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The Abiquiu News is brought to you by Carol and Brian Bondy
Image Courtesy of Mario Manzo
View More of Mario's Work Online
Image Courtesy of Mario Manzo
View More of Mario's Work Online
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December 22, 2023
Weekly WeatherIn GratitudeWe thank Andria Mae and Andy for renewing the Bodes Sponsorship. Read our feature article this week. "At the Crossroads of History and Hospitality since 1890: Andria Mae and Andy Romero take the reins at Bodes"
We thank the anonymous reader who sponsors the Northern Youth Project. We thank Rick Hilsabeck for renewing this artist sponsorship. View Rick's art on our arts page or visit online at www.rickhilsabeck.net I (Brian) would like to thank all the folks that offered their condolences to me over the past several weeks. Also, I want to thank everyone that has given me computers, printers, etc. to refurbish and give away. I still enjoy fixing up computers and I still manage to give them away. NYP is a homegrown effort, founded in 2009 by local teens in response to staggering statistics of high school dropout rates, teen substance abuse, academic underachievement, and a lack of programs for teenagers in the area.
Collectively, Northern Youth Project teens have set out to “be the change” in their community. The program provides an opportunity to put ideas into action: initiating projects they want to do, focusing on their interests, and engaging in activities driven by their passions. Our strategy is working! Nearly 100% of Northern Youth Project teens 18 and older have graduated from high school or received a GED and are now attending college. Participating members have regularly shown increased rates of school attendance and academic performance, expressing a greater sense of awareness, appreciation and responsibility towards their community, school, culture, environment, and most importantly, themselves. Rick HilsabeckRick Hilsabeck has loved color ever since he can remember. During childhood visits to The Art Institute, in his hometown of Chicago, he was captivated by the rich and vibrant color palettes of such artists as Wolf Kahn, Emily Mason, Paul Cezanne, Auguste Renoir, Gustav Klimt, Frederick Carl Frieseke, Odilon Redon, and Pierre Bonnard as well as the Abstract Expressionists, Clyfford Still, Richard Diebenkorn and Helen Frankenthaler. This was the initial inspiration for him to begin painting. He was selected to paint in the Impressionist galleries of The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, has shown throughout New England, notably in Fairfield County’s Burr Mansion Art Show, as well as in the Western United States including Lake Dillon Foundation for the Performing Arts Show in Colorado. His work hangs in many private collections here in New Mexico as well. His small oils are currently being shown and are available at “Wear Your Grace” boutique and gallery (wearyourgrace.com) on East Palace Street just off the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe.
Rick is a consummate colorist, mixing his oil paint both on the palette and directly on the canvas, board or paper. He frequently incorporates gold leaf as well as metallic pigments along with oils, acrylics and pastels, using brush, knife, fingers, cloth, trowels...you name it. Rick is also a highly successful professional actor on the Broadway stage and around the world, playing roles such as The Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Experience traveling as an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer and director have greatly informed his visual art. Color. When layered with Light, Movement and Time – Color is provocative. Think of a live stage performance. The story, the performers, the production, the lighting and sound design, all work together toward a cohesive and enriching composition. And you.... the audience, the viewer, complete the experience. I consider myself a Colorist. It is the mesmerizing effects of Color and its relationship with light that I find most satisfying to paint and to look at. As I learned early on, finding contentment in the process is everything. One of the challenges for the painter is to capture a feeling in the moment. An inspiration. An experience which in life is ephemeral, but in the color and composition of the painting - lives on. Studio Open by Appointment Email Or Visit online at www.rickhilsabeck.net We are often thanked for what we do for the community. Our readers make that possible. We thank you. We couldn't do it without you.
This month the New Mexico Local News Fund is supporting local newsrooms with a matching grant. Contributions made in December – specifically donations and paid subscriptions will be matched up to $5000. We are close to our goal, no donation is too small. Consider making a one time donation of $25 - just pennies over $2 a month by clicking a button below. Make a donation by clicking on one of the buttons below or mail a check to Abiquiu News, PO Box 1052, Abiquiu, NM 87510.
