Photos by Ben Prepelka

Historic Old Town, founded in 1706, is located in the heart of Albuquerque and remains as the city’s cultural center. The Old Town Plaza, a charming open square, is surrounded by park benches, quaint shops, galleries, museums and restaurants. The San Felipe de Neri Church dominates the Old Town skyline, one of the Plaza’s adobe structures that dates to 1793. The original church, named San Francisco Xavier, was established in 1706 when 30 families moved into the area from Bernalillo. The name was later changed to honor the new king of Spain, King Philip.
Although the church has undergone periods of renovation, its five foot thick adobe walls are the original. Continuing mass for over 300 years, liturgical and pastoral services are still offered regularly. Even though Albuquerque has grown up around Old Town with eleven distinct neighborhoods, it manages to retain its old world character. Descendents from the original village still attend the San Felipe Church, and customers continue to dine at the 300 year old Church Street Cafe.

Angel Wings

Each time I drive to Truchas ,New Mexico I always stop at the cemetery . This particular grave, Angel Wings, as I call it, is always adorned differently each time I visit.  Last visit at Christmas, snow covered the ground and there on the cross hung a Santa’s Cap.  Each adornment tells a story. In the back ground is Truchas (Spanish for “trout”) Peak, which is located in the Pecos Wilderness Area in the Sangre de Cristo mountain.

The movie “The Milagro Beanfield War” was filmed by Robert Redford  in Truchas, New Mexico in 1988.

The states impacted are as follows:  AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, KS, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX, WI, WV and WY.

To find the rate adjustments, go to our Resource Center (Log in Required):

• Company = AARP
• State = (Pick your State)
• Product = Medicare Supplement
• Resource = Rates

watch New Mexico Lobos vs TCU Horned Frogs – NCAA Football online live stream TV sport 11/28, 28 Nov 2009. This Sport Games Starting time will be at 13:00 ET (US) or 19:00 CET (Europe). We will update the link several hours/minutes before the scheduled starting time. The live stream feed provided from free video tv hosting sites like ustream, justin tv, p2p, sopcast, tvu, tvants, uusee, etc. You can watch online Sport Live TV stream channel on November, 28 2009. The sport tv we cover here is NHL, NBA, KHL, NFL, AHL, NCAA, MLB, AHL, MLS, Soccer, EPL, Champion, UEFA, FIFA, U20, U17,  Football, Hockey, Basketball, SERIE A, NASCAR, F1, GP and others. If there is any of free tv hosting that airs these sport tv channel, we will update the link for you. Dont Miss to watch live sport tv between New Mexico Lobos vs TCU Horned Frogs – NCAA Football online . Please click on below link to watch, online, free, live, stream, sport, tv, at 11/28 2009, New Mexico Lobos vs TCU Horned Frogs – NCAA Football.

Click here To watch Live stream free online Sport TV

Free live internet TV by online streaming is the best way to enjoy your sports shows on internet. Especially with the arrival of high-speed Internet today. It allows you to live stream and watch your favourite Live football, live basketball, Live soccer, Baseball and Hockey league matches via online streaming. Today there is game match between New Mexico Lobos vs TCU Horned Frogs – NCAA Football. Other famous game in these categories that we coverhere are NBA, NCAA, NFL, MLB, AHL, KHL, NHL, MLS, UEFA, Champion League, FIFA, U20, U21, U17, Uropean Cup, Serie A (Italy), EPL (England), NPL (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany),  NASCAR, F1, GP and others.

There are thousands collections of Live internet TV hosting sites and video feeds. You can Watch Live streaming TV Stations or channels from many source. But to search and point your intended channels sometimes is very difficult since one site can offer thousand of free TV sport channel in just one day.  So Here, we provide summary of links that will provide free live streaming TV sports. In this site We focus on the  Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, soccer and other more spesific segment. Most watch free TV stations we cover for  Sport here are from, USA & Canada and some other popular sports in Europe and arround the world. Check out our featured free tv sport online live stream today 28 November 2009 (11/28) for New Mexico Lobos vs TCU Horned Frogs – NCAA Football.  We will find the links from ustream, justin tv, p2p, sopcast, tvu, tvants, uusee, etc. So don’t need to worry about miss one of our favorite TV sport game match, we can now catch them online, usually just 24 hours later it will be stored in the hosting site, it depends on their policy. You can easily select and click to watch New Mexico Lobos vs TCU Horned Frogs – NCAA Football and others sport channel online stream here.

Post Office, Cabezon by Evangeline Chavez

The village was started in the 1870’s and was originally called Posta, (the post),  It was the focal point for farming and raising sheep. It was also a stage stop between Santa Fe and the military outpost at Fort Wingate. It quickly grew with the mandatory saloons, blacksmith shop, stores.  Richard Heller ran the Heller Store and post office for a good many years.  Cabezon flourished  until the 1940’s. Mr. Heller died in 1947, and the Rio Puerco dried up. The post office officially closed in 1949

Iglesia San Jose de Cabezon by Evangeline Chavez

Iglesia San Jose de Cabezon, originally built in 1894, is now on private land.  It is open to the public during the year for a mass in honor of San Jose. In the background you can see Cabezone Peak.  Cabezone Peak is derived from the Spanish noun “cabeza,” meaning “head,” and “Cabezon” translates as “big head.

]]> http://dryohe.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/blue-skies-high-speed-and-adobe-in-santa-fe-new-mexico/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:35:10 +0000 dryohe http://dryohe.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/blue-skies-high-speed-and-adobe-in-santa-fe-new-mexico/

October 4, 2009 – 288 Miles

I woke up this morning with a headache that was made infinitely worse by the fact that it was raining and I’m quite sick of yellow hotel rooms. I put on the weather channel, took some asprin and jumped in the shower. By the time I was packed and dressed my headache had gone away and my spirits were improving as the I-Phone radar app (I use Accuweather) showed clear skies into New Mexico. This was going to be a short ride today less than 300 miles. The La Quinta breakfast was a joke but they had hard boiled eggs which I was strangely attracted to and ate two with some low fat yogurt. All I need now is a confined space like an elevator or airplane!

I got gas for the bike and hit the road. Rolling into New Mexico the vistas opened up and the weather changed from rain in the morning, to cloudy mid-morning, to blue skies in the afternoon. You can see the distant mountains, the sky is a deep indigo blue and just about everyone driving there rolls along at a very high speed. I was blown off the road by a Ford F-250 pulling a car trailer who I estimate was doing at least 120. He was passing everyone in sight. I hung back and observed him for a while. While driving really fast he was making clean passes and had New Mexico plates so I assumed he knew the road (not that it made much of a difference as it was completely straight for most of the way) I decided to kick up the pace and use him as my New Mexico PD spotter. I don’t use a radar detector for a number of reasons. I don’t think you can hear the thing when you need to or necessarily see it either. I had an Escort mounted to my Ninja 1000-R in college and I can’t remember it being useful very often. In those adrenaline addled days I’m not sure if I paid any attention to it anyway. Mostly it looked cool – until it fell off at speed and disintegrated. Mostly I roll with the traffic letting people get out in front of me far enough so they would be the first to be spotted by LEO’s. If I’m alone on an empty highway my speed is between six and ten miles over the speed limit as I figure most cops can’t be bothered to pull me over as it’s not enough to generate a significant fine. Where I absolutely do watch my speed very closely is any little town. As I’m sure you well know they mean 35 MPH and are glad to pull over anyone going faster.

A ramdon rest area somewhere in New Mexico. The picture does not really capture how pretty this area was. The view was fantastic.

Futura loaded and ready to go. I’m not one of those guys with stuff hanging all over the place. I want everything stowed and packed neatly. I saw this HD boomer so loaded up with crap the tires were almost flat. Lighter is better (and faster).

