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Another Albuquerque museum field trip (but no art!)

Flag seen on our Albuquerque field trip.
This is the flag that flew over the base at the Trinity Base Camp. New Mexican winds, not the blast, tattered the flag. (The wind is especially brutal here in spring. All the better to spread the pollen…)

 

Last week Tom and I decided that we needed to explore our still newish-to-us adopted city (we’ve been in New Mexico just over a year and a half), so an Albuquerque field trip day was declared. Off we headed NOT to anything fiber-related, not even anywhere remotely art-centric. Nope, we decided that it was time to visit the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. The website blurbs:

 

The Museum’s mission is “to serve as America’s resource for nuclear history and science. The Museum presents exhibits and quality educational programs that convey the diversity of individuals and events that shape the historical and technical context of the nuclear age.”

Poster seen on our Albuquerque field trip.

We are in New Mexico, and I’m sure you all remember the role the state played in the years leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima at the end of World War II: Los Alamos; the Manhattan Project; the Trinity nuclear test; and so on. The museum takes you back there, certainly, but it also has exhibits on radiation and its history, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cold War, nuclear power, nuclear medicine, nanotechnology, nuclear waste

Sub sail seen on Albuquerque field trip.
Simple looking compared to all the planes and missiles on the lot, the nuclear submarine sail was my favorite piece. It was massive. But where’d the rest of the sub go?

transportation, and atomic pop culture (Jimmy Neutron, anyone?). Heritage Park is out in the “backyard” and consists of planes, rockets, bombs, cannons, missiles, and other interesting, historical “paraphernalia” to explore.

 

Missile seen on Albuquerque field trip.
That would certainly give me pause.

 

 

Photo of a bomb.
See caption below.

 

Description of a bomb.
Read for yourself. And shiver…

 

 

 

Photo at Nuclear Museum.
My “artsy” shot from the rear of a missile.
Photo of a missile.
Alternatively, this is the shit of nightmares. Can you see Tom standing next to it?

 

Given the tenor of the country these days, not to mention North Korea and its recent antics, I have to say that I looked at the place a little differently than I might have a year ago. And while the building looks modest from outside, there’s much too much to see and learn in one visit; we barely scraped the surface of anything after the Cold War. (The door to the outdoor attractions happens to be there, and you’ll spend a while outside.)

American symbol.
The Nuclear Museum shows an aspect of America that maybe we’d like to forget. Or ignore. That’s at our own peril.

If you’re in the area, after you give me a call or an email to say hello, of course, head over to the Nuclear Museum in Albuquerque. History’s important; you know how we can’t help but repeat it. Not!

 

PS – If you have kids, you can bring them too, especially school age, maybe 9 and older. Little Albert’s Laboratory (as in Einstein; not to be mistaken for FAT Albert’s Laboratory) was hands-on learning about physics. Very cool, though by the time we got there, Tom was getting a little cranky. He only gave me about five minutes to play. Thank goodness we have company coming in May. Back to Little Albert’s Laboratory I go!

 

Tom and sidewinder missile.
Is there anything sexier than your husband of several years posing next to a Sidewinder missile?

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Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta entries due in a week!

If you’re entering anything into the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta – like I am – be aware that the call for entries ends March 1. That’s just a week away from today!

Dog on hooked rug entry for Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta.
Tynan’s such a good boy. He’s trying to hide all the un-hooked parts of this rug.

I’m entering three rugs into Fiesta, and two aren’t even done yet. There’s still hooking to finish on the biggest one. Tynan’s sitting on it there on the right, effectively hiding the undone parts. Good dog! But I don’t think the Fiber Arts Council will fall for that trick.

Hence, it’s a short post this week. My little fingers have a lot of work to do. Check High on Hooking’s Facebook page; I’ll put pics of my entries up when I’ve gotten them all loaded and can take a little breather.

 

Have you considered entering Albuquerque’s Fiber Arts Fiesta?  You don’t have to be from these parts. (In fact, I read just today that something’s coming all the way from Brazil!) Check out the call for entries now. You still have a week.

