A Day of Rockhounding

Today Thomas and I joined our friends Diane and John for a day of rockhounding. Last night I got everything together and packed into a backpack and this morning I put together some things for lunch. We arrived at Diane and John's house and loaded up our things into Moby (their Land Crusier) and headed out.

Our first destination was the Harding Mine between Dixon and Penasco. So we headed up Hwy285 - driving through Pojoaque and Espanola and making our way to NM68 to NM75 and then to CR63A to the caretaker's place. To visit this mine you have to fill out a relaease form and notify Mr. Griego. Once the preliminaries were out of the way we could head out to the mine. We made it to the parking area, got our things and headed up the trail to the mine. We stopped at the "purple room" first. This is a shallow cave that is covered with lepidolite - it is purple and white - and really beautiful. Thomas and John spent quite a bit of time searching for rocks there while Diane and I explored a little further up the trail. Mr. Griego showed up and spent some time giving Thomas and John a little lesson on the minerals available in the area. They all eventually joined Diane and I and we all continued on the trail. Mr. Griego showed us were to go to find some calcite. John and I walked up the hill and looked around the area and were able to find a couple of nice pieces. We then returned back down the hill and met Diane and Thomas - they were just looking around the area and collecting a few samples of different types of rocks. I really had trouble keeping up with the different types of rocks but I still had a great time. We did find a medium sized rock that I loved. It was mostly white with some purple and black intertwined on it and it also had some lichen growing on it. It now sits in our garden and is beautiful.

We retruned to the car and then headed toward our next destination. That destination was the Hondo Canyon to look for staurolites (aka Fairy Crosses). But on our way we decided we were hungry and decided to stop off of NM68 and sit near the Rio Grande and have our picnic lunch. We ate and talked and John even took a little walk in the river. We had a nice relaxing time near the river but we also wanted to go and search for staurolites. We packed up our lunch and made our way up NM68 and just a few miles north of Pilar we turned right onto a gravel road. We saw a couple of cars parked just a little ways up the road but we were driving further up the road and closer to the area where you find the crystals. It is about two miles in to a meadow where you can park and then you just have to walk a little ways up the road. The road is quite rough with a few big rocks along the way and you definitely need a 4WD vehicle with pretty high clearance - and Moby fit the bill - it did a great job getting us up the road - as did John and Diane with excellent driving. Anyway, this put us in the Hondo Canyon and right in the area where we could look for crystals. Diane stayed on the path and planted a letterbox while John, Thomas and I went up the hill to look for staurolites. As we made our way up the hillside looking for an area to search Thomas found one right away. We walked around for a little while trying to find the best area but ended up just searching all over the place. We each found quite a few pieces of the 60/120 degree ones (some better than others) but we didn't find any 90/90 degree ones. We stayed in the area for about an hour and then headed out.

On the way back home we decided to stop at Embudo Station for dinner. We had a nice meal and drinks and relaxed and talked about the day. It was a really intersting day and I got to see places that I didn't even know existed. I love exploring and learning new things. Thanks John and Diane for introducing us to some great places here in New Mexico.

Art Walk (August 2009)

Today was a very stressful day at work. After working nine and a half hours I needed to do something relaxing. So after work I headed to my favorite place to walk - Canyon Road. I love looking at all the art (and looking is all I can do - it is so expensive). Things constantly change and there is always something new to see. So I try to take a walk at least one a month and a lot of time I make it there two or three times a month. I ended up spending about an hour and a half walking up and down the street and I think I took about 115 pictures. I decided to make a slide show of the pieces I liked the most. So click on the picture if you would like to view the slide show. Now that I am home after that relaxing walk I feel much better. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Spanish Market