I arrived in Santa Fe and checked into another Marriott Courtyard. This one was not as nice as the one in Wichita but acceptable. At this point I was still behind the planning ball as ditching my routes and plans for South Dakota I was flying by the seat of my pants. I really wanted to slow down the cash burn and start camping to save money. I unloaded the bike and headed to downtown Santa Fe. Surprisingly for having a great deal of slow moving heavy traffic I managed to immediately find a parking spot and shut down the Futura. The skies in Santa Fe are amazingly blue and the air is clean and crisp. My mood was considerably improved since morning. You can’t take a bad picture in this town. Everything is beautiful and seems to be sharply focused. I guess it’s the sky contrasting against the adobe.

It’s no surprise that Santa Fe is an artist’s paradise. Everywhere you turn in Santa Fe you are surrounded by paintings, sculpture, jewelry, fashion, and art of every imaginable sort. The Indian Market is interesting as there are a large number of Native Americans displaying their crafts; all laid out on everything from velvet jewelry blankets to worn Indian blankets. No Ducati T-Shirts, no carbon fiber tank protectors, no…………ahh, you get the idea. Turquoise jewelry, silver earrings and the like don’t interest me much. There are however, tons of shops downtown; it’s easy to kill a few hours browsing or window shopping. One thing I like about this type of traveling is that it is virtually impossible to make an impulse buy. Every inch of space is accounted for on the bike. If I want to buy something to take with me usually something else has to go. One of the better attractions in downtown Santa Fe is the St. Francis Cathedral. According to Lonely Planet it has the oldest Madonna statue in North America, er……… wow. However it is worth taking a look, the front doors are cool and the interior is very interesting.

Terrace bar at La Fonda

Now that I’ve had my fix of art and religion for the day, it’s time for a drink. One place that I really enjoyed was the La Fonda Hotel. It’s in the plaza in the center of Santa Fe and looks like it’s been there for a million years. The lobby is very cool with places to relax, have a cocktail or dinner. They also had a small shop that sold the New York Times. Surprisingly this is something that I guess being an Ex-New Yorker is absorbed through contact over the years. I absolutely crave an occasional daily read and demand the Sunday paper which is usually read outside with a Perdomo Habano Gordo cigar and a tall glass of ice tea. So paper in hand I went up the elevator to the 6^th floor and the roof top bar. What a fantastic view. I ordered a Diet Coke, grabbed a seat to relax, read, and enjoy the view. Apparently this is the place for sunsets in Santa Fe. It’s also the place for bullshit too. Across from me was an older guy dressed in denim from head to toe, cowboy boots and a big cowboy hat. He had one of those booming, self-important voices and he was loudly pontificating to a pair of cringing German tourists. “I’m a movie stuntman – I just bought a 7 million dollar house here, gave the last one to my ex-wife, she was fucking Jack and Warren, driving my truck today because the Veyron is in the shop, too many goddammned people with money in this town….. On and on and on this guy went. I wish I had an extra pair of earplugs. I was tempted to roll up the newspaper and clout him upside the head with it just to get some peace and quiet. But it was a beautiful afternoon and I was in a fantastic place so I just moved my chair away to get a better view and relax.

I climbed back on the Aprilia and headed out of downtown back to the hotel. The prices at hotel restaurant were insane and my spending at this point was way out of control. So I walked down the street, past used car dealers, the Home Depot, Walgreens, and other anywhere in America type stuff to Arby’s. I grabbed dinner and headed back to the hotel. That night I took some time to consult the guide book, map and GPS to figure out a new route and get down to some camping. I found a KOA that was only a few miles out of Santa Fe and booked a two night stay online. One thing about KOA is that they charge you extra if you just show up – they want you to book online entirely. Having the next few day set I crashed out for the night.

Tomorrow – Santa Fe, Los Alamos, kickass BBQ, the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, and KOA

 Gratitudes and giving thanks for everyone in my life.  A little (true) story from Mi Vida Loca:

The man in the uniform waved us through the first set of barriers.  We pulled slowly forward as the second set of men in uniforms waved us to our spot.  We sat perched precariously atop boxes filled with dried goods, coolers filled with ice, butter, and milk, and finally cushioned in sleeping bags. We carefully navigated around bread, potato chips and other breakables packed on top with us. We were packed to the gills in that van and sat nervously as we realize we were going to be questioned about our reasons for visiting Mexico.

 The dog began barking furiously as the uniformed man approached.  I grabbed her by her collar and told her to stop.  She continued a low growl of warning as the man leaned into the window surveying our inventory while watching each of our hands.  He began speaking with the person in the front passenger seat.  I was sitting in the back and couldn’t hear everything that was being said.  I don’t speak Spanish very well and all I could understand was, “papeles”, “perro”, “muy mal”, “no.”  From what I gathered, this man was asking for the dog’s papers and saying that she was a bad dog and that she wouldn’t be allowed into Mexico. 

We had just driven, cramped and stuffed for four hours, from Tucson to Lukeville Port of Entry and there was no way I was going to drive back to take the dog home. 

I climbed down from my perch and got out of the van.  The man was tall, at least 6’4”, and imposing in stature.  I tried to speak to him, in my broken Spanish, and explain she was not a bad dog.  She had all of her shots, her papers were in order, and she was a family member.  He let me get all the way through it… shooting questions at me in Spanish and then looking at me and smiling as I struggled to tell him in my own special Spanglish, the answers to his questions.  I had tears in my eyes as I struggled to understand if he was saying he was going to take my dog. 

The man looked directly at me and said, “Okay, Ma’am.  You can go.  Have a nice day.” in the most perfect English accent.  I looked into his eyes and saw the play of power.  He smiled and waved us along.  I turned and said, “Let’s get out of here.”  My first thought was to run him over but then, I was in Mexico and anything could happen, so I just pushed the dog to the back and climbed back up onto my perch.  We talked about it all the way to Rocky Point.

I’d lived in Arizona for years and, other than the occasional shopping trip into Nogales, this was my first real trip into Mexico.  I was going with my girlfriend, her co-workers, and our dog for a weekend getaway.  We were staying at someone’s beach house in Puerto Penasco, otherwise known as Rocky Point, a very “Americanized” area in the Sea of Cortez.  I was excited to be going to the beach despite the fact that I didn’t really know anyone and they seemed to be a group of partiers.  I was there on my own agenda and that’s why I had taken the dog along.  I wouldn’t be part of their “work retreat” and could do whatever I wanted.  It all sounded so good when it was pitched to me up until we got to Lukeville.

 I realized that my blond-haired, blue-eyed, Anglo-self, was going into a foreign country where I barely spoke the language and stood out like the gringa that I am.  It brought back memories of being at a new high school in New Mexico and all of the discrimination I felt in being the “pelo amarillo” girl with thick glasses, a terrible case of shyness, and no friends.  I got the crap beat out of me a couple of times just for being the only white girl walking home on the same route as some very tough Hispanic girls.  For all of the things I love about New Mexico and the Hispanic culture, this was a very difficult time in my life. 

Adolescence and my parents divorcing were bad enough.  The culture was new to me and I loved it.  I’d been accepted by many but those who didn’t… were very harsh.  The experience with the border policeman was just like that… he was messing with us.  I hadn’t experienced discrimination prior to this in my white, middle-class, Catholic school existence.  I really didn’t know what to make of it but I did know that I didn’t like it.  As I got older, it colored my world, both figuratively and specifically in how I felt about my rainbow of friends.  I was and am intolerant of ignorance, meanness, and discrimination.  I don’t care what color you are if that is who you are; you ain’t in my world!

It was hot and muggy in the house.  The windows had been closed for over two months making the rooms smell musty with a slight scent of rotting fish.  I immediately pulled out my sage, lit the end, and walked around smudging every room.  Once I’d cleared the energies and smells of the house, we settled into making it our own.  There was a beautiful, covered patio with three chimineas, plants, comfortable chairs and tables, all facing the sea.  I plopped myself into one of the cozy chairs and waited for the coffee to be done. 

The dog was very excited and ran around checking everything out.  She ran out to the surf, jumped into the water, shook, turned, looked at me and then ran back up and shook on me.   She thought it was very funny and kept nosing under my arm to get me up and out of that chair.  I got up, took my shoes off and walked out onto the hot sand.  Feeling the scorch, I ran for the cool of the surf!

