Chili today

September 24, 2018 cthulu Leave a comment

A reliable sign that it is officially Fall (besides looking at a calendar and the appearance of pumpkin spice flavored everything) is when the chili crop is ready. There are roasting stands for green chili, and bushels and ristras (chili tied up in string) of the red.

So this is what they look like when they are fresh.

And this is what they look like in a dried ristra. Well, what happens next? To use this for more than decoration, one removes the stem and seeds, boils them for a bit in some water, whizzes them up in a blender, strains the pulp, and uses this to make a pot of red chili (or one starts with the frozen pulp from the grocery store which is much easier).

And voila, a pot of New Mexico Red Chili. Actually, this one is not very traditional, because it contains beans. A traditionalist would serve the red chili and beans separately, so that one can put together a bowl to one’s taste. But I made this particular pot for a reason.

My group of ladies made pots of chili of varying kinds as part of a charity fundraiser (mine is the puny pot on the end) held in a member’s empty barn. I did try to make this a mild batch, but it didn’t taste right to me until it was fairly spicy (oops). And the chilis ranged from hotter than mine, to one without any spice (I don’t know if one could even rightly call this chili).

And here is a very traditional recipe, from a cookbook published in 1971 by M’s favorite restaurant in Mesilla, NM. And what I made was somewhat similar.

The mild-ish was a lie.

But a good time was had by all on a perfect Autumn day, trying all the variations and permutations of this humble dish.

New Mexico

Historic Buildings

September 19, 2018 cthulu Leave a comment

I have friends that bemoan the demise and disappearance of lovely old buildings in their growing cities. I even do this myself. But there are also the shrinking cities, and their buildings are there to stay until they fall down of natural causes. And because they were built in the face of a hopeful future, they were built to last. Without any love or maintenance, these buildings have survived, putting to shame the plainness of modern architecture.

These buildings both have the same lovely window decorations, but on the building on the right they have at least slapped a coat of paint on things. These windows are custom made and would cost a small fortune to re-create.

This building is currently undergoing renovation and the owners hope to open in a small way (7 luxury rooms) later this month. Built in 1898 as a destination railroad hotel and run by Fred Harvey it was part of the soul of the town. It closed in 1948, had some brief uses over the years, but has not really had any work done on it since then. A lover of the railroad experience is pouring money into it fixing it up, and it could be part of a renaissance of the town.

This building across the street was originally used as a dormitory for the Harvey Girls who worked across the street. It has been bought by an assistant district attorney, and is partially restored (well he at least had the top bit done). It will be interesting to see if these ventures attract tourists (always a fickle lot).

This lovely building was built in 1885, and was a dry goods store starting in 1897. It is untouched, unlike the building to the east, with it’s ugly tacked on frontage. But wait, what’s that in the window?

One can see that this building was quite nice at one time, with cast iron pillars in front. Who ever owns it now might be a bit of a hoarder as it is filled with all sorts of odds and ends.

Yes, that is a life-sized figure of a clown. Why it is there and where it came from are a riddle with no answer. But perhaps it will be something to draw in tourists, somehow.

Art, Ephemera

More windows

September 13, 2018 cthulu Leave a comment

Once I start noticing a thing, like the white stickers on car windows, I start seeing them everywhere. Of course the very best ones that I glimpse are the ones I see as I am driving along. And it would be impossible to pull my phone out of my pocket (the seatbelt holds me securely in place) and snap a picture before the traffic light changes. Oh well, sometimes these things are just meant to elude one’s grasp. But I did manage to capture these images on parked cars.

In lieu of stick figures, Star Wars seems to be the next most popular way to graphically illustrate one’s family. I have seen Darth Vader as paterfamilias, various storm troopers, and this one, with the large war machines, At-At’s, for the parents and the smaller war machines, At-St’s to show the number of kids. Must be some sort of fan, eh?

I loved this sticker from the moment I saw them pull into the parking space. The combination of the cheerful yellow truck and the image of the elephant, it was really quite striking. (Although they probably don’t have a pet elephant waiting at home).

I saw this one in the same parking lot as the elephant, and I somehow don’t think that it has an ulterior meaning, it was just a pretty thing.

And then there is this creepy sticker. It’s on a rather nice SUV, but this girl wants everyone to know that she is a scary person at heart.

So we have seen these people’s obsessions, and you see my obsession, taking a peak into their souls.

Doings, Ephemera, New Mexico

Pterror on Parade

September 7, 2018 cthulu 2 Comments

Operating on the theory that any photo can be improved by adding a pterodactyl, I had decided that this years’ photographs of the parade should include Pteri. There is a certain sameness to every years’ parade, we can only guess at what year the pictures were taken by the changes in the hairstyles of the spectators (although it is easier to guess which photos are from the distant past, they are in black and white).

One can always tell when the parade is going to start (never on time), some sort of police vehicle leads the way with ear-splitting sirens blasting.

Shriners are a service organization (made up of mostly old guys) that are an essential part of any parade. Besides marching around (or riding, often in tiny cars; as I mentioned they are mostly old guys) they do raise money for a children’s hospital. On this day one of the old guys fell off the float (he was okay) and this delayed the parade for a bit.

To be a proper parade, there must be floats. And a float must have lots of crepe paper, possibly tinsel or glitter, and people throwing candy to the crowd. And I must say, there was a delicious variety of candy on offer (we gave the bits that we didn’t like to nearby children.)

Because this is a large gathering of people in a sparsely populated area, the politicians were out in force flogging their wares in the hope of securing our votes. In this particular parade anyone who wants to can participate, but, politicians have to pay $100 to be in the parade. This thrifty group has the placards of several additional candidates on the truck. The main politician is making a big deal out of her maiden name, to show that she is the third generation of this political family to be running for office, (no, apparently we can’t ever get rid of political families).

And a parade is as good an excuse as any to ride one’s horse down the main street. There really is no other reason, as there are no businesses in town.

Then it was on to the main business of the day. Free food (courtesy of the cattleman’s association) and a chance to visit with old friends and former neighbors.

Doings, New Mexico

4 Views

September 3, 2018 cthulu 1 Comment

Well I have taken the annual visit to M’s relatives in this tiny town during the 108th festival. And because I go there on vacation, I always have a really good time, and take tons of pictures of the same views that I always take. If I actually lived there I am sure that I would not enjoy it half as much (because it is so far from stores, libraries, swimming pools, doctors and other trappings of civilization). But then again, maybe I would get used to it. And I really never tire of the view.