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MY New Mexico Ruidoso

October 18th, 2018

MY New Mexico  Ruidoso

My New Mexico

Well, it's not all mine but sometimes I feel like I know the secret places to find the best views, food and photo opportunities that make it so.
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A typical day's adventure to Ruidoso is a good example. Heading east on highway 70 out of Las Cruces, my home base, takes you over Saint Augustine Pass with a 100 mile view of the White Sands Missile Range Headquarters below and the magnificent Organ Mountains off to your right.
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About 40 miles further east, just past the highway check point is the entrance to White Sands National Monument, one of my favorite places to go for a quick cleansing of the city noise, politics and other goop that makes up part of living in a small city.
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Past White Sands, Holloman Air Force Base, Alamogordo, Tularosa and Mescalero you start climbing Apache Summit and upon cresting the top you see the great white expanse of Mt. Serra Blanco, home to Ski Apache. Breathtaking!
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Easing down the northeastern route of highway 70 you come into Ruidoso (Noisy water) and Ruidoso Downs. (Home to the nations famous quarter horse races) I love the slogan the Ruidoso Chamber of Commerce has bestowed on Ruidoso; “Seasoned Just Right”
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One of the most famous landmarks of Ruidoso is the Bolin Mill and it's historic contribution to the history of Lincoln County, Billy the Kid and Sheriff Pat Garrett. (More on this and the Lincoln County Range Wars at a later date)
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The Mill's waterwheel was the only structure left standing after a fire destroyed the original mill's building and gift shop this past summer. Last time I was up that way the owners were rebuilding the gift shop and restoring it to it's original condition.
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Ruidoso is about 110 miles from Las Cruces and takes but a couple of hours to get there. Just one of MY favorite places in New Mexico.
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Artwork by the author.
www.jackpumphreyarts.com

Red Right Returning part two

August 27th, 2018

Red Right Returning part two

RED RIGHT RETURNING, PART TWO

We made it through The Hole In The Wall and slowed to trolling speed into Neah bay where after getting permission from the dockmaster, took on 210 gallons of fuel at the Makah Indian Reservation's marine docks. Topped off and relaxed, swinging on the anchor after completing day two of our 4 day expedition. Now it's time to drop our crab pots over the side to harvest a few Dungeness Crab to have with the Chinook Salmon we caught coming into the fuel docks.
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Early the next morning with a fresh cup of coffee and a mind full of the latest weather reports we pull anchor and motored quietly out of Neah Bay and into the Straights of Juan de Fuca. The visibility was clear, you could see all the way into the blue horizon of the west coast of Canada's British Columbia.
…...We cruised north for about two miles then turned right with our next check point of Port Angeles on our starboard. WE picked 6 A M as our departure because that would put low tide at the mouth of the Straights right on 5:30 AM. We also had a following sea with winds out of the south-west at 10 gusting to 20 mph. This combination of the push from the incoming tide and wind off our starboard stern added close to 3 knots to our over the bottom speed of 14 knots. Not bad. We predicted Port Angeles by 0930 and Point-no-Point by noon.
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We had an uneventful voyage to Point-no-Point and turned right into Kingston for fuel and lunch. After an unscheduled trip to an auto parts store for a couple of fuel filters (All that slow twisting roller coaster trip east on the Straights stirred up some years old sediment from the 1965 Chris Craft's fuel tanks.) ....Filters and a couple of cold beer's installed we decided to spend the night at the guest docks and do the final run into Gig Harbor in the morning.
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Well, once again we timed it just right and caught the turn of the tide after breakfast and with Bainbridge Island on our right headed south to Gig Harbor. Once past Winslow's busy harbor and playing “Dodge-the-Ferry” game we entered Colvos Passage for our final run to the Light at the entrance to Gig Harbor.
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Sue was waiting at our reserved slip on the end-tie at Harborview Marina, our home port for the next 7 years. “What took you so long, sailor?” she shouted while taking the bow line and securing it so I could swing the stern in against the same south-westerly wind that had helped us down the straights.
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On April 25th, 1992, Sue and I were married on the aft deck of “TERIFIC” Our priest was Captain Pete Darrah, skipper of the sailing schooner “Christine” and owner, at the time of Captain Pete's Nautical Antiques, just up the dock from our moorage.
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The marriage ceremony's guests included many of our boating friends from the Gig Harbor and Port Orchard Yacht Clubs' as well as a few of our commercial fishing buddies. They arrived in their own yachts and salmon trawlers and moored in a “Wagon-Wheel” raft up. The reception lasted 21 hours, the memories are still with me 26 years later.
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Remind me to tell you the stories of our boat cat, “Harry” and his buddy, Captain Kirk of the yacht “Enterprise” perhaps another time.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARTWORK BY THE AUTHOR
jackscarart@gmail.com

