This week has been relatively normal.

On the horizon: HHS Orchestra concert tonight, 8:00 PM at the HHS Performing Arts Center n.w. of Zuni & San Mateo & S. of the Wal-Mart.
Thursday: bass lesson, Scouts, sailing club social at the Taj Majal on Carlisle
Friday: Drive north to Laguna Vista/Fiveoclocksomewhere (LV)
Next Tuesday: Albuquerque Youth Orchestra Concert, 7:30, La Cueva High School, Alameda NE

Mon., Sept. 26 -- retrieved Expedition from brake shop, lunch with Carol Anne, then after work took Gerald early to his Abq. Youth Orchestra rehearsal for his playing test before the rehearsal and visited home improvement store. The report card was good; B in English, A's in health, p.e., and orchestra. In a few weeks health will be replaced with independent study and p.e. with a retake of algebra I and the addition of zero-hour driver's ed; next year his schedule will feature chemistry, algebra II/trig, AP world history, and orchestra. Dropped glass off at recycling station. Worked on patio project for cabin; drilled holes in upright posts and inserted hand rail and lower rails as a test-fit.

Sun., Sept. 25 -- Went by marina; pounded t-posts into ground, Gerald moved mini-gangway and did some kayaking. Idea is to have a start on access via an improvised gangway and path to the southeast corner of the marina. Traveled south, en route had birthday celebration for Gerald at Angelina’s with CA's folks, and Lee & Marianna; got to talk about movie biz.

Sat., Sept. 24 -- Bought 12x60 lbs. concrete mix, 1 bag mortar mix at River Lumber, groceries at Chama Valley Market. PM went to Pagosa, visited thrift shops, bought five 90-lb. bags of concrete mix., mixed ~1600 lbs. mix with water & poured, inset flagstones to complete north patio fill and decking.

Fri., Sept. 23 -- Left Expedition at shop to check on brakes, drove Cavalier to LV with six bags of concrete mix. Out of toner and time for printing Foghorn newsletters; so far have sent out about 50.

.....

Sun., Sept. 18 -- Sunrise regatta breakfast and awards ceremony, lunch at Socorro Springs brewpub in Socorro en route to Albuquerque.

Sat., Sept. 17 -- Sunrise regatta, borrowed Jim Moore’s power boat for use as committee boat. Took Larry Jessee out to start 17 boats, took some pictures, then returned Larry and CA to the Damsite. Gerald crewed on "The Hunter". Went on station to far marks, 32 and 33X, took ~200+ pictures of regatta, piloted St. John’s in late, made photo CDs of regatta, typed up revised contract for state parks.

Fri., Sept. 16 -- drove south to Elephant Butte, checked into the Charles Motel and Spa, visited Marina del Sur, hooked up with Sunrise Regatta folks and had dinner at the Damsite.

Sunrise Regatta Results

Around the Buoys – Sunrise Regatta II, September 17, 2005

First To Finish:

10 mile non-spin Evelynn Sanchez
25 mile non-spin Greg Simon
25 mile spinnaker Rich Strasia
25 mile multihull Jay Penn

	25-mile Multihull
1	Jay Penn, ARC22, 22 Skiddoo	608:54

Pl.	Skipper, boat	Corr. Time
	25-mile spinnaker	(min:sec)
1	John Bristol, Cat25, Andalé	428:48
2	Jim Moore, US25, Viento Bueno	491:38
3	Rich Strasia, J24, Kachina	500:36
4	Jon Pillars, J22, Sciroccos Song	524:05
5	Russ Jellison, S2 34, Just Duet	598:04

	25-mile non-spinn	(min:sec)
1	Richard Dittmar, H26, The Hunter	488:24
2	Greg Simon, Cal25, Cresta Blanca	488:25
3	Rob McKinley, Capri 26, Viva Yo	505:10
4	Tim Bielek, Hunter 24	679:57
	Fred St. John, Hunt25, Gypsy Soul	DNF

	10-mile non-spinnaker
1	Mike Uszuko, Col 26, Imagine	300:17
2	William Guenther, Kilo Whiskey	327:49
3	John Doherty, M26, MacGoddess	328:23
4	Evelynn Sanchez, La Soñadora	336:26
	Rick Bonnell, Merit 22	DNF
	Andy Oliver, Barnett 1400	DNF

Sunrise II photos 7, Rio Grande Sailing Club, Elephant Butte Lake NM

1996: Gypsy Soul


1998: Gypsy Soul


2000: Hunter 25, Gypsy Soul; Cap'n Fred St. John before the mast adjusting jib halyard tension with Delia midships and brother Bob St. John aft at the helm.

Rio Grande Sailing Club, Sunrise photos 6

1960: Jon Pillars and crew aboard the J22, Scirocco's Song.


1967: US25, Viento Bueno enjoying muchos vientos buenos y fuerzos (many good and strong winds). Jim Moore was the skipper.


1977: Rob McKinley's heeling Catalina Capri 26, Vivo Yo, goes around the far mark again.

Sunrise II photos 5, Rio Grande Sailing Club

1934: ob McKinley's Catalina Capri 25 Viva Yo enjoying a romp.




1941: ARC 22 Cat 22 Skiddoo with Jay and Ken Penn aboard is just beginning to pick up some serious steam. This boat was first to finish overall.






1948: J-24 Kachina heels while tacking toward the last upwind mark. Crew aboard (I think) were skipper Rich (center, trimming in this foto) with Clarence (looks like that's him on the rail) and Braxton (appears to be helming here).

Sailing in New Mexico?

______ writes: Greetings, I own a Cape Dory Typhoon(18 1/2 full keel vessel) which I currently keep on a trailer at home. We are contemplating relocation to Albuquerque from _____ . Some real estate agents in Albuquerque have ridiculed my intentions to bring a sail boat to New Mexico, stating, "There's no sailing anywhere in this state!" My spouse apparently prefers to take their word rather than my asserting that there are at least two websites purporting to be sailing clubs in New Mexico.... Thank you.


