate information, or can be used as practice before volunteering for service with Ghostly Concerns. More information about the organization can be found on Facebook, at gcpir.n.m@ gmail.com or at 575-218-2606.
“The problem is most people want to go in and do the fun stuff, but they don’t want to do the work,” Conner said. Conner said volunteers are taken on three investigations as investigators-in-training, then are promoted to investigators. After three more investigations, individuals are promoted again to lead investigators. A single investigation can last as long as six months, Conner said. “You also have to be trained in Wavepad, which is a program we use to decipher EVPs,” Conner said. Equipment used includes thermal imagers, infrared cameras and digital video recorders, electromagnetic field readers, an electromagnetic field pump, which generates energy to allow ghosts to ma-
P ALO M A H O T
34 • NOVEMBER 2016
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IN THE CARDS ï SUSIE OUDERKIRK
Henson Plays the Cards He’s Dealt Hall of Fame coach has crossed this ‘bridge’ before
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ew Mexico State University basketball coaching legend Lou Henson believes the card game of bridge is truly a game for life. The Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame coach, who, with his wife Mary, divides his year between Champaign, Illinois and Las Cruces, spends four to five days each week playing bridge. About 10 years ago, while recuperating from an illness, Henson discovered the Belton Bridge Center on Madrid Street.
“Some old friends were running the games and others were playing there regularly and encouraged me to join,” he said. “I have come to know so many wonderful people there.” But what attracted one of the winningest basketball coaches in history to the sit-down game of bridge? “Our earliest bridge-playing days began as young parents,” Henson said. “First with a Las Cruces High history teacher and his wife and next with the
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Sun News sports editor, the late Abe Perilman and his wife, Belle. They taught us the rudiments of bridge and after that we joined a group of other broke parents taking turns at each other’s homes where we’d bring our kids, feed them tacos or spaghetti, let them play outside until bedtime, and then put them down on pallets so they’d eventually drift off to sleep.” One couple in Henson’s group of Las Cruces friends, Keith and Evelyn Gwaltney Colson, “knew how to play bridge and continued to teach the game to us. Not only did we learn to love the game, but we had fun learning with the others and came to love them and their kids.” Since retirement, Henson, who is the all-time winningest coach in basketball at both NMSU and the University of Illinois, spends anywhere from eight to 16 hours a week at a bridge table. “Bridge is not only a great game for seniors to play, but for everyone who enjoys a challenge,” he said. And the coach knows about challenges. One of the most memorable seasons in Henson’s coaching career came during the 1998-99 campaign, according to an NMSU press release. Henson joined an elite club that consists of just 12 other head coaches in NCAA Division I annals, as he tallied his 700th career victory on Feb. 25, 1999. Just six weeks earlier, on Jan. 9, Henson had earned his 200th victory as head coach of New Mexico State. That same season, NMSU posted a 23-10 regular season record, tying for first-place in the Big West eastern division. NMSU went on to win the Big West Conference Tournament and make the NCAA Tournament.
Patsy Hackler, Linda Spengler, Lou Henson and Evelyn Colson take a moment to smile for the camera before digging into an afternoon of bridge at the Belton Bridge Center, 1214 Madrid Ave. on Oct. 7. (Photo by Susie Ouderkirk) “When I was coaching full time,” Henson said, “I could rarely play bridge due to time constraints. My interest was renewed about 10 years ago when I was recovering from viral encephalitis. My wife and I were in my rehab facility room playing a little game of gin when my nurse came in. She was so happy to see us playing cards and told us then that if a person didn’t exercise one’s brain like one does the body, the brain would fail before the body.” Henson’s brain had been inflamed and swollen due to the effects of the virus, and he had to work harder than most to recover. After about six months, he had regained most mental and physical functions (except for partial paralysis of his right leg) and had ditched the wheelchair for a cane. “It was not too long after that when I began playing bridge at the Belton Bridge Center.” Basketball and bridge hold several common denominators, Henson said. “It takes only rudi-
mentary knowledge to begin enjoying the game, but great dedication and practice to become adept. Both games will provide a high level of stimulation, competition, and enjoyment.” Henson believes he is maintaining his mental sharpness as best he can in his older years. “Studies have found that people who play bridge regularly are two-and-a-half times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. “To me, that’s a very good reason to be playing this great game. But one other terrific reason is to just have fun with friends.” As evidenced by his and Mary’s personal experience, “bridge is truly a game for life. Emotionally, it will take you from the depths to the mountaintop and back. You will never be bored.” As any good coach knows, regardless of the number of years one has played the game, “one can continue learning, improving and actively enjoying this pastime throughout an entire lifetime,” he said.
ON DISPLAY
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as Cruces restaurant My Brother’s Place has risen again as the newest addition to the model railroad display at the Las Cruces Railroad Museum. Opened in 1972, My Brother’s Place was a local favorite for 44 years, especially well known for its margaritas and pool hall. Now it lives forever, not just as a memory, but also on the model train layout. Built by Ralph Troeller, who designed and built many of the other buildings on the layout, My Brother’s Place was landscaped by Mike Weiss, and the lighting was installed by Paul Mika. In addition to this build-
ing, the layout includes models of the original St. Genevieve’s Catholic Church, the original Central School, WIA building, Memorial Hospital, and the Las Cruces Depot. Also depicted on the layout are the Organ Mountains, Stahmann Pecan orchards, and White Sands National Monument. Admission to the Railroad Museum is free. The museum is located at 351 N. Mesilla Street and is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays. For additional information, visit the website at museums.las-cruces.org or call 575-647-4480.
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 35
Grant County Weekly Events SUNDAYS
Archaeology Society — First Sunday of every month, field trip. 536-3092, whudson43@ yahoo.com.
MONDAYS
AARP Widowed and Single Persons of Grant County — Second Monday, 10:30 a.m. Cross Point Assembly of God Church. All singles welcome. Contact Sally, 537-3643. Al-Anon family group, New Hope —12:05 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 1915 Swan, Silver City. Contact: Jerry, 575-534-4866; Matt, 575-313-0330; Diana 575574-2311. Open meeting. Art Class — 9-10:45 a.m. Silver City Senior Citizen Center. Beginners to advanced. Contact Jean 519-2977. Gentle Yoga — 5:30-6:56 p.m. Lotus Center at 211 W. Broadway, Becky Glenn, 404234-5331. Mom & Baby Yoga — 5:306:30 p.m. La Clinica Health & Birth Center, 3201 Ridge Loop. 388-4251. Free to patients, $5 for non-patients. Republican Party of Grant County — Second Monday, 6 p.m. at 3 Rio de Arenas Road (the old Wrangler restaurant). Silver City Squares — Dancing 7-9 p.m. Presbyterian Church, 1915 N. Swan St. Kay, 388-4227, or Linda, 5344523.
TUESDAYS
Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support — First Tuesday, 1:30 p.m. Senior Center. Margaret, 388-4539. Bayard Historic Mine Tour — Second Tuesday, meet at Bayard City Hall, 800 Central Ave., by 9:30 a.m. $5 fee covers two-hour bus tour of historic mines plus literature and map; call 537-3327 for reservation. Compassionate Friends — Fourth Tuesday, 7 p.m. Support for those who’ve lost a child. Episcopal Church, Parish Hall, Seventh and Texas St. Mitch Barsh, 5341134. Figure/Model Drawing — 4-6 p.m. Contact Sam, 388-5583. Gilawriters — 2-4 p.m. Silver City Public Library. Trish Heck, trish.heck@gmail.com, 534-0207. Multiple Sclerosis Support Group — First Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. at local restaurant; email for this month’s location: huseworld@yahoo. com. PFLAG Silver City — First Tuesday, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Yankie Creek Coffee House. Confidential support for LGBTQ persons, their families and friends. 575-5908797. Slow Flow Yoga — 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Lotus Center at 211 W. Broadway, Becky Glenn, 404-234-5331. Southwest New Mexico
Quilters Guild – First Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. at the Grant County Extension Office, 2610 N. Silver Street, North Entrance. Newcomers and visitors are welcome. 575-388-8161. Tai Chi for Better Balance — 10:45 a.m., Senior Center. Call Lydia Moncada to register, 575-534-0059.
WEDNESDAYS
Al-Anon family group — 6 p.m. at Arenas Valley Church of Christ, 5 Race Track Road, Arenas Valley (the old radio station). Contact: Tom, 575956-8731; Karen 575-3137094; Dot, 575-654-1643. Open meeting. Archaeology Society — Third Wednesday of every month, October-November, JanuaryApril 7 p.m. Silver City Women’s Club. Summers 6 p.m. location TBA. 536-3092, whudson43@yahoo.com. Back Country Horsemen — Second Wednesday, 6 p.m. Gila Regional Medical Center Conference Room. Subject to change. 574-2888. Bayard Al-Anon — 6 p.m. Bayard Housing Authority, 100 Runnels Drive 313-7094. A Course in Miracles — 7:15 p.m., 600 N. Hudson. Information, 534-9172 or 534-1869. Curbside Consulting — Free for nonprofits. 9 a.m.-noon. Wellness Coalition, 409 N. Bullard, Lisa Jimenez, 534-0665, ext. 232, lisa@ wellnesscoalition.org. Gin Rummy — 1 p.m. Yankie Creek Coffee House. Grant County Democratic Party — Second Wednesday, potluck at 5:30 p.m., meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sen. Howie Morales’ building, 3060 E. Hwy. 180. Ladies Golf Association — 8 a.m. tee time. Silver City Golf Course. Lego Club — Ages 4-9. 4 p.m. Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave., 538-3672. Prenatal Yoga — 5:30-6:30 p.m. at La Clinica Health & Birth Center, 3201 Ridge Loop. 388-4251. Free to patients, $5 for non-patients. Prostate Cancer Support Group — Third Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. Gila Regional Medical Center Conference Room. 388-1198 ext. 10. Storytime — all ages. 10:30 a.m. Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave., 5383672.
THURSDAYS
ARTS Anonymous — 5:30 p.m. Artists Recovering through the 12 Steps. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 3845 N. Swan St. 534-1329. De-stressing Meditations — 12-12:45 p.m. New Church of the SW Desert, 1302 Bennett St. 313-4087. Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society
— Second Thursday, 6 p.m. Senior Center, 204 W. Victoria St. Kyle, 538-5706. Group Meditation — 5:30-6:15 p.m. with Jeff Goin at the Lotus Center. 388-4647. Historic Mining District & Tourism Meeting — Second Thursday, 10 a.m. Bayard Community Center, 290 Hurley Ave., Bayard. 5373327. Tai Chi for Better Balance — 10:45 a.m., Senior Center. Call Lydia Moncada to register, 575-534-0059. TOPS — 5 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 1915 Swan, 538-9447. Vinyasa Flow Yoga — 11:30 a.m. Lotus Center at 211 W. Broadway, Becky Glenn, 404-234-5331. Yoga class — Free class taught by Colleen Stinar. 1-2 p.m. Episcopal Church fellowship hall, Seventh and Texas.
Center, 5202 Hwy. 152, Santa Clara. 537-4839, theotokos@zianet.com. Kids Bike Ride — 10 a.m., Bikeworks, 815 E. 10th St. Dave Baker, 388-1444. Narcotics Anonymous — 6 p.m. New 180 Club, 1661 Hwy. 180 E. Spinning Group — First Saturday, 1-3 p.m. Yada Yada Yarn, 614 N. Bullard, 388-3350.
Storytime — all ages. 10:30 a.m. Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave., 538-3672. Vinyasa Flow Yoga — 10 a.m. All levels. Lotus Center at 211 W. Broadway, Becky Glenn, 404-234-5331. All phone numbers are area code 575 except as noted. Send updates to events@ desertexposure.com.
FRIDAYS
Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group — First Friday, 10:20 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Hidalgo Medical Center. Ask at the front desk for the room number. 575-388-4539. Free senior care service available from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Silver City Senior Center. Call Gigi at 575-3881319 for more information. Overeaters Anonymous — 7 p.m. at First United Methodist Church. 575-6542067. Silver City Woman’s Club — Second Friday, 10:30 a.m., lunch is at noon, 411 Silver Heights Blvd. Kathleen at 538-3452. Taizé — Second Friday. Service of prayer, songs, scripture readings and quiet contemplation. 6:30 p.m. Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 538-2015. Woodcarving Club — First and third Fridays except holidays. 1 p.m. Senior Center. 313-1518. Youth Space — 5:30-10 p.m. Loud music, video games, chill out. Satellite/Wellness Coalition.
SATURDAYS
Alcoholics Anonymous Beginners — 6 p.m. Lions Club, Eighth & Bullard (entrance at Big Ditch behind Domino’s). Newcomers and seasoned members welcome. Alcoholics Anonymous “Black Chip” —11 a.m. to noon, at First United Methodist Church. Blooming Lotus Meditation — 12:45 p.m. Lotus Center at 211 W. Broadway, 3137417, geofarm@pobox.com. Double Feature Blockbuster Mega Hit Movie Night — 5:30-11 pm. Satellite/ Wellness Coalition. Evening Prayer in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition — 5 p.m. Theotokos Retreat
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36 • NOVEMBER 2016
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CYCLES OF LIFE ï FR. GABRIEL ROCHELLE
I Am a Vehicle
Thoughts from the machine we know and love
I
am a vehicle. I am a slow vehicle by comparison with many others. But there are some advantages. My driver gets to see flowers growing in the cracks in the sidewalk, to contemplate the changing shape of clouds against a cerulean blue sky, and to say hello to people walking as they pass by. My driver can stop me at any time for a conversation or simply to check out something of interest that’s on the side of the road. Of course, my driver also gets to see the broken glass along the side of the road, the bits of metal and screws and other objects that can harm my tires, and to figure out how to go around culverts and sewer drains that are along the pathway. I get to ride in special lanes on occasion, but
quite often they are filled with debris. No one driving other kinds of vehicles would want to ride in them, so my driver tries to avoid them when possible. I am a vehicle. I am unusual because I am the only vehicle on the market whose driver is also its engine. Therefore, my driver is actually increasing energy and building muscle and lung power at the same time as providing the power to make me move. No other vehicle can make the same claim, not even horses. Speaking of animals, for reasons I cannot comprehend dogs that would never bark at pedestrians or cars seem to go out of their way to bark and fuss as I go by. I’ve never been able to figure that out, because another advantage I have over other vehicles is that
I traverse the roads quietly, almost silently. I guess dogs smell me coming! I am a vehicle that offers my driver other advantages too. In congested traffic I am able to maneuver as fast, even faster, than automobiles and trucks. It may take my driver no longer to get into a nearby store than it does for people in cars, because I don’t have to wander around a large lot seeking a parking space. I can squeeze in close to the store entrance and, of course, leave quicker because of that proximity. I don’t need a lot of space to park. I am a vehicle that many people ride solely for exercise and recreation, but a growing number of people understand the advantages I offer and will use me for basic transportation, commuting, and other tasks like
shopping. My brothers and sisters and cousins in Europe have been used this way for over a century, but because cars and trucks became the main form of transportation in the USA, my numbers went down for a while. But we’re coming back as more and more people contemplate the advantages I offer, how I cut pollution and how I can be driven for the least expense of any vehicle on the market – even if people spend a fair amount of money on my purchase price. It’s nowhere near that of a car. I am sure that you know by now that I am the two-wheeled vehicle called a bicycle. I have a long history, and the technology that accompanies my production improves every year. My driver thinks I’m a wonderful vehicle and, though occasionally using a
bigger vehicle to move stuff like refrigerators or tables, prefers to use me as the basic form of transportation. So I hope the rest of you fourwheeled vehicles begin to pay more attention to me and my drivers. Our number is increasing on a daily basis and all we ask is that you pay us the same courtesy as you would all the other vehicles on the roads. Thank you. Fr. Gabriel Rochelle is pastor of St Anthony of the Desert Orthodox Mission, Las Cruces, an avid cyclist and secretary for Velo Cruces, the local advocacy committee; see Velocruces.org. The church is at http://stanthonylc.org.
Robert Pittman
Certified Advanced R O L F E R ® Center for Healing Arts, 300 Yankie St., Silver City
Appointment or free consultation:
575-313-4379
Dr. Allison Evans holds matryoshka dolls, otherwise known as Russian nesting dolls, depicting Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. (Courtesy Photo)
ON THE SHELF • ABE VILLARREAL
Coming to Terms with Capitalism Russian company towns focus of upcoming book, conference talk
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ussian company towns and the challenges found within them are strikingly similar to many American communities, including Silver City, according to Western New Mexico University professor Dr. Allison Evans. A student of Russian history, Evans is a professor of political science who has travelled to Russia seven times and is working on a book titled “Protests in the Provinces: Coming to terms with Capitalism in Russian company towns.” Her last visit was in in June for research on her book where she plans to focus on four or five Russian cities. “It is estimated that there are about 300 company towns in Russia,” said Evans. “They are a mix of towns run by private companies and government entities such as the defense industry.”
The towns in Evans’ research were selected based on demographics, political, and economic criteria with a population of 300,000 people. “There are parallels with Silver City and other company towns, such as Detroit, that are facing tough economic times,” said Evans. “When an economic depression strikes or resources have been extracted, such as mining and oil, company towns and their populations are uniquely vulnerable.” While economic diversification can alleviate this kind of social strain, Evans’ research has found that there is often political pressure to prevent this kind of change. “It is quite common for economic elites and managers from the primary industry to be active in local governance and politics,”
said Evans. In November, Evans will be presenting a chapter from her book at the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEES) in Washington, D.C. The conference will include a panel of leading experts on Russian issues including company towns. Evans will continue to research the subject as she travels to Russia each summer to collect data on her selected cities and to return to the country for which she has studied since 2002 as a study abroad student. “There has been very little research on the subject,” said Evans. “Because I study a combination of local protest, company towns, economic and political reforms and elite strategies, there is research that focuses on one or two of those themes, but rarely all of them.”
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 37
WHAT’S COOKIN’ • MIKE COOK
Gluten Free and Me
Feeling better in a world of too many choices
I
remember several years ago when a friend of mine asked a waiter at a local restaurant if there was anything on the menu that was gluten free. “Oh, God,” I thought. “Not that.” I didn’t know what gluten was, but I didn’t want to hear about the latest giving-up-something-good-to-accommodate-someone’s-pretentious-whims fad. But then, a couple of years later, my sister, Connie, told me she had given up gluten. That made me actually look it up. Gluten, it turns out, “is a general name for the proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye),” according to the Celiac Disease Foundation (www.celiac.org). Celiac Disease, which affects about one percent of the world’s population, is the immune system’s reaction to eating gluten. People with the disease suffer a wide range of health problems if they eat foods with gluten including brain inflammation, digestive issues, joint pain and aggravation of existing conditions like hypo-thryoidism. There are many other people, including my sister, who don’t have Celiac disease but who are sensitive to gluten. Here again, that can cause a host of health problems and a lot of suffering. As I mentioned, eating gluten can cause brain issues, which can manifest as a life-threatening disease or something as seemingly minor as mood alteration. That last one really got my attention. I have found myself
in a “bad mood” – mild to extreme irritation – for much of my adult life. So, I went gluten free about six months ago to see what would happen. I talked very briefly to my doctor about it – he gave me a very enthusiastic thumbs up – but mostly I relied on the advice of my sister and a bit of my own research. Connie has read and studied more about health and well-being, physical, mental and spiritual, than anyone I know. Even though we live several hundred miles apart (she’s in a Denver suburb), she has become my guru. At first, giving up gluten was a pain in the neck. I hated asking wait staff about my special dietary needs and I missed bread and a lot of desserts (cakes, pies and donuts come immediately to mind). Especially, I missed the occasional light beer. I know they make gluten-free beer – the rice cake of the beer garden – but it’s like jellied eels or snails: I don’t have to try it to know I won’t like it. But, I’ve learned to ask for gluten-free bread, which many restaurants offer, or to get a corn (not flour!) tortilla instead of toast when I have breakfast out. I had a fabulous smoked-turkey sandwich on gluten-free bread last week at Boba Café. Many restaurants have other gluten-free items on their menus – ask them! Or, when I go to Rosie’s Café downtown to get a cheeseburger with a friend egg on it (yum!), I either take a gluten-free bun with me or they make it for me with no bread.
