Category Archives: Uncategorized

No, this is not going to be my opinion about the 2024 general election outcome — just some observations I made while serving as a poll worker two weeks prior to the Nov. 5 general election and on election day itself. I worked as Same Day Registration (SDR) clerk at the Mesilla Town Hall fromContinue reading “Election reflection…”

There’s something strange going on in southeastern New Mexico. I’ve discovered a disturbing trend where trees have started growing up in the middle of abandoned cars found in a Roswell auto scrap yard and on a ranch southwest of there on the Rio Penasco. Like my recent post about truck parts being highjacked around myContinue reading “Just sprinkle a little Chevrolet on that and it will grow like crazy…”

It’s fairly certain that many of the students at White Mountain Elementary School in Ruidoso lost their homes in the devastating fire and flooding early last summer in the mountain resort community where I grew up. When I learned about how widespread the damage was, my thoughts first turned to the third graders at thatContinue reading “Fishing for normalcy…”

Like any state, New Mexico has its share of strange laws. For example, we may be the only state that has an official question: “Red or Green,” referring to our choice of chile on our favorite Mexican food dish. And I’m pretty sure we’re the only state that has an official aroma: “the smell ofContinue reading “Except for the punishment, maybe it was a good law…”

My son sent me this photo last week of the latest edition to the Irvine, California, police department. Yes, it’s a Tesla Cybertruck, decked out as an intimidating official police vehicle in Irvine, CA, where my son and his family live. Having visited my son and his family several times in Irvin, I suppose thisContinue reading “Well of course, the City of Irvine would have one of these…”

There is a mysterious vortex in our part of town sucking up random truck parts and spiriting them away to places unknown. I have photographic evidence. Clearly, if you were trying to sell this vehicle — as the sign on the front bumper suggests — you’d want to offer it with wheels and tires. ButContinue reading “The Bermuda Triangle of truck parts…”

I learned last week of the death of John Gierach, a writer whose work I’ve admired for years. His subject was invariably fly fishing, but his messages were always far beyond just the nuts and bolts of the sport and his experiences on the water. He had written more than 20 books and countless articlesContinue reading “Skillful writing with a dose of Oncorhynchus and philosophy…”

Mercedes Benz joined with Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 1994 to produce the “Smart” brand of very small two-passenger cars for urban markets outside of China. You still see a few of the “Smart fortwo” models buzzing around, but sales in the United States stopped in 2019 because of a declining demand forContinue reading “In a tight spot…”

My wife and I attended the Southern New Mexico State Fair last month to watch the Ranch Rodeo competition, which is always a fun event if you’re never seen one. As opposed to professional cowboys riding bulls, busting broncs and roping calves, the Ranch Rodeo events are closer to what real cowboys do during theirContinue reading “A mooooving chorus…”

I start my duties today, Oct. 8, as an election clerk, Machine Judge and Same Day Registration official for the Nov. 5 general election. My first job is fairly simple — retrieve absentee ballots from the collection box outside the polling place where I will be working during the election and turn them into theContinue reading “Glad to be part of something that’s ranked #1…”

“You are requesting information which we have determined does not currently exist and would, therefore, require the TRD (New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department) to create a new public record.  We are, therefore, unable to provide for inspection of the records that would include the information that you have requested.” The above is the state’sContinue reading “Stonewalled, at least for now…”

(Imagine you’re listening to the tune of Sonny and Cher’s “And the beat goes on…”) If I was a resident of New Mexico trying to address a serious problem that I thought state government could help me with, I would have concluded after two days of searching online and by phone that there are noContinue reading “And the search goes on…”

Many years ago, when I was Bureau Chief with United Press International in Santa Fe, the news cycle would predictably slow down during the summer months when the New Mexico Legislature was out of session and bureaucrats went back into hiding to lick their wounds inflicted by the lawmakers. On top of that, many peopleContinue reading “Going down a rabbit hole, Italian style…”

A couple of quick updates regarding fish. Last month, the once endangered Gila trout’s cousin, the Apache trout, was removed from the federal endangered and threatened species list, which is worth another cheer from all of us who love the outdoors. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, formerly a New Mexico member of Congress, made the announcement.Continue reading “Salmonid stories…”