Rodeo

We went to the PRCA rodeo last night held at the Santa Ana Star Center here in Rio Rancho where they do a lot of events like hockey and concerts as well as the rodeos. I was a bit disappointed since it was billed as being a PRCA event, meaning that it was backed by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. But to me it seemed more like an amature event than a professional rodeo. I would have been alright with it if they had billed it as an amature event but not as professional. Consider this - out of about 8 steer wrestlers only one was able to jump off of his horse and wrestle his steer down as it is supposed to be done. Another rider got his down but it took him way, way to long so no score and the others just fell off their horses beside the steer which looked back at the cowboys as if to say 'Ha Ha - you missed' and ran out of the arena. Have to admit that the other events like the bareback bronc riding, calf roping, team roping and saddle bronc riding were better but the barrel racing wasn't great as most of the girls were riding way to close to the barrels so that the barrels got knocked over. I have seen teenage kids on TV do better than most of these professional were doing. The bull riding was Ok and I was able to get better photos of that as by then I had figured out how to adjust the camera to get some half way decent shots. Of course we were sitting up in VIP seating which was kind of high up but better viewing than I expected, plus the lighting wasn't the greatest being an indoor arena. Actually I almost didn't even take my camera as I didn't expect anything to come out, but my little camera did good considering.
Still it was fun especially as it was the first rodeo I had been to in about 20 years near as I can figure. The very worse part was the anouncer was so loud that we couldn't understand what he was saying so we didn't know who the contestants were or their scores.

Coronado State Monument

Last weekend we decided to go to see Coronado State Monument which is just to the north of where we live near Rio Rancho, NM. in the town of Bernalillo, NM. First there was a sign telling us that these were the ancient ruins of Kuaua Pueblo. Kuaua is an old Pueblo word meaning 'evergreen'. Kuaua Pueblo (pueblo means 'town') was started in the 1300's and was made out of adobe which is a mixture of mud and straw that makes a good brick. By the 1500's it is thought that the town may have had as many 1200 rooms. This town is within sight of the Rio Grande River (this day we couldn't see the river as there were too many trees). These native Americans survived by hunting, fishing, and farming. They grew many of the same things that I now grow in my garden - squash, watermelons, corn, and beans. Corn was their staple food and was ground into a meal on special flat rocks using round rocks to make a meal which they used for a flat bread. This pueblo may have been a center for much trading among other tribes. The Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

found the village in 1540 while looking for the Seven Cities of Gold, which he never found because they didn't exist. Coronado had about 300 soldiers and 800 other Indians with him as well as about 1000 horses and other livestock. They spent the winter at Kuaua. This is where the monument got it's name of Coronado. It was excavated in about 1930 but many of the ruins that were above ground have disappeared with time and now most of the walls that you can see have been rebuilt to look like what was found. There was a square kiva or ceremonial chamber found underground that had many colorful murals in it. These murals can be seen in one special room at the visitors center but photos are not allowed so that more damage won't be done to them. I did find photos of them on a website and lots of information on them as well as the pueblo at these websites. The kiva can be entered and seen at some times but not on the day we were there. I did get to go into it when I was about 17 in about 1968. http://http://www.100megspopup.com/photo4phood/swarch/coronadohistory.html
http://http://www.nmmonuments.org/coronado-state-monument

My 2nd photo shows one of the signs that you can find on a short walking tour of the ruins with information on the ruins. But the most important sign to see and remember while visiting here is the one telling you to give right of way to all Rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes are found frequently on the cement and dirt trails where they like to sun themselves, but on this day we didn't see any. There are benches made out of logs for those that need to sit and rest and picnic tables with brush shades for resting and picnics. At the Visitors center was a modern-made wood cart like the Spanish would have used when they made the adventure to find the Seven Cities of Gold. The Visitors Center has a wonderfull, cool intrance way with huge yuccas in front of it. There are signs telling what a lot of the native plants are including the barrel cactus in the last photo. The cactus had buds on it but none were open. There was a Pueblo style oven in front of the Center. These ovens are still used to bake bread in at the pueblos.

RAIN! RAIN! Finally

On July 20th we had the first major rain we had had in about a year. My rain gage showed just under an inch. We have been needing rain despertly and finally we got some. The whole state of NM has been in a drought for several years that had got really bad this summer. But in July what is called the monsoon rains started slowly inching their way into the state. Each afternoon we would hear of some little bit of rain somewhere. Many times we watched the clouds come in and could see some rain falling in and around the Albuquerque, Bernallio, Corrales areas, and even in down town Rio Rancho but not exactly where we are. This is when we have big, beautiful white thunderhead clouds come rolling in with a lot of them over the Sandia Mountains. The ones in these photos arn't as good as some of them but they were the ones that brought us the rain this day. We didn't really expect to get anything but a few drops as is normal when it first started and then it turned loose and became a gully-washer. A male rain as the Indians call it.If you had been in an arroyo or ditch it would have been a nasty flash flood. It is amazing how much water can come down to only be listed as less than an inch on the rain gage. The photos showing big puddles of water were quickly soaked into our thirsty ground.
The next day we got some rain again but it was only a light rain, the kind we really need so it can soak in instead of running off. A female rain.
But no where in the state have we had enough to get us back up to a decent leval of water in the rivers, creeks, and underground water table. It has been good for helping with the fires but not enough to put out that big fire that is still burning west of Los Alamos.
We are hoping for more.