Dear ______ , I would be very glad to gently "re-educate" those real estate agents, but even more glad to welcome you to the New Mexico sailing scene. Given long driving distances, occasional droughts, and flakey lake winds, sailing in New Mexico takes some special effort. However, our sailors would challenge "there's no sailing in this state". Recently, on Sept. 16th, we had 17 boats participate in our "Sunrise Regatta" 10- and 25-mile races. Spring and fall "buoy races" (PHRF or Portsmouth handicap races on an improvised Olympic circle using navigation buoys) typically attract from 6 to 12 boats; summer is a time for casual "beer can" races, "raft ups", or escapes to cooler mountain lakes, such as Heron Lake near the Colorado border, or ocean adventures.


(A. Bouffard photograph of "Catalina Cruise" boats from NM.)

We even have a few folks who have raced at regional, national, and international events. Some of our sailors have cruised quite a few of the corners of the world (one couple trailered a boat and then sailed from Puget Sound to Alaska and back this summer), while others are content to do all their sailing here in New Mexico.

The Rio Grande Sailing Club is a small, casual club, with 116 members who are current for 2005 (57 couples/families, 34 singles, and 25 associate members). Elephant Butte Lake State Park is home to the RGSC, which is affiliated with US Sailing and the Sailing Association of Intermountain Lakes (regional sailing association). Membership in either the RGSC or the New Mexico Sailing Club is one of sailing's best bargains. The NMSC is similar in size to the RGSC; it has about 145 members.

Typical boats: Catalina 22, Catalina 25, J-24, MacGregor 26, Hunter 24, Etchells, Venture, MacGregor 25, etc. These are mostly smaller keel boats with some water ballast boats, daysailers, the occasional dinghy or multihull, etc. A 34' S2 is the largest of our boats that sails at the Butte; some other members have big boats that they keep on the ocean and one couple is preparing a thirty-five footer to move to perhaps Ventura or the central coast.
Popular sailing venues:

Elephant Butte Lake, in southern NM, now has about 10,750 surface acres (close to 20 square miles) at current levels with about 352,000 acre feet in storage; it has about 36,600 surface acres when 100% full with about 2,000,000 acre feet.

Three full-service marinas with fuel, convenience stores, overnight or annual slip or buoy rentals, etc., are available; one is set near historic civilian conservation corps buildings and all can accommodate sailboats. Mast raising poles and concrete surfaced ramps are adjacent to each marina. A mast-up storage lot is adjacent to one marina and a remote boat ramp is located at a campground on the upper part of the lake. Many commercial services for boaters are nearby (boat repair, motels, restaurants, etc.) in Elephant Butte or Truth or Consequences.

In this high desert setting with nearby desert mountains, winters tend to be short and sunny; the RGSC takes about a two-month winter break. The biggest boats on the lake are a few 80' houseboats; the most annoying are the occasional PWC, though these become scarce during cooler weather.

Heron Lake, northern NM, currently has about 230,000 acre feet; it has 400,000 acre feet and 5,200 surface acres (about 8 square miles) when full. Heron is the home of the New Mexico Sailing Club. A limited service (no store, no electric hook ups) marina is operated seasonally April through October by the New Mexico Sailing Club with 100 slips; guest slips are $5 per night.

Heron is a high-altitude mountain lake inhabited by cool-water fish and bordered by juniper trees and ponderosa pines with views of sometimes snowy cliffs and crags; visits are a cool escape from warmer parts of the state. Wildlife viewing is good in the area and Heron is close to the historic Cumbres and Toltec scenic steam railroad.

A mast-up storage lot, mast raising pole, two improved boat ramps, and improved campsites are in the state park; commercial services are available outside the park. Heron Lake is recovering from a drought that lowered lake levels and caused closure of the marina for two years until it reopened this summer. Prospects for a normal season next year look good at this point.


Cochiti Lake is authorized to hold 50,000 acre feet; it is relatively close to Albuquerque and Santa Fe and popular with sailboarders and catamaran sailors. Some very friendly sailors are there (Boat Owners of Cochiti) who, however, have to deal with challenging conditions/limited infrastructure.

Several other large lakes are in the state, but these are more of interest to powerboaters, except for Navajo Lake (1,600,000 acre feet) in the far northwestern part of NM/sw part of Colorado, which is home to the San Juan Sailing Club, where we have visited and enjoyed a friendly reception.

Our family's MacGregor 26 "classic" is "migratory"; from June through Sept. we keep it at Heron Lake in northern NM; then in the fall we move it to Elephant Butte Lake. New Mexico's varied topography creates different climates that let us enjoy sailing most of the year. Our family adventures are more or less chronicled here and at http://itsfiveoclocksomewhere.blogspot.com/ .

I'd be glad to send you a "Foghorn" newsletter. Let me know your current address.

And, please let me know if you'll be visiting New Mexico.

Rio Grande Sailing Club
PO Box 13953,
Albuquerque, NM 87192


New Mexico Sailing Club
PO Box 1795
Bernalillo, NM 87004

Sunrise photos 4, Elephant Butte Lake, RGSC, 2005-09-18

1930: Boats zoom off toward the south. Viento Bueno at left. Kettletop Mesa in center background behind a boat. Sunrise Regatta II, September 18, 2005, at Elephant Butte Lake State Park in south-central New Mexico. When full, the lake holds 2,000,000 acre feet of water and has 40,000 surface acres. The lake is home to the Rio Grande Sailing Club, which hosts a year-round schedule of regattas and other events, especially during fall and spring. RGSC, PO Box 13953, Albuquerque, NM 87192, http://www.rgsc.org .



1934: Catalina 25 roars along in a strong breeze at the Sunrise Regatta II at Elephant Butte Lake State Park, in the northern part of the near south of Monticello Point.




1941: Was it a bird, was it a plane, was it Buck Rogers' rocket ship ... nah, nothing that slow; here comes 22 Skiddoo, just starting some serious acceleration.

