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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #131
October 11, 2002
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Dear Subscriber:

Peggy and I both like football. Mainly college football. My
favorite college football team is the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
They're my favorite team because that's where I went to college
and I'm a loyal person. I don't always like the coaching or
their offence or their defense or their win/loss record but,
overall, I like the Red Raiders.

Because I am loyal to The Red Raiders, I am obligated to
dislike the Texas Longhorns. It's tradition. Red Raiders
dislike Longhorns and visa versa.

Take, for instance, the school colors. Texas Tech's colors are
Red and Black. Everyone knows what color red is and everyone
knows what color black is. (Actually, my art instructor told me
black is not a color, but the absence of color, but if it's not
a color, how come one of Texas Tech's colors is black?)

Contrary to popular contemporary thought, The University of
Texas' school colors are NOT orange and white. They are BURNT
ORANGE and white.

Now, how snippity is that? The result is when you go to a Texas
football game their fans are dressed in all different shades of
orange. Even THEY can't decide what burnt orange is.

Besides being snippity, Longhorn fans are also very confused.

Peggy used to be a Texas Tech fan just like me. There's a
difference, however, in a man football fan and a woman
football fan. A man fan will lay down his life for his team on
the 50-yard line. His loyalty is unwavering.

A woman fan is, well, a woman. She loves her football team, but
reserves the right to change her mind.

I guess it's because Texas Tech was losing too often. For
whatever reason, Peggy made the announcement two years ago that
her favorite team from that day forward was The Texas Longhorns.

Leaving the ranks of Red Raiderdom by the person I loved most
was a stab in the back. Moving her loyalty to The Longhorns was
like pouring tabasco sauce on the wound.

Why not the Oregon Ducks? A team with a duncy nickname and a
zero on their helmet that says it all. How about the Michigan
Wolverines? They win lots of games, but there's another
brainless helmet design (looks like a road map). Besides there
are no wolverines in Michigan.

Nope, Peggy says. She loves Texas. Go get 'em horns, she says.
In no time at all she had mastered the "hook em" hand sign.

A flap over favorite football teams was not enough to interfere
with an otherwise solid relationship. We came to an agreement.
In the event that both teams were playing on TV, Tech got
front-room status and the Horns game would be relegated to the
bedroom TV. It was a matter of seniority. The Red Raiders had
been a part of our household a lot longer than those
Horns-Come-Latelys.

Shortly after Peggy's change of allegiance, Tech and Texas met
on the gridiron. In keeping with tradition, Tech stunk it up
and the Longhorns clobbered 'em. Peggy sat strangely silent in
front of the set throughout the game as her new favorite team
did the watoosy on my team.

I finally asked her, "How come you're not whooping it up, Miz
Yoo-Tee." Sarcasm oozed from my words and stained the carpet.

"Oh, I don't know. I kinda feel sorry for those Texas Tech
Red Raider fellers." (A direct quote. Peggy uses the term
"fellers" as one of the most endearing things she can call
someone.)

And so it was. Peggy had changed her loyalty from Texas Tech,
who had a habit of losing, to Texas, who had a habit of winning,
but decided Tech wasn't so bad after all after Texas put yet
another hickey on their heads.

As soon as I figure it out, I'll get back to you.

Don Vanlandingham
Cloudcroft.com

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
2. SPECIAL -- SEASONSCAPE, PHOTO 1
3. VILLAGE NEWS
4. FALL PIX
5. INSIDE THE SHOP -- SLEEPY BEAR TOWN HOUSE
6. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- SCENIC ROUTES
7. Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
8. COMING EVENTS
9. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
10. CONTACT INFORMATION
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LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
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As made evident by the pictures included in this edition, fall
has made its presence known in the Sacramentos.

It's getting chilly, with highs in the upper-50s. Lows in the
high-30s. Still intermittent moisture mixed with sunshine and
crisp air.
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SPECIAL -- SEASONSCAPE, PHOTO 1
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This issue begins a photo experiment by Kit Richards which we
are calling SeasonScape. Once a month for a year he is going
to photograph the same location just outside of Cloudcroft, 
along the Sunspot highway. This should be a great illustration
of the seasonal changes in Cloudcroft.

The first photo is available here:

http://www.cloudcroft.com/photos/seasonscape.htm

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VILLAGE NEWS
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On October 13th, College Days will be staged at Winrock Mall in
Albuquerque. It is an opportunity for high school seniors to
meet with representative from various colleges and universities.

