The Sunday Re-Run and an Update to Same

A couple o' years ago I posted the piece immediately below on the Dalley Windmill Collection, one of Portales' minor claims to fame.  I went searching for a suitable reference link to include in the re-post because the quoted link is dead.  In so doing I found out the Dalleys are trying to donate their collection to Roosevelt County.  From the Portales News-Tribune:

A Portales man wants to donate his life-long windmill collection to the county to be used as a tourist attraction, an idea the city turned down several years ago.

Bill Dalley brought the matter to the Roosevelt County Commission on Tuesday.

Dalley has been collecting windmills for 30 years.

“I would like to keep them in the county, because most of them came from the county,” Dalley said.

[...]

Roosevelt County Commissioner Bill Cathey said he likes the idea, and thinks the windmills could be best displayed at the Roosevelt County Fairgrounds, and maybe even downtown on the square.

“I’m going to do all I can to preserve and keep the windmills together,” Cathey said, adding he will work with the fair board, city council and chamber of commerce to try to move the idea along.

I hope Commissioner Cathey is persuasive in his arguments.  I'd hate to see this unique Americana collection broken up and sent off with the four winds (ahem).

And now my post from two years ago...

The Dalley Windmill Collection

 Anyone who’s traveled on the American Great Plains knows that the landscape is dotted with windmills... most of which are still functioning, drawing water for cattle and other livestock. In some parts of the country the standard joke is the windmill is the Unofficial State Tree. That’s probably true here on The High Plains of New Mexico, as trees of any sort are in very short supply. 

One of Portales, New Mexico’s minor claims to fame…and they’re ALL minor, come to think on it… is The Dalley Windmill Collection. From Southeastern New Mexico (The Arts, Museums, and Must-See Sites) (ed: dead link):

The Dalley Windmill Collection
One of the residents of Portales has a collection of 75 windmills from around the world. You can drive by and see all of the beautiful windmills. On a good and windy day they will be turning and charming the eyes of viewers.
Address 1506 Killgore St., Portales, NM
Phone (505) 356-6263

“A good and windy day” would be nearly any day in P-Ville, except for today. I took a ride out to the Dalley’s place earlier this afternoon to take the pictures you see here. I had hoped to talk to Mr. Dalley and get some background on his collection but no one was home…alas and alack. I was able to take pictures, though… and this post contains three such.

This is the first of what may be many windmill photos. I also put up more (and different) photos of Mr. Dalley’s windmills at The Summer Photo Project 2008. And, apropos of nothing… You’ll be able to tell when The Muse goes off to wherever it is she goes from time to time… coz there’ll be more windmill photos.

As always...click for larger.

I posted more windmill photos if'n you're interested, Gentle Reader.  My Muse has a habit of going AWOL, as noted above.

The Dalley Windmill Collection

Anyone who’s traveled on the American Great Plains knows that the landscape is dotted with windmills... most of which are still functioning, drawing water for cattle and other livestock. In some parts of the country the standard joke is the windmill is the Unofficial State Tree. That’s probably true here on The High Plains of New Mexico, as trees of any sort are in very short supply.

One of Portales, New Mexico’s minor claims to fame…and they’re ALL minor, come to think on it… is The Dalley Windmill Collection. From Southeastern New Mexico (The Arts, Museums, and Must-See Sites):

The Dalley Windmill Collection
One of the residents of Portales has a collection of 75 windmills from around the world. You can drive by and see all of the beautiful windmills. On a good and windy day they will be turning and charming the eyes of viewers.
Address 1506 Killgore St., Portales, NM
Phone (505) 356-6263

“A good and windy day” would be nearly any day in P-Ville, except for today. I took a ride out to the Dalley’s place earlier this afternoon to take the pictures you see here. I had hoped to talk to Mr. Dalley and get some background on his collection but no one was home…alas and alack. I was able to take pictures, though… and this post contains three such.

This is the first of what may be many windmill photos. I also put up more (and different) photos of Mr. Dalley’s windmills at The Summer Photo Project 2008. And, apropos of nothing… You’ll be able to tell when The Muse goes off to wherever it is she goes from time to time… coz there’ll be more windmill photos.

As always...click for larger.