The sand was very different from the soft, silky sands of California.  It was not soft on my feet.  It cut into me like little broken pieces of glass.  In actuality, it was little broken pieces of shells that had been tumbled over and over into a small fineness.  It still hurt to walk on so I scurried back up to the house and slipped on my Vans. The dog was lapping and jumping at me to get back out onto the beach!  Now that I could walk comfortably, I began my “beach routine” of scouring the sands for shells. 

This was a very strange beach, indeed. There were very few shells that weren’t broken or chipped.  I noticed the surf was very choppy and short and there was very little seaweed.  There was, however, quite a lot of trash on the beach and in the surf.  I noticed several dead fish, a couple of gooey looking things, something that was squishy when I poked it, and a pile something really smelly that the dog tried to roll in.  It was a dead sea lion.  So far, my trip into Mexico wasn’t going so well.  I decided to just make the best of it because I certainly couldn’t take the bus home with the dog.

I sat down on the warm sand and called the dog over.  She sat next to me and we watched the little birds scurry in and out with the surf looking for something to eat.  Suddenly, I thought I heard, “Hola.”  I turned around looked up into the sun.  There I saw the silhouette of a man holding a bag in his hand.

  “Hola.”, I said hesitantly. 

“Would you like to buy?” he said, in slightly broken English. 

He opened his bag and had all kinds of silver jewelry, toys, trinkets, belts, wallets, and other “Hecho en Mexico” items.  He smiled at me, took off his floppy hat,  and crouched down to give me a closer look. 

I had no idea where he came from or how he was able to sneak up on me and the dog so quickly.  I guess we were so engrossed in the activity of the birds and the sounds of the surf that we didn’t hear him walk up.  Neither of us felt particularly threatened but I was alone and this made me hesitate slightly.

He had a kind smile and soft brown eyes and I could tell from what he was wearing that he was a local who worked these beaches regularly.  I patted the sand and invited him to sit with me.  He spoke English fairly well and I occasionally peppered mine with Spanish words which probably amused him. 

His name was Miguel and he lived in a small village about three miles away.  He was a very nice man and explained that he made his living by working the shrimp boats and selling souvenirs to the touristas.  He had a wife and two children and three cousins living in his house.  He had been on his daily walk home when he saw me and decided to stop.  He told me that we were there during the off season.  When I asked why it was the off season, he told me it was because it was too hot, too many flies, and shrimping was at a minimum for most American touristas.  I hadn’t really noticed but it was my first time visiting that area.

Miguel was very gracious as he told me the better places to buy souvenirs, where to eat (and where not to), and where not to go after dark.  His face was a deep cinnamon-brown color with dark creases along his mouth, cheeks, and eyes.  His forehead had one long,  crinkled line from squinting in the sun.  His fingers were short with dried, white calluses running along the edges to the nubs of his fingertips.  He spread his fingers slightly as he pointed and then drew the Sea of Cortez in the sand.  His hands looked strong as the veins poke out creating mountains and valleys of skin over bone.  He gestured elegantly as he spoke about the Sea and its many riches.  He lost me when he began talking about the de-salinization plant they were going to build and how it would hurt the shrimping industry.  His caramelly accent was slathered over his articulate blend of Spanish and English words, mesmerizing me in its texture. 

I heard my name being called.  The dog jumped up as if it were her own and ran back to the house.  I turned and pointed to where we were staying and invited him to come up after we ate as I was sure everyone would buy something.  We both stood and I extended my hand to him.  He took it and smiled at me warmly while saying my name in Spanish, “Natalia.” followed with, “Gracias, Senora.”

As I walked away, I glanced back and saw him sling his bag over his shoulder, pick up his shoes and walk barefoot along the surf.  I imagined his feet are as rough as his hands and savored a romantic thought of how wonderful it must be to walk along this beach enough to not have to wear shoes.  His clothes were clean but worn and his shoes were hand-me-down golf shoes without the spikes.  I thought to myself that he was probably more comfortable barefoot than in those shoes.  My romantic thoughts faded into the reality of his situation.  I didn’t feel sorry for him.  He seemed content yet hard-working.

The beach looked differently to me now.  I slipped off my Vans and carefully walked along on the sea-glass-sand.  The house we were staying in looked opulent from this view considering where my mind just wandered in from.  Everyone was waving handfuls of beers at me.  “Cerveza!” they yelled!  I smiled and continued on my way while thinking of Miguel and his life.  He did come back later and ended up pocketing quite a few American dollars from all of us.  Life and vacation carried on in a symbiotic dance of what’s good for mine is good for yours.  To a degree.

Everything that I experienced in Mexico was both beautiful and ugly.  There were two sides to everything from the beautiful resort grandly guarding the entrance of the beach, to the shacks just two streets over that housed the workers.  Two sides; from the fact that I could have my dog sit with me at the restaurant to the fact that I could have my dog even BE in the restaurant were both beautiful and scary.

I came home from that trip with a bad case of dysenteric problems.  I hadn’t drunk any water but didn’t even think about it when I drank my Coca Cola in a glass with ice.  I needed that coke considering how yummy the fish tacos were and how the chilé left a lingering burning on the roof of my mouth.

I was thankful to finally be home and in my own bed.  I was grateful for the little pills that made me feel better.  I was filled with gratitude in being able to join the group and yet have my own peace on the beach every day.  I was glad to have met Miguel whom I saw every day I was there and would wave and say, “Hola, Miguel.  Como estas?” and feel so proud of myself that I could simply ask how he was without really being able to understand the entire answer to that question.  I’m not sure I really wanted to know, fully, but I liked how he made me feel welcome in his country.

I got to thinking about how things are both beautiful and ugly in my own country.  I realized there was no difference between Mexico and the United States because, really, it was all relative to that which we call home and those whom we call family.  Sure, Mexico has a lot more poverty and difficult situations than the U.S. but when it comes to the human factor, we all have one thing in common: how we treat each other.  Whether it is a power-filled policeman or a hard working Joe/Jose’ or a woman walking along the beach with her dog; how we connect is the most important thing for all of us.

I guess, gratitude is relative to the realities in our lives.  Things and people come and go with only the memories to garnish our lives in either gratitude or resentments.  This, to me, is how we build our lives and learn to love and forgive and appreciate and let go…  Family, whatever you make of it, is all that matters.  My “family” consists of everyone in my life.  Everyone.  And it’s hard and easy and fun and painful and all of those things that make up mis/ustedes vida loca.

¡por vida mía!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone.

I cherish all of you.

sometimes i have stuff to do

sometimes i feel like dyin

i wish i wanted to go home

wait i have no home

the future looks bleak

sometimes i feel like i will live a great life

sometimes i feel like i should  die pretty soon

last night i had a dream about jenny lewis and ernest hemingway

jenny lewis and i were  waiting at a bus stop near the sunland park mall on the westside of el paso texas

we smoked cigarettes together and i held her hand

it was august , it was hot, the sun was setting

jenny lewis looked at a palm tree

i looked at some cars

she said ‘ were not taking the bus’

i said ‘ how will we get back to our houses than’

she said her friend ernest hemingway is picking us up

i looked at a palm tree and put my head down and said ‘ okay’

she said ‘ we can’t hold hands in front of ernest hemingway’

i said ‘ why’

she said because ernest hemingway likes me and i don’t want anybody’s feelings hurt

i said well it should not matter because your my ” girlfriend” and that is what people do when they are going out

she said yeah  but i like him too and i don’t want to ruin my chances with him

i said ‘ how is that supposed to make me feel

she said your acting like an asshole

i said  i am not acting like an asshole

she let go of my hand

ernest hemingway’s car pulled up to the bus stop

i said i am not getting in

she smiled and said ‘ okay’

i got close to her face and tried to kiss her

she pushed me away

and ernest hemingway beeped

and yelled ‘ stay the fuck off my girlfriend’

she got in the car and kissed ernest hemingway

ernest hemingway sped off in his shitty car and it made ‘ loud noises’

i texted her ‘ i’m going to kill myself’

i woke up and remembered that  it was not a dream

the whole thing happenned and but there never was jenny lewis or ernest hemingway