I’ve also found gluten-free pretzels and other snacks and desserts in local stores, and they’re terrific. I found a great raisin-cinnamon bread at MountainView Co-Op, which I have grown to love. Honestly, the only thing I really, really miss is my rare but much loved light beer. And the results of going gluten free? While it’s totally unscientific, I know without question that I feel better. Quite simply, I’m not as irritated as I used to be. I’m calmer. I yell at fewer people in traffic. I haven’t smashed a lawn trimmer in months. Seriously, the way I can tell the difference is because of the few times I have accidentally or intentionally (the fabulous cheesecake at Zeffiro’s downtown was the culprit) ingested gluten, the next few days are like the return of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Mr. Hyde. And, it’s happened enough I’m convinced it’s for real. So, if you see me somewhere, I’d love to talk more about going gluten-free and me. Just please don’t offer to buy me a beer. There are many sources of information about gluten and going gluten free. I listed a website above. I also recommend a book I’m reading right now: “Why Isn’t My Brain Working,” by Dr. Datis Kaharrazian.
THE MIMBRES VALLEY HEALTH ACTION LEAGUE
Essence Manifesting to Form November workshop brings life coach to Alto
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takes a multidimensional approach based on a foundation of Spiritual Psychology and consciousness transformation. Originally from El Paso, Powell served as CEO in the business world for more than 27 years. He also has spent more than three decades in the pursuit of enlightenment, inner advancement and personal growth. High Mesa Healing Center is located near Ruidoso, New Mexico and hosts events and services for personal growth and transformation. For more information contact Barbara Mader at High Mesa Healing Center 575-366-7777. Powell’s website is at http:// authentic-abundance.weebly. com.
“Why Isn’t My Brain Working?” will teach you strategies to save and improve brain function. It shows how simple diet and lifestyle changes and nutritional therapy can profoundly impact your brain health and thus the quality of your life. Modern diets, a stressful lifestyle, and environmental toxins all take their toll on the brain. This doesn’t just happen to seniors-brain disorders and degeneration are on the rise for young and old alike. The good news is the brain is extremely adaptable and wants to get well.
Mike Cook writes for the Las Cruces Bulletin. He can be reached at goodguymwc @q.com.
BODY, MIND, SPIRIT
workshop to empower the participant to take action to live in abundance in their world is being held Nov. 11 to 13 at High Mesa Healing Center in Alto The “Essence Manifesting to Form” workshop assists individuals to rewire personal focus from negative to positive support. Participants identify their true abundance goals, lining up both physical and material needs. The process assists in letting go of blocks standing in the way of the goals, develops clarity of focus, and teaches methods that assist in bringing more of what is wanted in the individual life. Richard Powell, facilitator of this workshop and life coach,
By the Book
THANK THE SUPPORTERS OF THE 2016 016 MIMBRES VALLEY HARVEST FESTIVAL VAL
SPONSORS
Hidalgo Medical Services In Memory of Nancy Coinman Secure Money Services Silver Health Care DONORS
Grant County Farm & Livestock Bureau Mimbres Hot Springs Ranch Mimbres Valley Self Storage Upper Mimbres VFD
RAFFLE DONORS Barry & Dawn Gray Carson Insurance Cheryl Copperstone Cheryl Howard Cynthia Moseley, LMT Dave Baker & Bikeworks Don Klein & EZY Pawn Esperanza Winery Fred Disert Barber Shop Gila Hike & Bike Harold Markel Kate Brown Little Toad Brewery in SC Living Harvest Bakery 3 Questions Coffee House Meg & Dale Streams Mitch Clinton Stan Croft Susieville Cattle Co. Valle Mimbres Market
Commodities Distribution Farmer’s Market Harvest Festival Mimbres Messenger The San Lorenzo Children’s Garden Richard Powell
38 • NOVEMBER 2016
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HIGH PLACES ĂŻ GABRIEL TEICH
Three Rivers Trail
A riparian adventure takes the trail across a river — over and over
A
dmittedly, it’s a bit of a drive – it will take you at least two hours from Las Cruces. And maybe you’ve been out to the Three Rivers Petroglyphs site already. But either way, returning there will be worth it, trust me. For this hike you will have to drive on another eight miles past the petroglyph site. At the end of the road you find the Three Rivers Campground – and the trailhead to various hikes on the backside of Sierra Blanca. T44 takes you several miles up into a beautiful canyon along a river, which Google Maps tells me is called “Three Rivers.� How can that be right? Now, river might be too big a word for this stream that according to the guide book, Greg McGee’s “Day Hikes and Nature
Alternating river and mountain vistas, the trail at Three Rivers is both challenging and beautiful.
Walks in the Las Cruces – El Paso Area,� is a mere trickle for most of the year and only gets treacherous after some heavy rainfall in the area. Which is, of course exactly what we had at the end of August. Treacherous it was! The first crossing happens only about five minutes after the start of the hike and with the help of a fallen log we managed it quite elegantly. Well, at least we didn’t get our feet wet. The trail then winds through beautiful pine forest and is shaded for most of the way, so it can be recommended even for the hotter months. It stays fairly close to the river and the recent rain had also given the undergrowth a boost to the point where our son commented “It feels and smells like the rainforest habitat at the zoo.� We
had to agree. The trail was well marked but in some areas so overgrown that I wished I had a machete. Who knows what lurks in those hip high grasses? After about one and a half hours of gentle uphill hiking we were supposed to cross the river again. A fallen tree helped here as well, albeit not as well as the first time. Two minutes further the trail crossed yet again at which point hubby called it quits. So we turned around right when the canyon got really narrow and possibly more beautiful around every bend. We will surely be back – probably wearing water shoes. Fun fact: The canyon’s name is “Dry Canyon.� A friend who has done the whole hike commented that you will cross the river about 20 times in total. “Cool� was our son’s remark. He was eager to go further. If you like camping, I do recommend to stay the night before the hike. The campground is basic (cost: $6) and offers only a covered table at the sites, no running water or electric hook-ups, but it’s a beautiful calm place and you get an earlier start on your hike that way. Even in September it still gets pretty hot around noon. But the morning is cool and the mountains keep the sun hidden until after eight o’clock. (If you ‘need’ the hook-up for water and electricity for the night: The campground down by the petroglyphs has two RV sites available.) As always: If you go, remember sturdy shoes, sunscreen, and lots of water. I would also bring some snacks or a picnic lunch because you are miles away from the nearest village.
The Three Rivers Trail on the west side of the Sacramento Mountains offers some watery challenges. (Photos by Gabriel Teich)
There is plenty of water to experience following a healthy August monsoon rain in the Sacramento Mountains.
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DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 39 St. James Church, circa 1901, currently serves as the Parish Hall. (Courtesy Photo)
The Parish Hall is undergoing repairs of the authentic adobe bricks. (Photo by Susie Ouderkirk)
BUILDING A FUTURE ĂŻ SUSIE OUDERKIRK
St. James Parish Hall Experiencing an Epiphany
W
hen you drive up to the St. James Parish Hall off of South Main Street, a charming statue of St. Francis greets you. Lately, however, St. Francis stands guard over repairs being done on the foundation and walls of the Parish Hall. Chemist Godfrey Crane, the chair of the six-member Parish Hall Restoration Committee for the church, is overseeing the repairs to the adobe façade at 102 St. James St. The committee was set up in 2014 to fix cracks in the Parish Hall because, for several years, “there was a long and wide crack in the stucco of the west wall, near the ground,â€? Crane said. “Also, in some places the stucco had completely fallen away from the wall. Since the building is of adobe brick, this could not go unrepaired, due to the impact of rain on the bricks.â€? Contractor Pat Taylor, who has an international reputation as an adobe restorer, and his masons have been at work for several months, Crane said. “As he stripped off the stucco, he found erosion of bricks near the foundation, as well as a number of cracked bricks in various locations and also determined that the wall was not adequately pinned to the roof trusses,â€? Crane said. Taylor has corrected these deficiencies. Crane said several years ago the rectangular windows on one side of the hall were covered over. “We have taken the opportunity to reinstall Gothic-style windows (kindly donated by a parishioner) in rebuilt arches, so that the building will be restored
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A statue of St. Francis, carved from a dead tree at the spot by Richard Gonzales, seems to be watching over the repairs on the Parish Hall. (Photo by Susie Ouderkirk) to its original appearance,� he said. All that remains at the moment is to re-cover the west wall with the traditional coats of lime plaster, “not the impervious stucco, which doesn’t let the adobe ‘breathe,’� Crane said. “Since we have almost depleted our building fund, we will have to raise
the money for this.� The committee is about to start a landscaping and drainage project on the west side, which will help water to flow away from the hall, and further in the future the same repairs will have to be made to the east wall, although it’s in much better shape than the west, Crane said.
Saints Peter & Paul Lutheran Mission (ELDoNA) invites the Silver City community to hear the Gospel of Christ purely taught in its traditional, historical, orthodox Christian context.
Currently meeting on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month at 3 PM at StarDancers Studio, 2662 Pinos Altos Rd., Silver City. Call or visit our website to confirm times and dates. (575) 636-4988 peterandpaullutheran.org. Rev. Paul Rydecki, Pastor.
40 • NOVEMBER 2016
www.desertexposure.com
TULAROSA TALES ï JENNIFER GRUGER
I
New Restaurant Grows Big Plans
n April of this year, a small but big thing happened in the quiet village of Tularosa. The Grill 49 Restaurant on Granado Street opened its doors and brought an old, sleepy building back to life. Co-owners Eric and Karen Gutierrez, and Chef Kasey Kaplan along kitchen and service staff have been serving the Tularosa Basin and beyond ever since. On Nov. 3rd, Grill 49 is partnering with Vintage Wine Estates from Santa Rosa, California to host the first in a series of wine and food pairings events. This reservation only format combines a 5-course meal with wines individually selected to go with each serving. The evening opens with a reception featuring a variety of canapés such as “Cured
Scottish Salmon, Rye Crostini, Chive Mousse with Capers” and “French Laundry Cornets of Ahi Tartare” all paired with a Clos Pegase Sauvignon Blanc. Once guests are seated, they’ll be served five courses, each paired with a different wine, presented by sommelier Terry Armentor. Vintage Wine Estates information can be found at www.vintagewineestates.com. The restaurant is planning to hold a wine paring every three months, so this is not the only chance guests have to experience the event. Thanksgiving is also featured at Grill 49. Kitchen Lead, Michael Gutierrez came up with the idea to plan for carry out Thanksgiving Day meal options y preparing carry out dishes to be picked
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up by 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, the entire staff can be home with their family the rest of the day but still prepare food for the community. Single item options are available as well as a family meal package including turkey,
brisket, several sides, gravy and several cobblers. All orders must be placed no later than 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 22. Grill 49 is located at 313 Granado Street, Tularosa. Call 575-585-4949 to make a reser-
vation for the wine and food pairing or place a Thanksgiving carry out order. Reservations are also encouraged for lunch or dinner parties. You can find the brunch menu and who’s playing live on Facebook at “Grill 49.”
TABLE TALK ï LUCY WHITMARSH
New Chef in Town
I
n August Chef Howard Richardson moved to Silver City from San Diego. He immediately found a job at Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery located at 200 N. Bullard Street and went to work as the chef and food manager. Richardson had visited Silver City during the Clay Festival in 2015 and knew he wanted to move to the interesting, eclectic community. After having lived in Silver City for more than two months, the experience has exceeded his expectations. He loves the sunrises, sunsets, big puffy clouds, scenery and especially the accepting community. He can walk to work and has found everything that he needs to be happy is available nearby. Richardson jumped right into involvement with downtown events. He coordinated the Little Toad Creek’s participation in the Taste of Downtown over Labor Day Weekend after having moved to Silver City two weeks previously. His creations, a roasted sweet potato crostini with a whiskey maple syrup reduction topped with pulled pork and chipotle and zucchini ribbons with almond pesto and smoked salmon were very popular. For the annual “Octoaderfest” Richardson had his first experience with preparing Hossenfeffer. Additional festive food offerings during the event included sauerbraten, schnitzel rancheros, wurst platter and roulade. The event also included games, music and a special “Oktoaderfest” beer. Richardson is impressed with the number of visitors that come to Silver City and he has met people from Tucson, Albuquerque and El Paso who vacation in Silver
Howard Richardson and Rudy Andazola serving “tastes” at the 2016 Silver City MainStreet Taste of Downtown over Labor Day weekend. (Courtesy Photo)
City for weeks. The visitors often come for the hiking and mountain biking and they really appreciate having a craft brewery and distillery that is conveniently located in the very walkable downtown. He is eager to learn everything about the community so that he can be an ambassador. Richardson loves to cook. He started work in the food and beverage service industry working as a bar tender for Marriot and later a Red Lion in the San Diego area. He apprenticed to learn kitchen and food service management at a steak
house, Bully’s Beast. He then worked at Junior Seau’s as the Assistant Kitchen Manager and eventually owned a restraint and catering business. He brings thirty years of food and beverage management experience to his current position at Little Toad Creek. His personal favorite is Cajun Style cooking and he also especially likes barbeque. He would like to introduce more “farm to table” items to the menu at Little Toad Creek. And he wants to learn how to paint with watercolors and has been able to take a class since moving to Silver City.
DESERT EXPOSURE Red or Green? is Desert Exposure’s guide to dining in southwest New Mexico. The listings here—a sampling of our complete and recently completely updated guide online at www.desertexposure. com—include some of our favorites and restaurants we’ve recently reviewed. We emphasize non-national-chain restaurants with sit-down, table service . With each listing, we include a brief categorization of the type of cuisine plus what meals are served: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner. Unless otherwise noted, restaurants are open seven days a week. Call for exact hours, which change frequently. All phone numbers are area code 575 except as specified. We also note with a star (*) restaurants where you can pick up copies of Desert Exposure.
GRANT COUNTY
Silver City 1ZERO6, 106 N. Texas St., 575-313-4418. Pacific Rim, South East Asian, Oaxacan and Italian: Friday to Sunday D, by reservation only. ADOBE SPRINGS CAFÉ, 1617 Silver Heights Blvd., 538-3665. Breakfast items, burgers, sandwiches: Sunday B L, all week B L D.* BURGERS & BROWNIES & BEER, OH MY!, 619 N. Bullard St., 575-597-6469. CAFÉ OSO AZUL AT BEAR MOUNTAIN LODGE, 60 Bear Mountain Ranch Road, 5382538. B L, special D by reservation only.* CHINESE PALACE, 1010 Highway 180E, 538-9300. Chinese: Monday to Friday L D. COURTYARD CAFÉ, Gila Regional Medical Center, 538-4094. American: B L, with special brunch Sundays.* DIANE’S RESTAURANT, 510 N. Bullard St., 538-8722. Fine dining (D), steaks, seafood, pasta, sandwiches (L), salads: Tuesday to Saturday L D, Sunday D only (family-style), weekend brunch. DIANE’S BAKERY & DELI, The Hub, Suite A, Bullard St., 5349229. Artisan breads, pastries, sandwiches, deli: Monday to Saturday B L early D, Sunday L.* DON JUAN’S BURRITOS, 418 Silver Heights Blvd., 538-5440. Mexican: B L. DRIFTER PANCAKE HOUSE, 711 Silver Heights Blvd., 5382916. Breakfast, American: B L, breakfast served throughout. EL GALLO PINTO, 901 N. Hudson St., 597-4559. Mexican: Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday B L Thursday to Saturday B L D. FORREST’S PIZZA, 601 N. Bullard St. Unit J. 388-1225. Tuesday to Friday L D, Slices only at lunch time. FRY HOUSE, 601 N. Bullard St. Suite C. 388-1964. GIL-A BEANS, 1304 N. Bennett St. Coffeeshop.* GOLDEN STAR, 1602 Silver Heights Blvd., 388-2323. Chinese: L D. GRANDMA’S CAFÉ, 900 Silver Heights Blvd., 388-2627. American, Mexican: B L.* GRINDER MILL, 403 W. College Ave., 538-3366. Mexican: B L D.* HEALTHY EATS, 303 E. 13th St., 534-9404. Sandwiches, burritos, salads, smoothies: L. JALISCO CAFÉ, 100 S. Bullard
NOVEMBER 2016 • 41
or Southwest New Mexico’s
Best Restaurant Guide
?
If we’ve recently reviewed a restaurant, you’ll find a brief capsule of our review and a notation of which issue it originally appeared in. Stories from all back issues of Desert Exposure from January 2005 on are
available on our website. Though every effort has been made to make these listings complete and up-to-date, errors and omissions are inevitable and restaurants may make changes after
this issue goes to press. That’s why we urge you to help us make Red or Green? even better. Drop a note to Red or Green? c/o Desert Exposure, 1740-A Calle de Mercado, Las Cruces, NM 88005, or email editor@
desertexposure.com. Remember, these print listings represent only highlights. You can always find the complete, updated Red or Green? guide online at www. desertexposure.com. Bon appétit!
St., 388-2060. Mexican. Monday to Saturday L D. JAVALINA COFFEE HOUSE, 117 Market St., 388-1350. Coffeehouse.* JUMPING CACTUS, 503 N. Bullard St. Coffeeshop, baked goods, sandwiches, wraps: B L.* KOUNTRY KITCHEN, 1700 Mountain View Road, 3884512. Mexican: Tuesday to Saturday B L D.* LA COCINA RESTAURANT, 201 W. College Ave., 388-8687. Mexican: L D. LA FAMILIA, 503 N. Hudson St., 388-4600. Mexican: Tuesday to Sunday B L D.* LA MEXICANA, Hwy. 180E and Memory Lane, 534-0142. Mexican and American: B L. LITTLE TOAD CREEK BREWERY & DISTILLERY, 200 N. Bullard St., 956-6144. Burgers, wings, salads, fish, pasta, craft beers and cocktails: Wednesday to Monday L D. * MARKET CAFÉ, 614 Bullard St., 956-6487. Organic and vegetarian deli food. Wednesday to Monday (closed Tuesday) B L. MEXICO VIEJO, Hwy. 90 and Broadway Mexican food stand: Monday to Saturday B L early D. MI CASITA, 2340 Bosworth Dr., 538-5533. New Mexican cuisine: Monday to Thursday L, Friday L D. MILLIE’S BAKE HOUSE, 602 N. Bullard St., 597-2253. Soup, salads, sandwiches, baked goods: Tuesday to Saturday. * NANCY’S SILVER CAFÉ, 514 N. Bullard St., 388-3480. Mexican: Monday to Saturday B L D. THE PARLOR AT DIANE’S, 510 N. Bullard St., 538-8722. Burgers, sandwiches, homemade pizzas, paninis: Tuesday to Sunday L D. PRETTY SWEET EMPORIUM, 312 N. Bullard St., 388-8600. Dessert, ice cream: Monday to Saturday.* Q’S SOUTHERN BISTRO AND BREWERY, 101 E. College Ave., 534-4401. American, steaks, barbecue, brewpub: Monday to Saturday L D. SILVER BOWLING CENTER CAFÉ, 2020 Memory Lane, 538-3612. American, Mexican, hamburgers: L D.* SUNRISE ESPRESSO, 1530 N. Hudson, 388-2027. Coffee shop: Monday to Saturday B L, early D. SUNRISE ESPRESSO, 1212 E. 32nd St., 534-9565. Coffee
shop, bakery: Monday to Friday B L, early D, Saturday B L only.* TAPAS TREE, 601 N. Bullard St. in The Hub, Wednesday to Sunday L, Fridays L D. TERRY’S ORIGINAL BARBEQUE, Hwy. 180 and Ranch Club Road. Barbeque to go: L D. TRE ROSAT CAFÉ, 304 N. Bullard St., 654-4919. International eclectic: Monday to Saturday L, D.* VICKI’S EATERY, 315 N. Texas, 388-5430. American: Monday to Friday L, Saturday B L, Sunday B L (to 2 p.m.). * WRANGLER’S BAR & GRILL, 2005 Hwy. 180E, 538-4387. Steak, burgers, appetizers, salads: L D.* YANKIE CREEK COFFEE HOUSE, 112 W. Yankie St. Coffee shop, coffee, home-made pastries and ice cream, fresh fruit smoothies.*
fasts, burgers, sandwiches, Mexican: Daily B L early D.