 

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Taking stock

The rug I was working on as I moved last summer. "Welcome to New Mexico."
The rug I was working on during last summer’s exodus: “Welcome to New Mexico.” Since then I’ve been taking stock of our first year here.

 

Taking stock – that’s what I did with some of the time I took off from the blog these past couple of weeks (which passed by REALLY QUICKLY). July 30 held particular significance and not just because it was the day before my kid’s 19th birthday. This year it marked exactly one year since we rolled into the state of New Mexico to stay.

Wow! We can’t believe it either. At times it’s been tumultuous, there’s no denying that. The holidays, they were tough without family and friends. The kid crashing her car – no injuries other than to pride! – means that just like in high school, Tom’s stuck driving her back and forth to work till she saves for a new vehicle.

Big picture, though, the move’s been most everything we wanted.

 

Where Tynan and I walk in the Bosque along the Rio Grande.
Where Tynan and I walk in the Bosque along the west side of the Rio Grande. This is city living Albuquerque style.

CLIMATE:
Certainly, the weather’s wonderful: lots of sun, lots less winter (compared to New England). One day last January, we hiked in the snow on the east side of the Sandia Mountains then drove the 45 minutes to home where it was 55 degrees. No need for a stinkin’ snowblower here!

 

RUG HOOKING (this is a hooking blog):

You'll find many of AWAG ladies demonstrating rug hooking at Albuquerque's Biopark the first Tuesday of most every month.
You’ll find several of us AWAG’s ladies demonstrating rug hooking at Albuquerque’s Biopark the first Tuesday of most every month.

Who would’ve guessed that there’s such an active guild of hookers out here in Albuquerque? I’ve made some great friends this past year, even one, Melinda, who moved from New Hampshire about the same time I moved from Massachusetts. Now the two of us try to get a hooking afternoon in each week. Better yet, she and her husband are New England Patriots fans just like us. Tom and I are no longer alone in a sea of blue and orange Bronco fans.

 

"Desert Gone Wild" went to a good home just last week.
“Desert Gone Wild,” a table runner or wall hanging, went to a good home just last week.

As High on Hooking, I’ve managed to start selling pieces and been involved in not one, but two shows. The Adobe Wool Arts (ATHA) guild volunteered me as our representative to Albuquerque’s Fiber Arts Council which is currently planning next May’s Fiber Arts Fiesta. Then back in January, three of us headed down to Tuscon in Arizona for a hook-in with the Old Pueblo Rug Hookers. It was 80 degrees there! In January! I even managed a little sunburn!

 

You can't get much closer to a balloon without being in the basket. This one landed behind the house last fall.
You can’t get much closer to a balloon without being in the basket. This one landed right behind the house last fall.

 

 

 

 

HOUSING:
While we didn’t down-size like we planned (hey, with no cellar or attic, we realized we needed an extra room for the treadmill and bike), we found a great house close to the Rio Grande. That means the dog and I can head out to walk the scenic trails of the Bosque (the forest) whenever we wish. In summer this is best done in the early morning hours.) So far we’ve come across a snake, hawks and hummingbirds, lots of bunnies and geckos, two coyotes, and, just last week, a porcupine.

 

Tynan running free in the Bosque. Like, Just like New England, autumn is the best time to be in New Mexico.
Tynan running free in the Bosque. Just like New England, autumn is the best season to be in New Mexico.

 

 

PERSONAL:
I turned 52 this summer. Moving here signaled the start of the next half of my life. (You think I’m optimistic, but one of my grandmothers died as an active 93-year-old, and the other is still very much alive.) One reason we moved here — besides the BIG sky, the art scene, and there being less people — was for the outdoor lifestyle. We like to hike. Unfortunately, a couple of months before we left the east coast, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I won’t lie, it’s been a pain in my ass, amongst other places, but especially for my knees. That’s limited our hiking some. But I’m on a new med; here’s hoping it works without too many side effects (the scary kinds they recite to us in all the TV ads). And that the damn hot flashes stop soon. (I am 52.)

20160522_121931
On the trail again at Tent Rocks.

