Category Archives: Uncategorized

The most recent issue of my BMW Car Club of America magazine has a brief article about the states with the worst road conditions. And thankfully, New Mexico wasn’t at the top of the list — but we were No. 11. The ranking comes from an organization called “Construction Coverage,” a website “started by aContinue reading “Bad roads and hot dogs…”

I’ve received a few high school graduation announcements in the last few weeks. I always think of how exciting this is for the young people who are getting ready to start a new phase of their life and move closer to independence. Some of the announcements can be a bit humorous. I remember that ourContinue reading “Class mottos…”

Neither my father nor my wife’s father served in the military during World War II. The only person on my side of the family who was in the military was my brother, who served in the U.S. Army Reserves and never had any combat action. He told me that the worst thing that ever happenedContinue reading “A Memorial Day story…”

(As you’ll discover from reading this blog, I had a serious fall while fishing last week, breaking several ribs and hurting my back. Sitting to write at my computer is somewhat painful, so I may not be writing as much in the next few weeks. Some of you may actually enjoy the break from myContinue reading “Sacrificing my body for a fish…”

A couple of years ago, my wife and I were watching an episode of the TV series “Yellowstone.” It focused on the shenanigans of a wealthy and power-hungry rancher in Montana, played by Kevin Costner. The series was full of the traditional cliches — Native Americans being treated badly, lots of horses and spectacular scenery,Continue reading “Fishing for diversity…”

During my almost 35 years of flying hot air balloons, I gave hundreds of rides, many of them to first timers. I periodically meet someone who tells me how thrilled they were with the ride they took with me years ago. And to my embarrassment, I honestly don’t remember a lot of those rides andContinue reading “A dip in the river…”

Notorious American criminal Willie Sutton, who managed to steal more than $2 million in his lifetime, was once asked why he consistently robbed banks. “Because that’s where the money is,” he replied in an obvious statement of fact. So when the banks aren’t open, what do you do if youre in need of a cashContinue reading “A fast food joint was “where the money is…””

Last summer, I wrote about the case of some missing crematorium ashes in Albuquerque. Apparently, a member of the family had been tasked with transporting the ashes to a memorial service where Uncle Vern’s ashes were to be tossed into the Rio Grande on the Central Ave. bridge. However, when Cousin Louie’s 74 Nova wouldn’tContinue reading “First they lost Uncle Vern, now they can’t get rid of him…”

A photo posted on the Clovis Fire Department’s web page shows one of those old “fire horse” “wagons that used a steam engine to power the pump that sprayed water on fires during the city’s early years. You’ve probably seen pictures of one of these wagons in operation, spewing black smoke from an on-board boilerContinue reading “A burning desire to prevent fires…”

As we age, remembrances get bigger, smaller, grander or just plain forgotten over time. So it was with my recollection of my first trip to Whitewater Creek in the Gila Wilderness in the mid 1990s. I walked down a trail called “Gold Dust” to a section of water above the touristy Catwalk trail. I rememberContinue reading “The official doctor’s diagnosis — “Too much fun…””

As the United Press International political editor and state capitol bureau chief for seven years during the 1970s, I covered three governors during that time. The first was David F. “Lonesome Dave” Cargo, a Republican who was often seen as a loner in his own party and in the state in general. I was onlyContinue reading “Remembering Gov. Apodaca…”

I believe I’ve mentioned that our neighborhood has become quite a menagerie in recent years. We’ve spotted racoons, foxes, skunks, coyotes, various species of lizards, frogs, an occasional harmless snake, a flock of Guinea hens and even a pack of javelinas. Last week, we added a new critter to the list of nature sightings inContinue reading “It’s for the birds…”

My good friend David and I went fly fishing last week on private water in the Sacramento Mountains. It was the first time he had been fishing since he had heart surgery last fall and he managed to catch a nice fat rainbow to make his trip extra special. I caught only a couple ofContinue reading “He left it out there somewhere…”

Last week’s spectacular explosion of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket was described by company officials as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” Wow, what a creative way to explain a disaster. But Musk apparently saw the failure as a way to learn more about how to prevent a future multi-million dollar fireworks display. It was Thomas Edison, whoContinue reading “What we really wanted to say…”