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The 51st annual Chama Chile Ski Classic will happen January 13, 2024 (Martin Luther King weekend) in Chama, New Mexico.
Snowshoe and Cross-country skiers will have a full day of races available and racers will need to register to race for the event. Cross country ski races (classic and wood ski categories), snowshoe races and a rookie race are available for youth, adult, and senior racers! A clinic for new racers is also being planned. The 12km race will also be part of the Rossignol Southwest Series, and Nordic and ski clubs throughout the southwest are helping to ensure the event is supported. Event organizer John Beaver has helped groom the course for thirty years and stepped up to ensure the event continued. Any funds raised over the cost of the event will be donated to the Chama Rotary for REAP (a local utilities assistance program for the elderly). Caleb Stotts, Chama Peak Land Alliance Executive Director, says that the event is important to the community and in years past has been a fundraiser for REAP. "In partnership with a great team of sponsors and volunteers, we are excited to help with this community event and continue all the great work that has been done for years by race organizers.” Local businesses are amping up to support the event and many hotels and beds and breakfasts will have a special rate for event participants. Make plans early to stay in Chama and know that event organizers are looking forward to seeing you all at the 51st Chama Chile Ski Classic! media contact Sage Faulkner, Program Manager at Chama Peak Land Alliance, sage@chamapeak.org 505-490-2822, cell USACE to implement $5 general day use fee beginning January 1st at Abiquiu LakeABIQUIU, N.M. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Albuquerque District will begin charging a $5 fee for general day use beginning Jan. 1, 2024. The fee was determined by USACE after conducting a fee comparability study that looks at fees required by other federal and non-federal recreation sites within 60 miles of Abiquiu Lake.
The new fee covers boat launch, so the cost of boat launch will not increase. Camping fees at Abiquiu Lake will remain unchanged at this time. The Albuquerque District conducts biannual fee comparability studies at each project to ensure recreation fees are fair and equitable with surrounding recreation facilities. Throughout the region, visitation has continued to increase and the cost of maintaining recreation facilities has continued to rise with inflation. As a result of the fee comparability studies conducted, Abiquiu Lake will implement a $5.00 day use fee for general day use. For more information about Abiquiu recreation please visit https://www.spa.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Recreation/Abiquiu-Lake/. Did you Feel the Earth Move?A 2.5 Magnitude earthquake occurred on the Santa Fe National Forest in the Cuba District around 3:00 p.m. yesterday followed by a 3.5 magnitude around 4:45 p.m. If you are interested in learning more about the magnitude energy release, and other interesting facts about earthquakes from the USGS please visit the attached links: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/earthquake-facts-earthquake-fantasy
The larger was Mag 3.5 (orange dot) and a smaller one of Mag 2.5 (yellow dot) in the afternoon of Wednesday, December 20th. Both were a little east of Cuba in the Nacimiento Mountains, just south of the San Pedro Wilderness area. Faults in this area trend SW to NE, so these earthquakes are likely connected, and more earthquakes might occur as stress and strain is released by these 2 quakes. Check Out Echo Amphitheater this WinterZach Behrens
Public Affairs Officer, Carson National Forest It’s a situation that’s unfortunately become common across the country. A beautiful location with facilities you can’t say the same about. Here at Echo Amphitheater, a popular site just off Highway 84 on the Carson National Forest, the bathrooms, campground and entrance lost their shine years ago. More than that, some parts just plain stopped functioning.
The septic system attached to the restrooms constantly broke, causing toilets to overflow. Monsoonal rains frequently flood out summertime campers. And over time, the entrance became dilapidated and less welcoming in contrast to the unique and natural beauty of the area. Then came the Legacy Restoration Fund, one part of the 2020 Great American Outdoors Act. With $285 million to spread across the National Forest System, it has been funding deferred maintenance projects on federal lands, including a handful of locations across Carson National Forest. The work at Echo Amphitheater is about to hit a milestone: The restrooms have been replaced and the final touches are in the works. The septic system and attached bathrooms are gone, replaced with pit toilets that will be more stable to maintain moving forward.