Luckily, though, while my fingers have swollen some, they’ve suffered little pain. Maybe all the hooking keeps everything lubed up. Thank goodness. I know that most of you feel like I do: hooking is therapy. Without it, life would, to put it bluntly, suck.

Life here in Albuquerque definitely does NOT suck. There are all kinds of new experiences:

 

Tom posing in Tent Rock's curves.
Tom posing in Tent Rocks’ curves.
Navajo rugs up for auction.
Navajo rugs up for auction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could go on, but I won’t right now. There’s too much to do. Rugs don’t hook themselves. Plus, we have company coming early September through mid-October. I can play Julie McCoy to the relatives.

 

How’s your summer been going?

 

Mass ascension at Balloon Fiesta 2015. Have you ever seen so many balloons in one place?
Mass Ascension at Balloon Fiesta 2015. Have you ever seen so many balloons in one place?

 

"Welcome to New Mexico", 29.5"x20", $225, Recycled t-shirts
High on Hooking says “Welcome to New Mexico.” Stay for a while and see why we love it here.
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Happy birthday to me!

Spot #55 was mine this week. And for most of the summer, I believe. We did pretty well filling up the 8'x10' space, I think.
Spot #55 was mine this week. And for most of the summer, I believe. We did pretty well filling up the 8’x10′ space, don’t you think?

Sunday was my birthday; it was also my first time vending at Albuquerque’s Rail Yards Market. Since I managed to sell a piece, it was a very happy birthday for me. Sure, it wasn’t a huge mat – it was a mug rug and matching mug – but it paid my table fees and gave me a nice boost of confidence in a new place.

 

Tortillas, tamales, fritters, rooibos teas, mustards, breads and pastries, jams and mustards. It was all there.
Tortillas, tamales, fritters, rooibos teas, mustards, breads and pastries, jams and mustards, and more! It was all there.

For those who have never been before, the Rail Yards Market runs from 10:00 in the morning till 2:00 p.m. Thank goodness, because during the summer, it’s getting pretty darn warm here in Albuquerque. I think we hit 94 or 95 that day. The market’s incredibly well run. It fills with locals and visitors both. I managed to meet a guy who came from Newtown, Connecticut. That’s one town over from where I grew up!

 

The Old New Mexico Bird House Company offered all kinds of funky stuff for the yard.
The Old New Mexico Bird House Company offered all kinds of funky stuff for the yard.

 

While most folks weren’t all that familiar with rug hooking, the response was definitely favorable. That I was hooking while I sat there was, as usual, a great conversation starter. (Even for the once-upon-a-time latch hookers. 🙂 )

 

How many of you have had the problem of the neighboring booth being a jewelry maker? Pam Schroder and her husband Tom were selling her chainmaille jewelry. Nice! She's the Bling Weaver.
How many of you have had the problem of the neighboring booth being a jewelry maker? Pam Schroder and her husband Tom were selling her chainmaille jewelry. Nice! She’s the Bling Weaver.
Farm freshness!
Farm freshness!

 

The place has a great vibe what with the entertainment venue being about 30 feet from where I sat.This past Sunday brought us belly dancers and singer-songwriters. Aromas from Jamaican, New Mexican, and other foods waft through the place from nearby food trucks and stands. Besides different arts and crafts, you can pick up whatever produce and flowers are in season.

 

UNforunately, I didn't get this lady's card, but she also proved that fiber is alive and well out here in New Mexico.
Unforunately, I didn’t get this woman’s card, but she also proved that fiber is alive and well out here in New Mexico.
LOTS of food and gluten-free to boot!
LOTS of food and gluten-free to boot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a week off and then, come Fathers’ Day, I’m back. I”m looking forward to it. (Even Tom didn’t complain about sitting there people-watching.) I’ve got a few things to tweak and some signs to make based on would-be customer comments and such. Folks asked when I’d be returning, something I’m taking as an excellent omen. Till then there’s more hooking to be done!

 

Don't these make you smile??? They're made by WInnie and Wades Upcycled Hippie/Redneck Art. Love that name!
Don’t these make you smile??? They’re from Winnie and Wades Upcycled Hippie/Redneck Art. Love that name! They certainly helped make my birthday a happy one.
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