Why is it that ...

There a special place in my heart for low riders? The maroon caddy heading away from me has a mural of Mary on the trunk.
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NM: Pimp my trike

New to me... Pimped out bicycles, all chromified and snazzy. Many are three-wheelers, all are low. Is this what the high cost of gasoline has done to the younger generation of low riders?

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Road-be-gone!

In one of my earliest posts, I wrote about being one of the first cars across the new bridge out to Talavera. The road has been a persistant problem -- it washed out in the rainy season , and no fixes seemed to help.

So in came a bridge! And under flowed the mud! And as the water arose, the road washed away yet again.

The water that flowed over the bridge left mud on the road. And took away some asphalt. The guard rail is just hanging between a couple of the anchors.

Cozumel photos

The Harbour in San Miguel hosts ferries to the Mainland (blue and yellow boats) and typically a couple of massive cruise ships. Sunday, so cruise ships stopped in, and plaza was much quieter.


The beaches on the east side of the island were about deserted on Sunday on the south end of the island, but closer to the trans-island highway, the locals were out in force.


The sea was turquoise and the sands were brilliant white. Beautiful.

PHC, weekend in Southern NM

Above, the stage for Prairie Home Companion. The show was excellent (and I am not a fan of the radio show). A most entertaining way to spend an afternoon.

Stu and I took our usual Sunday morning walk. From when we left to when we got home the temperature rose 17 degrees. It peaked at about 101 this afternoon but is already below 99. Woo hoo!

And below, Stu's latest set-up for beer cooking. He is making a wit, and the yeast prefers lower temperature, so the box houses insulation (styrofoam peanuts) and the copper sticking out the top goes to a heat exchanger keeping the brew at about 70 degrees.

Luminarias

Merry Christmas from New Mexico!

There's a line in New Mexico that says you know you are from New Mexico when your Christmas decorations include 500 paper bags and candles, and a half ton of sand.

Luminarias (photo from New Mexico Photo.com) light the way to your home for the Christ child. Yes, they are paper bags, but they really are beautiful when they are all lit.

Quincy and Jacob helped the high school band set up about 60,000 luminarias this holiday season. Setting these up is a real reminder of the wonderful community we live in. The band kids work from early morning to dark for days to make this happen, and people are kind with holiday goodies when you arrive to set up their luminarias.

Thanks to all who supported the band. If you live in the area and we missed you this year, we will get you next year!

Bridge to Talavera

Stu and I were the third car across the new bridge this morning!

(In Southern New Mexico, you take your excitement where it comes...)

This bridge has been years in coming. When we first moved to Talavera, 3.1 miles of the road from town was dirt. Back then, fewer people were willing to drive to Talavera, and our area grew slowly.

A couple years before the millenium, the road was paved, bringing an explosion of development to our area.

As the area developed, runoff from big desert storms increased flow down the main arroyo that leads into town. The road was not designed to handle the flow, and the road regularly washed out where the arroyo crossed. We watched for years as the county graded, rip-rapped, regraded, repaved, and re-rip-rapped the area, only to have the next storm again wash it all away, leaving exposed utilities and dramatic cut banks by the side of the road.

So no more speculating on the extent of the damage each storm brings as we drive into town. Unless, of course, Mother Nature again figures out how to best the efforts of the humans who keep trying to win... Will let you know!