Build-o-Mania 2

Despite some rain days and a small hitch with an inspection, the building project moves steadily onward. Here are a few pictures of the current status. The foundation has been backfilled and a new parking area has been graded and graveled. We moved some big rocks to mark the edge of the parking pad. On the exterior, we now have siding on two of the three walls. We'll stain it to match the logs on the exisiting cabin. On the interior, the wall studs are all up and most of the insulation is in. Wiring and plumbing are almost complete -- and the new jacuzzi bath has been installed. Susie can't wait to start tiling the floors and walls.

http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveDC505/BuildOMania2#

Los Alamos Rodeo

A few weeks ago I posted a few pictures and videos from the 4-H Junior Rodeo in San Isidro, NM. This past Sunday (August 9) I went to the Open Rodeo at the Los Alamos County Fair. It was attended by about 200 spectators, equally divided between ranching families and physicists. There were only a few contestants in some events (bull riding, chute dogging), but there was plenty of action in two of my favorites: team roping and barrel racing.

In the former, a two-person team consisting of a "header" and a "heeler" must rope a very fast steer. The header lassoes the steer around the horns or head and then takes a "dally" (wrapping the rope around the saddle horn) and turns the steer for the heeler. The heeler then ropes the steer's rear legs and also takes a dally around his or her saddle horn. The ropers then turn their horses to face each other and pull back to stretch out the steer. The fastest time wins. It is the only event I can think of where men and women can compete on the same team.

In barrel racing, women riders must race their horses in a set pattern around a course consisiting of three 55-gallon oil drums. Fastest time wins (duh). Here are eight short videos to give you a little of the flavor of the afternoon.
http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveDC505/LosAlamosRodeo#

Build-o-mania

The construction project at 476 Horseshoe Loop is making incredible progress. Here is a little slideshow to give you an idea of what has been done in a very short time. Our builders, Nick and Ted Bennett, are incredibly skillful, cooperative, and hard-working. We also have had the good luck to engage the services of the electrician ("Little Joe" Garcia) and plumber (Mike Tomatowski) who helped us with the initial renovations of the main cabin. Susie supervises and coordinates everything, discussing changes and solving problems on the fly.

When it's finished, the new additon will have a main bedroom (with a real closet!), one and a half baths (including a large whirlpool tub!), and a large entryway/mudroom. Then we will take down the inner partition in the old cabin, eliminating the original bathroom, enlarging the kitchen, and turning the whole space into one huge open cooking/dining/living area.
http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveDC505/BuildOMania#

Rock Art

On Sunday, Will, Maya, and I took a hike along a couple of trails at Petroglyph Monument on the western outskirts of Albuquerque. About 150,000 years ago, lava flows on West Mesa created a layer of basalt that has now crumbled into large boulders and slabs forming a dark, jagged escarpment overlooking the city. Native Americans created fascinating rock art by pecking, chipping, and incising the dark patina of the basalt, revealing the lighter gray rock beneath.

Today, Petroglyph Monument preserves more than 20,000 sacred images cut into the black stone. Some are easily recognizable images of animals, birds, snakes, and people. Some are geometric figures: spirals, circles, rectangles, stars, and crosses. Others are unidentifiable biomorphic hybrids, deities, and mysterious figures drawn from the artists' vision-quests into the spirit world. Some may be 2000 years old, but archeologists think that most were made between 400 and 700 years ago. Spanish explorers and settlers carved their marks into the rocks as well.

Whatever their original meanings may have been for their makers, these thousands of examples of rock art offer precious, beautiful, baffling, and at times amusing glimpses into our shared past.

http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveDC505/RockArt#

For a fascinating account of an individual's efforts to protect the rock art at Mesa Prieta, see Katherine Wells's book Life on the Rocks: One Woman's Adventures in Petroglyph Preservation (UNM Press, 2009). Our friend Jan Stone is an active volunteer in this project.

Independence Day

The little village of Jemez Springs (pop. 375) is the smallest town every to win an "All-American City" award. I think the pictures of our July 4th celebration will show you why. The day begins with a homemade parade -- flags, marching band, floats, vehicles, rodeo queen, and all -- at 10:00 sharp. Don't be late, because this year's parade ended at 10:18. After the parade, everyone goes to the plaza in front of the library, bath house, and community building for speeches, food, games, flea market, arts and crafts, pony rides, etc. The day ends with fireworks at 9:00 PM. Volunteer firemen climbed up on the cliff behind the town and shot off $3500 worth of spectacular rockets. We didn't let the light evening rain dampen our spirts.

http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveDC505/IndependenceDay#

On the Move: Jemez, Los Alamos, Chimayo

Will and Maya came on July 1 to join us for a week at Horseshoe Springs. Their arrival coincided with the acquisition of our new Honda ATV. The first few pictures in this album capture the maiden voyages of the yellow ATV. A trip to Los Alamos (about 30 miles east of here) included the must-see landmark known as The Black Hole, a surplus market for discarded equipment from the labs. We also took a drive up the Taos high road to Chimayo, a village famous for its weavers and for the pilgrimage site known as the Santuario de Chimayo.

http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveDC505/OnTheMove#

4-H Junior Rodeo (San Isidro, NM)

The village of San Isidro lies at the foot of our valley, about 30 miles from Horseshoe Springs. On Saturday (27 June), it was the site of a 4-H Junior Rodeo. The contestants ranged in age from 6-16 years old and competed in age groups in a variety of riding events ("mutton busting," saddle bronc riding, bareback calf and steer riding) and racing events (pole bending, flag racing, and barrel racing). The animals and riders all displayed incredible skill and athleticism. The hotdogs were tasty as well.

This set begins with two still photos. The rest are videos, so you might have to be patient while they buffer. http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveDC505/Rodeo#