Red Hatters Hold Hat Decorating Event

Saturday, July 22, 2017

A dozen Red Hatters, members of the New Mexico Roadrunner Chapter of the Red Hat Society, gathered at Queen Ladybird's home (Carla Kerr) for a day of arts and crafts and a potluck salad luncheon. These ladies have lovely imaginations when it comes to decorating hats, which is mostly what they did.

Red Hatter Jean Courtier, just arriving. She is our world traveler so one might think she just stepped off of that balloon behind her!

Carla, explaining something and Gail Swineford

Trudy Reese has just arrived with all her goodies

Carla is putting out all the decorating items gathered from garage sales and resale shops. The purple hats came from Luke Song and will be gifted to Red Hatters with upcoming birthdays so they can decorate them and have them ready to reverse their colors.

Gail sporting her sweet smile and cute fascinator

Rosanna Heath just arriving with her salad, two hats on her head to decorate and a bag full of ribbons and stones, etc.

I believe Rosanna had three hats on her head and we are having a big laugh over this

L to R: Trudy, Jan Jennings, Rosanna and Lu Mattson as they get into their decorating mode

L to R: Jean, Dorothy Edwards, Bobbie Tanner and Margie Purcella just getting started

L to R: Carla helping out with the glue gun, Jean, Dorothy E., Bobbie and Margie hard at work

Meanwhile, back in the dining room L to R: Jan, Lu, Rosanna, Karen Townsend, Gail and Trudy seem to be making a lot of headway. Looks like Jan and Trudy have decided to string some beads.

L to R: Jean is adding flowers to her hat, Dorothy has finished the one hanging on the left of the TV and Bobbie has finished the one hanging on the antique library steps to her right. Margie is doing well and it looks like Dorothy is going to start on another one. 

Karen is working on her birthday hat and it is looking lovely

Looks like VQ Donna is getting a little help from Karen on her hat

Everyone is sampling each of twelve salads (not a duplication in the bunch) and they were all delicious.

Bobbie is taking a little break

Dorothy and Lu having some quiet conversation

We were the last to go through the line and we could have had more people, there was so much food left

This table got really quiet!

L to R: VQ Donna, Jean, Lu, Gail, Margie, Bobbie, Trudy and Karen

I wanted a shot of the whole group, but two had already left so here we are.

Thanks to Douglas A. Kerr, Photography for the great pictures. It was a lovely gathering. Next month we are going to the horse races and casino at Ruidoso Downs which should be much FUN!

This is all I have to say for now.

Red Hatters Tour Sacramento Mountains Historical Museum and Dine at the Lodge

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Members of the New Mexico Roadrunner Chapter of the Red Hat Society took a day trip to Cloudcroft, New Mexico to tour the Sacramento Mountains Historical Museum and to dine at the Lodge there. This event was arranged by Red Hatter Flo Dean aka Lady Crimson and it was so interesting at the museum. I had no idea this museum was there and I plan to return with my husband, Doug, to more thoroughly explore the old village of Cloudcroft that is part of this museum. They have rescued old buildings and cabins of pioneers and moved them to this area of Cloudcroft and the displays and arrangements are amazing. There is a barber shop, a church, a tack barn, various cabins and even the fire department building with antique ambulance and fire truck parked inside. There is also a large new building in back of the village that houses many artifacts from this area's history which I never got to see. I will return!

L to R: Darla Shelley, Carmen Veenpere, Carla Kerr, Kimberly Gugliotta and VQ Donna Williams (Kim talked some strange man into taking this picture of us in front of the gift shop at the Lodge!)

The old barber shop (even has the barber pole outside) is enclosed in glass so a bit of a glare in the picture.

The inside of the old church

Carmen inside the museum in front of one of the dioramas of old Cloudcroft

A table in the barber shop where they played dominoes

One of the old cabins

Horse drawn fire hose wagon

We are in the Tack Barn and this is a one-horse open sleigh

A collection of very old tools in the Tack Barn

This is a horse drawn hay baler

The old Fire Department with antique vehicles

L to R: Margie Purcella, Jean Courtier, VQ Donna, Lu Mattson and Flo Dean (our hostess for this event)

Bobbie Tanner (standing) and Trudy Reese on her trusty steed!

L to R: Darla Shelley, Gail Swineford and Carmen

Trudy and Queen Ladybird aka Carla

L to R: Trudy, Gail, Bobbie, Margie, VQ Donna, Queen Carla, Lu, Flo and Jean. Darla's there, but didn't quite get in the photo!

L to R: Bobbie, Trudy, Gail, Flo, Darla, lu, Jean and Alice waiting to place orders for lunch at the Lodge

L to R: Darla, Lu, Jean, Alice and Carmen

L to r: Bobbie, Trudy and Gail

VQ Donna, Bobbie and Trudy (love their smiles)

L to R: Flo, Darla and Lu

L to R: Alice, Carmen and Margie

Kimberly Gugliotta aka Queen Curvy

The food was great as always and we had a grand time visiting and catching up on our lives with each other. I may be prejudiced, but I think I have an adorable group of Red Hatters in my chapter and I love everyone of them. Thanks to Alice for taking pictures with me included. Somehow, we always seem to forget that. Hugs

This is all I have to say for now.

DPOC Float in Alamogordo, New Mexico July 4th Parade

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Members of the Democratic Party of Otero County (DPOC) got together and decorated a float for the July 4th Parade in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The parade theme was "What Makes America Great" and our answer was "Freedom of Speech". We had a lot of FUN decorating our float and visiting with one another.

The DPOC float pulled by Jeff Swanson's truck

Carla Kerr posing with the float

L to R: Carla, Stephanie Dubois, Republican Party Chair

L to R: Republican Party Chair, DPOC Chair Nadia Sikes and Carla

Donna Swanson, relaxing in the shade waiting for the parade to form up

Miss Otero County Teen and Miss Alamogordo Teen

Indivisible Chair Carrie Ludington with her son

The sign says it all!

We are aboard and ready to parade through town

Families enjoying the parade

Parade watchers including these two little girls in their darling patriotic dresses

Bob Flotte broadcasting the parade

Showtime Studio, "Home of the Hip Hop Champions"

We had a grand time and managed to stay cool under our constructed awning as it was another hot one in Alamogordo. Hope your 4th of July was a great one!

Thanks to Douglas A. Kerr, Photography for the lovely photos.

This is all I have to say for now.