After reading Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, I had to try this one. Eggers knows how to tell a story, and this is one helluva story. Achak Deng is a Sudanese who tells his life story from childhood in Sudan to his emigration to the US, from child refugee during the civil war to eventual escape. There is a lot of senseless war and tribal violence, sadness, death, victories, accomplishments, happiness, and humor. The story of this man is nearly...
Palomas has a border crossing, a pharmacy, and the Pink Store. And some dentists and such. Pretty much what every wintering RV'r needs, and pretty much limited to serving those RV'rs staying in Deming. The Pink Store itself sells Mexican cultural items and has a restaurant. They are notable in that they serve free margaritas to everyone who comes shopping. Tuesdays are the LOWs day, with a convoy assembling here to have lunch at the restaurant....
When I bought my house I had the option of putting some snazzy wheels on it, rather than the standard, really ugly, wheels. I took it, and glad I did. But, the wheel nuts, the lug nuts, are kinda special. Not custom or anything, just of an unusual design. I started the problem in my first year and had a flat tire in Frenchglen, Oregon. A million miles from anywhere, I had to put on the spare to get to Winnemucca, Nevada. In the process I used a...
I spent the morning with the guys at Jimmy's RV Repair trying to find the cause of my excessive tire wear, with no luck. The problem was, a single tire was fine and then in about 400 miles half the tread was missing on one side. Just the one tire. Jimmy specializes in axles and stuff and we lifted, measured, squared, leveled, every angle he could think of, and all checked out perfectly. We inspected tires, equalizers, springs, every bolt, and...
Tomorrow I take my house in to see what's wrong with one axle. I need to get it fixed as I'm planning on San Antonio before heading south to Corpus Christie and the Rio Grande Valley for a couple of months of birding, BBQ, and tamales. Assuming I get it fixed quickly(no guarantee) I'll be out of here on Friday. Here at the Lows Ranch (Loners on Wheels) it's their annual rally. No doubt I'll participate when the club goes to Plamosa in Mexico....
I avoid (mostly) chains when looking for a green chile cheeseburger in New Mexico, and I missed a couple of places I wanted to try. Here's where I went: Bode's General Store in Abiquiu. This was one of the better burgers, there's a kitchen in the back of the general store, and of course a beautiful location. $10. Price includes fries and an iced tea. 5 Star Burgers in Sante Fe. Passable. This is a relatively new chain that have waitpeople take...
For stupid our attention has been directed towards DC lately, and rightfully so. It's the Super Bowl, the World Cup, the World Series of stupid. And it was a helluva game. But let's not overlook the minor leagues, where the future thrills will be coming from. Those acts and achievements headed towards destiny. Take Christine Jones who is running for Governor of Arizona (GOTP). She referred to her state's border issues as along the Rio Grande...
Hatch is the Chile Capital of the World. Well, tiny towns frequently have attention-grabbing superlatives they use to gather in the revenue. Chile is grown everywhere here in southern New Mexico, and I guess if Hatch wants to be the capital, then have at it. The town itself is full of tiny chile producers of everything that can be done with the fruit. Dried on rooftops, driveways, and dirt lots, the place has a bright red color to it this time...
Today Trisha Schmidt and I discovered we were parked next to each other, and had been since Friday. Funny how that works. I have yet another axle/tire complaint and after talking with Jimmie's RV Repair I'm taking it in on the 28th. Almost every time I'm told it's because I'm overweight, but I've always weighed in, using rough measures on highway scales, well under all maximums. Today I weighed on a commercial scale, the right way, and have...
Far too windy yesterday to even think of making the run from San Antonio to Deming. The headwind was faster than I'd drive. In Albuquerque (Balloon Festival in progress) some boxcars were blown over on the mainline. So I watched the storm from the Buckhorn in San Antonio having their version of the green chile cheeseburger. It died back in the evening and this morning I headed out. Now, Deming is the land of sun and wind, so the air is always...
It's by David Goldfield, and subtitled "How the Civil War Created a Nation". I haven't read any of his prior books, but he focuses on the history of "The South". He's a competent historian and a good writer. This particular volume seems to be a combination of his prior writings and some new material to emphasize a point. He starts with an overview of some interesting points in American culture before the war, tracks those ideas through the war,...
The cranes don't seem to have arrived yet, but it's hard to tell when the place is closed down. I'll hear them if they are around. No matter, I got a burger at the Owl Cafe today. I'm staying at the quaint and interesting Birdwatchers RV park. The forecast for Deming tomorrow (where I'm heading) indicates high winds, which might (probably) mean dust storms. Given the most recent forecast I'd be best off if I stayed here another day to let the...