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I was only there for a couple of days, but liked how the air felt. That sounds weird, I know, but it felt very different, at least from the northeast. It was over 80 degrees, and the sun was hot, but the air was thinner, not as "close" as here.
I am so glad I saw your post because I felt _exactly_ that way when my husband was interviewing for a job at NMSU a long time ago. It was the end of May, we had flown there from Ohio, where the snow still lay on the ground. We were invited to dinner at someone's home with others from faculty. They showed me the garden, from which they were already picking veggies. (REALLY? I thought. It's still May! We can't even _plant_ for at least two weeks.) And I really do remember thinking about how soft the air felt on my cheeks, just like a caress. I told them, "If you let us come here, it will be so wonderful." And it was. I should have worked for the Chamber of Commerce.
I noticed that pecans are one of the more popular crops there -- do people have pecan trees in their yards, or is it not practical?
What about the older area of Las Cruces, like Alameda and Bellamah -- are they flood zones, too? I do remember in Phoenix that there was flooding, and being from the northeast, I was so shocked to see streets literally flooding during a rare rainstorm -- they had no sewer drains! It sounds like Las Cruces may be similar -- is that true?
Thanks everyone -- keep it coming!
When we lived in the Alameda we had a pecan tree on our tiny lot. Now, after ten years of living far from LC, we are headed back next week to live in a pecan orchard. Can't wait!
When we bought the house in the Alameda, we were quite surprised to be told that we would be living in a flood plain and that we would have to buy flood insurance. Sure enough, when there were a rain storms, we would get quite a bit of water collecting very quickly. However, the cost of flood insurance was fairly reasonable.
It IS a great place...I think everyone feels at home there in some way.
It's a place without cookie-cutter sameness..unplanned, chaotic, yet harmonious at the same time. It says something GENUINE to visitor and residents...real history happened here..real lives were and are lived...triumphs and tragedies...authenticity is the key word, I guess.
When you wander thru our great country you discover a sameness, a ubiquity of stores, restaurants, places, that is at once comforting but also disturbing. Familiarity is fine, but when it starts feeling like Anywhere USA that comfort can start feeling false and turn on you, making you wonder just where you are and why you're there. Is there a word for "Fear of believing you're living in a too-cute theme park"? Disney-phobia? Subur-phobia?
As I walk the ditch roads (the paths alongside the irrigation ditches that bring Rio Grande water into and crisscross thru the village ) near my house I meet cattle grazing in a field of alfalfa, a pen or two of turkeys, sheep, goats, a peacock or two, very vocal guard-geese, a few curious horses, a burro, some furtive housecats, and the usual compliment of yapping dogs. People I don't know wave hello at me, and smile. Another ditch hiker.
All of this in the confines of a historic village where the agri-culture has not gone away or moved offshore. People have tractors and disks and plows parked behind their house. Some, I think, must have every car they've ever owned on display in various states of disrepair. Others, maybe next door, are doing oil paintings or practicing the cello on their patio in the cool morning air, or working on their doctoral thesis or a business deal. The man who discovered Pluto lived not far away..his wife still lives there. My next door neighbor's family came down South from Santa Fe, running from the Pueblo revolt of 1680, and never left. They grew grapes, made and sold wine for over a century, until Prohibition, then turned to cotton, chile and melons.
Fields of onions and pecans in the distance, and the air smells like desert but also like the deep, rich, moist green of field crops. I wave and walk on...feeling so lucky, so at home, to be here, in a real place.
Tecpatl, I love this post and have come back to it several times to re-read it. You've captured the essence of Old Mesilla, I believe. We were down there yesterday just at dusk, after a wonderful day of: Huevos rancheros at the Mesilla Valley Kitchen in Las Cruces, wine tasting at La Viña Winery in La Union, and buying pecans at Stahmann Farms. In between we just gazed at the mountains and the skies and the fields and the bosque and marveled at our wonderful luck to be living in such a beautiful place.
Thank you for all your posts and wonderful Mesilla photos over in the LC photo thread.
