Category Archives: Uncategorized

While DNA has become an investigator’s best tool to capture criminals in recent years, an armed robbery case reported in Artesia earlier this summer proves that just careful observation can be just as effective. When masked man walked into a bank branch in Artesia on July 15 and handed a teller a grammatically incorrect noteContinue reading “As Steven Tyler of Aerosmith would say, “Walk this Way…””

A headline in Saturday’s Albuquerque Journal announced that “Rains ease New Mexico’s short-term drought.” That’s really great news. I recall last year’s monsoon season was almost non-existent. This year’s summer rainy season began in late June when more than two inches fell at our house during a two week period. The rains have continued since,Continue reading “What a good monsoon season can do…”

This week in Albuquerque, police spotted something unusual. It was a personal watercraft zipping around in loops in the Rio Grande somewhere in the North Valley.   What was unusual, however, was that there was no rider on the watercraft as it sputtered around in its circle. Police immediately began a search for the missingContinue reading “Hunting for its rider…”

My daughter and her children are visiting us now and we’ve become more aware of how focused she is to make sure that what the kids eat is healthy. I get that, and it’s a good thing. When I was young, we just ate what was put in front of us at the dinner tableContinue reading “Does the phrase “scarcer than hen’s teeth” not ring a bell???”

We watched Jeff Bezos blast off into space Tuesday morning aboard his Blue Origin space capsule. The flight was a success and according to some experts, he achieved true penetration into space, where Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic flight a week earlier was a few miles shy of that threshold. But comparing the two makes meContinue reading “Branson was the clear winner in my mind…”

In the interest of lighter weight and fuel efficiency, certain body panels in new cars and trucks are made with composite (read that plastic) materials. For example, my current SUV has a hood, tailgate, front fenders and front doors made from composite materials. Oddly, the rear doors are made from steel. The discrepancy in materialsContinue reading “They just don’t make ’em like they used to…”

New Mexico is in a state of self-congratulation after Sir Richard Branson’s historic launch of his Virgin Galactic spacecraft above the central New Mexico desert last Sunday.  Now that we’ve all taken a deep breath to take in the accomplishment amid lots of hoopla, remember there is more to come. In 2013 two pop cultureContinue reading “Yep, stars are expected over the New Mexico Spaceport…”

In 2013, a man entered a Mexican restaurant in Deming and announced it was a stick-up. He then grabbed the cash register but as he headed for the door, the hostess spotted a potential weapon to stop his escape — an empanada. She hurled the split fingered dough ball  at the fleeing robber and taggedContinue reading “Looking for relievers where you wouldn’t expect to find them…”

I’ve just finished reading a book by my friend, author-historical researcher Jack Wilson of Las Cruces about some interesting footnotes in Arizona history. It’s entitled Arizona Across 400 Years, Stories from a Colorful Past. Last year Wilson released a book about some previously unknown or little reported incidents in New Mexico history in a book entitled NewContinue reading “Sometimes, we might know more about our neighbor than they do…”

You might remember a post I did a few weeks back focusing on a humorous approach on the Navajo Nation to encourage safe social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Around the reservation, posters showing a drawing two sheep end to end separating two people. The message was to keep your distance, which was “two sheepContinue reading “Animals helping with COVID-19…”

I had been hoping for several comments on my post last week about whether our state’s name — New Mexico — has been a hindrance to its development and success compared to other states. I was disappointed that I received only one response, from a very dear friend who agreed with me that the nameContinue reading “The Silence to the Lamb(s)…”

By now, most of you have probably read about the tragic balloon accident in Albuquerque last weekend that claimed five lives.  Many friends, who know I am a hot air balloon pilot, have asked me whether I knew the pilot and wondered what might have happened. I was familiar with the pilot, probably met himContinue reading “Rattlesnakes in the sky…”

(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 of NewContinue reading “Lincoln , Lincoln, a town so nice they named it twice…”

I do feel sorry for Espanola. It’s the butt of endless jokes (and even has its own “Epanola Jokes” cult following.)I think it sits in a spectacular location along the Rio Grande with vistas of the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains on either side.  It has a wonderful cultural blend with Native, Hispanic andContinue reading “Poor Espanola…”