Ste. 10, 532-0141. Mexican: B L D. CRAVINGS CAFÉ, 3115 N. Main St., 323-3353. Burgers, sandwiches, wraps, egg dishes, salads: B L. DAY’S HAMBURGERS, WATER & Las Cruces St., 523-8665. Burgers: Monday to Saturday L D. PECAN GRILL & BREWERY, 500 S. Telshor Blvd., 521-1099. Pecan-smoked meats, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, craft beers: L D. DELICIAS DEL MAR, 1401 El Paseo, 524-2396. Mexican, seafood: B L D. DICK’S CAFÉ, 2305 S. Valley Dr., 524-1360. Mexican, burgers: Sunday B L, Monday to Saturday B L D. DION’S PIZZA, 3950 E. Lohman, 521-3434. Pizza: L D. DOUBLE EAGLE, 2355 Calle De Guadalupe, 523-6700. Southwestern, steaks, seafood: L D, Sun. champagne brunch buffet. DUBLIN STREET PUB, 1745 E. University Ave., 522-0932. Irish, American: L D. EL SOMBRERO PATIO CAFÉ, 363 S. Espina St., 524-9911. Mexican: L D. EMILIA’S, 2290 Calle de Parian, 652-3007. Burgers, Mexican, soup, sandwiches, pastry, juices, smoothies: L D. ENRIQUE’S, 830 W. Picacho, 647-0240. Mexican: B L D. FARLEY’S, 3499 Foothills Rd., 522-0466. Pizza, burgers, American, Mexican: L D. FIDENCIO’S, 800 S. Telshor, 532-5624. Mexican: B L D. FORK IN THE ROAD, 202 N. Motel Blvd., 527-7400. Buffet: B L D 24 hrs. THE GAME BAR & GRILL, 2605 S. Espina, 524-GAME. Sports bar and grill: L D. GARDUÑO’S, 705 S. Telshor (Hotel Encanto), 522-4300. Mexican: B L D. GIROS MEXICAN RESTAURANT, 160 W. Picacho Ave., 541-0341. Mexican: B L D. GO BURGER DRIVE-IN, 1008 E. Lohman, 524-9251. Burgers, Mexican: Monday to Friday B L. GOLDEN STAR CHINESE FAST FOOD, 1420 El Paseo, 523-2828. Chinese: L D. GRANDY’S COUNTRY COOKING, 1345 El Paseo Rd., 5264803. American: B L D. HABANERO’S 600 E. Amador Ave., 524-1829. Fresh Mexican,: B L D. HIGH DESERT BREWING COMPANY, 1201 W. Hadley Ave., 525-6752. Brew
Bayard FIDENCIO’S TACO SHOP, 1108 Tom Foy Blvd. Mexican: B L D. LITTLE NISHA’S, 1101 Tom Foy Blvd., 537-3526. Mexican: Wednesday to Sunday B L D. LOS COMPAS, 1203 Tom Foy Blvd, 654-4109. Sonoran-style Mexican, hot dogs, portas, menudo: L D. M & A BAYARD CAFÉ, 1101 N. Central Ave., 537-2251. Mexican and American: Monday to Friday B L D. SPANISH CAFÉ, 106 Central Ave., 537-2640. Mexican, tamales and menudo (takeout only): B. Sugar Shack, 1102 Tom Foy Blvd., 537-0500. Mexican: Sunday to Friday B L. Cliff D’S CAFÉ, 8409 Hwy 180. Breakfast dishes, burritos, burgers, weekend smoked meats and ribs: Thursday to Sunday B L. PARKEY’S, 8414 Hwy. 180W, 535-4000. Coffee shop: Monday to Saturday. Lake Roberts SPIRIT CANYON LODGE & CAFÉ, 684 Hwy. 35, 536-9459. German specialties, American lunch and dinner entrées: Saturday D. Mimbres ELK X-ING CAFÉ, (352) 2120448. Home-style meals, sandwiches and desserts: B L. RESTAURANT DEL SOL, 2676 Hwy. 35, San LorenzoBreak-
Pinos Altos BUCKHORN SALOON AND OPERA HOUSE, Main Street, 538-9911. Steakhouse, pasta, burgers: Monday to Saturday D.
DOÑA ANA COUNTY
Las Cruces & Mesilla ABRAHAM’S BANK TOWER RESTAURANT, 500 S. Main St. 434, 523-5911. American: Monday to Friday B L. A DONG, 504 E. Amador Ave., 527-9248. Vietnamese: L D. ANDELE’S DOG HOUSE, 2184 Avenida de Mesilla, 526-1271. Mexican plus hot dogs, burgers, quesadillas: B L D. ANDELE RESTAURANTE, 1950 Calle del Norte, 526-9631. Mexican: Monday B L, Tuesday to Sunday B L D. ANTONIO’S RESTAURANT & PIZZERIA, 5195 Bataan Memorial West, 373-0222. Pizza, Italian, Mexican: Tuesday to Sunday L D. AQUA REEF, 900-B S. Telshor, 522-7333. Asian, sushi: D. THE BEAN, 2011 Avenida de Mesilla, 523-0560. Coffeehouse. A BITE OF BELGIUM, 741 N. Alameda St., 527-2483. Belgian food: Monday to Friday B L. BOBA CAFÉ, 1900 S. Espina, Ste. 8, 647-5900. Sandwiches, salads, casual fare, espresso: Monday to Saturday L D.* BRAVO’S CAFÉ, 3205 S. Main St., 526-8604. Mexican: Tuesday to Sunday B L. BURGER NOOK, 1204 E. Madrid Ave., 523-9806. Outstanding greenchile cheeseburgers. Tuesday to Saturday L D. BURRITOS VICTORIA, 1295 El Paseo Road, 541-5534. Burritos: B L D. Now serving beer. CAFÉ AGOGO, 1120 Commerce Dr., Suite A, 636-4580. Asian, American, sandwich, salad, rice bowl: Monday to Saturday L D. CARILLO’S CAFÉ, 330 S. Church, 523-9913. Mexican, American: Monday to Saturday L D. CATTLEMAN’S STEAKHOUSE, 2375 Bataan Memorial Hwy., 382-9051. Steakhouse: D. CHA CHI’S RESTAURANT, 2460 S. Locust St.-A, 5227322. Mexican: B L D. CHILITOS, 2405 S. Valley Dr., 526-4184. Mexican: Monday to Saturday B L D. CHILITOS, 3850 Foothills Rd.
42 • NOVEMBER 2016
www.desertexposure.com ican: Tuesday to Saturday B L D. Sunday B L. LA MEXICANA TORTILLERIA, 1300 N. Solano Dr, 541-9617. Mexican: L D. LA NUEVA CASITA CAFÉ, 195 N. Mesquite, 523-5434. Mexican and American: B L. LA POSTA RESTAURANT DE MESILLA, 2410 Calle De San Albino, 524-3524Mexican, steakhouse: L D, Saturday, Sunday and holidays also B. LAS TRANCAS, 1008 S. Solano Dr., 524-1430. Mexican, steaks, burgers, fried chicken: L D, Saturday and Sunday also B. LE RENDEZ-VOUS CAFÉ, 2701 W. Picacho Ave. #1, 527-0098. French pastry, deli, sandwiches: Monday to Saturday B L. LET THEM EAT CAKE, 141 N. Roadrunner Parkway, 6498965. Cupcakes: Tuesday to Saturday
pub: L D.* INTERNATIONAL DELIGHTS, 1245 El Paseo Rd., 647-5956. Greek and International: B L D. J.C. TORTAS, 1196 W. Picacho Ave., 647-1408. Mexican: L D. JOSE MURPHY’S, 1201 E. Amador (inside Ten Pin Alley), 541-4064. Mexican, American: L D. JOSEFINA’S OLD GATE CAFÉ, 2261 Calle de Guadalupe, 525-2620. Pastries, soups, salads, sandwiches: Monday to Thursday L, Friday to Sunday B L. KATANA TEPPANYAKI GRILL, 1001 E. University Ave., 5220526. Meals created before your very eyes. Japanese: Monday to Friday L D, Saturday D. KEVA JUICE, 1001 E. University, 522-4133. Smoothies, frozen yogurt: B L D. LA GUADALUPANA, 930 El Paseo Road. 523-5954. Mex-
Bear Mountain Lodge
Th• anksgiving k Menu Caffé Oso Azul Café
FALL STARTERS Crudites with pimento cheese, watermelon pickles, and homemade zucchini bread SOUP COURSE: CARROT GINGER SOUP ENTREE CHOICES (PLEASE CHOOSE ONE)
HERB ENCRUSTED ROAST THANKSGIVING TURKEY served with country sausage dressing or rice dressing (gluten free) and Bourbon gravy OR
PORK TENDERLOIN stuffed with Cranberries in a Port Wine Sauce OR
Butternut squash, mascarpone cheese, and roasted veggie torte topped with toasted pumpkin seeds (Vegetarian) ALL ENTREES INCLUDE APPLE-CRANBERRY SAUCE, COCONUT MILK SWEET POTATOES, HOMEMADE BREAD, CAULIFLOWER APPLE SLAW WITH LOCAL PISTACHIOS, and BEAR MOUNTAIN CRACKERS (PLEASE CHOOSE ONE)
Pumpkin Cake with Membrillo Whipped Cream and Homemade Caramel Sauce OR
Chocolate Espresso Mousse OR
Pear Tart with Whipped Cream COFFEE OR TEA COST IS $42.00 PER PERSON in house and $35. per person to go RESERVATION ONLY (CHOOSE ENTREE AND DESSERT WHEN RESERVING)
60 Bear Mountain Ranch Road
575-538-2538 • www.bearmountainlodge.com
LIVE MUSIC JULY 2016 • NEVER A COVER! Every Thursday & Saturday Night • 8-11pm
NOVEMBER 3 NOVEMBER 5 NOVEMBER 10 NOVEMBER 12 NOVEMBER 17 NOVEMBER 19 NOVEMBER 24 NOVEMBER 26 DECEMBER 1
(THE RETURN OF) THE DEMING FUSILIERS DAN MARTIN (TULSA, OK) BETH LEE & THE BREAKUPS (AUSTIN, TX) DERRICK LEE JAZZ TRIO BAT (ALL-REQUEST NOMADIC ONE-MAN-JUKEBOX) KIKIMORA (LATIN/R&B FROM EL PASO) CLOSED (HAPPY THANKSGIVING!) MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST STEVE SMITH SUGAR STILL (AMERICANA DUO FROM CHICAGO)
LORENZO’S PAN AM, 1753 E. University Ave., 521-3505. Italian, pizza: L D. LOS COMPAS CAFÉ, 6335 Bataan Memorial W., 382-2025. Mexican: B L D. LOS COMPAS CAFÉ, 603 S. Nevarez St., 523-1778. Mexican: B L D. LOS COMPAS, 1120 Commerce Dr., 521-6228. Mexican: B L D.* LOS MARIACHIS, 754 N. Motel Blvd., 523-7058. Mexican: B L D. MESILLA VALLEY KITCHEN, 2001 E. Lohman Ave. #103, 523-9311. American, Mexican: B L.* N.M. BAR & GRILLE, 1803 Avenida de Mesilla, 652-4953. Steaks, barbecue, seafood, sandwiches, salads, pasta: L D. METROPOLITAN DELI, 1001 University Ave., 522-3354. Sandwiches: L D. MIGUEL’S, 1140 E. Amador Ave., 647-4262. Mexican: B L D. MI PUEBLITO, 1355 E. Idaho Ave., 524-3009. Mexican: Monday to Friday B L D, Saturday and Sunday B L. MILAGRO COFFEE Y ESPRESSO, 1733 E. University Ave., 532-1042. Coffeehouse: B L D.* MIX PACIFIC RIM CUISINE AND MIX EXPRESS, 1001 E. University Ave. #D4, 532-2042. Asian, Pacific: Monday to Saturday L D. MOONGATE CAFÉ, 9395 Bataan Memorial, 382-5744. Coffee shop, Mexican, American: B L. MOUNTAIN VIEW MARKET KITCHEN, 1300 El Paseo Road, 523-0436. Sandwiches, bagels, wraps, salads and other healthy fare: Monday to Saturday: B L early D. * NELLIE’S CAFÉ, 1226 W. Hadley Ave., 524-9982. Mexican: Tuesday to Saturday B L. NOPALITO RESTAURANT, 2605 Missouri Ave., 522-0440. Mexican: L D. NOPALITO RESTAURANT, 310 S. Mesquite St., 524-0003. Mexican: Sunday to Tuesday, Thursday to Saturday. L D.* OLD TOWN RESTAURANT, 1155 S. Valley Dr., 523-4586. Mexican, American: B L.* ORIENTAL PALACE, 225 E. Idaho, 526-4864. Chinese: L D. PAISANO CAFÉ, 1740 Calle de Mercado, 524-0211. Mexican: B L D.* PEPE’S, 1405 W. Picacho, 541-0277. Mexican: B L D. PHO SAIGON, 1160 El Paseo Road, 652-4326. Vietnamese: L D. PICACHO PEAK BREWING CO., 3900 W. Picacho, 575680-6394. PLAYER’S GRILL, 3000 Champions Dr. (NMSU golf course clubhouse), 646-2457. American: B L D. RANCHWAY BARBECUE, 604 N. Valley Dr., 523-7361. Barbecue, Mexican: Monday to Friday B L D, Saturday D. RASCO’S BBQ, 125 S. Campo St., 526-7926. Barbecued brisket, pulled pork, smoked sausage, ribs. RED BRICK PIZZA, 2808 N. Telshor Blvd., 521-7300. Pizzas, sandwiches, salads: L D. RENOO’S THAI RESTAURANT, 1445 W. Picacho Ave., 373-3000. Thai: Monday to Friday L D, Saturday D. ROBERTO’S MEXICAN
FOOD, 908 E. Amador Ave., 523-1851. Mexican: B L D.* ROSIE’S CAFÉ DE MESILLA, 300 N. Main St., 526-1256. Breakfast, Mexican, burgers: Saturday to Thursday B L, Friday B L D. SAENZ GORDITAS, 1700 N. Solano Dr., 527-4212. Excellent, gorditas, of course, but also amazing chicken tacos. Mexican: Monday to Saturday L D. SANTORINI’S, 1001 E. University Ave., 521-9270. Greek, Mediterranean: Monday to Saturday L D. SALUD DE MESILLA, 1800-B Avenida de Mesilla, 527-2869. American, Continental: B L D. THE SHED, 810 S. Valley Dr., 525-2636. American, pizza, Mexican, desserts: Wednesday to Sunday B L.* SI ITALIAN BISTRO, 523 E. Idaho, 523-1572. Italian: Monday L, Tuesday to Saturday L D. SI SEÑOR, 1551 E. Amador Ave., 527-0817. Mexican: L D. SPANISH KITCHEN, 2960 N. Main St., 526-4275. Mexican: Monday to Saturday B L D. SPIRIT WINDS COFFEE BAR, 2260 S. Locust St., 521-1222. Sandwiches, coffee, bakery: B L D.* ST. CLAIR WINERY & BISTRO, 1720 Avenida de Mesilla, 524-0390. Wine tasting, bistro: L D. SUNSET GRILL, 1274 Golf Club Road (Sonoma Ranch Golf Course clubhouse), 5211826. American, Southwest, steak, burgers, seafood, pasta: B L D. TERIYAKI CHICKEN HOUSE, 805 El Paseo Rd., 541-1696. Japanese: Monday to Friday L D. THAI DELIGHT DE MESILLA, 2184 Avenida de Mesilla, 5251900. Thai, salads, sandwiches, seafood, steaks, German: L D.* TIFFANY’S PIZZA & GREEK AMERICAN CUISINE, 755 S. Telshor Blvd No. G1, 532-5002. Pizza, Greek, deli: Tuesday to Saturday B L D.* VINTAGE WINES, 2461 Calle de Principal, 523-WINE. Wine and cigar bar, tapas: L D. WOK-N-WORLD, 5192 E. Boutz, 526-0010. Chinese: Monday to Saturday L D. ZEFFIRO PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA, 136 N. Water St., 525-6757. Pizza, pasta, also sandwiches at adjoining Popular Artisan Bakery: Monday to Saturday L D. ZEFFIRO NEW YORK PIZZERIA, 101 E. University Ave., 525-6770. Pizza: L D. Anthony ERNESTO’S MEXICAN FOOD, 200 Anthony Dr., 882-3641. Mexican: B L. LA COCINITA, 908 W. Main Dr., 589-1468. Mexican: L. Chapparal EL BAYO STEAK HOUSE, 417 Chaparral Dr., 824-4749. Steakhouse: Tuesday to Sunday B L D. TORTILLERIA SUSY, 661 Paloma Blanca Dr., 824-9377. Mexican: Monday to Saturday B L D, Sunday B L. Doña Ana BIG MIKE’S CAFÉ, Thorpe Road. Mexican, breakfasts, burgers: B L D.
Santa Teresa BILLY CREWS, 1200 Country Club Road, 589-2071. Steak, seafood: L D.