Smoke

With all the smoke we have had coming into the Rio Rancho/Albuquerque area I decided to take some photos of it this evening. The sun, (yes, that is the sun, and not the moon) could be looked at with the naked eye with so much smoke in front of it. But I couldn't get it to come out the red color it looked to me.

From the Highway

These are photos of the high desert country that can be seen as you drive on Highway 550 between Rio Rancho and Jemez Pueblo.

Summer Spots

When I first got Star as a yearling about 11 years ago she didn't have any spots except the star between her eyes. Each year when she gets her summer coat she has more and more of the tiny appaloosa spots on her face, neck, chest, and belly but very few of the spots on her back and butt where an appy normally has them. In the winter time in her heavy coat she doesn't have the little spots and looks like a normal sorrel horse. To get the photos I had to tie her to a post in her pen that is on the east side of our small place and has a good view of the Sandia Mountains. Albuquerque and Rio Rancho are between us and the mountains but can't be seen, thank goodness, for the hill between us and them.

Southern Blvd.

Here is a view of the main street through Rio Rancho, NM of Southern Blvd. Oddly Southern runs east and west. It is called Southern because it is south of Northern Blvd. Northern is the other main road through town but was only paved about 8 years ago while Southern was paved when we moved here in 1983. Oddly again there is no streets called Eastern or Western. I live off of Southern but several miles to the west of where this photo was taken. I was going to the post office when I noticed a group of beautiful yuccas that needed there photos taken. So I stopped and took some. Albuquerque is mostly to the south and east of where this photo is. You can see the base of the Sandia Mountains or the Foothills as they are known as in the back of the photo.

Yuccas & Sandia Mountains

This nice view of two different yuccas some gray sage and the Sandia Mountains with a little of Rio Rancho inbetween was also taken on Southern Blvd. in Rio Rancho.

President Obama

It is a bit late to be writing about it, but President Obama was in my town of Rio Rancho on Thursday of the past week. We arn't actually in Rio Rancho but out in the county near the city. Rio Rancho is the town where we go to shop. Albuquerque is east of Rio Rancho but we don't go there if we can get what we need in Rio Rancho. President Obama gave his speech at the Rio Rancho High School which had the biggest place for people to attend that is in the city. I didn't even try to go as I can't stand to get in those kind of crowds. I did watch it on TV.
I don't understand why President Obama decided to come to Rio Rancho instead of Albuquerque where Obama had done a lot of his campaigning, but I guess it was quite a big deal for our small city.
I do hope that President Obama can do what he said in his speech about getting credit card companies to not come down so hard on people, like me, who haven't been late or missed any of their payment dates. I had all my credit card interest rates raised several years ago for no reason that I know of. I was told it was 'standard policy'. Now that 2 of my cards are paid off the companies still refuse to lower the interest rates. Consequently I don't use those cards and have even closed one.
The training I received at a credit reporting company a few years ago said that if you only closed one that was paid off with out having any problems with being late on payments it shouldn't affect your credit rating. I will find out for sure now. But I was so upset that Bank of America wouldn't lower my interest rate on a card I had never been late on and had paid off twice in the past 2 years that I decided to take a chance on it.
I would also like to voice my opinion on the problem of the people who think that President Obama is wrong to be for abortion. I agree with him. The world is over populated now, and I hear of way to many children being abused and even killed as it is. I would rather know that child was aborted as a fetus than to be born and then tortured and killed.
Just yesterday a little boy about 3 or 4 was found buried in a park in Albuquerque after he had been killed. No one has come forward to even say the child was theirs yet. It seems that no one wanted this child from the time he was conceived. This is something that is too horrible for me to comprehend. It needs to be stopped, and if abortion is where that starts - so be it.
That is not to say I would have an abortion. I haven't ever had one. Nor did I ever have a child out of wedlock or give up one for adoption. In my imedent family - me, my husband, my son, sisters and their families - I do not know of any of this ever happening or being necessary. We were raised and have raised our children to understand how to use birth control and to do it, as it is not necessary to have as many children as possible, as so many people seem to think. You only have children you want and can care for properly. Other wise you use birth control.
And I will add that abortion should not be used as a form of birth control.