What's In Your Wallet?

In my opinion, Capital One is a very unethical company. Here is what they are trying to do to me:

My Story

Yes, it can happen to anybody. The old rule of thumb applies: "Caveat emptor" - let the buyer (customer) beware.

Mel Gibson

Who Is This?
Originally uploaded by HighPlainsDox

I saw this guy near Santa Fe on Good Friday. All indications are that it's Mel Gibson, hence this post's title. I know, he doesn't look as good as he does in the movies, but this isn't the movies. He's without acting makeup and attire. He's very casual here.

The Road To Chimayo

On Good Friday, the annual pilgrimage to Chimayo, NM, was in full swing. We drove NM 503 and CR 98 from Pojoaque to Chimayo - only about 15 miles of the trek. On that stretch of road, there must have been thousands of people from all walks of life - walking......walking.....walking.
Some were on crutches and some were in wheelchairs. Some were very young. Some, very old.

People come hundreds of miles to visit this sacred ground, which is said to have the power to heal - physically, emotionally, spiritually. The pilgrims consider that if Jesus can go through what he did, it should be of no consequence that so many could make a trek such as this. Some are physically healthy, some injured, some sick, some needing revitalization, some just wanting to pray. The reasons are many and are as varied as those who make the journey.

Below are only a few of the images I captured as we drove one of the routes the pilgrims followed. They are shown here in chronological order. (More can be seen by going to my Flick'r galleries. Click on the slide show in the right pane.)

This young lady still had 10 miles or more to go in her journey.

The trek took the pilgrims through some of New Mexico's most beautiful and rugged terrain.

People from all walks of life made the journey.

Weary or not, all were determined to complete their goal.

The immensity of the pilgrimage and the constant flow of people is hard to imagine unless one has seen it for themselves. Click on the image above to get an idea. The road winds to the left in the distance, and the stream of people is steady - as it was all along the route.

From another, less populated direction, two young ladies (on the right side of the road) and two older men (on the left) still have a few miles to go.

This was an eye-opening experience for me to see such a display of one's Faith in action. Even though I heard of Chimayo and was familiar with the story, I never imagined a pilgrimage of such proportions in today's day and time.

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May you all have a safe and Blessed Easter.

Nothing At All

I was directed to a song on YouTube tonight by a friend, of one of my long-standing favorite vocalists. In that video, she didn't do the song that has also been one of my long-time favorites. But because of that Email, I searched for that one. I think this is one of the best.

Grackle

Grackle
Originally uploaded by HighPlainsDox

We went to a local lake in a medical complex today, to shoot some pictures. Wanted to exercise our zoom lenses. This grackle was squawking its heart out when I turned around and zoomed in on him. He stood still long enough for me to grab a shot. Check out some other shots in the slide show in the right sidebar, or click on this grackle image to go to my Flickr galleries.

Moms and Pops

Went out to breakfast this morning, and had no trouble deciding where to go. Could have been Cracker Barrel or any of several chains. There was one place we hadn't been for a while, and figured it was about time we did. It's a small "Mom and Pop" restaurant on the corner called The Pancake Station. They have a simple down home setup, an excellent staff, and a very efficient operation. Really has a homey atmosphere, with booths around the perimeter of the room, and 4-seater square tables filling the interior. Nothing extravagant, nothing trendy. Service is personal and friendly from the boss man to the wait staff right down to the table cleaners. They practice the K.I.S.S. philosophy - "Keep It Simple, Stupid". Every employee has a 2-way radio in their ear so that they can tend to the patrons' needs or clean tables as soon as the need is there. All this directed by one man at the door, overseeing things. So simple and efficient! I love the little mom-and-pop establishments.

Jim Brickman

Tonight, we were invited to go with friends to a concert here. Jim Brickman (with Anne Cochran) put on a fantastic performance! It was really good, combining good music and humor in an excellent mixture. After the show, we stuck around for a "meet and greet". We (VIP's) got to meet Jim and Anne, and he signed his CD's and posters for us. Of course, our poster was personalized with our names. This is the first time in my life I ever met any kind of celebrity, and I was not disappointed. That dude has his share of class, as does Anne. They are really cool people.

My favorite Jim Brickman song is "Valentine", and he did it tonight.

I Voted

I'm really not at all excited about our candidates, but I voted anyway - Republican primary. There was no choice, and there will be none come November. It is the first time I remember that we will be choosing between two liberal Democrats - McCain, and either "Curious George" or Hellery. Here in Texas, each party does its primary a bit different. The Republicans do a "winner take all". The Democrat party delegates are pro rated according to the popular vote. For some reason, the Democrat party also has a second vote after the polls close. It is a caucus vote. I don't know why. Seems like just another way to pad the outcome. Voting twice to elect somebody??? Sounds fishy to me. Anyhow, I did vote. Not for McCain, though.

There were some local positions on the ballot as well, and some resolutions. Two of them (I thought) were supposed to be done already. One to enforce border laws, and one to require an official photo ID for voting. How could anybody object to either one of those???

This is not a good election cycle. Just once, I'd like to see a really good candidate run. I guess all we can do is concentrate on Congress, and make sure we swing it to the Conservative side - for the sake of checks and balances if nothing else.

More Interesting Weather In The Panhandle

We have a bit of a cold front rolling through tonight. In less than 8 hours, the temperature has dropped from 75 down to 30 as I type. That's a 45 degree drop! At 2:30, the temp was at its high of just over 70. Now, about a quarter til 10:00pm, it's showing 30 on my weather station. Snow is blowing and sticking to the sides of things such as flower pots and car bodies. They are saying from 1 to 3" by morning.

Texan Garb

I figure, if I'm going to be a Texan, I probably should look the part now and then. After previously buying a real live "Western" (i.e. - "Cowboy") hat, I really needed to wear something besides tennis shoes with it. So, yesterday I went shopping for some Western footwear (i.e. - Cowboy Boots). After spending some time at a local Western wear outlet, I came upon some boots that I thought would be suitable, without appearing to be something worn in a circus act. So, this is what I ended up with:


The last time I had a pair of cowboy boots, I was just a small tad of a lad. Lord, how the times have changed! :-)

Weekend Shooting

Yesterday I went to a local cemetery to see what kind of wildlife was in the moat around a mausoleum. There are usually a variety of water birds hanging out, and Saturday was no different. Mostly, Mallards and Canada Geese were everywhere. Saw a couple other species or varieties of ducks and some squirrels. Here are some shots I got of them.

Nice of this guy to pose for me.

This guy was a bit testy about another goose's presence.

I love the color of a Mallard Drake's head.

This guy was kind of curious as to what the heck I was doing.