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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #171
July 18, 2003
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Dear Subscriber:

When I was in college, I entertained the idea of being a
newspaper man. Not the guy that delivers them. The one that
writes for them.

I wanted to work for a major metropolitan newspaper and protect
the citizenry from those ruthless enough to tell untruths and
otherwise be mean. I could see myself with my pipe in my mouth,
my tie loosened and my sleeves rolled up above my elbows,
banging away on a manual Underwood typewriter trying to make
the deadline with another Pulitzer Prize story nominee.

Pipe smoking made me sneeze, so I went into radio news instead.

When you do radio news, you read it over the microphone and
nobody can tell you don't know how to spell. It was a rewarding
profession until I realized I had seen one too many
multi-fatality highway accidents and murder scenes. The sights
and sounds of that kind of maihem got to where it didn't disturb
me much, and that disturbed me.

I became a disc-jockey. It doesn't take as much intelligence to
be a disc-jockey as it does a journalist, but it pays better.

After over 30 years as a clown of the airwaves, I had a brain
hemorrhage. Now I slur my words. No one wants to listen to a
radio announcer that slurs his words, so I came full circle and
began to write again.

I don't cover car wrecks any more. Today I write of lighter
subjects. Dogs, neighbors and the proper dispensation of toilet
paper. But still I read newspapers with a critical eye toward
writing. Some of the stuff written in them is so funny it's sad.

Take an article I read in the paper today. (I won't name the
paper. I'll just say it was published in a West Texas town just
across the Mexican border from Juarez.)

The headline read, IT IS DANGEROUS TO LEAVE YOUR CHILD IN A CAR
IN 100 DEGREE HEAT.

I was reading it while eating lunch and I dropped my sandwich.

My thought as I picked up my sandwich and cleaned off the dirt
was anyone that doesn't know it's dangerous to leave a youngster
in a hot car probably doesn't have the wherewithal to read a
newspaper.

It reminded me of an account I read in a newspaper a few years
ago. The opening paragraph of the article said (in part):

"...the body was found in a ravine bound at the wrists and
ankles with electrical cord. Police suspect foul play."

I don't hold such empty-minded writing against the reporters.
Reporters are often on the low end of the newsroom pecking
order. Many of them are just learning their trade. I hold it
against the editors. It's the editors that are supposed to
catch that silly stuff and change it before it reaches print
and the readers are assaulted with it. Maybe the editors should
be writers under the supervision of good editors.

It's often the same sad tale with TV reporters.

Last week I saw a TV reporter interviewing a close friend of
Katherine Hepburn, a great actress who died recently at the age
of 96.

She asked her interviewee, "How old was Ms. Hepburn?"

Answer: "She was 96 years old."

Interviewer: "So, what did Katherine die of?"

Hepburn's friend got this quizzical look on his face and said
"She was 96 YEARS OLD!"

If Miss Face had spent less time in the make-up room and more
time studying her material, she may not have asked such a
brain-lock question.

The scary fact is, there are still a lot of people that place
substantial weight on the stuff they read in the newspapers and
see on TV. The people charged with the responsibility of
delivering those messages resemble (at times) the inmates
running the asylum. Since most of us are too busy trying to
make a living to go out and gather our own news, we have to
rely on these sources.

I guess we just have to be careful who and what we believe.

Believe me. It's true. I think. According to my sources.

Don Vanlandingham
Cloudcroft.com

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
2. VILLAGE NEWS
3. INSIDE THE SHOP -- REBECCA'S RETREAT
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- SPACE HALL OF FAME
5. Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
6. COMING EVENTS
7. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
8. CONTACT INFORMATION
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LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
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A dry spell this week, interrupting the daily showers we were
growing accustomed to. Also warmer than usual, with highs in
the upper-80s. Lows in the low-50s.

There are still some restrictions on Forest land and those
restrictions are subject to change at any time. Contact the
Forest Service office (1-505-682-2551) for timely updates.
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VILLAGE NEWS
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Christmas in July will be held at the Cloudcroft Senior Citizens
Center on the 25th. It's an opportunity to celebrate
Christmas with those members that will be elsewhere over the
actual Christmas holidays. For details call (505) 682-3022.
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- REBECCA'S RETREAT
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Great location in the Village, yet gently secluded nestled in
the trees. Beautiful new 3 bedroom/3 bath/garage/sleeps 8. Fully
furnished kitchen and linens. New southwestern furnishings;
river rock fireplace; cable TV; video player; washer/dryer/
large covered deck; BBQ grill; all the comforts of home and
more. Call (281) 497-1034 or email bvirtue@houstontexans.nfl.com.

For more info, see the link to our web site on the Lodging page
of Cloudcroft.com:

http://www.cloudcroft.com/lodging.htm

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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- SPACE HALL OF FAME
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New Mexico has played a major roll in the US space program.

The Space Hall of Fame is in Alamogordo.

http://www.spacefame.org/gal1a.html

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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - How's the book coming?

A - Slowly but surely. I work on it a little every day, but
these are busy months in the mountains. I'll be able to work on
it with more vigor in the fall.

That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
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COMING EVENTS
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July 18 -- Pirates of Pensance. Flickinger Center. Alamogordo.

July 18, 19 -- Melodrama. Open Air Pavilion. Cloudcroft.

