Stepping back in time

My dad has been on my mind quite a bit these past 2 weeks. We went to the Lincoln County Fair in Capitan, NM on the 5th and spent several hours watching the horse show, reminiscent of so many summer days in Fargo when I was young. Dad used to compete in the cutting horse competition and Mom made the costumes for both Dad and his horse. The sights, sounds and smells of the fair - believe it or not - were like a breath of fresh air to me. This week marked the 10th anniversary of my Dad's death. I couldn't get my mind around it then and I still can't, though I do feel his presence from time to time and it brings a lovely peace to the moment.

There is a wonderful 'family feel' to a county fair. Lincoln County was fully represented by all generations in the painting/drawing, cooking/baking, stitching/quilting, and livestock competitions. We participated in the "People's Choice" voting of the painting/drawing portion for both children and adult entries, and we wandered through all the ribbons attached to cherry pies and banana breads galore. We thoroughly enjoyed wading through the livestock pens, and we saw quite a few really good looking animals and their handlers out there! Here are some of them:


This young girl, I believe her name was Jessica, won several ribbons that day - such a cutie and quite the little horsewoman!










These girls were enjoying the shade as they spiffed up 'Bessie' for her debut later.












This prize rooster was spectacular -
de colores!











These fine long-earred goats were amenable to posing for a photo...well, some of them were, anyway.










These little piggies were feeling no stress before their showing later in the evening!








This past weekend we spent some quality time with neighbors of ours from the campground. Roger and Dorothy are native Nebraskans that, upon retirement, moved to Georgetown, TX. They invited us to join them for the day on Saturday, August 8th to experience 'Fort Stanton Live!' ('twas a Union Cavalry fort in 1855) and Lincoln Days (celebrating all things surrounding Billy the Kid and the Lincoln War in Lincoln, NM). The day was lovely and we enjoyed reliving the past with the help of many colorful characters such as...


This wonderful Native American woman with her bright shining face...and her granddaughter (seated) that saw me zooming in for a shot and apparently did not appreciate my doing so.











These wonderful gentlemen who patiently waited for all the spectators to clear the area before shooting off their cannon.







The delightful 60's couple who drew almost as much attention as the country singers on the stage.












I loved this sign a smithy crafted with the buzzards perched above the greeting that reads 'GO AWAY' instead of the usual "Welcome!" The 2 handsome fellas beyond the sign are none other than my Denny and our neighbor, Roger.









How "Little House on the Prairie" is this?!?!














Everywhere in this great land of ours, there is always some sort of reinactment of history happening. It is a wonderful thing to visit the past and to learn from it - whether it be in how far we've progressed, or how much we have lost... your own perception determines that outcome. At any rate, I hope that you are living your moment gracefully. As wonderful as time travel can be, the present is, as they say, a gift....enjoy it!

Summertime

You may be wondering what we've been up to since the last installment of our blog. Well, suffice it to say it is summertime and we are lying low! Oh, we play the weekly round or two of golf, and take in the occasional movie at the 3-screen theater downtown, but mostly you can find us at the campground enjoying life.

Summertime in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico offers quite a mixed bag of weather conditions - each and every day. We arise to cool mornings in the 50's and read the morning paper with our coffee outside wearing our sweatshirts. The early afternoons are very pleasant (low- to mid-80's lately) with clear skies and light breezes. Between 4:00 and 6:00 in the afternoon, and I mean every afternoon, the clouds roll over the mountain behind us and we get a quick rain which cools us back down again for the evening, at which time we pull out the light sweaters. The last 2 days we've had pea-sized hail along with the rain shower. The rain has been quite heavy of late; the owner of the campground has come out twice this past week with his plow-attached tractor to level out the gravel roads up here...crazy!

We've enjoyed getting to know our fellow campers here at Pine Ridge; most folks come and stay the whole season, so there is quite a family atmosphere. Each week, we share a potluck meal. This type of get-together always reminds me of church suppers when I was growing up: plastic tablecloths, folding chairs, ladies fussing about and the fellas shooting the breeze, and chicken... always a wide variety of chicken dishes! Simple meals and easy conversation with much laughter - classic good times!

The folks here come from every walk of life and from many areas of the country, though most license plates read "Texas" [there is a saying in Ruidoso that if it weren't for Texas visitors, the village would shrivel up and die!] For all the diversity, there is something about camping that levels the field. There is a unique commonality and a cameraderie between campers. What I like most about camping is that people greet one another, and stop to visit if given the least bit of encouragement. There is a 'small town' feeling about a campground. Back when most homes had front porches, there were more opportunities to get to know your neighbors because you saw each other. Now most people enjoy their backyards behind privacy fences and never meet the guy next door.

One of my favorite places to be this summer is sitting under the awning on our 'porch' while visiting with the neighbors, reading or knitting. I also like learning more about my fine, feathered friends while enjoying the cool, dry air outside. Watching the hummingbirds, grosbeaks, finches, and chickadees as they flit about makes the time just fly (sorry about the play on words). They are so entertaining! Birds are quite the big eaters; if anyone compliments you by saying that you 'eat like a bird,' think about it - birds eat 7 times their body weight each day! (Here is a shot of the male grosbeak standing guard as the female eats her fill of sunflower seeds.)

This week we are looking forward to going to the Lincoln County Fair in Capitan, checking out the new Ruidoso River Museum in town, and golfing a bit. I'm also signed up for a bead jewelry class offered by my neighbor up the hill!

Life is what you make it - think positively, see the good and enjoy the blessings!!!