Las Cruces lies about 40 miles from the Mexican Border, in New Mexico. For the geographically challenged (and that includes most Americans, who don't know that New Mexico is a state!), NM lies between Texas and Arizona. It's know as the "Land of Enchantment". And where my folks live, nestled in the foothills of the Organ Mountains, is quite enchanting! The first morning of our visit, I went out quite early to get the paper. Looking up, I saw, in the west, the most amazing moonset, while in the east, the sun coming up over the mountains. I was barefoot and in my pyjamas. Nonetheless, I raced up to the bedroom to get my camera and ran out to the main road to get a couple of shots. My mum thought I'd gone off the deep end!
Many of my holiday snaps were taken while out walking with the dog in the local park, which is more like a series of paths through the desert. We even saw a couple of coyote skulking around one morning. They would have had Rico for breakfast, so we kept our distance. I had my Canon with a 28-55 mm lens, so I couldn't get a good shot of them. But Paul had his pocket powershot with a zoom, so he got a couple.
Whenever we go to see the oldies, we visit Old Mesilla. In the days of the "Wild West", it was one of the most important towns in the southwest. Known for its cantinas and festivals, it was at the crossroads of two major stagecoach routes, the Butterfield Trail and the Santa Fe Trail. Mesilla is home to the courthouse where Billy the Kid was tried and convicted of the murder of Sheriff William J Brady and sentenced to hang, in April 1881. When you think of the typical town from an old western, with ladies in crinoline and carrying parasols, sashaying down a dusty, bustling Main Street, past marshals with 10-gallon hats and silver stars glinting in the sun, you are envisioning Mesilla in its heyday. Just steer clear of Pat Garrett and Pancho Villa!
Today, Mesilla hosts many cafes and restaurants and very chi-chi craft shops. It also is home to my favourite cinema in the whole world, The Fountain. You'll find it in a small adobe building at the south end of the plaza. It's poky and dingy, with peeling murals of wild west scenes on two walls (painted in a VERY naive style) and dangerously dodgy floorboards (you take your life in your hands if you venture to the loo after the lights go down!). But it's got a certain charm not found in your local concrete bunker found at the far end of your local shopping/leisure centre. You can sit at a table in the back with a massive piece of homemade fudge cake and a fresh brew or a nice glass of red and enjoy films not shown at the multiplex. Very civilised!
My pics from Mesilla include some taken at the Double Eagle, a restaurant just off the main plaza. It is the antithesis of the Fountain: plush, ornate, extravagant! A former residence built around a central courtyard, it features several different dining rooms, all decorated in late 19th century opulence: massive chandeliers, flock wall paper, red velvet chairs, gilt mirrors. The dining room I photographed featured a beautiful stained glass panel in the ceiling.
It's a week and a half since we got back and I'm just getting over the jet lag and the mountain of laundry we brought back. If you like these images and want to see more, I've uploaded more to my facebook page. Look for Sue Clark and the very strange looking elderly lady with the martini (no, that's not me! I don't like martinis!) Until next time....
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