I left home early this morning and made my way to the Plaza. Today is the start of Spanish Market and I wanted to be able to find a parking spot before it got crazy busy. I decided to park at the PERA Building and walk to the Plaza - that way I could avoid any traffic when I was ready to leave. I got there pretty early and most of the artist were still setting up their booths. So I walked around a little and then decided to get a cup of coffee and sit for a while until all the booths were ready. So I found a bench near the middle of the Plaza and did a little people watching and took a couple of pictures. Then I decided to walk the perimeter of the Plaza first and look at all those booths, then I walked through the middle and saw the artwork there, I then walked along the front of the Palace of the Governors and then down Palace Ave to see what was on display there. My last walk was down Lincoln to view the Contemporary Hispanic Market. There were lots of different types of artwork from santos, straw applique, tinwork, textiles, pottery, basketry, furniture and more. The colors were unbelievable and beautiful. I took a break from walking for a little while and enjoyed some music. The woman singing had a very beautiful voice and even thought I didn't understand the words to the songs the music was wonderful. I guess I spent about three hours on the Plaza this morning and I had a great time.

Santa Fe International Folk Art Market

Today I visited the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market held at Museum Hill. It cost $15 to get in but it was worth it. With admission to the market you could also visit the museums - Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Museum of Spanish Colonial Art and the Wheelwright Musuem. I had a great time visiting all the booths and looking at all the arts and crafts. There was so much to see and there were so many people. Sometimes it was hard to get to the booths and actually see the artwork. But I saw some incredible things. Weavings, drums, jewelry, block prints, tinwork, baskets and a lot more. I ended up purchasing a hammered copper vase - it is made from recycled copper that is melted down and formed into disks and then hammered into shape. The piece I bought came from Santa Clara del Cobre in Michoacán, Mexico and was produced by the Roberto Castro Hernandez workshop.

I also took a little break from the heat and crowds and visited the Folk Art Museum and the Museum of Indian Arts. I hadn't been in these museums for a long time - it was good to take this opportunity to see them again. After a walk through of the museums I went to the stage area and watched the Kalakriti Dance Company - they performed Bharata Natyam (a traditional dance from India). It was really enjoyable - I watched them for about 30 minutes and then I made the rounds of the booths again. I decided it was time to go so I made my way to the payment booth to pay for the vase and then went back to the booth to pick it up.

Last Day of Gay Pride Month

Today is the last day of gay pride. I have decided to put all the things that I had on the blog into this one post - there is the picture from Kelly's blog (Rambling Along in Life), the quotes from That's So Gay and a few other things I had posted. It was a good month with lots of celebrations all over the world and some very positive and powerful messages. I enjoyed reading other blogs as people celebrated Gay Pride. Here's hoping that next year will bring more for us to celebrate.


We have come a long way,
but still have a long way to go.
Thanks to all those who have paved the way,
Some even gave their lives...
Keep their fight alive...
We won't forget!!

These quotes are taken from That's So Gay

"Soldiers who are not afraid of guns, bombs, capture, torture or death say they are afraid of homosexuals. Clearly we should not be used as soldiers; we should be used as weapons". ~Letter to the editor, The Advocate

"More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion."~ Harvey Milk

"The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision".~Lynn Lavner

"Maybe what a gay icon is, is a person who is rooted for – in other words, cheered on by people who feel different"~ Liza Minelli

"Family need not be defined merely as those with whom you share blood but for those for whom you would give your blood"~ Nathan Lane

"Love is the big booming beat which covers up the noise of hate"~ Margaret Cho

"I believe that we, the lgbt community, need to continue to dialogue among ourselves about the issues and concerns that effect us. We are often banded together so often against a common foe, we forget to take the time to talk to each other about our lives and feelings as gay people. We are not all the same, we do not all have the same goals and desires and we do not always agree on everything just because we all share a common sexuality or struggle"~ Sean Breen

"There's no life without humour. It can make the wonderful moments of life truly glorious, and it can make tragic moments bearable"~ Rufus Wainwright

"The idea that your parents influence your sexual orientationis ridiculous. Because if it were true, I'd have my mother's taste in men, and i've never dated a guy who falls asleep in his chair during Jeopardy"~ Bob Smith

"We all came into this world naked. The rest is all drag"~ RuPaul

"Parents have to understand: if your kid isn't you, don't blame the kid"~ Chastity Bono