Sunrise photos 3, Rio Grande Sailing Club, Elephant Butte

1927: Greg Simon's "Cresta Blanca" (Cal 25) heeling after winds came alive for the Rio Grande Sailing Club Sunrise Regatta II. Cresta Blanca was the first boat to finish in the 25-mile non-spinnaker class.


1850: Viento Bueno (US 25) flying spinnaker near north end of Rattlesnake Island during Sunrise Regatta II.



1914: Boats receding toward south after rounding mark at north end of course, Elephant Butte Lake south of Monticello Point and south of buoy 33X.

Sunrise Regatta Photos 2, RGSC, Sept. 18, 2005, Elephant Butte Lake

1800: Jay and Ken Penn aboard the ARC22, "22 Skiddoo", lead the way at the Sunrise Regatta, Sept. 18, 2005.


1804: A beautiful day on the water at Elephant Butte Lake.


1808: Spinnakers blossom. View toward southwest. Elephant Butte Lake, Sunrise Regatta, Rio Grande Sailing Club.

Sunrise Regatta photos, Elephant Butte Lake, Rio Grande Sailing Club

1752: Stately procession of boats early during the Sunrise Regatta, September 18, 2005, Elephant Butte Lake, New Mexico.


1771: Sunrise Regatta boats approaching Rattlesnake Island (in background), view toward north. Rio Grande Sailing Club. Nearest boat is "The Hunter".



1783: Several boats near Rattlesnake Island, Elephant Butte Lake, Elephant Butte State Park, New Mexico. Sunrise Regatta 2005/II, Rio Grande Sailing Club. 17 boats left at the start.


1790: Several boats heading north. View to s.e. toward Champagne Hills and Bristol's.
Rio Grande Sailing Club, Sunrise Regatta, September 18, 2005, Elephant Butte Lake, New Mexico.

Socorro Springs Brew Pub, Socorro, New Mexico

North side of Socorro Springs Brew Pub in Socorro, New Mexico (near Jerry Seeger's alma mater). They didn't have a brew pub when he was in school. Just a Safeway and some antennas.

Western facade of Socorro Springs Brew Pub, Socorro, New Mexico.
Favorite dish: "Conquistador" calzone with green chile.

Form A-2
New Mexico Sailing Club
Membership and Waiting List Application 2005

(Please provide us this information for the Membership Book. Please type or print in block letters.)

Owner’s first and last name __________________________

Spouse/co-owner/crew name __________________________

Children: 1. ______________________ 2. ______________________
3. _____________________ 4. ______________________
5. ______________________ 6. _____________________

Address: __________________________ ______________
street

__________________________ ______________
city state zip

Telephone: ______________ ______________ ______________ _____________ home work fax cell other

E-mail address(es)/website: ___________________

Boat information:
Manufacturer: ____________ Model: ________ Color: _____ Length (ft./in.): ___
Popular name or class of boat: ________________ Rig type: _________
Boat name: ______________________ Sail number for racing: _________

State registration number: ________________
Hull identification number: __________________
Boat insurance company/agent: __________________________


____ Please accept these funds for membership (Fee: $25.00)
Date: ___________

____ Please accept these additional funds of $20.00 to place my name on the Waiting List.
(The one-time Waiting List fee of $20.00 will be credited toward your first year’s rent on a permanent slip or buoy.)

Mail to:
NMSC
PO Box 1795
Bernalillo, NM 87004-1795

Questions:

Rich Strasia, Membership Chair
505 867-0026

Roger Vinyard, Treasurer
505 891-2217

Lisa Carlson, Commodor
505 438-4692

Pat Byrnes, Vice Commodore
505 265-6741/588-0088

Rio Grande Sailing Club burgee and membership form

Sailboat flag signals for racers

Illustrated above are signal flags and their meaning when used as single-flag signals on a sailing racecourse. (In parentheses are some general, non-racing meanings. Off the racecourse, combinations of flags can be used to create more detailed messages.)


Course diagrams for "Olympic Circle" sailboat races.
Example: "F" or "Foxtrot" is the simplest course, in which racing boats typically sail upwind from the starting line to an upwind mark, round it, then run back downwind to the finish line.
Course "F" is signaled by the red flag with a white diamond, shown above.

Sunrise Regatta, September 17, Elephant Butte Lake

Come participate or watch the Sunrise Regatta at Elephant Butte Lake state park this weekend.

RACE ANNOUNCEMENT
The Rio Grande Sailing Club will hold the 2005 Sunrise Regatta Part II September 17-18, 2005, at Elephant Butte Lake State Park.

RACE DETAILS:It will be a distance race.
Registration opens at 8:30 am Saturday at Damsite Restaurant Patio, Elephant Butte Lake.
Skipper's meeting will be at 9:30 am Saturday at Damsite Restaurant Patio, Elephant Butte Lake

1st gun/warning signal will be Saturday at 11:00 am. Awards presentation breakfast will be held Sunday morning at 9:00 am.

ENTRY FEES:
RGSC & NMSC members: $45.00 after September 7th up to race day
Non-members: $50.00 after September 7th up to race day

*Entry fee includes 1 boat entry, 1 race T-shirt and 1 awards breakfast ticket
Additional T-Shirts: $10.00 each Additional Breakfasts: $10.00 each

FLEETS:10 - mile mixed fleet
25 - mile non-spinnaker fleet
25 - mile spinnaker fleet
50 - mixed fleet

All fleets will be scored using the Portsmouth Yardstick with headsail modifiers applied.
AWARDS:1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th place in each fleet "First to Finish" in both 25 mile fleets and the 50 mile fleet

Questions: Larry Jessie rgsc@earthlink.net or Patrick Petracca ppetracca@aol.com or Jim Moore, moresmarts@earthlink.net .

