For the birthday expedition, we had lunch at the San Marcos Cafe and Feedstore and then continued down 14 through Golden, NM and visited the Tinkertown Museum in Sandia Park, New Mexico. It is the creation of Ross Ward who carved the miniature people and scenery inside. There is a western town and big top circus along with a myriad of other artifacts (some are automated). One could spend days looking over all the work and the gift shop is a blast. For more, check out tinkertown.com.
Another tour with our out of state friends to the little town of Galisteo and its cemetery.
Good friends arrived from the East Coast and we took them to two of our favorite places, Quarai and the Pecos National Historical Park (previously on the blog here and here). Weather was lovely and thankfully, the wind wasn’t roaring. We also enjoyed the Pecos River and the songbirds serenading while we stopped to record a video.
The eclipse was about 73% here but cloudy skies made it pretty fuzzy and at its peak, impossible to see. Only 20 years until the next one (unless we go to Iceland in 2026).
The tortillas usually don’t get no respect.
A visit to an old coal town that’s now an art mecca.
A brother of mine has passed on.
I met Pat in the Scouts. He was a tall gangly Southern boy with a wry smile and an uncanny ability to make friends with anyone. His outgoing nature and adventurism was a polar opposite to my introverted world of books, music and the refuge of my room. Despite all that, we became fast friends.
From our mugging around in Scouts to staring up into the stars and contemplating the meaning of the universe (after sharing some good bud while lying on the hood of the Delta 88), Pat was always a huge part of my life.
He wasn’t perfect… but he was never cruel or conceited. He was smart and funny and his love of his daughters was unwavering. He was also stubborn and intent on pushing the boundaries.
In high school, Pat discovered The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castañeda and it profoundly affected him. Throughout his life, he was searching for an alternate reality that would forge a new adventure or give respite from life’s pain and anxiety.
When I see the ravens circling upwards in the sky to find a better view of the world… I’ll think of Pat. He will always be a friend and a brother and I will miss him every day.