LUNA COUNTY
Deming ADOBE DELI, 3970 Lewis Flats Road SE, 546-0361. Bar, deli, steaks: L D.* BALBOA MOTEL & RESTAURANT, 708 W. Pine St., 5466473. Mexican, American: Sunday to Friday L D. BELSHORE RESTAURANT, 1030 E. Pine St., 546-6289. Mexican, American: Tuesday to Sunday B L. CAMPOS RESTAURANT, 105 S. Silver, 546-0095. Mexican, American, Southwestern: L D.* CHINA RESTAURANT, 110 E. Pine St., 546-4146. Chinese: Tuesday to Sunday L D. EL CAMINO REAL, 900 W. Pine St., 546-7421. Mexican, American: B L D. ELISA’S HOUSE OF PIES AND RESTAURANT, 208 1/2 S. Silver Alley, 494-4639. American, barbecue, sandwiches, pies: Monday to Saturday L D. * EL MIRADOR, 510 E. Pine St., 544-7340. Mexican: Monday to Saturday B L D. “FORGHEDABOUDIT” pizza & wings, 115 N. Silver Ave., 275-3881. Italian, pizza, wings: Monday to Saturday L D, Sunday D. GRAND MOTOR INN & LOUNGE, 1721 E. Pine, 5462632. Mexican, steak, seafood: B L D. IRMA’S, 123 S. Silver Ave., 544-4580. Mexican, American, seafood: B L D. LA FONDA, 601 E. Pine St., 546-0465. Mexican: B L D.* LAS CAZUELAS, 108 N. Platinum Ave. (inside El Rey meat market), 544-8432. Steaks, seafood, Mexican: Tuesday to Saturday L D.* MANGO MADDIE’S, 722 E. Florida St., 546-3345. Salads, sandwiches, juice bar, coffee drinks. MANOLO’S CAFÉ, 120 N. Granite St., 546-0405. Mexican, American: Monday to Saturday B L D, Sunday B L. PATIO CAFÉ, 1521 Columbus Road, 546-5990. Burgers, American: Monday to Saturday L D.* PRIME RIB GRILL (inside Holiday Inn), I-10 exit 85, 546-2661. Steak, seafood, Mexican: B D. RANCHER’S GRILL, 316 E. Cedar St., 546-8883. Steakhouse, burgers: L D.* SI SEÑOR, 200 E. Pine St., 546-3938. Mexican: Monday to Saturday B L D, Sunday B L. SUNRISE KITCHEN, 1409 S. Columbus Road, 544-7795American, Mexican, breakfasts: Monday to Thursday B L, Friday B L D. TACOS MIRASOL, 323 E. Pine St., 544-0646. Mexican: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday B L D, Tuesday B L. TOCAYO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT, 1601 E. Pine St., 567-1963. Mexican, dine in or take out: Monday to Saturday B L D, Sunday B L. Akela APACHE HOMELANDS RESTAURANT, I-10. Burgers, ribs, etc.: B L D.* Columbus IRMA’S KITCHEN, B L D, Highway 11, 575-694-4026, Mexican food.
DESERT EXPOSURE LA CASITA, 309 Taft, 575-5312371. B L D, Mexican food. PATIO CAFÉ, 23 Broadway, 531-2495. Burgers, American: B L.*
HIDALGO COUNTY
Lordsburg EL CHARRO RESTAURANT, 209 S. P Blvd., 542-3400. Mexican: B L D. FIDENCIO’S, 604 E. Motel Dr., 542-8989. Mexican: B L early D. KRANBERRY’S FAMILY RESTAURANT, 1405 Main St., 542-9400. Mexican, American: B L D. MAMA ROSA’S PIZZA, 1312 Main St., 542-8400. Pizza, subs, calzones, salads, chicken wings, cheeseburgers, shrimp baskets: L D. RAMONA’S CAFÉ, 904 E. Motel Dr., 542-3030. Mexican, American: Tuesday to Friday B L D, Sunday B mid-day D. Animas PANTHER TRACKS CAFÉ, Hwy. 338, 548-2444. Burgers, Mexican, American: Monday to Friday B L D Rodeo RODEO STORE AND CAFÉ. 195 Hwy. 80, 557-2295. Coffee shop food: Monday to Saturday B L. RODEO TAVERN, 557-2229. Shrimp, fried chicken, steaks, burgers, seafood: Wednesday to Saturday D.
CATRON COUNTY
Reserve ADOBE CAFÉ, Hwy. 12 & Hwy. 180, 533-6146. Deli, American, Mon. pizza, Sunday BBQ ribs: Sun.-Mon. B L D, Wed.-Fri. B L. BLACK GOLD, 98 Main St., 533-6538. Coffeehouse, pastries. CARMEN’S, 101 Main St., 533-6990. Mexican, American: B L D. ELLA’S CAFÉ, 533-6111. American: B L D. UNCLE BILL’S BAR, 230 N. Main St., 533-6369. Pizza: Monday to Saturday L D. Glenwood ALMA GRILL, Hwy. 180, 5392233. Breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, Mexican: Sunday to Wednesday, Friday to Saturday B L. GOLDEN GIRLS CAFÉ, Hwy. 180, 539-2457. Breakfast: B. MARIO’S PIZZA, Hwy. 180, 539-2316. Italian: Monday to Saturday D. Other Catron County PIE TOWN CAFÉ, Pie Town, NM, 575-772-2700
SIERRA COUNTY
Arrey ARREY CAFÉ, Hwy 187 Arrey, 575-267-4436, Mexican, American, Vegetarian, B L D. Chloride CHLORIDE BANK CAFÉ, 300, Wall Street, 575-743-0414, American, Thursday-Saturday L D, Sunday L. Elephant Butte BIG FOOD EXPRESS, 212 Warm Springs Blvd., 575-7444896, American, Asian, Seafood, B L. CASA TACO, 704, Hwy 195, 575-744-4859, American, Mexican, Vegetarian, L D.
NOVEMBER 2016 • 43 HODGES CORNER, 915 NM 195, American, Mexican, B L. IVORY TUSK TAVERN & RESTAURANT, 401 Hwy 195, 575-744-5431, American, Mexican, Vegetarian, Seafood, Daily L D, Sunday Buffet. THE CLUB RESTAURANT, 101 Club House Drive, 575744-7100, American, Seafood, L D. Hatch B & E BURRITOS, 303 Franklin, 575-267-5191, Mexican, B L. PEPPER POT, 207 W Hall, 575-267-3822, Mexican, B L. SPARKY’S, 115 Franklin, 575267-4222, American, Mexican, Thursday-Sunday L D. VALLEY CAFÉ, 335 W. Hall St. 575-267-4798, Mexican, American, B L. Hillsboro HILLSBORO GENERAL STORE, 10697 Hwy 152, American, Southwestern, Vegetarian, Friday-Wednesday B L. BARBER SHOP CAFÉ, Main Street, 575-895-5283, American, Mediterranean, sandwiches, Monday-Saturday L. Truth or Consequences A & B DRIVE-IN, 211 Broadway, 575-894-9294, Mexican, American, Vegetarian, B L D. BAR-B-QUE ON BROADWAY, 308 Broadway, 575-894-7047, American, Mexican, B L. BRAZEN FOX, 313 North Broadway, 575-297-0070, Mexican, Vegetarian, Wednesday-Sunday, L D. CAFÉ BELLA LUCA, 301 S. Jones, 575-894-9866, Italian, American, Vegetarian, Seafood, D. CARMEN’S KITCHEN, 1806 S. Broadway, 575-894-0006, American, Mexican, Vegetarian, Monday-Friday B L D, Saturday, B L. EL FARO, 315 N. Broadway, 575-894-2886, American, Mexican, Vegetarian, Monday-Friday B L D, Saturday, B L. GRAPEVINE BISTRO, 413 Broadway, 575-894-0404, American, Vegetarian, B L. JOHNNY B’S, 2260 N. Date Street, (575-894-0147, American, Mexican, B L D. LA COCINA/HOT STUFF, 1 Lakeway Drive, 575-894-6499, American, Mexican, Vegetarian, L D. LATITUDE 33, 304 S. Pershing, 575-740-7804, American, Vegetarian, Asian, L D. LOS ARCOS STEAK & LOBSTER, 1400 N. Date Street, 575-894-6200, American, Seafood, D. LOS FIDENCIOS, 1615 S. Broadway, 575-894-3737, Mexican, Monday-Saturday B L D, Sunday, B L. MARIAS, 1990 S. Broadway, 575-894-9047, American, Mexican, Vegetarian, Monday-Saturday B L D. PACIFIC GRILL, 800 N. Date St., 575-894-7687, Italian, American, Vegetarian, Asian, Seafood, Tuesday-Thursday-Friday L D, Saturday D, Sunday L. PASSION PIE CAFÉ, 406 Main, 575-894-0008, American, Vegetarian, B L. R & C SUMTHINS, 902 Date St. 575-894-1040, American, Tuesday-Sunday L . STONE AGE CAFÉ & POINT BLANC WINERY, 165 E. Ninth
St., (575)894-2582, American, L D. SUNSET GRILL, 1301 N. Date, 575-894-8904, American, Mexican, Thursday-Monday B L D. THE RESTAURANT AT SIERRA GRANDE LODGE, 501 McAdoo, 575-894-6976, American, Seafood, B L D. TURTLEBACK OASIS MARKETPLACE, 520 Broadway, 575-894-0179, American, Vegetarian, Monday-Saturday B L. YOUR PLACE, 400 Date St., 575-740-1544, American, Monday-Saturday L D, Sunday L. Williamsburg MEXICAN GRILL, Shell Gas Station 719 S. Broadway, 575894-0713, Mexican, Monday-Saturday B L.
LINCOLN COUNTY
Ruidoso CAN’T STOP SMOKIN’ BBQ, 418 Mechem Dr., 575-6300000: Monday-Sunday L, D CASA BLANCA, 501 Mechem Dr., 575-257-2495: Mexican, Monday-Sunday L, D CATTLE BARON STEAK & SEAFOOD, 657 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-9355: L, D CHEF LUPE’S FAMILY RESTAURANT, 1101 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-4687: Mexican, Monday-Sunday B, L, D CIRCLE J BBQ, 1825 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-4105: Monday-Sunday L, D COMAL MEXICAN RESTAURANT, 2117 Sudderth Dr., 575-258-1397: Monday-Sunday L, D EL PARAISO, 721 Mechem Dr., 575-257-0279: Mexican, Monday-Saturday, B, L, D GRACE O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB, 2331 Sudderth Dr., 575630-0219: D THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA RESTAURANT, 2913 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-2522: Monday-Sunday L, D GRILL CALIENTE, 2800 Sudderth Dr., 575-630-0224: Mexican, burgers, Tuesday-Sunday L, D HALL OF FLAME BURGERS, 2500 Sudderth Dr., 575-2579987: Monday-Saturday L, D LINCOLN COUNTY GRILL, 2717 Sudderth Dr., 575-2577669: American, Monday-Sunday B, L, D LUCY’S MEXICALI RESTAURANT, 2408 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-8754: Mexican, Monday-Saturday L, D LOG CABIN RESTAURANT, 1074 Mechem Dr., 575-2585029: Breakfast, Wednesday-Saturday B, L MICHELENA’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT, 2703 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-5753: Wednesday-Sunday L, D NEW CALI CAFÉ, 201 Eagle Dr., 575-257-8652: Comfort food, Monday-Saturday B, L OUR DAILY BREAD CAFÉ, 113 Rio St., 575-257-1778: American, Monday-Sunday B, L PENA’S PLACE, 2963 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-4135: Breakfast, Mexican, B, L PORKY’S, 2306 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-0544: Mexican, Monday-Sunday B, L, D THE RANCHERS STEAK AND SEAFOOD, 2823 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-7540: Monday-Sunday L, D SACRED GROUNDS COFFEE & TEA HOUSE, 2704 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-2273: Coffee,
pastries, B, L, D TEXAS CLUB, 212 Metz Dr., 575-258-3325: Steak and seafood, Tuesday-Sunday D TINA’S CAFÉ, 522 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-8930: Comfort food, Tuesday-Sunday B, L THE VILLAGE BUTTERY, 2107 Sudderth Dr., 575-257-9251: American, Monday-Saturday B, L YEE’S EXPRESS, 633 Sudderth Dr., 575-630-1120: Chinese, Monday-Saturday, L, D
OTERO COUNTY
Alamogordo ALAMO GRILL, 2913 N. White Sands Blvd., 575-434-5982: Burgers, breakfast food, Monday-Sunday B, L, D BROWN BAG DELI, 900 Washington Ave., 575-4379751: Monday-Sunday B, L, D CAN’T STOP SMOKING BBQ, 900 E. 10th St., 575-437-4227: Monday-Sunday L, D COWBOYS STEAKHOUSE, 606 Hwy. 70 W., 575-446-6300: Monday-Sunday B, L, D EDDIE’S BURRITOS, 700 E. 1st St., 575-437-0266: Monday-Saturday B, L EL CAMINO, 1022 N. White Sands Blvd., 575-437-8809: Mexican, Monday-Sunday L, D HI-D-HO DRIVE IN, 414 S. White Sands Blvd., 575-4376400: Monday-Sunday B, L, D LA HACIENDA, 804 N. White Sands Blvd., 575-443-1860: Monday-Sunday B, L, D MARGO’S MEXICAN FOOD, 504 E. 1st St., 575-434-0689: Monday-Sunday B, L, D MEMORIES RESTAURANT, 1223 N. New York Ave., 575437-0077: American, Tuesday-Saturday L, D MIZU SUSHI ASIAN CUISINE, 1115 S. White Sands Blvd., 575-434-2348: Monday-Sunday L, D NUCKLEWEED PLACE, 526 Laborcita Canyon Rd., La Luz, NM, 575-434-0000: Comfort food, Thursday-Friday D, Saturday-Sunday B, L, D OUR COUNTRY KITCHEN, 1201 N. New York Ave., 575434-3431: Breakfast, Monday-Saturday B, L PEPPER’S GRILL, 3200 N. White Sands Blvd., 575-4379717: American Monday-Saturday L, D, Sunday L PIZZA MILL & SUB FACTORY, 1315 10th St., 575-434-1313: Monday-Sunday L, D PIZZA PATIO, 2203 E. 1st St., 575-434-9633: Monday-Saturday L, D
RIZO’S RESTAURANT, 1480 N. White Sands Blvd., 575-4342607: Mexican, Tuesday-Sunday L, D ROCKET NATIONAL BUFFET, 607 S. White Sands Blvd, 575-437-5905: Chinese, Monday-Sunday L, D ROCKIN’ BZ BURGERS, 3005 N. White Sands Blvd., 575-4342375: Tuesday-Sunday L, D SI SEÑOR, 2300 N. White Sands Blvd., 575-437-7879: Monday-Saturday L, D STELLA VITA, 902 N. New York Ave.: Steaks, Monday-Wednesday, L, Thursday-Friday L, D, Saturday D WAFFLE & PANCAKE SHOPPE, 905 S. White Sands Blvd., 575-437-0433: Monday-Sunday B, L TAIWAN KITCHEN, 110 N. White Sands Blvd., 575-4344337: Monday-Friday L, D Tularosa GRILL 49 STEAKS AND TAP HOUSE, 313 Granado Street, 585-4949. Wood grilled meats, craft beer, artisan breads, roasted chicken: Monday through Sunday, including full brunch on Sunday. Closed between 3 and 5. LOREDO’S RESTAURANT AND BAKERY, 603 St. Francis Drive, 585-3300. Mexican menu and traditional Mexican pastries, Tuesday through Sunday, B L. CASA DE SUENOS, 35 St. Thomas Drive, 585-3494. Open daily, L D. YUM-YUM’S, 460 Central Ave., 585-2529. AL-O-MAR RESTAURANT, 205 Central Ave. 585-2129. Classic drive-in, carside service or dine in, B L D. LA ROSA STEAKHOUSE, 21 St. Francis Drive, 585-3339. Open daily, B L D. JAY’S PIZZA & WINGS, 1108 St. Francis Drive, 585-3111. Dine in or deliver. Open daily, L D. TULIE FREEZE, 419 St. Francis Drive, 585-2525. Open daily except Tuesdays, L D. Note—Restaurant hours and meals served vary by day of the week and change frequently; call ahead to make sure. Key to abbreviations: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner.*=Find copies of Desert Exposure here. Send updates, additions and corrections to: editor@desertexposure.com.
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The winners of the annual writing contest took on some universal themes this year not only reflecting the unique nature of southern New Mexico, but broadening into the world
by including everyman’s concerns. The grand prize winner for 2016 and three other pieces can be found in the October 2016 issue of Desert Exposure.
Here, the entry from two time grand prize winner Tom Hester, cuts close to home with a story that could be taking place in anybody’s world.