Tecpatl, I love this post and have come back to it several times to re-read it. You've captured the essence of Old Mesilla, I believe. We were down there yesterday just at dusk, after a wonderful day of: Huevos rancheros at the Mesilla Valley Kitchen in Las Cruces, wine tasting at La Viña Winery in La Union, and buying pecans at Stahmann Farms. In between we just gazed at the mountains and the skies and the fields and the bosque and marveled at our wonderful luck to be living in such a beautiful place.
Thank you for all your posts and wonderful Mesilla photos over in the LC photo thread.
~clairz
Thank you, clairz, for the kind and flattering words. Though I did spend some time thinking about the post you reference, it's easy to write from a full heart, and that's what I was feeling on the day I wrote it.
I share the joy of return with you. I was back in Michigan attending to business and other responsibilities for some time and have only recently returned to the very patient but slightly peeved Mrs Tecpatl. Reunions, with my wife and also my town, are sweet, and I'm so glad to be back in Mesilla.
Other areas that might be just as wonderful, if not more so .... check out Sierra Vista AZ, Placitas NM (new large Dell Web going in), Rio Rancho NM, Henderson NV
Other areas that might be just as wonderful, if not more so .... check out Sierra Vista AZ, Placitas NM (new large Dell Web going in), Rio Rancho NM, Henderson NV
Ok last post on page 8 was Jan 2010. I am a 60 yr "young" divorced female looking for a chance to live in the mystic land called New Mexico. I was bitten by the bug in July 2007 driving to Las Vegas, NV via I-40 from Memphis. My body aches for the area. I Google Earth the route about 4 times a week on "street view" to capture the magic. I want an area that is snow free and this part of the state fits the bill. Otherwise I'd move to ABQ or those northern places.
I have COPD, a ton of allergies and am a cancer survivor. Will the thinner air be a problem? I did real good in Flagstaff and all of the higher elevations in 2007 but that was only for 9 days. The humidity is oppressive in the south and I know lower humidity will be a Godsend. We had 3+ weeks of over 100 degrees this summer and the usual 90+ for months on end. So heat is no biggie. That is why God created a/c right?
Not having planned my Golden Years properly and thinking that marriage and a husband would provide security for life, I will need to find employment. My age will be a problem I know. Discrimination is unlawful yes, but let’s be real. I have worked in restaurants all my life and had a real estate license in my home state for 13 years. Other than that I can make a mean margarita and could host my own HGTV show. And I have 0 savings. ‘Tis a mess for sure.
From all my research Alamogordo and Las Crues have the same climate, but the crime is a lot lower in one. Both cities are huge compared to my little 3400 populated town. We have 1 flashing stop light in town and a “big 4 way intersection” at the bypass. But even that has no left turn arrow. So this would be an adventure for sure. I’d love to be in a more rural area but safe and clean and cheap. I have rescued dogs that are my life which requires a fenced yard. I’m not asking for much am I?
Well, y’all get the idea. I have enough wiggle room on my Visa card to drive out for a job, house, check it all out trip in Oct. But saving enough to actually move would take longer unless I find that money tree soon. I thank anyone in advance for any help they can provide.
Ok last post on page 8 was Jan 2010. I am a 60 yr "young" divorced female looking for a chance to live in the mystic land called New Mexico. I was bitten by the bug in July 2007 driving to Las Vegas, NV via I-40 from Memphis. My body aches for the area. I Google Earth the route about 4 times a week on "street view" to capture the magic. I want an area that is snow free and this part of the state fits the bill. Otherwise I'd move to ABQ or those northern places.
I have COPD, a ton of allergies and am a cancer survivor. Will the thinner air be a problem? I did real good in Flagstaff and all of the higher elevations in 2007 but that was only for 9 days. The humidity is oppressive in the south and I know lower humidity will be a Godsend. We had 3+ weeks of over 100 degrees this summer and the usual 90+ for months on end. So heat is no biggie. That is why God created a/c right?
Dear Stuck,
The first time I visited NM, I had some altitude sickness in Santa Fe. When we came down to LC, there was no problem. As a matter of fact, I don't recall anyone that I know here saying that was a problem for them, regardless of where they came from.
I recently had a visitor from up north who has COPD. He didn't have any trouble at all.
If you end up moving here, you'll find yourself complaining about the "humidity" when it reaches 35%, LOL.
~clairz
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Subur-phobia?
Nancy & Wisteria did ya move there yet?