July 25 -- Miss Otero County Pageant. Flickinger Center.

July 26 -- Lace Lucero Tour. White Sands National Monument.

July 26 -- Tailgate Concert. Mike Pritchard's Blue Note Thunder
and Lightning Horns. Space Museum Parking lot.

August 1-3 -- Oklahoma. Flickinger Center. Alamogordo.

August 2 -- National Kid's Day. Washington Park. Alamogordo.

August 2-3 -- Robin Hood Days. Timberon.

August 7-10 -- Gathering of Circles. www.gatheringofcircles.com.

August 9 -- Otero County Fair parade. Alamogordo.

August 13-16 -- Otero County Fair.

August 15 -- Cloudcroft Methodist Preschool registration,
9am-12pm. Ages 4 months-8 years. For more information, contact
Linda Linn (505) 682-2266 or (505) 682-2264.

August 16 -- Model rocket launch. Veteran's Memorial Park.
Alamogordo.

August 23 -- Larry Fox Memorial Fun Run. Alamogordo.

August 23 -- Tailgate Concert. Bayou Seco. Space Museum
parking lot.

August 30 -- Alamogordo Amateur Radio Club Hamfest.
Fairgrounds.

August 30, Sept. 1 -- 13th annual Cottonwood Arts and Crafts
Festival. Alameda Park. Alamogordo.

August 30, 31, Sept. 1 -- Cloudcroft Labor Day Fiesta.

September 20 -- Lumber Jack Day. Zenith Park, Cloudcroft.

September 19-21 -- Healing Hearts.

September 21 -- Governor Johnson's Run/Walk. Cloudcroft.

Cloudcroft Art Society meets the second Sunday of each month,
2-4pm, in the Old Red Brick School House. Call (505) 682-3004
for more information and details on the Cloudcroft Summer Art
Workshops.

Would you like to help deliver meals to the homebound around
Cloudcroft? Monday through Friday deliveries. Call the
Cloudcroft Senior Center at (505)-682-3022. For information on
other Senior Center services, see their web site, listed on the
Cloudcroft.com Links page.

http://www.cloudcroft.com/links.htm

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. Cloudcroft Senior Citizens Center, every
Wednesday. High Rolls Senior Citizens Center, first Thursday
of each month.

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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:

Concerning safety corridors... We ought to make all interstate
highways safety corridors. Nothing else seems to work in slowing
speeders. Double the money for speeders is appropriate.

Douglas Courchene
Mount Olive, NC 

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Dear Newsletter:

Thank you for subscribing us to the Cloudcroft Newsletter.
Looking forward to a visit there when fuel prices allow RVing
again. Meantime, guess we visit vicariously via the Newsletter.

Leonard & Juanita Rudd

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Dear Newsletter:

I wrote recently and asked about a local AOL access number
since we are staying in Cloudcroft for the month of July. I
found the number - it is (505) 434-7701. I thought I would
share this with you since other readers might be interested.

Danny Lemon
Oro Valley, AZ
(Currently Cloudcroft, NM - and we love it!)

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Dear Newsletter:

I just got home from Cloudcroft, and I had a wonderful time at
the July Festival.

My daughter and I had the opportunity to visit with retired Lt.
Col. W. A. Henderson and his wife. They have a cabin at James
Canyon, just about a mile from mine.

He was set up out in front of the House of Treasures, promoting
his book "China, Burma, India to the Kwai". He was the
bombardier that destroyed the bridge over the river Kwai in
WWII.

He was so interesting to talk to and pointed out a lot of the
differences in the story line in the movie "Bridge Over River
Kwai" and the way it actually played out. He said there was a
screenwriter looking at his book and it could possibly be the
next Kwai Movie.

I hope to meet up with them again sometime when I go out to
Cloudcroft. I didn't know if you had ever met him or even knew
they had a cabin out there, but he would make a great speaker
for some special events going on in Cloudcroft. They currently
live in Gatesville, Texas.

Regards,
Kathy Jackson
Blackwell, Texas

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Dear Newsletter:

Wow... Cloudcroft is indeed all you have said it is. I was not
prepared for the EYE CANDY or the wonderful friendly people in
Cloudcroft.

My visit was an awesome respite... to name a few things... I
loved the grocery store with the bakery, the smells alone were
enough to shoot my diet resolve. The Burro St. shops were great
and I left some money there. The shop keepers were friendly and
made me feel welcome.

The street dance was fun to watch and the local policeman on
duty that evening was so nice that we took his picture to show
folks back home that law enforcement officers can smile and even
give hugs to tourists.

All in all, it was GREAT. I went looking for my family, that
over the years I had lost touch with at 16 Springs Canyon. I
found the Walkers still up on the mountain and what a gift that
was.

I feel connected to the place and the people and to the pioneer
heritage of my family... strong wonderful people who have lived
in the most beautiful place I know of.

The road up to 16 Springs Canyon is not for the faint of heart
however. The vistas are breathtaking. I was a bit disadvantaged,
as my friend who accompanied me on that road forbade me to look
as I drove... I have a tendency to drift in the direction I am
looking. Not a good thing on the 16 Springs Canyon road.

It was difficult to leave Cloudcroft, especially to return to
temperatures in excess of 100 degrees.
Thanks for the Newsletter.

Caroline Gibson-Holler
Johnson city, Texas

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