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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #208
April 2, 2004
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Dear Subscriber:

I used to think soccer was a dull game.

First of all, it's played with a round ball. It was my opinion
that anybody can play with a round ball as long as it's bigger
than a baseball and you don't have to use a club to hit it. It
bounces the same way all the time, unlike a football, which
bounces wherever.

I wonder what it would be like to watch an American rules
football game played with a soccer ball.

Something else. It's a long time between scores in soccer.
Fans sit in the stands and cheer on their favorite team and
trim their nails and play scrabble waiting for a goal.

"The Blues blasted the Reds with overwhelming offense in a
huge scorefest...1 to nothing."

"Hey, Don...Amanda's playing in a soccer tournament in
Alamogordo tomorrow. It sure would be nice if you and Peggy
could be there to root her on."

That was two years ago. It was my brother calling. Amanda's my
niece. Very pretty. Very athletic, but c'mon...soccer?

She IS my niece, though. In part for the sake of family unity,
Peggy and I decided to go watch her play.

At the end of the first half, I was not only a fan of my
niece's talents, I was also a soccer fan. It's not eclipsing my
interests in football (the other football), but I have to admit
the more I know about it the more I like it.

Here was a group of young ladies that worry themselves about
the clothes they wear and the most alluring perfumes and are
sweet young ladies in every way, but when they take the soccer
field they would rip off the other team's ears if it were
within the rules.

Amanda is a goalie. To the untrained eye it seems the goalie
has the easiest job. The goalie stations back around the other
team's goal waiting for an attack. I learned early in my
indoctrination to soccer that a goalie has an easy time of it
if they're playing an inferior team. If they're playing a
superior team, the goalie can be the difference between
humiliation and victory. That's why, more often than not, the
goalie is the most athletic member of the team. That's why
Amanda is the goalie, if you get my somewhat biased drift.

That day we attended Amanda's game, they were playing a
superior team.

Mandy blocked three shots on goal. Finally one got in. The
other team was up by one. The other team seemed to be bigger
and older. I think some of them even had beards. Maybe it was
just me.

The rest of Amanda's team was fighting valiantly to hold off
the bigger team but eventually it came down to Amanda. She
blocked shot after shot. I could hear un-lady-like huffs and
groans as they fought. Amanda was yelling sweet little
supportive things to the rest of the team like "C'mon,
ladies...stuff it in their ear." Sounded like a football game
to me.

The Hobbs Lady Eagles lost the game that day, but I had found a
new respect for the game of soccer and a group of young ladies
that chose to play it.

A year later Amanda and her team took the same field in a game
we were there to see. They won. The Eagles were stronger and
better and Mandy was even able to wave to us from her position
as goalie while her team mates were takin' care o' binnis at the
other end.

Now, when I'm channel surfing and I come across a soccer game...
I watch a while. I still think there's too much time between
scores.

Amanda will go to Eastern New Mexico University next year on
a soccer scholarship.

She's also an accomplished artist. The mural she did for Peg
and I is on display on our party deck and is priceless.

I guess there are a lot of lady's soccer games in our
immediate future as we watch and root Amanda and the Zia's on
at ENMU.

Meanwhile Amanda's little brother Chad has become quite the
basketball player at Hobbs High School. They got their talents
from their Daddy.

My brother is a heckuva 8 ball player.

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 -- ANTIQUE MERCANTILE
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- EASTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY
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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Another pretty week. The hummers are coming home. Highs in the
mid-60s. Lows in the mid-30s. No new precip. The Forest
Service has posted a "high" fire danger.
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VILLAGE NEWS
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Our apologies for no report on the village council meeting for
the month of March. Reports will resume in the newsletter
starting with the April meeting.
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- ANTIQUE MERCANTILE
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In scenic Cloudcroft, walk to the end of Burro Street and you
will find the Antique Mercantile. Enter and discover a cozy and
warm ambiance in this store filled with an eclectic mix of
treasures of years gone bye. We have antiques and collectibles,
including linens, furniture, costume jewelry, glass, porcelain,
baseball cards and comic books. Looking for something special?
Our friendly staff will be happy to help you. Call us at
1-505-682-2583 or email us at ssaiers@pvtnetworks.net. For more
information, see the link to our web site on the Shopping page
of Cloudcroft.com:

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

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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- EASTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY
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In Portales. Close to Texas. In the heart of New Mexicans.

http://www.enmu.edu/

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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - You mentioned a dive bombing bee in your last issue. Are
bees that aggressive in the Cloudcroft area?

A - I was using a little literary license when I described the
dive-bombing bee. Yes, there was a bee. No, he wasn't trying
to eat me. The genus of bees living in these mountains are very
docile. I've been stung twice in the past 20 years. Once when
a bee got in the top of my boot. The second time when I grabbed
a buzzer off my neck. Self defense in both cases.
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COMING EVENTS
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April 7 -- High Noon book club. 12pm. In the library. Bring
your lunch and join us in discussing "Life of Pi" by Yann
Martel.

April 10 -- Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Bonnet Parade

April 11 -- Community Sunrise Service. Baptist Church, 7am.
There will be a breakfast following the service.

April 17-18 -- Rattlesnake Roundup. Alamogordo.

May 8 -- Old Timer's Reunion

May 29, 30 -- Mayfest

June 12 -- Miss New Mexico "Show Me Your Shoe" Parade. Golf
Tournament at the Lodge Golf Course. Proceeds go to the
Scholarship Account for the Miss NM Contestants.

June 18, 19, 20 -- Western Roundup

June 25-27 -- Chimney Spring Bluegrass Festival. For more
information call 505-687-3520.

July 10, 11 -- July Jamboree

July 23-25 -- Singing in the Clouds. We invite all to join us
for some great gospel singing, solo's, trio's, quartet's, and a
lot of group singing by all. (325) 691-9123.

September 19 -- Gary Johnson’s Cloudcroft Run. World’s highest
certified 10k run. For more information call 505-687-2133.

October 2, 3 -- Oktoberfest

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. March program is "The Basics of Art" by Ed Woten.
All artists are welcome - especially beginning artists.

Cox Canyon Volunteer Fire and Rescue is organizing an
auxiliary unit. If you would like to help support this group
of dedicated men and women, call 682-3084, 682-4664, 682-3719
or 682-3234.

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 button.

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:

I have only been reading your newsletter pages for a few
months...WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE? Thank you soooo
much for "a little bit of home!" I was born and raised in
Alamogordo, grew up camping every summer in the Old Fir
campgrounds outside of Cloudcroft, married a HAFB airman,
and have since traveled all over the world, but always
calling that part of the world HOME!
 
I love the beginning articles, but most of all thank you for
all the pictures and attachments. I have never written to an
editor before, but just had to after today's mail...my
Daddy still lives in Alamogordo (has lived there for 74
years now...his birthday is March 20th also). All the kids
are grown and we don't get to camp much anymore, but
CLOUDCROFT is our chosen spot.
 
Do you have a book out? Thank you for all you do. Keep it up.
 
Mob
Lubbock, TX

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Dear Newsletter:

My friend is planning on getting married this summer and she
wants an outdoor wedding in either Cloudcroft or Ruidoso and
I was wondering if there are any out door sites that people
would rent out for her outdoor wedding.

Please let me know.

Thank you
Abby

[There are several nice wedding sites around the area. I would
suggest contacting either the Cloudcroft Chamber of Commerce
1-505-682-2733 or the Sacramento Forest Service 1-505-682-2551
for more info.

Oh, and congratulations to the bride and groom. -- Don]

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