"Tolerance and acceptance are not enough for me-it's celebration I'm aiming for"~ Kevyn Aucoin

"Sexually progressive cultures gave us mathematics, literature, philosophy, civilization and the rest, while sexually restrictive cultures gave us the Dark Ages and the Holocaust"~Alan Moore

"On the surface, civil unions are a politically safe middle ground, an attempt to highlight the artificial divide between secular unions and the religious rite of marriage. But the fact is that marriage is a civil institution just as much as it is a religious one, and therefore religious objections to same-sex marriage shouldn't be an obstacle. We allow atheists to marry and we do not refer to a wedding performed by a secular judge or justice of the peace as a 'civil union'."~ William Jelani Cobb

"...there was something reassuring about watching my best friends joking around. It was what we did, how we engaged with each other. Silly but witty chit-chat about inane things. It's funny how meaningful inane things can be- comforting, easy things like family. And they were my family."~ Tommy's Tale (Alan Cumming)

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination"~ Oscar Wilde

"For flavor, instant sex will never supersede the stuff you have to peel and cook"~ Quentin Crisp

"I was raised around heterosexuals, as all heterosexuals are, that's where us gay people come from...you heterosexuals."~ Ellen DeGeneres

"I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don't make that mistake yourself. Life's too damn short"~Armistead Maupin

"No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. the only queer people are those who don't love anybody"~ Rita Mae Brown

"They are preserving the sanctity of marriage, so that two gay men who've been together for twenty-five years can't get married, but a guy can still get drunk in Vegas and marry a hooker at the Elvis chapel! The sanctity of marriage is saved!"~ Lea DeLaria

"I have come to fully understand that tolerance is only a fraction better than intolerance but a world away from acceptance"~ CawfeeMate

I'm Proud!

You can read my other posts related to Gay Pride by clicking on the picture below.

Prayers For Bobby

Last night I watched the movie Prayers For Bobby. It was a Lifetime movie and as you can probably guess it was pretty sentimental. I related a lot to the movie, not so much with my parents but with just the general attitude of people about gays and lesbians and I definitely related to Bobby and his feelings. One part of the movie really got to me - that was when Mary made a speech to the Walnut City Council. Below is a video of the speech from the movie and the transcript.

" 'Homosexuality is a sin. Homosexuals are doomed to spend eternity in hell. If they wanted to change, they could be healed of their evil ways. If they would turn away from temptation, they could be normal again. If only they would try and try harder if it doesn't work. '

These are all of the things I said to my son Bobby when I found out he was gay. When he told me he was homosexual, my world fell apart. I did everything I could to cure him of his sickness.

Eight months ago, my son jumped off a bridge and killed himself. I deeply regret my lack of knowledge of gay and lesbian people. I see that everything that I was taught and told was bigotry and dehumanizing slander. If I had investigated beyond what I was told, if I had just listened to my son when he poured his heart out to me, I would not be standing here today with you filled with regret.

I believe that God was pleased with Bobby's kind and loving spirit. In God's eyes, kindness and love is what's it's all about. I didn't know that each time that I echoed eternal damnation for gay people, each time I referred to Bobby as sick and perverted and a danger to our children, his self-esteem and his sense of worth were being destroyed. Finally, his spirit broke beyond repair.

It was not God's will that Bobby climbed over the side of a freeway overpass and jumped directly into the path of an 18 wheel truck which killed him instantly. Bobby's death was the direct result of his parents ignorance and fear of the word gay.

He wanted to be a writer. His hopes and dreams should not have been taken from him but they were. There are children like Bobby sitting in your congregations.

Unknown to you, they will be listening as you echo 'Amen' and that will soon silence their prayers. Their prayers to God for understanding and acceptance and for your love. But your hatred and fear and ignorance of the word 'gay' will silence those prayers.

So, before you echo 'Amen' in your home and place of worship, think. Think and remember that a child is listening."

Mary Griffiths

Something to Ponder

I found this cartoon and I thought it spoke volumes even though it is such a simple drawing. I am not trying to say anything in particular but I thought it was something to ponder.