antique car

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So today... after making friends with some of my fellow motel customers (a very nice couple from Tennessee and their newborn daughter)... and some of the hotel staff (2 very nice ladies in the hotel office that talked with me about rescue dogs and Smartcars and such...)... I got some fresh coffee for the road and headed out.

This overnight stay has sort of changed my perspective a little on Texas... and that is a good thing.

Driving through the desert is a wonderful experience. And I was rather surprised at how happy I was to be back in New Mexico. Not just because I happen to live here and was coming home... although that is certainly a crucial factor. But it was more that New Mexico seems to be such a sacred kind of place. Yes, the economy sucks. And yes, there are certainly distressing things about living here... but it is also a very serene kind of place... almost eerily so at times. It's like you can feel the land and the stories it is trying to tell...

And so... I got home late in the afternoon... and it was an awesome thing to behold.



*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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What makes small town living so special?

Corn on the cob... farm fresh produce at the Farmer's Market...apple cider... sunflowers... antique car shows... music from the heart in the local gazebo... Bwana Jim and his wildlife show... parades... led by veterans in the local Honor Guard... decorated bikes... friends and neighbors... the Homecoming King and Queen... the high school marching band... junior cheerleaders... Shriners in Go-Karts... carousels.... funnel cake... cotton candy... dart games... tractors and hay rides...

...and the cutest scarecrows you've ever seen...










*all photos by Elaine A. Russell