Author Archives: Patrick Lamb

Northern New Mexico experienced demonstrations last year focusing on statues memorializing early Spanish explorers who had brutalized Native American people in the Southwest. Several statues and memorials were removed or torn down by angry protestors. In Santa Fe, city administrators feared that a statue in Cathedral Park memorializing Diego de Vargas would be vandalized, soContinue reading ““Oh, it must be that thing covered up with pigeon poop in the back lot…””

(With apologies to Daivid Letterman. And bear with me, this post might be a bit long and philosophical… ) Many years ago, my father, who prided himself for his knowledge of New Mexico history, told me that when the territory was being considered for statehood, there was consideration given to calling it “Lincoln” instead ofContinue reading “Lincoln , Lincoln, a town so nice they named it twice…”

A good friend who faithfully reads my blog and is probably the most thorough fact checker I’ve ever known discovered some additional details about a blog I posted earlier this week. That story regarded a woman who sued a Taos McDonald’s for assault by a toilet paper dispenser. The woman claimed she was injured whenContinue reading “The flying toilet paper dispenser, part II…”

Probably everyone in southern New Mexico has visited the City of Rocks, between Deming and Silver City, at one time or another. Like many things to see in our high desert neighborhood, you saw it once and then you kind of forgot about it. On another one of our recent weekly journeys to rediscover ourContinue reading “Another overlooked Chihuahuan Desert gem…”

You might remember that in 1994, an Albuquerque woman received a $2.86 million settlement when she was burned by hot coffee at a McDonald’s drive-up window. Not to be outdone, a Taos woman pursued legal action against the double golden arches in the northern New Mexico community during 2016. In this case, the woman claimedContinue reading “She wasn’t rolling with the flow…”

An Albuquerque TV station seeking tips on local news stories got a call from a man in 2015 who said his next door neighbor’s bee boxes were a source or annoyance for the surrounding area. The neighbors complained of the constant buzzing and cringed about the danger of being stung by one of the critters.Continue reading “It was all the buzz on the local TV news…”

I never cease to be amazed by the new things I am constantly learning about New Mexico history. For example, did you know that Thomas B. Catron, the attorney known for his role in the “Santa Fe Ring” and the Teapot Dome Scandal in the early 1900s was once the largest private land owner inContinue reading “If he wasn’t the cook, why would he know where the kitchen was?”

We spotted this spectacular purple RV in the parking lot of Wal-Mart last week. It appeared as if someone had been sleeping in it overnight. It’s somewhat similar to the “Bounder” RV that Walter White used as a mobile meth lab in the TV series “Breaking Bad,” but it probably would have been a poorContinue reading “Maybe this inspired Jimi Hendrix to write “Purple Haze””

Roswell, home of the 1947 UFO incident. Home of the bleeding picture of Jesus. Home of the guy who escaped from law enforcement last year and tried to disguise himself by wearing a skirt, carrying a pink purse and forgetting to shave his red beard. Last week, we had a report of another memorable RoswellContinue reading “If it happens in Roswell, it’s probably weird…”

In 2012, a woman was displeased with only placing fifth in the highly competitive Miss Texas contest and moved to New Mexico to enter the Miss New Mexico contest. Apparently, fifth best from Texas was good enough for first place in the Land of Enchantment and she was selected as Miss New Mexico. Perhaps thinkingContinue reading “If at first you don’t succeed, settle for whatever’s available…”

Several years ago, my wife and I made a quick day trip to fly fish on the Rio Penasco, a spring-fed stream between Cloudcroft and Artesia which always produces surprising results in place where you might not expect it. Fishing on the private section of water requires membership in the Mesilla Valley Fly Fishers, whichContinue reading “Accoutrements not for the squeamish…”

A man from Chaparral, in southern Dona Ana County, checked himself in to a hospital in El Paso this week, claiming to have overdosed on methamphetamine. He received treatment, but when he saw security approaching him, he bolted and ran for the parking lot. There he spotted a 10-wheel fuel tanker truck idling with theContinue reading “Perhaps his own car got really bad gas mileage…”

Some of you may remember the 2014 World Cup soccer match when professional footballer Luis Suarez, representing his home nation of Uruguay, bit the shoulder of an Italian player. It turns out that Suarez, actually a very talented player, had bitten opponents at least two other times in his professional career. The 2014 bite seenContinue reading “Luis Suarez probably coached her…”

The Los Alamos National Laboratory is a high tech, super secure research facility located in the foothills of the Jemez Mountains. It was so secret that during World War II, when it was working on the Manhattan Project to perfect the atomic bomb, mail and equipment deliveries to the lab were addressed to a singleContinue reading “Well, what else would your website be about it you lived there?”