19th ANNUAL BELEN MATANZA – BELEN, NM – Jan 26, 2019
Posted: January 19, 2021 Filed under: geezerEats, My Backyard, New Mexico, Uncategorized | Tags: Belen, matanza, pork Leave a comment »Three years age I attended the Matanza in Belen, NM where I ate my fill of roasted whole hog, beans, chile, and tortillas. This year it is scheduled for January 26, 2019 from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Eagle Park in Belen, NM, about 30 miles South of Albuquerque, NM.
You can read about the 2020 Matanza in the Albuquerque Journal – January 26, 2020.
The 2021 Matanza has been cancelled according to the Albuquerque Journal – January 19, 2021. We will have to wait until next year for this event as well as for a lot of other interesting celebrations in New Mexico.
Matanzas involve roasting a whole pig overnight in a pit dug in the ground. It is a celebration for all your family and friends. It involves a lot of home-made food and too much drinking. The first one I attended was when I came to Albuquerque over 50 years ago and was held on Thanksgiving Day. Lou had obtained a 300 pound hog and the night before it was placed in a pit in his backyard, wrapped in wet burlap, and laid on top of a huge bed of coals. The hog was then covered with coals and dirt and left to roast for twelve hours.
It was hoisted out of the pit, unwrapped, and the meat fell off the bones. More beer, pinto beans, tortillas, salad and pork made the Thanksgiving Dinner one that I remember to this day.
The one in Belen is more organized, raising money for charity. It costs $15 and is preceded by judges determining who made the best red chile, pork, tortillas and chicharrones. There are long lines and no shortage of beer. It is best to come early.
You can read about the “World’s Largest Matanza” in the January 2018 issue of New Mexico Magazine. The article, “Whole Hog” by Gwyneth Doland is worth reading. The article also contains recipes if you want to create your own Matanza, and tells you where to buy a whole hog. Go for it.
The 2017 Belen Matanza was the first I attended.
For instructions see the Weekly Alibi
The 2017 Matanza in Valencia County, NM
THINK OLD!
VISIT THE “OLD MAIN” NEW MEXICO PRISON – Scene of 1980 Prison Riot
Posted: January 20, 2020 Filed under: geezerLearns, geezerTrips, My Backyard, New Mexico, Uncategorized | Tags: jail, prison, Santa Fe Leave a comment »
THE HIGH LINE – Walking New York on the 2nd Floor
Posted: August 8, 2019 Filed under: geezerTrips, My Backyard, Uncategorized Leave a comment »
The High Line is an urban path that used to be an elevated train track. It runs from Gansevoort Street about 1;45 miles to 34th street. Access is by stairs and elevators. The 34th street end is about three blocks from Penn Station, so you can take a train or subway there and walk over.
The four phases were opened in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2015. It is similar to the rails-to-trails program and other programs that have created unusual walking paths. This one is smack, dab in Manhattan and snakes through a valley of skyscrapers, with 40 added in the last 10 years and more under construction. Walking it you are surrounded by windows looking out on the High Line and cranes rigging new construction.
You can walk, but not bike, the distance. There are over 210 species of plants; and, of course, old train tracks.
There are places to sit, and ares that allow for a picnic or party for up to 20 of your friends. In addition, there are numerous events planned for the summer. Around each stair/elevator, restaurants, and bars are springing up.
I did not see any toilets; only, numerous signs on restaurants that restrooms were for customers only.
The High Line is not as wide as I expected; but, it is a use of old second story train tracks.How wide can two elevated train tracks that go through downtown Manhattan be? It is a great idea and should be, and has been, replicated in many places.
It is a tourist destination only if you want to see one of the performing groups, if you want to see what could be done in your backyard, or if you are curious.
Such paths provide old people a chance to get outside, to walk, to meet and socialize with friends and to interact with their environment.
I would like to see:
1. Chess/checker/etc. boards so that old people could play chess/checkers/cards/ etc. like they do in Europe and small town mid-western town squares.
2. Drinking fountains.
3, Toilets
4, Maybe, but it would be tricky, ice cream carts, coffee carts, etc. on the path. Perhaps they could use the second-hand carts that airlines used to use before they stopped providing food/drinks/etc. on flights.
5. In the open space, early morning tai chi as in San Francisco China Town.
If you are interested, take a look at the following:
I checked out New Mexico on Trailink and discovered that the 16 mile long bike/walking path, 100 yards from my home was listed, in addition to dozens of others that I had not heard about. Wherever you go find an interesting walking path. Walking is what a “good” old age is all about.