2016 WRITING CONTEST ï TOM HESTER
Star Time
T
he star watching began in mid-July. After supper one day Tony had taken Cruz with him to the market on NM 15. Upon their return but before going into the house, he and Cruz had detoured to the stock tank to check the water level. The night was moonless and deep and the two walked by memory, stumbling a little on clumps of wallflower and mallow. Cruz had slipped his tiny right hand into his father’s left hand. Tony was carrying the disposable diapers for Sonya. “‘apa,” Cruz said, pulling on his hand. “Lookit!” “What?” Tony said. Cruz had stopped. Tony could not see his son’s face but he heard the wonder in his voice. “The stars, ‘apa. The stars!” Tony stared up at the sparkling smear across the sky. “Let’s wait,” Cruz begged. The father said nothing but knelt against an alfalfa bale behind the tractor shed. He dropped the plastic bundle of diapers and gathered his son into his arms as they sank toward the bale. Starlight filtered about them, casting dim shadows. Tony and Cruz then lay in the silence of the night until Cruz whispered, “Wow” and Tony said that Janie would be worried and they needed to get inside. By late September, after dark overtook the sunset’s last glow and a chill stilled the air of the upper Mimbres, Tony and Cruz almost every evening would lie on their backs behind the shed where Tony had spread timothy hay. They inhaled the hay’s rich scent and stared into the sky. Tony could feel his son’s heart beat and could make out his regular breathing. By late September, Cruz’s questions had replaced the silent watching. “What would happen, ‘apa, if I climbed on a starbeam and rode it all the way to Earth? How long would it take?” “If I we went faster than light, where would we be?” Less often, but just as insistent, Cruz’s questions were about Afghanistan and what did Tony do when he was away from Janie, Cruz and Sonya. Tony didn’t know how to answer either category of questions: the ones about space and time and motion and the ones about Afghanistan. He felt that he should know because, like his son, he wandered in his imagination across the sky amidst the stars. Tony also had a great longing to describe his time in the valley of the Arghandab River, to tell Cruz exactly what life was like in that place for the moments he was there. Yet, as he lay in the dark, even bright memories were smudged into twisted, dingy nightmares, and from a year spent in the valley Tony could pull up only one whole memory. While that memory had stars and night in it, he still lacked the words for Cruz. Intelligence from Afghan allies had identified Taliban in a compound across the fields from his combat unit’s quarters. The unit had set out at midnight, tracking the berm of an irrigation ditch, ready to surround the compound when they were within a half mile. Two days before on the same foot path, but leading away from the field into a thicket of trees, a Tennessee soldier had tripped an IED and lost his right leg. He
Anyone can dare to dream
2 01 6
Honorable Mention was coptered to the NATO hospital in Kandahar. He was the fourth casualty during the month that the unit had been in the valley. Tony’s lieutenant announced as they crowded behind the low mud walls for a briefing that “our turn is coming.” The men were tense and moved without the swagger and noise that usually filled their empty hours. That night as they followed the ditch and a wall, they felt the heat of the day dissipating into the damp. Tony heard chirping of frogs above the low slosh of the river, which described a lazy curve on the far side of the field. The radio crackled and hissed in his left ear. Fear burned like a fever in his body. Tony was the eighth man back from the lead, and the men walked far apart, swaying with their weapons like prehistoric beasts. Tony could see Orion, high and slightly to the west. The sky had no horizon, and the stars seemed suspended in that black space between sky and ground. But in the eerie shadows of his night vision goggles, the world lay under X-rays. The man ahead jerked right and left. Tony breathed heavily. Later he would remember looking over his goggles at the sky and wondering how a star could be so bright. Sirius, he remembered thinking. With no words, just as planned, outside a grove of skinny trees, five of the company filtered to the left and in a quarter hour would be on the far side of the compound that now stood stolid but mysterious in the quiet night. There were no dogs. There was no light except that of stars. One by one the men ran rustling and thumping across the dirt that surrounded the walls of the house and courtyard. They crouched like boulders at the base of a wall until all were in place. With great shouting that made their throats raw, the men beat down the outside gate and threw themselves against the door of the house inside. The house had one large room; opening onto that room were two smaller rooms. Tony’s light on his helmet flashed and glared as it wobbled madly across the bare stucco walls. In the smaller room at the back women cried out and sobbed. In the room closer to the front an old man and a small boy sat on their thin mat or mattress, blinking in the light. The boy was Cruz’s age, with the same color eyes and the same mouth. The old man and the boy said nothing. They did not cry out, even as the soldiers shouted at them. A translator ordered the house’s occupants to line up outside, and soldiers
climbed a ladder to the roof and flung open the doors of simple cabinets and surveyed the ground for hiding places of weapons. The girls continued to weep but an older woman, angry and with great dignity, berated the lieutenant and his translator. The soldiers stood around the Afghanis till almost the first glimmer of dawn. They returned to their combat quarters and slept through the heat, defeated by the night’s indecisions. A month later or perhaps a bit longer, on another patrol, Tony again saw the compound where he had encountered the boy and his grandfather. This time under the sterile blast of sun, the house had no allure. The gate remained smashed, dangling from a single hinge. Flames had licked the walls black above the windows and the roof had fallen in, because NATO planes had bombed the house, no doubt to kill the Taliban that Tony’s unit could not find. It was a simple enough story, Tony thought. Nothing really happened. That Tennessee soldier lost his leg and we went to find the Taliban one night, when the stars were out, and we found only a sleeping family. Then we returned to combat base. Nevertheless, Tony did not tell the account to Cruz, for he realized that he could not explain it. He could not explain about the Tennessee man and his leg. He could not justify the bright light shining in the eyes of an old man and those of his frail grandson. He hadn’t words good enough to describe the women sobbing and the old woman lecturing. All those things were like the motion of stars, gravity and black holes, beyond knowledge that Tony possessed. Some evenings Janie called them into the house. Other evenings they would hear Sonya’s thin cries and be recalled to the lighted house, no more than 50 feet distant. They arose from the sweet hay, brushed themsleves with long strokes and shook the way a dog might to dislodge the straw. Star watching had been Cruz’s idea and Tony had agreed, almost greedy for the stars and his son. The heavens – seemingly fixed even as constellations progressed and meteors traced fiery trails – imposed a great calm and soothed the daytime impulses that shot through Tony’s mind and stiffened his body. Cruz fit under this father’s right arm, his body lying like a bird on his father’s chest. Tony’s nose burrowed into the bristling black hair. “‘’apa,” would say Cruz, “How far away is that star?” He would raise himself on an elbow and point toward the brightest star just above the eave of the shed. “I don’t know, Hijo,” Tony would reply. “I’m sure it’s millions and billions of miles, though.” “Farther than we were when you were fighting in the Army?” “Much, much farther.” * * * At parents’ night for San Lorenzo Elementary in early September, Miss Lopez, Cruz’s first grade teacher, told Janie that Cruz was a very nice, very polite, very smart little boy who had already mas-
tered the basics. The parents of Laura Escabedo stood at Miss Lopez’s door, peering inside, and Janie could see that they were anxious to begin their visit with Miss Lopez. “Is there anything I may help you with, concerning Cruz?” Miss Lopez asked, also seeing Mr. Escobedo as he eyed the crowds of parents drifting down the hall like schools of fish. Mr. Escobedo’s expression said “Let me be someplace else.” “Ummm,” Janie said. Miss Lopez’s right eyebrow went up. “Ummm,” Janie started again. “Cruz.... Cruz loves to look at the sky. At night. He wants to go outside and look at the stars.” Miss Lopez tapped her pen against the desk top. She sat at her desk, which dominated the center of the room. Visiting parents would sit on tiny chairs arranged around that oaken symbol of authority, as in a reading circle. The parents’ heads would scarcely peep above the desk’s surface. “The stars?” said Miss Lopez. “Yes. He says him and his father should go outside in the dark and look at the stars. Since Tony, Cruz’s father, has returned from Afghanistan, Cruz has spoken almost every evening of the stars. And each night when there are not clouds, he wishes to lie behind the tractor shed with his father. He talks of time and distance. Tony says that he asks questions about the stars that he can’t answer.” “Cruz is a very bright little boy, Mrs. Ortega. He is always observing what goes on around him. He missed his father when he was away. Now that his father has returned, Cruz needs to be close. You and Mr. Ortega will want to do everything you can to encourage him.” “Yes. But the stars. It seems so, so much. It’s so obsessive.” Janie said “obsessive” as though she were apologetic for clawing up such a word, stained as it was by scripts from the horror movies Janie had watched as a teen. Miss Lopez, glancing toward the door again, reached out to Janie’s hand on the edge of the desk and patted it twice. One. Two. “Please don’t worry, Mrs. Ortega, Cruz’s doing just fine.” * * * “Fine youngster there, Tony.” Red McGinty stuffed the milk carton into a plastic bag and held it out toward Tony. “Thanks, Red.” Tony looked down the cluttered aisle at his son who was humming as he ran a hand over the quarts of motor oil arranged next to a rack of potato chips. “You gettin along good with old man Goodson?” Red had obviously heard of Tony’s encounter with Goodson over Goodson’s cows loose along the road that separated his rundown ranch from the property that the Ortegas lived on. “Yeah, sure,” Tony said. He turned to go and dangled his loose hand for Cruz. “Oh, Red,” Tony said as he reached the door of the store. “Would you know anything about stars? I mean, Cruz has lots of questions about stars and black holes and such.”
STAR TIME
continued on page 45
DESERT EXPOSURE STAR TIME
continued from page 44 The store owner burst into a rough laugh. “Man, you askin the wrong guy, Tony.” * * * At times, in the chaos of Arghandab, when the dirt stank of blood, Tony’s mind crawled back to the desert outside Hachita on the ranch where he had grown up. The slant of the sun. The faceless mud buildings. The sky arching in a vast vault beyond measure, burning bluewhite, and a kid scrambling up an arroyo of blistering rocks as solitary as an ant or scorpion. The stars and planets and moon, set in a profound receding blackness, furnished Tony ease on night patrol, sweating into his gear and his head buzzing. He was eleven. He and his father, also called Antonio, had left their house after dark. Tony had whistled for Lobo who came sniffing at their feet, and the three walked along the county road until they cut through the rabbit bush and buck brush toward Abuelita’s shack, surrounded by soapberry trees. The stars reeled above them in a whirl. When they reached Abuelita’s door, which came at the end of a path lined by Maryland Club coffee cans holding geraniums and claret cup cacti, Tony, always ahead of his father, stepped into a circle of light that smelled of sage and lavender. Abuelita’s kerosine lamp heated sprigs of the herbs on its tall glass chimney. He felt his cheek touch the whispering papery presence of Abuelita. That nighttime visit, a merest blink of a recollection, had steadied Tony through the violence of the war and its aftermath. That instant image of a walk to his grandmother’s had also led him to join Cruz in watching stars. Twenty years from now, Tony reasoned, his son would be carrying a gun, scope, and radio across a foreign desert valley and he will need a blink of a recall, feeling his father’s touch as an unchanging sky shines silver on black. * * * Growing tomatoes in upper Mimbres is akin to cultivating grapefruit in Chama. You plant inside and then put the leggy bush in the warmest spot of your garden, protected from every northerly breeze and catching the sun from early morning till late afternoon. You watch the fruit swell, eighth-inch by eighthinch, hard green as a pea, until in mid-September the tomatoes dangle there, a little smaller than a baseball, blushing the faintest pink. And when, before the first frost, you pluck those tomatoes, you can scarcely bite through their thick skins. But they’re still your upper Mimbres tomatoes, freak of nature and worth every worry. Janie had four such Early Girl tomato plants staked at the edge of her garden. In early October Janie had taken Cruz to the school bus stop and had driven back to the
NOVEMBER 2016 • 45 house with Sonya cooing in the car seat. Tony had left earlier to help their landlord Frank Sera with a stubborn power takeoff. As she drove into the yard, Janie spotted the moddled brown sides of three cows dragging dead squash vines as they trampled turnip greens. The tomato vines lay on their sides, mashed into the ground. Janie backed the car and lurched up the private, rutted, rock-littered road to Carter Goodson’s set of ramshackle buildings. Janie didn’t know which unpainted place the old man lived in and which he kept his animals in, so she ran her car into the middle of the yard and pressed the horn button. After a minute of blaring noise, a bent old man in coveralls and a yellowed undershirt pushed open a door in the building closest to the car. “What’s all the racket about?” the old man yelled. His thin white hair, used to being pasted down by a hat, stood above his fish belly scalp like a cock’s comb. “Your damn cows have killed my tomatoes, Mr. Goodson. If you don’t come and get them ahora mismo, I’m going to fill my freezer with them.” Janie closed her window. Gravel flew from under her wheels as she spun around the farmyard and headed back down the road, Sonya chuckling from the bouncing ride. When Goodson drove his twotoned Chevy pickup into the Ortega’s drive and parked next to the garden, Janie was standing at the garden entrance, holding the twenty-two rifle that the Ortegas kept for foxes and rattlers. Sonya was still buckled into a child’s seat under a nearby apple tree. “You got any money, Mr. Goodson?” Janie called, as Goodson picked up coils of rope from his truck bed. “How do you mean?” “Money. Dinero, Mr. Goodson,” Janie said. “What do I want money for?” “So I won’t put a hole in this vaquilla’s brain,” Janie said. She had lifted the rifle, pointing it at the closest heifer. The animal seemed almost amused by the gun pointed toward her forehead. Goodson spat. “You need a gate on that fence. Not my doing if you don’t have no gate.” “Just put your money on my car there. Then you can take your cattle.” Janie shook the rifle again. “I knowed you people were crazy when Sena let you in. Everbody said so. Made crazy by the war.” “I’m saner than you’ll ever be, Mr. Goodson. Now if you don’t want me to feed my kids hamburger for the next year, cause I don’t have tomatoes, just put your money on the car.” The old man did exactly that. He pulled out a stuffed wallet kept together with a rubber band and he placed two limp bills on the cooling hood of the old Nissan. It took him most of the morning to get his animals away from the garden and from the hay heaped on the ground
behind the Ortega’s tractor shed. * * * “Things goin o.k. up at school?” “Just fine, Red.” “Heard you lost one of your kids the other day?” “Oh?” “Tony Ortega’s boy.” “That’s right. Cruz was in my class. Red McGinty put Miss Lopez’s groceries in a bag. “When Tony was in here last, I asked him about old man Goodson. He allowed how everythin was all right.” Miss Lopez shook her head. “But you know, with the war and everything....” Miss Lopez’s voice trailed off. “Exactly right. That was the
reason Mr. Sera done offered the place to Tony. He needed to be off away from the stresses of being around folks all the time. Course, if you had to live next door to old man Goodson, that would set off even a normal tempered fellow.” Red paused to recall the whispered, urgent gossip passed to him by Lencha Jaramillo, sniffling into a wadded tissue and peering over thick glasses she never cleaned. Red changed the tale’s source, to give credibility which Lencha lacked, and added his own whispery confidence. “Deputy Trujillo told me that Tony was waving a varmint rifle at Goodson. Goodson’s cattle had perfectly ruined the Ortegas’ garden.” Miss Lopez sighed as she
picked up her sack. “It certainly isn’t fair for little Cruz,” she said. “He’s a wonderfully bright little boy and I’m afraid this whole bother will set him back.” Red laughed. “Yeah,” Red said, “Tony done asked me what I knew about stars because his little boy had a bunch of questions.” “I know. Mrs. Ortega was also very disturbed about Cruz’s fixation on astronomy. He even brought it to my class. Before he left, he was asking if he rode a starbeam, would he be different than if he stood still here on Earth. Quite an imagination on that little boy.” “Yeah. Riding starbeams, hunh?” Red laughed.
Yankie-Texas ART DISTRICT
at the crossroads of Yankie & Texas Streets in Historic Downtown Silver City
Seedboat Gallery
Copper Quail Gallery
Wed-Sat 11am-5pm or by appt
211A N. Texas 388-2646
214 W. Yankie 534-1136
The Makery
108 W. Yankie 590-1263 www.makerysvc.com w
Blue Dome Gallery * 575-538-2538
Downtown: Thurs – Sat & Mon, 11-5 at 307 N. Texas St. The Lodge: Daily 9-5 at 60 Bear Mt. Ranch Rd.
LOIS DUFFY STUDIO 211-C N. Texas St., Silver City www.loisduffy.com
575-313-9631 OPEN SATURDAYS OR BY APPOINTMENT
To advertise here, please contact: Ilene Wignall 575-313-0002 jiwignall@comcast.net
FUUND NDEED BY SILVER ER CITY IT Y LO LODGES ESS TAX AX
46 • NOVEMBER 2016
www.desertexposure.com
Prinnie McCourt’s poem, “An Unattended Death,” brings the reader into the present, where children are at risk and sometimes it’s hard to find someone who cares.
2016 WRITING CONTEST ï PRINNIE MCCOURT
An Unattended Death 2 01 6
Honorable Mention
“Unattended Death: The body of a female, age 13 to 17, was discovered by the US Border Mounted Patrol in the desert east of Columbus, NM. No identification for the deceased.” Police Report, June 14, 2016, Deming Headlight
J
ust another item in a list of crimes: larceny, assaults, and an unattended death. The crime - to die alone. No one to mourn, no name, no tears, no marigolds*.
No published words of love, no list of grieving kin, no record of a girl’s short life, no photo from her past. Just one unknown child crossing the border from life to death, unattended. *marigolds: official flower of mourning in Mexico
Our Specialty is Sleep
575-388-5555 TheBedroomShoppe.com
LOTS OF FABRIC TOO! 575-538-2284 N DAILY
DOG STARS Music @ The Bedroom Shoppe 910 N. Hudson 575-388-5555 TM
Jon Saari Agent
1103 N. Hudson St. Silver City, New Mexico 575-597-1111
Training for dogs and their owners Art and gifts for all dog lovers
575-313-0560
Bullard & College 388-3222
211B N. Texas St. Silver City, NM 88061
Pat Vaughn www.dogstars.training
Open Tues- Sat 11-5, Sun 11-3:30 Check us out on
SilverCityFoodCoop.com
520 N Bullard St
O PE
621 N. Bullard, Silver City (575) 388-3350
614 N Bullard St
OPEN Monday 9:30-5:30 • Saturday 10:00-2:00
Sewing Machine Repair, Long Arm Quilting &
OPEN DAILY!!
MATTRESS • FURNITURE 910 N. Hudson • Silver City
200 N. BULLARD
Shop Historic Downtown Silver City WESTERN STATIONERS YOUR LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED FULLY STOCKED OFFICE SUPPLY STORE
113 W. Broadway 575-538-5324 OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK
Holistic Therapies REJUVENATE RE-AWAKEN RE-PURPOSE RE-ALIGN BODY - MIND - SPIRIT
1316 N. West St.
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
575-936-9876
WWW.AVESAHOLISTICTHERAPIES.COM
OPO Variety Store Formerly OPO MarketPlace IN DOWNTOWN SILVER CITY
409 N. BULLARD • 388-2897 2300 sq. ft. of New, Used and Vintage Bargains TUES-SAT 11:00-5:30 OPEN SUNDAY 12-3 CLOSED MONDAYS
COMMUNITY ACCESS TV OF SILVER CATS * 213 N. Bullard St. Silver City, NM 88061
IN THE HUB
575-534-0130
575-534-1600
NOW SERVING BREAKFAST AND LUNCH.
Open 7AM - 3PM Tues.-Sat.
602 N. Bullard
5 575-597-2253
A COMMUNITY THRIFT STORE
111 West College Tuesday-Saturday 11-4 575-388-2488 Dedicated to supporting anti-hunger projects in Grant County
Want your business included in this ad? Call Ilene at 575-313-0002 or email jiwignall@comcast.net
Visit us at
www.desertexposure.com
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 47
40 DAYS & 40 NIGHTS
What’s Going On in November MONDAY, OCT. 30
Silver City/Grant County Silver City Dias de los Muertos — 1-3 p.m. Mariachi Music; 2-3 p.m. storytellers; 3:30 p.m. parade, all centered around Market and Texas streets in Silver City. The Silco Theater is showing “The Book of Life,” at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Info: 575-590-1587. David Gideon — 1-3 p.m. at the Yankie Creek Coffee House, 112 West Yankie St. in Silver City. Performance. Info: 575-654-4144.
MONDAY, OCT. 31
Silver City/Grant County Halloween Storytime — 10:30 a.m. at the Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave. Children 0-5 are invited to listen to stories and dress up in their costumes. Info: 575-538-3672. Silver City Dias de los Muertos — 7-9 p.m. at the Western New Mexico University Fine Arts Theatre. Talking will be Dr. Felipe de Ortego y Gasca followed by a performance by Ballet Folklorico de la Universidad Autonoma de Cd. Juarez. Info: 575-590-1587. Las Cruces/Doña Ana County Jewelry Sale — 7 a.m.-8 p.m. at New Mexico State University’s D.W. Williams Hall, 1390 E. University Ave., next to Barnes & Noble in Las Cruces. NMSU Art Department student work on sale and on display. Info: 575-646-1238.
TUESDAY, NOV. 1
Silver City/Grant County Storytime — 10:30 a.m. at the Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave. Designed for children ages 0-5 and their caregivers. Info: 575-538-3672. Silver City Dias de los Muertos — 4-5 p.m. at the Silver City Museum, the starting place for Mariachi Canto a Mi Tierra de la UACJ procession. 7-5 p.m. at the Miller Library will be Ofrendas, talks and WNMU’s Mariachi Plata. Info: 575-590-1587. Trivia Night — 6:30 p.m. at Burgers & Brownies & Beer Oh My! At 619 N. Bullard St. Gift certificate prizes for top three teams. Info: 575-597-6469.
Columbus/Luna County Columbus Business Expo — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Community Center Annex, 500 Taft Street in Columbus. Info: 575-543-6643. Truth or Consequences/ Sierra County Gila National Forest Master Plan meeting — 4-6:30 p.m. at the Albert Lyon Event Center, 2953 W. Broadway in TorC. Info: 575-3888280. Ruidoso/Lincoln County Elf the Musical — 7 p.m. at the Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts in Alto. Info: 575-336-4800. Las Cruces/Doña Ana County “Stock Photography” and “10 Minutes with Chase Jarvis and David Hobby”— 7 p.m. at the Southwest Environmental Center, 275 N. Main St. in Las Cruces. Programs with the Doña Ana Photography Club. Info: www. daphotoclub.org..