Rio Grande Sailing Club, New Mexico sailing

From spring 2004 "Foghorn" newsletter:
Why I Race....by Patrick Petracca
I’ve been asked many times why I sail in so many club races. I don’t have the fastest boat on the lake. It does not matter to me where we finish or how we place. My sails certainly are not the newest or best performing. So why do I continue to participate in these races? When I first started sailing in club events it was to build basic sailing skills. I learned a great deal about sail trim and boat handling by watching so many boats leave us handily behind in our Catalina 22. We learned just how to cup our sails and where to find the wind by observing the position of other boats. Of course, there was no end to the free advice from better sailors, which I was glad to have.

Later, as my skills improved, I kept racing for an excuse to sail. I bought a bigger boat to improve the comfort level for the family while sailing and dockside. I took on the financial obligation of a slip in the lake not only for a place to keep my boat, but to support the marina & restaurant folks who have done so much for the club. It seems any excuse to go use that money draining toy helps to justify the expense. So I started entering more & more races. I went from one race a year to entering most regattas.

Now I continue to race and try not to miss any club events. I’ve built my skills to a comfortable level of enjoyment and developed the confidence that allows me to take a boat offshore without any hesitation. I’ve made dozens of friends and shared their fellowship on and off the water. I am truly happy with our boat and the level of forgiving performance it provides.

I firmly believe in supporting the club and it’s activities. My family and I have enjoyed the time spent on the water as some of the best shared together. We’ve learned how to work not only as a "crew" but also as a family and shared the rewards of relying on each other’s skills. We continue to learn our strengths and weaknesses and how best to cope with each individual’s moods. I am blessed that my wife truly enjoys sailing, whether racing or cruising. Our boys are learning skills and lessons that will hopefully make them better men and greater contributors to society. I have learned to be more patient, even if I have been reminded once or twice sailing is supposed to be fun. I strongly encourage all club members to enter races as often as possible. It is a wonderful opportunity to build your skills, make friends and become intimate with your boat and its sailing characteristics. Entering races supports the club’s programs and provides fellowship for all.

------------------------

How to Get a Free Ride
Try showing up between 9:30 and 10:30 at a Skippers Meeting (Quality Inn or Damsite depending upon time of year) on a race Saturday to look for a crew spot. There's no real formal procedure, such as a sign up sheet or anything; you simply need to let some people such as the race committee, Larry Jessee and Patrick Petracca, and the boat skippers know that you're available and interested.

Matching of skippers and crews is an art and not an exact science. Some skippers are more competitive and are prefer sticking with existing crews to taking on a newcomer; but other skippers are shorthanded and are begging for more crew, even if it's just in the role of "rail meat" to help balance the boat. And some skippers don't even get to launch their boats if they don't have crew, so they have to themselves crew on someone else's boat. Other skippers race primarily for fun and improving their sailing skills and are quite happy to take on a newcomer who's willing to watch, listen, and learn.

Another place to learn is from the deck of the race committee boat; often the committee boat skipper could use help in keeping track of starting and finishing boats, start flags, and times. It's a very good bet that the race committee and the skippers will find a place for you on a boat somewhere if they know you need a ride. Also, sometimes one of the non-racing cruisers sails out to watch and maybe even "shadow" the racers for a bit and can take on a passenger/crew member. Occasionally we have a boat taking out a reporter or photographer.

Some of our skippers are particularly good about taking on and helping new crew get started. John Bristol, who lives with his wife Bonnie across the lake in Champagne Hills, for example, has brought in several new crew in recent years. Darold Rhodes is very good at making people comfortable with doing the things they were originally uncomfortable with doing. Sue and Rich Strasia have instructor credentials and have tremendous knowledge of sailing. Several other of our sailors also have great sailing knowledge, which might come as a surprise to people who don't know much about the New Mexico sailing scene.

So, show up with your goody bag (perhaps with sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, sailing or other gloves if you have them, a windbreaker/bit of wet weather wear depending on weather, bottle of water, maybe something to snack on, good footwear, etc.), and start meeting folks.

Katrina storm story

From Bay Waveland Yacht Club hurricane Katrina blog...

Woody and Grace's beach house is gone. Our home is there had 5 feet of water so all our "things" are pretty much gone with the exception of what was up high. The house is one strong place...no structural damage.Woody's story is something to hear. So here goes.

He stayed in the house on the Beach. Around 9am he said as he stood in the back of the house near the kitchen he watched the wave crash though the front door and then collapse the front porch. Realizing that he needed to get out quickly, he went for the back door. When he exited, the entire house fell in. The steps had washed away so he "fell" into the water. His car was floating, house parts, etc. and he was blocked for a while. His goal was getting to Randy's boat in the back yard...100 yards away.

Somehow he managed to swim to the boat and somehome he managed to get inside of it.....we have a hard time getting into that boat on a sunny day with a ladder! Anyway, back to the story. His leg was bleeding profusely from cutting his achilles tendon, etc. that he really should not be alive. He took Randy's ropes in the boat and wrapped them around his leg to stop the bleeding. As you know our boat has no shelter but the console so he got behind that and basically held on.....for 4 hours....while everything in town flew past him.

After the storm was over he checked on the Chamberlins and Rouches and then went to the beach, caught a ride to Dunbar Avenue, then he walked to our home off Sunset Drive on Dan Russell. He stayed in our muddy water logged home with our animals from Monday afternoon until Randy found him on Wed.

Randy had essentially gone to our house to check on the animals as we just knew Woody was no longer with the living. Randy and Mike Haas walked in the house and Woody shouted "whose there"...he was afraid from the sound of it. You can just imagine what was going through both of their minds at this point. Woody had no information and had been alone 2 days little food or water and had no idea if we would or could come get him.

My sweet neighbors, a chinese family who owns "Asian Gardens" brought him what they had and I think this saved his sanity and life. they also helped clean up his leg as best they could. So he came home with Randy and the rest is our new life..whatever that brings. My office/apt building on Dunbar Avenue (withstood Camille) was fine on the top floor with a little damage. Randy will be locating his office there and staying there while rebuilding the bay. I've never been so happy that I decided to use that space as my office as it is about 2,200 square feet with 2 bathrooms and 2 kitchens. Thank God. I will work from there too with my staff when we get going and will commute from Fairhope...so again please let us know if any of you sailors have friends there that can call us about real estate.