just some stupid girl and some loser who worked at subway or taco bell or some other shitty job like that

and it never took place in el paso texas

for  thnxfgvngs day i will say thank god :

that we broke up

that i never really even liked her  so  it’s easy to forget what she looked like

that  she ended up more unhappy than i was

for the other girls that i meet who are 1,000 times better

azns

my new found abilty to spot out sociopaths/bitches/losers/sadists/hippies

i don’t give a shit

i am sometimes hopeful for ‘ good things’ to happen to me

i feel overwhelmed in general

i want to lock myself in a room with a lap top and a fast internet connection and maybe a supply of vegan treats and rockstar energy drinks and bottles of adderall

i will be alone for two months

i did that

i felt simple

i felt alone

i did not feel happy but i never felt intense feelings of sadness

i went two months with out going outside or talking to a person

i went to buy some vegan treats  twice but that was it

and  i kept my head down and said nothing

it was easy

It is such an exciting season to contemplate for all of us at the El Rey Inn. With the extensive decorating that is currently taking place throughout the entire property,  all the lovely white lights are glistening from one tree to the next. The traditional farilitos are on all the parapet walls of the adobe buildings and the Inn is looking elegant and lovely for the winter-time guest’s arrival. Inside the Inn the fireplaces are lighted for that cozy welcome as well as the garland and wreaths and trees in the public spaces all beginning to take their traditional places. And each year the El Rey staff will again celebrate the season with our traditional dinner with the favorite southwestern foods prepared by each employee made with special handed-down recipes from generation to generation. There is not a more delicious Santa Fe treat to behold! Each department from the Inn will put on display the tree that they have decorated for an inter-departmental competition. The trees are then placed in each of the Inn’s suites. These trees are so unique and such fun to see with an individual flavor of the particular department. Yes, it is a very special time at the El Rey Inn.

After Bill Richardson’s rough last year…..one that included stepping on Hillary Clinton’s toes, and a serious criminal investigation….he finds himself  back in favor with the President of the United States, by receiving an invitation for tonight’s grand state Dinner at the White House.…..

What the political world will want to know is? …Will President Obama reach out, and offer the New Mexico Governor a job when his current term expires?….

I linked a piece from Politics Daily on the story…but I don’t think the author is right on Richardson going to the State Department…I think that’s too much to expect……

We had planned for this for months. The time finally came and we were to go to Tempe once again for a Bayyinah class, this time, the much raved Divine Speech!

Kids agreed to watch Zeyd at the babysitting, and this time both hubs and I were taking the class. Last time we went to Tempe, S and I took the class and hubs babysat the kids. This time, as hubs is taking the Arabic program with Shariah, he might as well take this class too, so he did alhamdulillah.

We were stopped at the border patrol for quite sometime while they checked our passports, and that was the only ‘glitch’ in our road trip alhamdulillah. Alhamdulilah we did get there in time for the class, and that Friday, all the kids went in the auditorium as it was a Free Friday.

Br. Nouman blew us all away with his presentation. it was Al Fatihah for 4 hours that Friday. The kids had initially agreed in sitting in and I told them,

“You can leave after the break if you want.”

But guess what, they stayed throughout the whole 4 hours. I think H was reading a book, so he didn’t get much, but S was paying attention and even expressed that she liked it. Nouman is funny and the kids love that.

We had originally planned on missing Friday because hubs had out-of-town work on Wed through Friday, but subhanallah, one of his conferences was cancelled and we ended up going on Friday, Allahu Akbar!

Sisters who already took the class kept telling me not to miss Friday, so I was really grateful to Allah for getting the opportunity to attend the Free Friday. It was truly amazing subhanallah.

However, with that change of plans, hubs had reserved a room in Days Inn for us only for Saturday night, so for Friday night, he reserved a room with American’s Best, which we stayed at last time and…let’s just say, it was cheesy.

But I was just so happy to be attending Friday that the pack and leave and check in hassle became a very small matter. On Saturday, it turned out that the room hubs had booked was a smoking one so we ended up in a room with a King bed and Jacuzzi. Alhamdulillah for H’s sleeping bag (which he always brings on our trips because if we get a room with two queens, he’d still end up sleeping on the floor). Hubs and him slept on the floor and the rest of us slept on the king. What a waste of space that jacuzzi made. Could have fit another king in space of it.

Babysitting was good alhamdulilah. It was at the masjid which was about 5 minutes walk from the class on campus. I loved the arrangement.

We arrived home on Monday at 2 am. Alhamdulillah. It was truly a beneficial and great class. We went home with an increased appreciation of the Quran. At least I did.

Nov 25th, 2009

Because I can’t figure out what to do with the stuff I “blogged” in Fiji…without a computer…without internet….with something rather odd these days. A simple pen and paper. I am going to type them here with the possibility of shuffling them around later.

From Fiji, Nov 9,2009

I love to travel internationally.

First glimpse of Fiji

I’m not talking about the actual going to places (I love that, too), but the getting there. I love airplanes. I love the feel of the international terminal. I especially love the care you get  while you’re in transit. It seems like international flights are the one frontier where flying hasn’t had the life completely sucked out of it. It exists in this time warp before real meals and bottomless drinks disappeared in leu of a microscopic bag of tasteless bits of crunch washed down with a splash of coke. It exists in a place where the airline crew still smile and use the words “How can I help you?” and follow it up with “I would be happy to.” And where seats are not so crammed tight that you know exactly how the pigs and cows feel all stuffed into those huge, smelly semi trucks you pass on the highway.

Well, yesterday’s flight to Nadi, Fiji was no exception. Between the tropical music and the crew all sporting hibiscus splattered shirts, by the time I settled into my seat in Christchurch…I was already lounging on the beach in Fiji. Seriously, looking out the window upon takeoff and seeing the Port Hills and Sumner in the distance seemed incongruous…wrong even.

I had been a bit concerned about the 4 hour flight, knowing how spoiled I had gotten on the jumbo jet between Auckland and L.A. Personal TVs with everything from the latest movies to music to an assortment of games, full meals, tons of snacks and more drinks than I could possibly consume, blankets, pillows…you get the picture…it’s like being at home in the sky. (Okay, so if I lived with a toilet that scared me every time it flushed, I’d have to do something about it, but for 12 hours I can handle it.) I was a bit afraid that I would be cramped, hungry and bored after about two hours and still have half the flight left. Consequently, I stuffed my carry-on with food, books, notebooks, my ipod…just like I was packing to entertain a kid. (Made me wonder just how much of the stuff I carry everywhere with me is really for the kids and not just for me!)

Well, I needn’t have worried or weighted down my bag because Air Pacific had the Mom thing covered.

Not more than a few minutes after take-off, the beverage cart rolled up the aisle. Seriously, up. Because the nose of the plane was still pointed up, so the two people were having to roll the cart uphill. Fun to watch. I am sure not so fun to do. Even more fun than that was the fact that all drinks were free. All. Like not just sprite and coke. But like rum and coke (what we had) and wine and all sorts of stuff I don’t know anything about cuz i don’t know much about liquor except that it’s cool when it’s free

I wolfed down my casaba chips and was thinking to grab a granola bar from my bag when they announced the choices for lunch. Lunch! Cool! Okay, so I probably could have read that they serve a meal in the fine print on my ticket…but I didn’t. I love surprises! And I love everything to do with eating on the airplane. I love the plasticware that’s always different and always interesting (usually one or two pieces follow me home). I love that they serve at least three different things to drink. (Except that it means a trip to the scary bathroom.) This time I had OJ, water, tea…and that rum and coke that I would silently savor the entire flight. I love that no matter what meal they serve….they always have bread and butter. And I love that it’s entertaining. It takes time to discover what’s in every little package. Dining on the airplane is at least an hour of entertainment for me.

But, on top of “fun with food”. They also showed an in-flight movie. How cool is this? The pre-show (like an opening act at a rock concert) outlined all the cool stuff to do and see in Fiji. Like we weren’t excited enough! Even though the feature movie “Taking Chance” was one I would have had to be trapped on an airplane to watch (I would have never pulled it from the shelf of a movie store or even picked it out of the “free” bin at a garage sale), it was fabulous.