Several Cloudcroft area seniors are planning to attend.
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FALL PIX
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We have waited until the autumn colors were at their brightest
before we submitted pictures. Here they are.

http://www.cloudcroft.com/photos/fall.htm

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INSIDE THE SHOP -- SLEEPY BEAR TOWN HOUSE
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Whether you enjoy golfing, hiking, hunting, snow skiing,
snowmobiling or just relaxing, you will love this Southwest
style townhouse. This beautiful 3-level townhouse overlooks the
8th hole of the Lodge Golf Course.
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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- SCENIC ROUTES
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A wonderful time of the year to visit all parts of the Land of
Enchantment.

http://pw2.netcom.com/~wandaron/nmex.html

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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - When is the best snow-play time in the Cloudcroft area?

A - Our best snowfall average in the past 5 years has been from
mid-December to mid-February.
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COMING EVENTS
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October 11 -- Cloudcroft Bears at Faith Christian (football).

October 13 -- Sacramento Mountains Historical Society 25th
anniversary celebration. Museum grounds. 2pm.

October 15 -- Cloudcroft at home against Hatch (girl's high
school volleyball).

October 19 -- Cloudcroft Bears at home against Capitan
(football)

October 19 -- Cloudcroft at Lordsburg (girl's high school
volleyball).

October 19, 20 -- High Rolls Apple Festival. High Rolls, NM.
For more information, call (505) 682-1151.

October 22 -- Cloudcroft at home against Tularosa (girl's
high school volleyball).

October 24 -- Cloudcroft at home against Capitan (girl's high
school volleyball).

October 26 -- Cloudcroft Bears at home against Mescalero
(football).

October 26 -- Harvestfest. Pumpkin carving, hay rides.

October 26 -- Zoo BOO for grades 1 thru 5. Alameda Park Zoo
in Alamogordo. 1-4pm.

October 26 -- Lake Lucero tour. White Sands National
Monument. 9am.

October 31 -- Trick or Treat. Costume contest. Burro Avenue.
5-7pm.

November 1 -- Cloudcroft Bears at Hagerman (football).

November 2-3 -- 14th Annual Antique and Collectable Show.
Civic Center. Alamogordo.

November 9-10 -- Christmas Craft Show. Civic Center.
Alamogordo.

November 23 -- Santa Town at Zenith Park. 5pm-7pm.

November 24 - Community Thanksgiving Service, First Baptist
Church. 7pm. Everyone is welcome.

December 7 -- Santa Town at Zenith Park.

December 14 -- Santa Town at Zenith Park.

December 15 -- Community Christmas Cantata, 4pm. at Cloudcroft
United Methodist Church

December 21 -- Santa Town at Zenith Park.

December 24 - Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, 7pm. at Cloudcroft
United Methodist Church

December 31 -- New Year's Eve torch light parade at Ski
Cloudcroft.

Cloudcroft Art Society meets the second Sunday of each month,
2-4pm, in the Old Red Brick School House. The Society will be
having an Art Sale and Show Oct. 5 (10am-5pm) and Oct. 6 (11am-5pm)
at the Old Red Brick School House. Call (505) 682-2494 for more
information.

Mountain Garden Club meets every third Monday of each month.
Call (505) 682-2910 for more information.

Senior Van from Timberon to Alamogordo leaves the Timberon
Lodge promptly at 8:30am every Tuesday morning.

Free Vitals Clinic. Third Tuesday of each month starting at 6pm
and last Thursday of each month starting at 12 noon. James
Canyon Fire Department, 2346 Highway 82.

If you have news of public events in the Cloudcroft area, email
us.

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For an online calendar of area events, click the Events Calendar
link in the left column of our home page:

http://www.cloudcroft.com/index.html

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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Dear Newsletter:

Like my pappy always told me, never trust a man who wears a 
belt and suspenders. I take it you are strictly a suspenders 
man, right?

Dave Colbert
Lynchburg, VA 

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Dear Newsletter:

Your last letter was especially interesting to me because there
were so many responses to the letter asking where cemeteries
were located in the Cloudcroft area.

I am a genealogy junkie, and seldom go through an area without
checking out the old cemeteries. A person can learn quite a bit
about an place, just by reading the tombstones.