A Lifelong Love Affair

October 2nd, 2017

A Lifelong Love Affair

A LIFELONG LOVE AFFAIR

So, here I am, 82 years old and still acting like an artist just starting out on his career.
I get excited every time I get a new assignment to draw or paint an old car. Now, don’t get me wrong, when I say “Excited” it’s not like I felt when I met Sue, my late wife & close friend.
I’m talking about genuine affection for the look & feel of those old swooping fenders, the massive chrome grills and those sexy wire wheels.
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Take my 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado; well, don’t take it, just look at those curves and lines. I touch it when I walk by “Her” parked in my garage. I’ve seen this silent ritual take place at car shows………….not by the owner so much as the spectator who’s there to admire the same thing we do showing our cars. The public is encouraged not to touch the cars unless with the permission of the owner.
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When that happens it’s like a baptismal or a sacred ritual of mutual tenderness and love. Just look at that 1932 Stutz Bearcat. Even better, go up to the owner and ask if you can see the motor. “Can you start ‘er up, please?”………Varooooom, Varooooom, Purrrrrrr, ’Died & gone to heaven’.
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My good friend, Andy, of Tucson just finished a yearlong restoration and re-powering his 1952 Chevrolet Bel Air. Andy has owned this car all of his adult life and watched in frustration while the desert pack rats ate his electrical system until there was nothing but shreds of copper wire and ruined fuel lines rendering the old Chevy a basket case. The sun turned the Chevy’s two-tone paint job into an unrecognizable blend of raw metal, faded marron and patches of peeling paint.
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Most would have had it towed to the crusher. Not Andy. Look close at the custom dark green paint with devilish ghost flames of light blue faded to off-white. A masterpiece. Check out the upholstery, that dark green leather with strategically placed lime accents is brilliant! A love affair? You bet! The pack rats? Andy keeps a sophisticated electrical strobe light in the engine compartment. Drives the rat’s nuts!
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The love affair that has grown men cheating on their wife’s and girlfriends is epidemic. “Honey, when will you be coming in for dinner?” “It’s getting cold and the kids miss you”
Travel to any part of our country; no, the world and where you see groups of boys in men’s clothing huddled around a 1931 Chrysler or a classic 1935 Hispano-Suiza K-6 Cabriolet you’ll see what I mean. Disgusting!


Jacks Cheap Car Art

September 5th, 2017

Jacks Cheap Car Art


Art Prints
Doing black & white art of cars has not only overwhelmed my studio but, has caused me to raise prices in order to control production. This is not a hobby but my main source of income. Sure, it's fun and I work at home but, if it wasn't, I would not do it. Another up side to doing cheap art is the upgrades to color and doing more then just car art. Lately I have shipped several works in color and a couple of non car art jobs of home renderings.

Wood or Metal Print ?

September 5th, 2017

Wood or Metal Print ?

Wood or Metal Print

Is that a question? What do you mean, wood or metal print?
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It's O K to think "Paper" when your're contemplating a print but have you ever considered something else instead of paper?
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Now, you can order prints on just about anything; wood, metal, acrylic, canvas, shower curtain plastic, bed spreads, tote bags, pillows and of course, high quality paper framed or shipped rolled in a tube.
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What's really great is you can order confident that if you don't like it, return it. Every order has a 30 day gaurantee !!!
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So, what's holding you back?
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Please don't tell me you've run out of wall space; there's always your ceiling!
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Call me if you have questions, 575-525-8298
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Jack
 

Island Time

September 21st, 2016

Island Time

With summer almost over and vacations over except for
the billions of cell phone shots, makes me wonder how
many found their island in time?
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Was it one of those little green-treed islands of the American
San Juans with no name? The one you found as if it had
gone missing?
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Or was it the Big Island that you flew to and took tours
complete with rum drinks with fruity-salty-umbrelled rims?
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My island, for part of this year, was my comfortable, air
conditioned car seat, travelling to the northwest and southern
California where I said goodbye to brother, John.
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The rest of my summer was spent on our patio, only comfortable
after we lit off the citronella to keep the no-seeums at bay.
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For some of us the vacation never ends, life is that good. For
others, not so good. The old, sick, and those alone in hospitals
and nursing homes need vacations, too.
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For those that vacations dont seem to matter I say, Dont
despair, there is a life where theres no work, hardship or
tears There is a place where politics simply dont matter, too!
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Look around at the beauty of your friends. Listen
to their wisdom no matter how old or young; soak up the
smells of burning leaves or the seasons first fire in the
fireplace. Pet the dog, marvel at the changing light at dawn,
live life, enjoy, most of it is free!
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Just when you think things are going to hell in a tote bag
you can always tune in your own personal & private
Island Time