WHEELS MUSEUM – a must for rail buffs visiting Albuquerque!
Posted: July 29, 2019 Filed under: geezerTrips, My Backyard, New Mexico, Uncategorized | Tags: Model trains, railroads, trains Leave a comment »
The Wheels Museum at the Rail Yards Market in Albuquerque is a must for railroad buffs and for anyone who wants to remember back to a simpler, younger age.
The volunteers who staff the museum are knowledgeable and helpful. They like what they are doing.
If you like model trains, there are several large layouts including one from the Clovis Model railroad club. There are a number of cars, trucks and various pieces of train equipment
I liked the horse drawn milk wagon as it reminded me of my childhood in Kansas where the milk was delivered to a box at your back door and the horse knew all the stops.
The museum is located in an old railroad storage building and is next to what used to be the only roundhouse between St. Louis and California and where they repaired engines. The old roundhouse is still in existence, empty, huge and now used for movie sets and for a weekly market. Rumor has it that it may be sold to CNM and used for film courses.
Next to the long abandoned train buildings are the tracks where there is a daily Amtrak train in each direction and numerous freight trains.
You can catch the RailRunner to Santa Fe or to Belen 7 days a week. It is free for seniors on Wednesday, but parking downtown is a pain. Better to park at the Montaño station and catch the train there.
If you like the Wheels Museum, you should also visit the 17 year restoration of Santa Fe Steam Locomotive # 2926 by the New Mexico Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society. You can visit on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1833 8th NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Or, check them out on-line at nmslrhs.org.
New Mexico is a fascinating place for train buffs, and if you are here during the State Fair, there is a great model train exhibit, put on by the Rio Grande Valley HO Model Railroad. In 2019, it is from September 5 – 15.
THINK OLD!
RAIL YARDS MARKET
Posted: July 21, 2019 Filed under: geezerEats, geezerTrips, My Backyard, New Mexico, Uncategorized | Tags: Abluquerque, artists, market, railroads, street food, trains Leave a comment »On Sundays from 9-3, May 4 – Nov. 2, you can visit the Rail Yards Market near downtown Albuquerque, NM. The site is next to the tracks and is in a huge old Santa Fe Railway repair shop. The market has over one hundred vendors and artists. It draws thousands of people. Outside there is plenty of free parking and a line of food trucks.
It is worth the trip. It is close to the Rail Runner Station and could be combined with a trip to Santa Fe and the markets there. It is also near the Amtrak Station and downtown Albuquerque.
Entry to the Rail Yards Market building.
Inside, which is free, you find artists, bakeries, local produce, music and crowds. Turn down your hearing aid.
Rail Yards Market on July 27, 2014.
Rail buffs, and most other people, especially those of us who can remember riding the train to college, will be fascinated by the interior of the Santa Fe Railway Repair Shop, now abandoned, waiting a new life, and used as the setting for a number of movies.
Inside the old Santa Fe Railway repair shop in Albuquerque, NM
To learn more about the rail yards visit the City of Albuquerque web page.
Street Food Institute student food truck.
Maybe you are looking for a second career in your retirement. Central New Mexico Community College in conjunction with the Street Food Institute offers a course in “Street Food.” Maybe you should apply. Visit Craigs List to find food trucks for sale.
The bottom line is that for a few hours on Sunday morning, you can’t go wrong, and you will see a part of American History. Drive through the surrounding streets and see “new town,” which came into being with the arrival of the rail road over a hundred years ago. Then compare it to “Old Town.”
HUMMINGBIRD ENJOYS FAST FOOD! What about you?
Posted: June 20, 2019 Filed under: Aging-in-place, geezerEats, My Backyard, Uncategorized | Tags: fat, Hummingbirds, processed food 1 Comment »I feed hummingbirds a mixture of one cup of sugar to four cups of water. The sugar is pure white, cane sugar. It is cheap; and must provide a sugar high.
Hummingbirds are at the trough all day and empty two feeders every day. They also eat at natural plants around the yard, but not so much.
I wonder if eating all that pure sugar is good for them. Can they make the annual migration to South America? Do they get fat? Do they have health problems? Are there obese hummingbirds?
They are like people. They eat what is easy; not, what they have to work for. People are obese. Will we see fat hummingbirds.
Something to think about.
Does fast food affect hummingbirds adversely?