By the time I had cried my share of tears, eaten all the food I could cram in my belly, braved the scary toilet, and taken a few airplane window pix there was just enough time to watch the plane go down in a fiery blob in “We are Marshall” on Doug’s Ipod. (Probably not the best choice of movies to watch on the airplane). At least it wasn’t raining.

In fact it was the opposite as we glided smoothly onto the tarmac in Nadi, totally clear and beautiful. As we walked onto the open-air deck leading into the airport, I thought about how much I love to fly internationally.

We have arrived!

Out the window almost into Nadi Airport

That reminds me. The kids love watching Iron Chef. Since we don’t have TV, we watched some shows off Food Network’s website. I enjoyed Ace of Cakes too.

Well, ever since I enrolled in Taleem Quran, my schedule’s at least pertaining to cooking has been pretty much squashed to rush-rush-cook. So there were many days when I had to utilize my oldest daughter’s height and age (at least that’s how I justify it) and put her to work i nthe kitchen to cut down cooking time.

“S, please clean the chicken!”

I had shown her how to clean chicken by trimming the fat and skinning it.

Back in C-bus she was squeamish about it, but now she’s much better.

So, while I went about my work, she cleaned the chicken I had defrosted and often, she’d leave them for me to cook. There were also times when I showed her how to cimply cook a chicken dish by blending onions, garlic, chilli paste and whatever I fancied dumping into the blender, then either baking the cleaned chicken pieces in the blended mixture(as marinade) or cooking it on the stove and dumping thr chicken pieces in while it releases fragrance.

Simply put, I had no time for fancy schmancy dishes anymore. It’s all dump and cook.

I have to say my life is made interesting by the sense of humor my children have inherited from either hubs or me, or both. Don’t know if that’s good or bad actually.

Well, one day, S cleaned chicken and when she was done, I went to the kitchen to cook the cleaned chicken and voila! What did I see?

The roaring 20s! Chicken dance! Bbock Bbock Bbock!!! Didn’t your mother tell you not to play with your food? Even if it’s not cooked yet?

And I think that same day I also stuffed a fish with spicy chilli mixture and baked then broiled it. It didn’t look that presentable after it was done. In fact, it looked like it had a pretty tough time in the oven with blisters all over, but ahh…alhamdulillah we had good food on the table. Alhamdulillah.

Yeah, we Iron Chefs rock!

Rivalry Week

Throw The Stats Out The Window

This is the college football week where more money is lost by those who don’t know what they are doing and more money is made by those who do know.  Certain rivalry games are just that—real rivalries.  Others are nothing but an annual beating on a little sister.

There is another bigger factor to this week’s games.  It’s the bowl factor.  Several teams are still looking for one final win to become bowl eligible.  A 5-6 team hosting an 8-3 team must be looked at quite differently than a 2-9 team hosting a 4-7 team.  The desire to get to 6-6 far outweighs the desire to avoid a 10-loss season.

Let’s look at the bowl eligible teams by conference as well as the teams needing to win this week to gain bowl eligibility.

Clemson and Georgia Tech have already clinched their divisions and will meet for the ACC Championship.  Tech edges the Tigers in Atlanta in September, but Clemson gave the game away.

Duke needs to beat Wake Forest this week to earn their first bowl in 15 years.  David Cutcliffe is one of the most underrated coaches in the country, and he should receive some national recognition in the Coach of the Year balloting.

The ACC has nine automatic bowl bids, and only seven bowl eligible teams as of now.  The GMAC Bowl will need to find an at-large team to fill the vacant position, and if Duke loses this week, the Eagle Bank Bowl will look to the MAC to fill that vacant slot.

Regardless of what happens in the Backyard Brawl in Morgantown this weekend, the winner of next week’s Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game will be Big East Champions and automatic BCS Bowl representative.  Cincinnati could still conceivably earn an at-large BCS Bowl bid at 11-1, but that chance is slimmer than slim.

Connecticut can gain bowl eligibility with a win at home against Syracuse this weekend, and they would get another chance next week against South Florida if they faltered against the Orangemen.  If the Huskies get that win, then the Big East will have six bowl eligible teams for six guaranteed spots.  Notre Dame could still possibly steal the Sun Bowl/Gator Bowl spot that goes to a Big East team if the Irish beat Stanford, but it would be a disgrace for them to steal a post at 7-5.  We believe Stanford will take care of business and keep Notre Dame out of the bowl picture altogether this year.

The Big 10 season is basically over.  Illinois has a couple of non-conference games remaining, and the only important factor in that is they play Cincinnati this weekend.  Wisconsin goes to Hawaii in two weeks, and the Outback Bowl bid could be riding on them winning the game.

It is almost a foregone conclusion that a second Big 10 team, either Iowa or Penn State, will receive an at-large BCS Bowl bid.  So, there will be seven teams available for eight bowls.  The Pizza Bowl (formerly Motor City Bowl) will have to look elsewhere and may be forced to invite two MAC teams.

Nebraska and Texas will face off in the Big 12 Championship Game, and the Cornhuskers may have a shot at pulling off a huge upset.  We give the ‘Huskers about a 15% chance of frustrating the Longhorn offense and win ugly.  If so, then another team from the Lone Star State will benefit.

After beginning the season at 5-0, Kansas finds itself in a must-win situation against Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.  They must earn The Brass Drum to earn a bowl bid.

The most important game though will be the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State game in Norman.  If the Cowboys beat the Sooners, they will more than likely earn an at-large BCS Bowl Bid at the expense of Boise State.  The Sooners must win to guarantee themselves a winning season.  The PiRate Ratings have had a devil of a time with OU this year.  Even at 6-5, their power rating keeps them in the top 10.  It’s hit or miss with them, as they showed how strong they are when they took Texas to the final gun.

If Kansas wins over Missouri, there will be 10 bowl eligible teams for eight guaranteed bowl spots (nine if Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma).  Look for Iowa State to be the odd team out of the mix.

Welcome to the conference where everything changes weekly.  With SMU losing to Marshall, the door opened once again for Houston to ascend to the CUSA Championship Game.  A win over Rice is all that’s needed, but all of a sudden the Owls have found their way.  It could be an interesting game—at least for a half.

The East Division championship will be decided this weekend when Southern Miss visits East Carolina.

UAB can gain bowl eligibility with a win over  Central Florida, but it may be a moot point.  There are only five guaranteed bowl spots with a sixth if Army fails to earn the Eagle Bank Bowl bid.  Six CUSA teams are already bowl eligible, and the Blazers cannot compete with Marshall or SMU in fanbase.

All three independents are still in the bowl mix, but as of now, only Navy is guaranteed a spot.  Notre Dame must beat Stanford to get to 7-5 and earn priority over every other possible at-large team.  At 6-6, they more than likely will find themselves out of the picture as there will be enough seven-win teams to fill the at-large spots.

Army must beat Navy to earn the Eagle Bank Bowl bid.  Navy has won seven in a row in this series, so it should be one of the best in this series in many years.

Central Michigan has already clinched the West Division, and the Chippewas will play the winner of this week’s Ohio U-Temple game in the MAC Championship Game. 

Two teams will be playing for that important seventh win this week.  Bowling Green hosts Toledo, and Kent State hosts Buffalo.

The MAC gets three guaranteed bowl bids and will get a fourth if Duke fails to beat Wake Forest and earn an Eagle Bank Bowl bid.   That’s where the Bowling Green and Kent State games come into play.  Both could earn bowl bids with wins, and one could even play in the Pizza Bowl against another MAC team.

TCU will manhandle New Mexico this week and then hope that either Texas A&M or Nebraska can upset Texas, Florida State can upset Florida, or Auburn can upset Alabama.  The Horned Frogs need two of the big three teams ahead of them to lose.  The loser of the SEC Championship Game means that either Texas must lose this week or next or the winner of the SEC Championship Game must lose this week.  If one of these events happen, then TCU will be playing for the national championship in January.  It’s hard to believe that this program was once as weak as Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and Washington State are today.