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 2
Silver City/Grant County Gila National Forest Master Plan meeting — WNMU Global Resource Center, West 12th Street and Florida Street in Silver City. Info: 575-388-8280. Silver City Dias de los Muertos — 6:30 p.m. at WNMU Parotti Hall. Catalino Delgado Trunk, artist, and a Lecture by Papel Picado followed by a reception and community Ofrenda at the McCray Gallery from 7:30-9 p.m. Info: 575-590-1587. Photographing Moab in a Different Light — 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, 3845 North Swan St. in Silver City. Silver City Photography Club free program features Judy Beard and Jim Collar sharing photos and tips. Info: 860-670-4543. Ruidoso/Lincoln County Elf the Musical — 7 p.m. at the Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts in Alto. Info: 575-336-4800.
THURSDAY, NOV. 3
Silver City/Grant County Pancho Villa vs. Pershing mov-
Costumes, from simple to elaborate, add to the festive nature of the Silver City Dias de los Muertos activities which continue through Nov. 2. (Photo by Sandy Feutz) ie — 7 p.m. at the Santa Clara Armory, 11990 U.S. Highway 180. Part of the Fort Bayard Preservation Society film series. Info: 575956-3294. Truth or Consequences/ Sierra County Sierra Twirlers Square Dance Club dance — 6-8 p.m. at New Mexico Old Time Fiddler’s Playhouse, 710 Elm St. Mainstream dancing every Thursday evening. Cost is $3 per person; no charge to come and watch. Visitors always welcome. Info: 505-804-3842 or 575-313-9971. Alamogordo/Otero County Industry Day and Contracting Symposium — 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Designed for small business owners who provide work on government contracts and those who are interested in learning more about government contracting. Info: 575439-3660.
Batik artist Carrie Greer shares her expertise with a demonstration at Art on Easels Gallery in Las Cruces on Nov. 20. (Courtesy Photo)
Beauty on Broadway a skin care salon
Specializing in anti-aging facials, including... • Microdermabrasion • Microcurrent • AHA Peels
Featuring Dr. Grandel Skin Care Products Anette Wuensch
LICENSED ESTHETICIAN
107 East Broadway, Suite #5 Silver City, New Mexico Phone: 310.488.3167 Please call for an appointment
48 • NOVEMBER 2016
www.desertexposure.com
Las Cruces/Mesilla Gila National Forest Master Plan meeting — 4-6:30 p.m. at New Mexico Farm and Ranch Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road in Las Cruces. Info: 575-388-8280.
Wednesday event with the El Paso Choral Society and featuring Kristin Kimmelman, a Las Cruces mezzo-soprano opera singer. Info: 575-523-6403.
THURSDAY, NOV. 10
FRIDAY, NOV. 4
Silver City/Grant County Pancho Villa vs. Pershing movie — 7 p.m. at the Santa Clara Armory, 11990 U.S. Highway 180. Part of the Fort Bayard Preservation Society film series. Info: 575956-3294.
Silver City/Grant County Popcorn Fridays — all day at 614 N. Bullard St. Free popcorn and food samples. Info: 575-388-2343. Duff Thompson and Max Bien-Kahn live music — 8 p.m. at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery, 200 N. Bullard, Silver City. Folk garage rock on tour. Info: 575536-9649. Alamogordo/Otero County Who is the Best Pilot that Every Was: Gordo Cooper’s Mission, Launch Pad Lecture — 9 a.m. at the New Mexico Museum of Space History with Museum Curator Sue Taylor. Info: 575-437-2840. Ruidoso/Lincoln County Farmers and Artisans Market — 6-8 p.m. at All American Park in Ruidoso Downs. Info: 575-8080630. Third Annual Apache Blackfeet Society of Oklahoma Ceremonial Dance — 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. (gourd dancing) at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. No cameras or recording devices are allowed. Info: 575-937-3388.
SATURDAY, NOV. 5
Silver City/Grant County Silver City Farmer’s Market — 8:30 a.m.-noon on 7th Street off Bullard. Info: 575-654-4104. All Souls Town and Trail Run at Spring Street Park — 9 a.m. from downtown Silver City to Boston Hill. Info: 575-574-2902. Fiddling Friends with Bayou Seco — noon-12:45 at the Silver City Public Library. Info: 575-534-0298. JB & the Jack Rabbits live music — 8 p.m. at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery, 200 N. Bullard, Silver City. Classic rock and outlaw country music. Info: 575-536-9649. Alamogordo/ Cloudcroft/ Otero County Holiday Arts and Crafts Show/ Sale — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Red
Artists in Cloudcroft come together each Saturday in November and December to present the Holiday Arts and Crafts Show/Sale. (Courtesy Photo) Brick Schoolhouse Building, corner of Burro and Swallow streets in Cloudcroft. Info: 575-687-2213. Step Into the Past — 1 p.m. at White Sands National Monument visitor center. Learn about “Relief, Recovery and Reform: The New Deal and White Sands National Monument.” Info: 575-479-6124. Truth or Consequences/ Sierra County Sierra County Farmers Market — 8:30-11:30 a.m. at Ralph Edwards Park in Truth of Consequences. Info: 575-894-9375. Old Time Fiddlers Saturday Night Dance — 7-9 p.m. at 710 Elm Street in Truth or Consequences. Info 575-744-9137. Catron County Extension Club Craft Fair — 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Datil Elementary School Gym, ¼ mile south of the blinking light at the intersection of Highway 12 and Highway 60. Info: pittray@gilanet.com. Las Cruces/Mesilla 45th Annual Renaissance ArtsFaire — 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Young Park in Las Cruces. Info: 575-5236403.
Fountain Theatre
Featuring the best independent, foreign and documentary ilms in the southwest!
November 2016
**Closed Thursday, Nov. 24 Thanksgiving
November 25-Dec. 1: The Dressmaker
Ruidoso/Lincoln County Farmers and Artisans Market — 7 a.m.-3 p.m. at All American Park in Ruidoso Downs. Info: 575-8080630.
SUNDAY, NOV. 6
Silver City/Grant County Live Performance — 1-3 p.m. at the Yankie Creek Coffee House, 112 West Yankie St. in Silver City. Info: 575-654-4144. Las Cruces/Mesilla 45th Annual Renaissance ArtsFaire — 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Young Park in Las Cruces. Info: 575-5236403. Hard Road Trio with Special Guest King Ibu — 2 p.m. at the Center for Spiritual Living, 575 Main St. Las Cruces. The group is developing a new kind of Afro-grass music. Info: 575-523-4847
MONDAY, NOV. 7
** Saturday Nov. 26 No 1:30 matinee
2469 Calle de Guadalupe, Mesilla • www.mesillavalleyfilm.org • (575) 524-8287
Visit Old Mesilla, NM • Antiques • Banks & ATMs • Books • Candy, Coffee & Snacks • Clothing & Apparel • Galleries & Fine Art • Gifts, Curios Crafts • Furniture & Decor • Health & Personal Care • Jewelry • Museums • Pottery • Real Estate • Wineries • Books about the West, Mexico, horses, cowboys, Native Americans & More • Children’s books & Toys • Gifts & more ‘Some of the best books never make the bestseller lists’
On the Plaza • (575) 526-6220 Tue-Sat 11 am-5:30 pm Sun 1 pm-5 pm, Closed Mon
Las Cruces/Mesilla Culture Series: The Historic Angus V V Ranch in Lincoln County — 7 p.m. at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces. Dan Jones tells the story of the V V, from its founding as a small operation. Info: 575-522-4100. Marquee Brass — 7 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre in Las Cruces. Presented by El Paso Pro Musica as part of the Young Artist Development Series. Info: 915-833-9400.
Storytellers of Las Cruces — 10:30 a.m. at both COAS Bookstore locations in Las Cruces. Children who attend receive a $2 book coupon. Mexican Mosaic – A Day of the Dead Celebration — 7 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Main St. in Las Cruces. Free performance presented by the Mexican Consulate. Info: 575-523-6403.
Silver City/Grant County Dustbowl Revival live music — 8 p.m. at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery, 200 N. Bullard, Silver City. American roots orchestra.. Info: 575-536-9649.
Nov. 5-10: Other People **Closed Friday, Nov. 4 Nov. 11-17: Lamb Amharic w/ subtitles Nov. 18-23: Certain Women
Mesilla Book Center
Truth or Consequences/ Sierra County Sierra Twirlers Square Dance Club dance — 6-8 p.m. at New Mexico Old Time Fiddler’s Playhouse, 710 Elm St. Mainstream dancing every Thursday evening. Cost is $3 per person; no charge to come and watch. Visitors always welcome. Info: 505-804-3842 or 575-313-9971.
TUESDAY, NOV. 8
Silver City/Grant County Storytime — 10:30 a.m. at the Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave. Designed for children ages 0-5 and their caregivers. Info: 575-538-3672. Trivia Night — 6:30 p.m. at Burgers & Brownies & Beer Oh My! At
619 N. Bullard St. Gift certificate prizes for top three teams. Info: 575-597-6469. Deming/Luna County Audubon New Mexico/Gila National Forest Planner Matt Schultz — 5:15 p.m. at La Fonda Restaurant, 601 E. Pine St. in Deming. Info: ic_kn@audubon.org.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9
Silver City/Grant County Trivia Night at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery — 7 p.m. at 200 N. Bullard St. Info: 575-9566144. Alamogordo/Otero County Wine Down Wednesday — 6-9 p.m. at Heart of the Desert Pistachios & Wines, 7288 U.S. Highway 54-70 between Alamogordo and Tularosa. Live music with folk and western artist Dennis Jay. Las Cruces/Mesilla Veterans’ Business Seminar — 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Springhill Suites, 1611 Hickory Loop, Las Cruces. Free program and lunch for veterans. Info and registration: 575-524-1968.. Second Wednesday Evening Market and ART-IN—5 to 9 p.m. Artists doing demonstrations. Info: www.lascrucesarts.org. Songs at Sunset: Arias and Carols — 6:30p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Main St. in Las Cruces. An Every Second
FRI0AY, NOV. 11
Silver City/Grant County Gold Hearted Crows live rock music — 8 p.m. at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery, 200 N. Bullard, Silver City. Info: 575-5369649. Las Cruces/Mesilla Sons of the Pioneers — 7:30-9 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre in Las Cruces. Info: 575-523-6403. Above Borders Aerial Dance Festival — 7:30 p.m. at 430 N. Compress, Las Cruces. Concert includes performances by guest artists and local professionals. Info: www.projectinmotion.com. Ruidoso/Lincoln County Christmas Jubilee — noon-6 p.m. at the Ruidoso Convention Center, 111 Sierra Blanca Drive in Ruidoso. Shopping for all kinds of things and the kids can meet Santa. Info: 575937-2040. Farmers and Artisans Market — 6-8 p.m. at All American Park in Ruidoso Downs. Info: 575-8080630. John Anderson with Ben and Noel Haggard and the Strangers — 8-10 p.m. at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. Country star and Merle Haggard sons tour together. Info: innofthemountaingods.com/ event/john-anderson-specialguest-ben-noel-haggard-strangers. Alamogordo/Otero County “Steel Magnolias” — 7:30 p.m. at
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The Sons of the Pioneers bring their brand of country/cowboy music to the Rio Grande Theatre in Las Cruces on Nov. 11. (Courtesy Photo)
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 49 Armory, 11990 U.S. Highway 180. Part of the Fort Bayard Preservation Society film series. Info: 575956-3294.
the Rohovec Theatre, on the New Mexico State University-Alamogordo campus, 2400 N. Scenic Drive. Info: 575-439-3670.
Truth or Consequences/ Sierra County Sierra Twirlers Square Dance Club dance — 6-8 p.m. at New Mexico Old Time Fiddler’s Playhouse, 710 Elm St. Mainstream dancing every Thursday evening. Cost is $3 per person; no charge to come and watch. Visitors always welcome. Info: 505-804-3842 or 575-313-9971.
SATURDAY, NOV. 12
Silver City/Grant County Big Ditch Crickets Community Dance — 7-9 p.m. at the Church of Harmony, 609 N. Arizona St. Silver City. Circles, contras, waltzes, polkas, schottisches and old New Mexico dances. Info: 575-5385555. Las Cruces/Mesilla Desert Dash Half Marathon — 8:15 a.m. registration at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park 56501 N. Jornada Road, Las Cruces. 10K, 5K and children’s 1-mile trail race fundraiser for the Non-profit Asombro Institute for Science Education. Info: www.asombro.org/dash. Fourth Photography Boot Camp Workshop: Editing — 9 a.m.-noon at the Southwest Environmental Center, 275 N. Main St. in Las Cruces. Programs with the Doña Ana Photography Club. Info: www.dapcphotobootcampclass1. eventbrite.com/. Storytellers of Las Cruces — 10:30 a.m. at both COAS Bookstore locations in Las Cruces. Children who attend receive a $2 book coupon. Above Borders Aerial Dance Festival — 7:30 p.m. at 430 N. Compress, Las Cruces. Concert includes the student showcase. Info: www.projectinmotion.com. Alamogordo/ Cloudcroft/ Otero County Three Rivers Petroglyph Site guided tour — 8:30 a.m. at the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. The tour includes more than 21,000 prehistoric petroglyphs with Joan E. Price, MFA, research associate with Jornada Research Institute. Info: 575-585-4983. Holiday Arts and Crafts Show/ Sale — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Red Brick Schoolhouse Building, corner of Burro and Swallow streets in Cloudcroft. Info: 575-687-2213. Veteran’s Day Parade — 10 a.m. begins at Oregon Avenue, traveling down 10th Street to New York Avenue in Alamogordo. Info: 575437-6616. Great Bowls of Fire Chili Cookoff — 1- a.m.-4 p.m. at Alameda Park near the gazebo in Alamogordo. Registration deadline is Nov. 4. Info: 575-437-8400. “Steel Magnolias” — 7:30 p.m. at the Rohovec Theatre, on the New Mexico State University-Alamogordo campus, 2400 N. Scenic Drive. Info: 575-439-3670. Ruidoso/Lincoln County Farmers and Artisans Market — 7 a.m.-3 p.m. at All American Park in Ruidoso Downs. Info: 575-8080630. Christmas Jubilee — 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Ruidoso Convention Center, 111 Sierra Blanca Drive in Ruidoso. Shopping for all kinds of things and the kids can meet Santa. Info: 575-937-2040. Truth or Consequences/ Sierra County Second Saturday Art Hop — 6-9 p.m. in downtown Truth of Consequences. Info:promotions@ torcmainstreet.org. Old Time Fiddlers Saturday Night Dance — 7-9 p.m. at 710 Elm Street in Truth or Consequences. Info 575-744-9137.
SUNDAY, NOV. 13
Las Cruces/Mesilla Promoting Art in Las Cruces — noon at the Bistro on N. Main St. in Las Cruces. Morgan Switzer-McHinley, publisher of Las Cruces Magazine and Las Cruces Neighbors is the guest speaker. Info: 575-523-6403. Sonic Escape— 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre in Las Cruces. Celtic with a twist with flute and fiddle playing. Info: 575523-6403.
Children and adults will compete in Desert Dash events to help raise money for the Asombro Institute on Nov. 12. (Photo by Brad Cooper) Silver City/Grant County Live Performance — 1-3 p.m. at the Yankie Creek Coffee House, 112 West Yankie St. in Silver City. Info: 575-654-4144. Ruidoso/Lincoln County Christmas Jubilee — 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Ruidoso Convention Center, 111 Sierra Blanca Drive in Ruidoso. Shopping for all kinds of things and the kids can meet Santa. Info: 575-937-2040. Alamogordo/Otero County Three Rivers Petroglyph Site guided tour — 8:30 a.m. at the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. The tour includes more than 21,000 prehistoric petroglyphs with Joan E. Price, MFA, and research associate with Jornada Research Institute. Info: 575-585-4983.
TUESDAY, NOV. 15
Silver City/Grant County Storytime — 10:30 a.m. at the Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave. Designed for children ages 0-5 and their caregivers. Info: 575-538-3672. Trivia Night — 6:30 p.m. at Burgers & Brownies & Beer Oh My! At 619 N. Bullard St. Gift certificate prizes for top three teams. Info: 575-597-6469. Las Cruces/Mesilla Digital photo of the year entries shown and winners selected — 7 p.m. at the Southwest Environmental Center, 275 N. Main St. in Las Cruces. Also the 2016 photographer of the year selected with the Doña Ana Photography Club. Info: www.daphotoclub.org. Socorro/Socorro County Festival of the Cranes — various times at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and the city of Socorro. Various events, workshops, expositions all relating to the cranes and other wildfowl which winter in the bosque every year. Info: www.festivalofthecranes. com.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16
Silver City/Grant County Babytime Sing and Play — 10:30 a.m. at the Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave. Designed for children ages 0-12 months and their caregivers. Info:
Socorro/Socorro County Festival of the Cranes — various times at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and the city of Socorro. Various events, workshops, expositions all relating to the cranes and other wildfowl which winter in the bosque every year. Info: www.festivalofthecranes. com.
575-538-3672. International Transgender Day of Remembrance observation — 4-8 p.m. at the Center for Gender Equity at WNMU, 1211 Mississippi Ave. in Silver City. Info: 538-6634. Trivia Night at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery — 7 p.m. at 200 N. Bullard St. Info: 575-9566144.
FRIDAY, NOV. 18
Silver City/Grant County Creative Coloring: Dye Plants that Grow in the Greater Gila Region — 7 p.m. on the second floor of Western New Mexico University’s Harlan Hall at the corner of 12th and Alabama streets. At this Gila Native Plant Society meeting, Ann Hedlund, cultural anthropologist, and Hosana Eilert, weaver, will collaborate on the presentation. Info: gilanative@gmail.com. Tiffany Christopher live music — 8 p.m. at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery, 200 N. Bullard, Silver City. One woman rockin’ band. Info: 575-536-9649.
Socorro/Socorro County Festival of the Cranes — various times at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and the city of Socorro. Various events, workshops, expositions all relating to the cranes and other wildfowl which winter in the bosque every year. Info: www.festivalofthecranes. com.
THURSDAY, NOV. 17
Silver City/Grant County WildWorks Youth Space — 4 p.m. at the Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave. Space for youth 10-yers and older to hang out, experiment, create and more. Info: 575-538-3672. Pancho Villa vs. Pershing movie — 7 p.m. at the Santa Clara
Socorro/Socorro County Festival of the Cranes — various times at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and the
city of Socorro. Various events, workshops, expositions all relating to the cranes and other wildfowl which winter in the bosque every year. Info: www.festivalofthecranes. com. Alamogordo/Otero County Downtown Merchant’s Art Walk — 6-8 p.m. on the 900 Block of New York Avenue in Alamogordo’s historic downtown. Info: 575-3125065. “Steel Magnolias” — 7:30 p.m. at the Rohovec Theatre, on the New Mexico State University-Alamogordo campus, 2400 N. Scenic Drive. Info: 575-439-3670. Ruidoso/Lincoln County Farmers and Artisans Market — 6-8 p.m. at All American Park in Ruidoso Downs. Info: 575-8080630
SATURDAY, NOV. 19
Silver City/Grant County Silver City Food Co-op Artisan Market — 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 614 N. Bullard St. Info: 575-388-2343 or www.silvercityfoodcoop.com. Loren Walker Madsen live music — 8 p.m. at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery, 200 N. Bullard, Silver City. Country and southern soul on tour. Info: 575-536-9649. Catron County Holiday Bazaar and Western Holiday Photo Shoot — 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Glenwood Senior Center across the Whitewater Motel on U.S. Highway 180 in Glenwood. Info: 575-539-2522. Alamogordo/Cloudcroft/ Otero County Holiday Arts and Crafts Show/ Sale — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Red Brick Schoolhouse Building, corner of Burro and Swallow streets in Cloudcroft. Info: 575-687-2213. “Steel Magnolias” — 7:30 p.m. at the Rohovec Theatre, on the New Mexico State University-Alamogordo campus, 2400 N. Scenic Drive. Info: 575-439-3670. Ruidoso/Carrizozo/Lincoln County Farmers and Artisans Market — 7 a.m.-3 p.m. at All American Park in Ruidoso Downs. Info: 575-8080630.