I won’t stop feeding them. Like the fast food industry, I profit from the hummingbirds outside my window. I like to watch them; and, of course I count them. I am contributing to what I believe are hummingbird health problems; just like the fast food industry, with its highly processed, sugar-filled food have contributed to our health and obesity problems.
Next time you feed a hummingbird, take a look in the mirror. Where is your feeder with its high sugar concentration? Are you preparing to fly to Tierra del Fuego for the winter?
Take a look at the Wikipedia article on hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are also carnivores eating insects for the protein in addition to various forms of sugar.
THINK OLD!
SHEEP HERDING IN IRELAND AND NEW MEXICO
Posted: March 11, 2019 Filed under: geezerTrips, My Backyard, New Mexico, Uncategorized | Tags: dogs, herding, Ireland, shearing, sheep, sheep dogs Leave a comment »
On a Rick Steves’ tour to Ireland a few years ago, we visited a working sheep ranch and watched the dogs herd flocks of sheep following whistled commands from the sheep herder.
The Kissane Sheep Farm is located in Moll’s Gap, Kenmare, County Ireland, Ireland. It is 7 Euros for an adult to watch the dogs and the shearers in action. You can also adopt a sheep, but if you want to take it home, you have to buy it and put up with an enormous amount of red tape. Better to adopt one in the name of a grandchild.
In addition we were able to watch expert shearers shear one of the sheep:
I like Rick Steves’ tours because they always include something new; something beyond museums and restaurants; and, something that I know nothing about. I wanted to replicate the experience when I returned to New Mexico.
Searching in my own backyard, I discovered the New Mexico Herding Dog Association and on Saturday, May 13, 2017 we went to one of its events on the New Mexico State Fair Grounds.
This was the herding instinct test in which herding dogs, as classified by the American Kennel Club, and which have no experience with sheep, are tested to see if they like sheep, with three sheep. Mixed results. A fascinating new sub-culture to me, and one close to home.
A variety of breeds tried to maneuver three sheep while their owners urged them on. At first the dogs didn’t do much, but after watching the owners race about herding the sheep, the dogs got the idea, and tried it themselves.
About 40 sheep were kept in pens and were maneuvered about by a trained sheep dog which efficiently moved them from pen to pen and then into the arena where the test took place. The trained dog then sat quietly and watched from an adjoining arena.
The next step is to visit the FTB Ranch in Mountainair, NM and watch more events.
If interested you can search for events in your state on Google.
Search terms: State+herding dogs
ie Utah+herding dogs
THINK OLD!
BIKE/WALKING PATHS IN ALBUQUERQUE!
Posted: November 6, 2018 Filed under: geezerTrips, My Backyard, New Mexico, Uncategorized Leave a comment »
Bike/walking path along Rio Grande River in Albuquerque, NM
100 yards from my home there is a walking/bike path, the Paseo del Bosque Trail, which runs for 18 miles without crossing a street. The asphalt part has two lanes for bikes, runners and walkers. The gravel path next to it is ideal for walking. It is about 100 yards from the Rio Grande River and is the home of coyotes, owl, ducks, geese, beavers, and numerous birds.
It attracts balloons, bikers, walkers, runners, baby carriages and dogs on leashes. (A dog off the leash is a free lunch for a coyote, as are neighborhood chickens.)
A few miles down the path, you come to Tingley Beach where you can boat and fish. You also have the Albuquerque Zoo, the Albuquerque Aquarium, and the Albuquerque Bio-park. Going in the other direction for a half a mile you come to the Nature Center and a small pond. There are walking paths leading to the Rio Grande River. There is limited access and no motor vehicles.
The Path joins other paths. There is now a 50 mile activity path circling the city. I have heard that there are also people starting to walk the entire 50 miles over a several day period; sort of civic pilgrimage route.
The Paseo del Bosque Trail is ideal for older people. You can walk, ride bikes or push grandchildren. You can always meet a few people who you know if you are a regular. The open-space officers will point out nesting birds each spring; especially owls and hawks which are regulars. There are birders with their GPS devices locating various species of birds.
The balloons follow the path and the river; and sometimes land on our street. They are a daily occurrence.
It is a valuable city asset.
THINK OLD!
LEAVING THE GROUND IN NEW MEXICO – the sky’s the limit!
