Happy New Mexico statehood day
It happened in 1912, making the Land of Enchantment the 47th state.
www.50states.com
OK, here are a few of my associations with the state. I'll start the list and you can finish it.
1. My grade school girlfriend in Ohio, Beth Buck, moved to New Mexico. We wrote for a little while. And then, well, you know.
Her father was an Air Force general. Once, at our grade school's science fair, he questioned me about my exhibit focusing on combat aircraft of World War II. As I recall it, I did a decent job of answering his questions.
2. When I worked in El Paso in the late 70s, I went to a Linda Ronstadt concert at New Mexico State University in nearby Las Cruces and wrote a review for my paper. Gushing praise, as I recall.
3. Visited Carlsbad Caverns. It's dark down there when they cut the lights.
4. My wife and I had a lifetime Top 10 breakfast in Santa Fe once about 20 years ago.
5. Once in Albuquerque, on the same trip, we were listening to the radio and some sort of community calendar was being read. The announcer alluded to "Toast and Jelly Days" -- some sort of program for preschoolers, I think. We still use that expression.
6. Speaking of radio, one of my all-time favorite NPR stories was about Americans' lack of knowledge re: geography and how an alarming number of people are not certain New Mexico is part of the United States. Sort of puts the whole mispronouncing "Spokane" thing in perspective.
7. Even though I have seen it countless times, there are parts of "Ben-Hur" that still get to me.
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