My great-grandmother was buried in the James Canyon Cemetery in
1904, and also a baby boy in 1916, who would have been a
younger brother to my father. I don't know if there are markers
there, but if there are, I would certainly like to have a
picture.

Since I live in Oregon and don't foresee being lucky enough to
take a trip to your wonderful area, I wonder if you could
somehow put me in touch with someone I could hire to take a
photo for me. It would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, suspenders are the order of the day where I live.
All the men who work "in the woods" wear them -- usually bright
red wide ones. There must be a special reason for this, but I
have never asked them why. Perhaps some of your readers might
know.

Please keep up your wonderful job of making Thursdays special!

Sincerely,
Helen Sills
Eugene, Oregon

[Kit Richards checked for these graves for Ms Sills, but found
them not to be marked.]

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Dear Newsletter:

I enjoy the newsletter so much. Keeps me up to date with the
local news. I read the letters regarding cemeteries in the
area and thought I would mention the one in Haynes Canyon in
Mountain Park. It was founded in 1890 and has a number of
graves. I've asked about upkeep but no one seems to know who
is responsible. At any rate, it might be the one your reader
is seeking.

Thanks for the wonderful newsletter.

Marsha Harris

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Dear Newsletter:

I have been reading your Cloudcroft Newsletter for a good many
months now, and thought it might be time to say, "Thanks a Lot",
for all your efforts in putting such an informative, warm
spirited, and thought provoking newsletter together. 

I have had the good fortune to visit Cloudcroft a few times in
the past, and look forward to many more visits before I "cash
out". I moved from Aurora, Colorado to El Paso in 1995 to care
for my ailing, elderly father. Since nowhere is like Colorado,
I would like to say that there are some places that do come
close, and Cloudcroft is lucky to be one of them.

I'm not referring to Denver or Colorado Springs, I'm thinking
about the sparsely (for the time being) populated areas that
are up above 9,000 feet, like Leadville, Grandby, Grand Lake
and even Winter Park.

So keep up the good work on this newsletter, it is always a
"smile getter" when I see the next issue on my email.

Best Regards,
Richard Wallace
El Paso, TX 

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Dear Newsletter:

I need some advice. We bought a place in Cloudcroft two years
ago and truly love it.

We do have one problem. We need instructions for building a
fire in a fireplace that does not have a gas jet (okay, so we
are city folks). We would appreciate any tips that anyone could
give us on the best way to do this.

I enjoy the newsletter immensely and always find something
delightful in it. Thanks for all of your hard work.

Pam Brown
Lubbock, Tx

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Dear Newsletter:

I’ve been a little busy and haven’t written or visited
Cloudcroft in a while. I was over in February to catch a
little of the splendor that winter brings to the mountains
and play in the snow some. Have you ever noticed that the
walk up the hill always seems longer than the ride down? In
fact, although the same ride seems to get shorter with each
trip, the walkup keeps getting longer! And I’ve also noticed
that this discrepancy carries over to the following years.
Must have something to with physics.

I also visited in July to enjoy the cool and freshness of the
mountain air and marvel in the magnificence of the forest and
all the little animals. Well I could have gotten by without
a visit from "Chip." But as luck would have it, he was sitting
there waiting for me. He started criticizing my every move,
starting with the unloading of my truck.

I like to say "hey" to Wanda (not my sister) at the Cloudcroft
leather shop. While I was there in July, she, my wife and my
sister talked me into buying a new wallet. At the time I didn’t
think that the one I had was all that bad. But now that I’ve
got the new one, I find it much easier when the entire wallet
comes out of your pocket in the first try.

Well, I am loading up the truck again, as I get ready for
another trip over. This time to get my eyes full of fall and
the changing of the colors, if I’m not to late that is. My
sister Wanda (not the one in the leather shop) asked me to
visit and if he was free, she asked that mister chainsaw come
along. I don’t know what she sees in him, he can’t do anything
by himself.

I just ask that Richard at the Spring Mountain Restaurant put a
big pot of his road-kill bean soup on the stove for lunch
Saturday. I know that doesn’t sound very good, but I’m sure
he’s just kidding about the road-kill, unless he was lucky
enough to find a pig that had been feeding heavily on sage just
prior to crossing the road. We’re talking good stuff here!

See ya,
Bill White
Phoenix, AZ

PS. Richard, if Saturday isn’t bean soup day, let me know which
day it is… Better yet, I’ll call ahead.

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