Posted: July 9, 2018 Filed under: geezerQuests, geezerTrips, My Backyard, New Mexico, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: Baloon, hang gliding, helicopter, parachute, plane rides, tram Leave a comment »New Mexico is the place to go if you want to get off the ground. Last week-end we went to the glider field at the Moriarty Airport, 50 miles from Albuquerque. There we saw dozens of gliders and several tow planes. A 15 minute glider ride from Sundance Aviation costs $105 and you fly with an FAA approved, experienced pilot. The only downside is that you have to weigh less than 220 pounds and be under 6′ 5″.
Near by is the US Southwest Soaring Museum which unfortunately was closed on Sundays.
Naturally this got me to thinking, and I discovered over Albuquerque via Google:
Trike Flights – This is an air tricycle. You can get a 30 minute ride for $100 with a licensed Sport Pilot. For an additional fee you can have a video made showing you in flight. I frequently see these mechanical trikes while I am walking along the Rio Grande.
Plane rides at Vertical Lift Aviation.
Parachute jumping. Starting at $375 with Albuquerque Sky Diving.
Hang gliding with High Desert Hang Gliding.
All near or in Albuquerque and while I have only taken a balloon ride, the others have intrigued me. I have not taken any but the hot air balloon ride, an Albuquerque must, but am intrigued at 77 and sorry that I missed them earlier in my life. I am toying with the glider ride.
More my speed is the Sandia Peak Ski & Tramway which will take you on a 2.7 mile tram ride to the top of Sandia Peak from Albuquerque. There is sking, a restaurant and great hiking. At your age, watch the altitude which is over 11,000 feet. You can always sit in the restaurant and enjoy the view with a glass of wine.
The big draw in and over Albuquerque is the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta held for a week every October, where up to a 1000 balloons participate in a mass ascension, among other events. And of course, there are hot air balloon rides then and the year around. The traffic is horrible, but if you have an RV, there is great RV parking next to the grounds. Balloon pilots and their chase crews are hard to keep up with at my age, especially in the evening.
There is also the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Foundation Museum.
Most mornings I can see hot air balloons following the Rio Grande River behind my home, which is about my speed.
It is worth soaring above the New Mexico desert, there is no age limit, and it gives you some great stories and pictures to impress your grandkids with.
THINK OLD!
ROUNDING UP BISON IN NEW MEXICO with Ted Turner Expeditions
Posted: June 12, 2018 Filed under: geezerTrips, My Backyard, New Mexico, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: bison, hot springs, Ladder Ranch, Sierra Grande Lodge, Ted Turner Ranch Leave a comment »
On Friday, January 26th, 2017, I followed hundreds of bison being rounded up on Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch, near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The tour was sponsored by Ted Turner Expeditions and was the 2nd annual Bison RoundUp. The tour part of the roundup lasted for 2 days and the bison on the 250 square mile ranch had been collected over the last several months. This was the last collection of bison and herds of 200 to 500 bison were driven into pens where they would be weighed, tagged and checked before being released.
The roundup lasted about 5 hours each day and involved 4 cowboys on horseback and 4 on ATV’s keeping the bison in line. The bison followed a truck that they mistook for a feed truck. Behind the herd, 15 of us who had signed up for the tour watched from ATV’s.
The 28 Turner Ranches are home to 51,000 bison.
The roundup is not advertised and will become an annual event. I received an e-mail invitation since we had stayed at the Sierra Grande Lodge in T or C, New Mexico, which is owned by Turner. The first class restaurant serves bison and the Lodge has natural hot springs spa tubs available to guests along with massages.
Turner Expeditions offers numerous other tours on the various ranches; all directed toward conservation and the preservation of natural habitats.
The Ladder Ranch has no paved roads, is 29 miles from T or C, and is near the Amadaros Ranch, another Turner Ranch. It is also near the NM Spaceport and Elephant Butte Lake. There are several vineyards that produce good wine. Turner’s Vermejo ranch is in Northern New Mexico, near Philmont Scout Ranch, where I first ate Bison in 1955.
The cost was $175 plus tax for a 7 hour day including driving time to the Ladder Ranch.
The guides were great and informative – they knew all about the flora and fauna on the ranch and a lot about the history.
The bison roundup is fascinating; with real cowboys and bison that are genetically pure .
In addition to bison, we saw a 40 Elk in a line and numerous birds. The ranch is a wildlife paradise.
I was told that there were about 27 bison bulls for 1500 cows, and that last year all but two of the cows had calves; however, I was unable to verify this.
And, of course, if you want to eat bison, the Sierra Grande Lodge serves it.
or, it is available at Whole Foods.
Sources: