Jim Reed
Jim Reed is basically compatible when given a cup of coffee, a newspaper, and forty-five minutes silence when he gets up in the morning, therewith explaining his life-long nickname of "Bear." At age fifty-three, he vaguely remembers serving tons of bacon, eggs and creamed beef during his twenty-one years of military service, none of which, thankfully, created causalities upon the sons and daughters of America's finest parents.
Somewhere near the age of fifty, he gave up his quest for material and financial wealth after realizing that Donald Trump's hand firmly holds all five aces. Happiness is now found in the following endeavors:
- Prowling and absorbing the Southwest in search of nature, uniqueness, color and inspiration.
- Being secluded in the small office/study/computer room of his Northeast El Paso home.
- Pampering and over watering his pet Mexican Elder.
- Reading and falling asleep in the comfortable chairs at Barnes & Noble.
- Outwitting his computer's Spell Check and wearing out its Thesaurus feature.
- Trying to understand why obese people overload their trays at all-you-can-eat cafeterias and then select Diet Coke as their beverage.
- Reading and contemplating the works of his favorite poets: Robert W. Service, William Butler Yeats, and Kermit T. Frog.
Jim is graciously allowed to serve as Facilities Manager for El Paso's Bank CNB, therewith sustaining his wife Annie, dog Mookie, grossly overweight cat Zinger, and numerous questionable, yet legal, habits.
"Jim, no one ever accused you of not having imagination."{$.EM$}Richard Vorba
Articles by this Author
Three Rivers Petroglyphs Site - 21,000 Carvings
- By Jim Reed
- Published 12/21/2002
- Southeast New Mexico , Otero County
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Rating:
If you arrive at Three Rivers Petroglyphs Site on a Friday, Saturday or Monday, you will be greeted by Bureau of Land Management volunteer Mr. Daniel Potter of Tularosa, New Mexico. Potter, several times retired from the normal working world and still active at age eighty-four, holds a wealth of knowledge accumulated while serving the public during the past six years at Three Rivers. Even more than his knowledge, you will remember Mr. Potter - his outgoing personality, friendly smile, firm handshake and eagerness to provide information of the puzzling prehistoric collection of Native American graffiti.
A memorable day of discovery along Highway 54
- By Jim Reed
- Published 01/3/2003
- Of Interest
- Unrated
It began with our stop at Three Rivers Trading Post at the junction of Highway 54 and the road to the petroglyphs. It was obvious that the trading post had been there many years, had undergone many revisions and had been a very important crossroads, railroad stop and social center for the area. Behind the trading post stood the brightly painted red and white schoolhouse, its charm and antiquity begging to be released from its overgrown surroundings and to once again serve a useful purpose.
Escape to the Gila Wilderness
- By Jim Reed
- Published 01/9/2003
- Southwest New Mexico , Gila Wilderness
- Unrated
The road heads north, from the pass of El Paso to the cross of Las Cruces and farther to the spot where you turn west and leave the Rio Grande's fertile sides. As you travel towards Hillsboro, the road rolls and twists, breaking the straightness and monotony of the Interstate. Now it's time to pay attention; driving becomes work and fun, a test of your attentive ability. It takes effort to escape; the efforts can test your reactions and the fitness of your vehicle. Small trees start to appear. The feeling of going upward gradually becomes obvious.
Looking for Fort Fillmore
- By Jim Reed
- Published 01/11/2003
- Southwest New Mexico , Dona Ana County
- Unrated
Johnson's New Military Map of the United States, a replica of a map printed for the United States War Department in the year 1861, places all the Forts, Military Posts, etc., and shows Ft. Fillmore, Arizona Territory, positioned aside the Rio Grande, just above Ft. Bliss, Texas and below Ft. Thorn, Arizona. My modern-day H.M.Gousha map of New Mexico shows a Point of Interest symbol for the "Ft. Fillmore Ruins" just below Las Cruces between State Road 478 and Interstate 10.
Sunspot, New Mexico - easier than a trip to the Sun
- By Jim Reed
- Published 06/20/2003
- Southeast New Mexico , Otero County
- Unrated
Faster and far more realistic would be a visit to Sunspot, located fifteen forested miles south of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, nestled between lovely tall pines and perched at the edge of Sacramento Peak. Here the National Solar Observatory's numerous telescopes bring the sun's activity to the human eye for study and observation.
The Trinity Site - Day One, double sunrise
- By Jim Reed
- Published 06/20/2003
- Southwest New Mexico , Socorro County
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Rating:
Day One of the Atomic Age, I imagine during the eighty mile drive from Alamogordo to Trinity Site, New Mexico, was much like today except for the early morning rain postponing the experiment from 4:00 to 5:30 a.m. Darkness filled the elongated valley bordered by mountains of hard granite, solidified lava flows and eroded mesas. The rain was undoubtedly welcomed by the sparse yet hardy vegetation decorating the valley floor. The rare summer moisture provided relief from the searing, relentless desert heat - a brief chance to rejoice and replenish moments before disappearring in an unnatural and previously unknown manner. Except for the sound of our 200 vehicle convoy headed to Ground Zero, Day One was sunny, windless and serene, just like today.
The Little Red Schoolhouse Tree
- By Jim Reed
- Published 07/16/2003
- Southeast New Mexico , Otero County
- Unrated
At first I imagined a small tree growing in a planter in the corner of the old red schoolhouse when Kevin told me there was a tree inside.
"Why is that unusual?" I asked. "Lots of people put trees inside homes.
"No," responded Kevin, "It's a big tree. They put a big tree inside the schoolhouse."