Enchanted Places

How many of these enchanted places have you seen?

New Mexico Department of Tourism’s Top 10 Attractions:

• Billy the Kid Museum
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park
• Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
• International UFO Museum
• Sandia Peak Tramway
• Santa Fe
• Taos Ski Valley
• White Sands National Monument

Another ten enchanted places:

• Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
• American International Rattlesnake Museum
• Bandelier National Monument
• Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
• Chimayó
• Mesilla
• National Radio Astronomy Observatory Very Large Array
• Pecos National Historical Park
• Petroglyph National Monument
• Valles Caldera National Preserve

What’s worth seeing in New Mexico that isn’t listed? I’d include El Morro National Monument, Lincoln State Monument, Taos Pueblo, Acoma Sky City (the pueblo, not the casino), and a pueblo feast day.

NewMexiKen has been to 13 of the 20 listed and “sorta-kinda” to four more (been near, driven by, checked out the price of admission). And, obviously, I’ve been to those I would add to the lists.

Who knew?

Watching Law & Order reruns and three year old movies on TV is much more fun than blogging.

Best line of the day, so far

“Gulianni’s son sues after getting kicked off golf team. Coach said he only was able to putt well on holes 9 and 11″

FARK.com

July 24th

Today it’s the birthday

… of cartoonist Pat Oliphant, 73.

… of Ruth Buzzi, 72.

… of Cosmo Kramer. Michael Richards is 59 today. Older, and let’s hope wiser.

… of Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter is 57.

… of Pam Tillis, 51.

… of Barry Bonds. He’s 44.

… of Kristin Chenoweth. The Tony award-winner from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is 40, all 4-foot-11 of her. Chenoweth is one-quarter Cherokee.

… of J Lo. Jennifer Lopez is 39.

… of Anna Paquin. An Oscar winner at age 11, she’s now 26.

Amelia Earhart was born on July 24th in 1897. She disappeared at age 40.

It was on this date in 1847 that Brigham Young gazed at Utah’s Valley of the Great Salt Lake and made his famous declaration: “This is the place.”

Emily and Rob celebrate their 9th anniversary today. Congratulations!

Best lines of late night

“You know, you’ve got to feel kind of sorry for McCain. I mean, all day on TV, they show nothing but footage of Barack Obama touring the Middle East, being with the troops in Afghanistan, meeting with troops in Iraq. The only time I saw McCain on TV was when Willard Scott wished him a happy birthday on the ‘Today’ show.”

“A lot of people think to take some of the spotlight off of Barack Obama, that John McCain will announce his vice presidential choice this week. And most people think it’s going to be Mitt Romney. See, I don’t know about that, because when Romney and McCain stand together, doesn’t it look like one of those slick Countrywide lenders trying to trick your grandfather into a reverse mortgage?”

Jay Leno

Best question of the day, so far

Now, [Robert] Novak says he didn’t realize he’d hit anyone. And if that’s true it removes a great deal of the moral and potential criminal liability. But it puts in real question whether Novak should be driving a car. If you can be driving through the relatively compact streets of downtown Washington, hit a pedestrian so that he rolls up on to your windshield and then trundles off onto the ground and you don’t notice, should you really be driving?

Josh Marshall

Stop and drink the coffee

This item was first posted here two years ago today, but as the topic came up in conversation during the delightful afternoon I spent yesterday with Debby, official baby sister of NewMexiKen, I’ll post it again. The source was Yahoo! News but the original link has gone inactive.

(HealthDay News) — Your morning cup of java may be one of the healthiest beverages in your diet, as more studies show the health benefits of coffee.

Two cups a day of coffee may promote heart health, decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes, and reduce leg pain related to exercise in many people, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Researchers have also been investigating the possibility that coffee could protect against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The beverage is one of the richest sources of antioxidants in the American diet.

The USDA says the levels and benefits of antioxidants seem to be equal in both caffeinated and non-caffeinated coffees. However, watch your intake of cream and sugar, as well as mixed coffee drinks that may be high in calories and sugar.