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Truth or Consequences/ Sierra County Old Time Fiddlers Saturday Night Dance — 7-9 p.m. at 710 Elm Street in Truth or Consequences. Info 575-744-9137. Las Cruces/Mesilla Third Annual HomeGrown: A New Mexico Food Show and Gift Market — 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces. Dozens of vendors from around the state showcase and sell their products. Info: 575-522-4100. Holly Day House — 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Picacho Hills Commercial plaza, .6 miles from the entrance to Picacho Hills and marked with red flags. The Artists of Picacho Hills offer unique gifts from the hands of artists and features a treasure chest raffle. Info: artistsofpicachohills.com. Oldies but Goodies — 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre in Las Cruces. Local, eight member, high energy band plays music from 1950s and 1960s. Info: 575-5236403. Socorro/Socorro County Festival of the Cranes — various times at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and the city of Socorro. Various events, workshops, expositions all relating to the cranes and other wildfowl which winter in the bosque every year. Info: www.festivalofthecranes. com.
SUNDAY, NOV. 20
Silver City/Grant County Joni Kay Rose sings songs to memorialize victims of hate crimes — 1-3 p.m. at the Yankie Creek Coffee House, 112 West Yankie St. in Silver City. Rose’s
Club dance — 6-8 p.m. at New Mexico Old Time Fiddler’s Playhouse, 710 Elm St. Mainstream dancing every Thursday evening. Cost is $3 per person; no charge to come and watch. Visitors always welcome. Info: 505-804-3842 or 575-313-9971.
songs also reflect support for the struggle for equal rights. Info: 575956-5414. Las Cruces/Mesilla Third Annual HomeGrown: A New Mexico Food Show and Gift Market — 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces. Dozens of vendors from around the state showcase and sell their products. Info: 575-522-4100. Holly Day House — 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Picacho Hills Commercial plaza, .6 miles from the entrance to Picacho Hills and marked with red flags. The Artists of Picacho Hills offer unique gifts from the hands of artists and features a treasure chest raffle. Info: artistsofpicachohills.com. Batik demonstration with Carrie Greer — 1:30 p.m. at Art on Easels Gallery, 125 N. Main St. in the Community Enterprise Center in Las Cruces. A Las Cruces Arts Association meeting event. Info: 575-532-1046. The Clayton Dyess Duo performing for the Mesilla Valley Jazz & Blues society — 7 p.m. at First Christian Church, 1809 El Paseo in Las Cruces. A dessert social starts at 6:30 p.m. Clayton is a jazz and blues guitarist from Houston, Texas. Info: 575-640-8752. Socorro/Socorro County Festival of the Cranes — various times at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and the city of Socorro. Various events, workshops, expositions all relating to the cranes and other wildfowl which winter in the bosque every year. Info: www. festivalofthecranes.com. Alamogordo/Otero County “Steel Magnolias” — noon at
Ruidoso/Lincoln County Ruidoso Winter Park Opening Day — 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Ski run Road. New lifts, chutes and zipline. Info: 575-336-7079. Grindstone Stables Sleigh Rides Opening Day — Grindstone Stables, 523 Resort Drive in Ruidoso. Info: 575-257-2241. Ski Apache Opening Day — Weather permitting at Ski Apache Ski Area. Info: 575-464-3600.
FRIDAY, NOV. 25
Silver City/Grant County Popcorn Fridays — all day at 614 N. Bullard St. Free popcorn and food samples. Info: 575-388-2343.
The Gila Native Plant Society meeting features a plant dye program on Nov. 18 at WNMU’s Harlan Hall. (Courtesy Photo) the Rohovec Theatre, on the New Mexico State University-Alamogordo campus, 2400 N. Scenic Drive. Info: 575-439-3670.
MONDAY, NOV. 21
Silver City/Grant County Juan Felipe Herrera: Poet Laureate — 5:30 p.m. meet and greet, 6:30 p.m. talk at Light Hall and Light Hall Patio at Western New Mexico University. Herrera is the 21st Poet Laureate of the United States and the first Latino to hold
the position. Info: 575-538-6469.
TUESDAY, NOV. 22
Silver City/Grant County Storytime — 10:30 a.m. at the Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave. Designed for children ages 0-5 and their caregivers. Info: 575-538-3672. Trivia Night — 6:30 p.m. at Burgers & Brownies & Beer Oh My! At 619 N. Bullard St. Gift certificate prizes for top three teams. Info: 575-597-6469.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 23
Transforming S P A C E
Silver City/Grant County Babytime Sing and Play — 10:30 a.m. at the Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave. Designed for children ages 0-12 months and their caregivers. Info: 575-538-3672. Future Engineers — 4-5 p.m. at the Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave. Creative hands on construction fun with Lego, K’NEX and Strawbees for children 6-12. Info: 575-538-3672. Shotgun Calliope live music — 8 p.m. at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery, 200 N. Bullard, Silver City. Jamasaurus rock. Info: 575-536-9649.
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Michelle COOKE
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John GARRETT
David WAGNER
Tim HARDING
Katharine KREISHER
Signe STUART
Gail RIEKE
Susan A. CHRISTIE, Curator
THURSDAY, NOV. 24
Truth or Consequences/Sierra County Sierra Twirlers Square Dance
Ruidoso/Lincoln County Farmers and Artisans Market — 6-9 p.m. at All American Park in Ruidoso Downs. Info: 575-8080630.
SATURDAY, NOV. 26
Silver City/Grant County Holiday Fiber Art Sale — 10 a.m.4 p.m. at the Silver City Woman’s Club, 411 Silver Heights Blvd. More than 20 booth with the member of the Southwest Fiber Arts Collective. Info: www.fiberartscollective. org. Bayou Seco at the Buckhorn Saloon— 6:30-whenever in Pinos Altos. Cajun/New Mexican chilegumbo music. Info: 575-534-0298. Illusion Band live music — 8:30 p.m. at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery, 200 N. Bullard, Silver City. Rock, Tejano and country music. Info: 575-536-9649. Lights, Camera, Christmas Parade — 7 p.m. beginning at the intersection of Cooper Street and Broadway Boulevard in Silver City. Entry applications are due by Nov. 10. Info: 575-534-1700. Las Cruces/Mesilla Storytellers of Las Cruces — 10:30 a.m. at both COAS Bookstore locations in Las Cruces. Children who attend receive a $2 book coupon. Ruidoso/Lincoln County Farmers and Artisans Market — 7 a.m.-3 p.m. at All American Park in Ruidoso Downs. Info: 575-8080630. Little River Band in Concert — 8 p.m. at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. Info: innofthemountaingods. com/event/litt/.
LAS CRUCES MUSEUM OF ART November 4, 2016 - January 21, 2017
Las Cruces Museum of Art • 491 N Main St • Las Cruces, New Mexico 575.541.2137 • las-cruces.org/museums • Tue-Fri 10am-4:30pm, Sat 9am-4:30pm
Playing music from the 1950s and 1960s, Oldies but Goodies bring high energy to the Rio Grande Theatre Nov. 19 in Las Cruces. (Courtesy Photo)
DESERT EXPOSURE Truth or Consequences/ Sierra County Sierra County Farmers Market — 8:30-11:30 a.m. at Ralph Edwards Park in Truth of Consequences. Info: 575-894-9375. Old Time Fiddlers Saturday Night Dance — 7-9 p.m. at 710 Elm Street in Truth or Consequences. Info 575-744-9137. Alamogordo/ Cloudcroft / Otero County Holiday Arts and Crafts Show/ Sale — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Red Brick Schoolhouse Building, corner of Burro and Swallow streets in Cloudcroft. Info: 575-687-2213. Lake Lucero Tour — 10 a.m. at White Sands National Monument. Must register for this exploration of the source of the white sands. Info: 575-479-6124.
SUNDAY, NOV. 27
Silver City/Grant County Live Performance — 1-3 p.m. at the Yankie Creek Coffee House, 112 West Yankie St. in Silver City. Info: 575-654-4144.
TUESDAY, NOV. 29
Silver City/Grant County Trivia Night — 6:30 p.m. at Burgers & Brownies & Beer Oh My! At 619 N. Bullard St. Gift certificate prizes for top three teams. Info: 575-597-6469. Violinist Krzysztof Zimowski — 7 p.m. at Light Hall at Western New Mexico University. Part of the president’s chamber music series is a
NOVEMBER 2016 • 51 string quartet playing Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 Serioso; Geroge Gershwin’s Lullaby; and Dvorak’s String Quartet in F major, Op. 96, “American.” Info: 575-538-6469.
THURSDAY, DEC. 1
Truth or Consequences/ Sierra County Sierra Twirlers Square Dance Club dance — 6-8 p.m. at New Mexico Old Time Fiddler’s Playhouse, 710 Elm St. Mainstream dancing every Thursday evening. Cost is $3 per person; no charge to come and watch. Visitors always welcome. Info: 505-804-3842 or 575-313-9971.
FRIDAY, DEC. 2
Silver City/Grant County Popcorn Fridays — all day at 614 N. Bullard St. Free popcorn and food samples. Info: 575-388-2343. Sugar Still live music — 7:30 p.m. at the Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery, 200 N. Bullard, Silver City. Chicago acoustic duo. Info: 575-536-9649. Ruidoso/Lincoln County Farmers and Artisans Market — 6-9 p.m. at All American Park in Ruidoso Downs. Info: 575-8080630. Gary Allen in Concert — 8-10 p.m. at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. Country star and Merle Haggard sons tour together. Info: innofthemountaingods.com/event/ garry-allan/.
Las Cruces/Mesilla Carols and Arias — 7:30-9 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre in Las Cruces. Free program. Info: 575523-6403.
SATURDAY, DEC. 3
Silver City/Grant County Sixth Annual Tamal Fiesta y Más — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Bullard Street at Eighth Street in Silver City. Food including Disco Cook-Off, arts and crafts, music and folklorico dance. Info: www.TamalFiestaYMas.org. Las Cruces/Mesilla Storytellers of Las Cruces — 10:30 a.m. at both COAS Bookstore locations in Las Cruces. Children who attend receive a $2 book coupon. Feliz Navidad! A Christmas Celebration — 7:30-9 p.m. in Las Cruces. Traditional song, dance and music reflection the Hispanic culture of Borderland. Info: 575523-6403. Ruidoso/Lincoln County Farmers and Artisans Market — 7 a.m.-3 p.m. at All American Park in Ruidoso Downs. Info: 575-8080630. 2016 Parade of Lights — 5:307:30 p.m. through Midtown Ruidoso. Info: 575-857-7395. Truth or Consequences/ Sierra County Christmas in the Foothills — 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Hillsboro Community Center. Holiday vendors,
Bayou Seco leads a Cajun community celebration at the Buckhorn Tavern in Pinos Altos on Nov. 26. (Courtesy Photo $49.99 Art Show and Sale and more. Info: 575-895-5457. Sierra County Farmers Market — 8:30-11:30 a.m. at Ralph Edwards Park in Truth of Consequences. Info: 575-894-9375. Old Time Fiddlers Saturday Night Dance — 7-9 p.m. at 710 Elm Street in Truth or Consequences.
Info 575-744-9137. Alamogordo/ Cloudcroft/ Otero County Holiday Arts and Crafts Show/ Sale — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Red Brick Schoolhouse Building, corner of Burro and Swallow streets in Cloudcroft. Info: 575-687-2213.
36th Annual Potters’ Guild of Las Cruces Holiday Sale New location: Fellowship Hall at Peace Lutheran Church, 1701 Missouri Ave. (corner of Missouri and S. Locust )
Friday, Nov 18th 2-6 pm Saturday Nov 19th 9 am-4 pm The same great pottery, art, artists, and tasty snacks! Plenty of free parking, handicap accessible, no entrance fee! For more information: pottersguildlc.com
Rosas Del Desierto is one of the many mariachi performers features during the delicious Tamal Fiesta y Más in Silver City Dec. 3. (Courtesy Photo)
National Write Your Novel Month November 1-30, 2016 “The World Needs Your Novel” Silver City Library Events 515 West College Avenue Kickoff and Write-in Tuesday, November 1, 4:00-5:45pm. Write-in Tuesday, November 15, 4:00-5:45pm. Find full info on “National Write Your Novel Month” at www.nanowrimo.org
WNMU Lecture Series - November 21, 2016
Juan Felipe Herrera, Poet Laureate of the United States
5:30 pm | Cocktail Meet and Greet on the Light Hall Patio 6:30 pm | Talk in Light Hall Auditorium Free and open to the public
Juan Felipe Herrera is the 21st Poet Laureate of the United States (2015-2016) and is the first Latino to hold the position. He is also a performance artist and activist on behalf of migrant and indigenous communities and at-risk youth. Visit www.swwordfiesta.org or http://wnmu.edu/events/wnmu-lecture-series-juan-felipe-herrera/ for more information.
Sponsored by WNMU, SWFWW, and WILL
Juan Felipe Herrera
52 • NOVEMBER 2016
www.desertexposure.com
IN THE AIR ï LISA MAUE
They Are Not Drones
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RPAs taking on stronger roles in future
rones are spidery-looking things that, with various attachments, are capable of taking aerial photographs, allowing neighbors to spy on each other’s backyard parties, and, in the near future, maybe delivering merchandise to doorsteps. The Air Force does have drones but they are used as aerial targets. The MQ-1 Predator and M-9 Reaper are remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). Not drones. The distinction is important since a drone carries connotations of a device that is operated with minimal human control. According to 2nd Lt. Travis Schirner, 49th Wing Public Affairs Officer for Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), there is little that is unmanned in RPAs. “There is not a human soul on board but there is so much human involvement that goes on behind the scenes,” Schirner explained. “On the other hand, drones or tar-
get aircraft are piloted electronically. They fly over test ranges and then get blown up or get shot at for weapons testing.” An Air Force RPA mission requires close to 200 people, including those remotely flying the aircraft, as well as intelligence, maintenance, communications and launch and recovery personnel. The 49th Wing’s primary mission is to train the world’s best RPA pilots and sensor operators. While still in a nascent stage, the program has grown exponentially. “The kind of training we do is not unique to Holloman, but we are the biggest and the only active duty Formal Training Unit,” Schirner said. Schirner also emphasized that Holloman is a training facility, unlike Beale, Creech and Cannon AFBs which are active-duty operational units. Crews from Air National Guard bases in North
Gila Winterfest Sat, Nov 26, 10-4
Gila Community Center Park Local Art, Gifts, Food, Hot Drinks, Warm Visits Vendors Welcome -- cedarsilverfox@yahoo.com or (505) 919-9765 for more info
505-469-7505 sivaraven@gmail.com
Earth Matters A show about earthly matters that impact us all!
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on a whiteboard. For the pilot, leadership is key because you are leading a crew.” Pilots also have the ability to consult military legal experts and, in some cases, the commander of the theater. “It is not just a pilot saying: ‘I’m going to take this target out,’” Schirner said. “The pilot has the final decision, but really it is a well-calculated decision based on what the guys on the ground are saying.” Communication extends beyond the base itself since pilots are capable of remotely handing aircraft or swapping positions over to other pilots at other operational units. This continuity is crucial since RPAs are in the air 24/7. Crews typically work ten- to twelve-hour days. The ability to continually fly aircraft remotely from bases in the United States means that fewer personnel are needed to be stationed overseas and changes in geographical locations can be made without the onerous physical relocation of personnel and equipment. In addition to precision strikes, RPAs are used for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance. The MQ-1 and MQ-9 are equipped with missiles, lasers that can pinpoint targets for manned aircraft and sensors that can locate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and insurgents. They also watch over U.S. soldiers on the ground. “When compared to manned platforms, RPAs are as safe or safer in terms of limiting collateral damage because they are so precise,” Schirner said. “They have the ability to loiter in air for such a long time compared to conventional manned platforms, which allows pilots to make better decisions.” Long periods waiting and observing are interspersed with intense bursts of adrenaline-stoked action requiring quick life-or-death decisions. The dichotomy is exacerbated as the crew ends a shift in an operational theater overseas and returns to civilian life at home. The stress of the job has taken its toll on recruitment and retention efforts, with an attrition rate three times that of traditional pilots according to a policy paper written by Col. Bradley T. Hoagland for the Brookings Institution. In addition to long hours, constantly rotated shifts result in dis-
rupted sleep patterns and time spent with families. RPA personnel also often remain on assignment for longer periods. Pilots may be expected to fly for six years while other officer assignments might last only three to four years. For new recruits, many do not fully understand the RPA mission, and there are few experienced pilots who are able to mentor. Cargo and jet pilots, reservists and even instructors are being pressed to go back to work as RPA pilots to meet increased demand. To add insult to injury, there is a stigma within the Air Force that RPA flying is subordinate to manned aircraft flying. According to Hoagland, this dismissive attitude is a factor for a lower promotion rate for RPA pilots, made more elusive since what goes on during missions is often classified information. The Air Force has fully or partially acknowledged the identified problems and is re-analyzing and establishing minimum crew ratios, developing a recruiting program and is considering feedback from RPA pilots. As to recommendations of looking to other sources for pilots and including how RPA pilots are promoted, the Air Force partially concurred. As far as determining whether being deployed-on-station has negative effects, the Air Force pointed out that numerous studies have been conducted. It further requested that the focus be shifted on how to mitigate those effects rather than merely identifying them. It remains to be seen how these recommendations play out, but, in the meantime, Holloman AFB remains committed to training RPA recruits and trying to keep up with demand. Initial projections for 2016 fiscal year estimated 818 pilots, including both active duty and reserves, according to Schirner. The MQ-1 Predator is being phased out in favor of the newer MQ-9 Reaper that allows for about 50 percent greater range and over eight times the payload. “The RPA enterprise is still trying to find its legs. It had to grow so quickly that it hasn’t had the time to mature like other programs have,” Schirner said. “No one knows how many we can comfortably train. But the demand is strong, and there is an effort underway to test that limit.”