Newsy Notes

This is good news:

Roosevelt County is bringing a new addition to the county fairgrounds in the form of a 12,600-square-foot windmill park.

Longtime Portales residents Bill and Alta Dalley, who have collected old-fashioned windmills for the last 30 years, now have more than 80 windmills stored at their home on South Kilgore in Portales.

“When we mentioned we were getting rid of them, some of the kids and grandkids got upset ’cause they said it wouldn’t be home without the windmills,” Bill Dalley said, laughing. “The kids are wanting to keep them within the county and close to home.”

The windmill collection is not being moved far, since the couple has donated it to Roosevelt County, which will turn the collection into a 12,600-square-foot windmill park at the county fairgrounds. The display will be located between the event center and the Jake Lopez building and is due to open by February of next year.

The last I heard the county was still debating the pros and cons of saving the windmill collection, and most importantly... where to put them.  It looks like that's all been solved, and Good On Roosevelt County and its pooh-bahs!  I've written about the Dalley windmill collection in the near-wayback, and the pic comes from one of those posts.

―:☺:―

Today's Lil Mystery...

The sponges, not the beer.  Why do these damned things get so grody, so quickly when they spend their entire working lives in hot soapy water?  I hate replacing them before their useful life is over, but OTOH I can't STAND lookin' at the damned things when they get that way.

The pic also does double-duty to illustrate what we're drinkin' at today's Happy Hour... a Sammy Adams Summer Ale (rated B- at Beer Advocate) (I'll prolly have more than one, actually, as I LOVE this beer.).  I've decided to be as Green as I can possibly be, so we're doubling up subject matter to save precious pixels and expensive digital film.  We're also re-using or recycling photos when we can.  Isn't that impressive, conscientious, and forward-thinkin' of me?  I need to research environmentalist awards as I prolly qualify for one.  Just don't look at the bulb in my table lamp, mmm-kay?  Shit.  Now I've blown my cover.

Gonna comment?  Read the post below before you do.  Blogger is bein' a shit today.

Decisions, Decisions...

Interesting… From the Air Force Association’s Daily Report:

Putting Money Down: Following BRAC 2005, Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico has made good on a pledge to provide money to ensure the Air Force can improve and expand operations at Cannon Air Force Base--and keep the new western base for special operations off any potential future base closure lists. In a June 24 release, noting the state's $5 million investment, Richardson said, "We are fulfilling a promise I made to modernize Cannon Air Force Base and increase its military value to the Air Force." The money is to go toward transfer of state land to the Air Force to expand the Melrose Bombing and Gunnery Range, which was one of the prime features that attracted Air Force Special Operations Command to select Cannon for its western base. New Mexico Finance Secretary Katherine Miller signed a memo of understanding with Air Force installations chief William Anderson this week. The land has yet to be identified, according to the release, but Miller said state offices would "work diligently" to identify "potential land that meets Air Force requirements." Base officials planned to begin using the existing range for AC-130 gunship training earlier this year. In addition to the AC-130, AFSOC plans to place the new CV-22 and a proposed light gunship, in addition to other SOF aircraft with the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon. (Read Special Operators Head West)

OK… the money’s there, but expansion of the Melrose Range may take some time, as the land required to expand the range hasn’t actually been identified yet. That apparently isn’t stopping USAF from bedding the Special Operators down at Cannon, though. Last week while I was out at the base I counted five C-130s on the ramp, as opposed to the one or two I usually see. Which doesn’t mean a danged thing in and of itself… the planes and their crews could have been TDY to Cannon for training. Still, I like it when I see lotsa aircraft on the ramp. That’s a good sign.

―:☺:―

This just in (via the WaPo), and it’s good news from the Supremes, for once in this term:

The Supreme Court, splitting along ideological lines, today declared that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own guns for self-defense, striking down the District of Columbia's ban on handgun ownership as unconstitutional.

The 5 to 4 decision was written by Justice Antonin Scalia, and went beyond what the Bush administration had counseled. It said that the government may impose some restrictions on gun ownership, but that the District's strictest-in-the-nation ban went too far under any interpretation.

Scalia wrote that the Constitution leaves the District a number of options for combating the problem of handgun violence, "including some measures regulating handguns."