Density and weight of materials
(first column is specific gravity or g/cm^3, second is pounds per cubic foot)

Sp. Gr. Wt./cf Material
0.16 10 Snow, fresh
0.26 16 Alfalfa, ground
0.38 24 Cedar, red
0.40 25 Manure
0.42 26 Aspen wood
0.45 28 Redwood, California, dry
0.48 30 Chestnut wood, dry
0.48 30 Snow, compacted

0.67 42 Ash wood, white
0.71 44 Maple, dry
0.71 44 Apple wood
0.71 44 Birch wood
0.72 45 Pine, yellow southern
0.75 47 Pecan wood
0.79 49 Alcohol
0.85 53 Mahogany, Spanish, dry
0.95 59 Oak, live, dry
0.96 60 Ebony wood

1.20 75 Paper, standard
1.35 84 Coal, bituminous solid
1.44 90 Caliche
1.44 90 Earth, moist, excavated
1.52 95 Gravel, loose, dry
1.55 97 Quartz, lump
1.60 100 Sand, dry
1.60 100 Clay, wet lump
1.60 100 Earth, wet, excavated
1.60 100 Stone, crushed
1.68 105 Gravel, dry ¼” – 2”
1.73 108 Sand w gravel, dry
1.73 108 Earth, soft mud
1.91 120 Basalt, broken
1.92 120 Sand, wet
1.92 120 Brick, common red

2.16 135 Cement, mortar
2.40 150 Mortar, wet
2.40 150 Porcelain
2.40 150 Concrete, gravel
2.56 160 Marble, solid
2.61 163 Limestone, solid
2.64 165 Quartz, solid
2.64 165 Aluminum, solid
2.69 168 Slate, solid
2.69 168 Granite, solid

7.77 485 Iron, wrought
7.85 490 Steel, cast
8.16 509 Bronze
8.56 534 Brass, cast

10.46 653 Silver
11.35 708 Lead, cast
13.534 Mercury
18.7 Uranium
19.25 Tungsten

19.29 1204 Gold, pure

Shroyer Center Inc. minutes, April 2003, Laguna Vista, New Mexico

Minutes of Shroyer Center, Inc.
SCI Board Meeting
1:00 pm, April 5, 2003

Agenda:
1. Reports:
Minutes – last board meeting
Treasurer’s report
2. Proposed meal functions
3. Repairs completed – new repairs, etc.
4. New Director
5. Any additions to the newsletter

The meeting opened with Gladys Ericksen, Lucy Henson, Ida Langlois, Christine Trigg, and Pat Byrnes present.

1. Reports

Minutes of the previous meeting were not available, so the first report presented was the Treasurer’s report (attached) for January 1 – March 31, 2003, presented by Lucy Henson. It showed income of $172.00 and expenses of $649.44, with a March 31, 2003 balance of $2,975.90. Income was $160 from donations and $12.00 from SCI pen sales; expenses comprised $398.84 for propane, $150.00 for use of the bulk mail permit, $50 for New Mexico Taxation & Revenue, $10.00 for the NM State Corporation Commission, $12.00 for safety deposit box, $14.88 for kitchen supplies, and $13.72 for building expenses. Additional reports were provided for year 2002 income ($4,221.28) and expenses ($4,033.58) (see attachment).

SCI received a donation of $100 from Donna Eaton’s quilting group. The group plans to return to Laguna Vista on June 5, 6, 7, and 8. Roger and Donna will also be bringing folks back up to Shroyer Center on July 27 when the Methodist bluegrass gospel groups plays and sings for the Bluegrass Breakfast.


2. Meals
Meals planned for 2003 were as follows:

(1) May 11 Pancake Breakfast
(2) Memorial Day Spaghetti Supper
(3) June 14, Father’s Day Dinner (Tod Kerr, Pat Byrnes, Ray Razcek)
(4) July 6 (Camille Kerpen)
(5) July 27 Bluegrass Breakfast (Capelli, Burr, Moulton)
(6) August 10 (Ida Langlois, Geoff & Karen Watts, Krukar)
(7) Annual Meeting Lunch
(8) Sept. 14 breakfast (Trigg, Henson)
(9) October 11 breakfast

3. Repairs and Maintenance
Ray Raczek brought up a toilet tank to replace the one damaged by freezing. Gary Heidelbaugh will put pipe in the area where the cracking happened. Gary and the people he has spoken with propose going underground with the pipe, coming up inside the bathroom, and installing a filter.

The doorknob on the south door has been replaced. Moulding won’t be installed this year. Vinyl flooring might by put in the fire department office.

The exterior fascia on the building needs to be scraped and painted. Also, the drain under the ramp outside the big door has become clogged with dirt and rock and needs to be cleared.


4. Director

Christine Trigg has accepted coming on the board as a director to complete Norma Leib’s term.


5. Additions to Newsletter/Other

Tod Kerr wants to organize the yard sale (August 9, at Chama Days) this year.

SCI Pens have been reduced to $1.50 to help get them sold.

Lucy Henson wants to get the newsletter out the third week in April.

No further meetings are scheduled until summer, when Tod Kerr will be back in Laguna Vista.

Lucy discussed the SCI insurance situation. The insurance company that used to insure the building no longer carries this type of policy. She will talk to Pam Alcorn and folks to get an estimate to replace the coverage.

The board discussed ideas for the Mother’s Day breakfast, including the possibility of providing flowers. Barb (Rogers?) had provided flowers in the past, but it had gotten expensive. Gladys and Lucy will check on materials; inexpensive roses may be available at Sam’s or Costco.

Christine reported on one comment heard about the dinners and breakfasts, which was that they “were all about fund raising and there are no fun things”. In the past, some “fun things” have been tried, such as a Vegas night that the Hensons, Williams, and Triggs had held, with blackjack and poker for fun. In the past, the trend has been for these events to be more or less well attended the first time or two, but then for folks to lose interest. It was also mentioned that SCI/LVLOA might be able to receive significant income, perhaps $800.00 per month, for leasing space for a cell phone tower, which would also improve service for the neighborhood.