The one team still trying to gain bowl eligibility is Wyoming.  The Cowboys must beat Colorado State in Ft. Collins this week, and these two teams truly put the “war” in “Border War.”  It’s not a given that Wyoming can top the 3-8 Rams.

For the first time ever, the winner of the “Civil War” game between Oregon and Oregon State will earn the Rose Bowl bid.  The Ducks and Beavers are one of the best rivalry games in college football, and I’d love to have a 50-yard line seat next week in Eugene.

The Pac-10 receives six automatic bowl bids, but there are seven bowl eligible teams.  It looks like UCLA will miss out this year unless they can upset USC.  Arizona must beat either Arizona State or USC to get to seven wins.  If both the Bruins and Wildcats win seven games, then expect to see the Pac-10 receiving an extra bid to a western bowl.

This is a monster conference!  With Alabama and Florida headed to Atlanta to play what will be the “Game Of The Decade” (assuming both win this week), it is a given that the loser will still play in a BCS Bowl.  It isn’t completely out of the realm that if the SEC Championship game goes to overtime or is decided in regulation by a point, and if Texas loses to either Texas A&M or Nebraska, that Alabama and Florida could meet in a rematch for all the marbles.

With 10 bowl eligible teams, the SEC will place all 10 in bowls.  There will be a lot of last minute shuffling because there isn’t much difference between team number three and team number 10.

This league is almost assured of earning a second bowl bid this year.  Troy will play in the New Orleans Bowl, but Middle Tennessee will get an at-large bid somewhere.  Both Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe can get to seven wins, but it will take big upsets for both to do so.  ULL plays Troy, while ULM plays MTSU.

Here’s where things should get interesting.  Boise State is a win over Nevada away from being 12-0 and the proverbial odd team out.  If Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma, the Cowboys will steal the last BCS Bowl bid at the Broncos’ expense.  Then, watch for the United States Government to put their messy fingers into the college football pigpen. 

Before we get into this mess, Boise State has to beat Nevada.  The Wolf Pack is not a pushover, and it could easily take 50 or more points to win this game.

Of course, if the Sooners win over OSU, then it looks favorable for BSU getting into the field.  Then, they would be competing against a one or two-loss Big East team and maybe a two-loss Georgia Tech team.

If Boise State moves up, then the WAC is safe with four bowls for four bowl eligible teams.

Hawaii could still sneak into the mix, but they would have to beat Navy and Wisconsin.  We don’t see that happening.

Bowl Speculations

We at Hatter & Beanz have thought of something interesting and, even though our idea may not be so unique it’s something for those who may be less fortunate or those that may have been hit hard by the economic downfall.  

So readers, as we give thanks for our families, our friends and the roofs over our heads we have built for you a list of soup kitchens and shelters and services in each of the 50 states. (Oh by the way, we personally checked each reference).

So here’s how this is going down, we’re going to sort this by state, and right now our goal is to list one or two organizations by per state for this year. At Christmas, we’ll add one or two more, per state.

Alabama

1 – Rose Of Sharon Soup Kitchen – 2412 Memorial PKWY NW – Huntsville, AL 35810 Ph: (256) 536-2970

2 – Anniston Soup Bowl – 1516 Moore Avenue – Anniston, AL  36201 – Ph: (256) 236-6794

Alaska

1 – Downtown Soup Kitchen – 434 East 4^th AVE – Anchorage, AK 99501 – Ph: (907) 277-4302

2 – Food Pantry of Palmer – 7805 East Palmer Wasilla HWY – Palmer, AK 99645 – Ph:  (907) 745-3635

Arizona

1 – Vista Colina Family Shelter – 1050 W. Mountain View Rd. – Phoenix, AZ 8501 -  Ph: (602) 944- 0960

2 – Gospel Rescue Mission – 1130 West Miracle Mile – Tucson, AZ 85705 – Ph: (520) 740-1501

Arkansas

1 – Food Bank of North Central Arkansas – 14215 Highway 5 South – Norfork, AR 72658 – Ph: (870) 499-7565

2 – Johnny’s Food Bank – 312 Church Street – Lake Village, AR 71653 – (870) 265 -2601

California

1 – TLC Soup Kitchen – 3904 High Street – Sacramento, CA 95838 – Ph: (916) 759-1806

2 – Hospitality Kitchen – 821 East 6^th Street – Los Angeles, CA 90013

Colorado

1 – Denver Rescue Mission – 1130 Park Ave West- Denver, CO 80205 – Ph: (303) 297-1815

2 – Soup Kitchen Inc. – 1675 Larimer Street – Denver, CO 80205 – Ph: (303) 629-6383

Connecticut

1 – Torrington Soup Kitchen – Trinity Church, 220 Prospect Street – Torrington, CT 06790 – Ph: (860) 482-0130

2 – Covenant Soup Kitchen – 220 Valley Street – Willimantic, CT 06226 – Ph: (860) 423-1643

Delaware

1 – Food Bank of Delaware – 1041 Mattlind Way – Milford, DE 19963 – Ph: (302) 424-3301

2 – Acorn, Inc. – 1607 Todds Lane – Wilmington, DE 190802 – Ph: (302) 762-4226

Florida

1 – Homestead Soup Kitchen – 105 Southwest 3^rd Ave – Homestead, FL 33090 – Ph: (305) 245-7448

2 – Bread of the Mighty – 325 Northeast 10^th Ave – Gainesville, FL 32601 – Ph: (352) 395-6570

Georgia

1 – Albany Rescue Mission – 604 North Monroe Street – Albany, GA 31701 – Ph: (229) 435-7615

2 – Feed America – 102 East 14^th Ave – Cordele, GA 31015 – Ph: (229) 273-0227

Hawaii

1 – Office of Social Ministry – 100 Kinoole Street – Hilo, HI 96720 Ph: (808) 935-3794

Idaho

1 – The Soup Kitchen – 301 South BLVD – Idaho Falls, ID 83401 Ph: (208) 557-5750

2 – St. Maries Food Bank – 416 Main Ave – Saint Mares, ID 83861 Ph: (208) 245-9090

Illinois

1 – Midwest Food Bank – 1703 So. Veterans PKWY – Bloomington, IL 61701 Ph: (309) 663-5350

2 – Cornucopia Food Pantry – 402 Market Street – Rockford, IL 61107 – Ph: (815) 962-1380

Indiana

1 – Backstreet Mission – 215 So Westplex Ave. – Bloomington, IN 47404 – Ph: (812) 333-6360

2 – Wells County Food Bank – 1254 So. Main Street – Bluffton, IN 46714- Ph: (260) 827-0053

Iowa

1 – Community of Concern – 203 North US Highway 71 – Carroll, IA 51401 – Ph: (712) 792-5150

2 – Mapleton Food Bank – 315 Main Street – Mapleton, IA 51034 – Ph: (712) 881-1128

Kansas

1 – Genesis – 350 So. Range Ave. – Colby, KS 67701 – Ph: (785) 460-7930

2 – Christian Food Bank – 111 West 4^th Street – Pratt, KS 67124 – Ph: (620) 672-5150

Kentucky

1 – God’s Pantry Food Bank – 1685 Jaggie Fox Way – Lexington, KY 40511 – Ph: (859)255-6592

2 – New Hope Food Bank – 880 J.T. Riggs Road – New Hope, KY 40052 – Ph: (502) 549-6015

Louisiana

1 – Food for Families – 245 Illinois Street – Delhi, LA 71232 – Ph: (318) 878-3869

2 – God’s Food Box – 711 Mahlon Street – Deridder, LA 70634 – Ph: (337) 463-4449

Maine

1 – Good Shepherd Food Bank – 3121 Hotel Road – Auburn, ME 04210 – Ph: (207) 782-3554

2 – Winthrop Food Pantry – 15 High Street – Winthrop, ME 04364

Maryland

1 – Movable Feast – 2620 Wilkins Ave – Baltimore, MD 21223 – Ph: (410) 327-3420

2 – Abundant Life Church – 110 Front Street – Pocomoke City, MD 21851 – Ph: (410) 957-4206

