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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #133
October 25, 2002
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Dear Subscriber:

I just got the pictures taken this past week at the Torpedo 4
reunion in Las Cruces. I'm looking at them now.

It's my father-in-law's old outfit from World War II. He flew a
torpedo plane off the carrier Essex in the Pacific. They held
the reunion in Las Cruces and Peggy and I were invited to 
attend.

They've had several reunions before and Dr. Thomas had told us
about them, but it was our first time to attend one.

I'm sure there were dozens of guys and their wives at the first
reunion decades ago, but sitting here looking at the group
picture of this reunion, I count 13. Years are claiming numbers
of this group where the ravages of that war could not.

The picture was taken in front of the USS Desert Ship...the
only commissioned US Naval vessel that is nowhere near water.
It is at the Naval installation at White Sands Missile Range,
New Mexico where the navy conducts its own missile testing
program. The veterans from Torpedo 4 Group were the Navy's
special guests on the base.

http://www.cloudcroft.com/photos/airgroup4.htm

As I sit here looking at the picture, I'm reminded not of the
war stories these men told, although there were some. The
thing that sticks in my mind (and will be with me for the rest
of my days) is the reverence the Army and Naval personnel at
White Sands held for this group of old warriors. It wasn't a
patronizing sort of salutation. It was a genuine respect. You
could see it and you could feel it. There is a certain swagger
that goes with wearing the uniform of a United States soldier,
but the swagger was not there. From the lowest ranking enlisted
man to General William Engel, the commander of White Sands
Missile Range, who met with the group in the Main Briefing Room,
the attitude was these vets out-ranked them.

More than once during our three hours at White Sands Missile
Range, I heard a redundant theme from the men and women that
addressed our contingent; (Paraphrasing) "We are faced with a
crises in this war against terrorism. We hope we can make you
as proud of us as we are of you."

It wasn't rehearsed. It wasn't public relations (I know BS
when I hear it). It was from the heart and it was said with
resolve.

There were even some tears. Not from the vets, but from a
couple of base personnel. More than once a presentation was
momentarily halted as the presenter gathered his thoughts and
his emotions. It wasn't lost on these people that they were
addressing a room full of heroes.

Peggy and I looked at each other on more than one occasion and
we saw the tears in each other's eyes. If we had been asked to
speak, we would have been toast.

The next day, we took a bus to the War Eagle Air Museum in El
Paso. I was expecting a conglomeration of rusted-out old
airplanes, but it was obvious from the get-go that this
collection of vintage warplanes was assembled with (I'm using
the word again) reverence. These old war-birds looked as if
they could be taxied out on short notice and flown into battle
again.

http://www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/

http://www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/aircraft.html

There, in the middle of the huge hanger, was a Grumman Avenger,
the plane most of these vets were married to and had trusted
their lives to during the Pacific campaign of the second world
war.

It was the decision of the museum officials to remove the "Do
Not Touch" ropes and the vets crawled on top of and into the
plane as they did on the deck of the Essex over 50 years ago.
Pictures were taken as each man took up his old position in the
craft. To the man, they had entered a time machine. You could
see it in their eyes.

We returned to the motel in Las Cruces. In the hospitality room
I listened to the men and their wives discuss the day's events
and the events that changed their lives back in the 40s.

Conspicuous by its absence was any regret.

Give them a plane and a tank of gas, and they would do it again.

Thanks, you guys, for letting us be a part of your lives this
past week. Saying thanks to you for your service to this
country is a serious understatement.

Don Vanlandingham
Cloudcroft.com

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
2. SPECIAL -- SEASONSCAPE, PHOTO 2
3. VILLAGE NEWS
4. INSIDE THE SHOP -- CLOUDCROFT TOWING
5. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- NEW MEXICO STATE PARKS
6. Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
7. COMING EVENTS
8. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
9. CONTACT INFORMATION
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LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
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Turning markedly cooler. The apex of the foliage change has
come and gone, with large blankets of fallen leaves shrouding
the streets and sidewalks.

Highs in the mid-50s. Lows in the mid-30s and occasionally
dipping into freezing territory.
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SPECIAL -- SEASONSCAPE, PHOTO 2
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The SeasonScape photo experiment by Kit Richards continues:

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

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VILLAGE NEWS
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The old trolley car, parked next to the Mountain Mercantile for
over two decades, is no longer a part of the Cloudcroft downtown
landscape.

It was moved to its new home last week at a Baltimore museum.

The trolly was the location of several different business
offices over the years, but has recently been vacant.
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- CLOUDCROFT TOWING
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Stuck? Car won't run? Cloudcroft towing to the rescue. 24
hour service. (505) 682-2737. Ask about our tree removal 
service.
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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- NEW MEXICO STATE PARKS
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Here's a complete list.

http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/nmparks/

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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - Is it all right to bring in the hummingbird feeders now?

