History Conference in Flagstaff

It is really good to get away and clear one's head — it is a great way to focus renewed energy on the job at hand — which in this case is selling books. Flagstaff was the perfect place for that this last weekend. (Photo above: Winslow Public Library, Winslow, AZ)

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Every three years, the Historical Society of New Mexico (HSNM) and the Arizona Historical Society get together for a joint conference. This year it was in Flagstaff, AZ, and in the past it has been Las Cruces and Pinetop.

We enjoy Flagstaff – the temperature, the food and drink (it is a bar/brewery town!), culture, art, and just being casual. The HSNM conference is a chance to us to see old friends and get tidbits of knowledge.

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We had a booth at HSNM and sold our books. We did very well and were happy to see UNM Press and Martin Link – fellow New Mexicans selling too. Of course, there were Arizona booksellers there including the person everyone loves, Al Gonzales. Next year the HSNM Conference is in Alamogordo, New Mexico – a space and military town.

We also stopped at libraries between Albuquerque and Flagstaff, especially the Holbrook and Winslow (remember the song?) libraries and also the Flagstaff library to give them the sellsheets of our new titles.

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(Photo above: welcoming bench in front of the Holbrook Public Library)

Congrats to Joe Sanchez and Bruce Erickson, authors of "From Saltillo, Mexico to San Antonio and East Texas" winner of the Fray Francisco Dominguez Award in the annual HSNM Book Awards.

UPDATE: On the front page of the
Albuquerque Journal is a piece ("Leakage") on buying New Mexico services and materials from other states. I know about this! 79% of all the educational instructional materials (and books) used in New Mexico schools were bought from vendors outside of New Mexico. Do you think our failing government with no money would notice they are going to other states when perfectly good stuff is in New Mexico? No, too clueless.

Barbe Awalt


Today's Rant: Random Thoughts!
Donald Trump was involved in a bizarre incident in which he took a hat from a kid, autographed it, and flung it into the crowd instead of handing it back to the kid. The kids yelled out to try to correct his strange behavior, but instead he responded by doing the same thing to another kid’s hat. This was in the same timeframe in which he couldn’t remember to put his hand over his heart during the National Anthem and had to be visibly nudged by his wife. But these minor incidents were merely warning shots.

That same evening, Trump had unwittingly revealed during a Fox News interview that he didn’t know the name of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, the one he’s been threatening to blow up for the past week. He also revealed that he believes thirty-two year old Kim Jong-Un is the same guy who’s been in power since the nineties. Trump doesn’t know that Kim and his late father Kim-Jong Il are two different people Worse, as recently as a few months ago, Trump’s words during the campaign made clear that he did know that these were two different leaders. In other words, he’s completely forgotten the key things that he previously knew about North Korea. And even if his advisers have tried to remind him, it appears he’s now incapable of hanging on to that information.

But perhaps Monday was just a singularly bad day for Donald Trump? As it turns out, he traveled to a political rally last weekend in Wisconsin, the home state of Speaker Paul Ryan. The two Republicans don’t always get along, but they know each other quite well. And yet Trump kept referring to Paul Ryan as “Ron” during his speech today (Bipartisan Report). On their own, any one of these incidents could be seen as a mere gaffe, an absent moment. But strung together, they paint a picture of a man who’s become mentally vacant.

Throw in the incident last week Trump he claimed that he had launched Tomahawk missiles into Iraq instead of Syria, and didn’t seem to understand his mistake after the interviewer pointed it out, and it establishes a clear pattern. Donald Trump’s mental lapses are rapidly worsening by the day. Only a doctor could tell us if this is something like dementia or Alzheimers or the mere effects of worsening situational stress. But no matter the diagnosis, it’s clear something is wrong with Trump!


UPCOMING CALENDAR:

Rio Grande Books
June 16-18: Sacred Art Market, Gallup Cathedral
July 15: Lavender in the Village, Los Ranchos Agri Center
Nov 4, 2017: Tempe Book Festival, Tempe Public Library

Henrietta Christmas & Paul Rhetts
April 30: Santa Fe Public Library, 2pm "Basic Genealogy Checklist: 101 Tips & Tactics to Finding Your Family History"
June 24: Treasure House Books, Albuquerque Old Town 1-3pm "Basic Genealogy Checklist: 101 Tips & Tactics to Finding Your Family History"

Loretta Hall
April 29: Loretta will be on Green Knees Radio Show on KSFR (101.fm) reading "Miguel and Michelle Visit Spaceport America"
May 3: Bear Canyon Senior Center, 10:00-11:30, "Getting Men to the Moon: Behind-the-Scenes Stories"
June 10: Bookworks, 11am. 4022 Rio Grande Blvd ABQ
July 13: OASIS, 1:00-2:30, "What Sex Differences Mean for Space Travel"

Pat Hodapp
April 23: Collected Works, 2pm "Santa Fe Bucket List"

Ross Van Dusen
June 4: Treasure House Books, 1pm "Lyle Got Stuck in a Tree" and "What Makes Lightning?"