Massachusetts

1 – Beverly Bootstraps – 371 Cabot Street – Beverly, MA 01915 – Ph: (978) 927-1651

2 – Merrimack Valley Food Bank – 735 Broadway – Lowell, MA 01854 – Ph: (978) 454-7272

Michigan

1 – American Saucery – 10750 Capital St – Oak Park, MI 48237 – Ph: (248) 544-9485

2 – Manna Food Project – 8791McBride Park – Harbor Springs, MI – Ph: (231) 347-8852

Minnesota

1 – Fare for All – 8501 54^th Ave North – Minneapolis, MN 55428 – Ph: (763) 450-3860

2 – Pastor Paul’s Mission – 100 Oliver Ave North – Minneapolis, MN 55411 – Ph: (612) 521-4665

Mississippi

1 – Hartland Hands – 385 Stateline Road East – Southaven, MS 38671 – Ph: (662) 280-5365

2 – PBM Ministries – 639 Second South Street – Woodville, MS 39669 – Ph: (601) 888-3880

Missouri

1 – Arnold Food Pantry – 23 Village Plaza – Arnold, MO 63010 – Ph: (636) 467-5959

2 – Holy Spirit – 3128 Parkwood Lane – Maryland Heights, MO 63043 – Ph: (314) 739-9796

Montana

1 – Give Away House – 1058 2^nd Street North – Harve, MT 59501 – Ph: (406) 265-7741

2 – Sagebrush Food Pantry – 669 Park Ave – Shelby, MT 59474 – Ph: (406) 424-8287

Nebraska

1 – Arapahoe Area Food Pantry – 210 7^th Street – Arapahoe, NE 68922 – Ph: (308) 962-7296

2 – Western Nebraska Food Bank – 825 Hickory Street – Sidney, NE 69162 – Ph: (308) 254-1095

Nevada

1 – Food For Thought – 3579 US Highway 50 – East Carson City, NV 89029 – Ph: (775) 883-1011

2 – Colorado River Food Bank – 1575 South Casino Drive – Laughlin, NV 89410 – Ph: (775) 782-3711

New Hampshire

1 – Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter – 42 Chestnut Street – Nashua, NH 03061 – Ph: (603) 889-7770

2 – Sonshine Soup Kitchen – 4 Crustal Ave #4 – Derry, NH 03038 – Ph: (603) 437-2833

New Jersey

1 – Extra Helping – 31 Evans Terminal – Hillside, NJ 07205 – Ph: (908) 355-3663

2 – Interfaith Food Pantry – 540 West Hanover Ave – Morristown, NJ 07960 – Ph: (973) 538-8049

New Mexico

1 – The Food Depot – 1222 Silver Road – Santa Fe, NM 87507 – Ph: (505) 471-1633

2 – Los Alamos Community Food Bank – 77 Loma Vista St – Los Alomos, NM 87544

New York

1 – Masbia Soup Kitchen – 4114 14^th Ave – Brooklyn, NY 11219 – Ph: (718) 972-4446

2 – Project Hospitality – 100 Park Ave. – Staten Island, NY 10302 – Ph: (718) 448-1544

North Carolina

1 – Good Shepherd Ministries – 811 Martin Street – Wilmington, NC 28401 – Ph: (910) 763-4424

2 – Hallelujah Soup Kitchen – 1904 South Wilmington Street – Raleigh, NC 27603 – Ph: (919) 899-6498

North Dakota

1 – Amen Food Pantry – 1100 3^rd Ave West – Dickinson, ND 58601 – Ph: (701) 483-4344

2 – Carrington’s Daily Bread – 875 Main Street – Carrington, ND 58421 – Ph: (701) 652-2333

Ohio

1 – Zion Soup Kitchen – 2716 West 14^th Street – Cleveland, OH 44113 – Ph: (216) 861-2371

2 – From Darkness to Light – 1925 Stanford Road – Twinsburg, OH 44087 – Ph: (216) 744-7408

Oklahoma

1 – Salvation Army – 1306 SW Ave E – Lawton, OK 73501 – Ph: (580) 355-1802

2 – Ardmore Soup Kitchen – 2207 Ridgeway Street – Ardmore, OK 73401 – Ph: (580) 226-2870

Oregon

1 – Lebanon Soup Kitchen – 170 East Grant Street – Lebanon, OR 97355 – Ph: (541) 451-7667

2 – St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen – 820 Ellsworth Street SW – Albany, OR 97321 – Ph: (541) 926-8562

Pennsylvania

1 – Jubilee Kitchen – 2005 Wyandotte Street – Pittsburgh, PA 15219 – Ph: (412) 261-5417

2 – East Liberty Soup Kitchen – 1091 Pittsburgh Road – Valencia, PA 16059 – Ph: (724) 898-3503

Rhode Island

1 – Fall River Soup Kitchen – 783 Slade Street – Fall River, MA 02724 – Ph: (508) 324-1323

South Carolina

1 – Project Host Soup Kitchen – 525 So. Academy Street – Greenville, SC 29601 – Ph: (864) 235-3403

2 – The Soup Kitchen – 573 Meeting Street – Charleston, SC 29403 – Ph: (843) 723-2726

Tennessee

1 – Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen – 215 Foster Street – Clarksville, TN 37043 – Ph: (931) 645-9020

2 – Manna Day Ministry – 1186 Ft. Campbell Blvd. – Clarksville, TN 37042 – Ph: (931) 648-1324

Texas

1 – Star of Hope Homeless Shelter – 419 Dowling Street – Houston, TX 77003 – Ph: (713) 748-0700

2 – New Hope Housing, Inc. – 320 Hamilton Street – Houston, TX 77002 – Ph: (713) 223-1995

Utah

1 – Manila Food Pantry – 93 North 1 West – Manila, UT 84046 – Ph: (435) 784-3993

Virginia

1 –Central Virginia Food Bank – 1415 Rhoadmiller Street – Richmond, VA 23220 – Ph: (804) 521-2500

Washington

1 – University Street Ministries – 4740 University Way NE – Seattle, WA 98105 – Ph: (206) 522-4366

West Virginia

1 – Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling – 1610 Eoff Street – Wheeling, WV 26003 – Ph: (304) 233-2992

Wisconsin

1 – McCarthy-Hall Kitchen – 1100 Douglas Ave – Racine, WI 53402 – Ph: (262) 634-9336

Wyoming

1 – Community Soup Kitchen – 633 Bridger Ave – Rock Springs, WY 82901 – Ph: (307) 382-7383

Have A Happy & Safe Thanksgiving Holiday !!!!

-Hatter & Beanz

We are proceeding with the design of a custom home located in Rio Rancho, NM. We are excited to be designing within a context that is new for us! The client has given us ‘design freedom’- the only ‘desires’; ranch style floor plan, screened porch, and room for 3 dogs. Here are some conceptual sketches from the initial client meeting:

Yosemite Valley in California beneath a layer of snow. (azdiaz1002 / flickr) http://www.flickr.com/photos/21319006@N02/ / CC BY 2.0

I have some ideas for where you can hike this Thanksgiving weekend, that is unless you prefer to stand in a frigid line outside of Wal-Mart at 4:30 a.m. on Black Friday.

Yeah, me neither.

Backpacker has posted at its Web site my story about the Top 3 places to hike based on Ansel Adams photos – above the Yosemite Valley, Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico (based on the famous moonrise photo) and Denali National Park in Alaska.

The idea behind this article was to look at several Ansel Adams photos and ask – What trails exist there? That’s how I discovered and included the hike to Serpent Lake in New Mexico’s San de Cristo Mountains. If you look at Adams’s most famous photo – Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico – those snow-capped peaks are just begging for people like us to come explore, and the hike I’ve outlined takes you deep into that photo.

Hope you enjoy!

EPA: Uranium From Polluted British Petroleum Mine Found In Nevada Water Wells

Scott Sonner AP 11/21/09

But she can look through the window from her kitchen table, just past her backyard with its swingset and pet llama, and see an ominous sign on a neighboring fence: “Danger: Uranium Mine.”