"But the enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table," he continued. "These include the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home."

The Court “split along ideological lines” yet again. And I’ll repeat my Presidential Election Mantra yet again: “It’s all about the Court!” And dead terrorists too, of course.

―:☺:―

Today’s Pics: Three more items from Mr. Dalley’s windmill collection. One of the more interesting things about Mr. Dalley’s windmills is the variations in the fan designs one sees in the collection. The first picture is a close-up of the “classic” windmill, and by that I mean the most commonly seen version; the second is a more aerodynamic fan; and the third is two more variations on fan design.

One has to think the “classic” fan won out because it’s basically a simple design that would cost much less to manufacture. And lower manufacturing costs always translate directly to lower sale price. I’d also assume there wouldn’t be much, if any, gains in efficiency with the more esoteric designs. But those other designs are aesthetically pleasing, aren’t they? If you have other thoughts I’d love to hear ‘em…

A Brief Comment on the FISA Deal... and Color!

The first sentence of this op-ed (“The Intelligence Deal”) in yesterday’s WSJ is right on the money:

The best news about yesterday's White House-Democrat deal on overseas eavesdropping is that the ACLU and the anti-antiterror Internet mob are apoplectic. This can only be good for U.S. national security. Too bad the compromise also comes at the cost of a further erosion of Presidential war powers.

The deal would extend the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to cover eavesdropping on terrorist communications overseas. A six-month extension – the Protect America Act – expired earlier this year and surveillance authorization on al Qaeda targets will start to expire in August. The new deal – assuming it isn't defeated by liberals on the House floor – would last for six years. It is thus a gift to the next President, who won't have to spend capital battling those who think that letting our spooks read al Qaeda's email inevitably means that Dick Cheney is bugging your bedroom.

The moonbats are literally wetting their pants over this… while ignoring the stuff that “benefits” their side (read as: hamstrings, to a limited extent, monitoring efficacy)…and none more so than that idiot Glen Greenwald.

This scandal began by revelations that the President broke the law -- committed felonies -- when spying on our calls and emails without warrants, because he believes he has the power to break the law. The scandal all but concluded yesterday, with the Democratic Congress (a) protecting the President, (b) permanently blocking the lawsuits which would have revealed what he did and would have ruled that he broke the law, and (c) legalizing the very illegal spying regime that he secretly ordered in 2001. Only in the twisted world of Washington can that be described as a "compromise."

Note my highlights. There’s more BDS on display in Greenwald’s rant, as in Bush “committed felonies,” than cold hard facts. But the rich part? Those were “our” calls and e-mails that the gub’mint was monitoring and/or recording, not the calls and e-mails of frickin’ terrorists. I dunno about you, Greenwald, but I’m not in the habit of phoning up or e-mailing AQI, Hamas, Hezbollah, or any others of their ilk.

There’s some good news in all this leftist gnashing and thrashing, though. I read LOTS of comments to the effect of “I’ll never vote for these Democrats again! I’m going Green/Libertarian/Whatevah…” There’s a lot of Rage Against the (Dem) Machine out there (and a lot of it is illiterate, too… such as this, posted as found).

Well that tear’s it, Obama is 3 strike’s your out in my book..First he’s for the continuing war. back’s Israel all the way and now the fisa bill..No way will my vote go there..Remember when I said there wasen’t a dime’s worth of diffrence between him and Hillery…Atleast with her and I wasent for her BTW but with her we would of got a twofer..Her and old Bill..Ha!

I’m gonna go with write in’s and the green party..Kucinich is still my guy…..No more Dem’s except the handful of good one’s…Gonna go be a puppy now, anything I don’t like gonna piss on it…Blessings

Good. I hope you and your comrades-in-arms put your money where your mouth is. That’s all I ask.

―:☺:―

Today’s Pics are, predictably, of another of Mr. Dalley’s windmills. This particularly colorful example must have come from one of those “New Age” farms I’ve read about. Who else woulda thunk of a tie-dye-inspired color scheme? I'll bet this thing was simply mesmerizing in a stiff breeze... Psychedelic, Maaan! But it's pretty danged cool, too. I must have some hippie left in me…