A - The experts say you should leave at least one feeder out
until it has been a week since you've seen a hummingbird. There
are still birds that, for one reason or another, may be passing
through the area on their way south.
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COMING EVENTS
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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 23 -- Cloudcroft Chamber of Commerce annual banquet.
Lodge Pavilion.

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. 26 (10am-5pm) and Oct. 26 (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 8:30 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:

I expected you to tell us about the removal of the trolley car
which has been parked next to Mtn Top Grocery for many years;
it happened last Tuesday (Oct 15). Who bought it and what are
they going to do with it?

We just came home from a week at our place on Coyote Ave - we
think this is by far the best foliage season we have seen in
15 years.

Charles Taylor

[See Village News.]

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Dear Newsletter:

My wife of 35 years and I are anxiously awaiting our retirement
in the next 4 or 5 years. We are planning on retiring in 
Cloudcroft and will be visiting there next summer to scout out
some property. We were both raised in Hobbs, New Mexico. But,
after spending 21 years in the US Air Force, and then following
with another 20 years in civil service, we haven't spent much
time there.

We have recently, after careful consideration and studying about
them, brought two new Great Pryaneese puppies into the Rozell
household. We just love em. The are 4 months old now, and weigh
45 pounds, both females. They brighten every day and fill us
with joy. I've included a couple of pictures when they were 9
weeks.

Thanks for the wonderful job on the newsletter, we feel like we
know you already.

Paul

http://www.cloudcroft.com/photos/rozell.jpg

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Dear Newsletter:

Just returned from a five-day visit to our new property in 
Russia Canyon (cold up there, ain't it?). I just wanted to let
everyone know how grateful we are to all the folks working at
Green Mountain Realty/Construction for all the help while
there.

These people went above and beyond to make our stay survivable,
as we were roughing it in a rented "19-foot" camper. Thanks to
Jim Maynard, Janice, Bert, Sergio, Justin, and the two 
gentlemen who provided a "refuse receptacle" for our on-board
potty. 

These folks are a deciding factor in our leaving Ole' Miss 
behind.

Also had to make a trip to the hardware store where I met the
proprietor and THAT DARN CAT. That's one high-maintenance kitty
y'all got there!

Looking forward to a January-February visit. Thanks to all
again.

The Days
Biloxi, MS

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Don, about those scorpions...

To the best of my knowledge, there are no poisonous scorpions
in Carlsbad nor in this area (I lived in Carlsbad 42 years and
had only one sting--the doctor told me to take aspirin to
alleviate the pain which was no worse than the aftermath of a
bee sting).

There are two insects which resemble the scorpion--the 
Vinegaroon (big, black, and ugly) and the Mother of Earth 
spider. Both of these are beneficial to the environment. In
fact, some people have kept Vinegaroons around just keep down
the population of waterbugs, roaches, etc. Check out
www.buginfo.com - Bugs from A to Z for an enlightening journey
into the world of bugs.

Keep up the good work on the newsletter! By the way, I now
live in the Sacramento Mtns. (Weed) and love it! 

Patricia Ward

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Dear Newsletter:

Just as I had expected, Chip was there waiting for me on my
arrival (see attached photo) and Richard (Spring Mountain
Restaurant) came through for lunch on Saturday with a big bowl
of Road Kill bean soup and a side of Hushpuppies.

You know, there is something about getting home after a visit
to the Cloudcroft Mountain Communities. But since this is a
family oriented newsletter I won’t go there. It suffices to say
that I wish Cloudcroft was my full time home, but I have another
one thousand forty four-day’s to go before that happens. Boy
that sounds like a long time, 149 weeks sounds a little better
or 34 months. Oh well, I guess no matter how you slice it, it
don’t add up to "RIGHT NOW!"

At least my visit was in time to see the fall colors, but I got
there none to soon. Sunday’s light wind and rainfall pretty much
ended the rainbow tree effect in the hills. But the clean and
cool air! Boy, it’s worth every minute of the drive over.
Thought we would see a little dusting of snow there, late in
the day on Sunday, but it cleared up and was beautiful for the
rest of my visit. Being from the desert, even Sunday’s weather
was enjoyed.

Although I spent a good part of the time doing chores, I loved
every minute of it and can’t wait until it is part of my daily
routine. Thank you Lord for the Sacramento Mountains and
Cloudcroft New Mexico.

Bill White
Phoenix, AZ

http://www.cloudcroft.com/photos/white1.jpg

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