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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #211
April 23, 2004
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Dear Subscriber:

I was watching TV in the bedroom the other night when Peggy
came into the room.

When you've been married to someone for over 20 years you begin
to read eyes as much as you read the voice. Her eyes were
solemn and peaceful. There was that Peggy half-smile on her
face.

"It's raining," she said.

I popped my head around to the window. Ribbons of water coming
off the metal roof. The prompting made be aware of distant
thunder and the clean smell. I suppressed the urge to run out
and play in the rain lest the neighbors see me and my
reputation take another hit.

I guess "it's raining" doesn't mean a lot to a lot of people,
but in Cloudcroft it's almost the same thing as saying we just
won the lottery.

Peggy and I have lived here for 9 years. It has been a dry 9
years. Three major forest fires. Drought provoked tree insect
infestations. Water shortages.

April of 2004 has been a month the natives of this mountain
have been waiting for for a long time. While The Drought of
the New Millennium hasn't been officially broken, the wetness
around here for the past few weeks has dang sure made people
feel better.

The winds of spring will dry things out rapidly. We still have
to watch out for fires.

Cloudcroft.com will be there if there are any fire breakouts
with around-the-clock updates, but the threat quotient is more
positive this spring than in several years past.

-o-

There's a 30-yard distance from the main road to my workshop.
During the winter snows I actually had to shift into 4wd to get
to the shop. When the snow cleared I realized I had left two
deep muddy ruts.

That's why I decided to put in concrete runners to the shed.

A normal person would have hired a back-hoe to dig the forms
and contracted the cement.

Besides being cheap, I never claimed to be normal.

With frequent weather interruptions I've spent the past 6 weeks
digging the forms with a sharp-shooter shovel. My neighbors
drive by and shake their heads. Fact is I have saved maybe 5 or
6 hundred dollars digging it and paving it myself. A job that
could have taken 3 days if I had contracted it has stretched
into 40.

Not normal, but there's a reason other than my being an egg
roll short of a Chinese TV dinner for why I did it this way.

When I'm out there digging I'm one with the elements. The soil
smells good. The oldies coming out of the little battery
powered radio are a constant source of memories. The breeze
feels good in my hair. My shovel muscles feel stronger. The
smell of sunblock is strong in my nostrils. I have a helper. A
little gopher visits the job site just about every day. I've
invaded his territory with my shovel so I don't think he likes
me very much.

Life can be fun, even when you're just digging in the dirt.

Peggy reminds me we have more pressing projects, but I'm
obsessed with that ditch digging.

I'll be done in a week or two...or three. Then I'll get the
last laugh when I can drive those few yards to my work shed
without getting any mud on my truck.

When it's done, for prosperity, I'll put my hand print in the
wet cement and scratch in the date with a stick. We'll name the
little stretch of access road after me.

We'll call it Silly Avenue.

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 -- THE LODGE
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- NEW MEXICO SKIES
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 and breezy week. Highs in the mid-60s. Lows in the low
40s. Some precipitation over the past weekend.
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VILLAGE NEWS
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Work continues on the US Highway 82 tunnel between Cloudcroft
and Alamogordo.

Workers are painting and repairing the landmark. Delay times
for motorists have been minimal and the project will soon be
completed.
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- THE LODGE
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At 9,000 feet above sea level, it's bound to take your breath
away. Nestled amongst the cool mountain pines and aspens of
Cloudcroft, New Mexico lies an enchanting retreat with
world-class golf, elegant dining, romantic accommodations and
unique spa services. The Lodge offers 61 well-appointed rooms
with a Victorian flair.

The Lodge Retreat, located across from The Lodge, houses four
private luxury suites adjoined by a shared kitchen and
recreation area.

Within walking distance lies the Pavilion Bed and Breakfast Inn.
Built in 1899, this restored historic building provides 10
charming rooms with simple yet rustic decor.

For reservations, call (866) 595-6343 (toll free) or 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 -- NEW MEXICO SKIES
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For both professional and amateur astronomers.

http://www.nmskies.com/

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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - We have heard that Holloman Air Force Base might be on a
list of base closures. Is that true?

