Tonight after work, I met Tim Ung, my old friend from Sagebrush Highland Church, and another friend- Mike Smith, who was also part of the old kids area morning set-up crew back when the church met at Highland High- for dinner at Mannie’s on Central. It was great to see Tim for a bit...
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I’m taking a page here from Tim and his Off Center and Not Even daily photo site. Here’s a photo.
Read more →I finished a volume of Steinbeck’s early short stories yesterday, The Long Valley, and as usual, was overwhelmed at his careful development and delivery of each story (highly recommend!). I am always stuck in the giant empty room of my mind when it comes to actually thinking of topics. His stories are rich in...
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It was fairly impromptu, but this morning my Mom, Dad and I hopped in a car and headed out of Albuquerque around 8 AM to go visit the Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge south of Socorro, NM. Bosque Del Apache is famous for the amazing number of waterfowl- cranes, ducks, and geese- that congregate...
Read more →There will be a drove of books coming out in the next year or so on them, on the year, on the accomplishment, on its significance. Evidently, Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci already has one ready to come out in early 2017. I mean, how does a story about the 2016 Cubs not get...
Read more →For the record, the national elections were this last Tuesday, and with the surprising surge of Trump driving into the presidency, the nation and the world remains in shock today. Except for the Dow Jones Industrial, which has also surged this week after election night jitters. I’m amazed at some of the bizarro stuff...
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For the record, I was at my parent’s house to see the game of the season, and of the century. The funny thing is, I had told my cousin I would make sure to wear my Cub’s hat for the two remaining games after Sunday’s win because when I took it off for a...
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When I awoke at 3:30 AM this morning, it was early to get myself ready for a 10+ hour drive to see family in Kansas this weekend. It would be a well-desired getaway from a few exceptionally heavy work weeks, I thought. The drive time out would be time to think a little, to...
Read more →All I remember is climbing a tightly enclosed wood-walled staircase at one end of the building up a few floors, and then on the third floor at near the middle of the landing was a door and behind it was a room with two beds that accommodated the pitch of the roof so that...
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It’s been a melancholy day all day, so after a morning of doing little, I went for what I thought would be a short walk this afternoon in the Bosque down by the river. It became a 3 hours shuffle amidst sunlight and silence, but at least it produced a few photos. The bike...
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I had been thinking about it for three weeks, so last Sunday, I got up early and hit the road. To ride the train. The Cumbres-Toltec Scenic Railroad is famous for its fantastic fall train rides between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. The narrow gauge line, established in the 1880’s to help get...
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The skies are noticeably more gray lately in the evenings, except for the moments when the sun sets and the western sky is a tapestry of burning pastels. You also notice a tinge of chill in the air in the house, where the temperature is unmoderated and floats with whatever it is outside. The...
Read more →Anyone who knows me knows I get caught up in the minutae of Cubs, largely because the Cubs are a grandly symbolic team. Despite what they accomplish this year, I imagine the Cubs have captured the imagination of many sports fans because they are a study in endurance, futility, disappointment, and hope as they...
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At dinner last night with Mom and Dad (Papa Felipe’s- our usual), we somehow got onto the topic of trains while we scarfed down our favorite New Mexican meals. It was because Mom and Dad had had some guests in town the last week, and we had been talking about the events of their...
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If you head north from Albuquerque toward Santa Fe and stay on I-25, bypassing the capitol city, and then take the Glorieta exit, you are headed towards the town of Pecos. Once you are in Pecos, make a left at the main intersection onto NM 63 and roll past the Catholic Church, up the...
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It’s been a long labor this morning, trying to find words for anything. I am back to my old familiar condition of being empty-headed, any thoughts of value corked away somewhere in the vats in the back of my head. It’s frustrating. In this morning’s coffee shop, my mind wanders, and I try to...
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