The meeting of the Shroyer Center, Inc., board was closed, with the next meeting to be scheduled in the summer as needed.

Shroyer Center Inc. (SCI) newsletter April 2004, Laguna Vista, New Mexico, Rio Arriba County

Insert SCI banner artworkPresident’s Letter from Camille Belden

“I would like to thank the past Shroyer Center Board members, especially Gladys Ericksen and Lucy Henson for all their hard work and valuable assistance to the new board.
Our community continues to grow and new residents already are contributing in very valuable ways. Way to go! We always need help and encourage “old timers” and “newcomers” alike to follow her example. Your sponsorship of meals and other Shroyer Center activities would be greatly appreciated. You may contact any of the board members to assist!

The Shroyer Center is a “community center”. It is YOUR community center. There is a video exercise class at 8:00 AM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There is exercise equipment, which has been donated by community members. There is also a library containing books, videos, games, etc. for your use. A call to a board member will give you access.
There will be Shroyer Center “improvement” activities going on this spring and summer. With the help of the Laguna Vista fire department, we will be improving the center water system.
We always need new ideas and welcome suggestions for activities and improvements at Shroyer Center. Contact any one of us with your ideas.”

Your generous donation of $20 to Shroyer Center will help preserve and operate your community center. Where does the money go? Propane and insurance are the two biggest expenses; both increased dramatically in 2003. Our old insurance provider quit the business; the few insurors that would quote us wanted double or triple the old premium. Of course, we appreciate everyone’s help and attendance at meals, Shroyer Center pen and cook-book purchases (great gifts!), and all of your support.

Financial summary from Jack Asbridge, Treasurer:

The SCI Account Balance on 1-1-04 was $2829.04. The only income since then has been two $20 donations (boy, we sure need more of those!!) and a $50 rebate of Franchise Tax (which we will not have to pay again in the future). Expenses have been $437.16 for propane, $150 for bulk mailing permit, and $44.22 miscellaneous. Current balance is $2287.66. We need some donations and fund raisers!!!

Expected expenses during the year will include $1361.66 for liability insurance (last year's rate), about three mailings for $640 (last years cost for three), propane in the fall, and miscellaneous, besides the water system repair and stove vent replacement. That will use up all of our current balance!!!


News from the Laguna Vista Fire Department

Fire season began early this year, so everyone is urged to exercise caution and practice fire-safe procedures. You are reminded that burn permits are required. Permits may be obtained from the Rio Arriba County Fire Marshal’s Office in Espanola, or the County offices in Tierra Amarilla. For information call (505) 747-6367.

The department responded to several “smoke spotted” calls and numerous “public assist” calls. Also we were requested by other departments to standby to assist as they responded to incidents of unknown severity.

The new 1800 gal. 4-w.d. water tanker has arrived and has been outfitted with accessory equipment. It is a welcome addition to our fleet of fire apparatus, and will be a great benefit also to surrounding departments for mutual aid. The new bunker gear purchased with FEMA grant money has arrived and been distributed. Older bunker gear has been re-assigned, so more members are now properly outfitted.

The annual election of officers was held in January, and all officers were re-elected.
Peter J. Tremko Chief
Rosemary O'Neill Ass’t Chief
Sam P. Bertram Capt. #1
Gary Heidlebaugh Capt. #2
Robert Henson Lieutenant
Frances Roehrig Secretary/Treasurer

Several members have taken refresher courses in Wildland Firefighting, First Responder, CPR, and AED (defibrillator) classes.

Last fall the BIA burned some of the slash piles created by the thinning project along the Jicarilla fence line. (This was one of the “smoke spotted” alarms we responded to they forgot to advise us.) It is expected they will resume burning the remaining slash piles in the near future. This project is a great benefit to Laguna Vista, as it creates a firebreak between the lightning-prone area above us and our private properties.

The Northern Rio Arriba Wildland/Urban Interface Corporation has assisted several homeowners in our area in clearing defensible space around their homes, using a 50/50 government grant. The grant pays 50% of the cost, and the homeowner pays 50%. Another 50/50 grant has been awarded to the Corporation for continuation of this project. Assistant Chief O’Neill has applications for anyone interested in participating in this project.

Please contact your Shroyer Center, Inc., board:
Camille Belden, President,
Pat Byrnes, Vice President,
Jack Asbridge, Treasurer,
Karen McInnis, Secretary,
Ray Raczek,
Abby Moulton,
Gladys Ericksen,
Lucy Henson,

sailing & travel excerpts from Dec. 2004 letter

During the spring, Gerald participated in the several weekends of sailboat racing at Elephant Butte Lake and an overnight “raft-up” where Gerald investigated combustibility of the Russian Thistle and we all watched stars through a spotting scope. Because of low water levels in Heron Lake, we brought our sailboat to Navajo Lake on the CO-NM border for the summer.

Then, in May, the whole family set off to Marina del Rey, California, for a few days of adventure, visiting local sailors and seeing the sights. We took a thirty-eight-foot sailboat, “Alouette,” out for a day charter and had a glorious day of sailing before returning to the harbor – which is when life became interesting. Pat was standing on the toe rail, outside the lifelines, holding a dock line and preparing to hop off the boat to help straighten her in the slip – and slip is exactly what he did, falling off the boat, bouncing off the pier, and into chilly Pacific Ocean water, where he took advantage of the opportunity to inspect the underside of the boat before surfacing. Carol Anne, not able to see what had happened to Pat, maneuvered the boat away while Pat thought about rescuing his hat, then decided instead to swim for the pier, get hauled out of the drink, and hand the docking line off to a bystander before choosing a convenient place to collapse in shock for several minutes while someone called 911.

