Hotel El Capitan

This is one of my favorite boutique properties; this historical hotel screams old Texas charm! The El Capitan was built in 1930 by famed architect Henry Trost, who designed and built nearly all the buildings in downtown El Paso Texas between 1910 and 1933. The hotel was converted into the Van Horn State Bank in 1973 after interstate 10 opened which rerouted most of the traffic away from the main street. In 2007 the property was purchased and renovated back into the hotel. The floor plan is the same as the sister hotel, The Paisano in Marfa Texas. If you love Texas and Texas history you'll love this hotel and in the dining room the old bank vault is now the liquor storage behind the bar. The food is as good as the elegant old world rooms. I love this place and I trust you will too!

Amazing Ceiling in Mexico!

This amazing ceiling from the 1800's is found in a mission that now serves as an cultural events center in Ensenada Mexico. I was walking down this narrow hallway between the original mission structure and leading into this ballroom, I looked up and pow! This great handcrafted ceiling, just wonderful.

Life in my rear view mirror

Life in my rear view mirror is just another way to look at the road which has brought us to this point in our life. I was listing to a talk show and they said you can’t look behind you because what’s done is done and you can’t do anything to change it, looking forward is impossible because we can’t see the future, but we have today and that is something we can effect and we have no guarantee’s beyond today, that why it’s call “presence”, what are you going to do with your present, your gift of today? This joke came from Lucid Dreams; on the anniversary of his birth, devotees of a certain yogi asked what gifts they might bring. The yogi replied “I wish no gifts, only presence”.  The point is be thankful for today, it might be your last one….

The Historical El Rancho Hotel

The Historical El Rancho Hotel on Route 66 in Gallup New Mexico, its cowboy classic and Southwestern influences is a blast from the past!  For over 50 years the El Rancho has been a true jewel of the Southwest, once you enter the dramatic foyer you are immediately thrown back into time a time when life was more relaxed and time stands still here. When Hollywood films in the area the stars love to stay here, the list is a who’s who of Hollywood Western Superstars like; Betty Garble, Burt Lancaster, Errol Flynn, Gene Autry, and James Cagney. The El Rancho restaurant is very good serving American and Mexican dishes, yummy! If ever passing through Gallup stop and refresh at the El Rancho Hotel.

If These Boots Could Talk

If these boots could talk what stories could they tell us? Would they tell the story of the America of the past when people were self reliant or the America of today where people are becoming more reliant on the government? Would they tell the story of the America that had the greatest work ethic the world has ever seen or would they tell the story of an America that has become a people with an attitude of entitlement? As grim as our American story looks at times we are still the most creative and hard working people on the planet. As much as our government tries to mess up the greatest and most successful social experiment ever known to mankind, it's the people of America that re-boots and keeps finding ways to produce the best economy in the world. As America goes so does the world and as much as the media wants us to believe that we are no better than any other country on earth the fact is we are different and the world depends on us to survive and to prosper. If you need any example of the will of the people of the people to keep on trucking despite of our incompetent leaders just look at Texas the greatest state in America. During the past years Texas has created more jobs than all the other states combined, and Texas does what every state and our country should and could do, just don't spend more than you take in, what a concept. Every day I see people inventing, creating, adapting, and flourishing in what is said to be the worst of times in America. I have hope, I have reason to believe in Americans!

Zhongshan District in Taipei

This Gazebo is above the Keelung River in Taipei's Zhongshan District. I love a lot of the architecture in Taiwan because it has the Asian look I like with an influence from the Dutch, Japanese, and China this combination is beautiful to me. This is a proud country with so much to offer in the art and culinary sectors. If you ever have a chance to visit Taiwan its well worth the air miles and the people are warm and welcoming.

A Quiet Time Of Refection

When I was in Taipei Taiwan, I visited this military monument and off the beaten path I found this person paying respects to the fallen soldiers and while I was observing this time of reflection I thought that most countries pay their respects to the fallen heroes just like we do in America. When you really think about it, all the people of the world want the same things in life, freedom, peace, community, and family. What does make the USA different is that we are the only country in history that has the same core desires as other countries with one major exception, we were founded on a Christian belief value system, we are the only society that publicly thanks to God, it was in everything that we did, we used to pray before community and national meetings, we are sworn in using the Holy Bible, and on our money. It's like we are turning away from that foundation that made our country so giving, we had a moral compass. We give more charity from our government and from our private sector to people in need than another country. If there is a natural disaster in our country or abroad we are the first to step up and give our resources gladly to help our fellow man. I do pray that we return back to our foundation as a people before we stray so far we can't find our way back, we need to be a God fearing people once again and then we will receive the blessings we once enjoyed.