For almost a decade, people who make their homes in this rural community in the Mason Valley 65 miles southeast of Reno have blamed that enormous abandoned mine for the high levels of uranium in their water wells.

They say they have been met by a stone wall from state regulators, local politicians and the huge oil company that inherited the toxic site – BP PLC. Those interests have insisted uranium naturally occurs in the region’s soil and there’s no way to prove that a half-century of processing metals at the former Anaconda pit mine is responsible for the contamination.

That has changed. A new wave of testing by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found that 79 percent of the wells tested north of the World War II-era copper mine have dangerous levels of uranium or arsenic or both that make the water unsafe to drink.

And, more importantly to the neighbors, that the source of the pollution is a groundwater plume that has slowly migrated from the 6-square-mile mine site.

The new samples likely never would have been taken if not for a whistleblower, a preacher’s wife, a tribal consultant and some stubborn government scientists who finally helped crack the toxic mystery that has plagued this rural mining and farming community for decades.

“They have completely ruined the groundwater out here,” said Pauly, the wife of a local pastor and mother of two girls who organized a community action group five years to seek the truth about the pollution….

*Related: Colorado River May Face Fight of its Life

Increased toxins likely as energy companies seek oil, gas, uranium

By Abrahm Lustgarten and David Hasemyer (propublica.org) Dec. 21, 2008

Now the life vein of the Southwest faces another threat: Energy companies are sucking up the Colorado’s water to support increased development of oil, natural gas and uranium deposits along the river’s basin. The mining and drilling will likely send more toxins into the waterway, which provides drinking water for one out of 12 Americans and nourishes 15 percent of the nation’s crops along its journey from Wyoming and Colorado to Mexico….

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2008/dec/21/1n21colorado211057-colorado-river-may-face-fight-i/

Alhamdulillah for being in an email group of local homeschoolers. There was to be an Apollo 12 Commemorative Launch Reenactment in Alamgordo, and when I read the details of the events, I knew in my heart that one of the kids at least would be interested. How right I was. Only one was enthusiastically interested, and the other three were vehemently disinterested.

I was also struck with a dilemma, after H expressed his interest, which meant we should go (my homeschool ‘policy’ of letting the kids indulge in their individual interests) despite the girls not wanting to go. My dilemma was not that. My dilemma was that I had promised the Japanese lady at the Farmer’s market that I would come to her stall that very Saturday (that the rocket launch is going to be) and buy her lemongrass that she was only going to be bringing for me since no one else buys it.  It takes about 1.5 hours to get to the Space Museum and the event began at 9 a.m, while the Farmer’s market begins at 8 am. Hubs wasn’t that keen on helping me find a solution so amisdt my classes and preparing for our Arizona trip the next week, I put off finding a soltuion for this dilemma till the night before we were to go.

Alhamdulillah though, things turned out really well. We dropped by the Farmer’s Market (later than I had intended to) and then drove off to Alamogordo. It really is inconvenient that we have to take our passports with us whenever we travel (due to our location being so close to Mexico), and hubs expected that we would be stopped longer since we were stopped for quite some time when we were going to Tempe the week before (I owe this a blog post. But alhamdulillah we weren’t.

When we got there, there were in the midst if launching the rockets and just as we parked, we heard a loud sizzling blast somewhere from the middle of the crowd of students that had gathered in the parking lot where the event was held.

There were three school buses, two from Las cruces and one from I don’t remember where. So there were a lot of kids, probably middle and high schoolers, but mostly middle. They launched quite a number of model rockets and then an astronaut was invited to give a speech. He was born in 1945, and what struck me most about his speech was that his grandmother witnessed the Wright brothers’ event and also her grandson flying into space. Now, that was amazing.

After the rocket launches, we headed for the booths that were set up by the side of parking lot, and H signed up in a list that we found out belonged to FLARE, a rocketry club we have easy access to. There were a couple of other booths, one of which really blew me away. Spaceport New Mexico. I didn’t know about that. I didn’t. All I can say is…wow. Though I wonder how we’d eat during flight though. I guess we might not need to, because travel time will be cut really short.

Alhamdulillah for our COSI membership cards, we entered the space museum for free, as members. Now, I’m not a big fan of space science, but I have to admit I loved this museum for some reason. The view of the Tularosa basin from the 4th floor was breathtaking. Hubs was stuck on the 4th floor because one of the museum volunteers chatted him up for the longest time, that we had to call his cell and get him after we were done cruising the museum from the 4th floor all the way to the 1st.

The kids wanted to watch Sharks at the IMax but the earliest show was at 2:30 pm. So, we drove around Alamogordo trying to find a supermarket, since I hadn’t planned for us to stay there through lunch time. We bought chips and some drinks and had lunch in the van at a park, which was also part of the Toy Train Depot. The park reminded me a lot of Central Park of New York, because the way it was designed was in a long rectangle and the trees were planted in a neat row. The kids played at the playground for a while, while hubs napped in the van. We wanted to ride the toy train but the ticket was too ridiculously expensive per person, we we ditched that.

The kids took extreme pleasure in my silly phobia of sharks, and I myself couldn’t believe I actually watched the whole thing. I did sleep through some of it, but overall I have to say it was not as scary as I thought it would be. It was actually nice. The objective of the whole movie was to show the sharks as endangered and so they were not really depicted as predators like in Jaws. I managed to shower without screaming later that day…alhamdulillah. Sorry kids. I probably disappointed them by not caving in to my phobia as much.

By the time we got home, it was almost Asr. The kids rollerbladed outside for a while and rode their new bikes (except for H). I on the other hand, baked sweet potatoes for our impending Arizona trip. Sunday, was our usual tennis Sunday and we were to meet with Jn and her wonderful family before they left for Hawaii.

It was an eventful weekend, in a good way, alhamdulillah. I love the mountains. Yes, I still do, even though I’ve stopped ooh and aahing over them since we moved here. They never cease to amaze me, and it made me think, if the sight of these creations are so awe-inspiring, how much more awesome is the Creator? Subhanallah…

A significant percentage of Latino voters in key election states – Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada – are either undecided or still open to persuasion in the presidential contest, according to a new national survey.

“The Latino vote will be critical in the Southwest and Florida, and results of this poll show very clearly that Latinos may well provide Sen. Barack Obama with the margin of victory,” said Matt Barreto, a University of Washington professor of political science who is a co-partner on the research.

The survey, conducted between Aug. 18 and Sept. 10 also showed that an unprecedented number of Latinos may vote – nearly 90 percent in those states. Given the growing Latino electorate in states like Nevada, where 59,489 Latino voters have registered since 2004, a high Latino turnout could determine outcome of the national election, Barreto said.

Respondents also said the economy is their top priority. Nearly a third said they had trouble making mortgage or rent payments during the past year. In 2004, all four Latino battleground states voted Republican. However in 2008, those states are leaning slightly toward Obama, a Democrat, according to poll averages collected by Real Clear Politics.

In large part, this leaning may be due to strong support for Obama among Latinos, Barreto said. In Colorado, Obama received 71 percent support from Latinos compared to 18 percent for McCain. In Nevada, Obama was favored 67 percent to 20 percent, and in New Mexico, 67 percent to 23 percent. In Florida, where Latinos have traditionally voted Republican, McCain drew 45 percent of the vote compared with 43 percent for Obama.

Added together, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada hold 19 electoral college votes, and if only these three states change from a Republican majority to a Democratic one in 2008, Obama will receive 271 electoral college votes – and garner the presidency, Barreto said.

“As the electoral map takes shape, it’s increasingly clear the Latino vote may be decisive,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, which helped pay for the survey. “In key battleground states,” he added, “Latino voters are ready to vote in huge numbers, and a significant percentage is still persuadable. Underestimating the Latino vote could be disastrous for either party.”

Latino Decisions, a public opinion firm whose partners include Barreto, Stanford University political scientist Gary Segura and Pacific Market Research, telephoned 1,600 Latino registered voters drawn equally from official statewide files in the four states. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4.7 percent for each state.