James Lee Mansell, RIP

James was Floyd Mansell’s oldest son, with the woodsman’s heritage and ability one might expect. Perhaps even in extra measure; he was one of the best woodsmen and elk and turkey hunters I ever knew in his youth. I believe he was also a Golden Gloves boxer, as many of Floyd’s kids and proteges were. …

Read more

Vern Dawson 1962- 2017 RIP

Vernon Dawson died this week, tragically youmg. He was a miner, a craftsman, a drinker, a gentleman, and a friend.  Perhaps his problem was the one mentioned long ago by Jimmy Buffett in “A Pirate Looks at Forty” (Forty!): “My occupational hazard bein’ / My occupation’s just not around.”  The days of the hard rock …

Read more

Parade

I have, to my mild shock, been elected unanimously to the post of Grand Marshall for the Magdalena Old Timers’ Parade. That means I lead the parade, folks; sadly, the herd of half- wild Corriente cattle they used to drive through town ahead of it has gone the way of the street dance in the …

Read more

Old Timers

Our annual fiesta seems to have taken on new life, and despite threatening (pre?) monsoon  clouds staggering  by, nothing is getting  cancelled. It SMELLS like O t’s. Now we just need the metronymic rhythm of 4 pm daily storms (with hail!) and maybe this will be the best “real”  rain in a decade… Pics, random …

Read more

Snow

“The mountains paralleled the valley and the snowy peaks were extending with fall to the valley floor.”– Thomas McGuane, Nobody’s Angel Which is at least visually appropriate for this view looking South on Main street to the Magdalena range, which rises from 6500 feet at the village to almost 11, 000 (10, 782 I THINK) …

Read more

Magdalena’s Poet

Bruce Holsapple wasn’t born here any more than I was (“I’m not from here/ I just live here”– James McMurtry); but sooner or later you make your stand. Would you not credit Gary Snyder and his adopted watershed in the dry Sierra, or me in my Querencia? Bruce has been here long enough to put …

Read more

Great Local Photo

Shamelessly stolen from the Golden Spur Saloon website, which is replete with good stuff;  a portrait of Lawrence Aragon and Johnny Krynitz playing at the Spur last summer. They both live and raise cattle 30 dirt- track miles north of town, near the ghost town of Riley, or as we are more likely to call …

Read more

Mattanza Magdalena

It has been a rough year for our town– four funerals in one family alone, no water for a month in summer, loss of our only food store. Perhaps my young friend Jason Otero, who is a guide and hound trainer among other skills, just decided to cheer everyone up. He staged a mattanza– literally …

Read more

Another Magdalena Tale

From John Wilson: “We got out to B. W. Cox’s sawmill.  I had a chance to chat with Mr. Cox (he did not like being called Mr. Cox).  What an interesting guy. “The two guys working the mill were filled with interesting information as well.  Guillermo has been around here for over thirty years.  Javier …

Read more