A - There are such rumors all the time but my sources say the
chance Holloman will be shut down are very slim and for good
reason.

Holloman and White Sands Testing Facility are allied in
national defense projects. They need each other for optimum
results.

Holloman is in an ideal location for an Air Force Base with
regard to terrain and sparseness of civilian population.

Officials consider the impact on the local economy when deciding
what bases should be closed. It is generally acknowledged that
the loss of Holloman would have a drastic negative effect on
Alamogordo and the area.

The build up of the US military due to the war on terrorism
has generally slowed down the base closing process across the
US.

At least that's what I've been told by bigger know-it-alls than
I.
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COMING EVENTS
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April 23 -- Marcy Barnes of Blue Dog Arts. Open Book.
Alamogordo. 434 2667

April 24 -- Alamogordo Home and Garden Show.

April 24 -- Santa Fe Opera Apprentices. Flickinger Center.
Alamogordo.

April 24 -- Lake Lucero tour. White Sands.

April 24 -- 10th annual Community Earth Day Fair. Alameda
Park Zoo.

May 1 -- Fiesta Finale. Flickinger Center. Alamogordo.

May 1 -- Skywatch program. Free planetarium show. NM
museum of Space History. Alamogordo. 437-2840

May 1- July 31 -- A T-Rex named Sue. Hubbard Museum, Ruidoso
Downs.

May 5 -- High Noon book club. 12pm. In the library. Bring
your lunch and join us in discussing MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA by
Arthur Golden.

May 6 and 8 -- Little Women. Play by Alamogordo High School.
Flickinger Center.

May 7 -- An evening with comedy writer Don Foster. Flickinger
Center.

May 8 -- Old Timer's Reunion. Cloudcroft.

May 8 and 9 -- Heritage Preservation Days. Oliver Lee Park.

May 29, 30 -- Mayfest. Cloudcroft.

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. Cloudcroft.

June 19-20 -- High Rolls Cherry Festival. 9am - 5pm each day.
Food, drink, cherry and cherry products, activities for kids,
arts/crafts vendors. As of early April it appears that we will
have abundant local cherries. (505) 682-1151

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

July 10, 11 -- July Jamboree. Cloudcroft.

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.

Cloudcroft Art Society meets the second Thursday of each month,
6-7:30pm, in the Old Red Brick School House. Call (505) 682-3004
for more information and details on the Cloudcroft Summer Art
Workshops.

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:

Don we have Golden and yes he is quite a human at least he
thinks he is, sleeps on the bed, has to be scratched, and has
umteen stuffed toys scattered around the place.

Would you please tell Cheryl and Carla whom I don't know that
I am sorry to here there loss, but I know that was a great 12
years for them and their Golden. It's hard to loose the four
legged that come to be so close to our hearts but they are put
in our lives for a reason I think.

I recently several months ago that is lost my 17 year old
Pomeranian, he just walked off one day from out of the yard he
has been in for years, no holes or open gates anywhere, I guess
he thought it would be easier that way for me, no matter he
was loved and will always be missed but always in my heart.

Ken 

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Dear Newsletter:

You wrote, "Dogs have such a natural love of people. Why can't
they live a life as long as ours?"

It's to bad that 'us' long lived people don't have that same
natural love of others.

Frank 
Mtn Home, AR

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Dear Newsletter:

Years ago, I had enjoyed both Golf Courses in Cloudcroft;
regularly during the summer months, but death claimed my
golfing Partner, and I didn't play for a long time.

Sometime later my wife and I agreed to a trip though Arizona
with friends from West Texas. On that trip, we found numerous
trailer parks with golf courses. But I soon decided my friend
really didn't enjoy golf as much as driving his big motor home.

We played 5 courses in 7 days. Several months later we were
discussing that trip and I mentioned his enjoyment of moving
more than playing golf; To which he replied, Elmer, that wasn't
the reason we moved; you hit every trailer in those parks. 

Elmer Ratliff
Midland, TX

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