Pat then climbed the gangway up to the street to meet fire truck and ambulance folks and was taken to an emergency room, which Carol Anne and Gerald were eventually able to find in spite of incomplete directions. There, in between bouts of waiting while other patients were treated, Pat was treated for hypothermia and shock – his blood pressure was down to 40 at one point – and only some hours later had his arm, which had multiple fractures of the radius and ulna where they meet the wrist, splinted. After a midnight discharge and a visit to a pharmacy, it was time to return to our lodgings.

The next day gave Pat all sorts of learning experiences as he tried to tie shoelaces with one arm and managed to walk to a restaurant near the Venice Beach pier. Two days after the accident, we flew home as scheduled, with only a brief delay for security to wand Pat’s arm. The third day, Pat reported to Lovelace Hospital in Albuquerque with his x-rays and was had surgery that same afternoon. (Our HMO wouldn’t let Pat be operated on in California.) Carol Anne and Gerald couldn’t reach the hospital before Pat’s operation, because the street in front of our home was being repaved, and then the nearest bus stop was closed because of other construction.

Afterward, our summer got off to a slow start as Pat began to recuperate, though we did ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad on Memorial Day weekend and join sailing club folks at Navajo Lake in mid-June. This sailing trip also got a bit of excitement: a line, not been fully secured by our foredeck crew, came loose during high winds and fouled our boat’s propeller, leaving us blowing toward shore. With the engine unavailable, Pat sailed Syzygy all the way to the boat ramp, which, luckily, had just enough room for us. Life also became more normal bit by bit, so Gerald joined his Scout troop at Camp Rand north of Santa Fe – no floods or fires this year! Gerald also returned to Hummingbird Music Camp near Jemez Springs, which remains one of his very favorite places in the world.

July 8 the cast came off. July 15 we drove to California. The next day, we met Carol Anne’s brother Jerry and boarded Alouette – yes, the same boat – and prepared for a week-long cruise. On Saturday we motored and sailed south to San Pedro, entering one of the busiest harbors in the world through the Angel’s Gate and tying up for two nights at the friendly Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club. Sunday we were joined by a dozen sailboats and our sailing friends from New Mexico and west Texas. Monday we sailed across the ocean (a small piece of it) to Catalina Island, and tied up to a mooring buoy.

During the week, we enjoyed visiting with our friends, making friends with our boat neighbors in, touring the interior of the island, taking a nighttime flying fish tour, touring the (non-gambling) Casino, and having dinner with thirty other desert sailors. After some boat repairs, we voyaged to spend a night in Two Harbors, which felt like a fantasy paradise. Too soon it was time to leave.

During the summer we also rode the train, did a bit of sailing, and Pat learned to shovel dirt into a wheelbarrow with one hand in between bouts of hand therapy. We also bought a baby grand piano and brought it up the ramp into our cabin – an interesting effort. Jerry, Carol Anne’s brother, arrived in late summer to visit the cabin and work on his novels and projects. He also found some creative artistic uses for some of our sandstone rocks.


Fall activities included watching beautiful fall colors in the mountains from the scenic railroad, as well as sailing weekends at Elephant Butte Lake. We had a bit of excitement when a trailer tire exploded as we were moving Syzygy south to Elephant Butte Lake.

For Thanksgiving, we visited Pat’s dad in McAllen near the extreme southern tip of Texas, took in a movie with our friend Gerard and vacationed on South Padre Island. There we watched pelicans and sailboarders from a bayside condo, visited Scarlett and George Colley, and took a dolphin-watching cruise. Pat considerately refrained from looking at boats for sale.

We also had meetings during the year of boards for our neighborhood community associations in Laguna Vista and of the two sailing clubs in which we’re active – Carol Anne finished her term as a board member of one sailing club and Pat is trading his job as treasurer of one club for vice commodore of another while continuing to edit a sailing club newsletter.

Monday, September 12, 2005

After the luxury of the three-day Labor Day weekend, this past weekend went by far too quickly. Friday we took twelve large bags of concrete mix to Laguna Vista along with firewood cut from the old cottonwood tree. The trip was much quieter this time without the felines. We also brought up some gravel, which I added to the pile covering the weed-block fabric under our cabin's front porch.

Saturday morning I mixed and poured concrete; in the afternoon we drove to Pagosa Springs for lunch at the Hog's Breath and more concrete mix. That evening I got the first few flagstones placed at one end of the north terrace/patio project and almost all of the wall blocks cored. One more ton poured and only about one ton to go! Yikes. And, I should have worn (chemical resistant) gloves.

Sunday morning we rushed out of the house and stopped by the marina for an hour. There Gerald and I took some solar lights to the dockmaster on duty and we worked on bolting a temporary gangway thingy together. The lake actually went up a couple of inches this weekend; heavy rains in southern Colorado kept Willow Creek flowing at around 200 cubic feet per second for a few days, adding some 1400 acre feet to the lake. We took a few pictures of a boat sailing by and picked up some fee payment envelopes for the sailing club treasurer before leaving for Gerald's Urgent Appointment.

Then we zipped south to Albuquerque in time to get Gerald to a Scout troop event, filling luminaria bags with sand. Unfortunately, the event had been cancelled and we didn't find out until we checked messages on our telephone in Albuquerque. So, we ran by Monroe's for dinner, Carol Anne got to watch lots of football, and Gerald did some room-shoveling while I fired up the chainsaw and cut up some more cottonwood.

New Orleans: Political Thugs

New Orleans has about 1,000 city and school buses. Most of them sat in their parking lots as the hurricane approached. None of them were used to evacuate people outside the city -- until after the hurricane when one of them was commandeered by a survivor to drive other survivors to Houston. The city of New Orleans did nothing to evacuate medically fragile people to suitable places or to provide anything like adequate supplies or staff in any of the "shelters of last resort". The mayor of NOLA hemmed and hawed and didn't issue the evacuation order until the storm was knocking on the city's doors. Very few spaces had been secured for evacuees in inland cities such as nearby Baton Rouge. The city cared so little about its poor and fragile citizens that it told them to head for the attics and hope for the best. People were left by their "leaders" to fend for themselves and die.