Word meanings P O S H

August 9th, 2016

Word meanings P O S H

Word Meanings P.O.S.H,
. smart, stylish, fancy, high-class, fashionable, chic, luxurious, luxury, deluxe, exclusive, opulent, lavish,
grand, showy, upscale, upmarket.
.
1915-20; of obscure origin; compare posh a dandy
(recorded as British slang in 1890); the popular notion
that the word is an acronym from port out(ward), starboard home,
said to be the preferred accommodation
on ships traveling between England and India, is without foundation.
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often said to be an acronym of the phrase port out, starboard
home, the most desirable location for a cabin in British ships
sailing to and from the East, being the north-facing or shaded
side; but more likely to be a development of obsolete slang
posh a dandy.
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The cavalryman, far more than the infantryman, makes a
point of wearing "posh" clothing on every possible occasion
"posh" being a term used to designate superior clothing,
or articles of attire other than those issued by and strictly
conforming to the regulations, very attractive, expensive,
and popular, typical of people who have high social status.
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For a classic artistic experience browse my 90 plus galleries for a wide variety of P O S H subjects

Car Shows of Summer

June 12th, 2016

Car Shows of Summer

Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer
solstice occurs sometime between June 20 and June 22
in the northern hemisphere and between December 20
and December 23 each year in the southern hemisphere.

In southern New Mexico, car show aficionados get tuned
up starting in early spring and we dont get tired of it all
until late fall

We have already been to several great shows.The first
of the season show is the Wheels of Dreams sponsored
by the Las Cruces RodRunners car club.

Then we took the Toronado to the Smokin Oldies show in Deming, NM where the Toronado was awarded 1st place in the 1970-79
original class.

Las month we escaped the heat of Las Cruces and attended the Make-A-Wish charity show in Ruidoso.

Next up is the Kiwanis Kars for Kids show on the 18th of
June.This is always a well-attended show held at Young
Park, a city owned and well maintained ideal place for a
car show. Lots of shade trees and grassy meadows to shine up your pride & joy.
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The Kiwanis volunteers put on a pancake breakfast
In the large, covered open air gazebo which offers
protection from the sun and occasional monsoon of summer.

So, save the date, June 18th, see you there.

Jack




jack-pumphrey.fineartamerica.com

The British are coming, The British ARE COMING

May 23rd, 2016

The British are coming, The British ARE COMING



Here are a few of the projects we recently shipped; a nice mix of watercolor art, pen & ink and photography. They just happen to be mostly little British Cars.
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The Austin-Healey Sprite, introduced for 1959, continued the collaboration between Austin and The Donald Healey Motor Company and took further advantage of the massive British Motor Corporation parts bin. Although it was aimed at the very bottom of the sports car market, the Sprite used a modern unibody and offered precise handling
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The Triumph TR6 is beloved of British sports car fans. The TR6 was certainly antique in many ways when it was introduced in late 1968. A narrow cockpit, separate body and chassis and a bouncy ride courtesy of its rather crude independent rear suspension made it seem in many ways to be little advanced from the TR4 of 1962 or even the TR2.
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The Bentley Sports Sedan was the epitome of a classic British Gentlemans preferred conveyance; elegant but very fast and great handling.
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The late Spring & early Summer cruising is starting along with the car shows. Most of the car shows benefit local charities so thank you for participating.
>
Jack
inkyarts@comcast.net
575-525-8298


Consequences of ones actions

April 9th, 2016

Consequences of ones actions

Consequence of ones actions.

Jimmy, the last mechanic who touched my
car after a recent oil change was having a bad
day.
..
His girlfriend, Betty Jean, over cooked his fried
baloney and used old, crusty mustard on his
moldy sandwich which in turn caused Jimmy to
get the runs.
..
Part of Jimmys job is to write down the projected
mileage when my next oil change was due. Usually,
3000 miles from the actual mileage shown on my
vans speedometer.
..
OK, a normal, routine job. Simple, no-brainer, right?
Not in Jimmys case; having a bad day, worrying
about if he can make it to the john before everything
lets loose, was the 1st thing on his mind, not jotting
down my next oil change mileage.
..
So, having to do the math, find a pen, find the
windshield sticker, write down the numbers, stick
it on the inside of the windshield, well, this was just
too much writing, sticking, reaching for Jimmy
to do while concentrating on something else,
..
Like wheres the bathroom, far more important then
whether or not the necessary oil change reminder
got stuck in the right place let alone if you (me)
could even make out what was on the reminder
sticker..well, the consequence of
Jimmys inattention to the real job at hand caused
my distraction from MY JOB, keeping control of the
van while doing 77 miles an hour on the 10, while
passing several 18 wheelers, here I am wondering
about my next oil change?
..
I pulled off at the next rest stop, took several deep
breaths and realized I could not read the sticker
because all I could see was a faint smear after the
first 3 numbers.which should have been six.
..
Not funny. I could have crashed into the rear of a
long haul rig or, blown up my trusty V-6 because
I waited too long to have my oil changed.
..
All because of the consequences of someones
inattention to the simple job of writing down a
reminder for my next oil change.


 

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