Nick the Mechanic

Armani has taken to riding on the dash, with his little friend, Smokey The Bear.

We high-tailed it directly from Las Cruces to Santa Fe, almost nonstop. Have a schedule to keep, you know. We’re due at the Georgia O’Keefe home Tues. morning at 9:15 for a tour. Luckily, there is virtually nothing to see between Las Cruces and Santa Fe (except Albuquerque), so we didn’t miss much. Right now we’re parked at an Elks Lodge in Santa Fe. Being loyal and fervent Elks, we are welcome at any lodge in the U.S. This one has free camping in the back, with a beautiful view of the snow covered mountains near Taos. New guests get a free drink, also!

I have a little story from yesterday. As Rod Serling would say on his Twilight Zone show, “ I present this for your consideration”. After we finished lunch at La Posta Restaurant, Connie and Mimi were off shopping. Ted was browsing the tables around the town square. I spotted a little store on the corner, called Billy The Kid. Billy the Kid was a regular in these parts way back. He had an affection for stage coaches – especially the Butterfield Stage (which was the only one at that time). Anyway, I wandered into the store. It was loaded with the usual souvenir junk branded with Billy the Kid. Refrigerator magnets, rabbits feet, plastic key chains, etc. Near the back was a fortune telling machine. Very similar to the one on Santa Monica Pier from our previous trip. Instead of Zoltar in the machine, it was Billy. Cute, I thought. Would make a good picture for the travel journal.

As I approached the machine to take a picture, a man stepped in front of me. Mildly agitated, I said “Excuse me, I’m going to take a picture of this”. He growled, “We don’t take pictures in the store.” What? “Not even of this machine?” “Nope, no pictures”. It was the way he said it. A New Jersey accent. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. A cold, menacing voice - and he didn’t even move his lips! I beat a hasty retreat from the store.

Now, generally one doesn’t take pictures in an art or crafts store, since artists and storekeepers are sensitive about original ideas being stolen. But a trinket store?? Usually they welcome tourists snapping away. I saw Ted still browsing at an outside table nearby. I related the incident to him in a perplexed manner. The Hispanic lady at the table overheard us and said “Some folks don’t like pictures here”. “Why?” I replied. “This is a tourist area.” She replied in a low voice “Las Cruces is a favorite place for the Witness Protection Program”. “Some of the folks are sensitive about having their picture taken” I looked back at the Billy the Kid store, “You mean…?” She just shrugged.

Humm.. Better give the camera a rest. I suggested to Ted that he go in the store and say something like “Excuse me, but don’t I know you from the East Coast?” For some strange reason he declined.

If any of “The Boys” from back East are reading this, your missing associate, “Nick da Mechanic” might be found around these parts. Or Billy the Kid still lives.