After the waters flooded the city, the mayor and his cronies then had the gall to pretend to be blameless and bitterly critized the president and federal administration in a vituperative attack with unprovable and unwarranted accusations of racism.

That's worse than merely passing the buck and biting the hand that's feeding one. It's more the mark of a desperate degenerate who hopes to focus blame elsewhere to obscure his own guilt. The federal relief effort had its problems, but to criticize it and ignore local failures is self-serving, hypocritical, and hugely irresponsible.

Much of the help that tried to come to the rescue was delayed, not only by federal agency bungling and stupidity, but also by an appalling absence of local coordination compounded by sniper fire from armed NOLA thugs who weren't restrained by local authorities. Apparently, a few of NOLA's finest (police) were among the looters and others simply deserted the force, leaving a much-overworked remnant of officers to try to police the streets in spite of having no provisions made by local officials to provide any support for them.

NOLA's leaders claimed they didn't have money to evacuate folks, buy food and water for their shelters, or even porta-potties and cots for the police. Never mind the fact that they have money rolling in by the ton from one of the country's biggest tourism industries, with heavy taxes on hotels, casinos, Bourbon street, conventions, cruise ships, superdome events, etc. Never mind all the money that comes in from having one of the most important ports in the nation and extensive petrochemical processing.

Maybe the money got diverted somewhere so it wasn't available to take care of the people that this boss hawg and his cronies claimed to love so dearly? Or maybe simply the expenses of running one of the largest of the old-time welfare states -- NOLA had something like 40% unemployment if one source I heard is to be trusted -- was draining the kitty. Perhaps the powers-that-be didn't want to educate their citizens and diversify their economy because that would make their clients "uppity" and less dependent upon the leaders.

FEMA has done enough stupid, clumsy, obstructive, bureaucratic, boneheaded things to be criticized on its actual merits and demerits. The mere notion that a survivor would have to call an 800 number to get registration information in order to log onto a website to have forms mailed to a postal address -- when many survivors have neither phone nor computer nor home remaining -- would be laughable for its out-to-lunch stupidity were it not despicable for the pain it has caused. And, FEMA has gotten in the way of trained rescuers with misguided attempts at "coordination".

Yet, FEMA and the Feds have also been doing some things right, such as handing out money cards to survivors, setting up relief centers, distributing tarps and supplies, and trying to see that help gets to places that might have been overlooked and that rescuers aren't putting themselves into grave danger. Further, the federal mobilization has been both rapid and massive by past standards and in the light of the fact that people in New Orleans thought they had been spared the worst in the hours immediately after the hurricane weakened and veered to the east.

The relief effort needs to be judged in the context that the scale of the disaster as it gradually revealed itself to the anxious world is almost unprecedented in our nation's recent history. Further, there are many places outside of New Orleans that have received less aid, gotten it more slowly, and yet have complained a lot less and done more to help themselves and their rescuers than many leaders and survivors in NOLA. The general understanding has always been that individuals and local governments bear the brunt of the responsibility for boarding up, evacuating, and making preparations as a hurricane approaches. What was not generally known to the outside world was how unprepared and incompetent local leadership was in New Orleans.

It doesn't do survivors any good to have politicians demand that the disaster relief officials be summoned to kangeroo court hearings, and neither truth nor the relief effort are advanced by having the relief officials sniped at by out-of-control, rabid partisans and venal politicians who see an opportunity to score points while corpses float through the poisoned waters.

These people disgust me almost as much as the armed looters who merrily piled up tv sets in their homes in between shooting at rescuers and preying upon weaker neighbors. The only real difference is that the political thugs were using the news media instead of bullets. What's hard to tell is whether the political thugs or the armed thugs killed more people. Thousands were doomed because of inept, self-serving, hoping-for-the-best behaviors of the politicians. Many additional people were doomed because the thugs seriously delayed rescue efforts while preying upon the weak. What's certain is that the collaboration between the armed and political thugs killed New Orlean's reputation as well as far too many of its neglected citizens.

Credit should be given to the Texans this week. They've been very generous about helping their neighbors to the east, taking in tens of thousands of refugees, welcoming refugee children into their schools, sending lots of help, serving as a staging area, and doing a lot of things that probably will never make it into the national news.

Also, more than a hundred years ago, the survivors of Galveston were smart enough to re-build their entire city at an elevation of at least ten feet above sea level as well as re-build and strengthen their sea wall. In general, Texans have coped well through their share of hurricanes and have learned the necessity of taking precautions and being self-reliant during a hurricane and its immediate aftermath.

People in the oil business suffer from a double-standard or catch-22; not many people want oil wells or refineries built in their area but do want to burn all the gas they can and complain if there are shortages. NIMBY. I think it's hypocritical and elitist for people in places such as California to effectively export pollution to poorer states such as Arizona and New Mexico. That's what happens when the nation's most populous state makes it difficult to impossible to build power plants and refineries to keep up with demand. Like New Mexico, Louisiana and Mississippi also get to do a lot of the hard, dangerous, dirty work for much of the rest of the country.

It's rather a form of economic colonialism. It lets the enviro-hypocrites feel smug about how environmentally correct their state is while economically coercing poorer, mostly minority, populations in states like New Mexico and Louisiana to suffer from hazardous jobs and the increased pollution that results from having to process chemicals and oil for the Californianos, Yankees, and other elitists as well as for themselves. Californians have (and they're certainly not the only ones, but their posturing makes them a wonderful target to pick on, and yes, I know that there are level-headed, sensible, thoughtful, hard-working people in California as well as enviro-wackos) an enormous appetite for energy matched in too many cases by an enormous disdain for the dirty business of capturing and transforming the energy into a usable form. And heaven help advocates of energy self-sustainability if they have the temerity to even mention the N word -- n - u - c - l - e - a - r.

It's bad enough that oil workers have to work in hazardous, dirty jobs without having a bunch of smug self-righteous, lazy-ass-for-brains people look down on them as "oil trash". So, go hug a roughneck.