There’s plenty of more work to do, says District Ranger Angie Krall, but it’s time to open the site up and let the public enjoy for awhile before breaking ground on campground improvements. “It’s kind of odd to celebrate bathroom replacements but that work is so critical to keeping this highly visited site open,” she said. “Water is life here in Northern New Mexico and we simply could not continue having a leaky septic system in the heart of the Rio Chama Watershed.” Across the highway is Canjilon Creek, which feeds into the Rio Chama a few miles to the south. The Carson National Forest is one of the many partners involved in the massive Rio Chama Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project, which aims to restore the critical watershed across 3.8 million acres that downstream users, including large portions of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, depend on for drinking water. In that way, the Legacy Restoration Fund is a double win. Not only is it renewing a popular destination, it’s fixing a water quality issue. Echo Amphitheater serves visitors in a number of ways with a short trail to the amphitheater, a picnic area and a small campground.
It’s name comes from the auditory component of the otherwise visually stunning natural amphitheater. Don’t be surprised to come upon a musician taking advantage of the excellent acoustics. And give it a try yourself. Howl your name, “hello!” or what-have-you and it will boomerang back. And just like that echo, construction crews will return sometime this spring or summer to address the entrance and campground flooding, not to mention to resurface the road and add amenities like electric hookups and a water station. So get here while you can. Or plan to visit late next year or early 2025 when the full shine has returned. Visitor Details: Echo Amphitheater will reopen at 9 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2024. It may close as early as March 2024 for the second phase of construction funded by the Legacy Restoration Fund. Location: It is located off Highway 84 on the west side, 4 miles north of Ghost Ranch, 17 miles north of Abiquiu and 14 miles south of Cebolla. Costs:
In Memory - Charlotte Minter
Retiring in 2000, she built an adobe casita in Abiquiu, New Mexico, where she became active in northern New Mexico arts and cultural affairs and a supporter of The Abiquiu News.
In Florida, she was a founding member of the Martin County League of Women Voters, a dossant instructor at the Jacksonville Art Museum, and was elected into the Jacksonville Leadership Council. She was an organizer of the successful Atlantic Beach Homeowners Association To Block Condominiums on the Last Residential Beachfront City of Florida’s East Coast. Charlotte was a ringleader of the North Beach Wimmins Circle and was lovingly known by neighborhood teenagers as “Ms. Police.” She was an elder of the Atlantic Beach Presbyterian Church. Charlotte is survived by her daughter Catherine Ashley Newhaller, her husband, Dan Newhaller and their children, Samantha Elise Newhaller and Leland Daniel Newhaller, and by her son James H. Minter III, his wife, Lisa Anders and their children, Isabella Jordan Minter and Benjamin Ross Anders. She is also survived by James H. Minter, Jr (“Jim”). Charlotte and Jim were the rare couple that, after 27 years of marriage and 15 years of divorce, got back together to spend their lives with each other. In 2022, she returned with Jim to Columbus, Georgia where they were active in the Historic District Preservation Society. There will be an Abiquiu memorial service for Charlotte early next year. Specifics to be announced soon. Memorials in her name may be contributed to The Abiquiu News or worthy organizations of your choice. Neighbors Helping NeighborsAre you aware that there are some in our community who cannot afford to buy a Holiday dinner for their families? The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) puts together boxes of staples for a nice dinner that includes a ham or a turkey.
These boxes make a huge difference and are so gratefully received. A donation of $20 will give a family a fine Holiday dinner, and is so appreciated. You can make your check out to SVdP - Santo Tomas Conference and mail to Erma Crim, PO Box 1009, Abiquiu, NM 87510 Shop Local for the HolidaysWe're getting down to the wire for holiday shopping. Our local retail outlets have you covered. Bodes has an excellent selection of gifts and cards. Don't forget the bubbly. The Shop at Abiquiu Inn has treasures galore, and a sale going on as well. Nest has beautifully curated art and fine craft.
