The Las Cruces Report: Early May

This was taken down in the Alameda last winter--everything is all leafed out now

For those of you who are Las Cruces fans, here is an update on what life is like here in early May.

We've experienced BIG winds and blowing dust, pretty typical for early spring here. We were away last week and came back to some big branches blown down, with one hanging over wires. Our hero, Beez, was able to finagle that big one down without harming the side of the house, the bedroom window, or the breaker box on the exterior wall. Then, sadly, one of the branches loaded into the pickup shifted and broke the back window of the truck. $8.00 at the dump for 2 loads of branches, $526 for truck window repair.

The winds seem to have subsided and the weather looks great for the next couple of weeks--cool nights and early mornings in the 50's, and days in the high 80's. We're in that wonderful part of the year where we don't have to heat or cool the house for several months.

The roses are in bloom everywhere, even in places where they are obviously neglected. I'll get photos, I promise. I missed out on the lilacs while we were away the last couple of weeks. This is also a prime iris-growing area--I'm starting on a collection here and will let you know when mine begin to bloom.

The ditches are running full and the crops are coming up in fields all around us. I recognize the onions, but are not sure which are cotton and which are chiles. I'll learn as I go. The pecan trees are all leafed out, which may be part of the reason why today has a pollen alert. I still haven't been here when the orchards are flooded--that's how the trees are watered--but my sister tells me that it's like living on an island, ducks and all.

The Las Cruces Farmers Market is bigger and better than ever. The March 2010 New Mexico Magazine calls it "vast, gregorious..." and a place where they "passed hours admiring and shopping." If you get a chance to look at the print edition of the magazine, by the way, check out the article Fiery Feast--Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner: Las Cruces & Mesilla. It reviews some of our favorite eateries--The Shed, Nellie's Cafe, and the Double Eagle Restaurant--and the Preston Contemporary Art Center, which is on our list of places to visit.

While we were out of town, we missed some notable happenings, which we will surely attend the next time they come around. The first was the White Sands Moonlight Bike Ride, a 16 mile ride through the National Monument at night under the full moon, over roads closed to other traffic. We could have rearranged our schedule, but the ride filled up so fast that it was closed on day 2 of the online registration. Ah, well, it was pretty windy out there that night.

The second big event we missed was the La Viña Blues and Jazz Festival down at the La Viña Winery in La Union. We used to go to these festivals when we lived here a decade ago, and never forgot the wine, the music, and the great ambience. Don't worry, though, we'll be going down to the winery this summer for picnics and music on the patio.

I really regret missing out on the third event--The Las Cruces Symphony Guild Home Tour in the Alameda Depot Historic District. I would love a chance to see inside some of the wonderful homes down in the Alameda. I've spent a bit of time doing my own walking tours there and photographing the outside of houses--see A Walk Around the Alameda-Depot Historic District, Parts 1, 2, and 3.

I've given you plenty of links here to explore. In the meantime, I'll be catching up on reading the newspaper to find out about upcoming events, and will report back.