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Oh, all these posts remind me of so much! I recall one of the first dates with my first (late) husband, we drove up to the Sandias about midnight and lay down on the ground to watch the meteorites...and in Jemez we would drive to the valle and put the seats back in the car and watch the falling stars in winter...and anytime you step out on the deck of my house in Jemez, you don't go back inside til you see a falling star, you can ALWAYS see one...
about not being judged by the car you drive, it's a joke amongst some of us artsy types in NM that you are a true artist if you drive a beat up old truck w/ a cracked windshield and a dog in the passenger seat.
A few years after my husband's death, when I was communicating w/ this Scotsman I ended up marrying, we'd be talking on the phone and I'd be on the deck and realize at least, at 6400 miles apart, we had the same sky. Then over here in Scotland, when we go to the Highlands, we can see the Milky Way, etc. And northern lights too sometimes.
It's a lovely planet, eh?
Last edited by MMAllen; 01-06-2008 at 06:47 AM..
Reason: spelling
I woke up at 2 a.m. wondering where I will be a year from now and what this move will bring into my life. These things that represent my life are almost all packed up in boxes and I won't see them again for months. It somehow feels freeing (maybe a reaction-- relief that it's almost done?) Reading about your night took me back to my swing in Eldorado. I'd lay out there and watch the lightning storms 45 miles away and wait for falling stars. I remember the quiet peacefulness. It would put whatever was going on in my life into perspective. I felt connected to the earth and the universe. It reminded me that my life and the things I stressed out about were truly insignificant and fleeting. It grounded me. Somehow the constant rain on the roof here doesn't do the same thing. The closest thing to it is the ocean--I love watching the ocean. But it is not as accessible as the night skies of New Mexico.
Dancingearth (great name!), many in NM say the sky is our ocean. One reason I love driving the highways there is that you can see weather far away that you're not even IN. Not like in cities where the weather sneaks up on you. In NM you can see it coming and know whether it's headed your way or way from you.
Another thing is the lightning. There's not much of that in Scotland so it was quite a novelty to my husband to see it, even the sideways stuff!
I remember seeing pink lightning at a hot springs in Colorado once!
Dancingearth, I've been living with most of my things in storage now for almost 3 years. Soon as my house sells, my trips to NM will be, in part, to visit my storage locker, hah! It is a strange thing to do but it is freeing, you are right. And you can start to eliminate things til you are down to the stuff you really can't bear to part with. I divested of a lifetime of stuff this summer, things I never planned to part with. I'd say living in NM helped me do that...
I've got so much stuff that a lot of it is in boxes that haven't been opened for years. I'm the pack rat par excellence. I'm going to have to get started getting rid of it. It isn't easy, but the idea that I should hold on to something because it might be worth something someday has got to go!
It's hard to believe that I moved to Dallas once, and I everything I owned fit in my car. It was a hearse, so it held a lot, but still...
One of the reasons I want to move to NM is so that I can get more use out of my telescope. I've taken it to the Texas Star Party a couple of times near Fort Davis, TX, and it's amazing how much difference it makes to be away from city lights. I was getting good views of galaxies that I can't see at all from home.
"One of the reasons I want to move to NM is so that I can get more use out of my telescope. I've taken it to the Texas Star Party a couple of times near Fort Davis, TX, and it's amazing how much difference it makes to be away from city lights. I was getting good views of galaxies that I can't see at all from home."
Hey Catman! We are in Edgewood, which is the otherside of the mountains and everyone that visits us comments on the beautiful night sky. (I also like the sky during the day.) Its awesome at night and when I wake up to let the dog out around 3:30 pm, I get a wonderful present in viewing the sky at that time. We have a telescope, but haven't used it. It needs to be fixed, but you really don't even need it. Good luck with your move to NM!!
Homewardbound66: Don't you get some light pollution from Albuquerque in the western part of the sky? It doesn't seem to me that you are far enough away not to.
Oh yes, you need a telescope for some things (I started to say "telescopic objects"). What kind of scope do you have, and what is wrong with it?
Here in Ft Worth, where the sky is horrible (three miles from downtown!), I use binoculars to see stuff that I would be able to see with unaided vision in a more favorable environment.
Last edited by catman; 01-08-2008 at 12:35 AM..
Reason: wanted to add to it
I stayed in Santa Fe for a week almost two springs ago. It was truly a changing experience for me. I went to bed earlier (at least two hours earlier than normal) got up earlier (the same) and didn't feel a weight on my shoulders or any stress whatsoever. The nights were peaceful - there were no noises like dogs barking, sirens and people screaming at each other. I didn't feel ready to snap like I normally do in DC (from dealing with rude people on a regular basis). The Tex-Mex style food was excellent. Coming back to DC was a huge culture shock for me and took time getting used to.
While I didn't get a full experience from living there for years like you residents did, I did get a taste of it. I'm not sure if I'm going to relocate to NM - I'm considering AZ for the warmer weather - I would definitely want to move West to get away from the chaos and craziness of the East Coast.
Tex-Mex food in Santa Fe? I suppose it's possible, but not very likely. I found that out years ago when, not knowing any better, I ordered a tamale dinner in Questa and was asked, "Green or red"? I didn't know what they were talking about at first. Chile peppers, not meat chili like in Tex-Mex!
Tex-Mex food in Santa Fe? I suppose it's possible, but not very likely. I found that out years ago when, not knowing any better, I ordered a tamale dinner in Questa and was asked, "Green or red"? I didn't know what they were talking about at first. Chile peppers, not meat chili like in Tex-Mex!
Well whatever style of food it was I had at the Plaza Cafe (a shredded pork dish with a mole sauce, and a sopaipilla for dessert) was pretty good!
I stayed in Santa Fe for a week almost two springs ago. It was truly a changing experience for me. I went to bed earlier (at least two hours earlier than normal) got up earlier (the same) and didn't feel a weight on my shoulders or any stress whatsoever. The nights were peaceful - there were no noises like dogs barking, sirens and people screaming at each other. I didn't feel ready to snap like I normally do in DC (from dealing with rude people on a regular basis). The Tex-Mex style food was excellent. Coming back to DC was a huge culture shock for me and took time getting used to.
While I didn't get a full experience from living there for years like you residents did, I did get a taste of it. I'm not sure if I'm going to relocate to NM - I'm considering AZ for the warmer weather - I would definitely want to move West to get away from the chaos and craziness of the East Coast.
Watch out, it can be addicting (especially the chili--endorphins! Whenever I go back the first thing I do is get my fix of chili and make it "Christmas" since I can't decide.) I have family in PA and whenever I begin to miss my grandchildren and think maybe.....I could live there again, I visit. After four days I'm sick of the noise and congestion and want to escape.
But New Mexico does have barking dogs...I lived in Eldorado (a huge spreadout suburb) and a neighbor's dog barked incessantly. The place is so big I could not tell which house the dog was at. One night I heard a man screaming "agghhh.....shut up." But overall it was the quietest place I have lived.
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