Need a gift without shipping? Boy, do I have the solution for you.Zach Hively
If you’re like me—and if so, my heartiest congratulations to you—you’ll still experience the occasional blip in your inherent awesomeness. Such as last-minute holiday shopping. In this case, might I recommend giving the gift of creation: a Misfit Poetry workshop registration with moi, Zach. Zach Hively (right) is teaching the Misfit Poetry workshop with Casa Urraca Press. C-3PO (left) is not.
This is the fourth time I’ve taught Misfit Poetry via my publisher, Casa Urraca Press. It’s a two-hour generative workshop that’s applicable to all kinds of writing—we focus on poetry because you can write poems in two hours more easily than, say, the next Great American Novel. This workshop is a great gift for the creative spirits in your life, and/or someone you need a two-hour break from.
But this workshop is, if I may say so myself, pretty darn special. Register for Misfit Poetry Let me know what questions you have, and I’ll hope to see all your loved ones there. Merry merry, Zach © 2023 Zach Hively For the Birds - Cooper's HawkWe have had an immature Cooper's Hawk at our house almost every day for the past couple of weeks - a first for us. Needless to say, all the other birds skedaddle when he shows up.
~Katy Blanchard Area FactoidsDid you know that in 1935 there were only fifty horses in Abiquiu which were borrowed and loaned from one family to another?
Abiquiu Lake: The boat ramp will be closed periodically until April as part of dam maintenance efforts. Contact the Abiquiu Lake Main Office at 505-685-4371 for updated lake conditions and closure information.
Rio Chama: Streamflow below El Vado Lake Monday morning was 100 cfs; streamflow below Abiquiu Lake Monday morning was 56 cfs. Please remember, from the river-crossing bridge on U.S. Highway 84 at Abiquiu upstream 7 miles to the base of Abiquiu Dam is special trout waters with a bag limit of only two trout. Corrected Hours for NCSWA
NCSWA & their office hours are 8-5 M-F closed 12-1 for lunch Thank you Pam Benson Scene Around TownSend us your local images. Send to AbiquiuNewsImages@gmail.com Please send images under 1mb. My inbox will thank you. ~Carol
Art, Music and BooksThe Locals’ Picks Book List
Zach Hively Casa Urraca Press has created a place for locals in our area to recommend books to each other, and a place to find book suggestions with a personal touch.
Have a book to recommend? Send it to Zach at casaurracaltd@gmail.com – title, author, and the reason you suggest it.
The full Locals’ Picks list is available to view here on Bookshop. A purchase from Casa Urraca's link helps support independent bookstores. Abiquiu’s Casa Urraca Press earns a commission from every shopping trip that starts with the above Bookshop link—you can shop the entire Bookshop site in addition to the locals' picks. Plus, a percentage of every book (at least 10%) goes straight to independent bookstores. This is an opportunity to support small businesses with the same convenience as large online retailers. Abiquiu Book Club
EventsPlease remember, events will go in for a maximum of three Fridays before the event. Send text, word or publisher file and a separate image, please keep images below 1 mb and send to info@abiquiunews.com. Vertical PDFs or JPGs will be edited for space. Send by Wednesday Noon for inclusion in that Friday's News.
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Lost and found pets. Pets available for adoption are now listed on our Classifieds page.
Russell
Everyone loves a handsome hunk of chunky-cheeked tabby cat! Russell is a one-year-old 8lb lover boy ready to purr his way into your heart for the holidays; he goes home neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. We are open to walk-in adopters Monday-Saturday 11am-4:30pm. www.espanolahumane.org 505-753-8662 Twyla
Calling all lap dog lovers! Can you resist this sweet snaggletooth? Twyla is stealing hearts around the world from our Puppy Patch at Ojo Santa Fe! Twyla goes home spayed, microchipped, up to date on vaccines, and with six months of free heartworm prevention. Apply to adopt her or her siblings on our website and we can schedule appointments for approved adopters. www.espanolahumane.org 505-753-8662 |
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