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Dakota, New York and Ohio also carry out what are referred to as deployed-on-station missions. All branches of the military use RPAs, but qualifications and training differ. In the MQ-1 and MQ-9, officers fly and enlisted personnel are sensor operators. Until 2010, only manned-aircraft pilots could be trained to fly RPAs, but, with the added demand, an RPA pilot career path was developed, eliminating this prerequisite. This is not to say that pilots are nothing but glorified video-gamers, a common misperception. RPA training takes approximately 10 months. The first portion of RPA pilot training is the same as traditional pilot training and takes place in Pueblo, Colorado. Pilots in the remote pilot training typically log 40 hours over seven weeks flying a glider-like DA-20 Diamond. This is the only manned aircraft flying future RPA pilots will experience. Flight training at Pueblo emphasizes cross country flying. The next phase takes place at Randolph AFB in Texas and includes classes in instrument reading and simulator flying involving low-level exercises in a manned-aircraft simulator. Randolph also trains sensor operators in camera and laser usage and weapons training. Once a weapon is fired, it is the sensor operator who guides it to the target. Holloman AFB then provides more specific simulated and real-world training for the MQ-1 and MQ-9 aircraft. The last two weeks of training are dedicated to working with other branches of the military in joint exercises. In addition to the skills required of an officer, pilots need to be smart, quick-witted and intelligent. Both pilots and sensor operators must also be comfortable with the ever-changing face of technology. Studies by Professor Henry Jenkins of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) point to the need for “21st century job skills,” such as instruction in data analytics, visualization, mapping, programming, math and artificial intelligence, for those interested in the field. “The crew is doing a lot of calculations on the fly,” Schirner said. “Even in the simulators, the sensor operator is getting coordinates and the pilot is writing them down
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Luke T. Davis and Allen Hrynick from ICG 600 develop the Spaceport America Drone Summit Cinematography Challenge. (Courtesy Photo)
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 53
CONSERVATION • KRISTIE GARCIA
Restoration in Grant County NMSU students help with Mimbres area projects
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ivestock, landowners and the threatened Chiricahua leopard frog may all benefit from a large restoration project in Grant County. The New Mexico State University College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is working with several organizations and private landowners on restoration techniques to improve wildlife habitat and forage for livestock. The project is funded by the New Mexico Office of Natural Resources Trustee and administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Other collaborators include Bat Conservation International, U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy and Grant County Soil and Water Conservation District. Amy Ganguli, assistant professor of range science in the NMSU Department of Animal and Range Sciences, is the principal investigator of the grant. Martha Desmond, Regents Professor in the NMSU Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, is co-principal investigator. Ganguli said the 2013 Silver Fire is a big part of the reason restoration is needed. The fire burned over 100,000 acres of land and resulted in high levels of erosion, reducing the quality of habitat and water used by livestock and wildlife. “After a fire, soil can became hydrophobic, which means that the water will not easily infiltrate, increasing the risk of erosion,” Ganguli said. “Areas of the fire had considerable erosion, delivering large amounts silt and ash to the Mimbres River.” Restoration projects are focused on three areas: the Upper Burro Cienaga, the Pitchfork Ranch and multiple sites along the Mimbres River. Ganguli said the partnership with private landowners has been invaluable. “This is a wonderful opportunity in which we get to work with a variety of landowners that have varying objectives,” Ganguli said. “Some of the landowners’ primary objective is livestock production, and some are more focused on providing habitat for wildlife.” Several treatments are in place to restore not only deteriorated rangeland but also riparian systems, which are areas of land near rivers or streams with a unique habitat. Projects include: • Stock tank rehabilitation • Structures designed to reduce water flow and capture sediment • Riparian restoration • Spring and wetland projects “The stock tank rehabilitation efforts are designed to capture water and sediment runoff more efficiently and to provide water for livestock and wild-
Students in the New Mexico State University Animal and Range Sciences Department and Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology Department clear out cattails in a riparian area near the Mimbres River. The NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is working with several organizations and private landowners on restoration techniques to improve wildlife habitat and forage for livestock in Grant County. (Courtesy photo) life,” Ganguli said. Owners of C Bar Ranch southwest of Silver City, Erin and Dick Evans have experienced erosion control and storage tank projects first hand. They have constructed a fence to keep their registered Angus cattle from standing in the dirt tanks, and they have built a storage tank with a solar pump, filtration barrier and fiberglass drinker. “We’ve increased the area of exclosure and cleaned out the dirt tank so it holds more water,” Erin Evans said. “We’ll also plant vegetation for wildlife habitat, including migratory waterfowl.” Some of the conservation work has been completed on land belonging to Jennifer and Brian Douglas in the Mimbres River area. A pool was created on their land from a natural spring in a flood plain. Juniper trees and other invasive plant species have been thinned to improve habitat and benefit native plants. And NMSU students helped dig out two springs. The small bodies of water provide a habitat for many types of wildlife, including birds, bats and the Chiricahua leopard frog. Dan Taylor, public lands program director with Bat Conservation International, said it’s important that water is available to bats, because they are necessary to the environment and economy. “There are about 20 species of bats in Grant County, and they eat an enormous amount of night-flying insect pests,” Taylor said. “Bats in the Southwest rely heavily on riparian areas, because these areas are really rich in vegetation diversity, which means lots of insects. “Also, bats in the Southwest have to drink every night, especially the mothers with pups that are lactating or in reproductive condition; they have to drink 20 to 30 percent of their body weight in water per night.” The projects have served as an educational tool for NMSU
students. “Student engagement is an aspect of this project that directly feeds into the mission we have at New Mexico State,” Ganguli said. “Not only are we able to involve graduate students from a research standpoint, but we’re able to bring undergraduate students to these sites to get handson experience, especially working with threatened species.” Undergraduate students from the NMSU Department of An-
Students in the New Mexico State University Range Club helped with a mass shrub-planting project at the C Bar Ranch southwest of Silver City. The NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is working with several organizations and private landowners on restoration techniques to improve wildlife habitat and forage for livestock in Grant County. (Photo by Dustin Ward) imal and Range Sciences and the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology dug out two springs on the Douglas property. “The students worked really hard and dug out two very large areas that we couldn’t get big machinery into because of the fragile environment, including the threatened Chiricahua leopard frog,” Douglas said. “It was a perfect opportunity for the students to learn a lot, while assisting us in getting the work done that we had to hand dig.”
Students from the NMSU Range Club helped with a mass shrub-planting project on the C Bar Ranch. “They were a great group of students,” Erin Evans said. “They helped with planting shrubs, buffalo grass, spreading seed and watering. There was no one just standing around.” Evans said she wanted the experience to be educational for the students, so she taught them about the land, soil and different plant species as they worked.
Edwina & Charles Milner Women in the Arts Lecture:
Catalina Delgado-Trunk Wed., Nov. 2, 2016 6:30p | Lecture Parotti Hall 7:30p | Opening McCray Gallery FREE Admission Part of Silver City Dia de los Muertos
Co-Sponsor: WESTERN INSTITUTE FOR LIFELONG LEARNING (WILL)
WNMU Lecture Series:
Juan Felipe Herrera
Poet Laureate of the United States Mon., Nov. 21, 2016 5:30p | Wine & Cheese Meet & Greet Light Hall Patio 6:30p | Talk Light Hall Auditorium FREE Admission Co-Sponsor: SOUTHWEST FESTIVAL OF THE WRITTEN WORD, WILL AND WNMU OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS The President’s Chamber Music Series
String Quartets: Willy Sucre and Friends Haydn | Dvorak
Tues., Nov. 29, 2016 7:00p | Performance Light Hall Auditorium Following | Meet the Artist Reception $15; Free Admission with Mustang Card Co-Sponsor: JAMES EDD HUGHS/EDWARD JONES INVESTMENTS AND WILL
Online Event Calendar wnmu.edu/culture Purchase Tickets Online or Call: Cultural Affairs 575-538-6469 Limited seating. Ensure your seat with Advance Tickets. Contact us for details or go online.
54 • NOVEMBER 2016
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Susie Ouderkirk made it into the practice line on the grid with her team mates in the Las Cruces Coyotes. (Courtesy Photo)
FOOTBALL FOLLIES ï SUSIE OUDERKIRK
Getting Benched
Desert Exposure writer Susie Ouderkirk recently got the opportunity to do something she’s longed for all her life: play football. She made the Las Cruces Coyotes full-contact women’s football team. This is the continuing story of her journey into the sport.
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’d survived the first three practices with the Las Cruces Coyotes women’s full-contact football team, and was limping through a week of resting two strained quadriceps muscles. It was Sunday evening and I just wanted to smell the grass, move around and throw the football with these women who were quickly becoming friends. Over a week and a half, I’d discovered that I was no longer fast and agile. I fell down twice during the last practice, and couldn’t jump up quickly or sprint. The mind was willing but the flesh was weak. One thing I could do, however, was throw a football. And not like a girl. I have big hands for a woman. My friends tease me about my “man hands.” I wear a size nine ring and extra-large ladies’ gloves. My first coach, my dad Carl, who devoted hours and hours to teaching me the game, made sure I knew how to hold a football and how to throw a spiral. “A spiral is easier to catch,” he told me. Amen. So at practice, I threw those spirals as if my life depended on it, and I came up with an imaginary scenario: every time I threw the ball, the coaches were watching, impressed. Coach Jamar (in a movie, this would be Denzel Washington) would lean over to Coach Billy (Antonio Banderas) and say, “Hey. That Ouderkirk can throw. Check it out.” And Coach Billy would watch, nodding knowingly. “She’s been well coached,” he’d say. “And I see a real spark of talent in her. She’s a good catch.”
Coach Jacob (Chris Pratt) would jog over and ask, “What’s up?” and Coach Billy would tip his chin in my direction. Coach Jacob would see me and say, “Look at that … I think we just found one of our quarterbacks.” Then they would all give each other high-fives, day dreaming about the touchdowns I’d throw during the season. I’ll just get it out there: what I do best right now is throw the ball. I’m not explosive enough to take the ball and sprint like a running back. I’m not fast enough to run a 10- or 15-yard route, get in front of the defender and make a catch like a receiver. I’m not big and strong enough to keep the defense away from the quarterback. So I’m thinking I could be a quarterback. Not THE quarterback: the team needs someone oozing with raw ability and young muscles, but maybe the backup quarterback. I don’t want to be the center of attention, and I don’t love the idea of being a human target for every player on the other side of the line of scrimmage. But here’s what I know. I can take a snap, drop back three steps, and throw accurately. I can take a hit and get back up. And, because of the quality of my Coyotes coaches, I know I can learn the technicalities of the game: the plays, the options, reading the defense, seeing the field. I just need a chance to keep throwing the ball. That’s when I found myself benched. At the Sunday night practice, the coaches picked eight offensive players and eight defensive players and lined everyone up in the correct formations. I was not one of the 16. As I glanced at the other ladies standing on the sidelines with me, I got a rock of disappointment in my gut. At the previous practice, I had mentally compared and contrasted my skills and abilities against those of the other two dozen women I was playing with
and decided I was definitely not in the top echelon of athletes. But standing on the sidelines trying to learn by watching was deflating. Then it dawned on me that this experience was an exercise in patience and strength. It’s times like these that reveal your true nature. Was I going to feel sorry for myself and second-guess my choices over the last two weeks? Was I going to mope and mutter under my breath? Hell no. I’m a Coyote and this is part of being on a team and playing a sport. Truth be told, if I was the coach, I wouldn’t use me in the lineup either. I needed to be stronger, fitter, faster, quicker and tougher mentally. All do-able. So I’ll take my dad, Carl’s advice: “Be a good teammate. Catch the ball — every time. Work harder. Get there early. Stay late. Do your job.”
Put me in, coach I spent the last practice watching my teammates work out in a simple scrimmage. I didn’t get to play, so I watched and spent the evening memorizing the plays and terminology the coaches used. I helped a couple of the women remember their routes, and reminded a couple more to change positions and move to the other side of the field. On a whim, I walked up to Coach Avalos and whispered, “Hey coach. I can throw the ball. Let me throw the ball.” He didn’t even pause, and said, “We’re not doing that right now.” What did that mean? Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut; had I overstepped my bounds? All I know is that I said what was on my mind, and nothing ventured, nothing gained. For the remainder of practice, I participated as best I could and left feeling confident and determined to improve my abilities. At home over the next few days, I asked my husband to throw the football around with
me. I asked my dad, who is my first and most influential coach, to critique my form. I asked him to help me “pitch” the ball, which is just a little push about chest high out to the side. We laughed and tossed the ball and worked on my form. “Quicker,” my dad said. “You need to be much quicker in the three-step drop.” I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying, “Dad. I’m 50 years old. This is as quick as it gets.” But I didn’t because I knew that he was right, and that what I was trying to accomplish with the Coyotes required me to stop being a 50-year-old woman, and become a football player. “You need to do that movement a thousand times until it becomes automatic. Then you’ll be able to speed it up or slow it down,” he said. “Right now you need to learn the motor skills so you can get faster.” I even asked my managing editor, Brook, a former football player himself (tackle, guard, defensive end) to demonstrate his version of the pitch. Even though it’s been a couple of decades since he dominated the gridiron, his flicking of the imaginary football was smooth, practiced and exactly how Coach Avalos wanted it to be. At the next practice after warmups, coach Jamar called out ten of my teammates to go work on the defensive side of the ball. Coach Avalos called out, “Quarterbacks come with me.” He turned, looked me right in the eye, and said, “Susie. Let’s go.” Can I revert back to May 12, 1978, when my mom and dad let me know that the pony we looked at over the weekend was now MY pony, Hot Coco? Or to the June morning in 1984 when I checked the cast list for the Bloomington-Normal Parks & Recreation Department’s Summer Theater production of “Gypsy” and saw my name in the role of Louise? (Louise is the awkward duckling who becomes Gypsy Rose Lee—my
most revered and desired role.) Sheer bliss! And now, decades later, Coach Avalos calls me up to work out with the quarterbacks. The joy was visceral, complete with butterflies; it was all I could do to stay nonchalant (“frosty”) like a football player would. Coach Avalos introduced a young man named Aaron, who is the starting Quarterback for the Oñate Football Team this fall. He was at practice to be a second set of eyes and to assist Coach. I gave it my all; Coach watched, critiqued, made suggestions, commended, and said, “You need to be much quicker in the threestep drop. You need to do that movement a thousand times until it becomes automatic. Right now you need to learn the motor skills so you can get faster.” Where had I heard that before? Aaron called me over and gave me some pointers. I wondered if he knew I could be his grandmother. He was thoughtful, respectful and genuine. The budding Quarterback in me wished him a good season; the mom in me wished that he not get hurt. Practice filled me with hope. I’ll be the older, wiser Quarterback. I’ll come into the game in a pinch and keep our team ahead. I may not throw a bunch of touchdowns, but I won’t get intercepted. I was not the fastest, quickest or most nimble passer, but Coach gave me a chance and I took it. Thanks, Coach. Susie Ouderkirk is a horse trainer and mom who dabbles in theater and football. She’s a proud graduate of the New Mexico State University English Department and is hopelessly devoted to her husband, Mike.
DESERT EXPOSURE
NOVEMBER 2016 • 55
LIVING ON WHEELS • SHEILA SOWDER
Single RVers Are they really that odd?
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efore I became one, I assumed that all fulltime RVers were couples. After I joined their ranks, I realized there actually were single RVers, but thought they were all socially inept oddballs. And, honestly, the first few I ran into did match that stereotype. The guy in Death Valley who covered all his windows with aluminum foil so “the guv’mnt can’t spy on me.” The woman in Kentucky whose RVbased business was working a phone sex chat line and who professed to be fleeing from a Lebanese hit man. The man in Texas who attached all his old sewer hoses to the new one until it grew to hundreds of feet long. Eventually, though, I encountered enough single RVers to make me suspect that this 16 percent of the total RVing population might be, for the most part, composed of well-adjusted individuals who were simply searching for new experiences. But I wondered — what motivates a single individual to give up his/her home and social network, and embrace the gypsy lifestyle of fulltime RVing? So I set out to discover what makes our present-day solo RVers tick, what got them on the road in the first place and what keeps them going year after year. I ran into Greg, a six-year veteran RVer, at Silver City’s Farmers Market. A geologist by profession, Greg had retired at age 59 and hit the road. His initial goal was to visit all the National Parks, but now spends his summers teaching fly fishing in Colorado and winters in Arizona. This winter he’ll be leading fly-fishing groups to Mexico from Arizona. “Why RVing?” I asked him. “What’s better than traveling?” he answered. The negative of solo RVing, according to Greg? He can’t cre-
Greg’s home goes with him wherever he roams. (Courtesy Photo) ate his art, so eventually he may move back into a house. My next interview was with Phyllis, who retired from community college administration and has lived in a fifth wheel with her dog Missy for over eight years. She had never RVed before buying her rig. “I got many books about how to work the systems, and I found it a fun challenge,” she said. “Although there are many differences between the book learning and the doing.” Her first trip was from Arizona to the Northeast. “I loved the feeling of freedom, of being competent,” she said. “And other RVers were very helpful, sometimes even when I didn’t want help. Being totally flexible was great — one time I looked at the map and saw Thermopolis and changed my route completely. It’s definitely adventure, but then wherever I stop, it’s home.” The negative for her? Expensive repairs. “The books didn’t mention how much repair an RV eventu-
ally needs — just like a house.” I talked to single RVer Jeff, thinking — hoping — he’d turn out to be one of those oddballs because the top of his rig sprouts several suspiciously large antennae. But no such luck. Turned out he’s a ham radio operator who also likes cooking and studying the nighttime sky through his large telescope. He spent his entire career — 35 years — as an electrical engineer for General Motors and started RVing in a 19-foot travel trailer while still working. Five years before retirement he decided on full-timing. After researching, attending many RV shows, and with two years to go, he started downsizing. He bought his fifth wheel a year before retirement, and was ready to go when the big day came. Jeff moved around a lot throughout the southwest during his first year; now he resides in New Mexico in the summer and in Arizona and Texas the rest of the time. He feels the main benefit of traveling alone is being able to decide where
and when to go; the downside is having no one to share all the chores and responsibilities — and the driving — with. He heartily advises would-be single RVers to try out the lifestyle first, preferably for several months, before committing to it permanently. Cassandra now spends the cooler months in Silver City, then stores her fifth wheel and spends summers traveling and camping out of her SUV. But before she retired from the publishing industry, she experimented by traveling for three months in a 22-foot Toyota motor home, which she found to be very practical and maneuverable. However, it was too small to live in fulltime and also accommodate her work as an astrologer, so she bought a larger trailer. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the strength needed to unhitch it, and at each RV park needed to rely on good Samaritans, which limited her self-reliance. She is surprised when people marvel at how brave she is because she doesn’t feel single RV-
ing takes extraordinary courage. However, she also recommends an extended trial run, moving around and then staying in one place for at least a month. The main advantage of solo RVing for her? You can be totally flexible, and the solo nomadic life supports her intuitively creative lifestyle. The disadvantage: that repair thing again. Well! Judging by my interviews, the oddball single RVer seems to be rare. But certain characteristics are prevalent in these solo travelers: self-confidence, organizational skills, adaptability, good social instincts, and above all, that adventurous spirit. If you’re considering setting off on this life journey, here are some organizations specifically for single RVers that might prove helpful and also enjoyable since they not only offer excellent advice but also social opportunities. Wandering Individuals Network (WIN); Loners on Wheels; RVing Women; and Escapees Solos. One interesting fact about Loners on Wheels: their rules state that “members of the opposite gender, not blood related, must not occupy the same unit.” Whereas Wandering Individuals Network states that in order to join, you must be “able to be in a group where some are paired.” Draw your own conclusion. And if you’re looking for an RVing romance, check out rvdating.com. Sheila and husband Jimmy Sowder have lived at Rose Valley RV Ranch in Silver City for four years following four years of wandering the US from Maine to California. She can be contacted at sksowder@aol.com.
DEADLINES
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I F Y O U H AV E A N Y Q U E S T I O N S , P L E A S E C O N T A C T: EDITOR Elva K. Österreich 575-680-1978 editor@desertexposure.com
SALES COORDINATOR Pam Rossi 575-635-6614 pam@lascrucesbulletin.com
SILVER CITY SALES MANAGER Ilene Wignall 575-313-0002 jiwignall@comcast.net
56 • NOVEMBER 2016
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