Horse Tail Trails

There is a large blue warehouse on the outskirts of Espanola.  The most eye-grabbing feature of this building is the giant metal ring mounted outside the front door, rusty red and easily two stories tall.  The location was used as the façade for a fictional bowling alley in the movie “Crazy Heart,” but what is it in real life?  The warehouse is actually home to Sparks Industrial Services, a machining shop that specializes in making custom parts for virtually anything and everything.

The warehouse is broken down into smaller sections.  Only a portion of it is being used currently.  A little lobby area leads into the office area which in turn leads into the actual machine shop beyond it.  Bins line the walls, full of shipments waiting to be sent out and blank metal for the next project.  The machines are placed across the floor, each in their own station, each with buttons, cranks, screens and gadgets.

Boxes of multicolored wire, bins full of nuts and bolts, racks full of cables, shelves packed with electronics, rows upon rows of gadgets, and mountains of scrap metal.  The best part is, it’s all for sale, all awaiting its next lifetime with a university, hobbyist, scientist, artist, or just about anyone who could use some really cool junk to turn into something useful.  Welcome to The Black Hole, laboratory salvage yard, military surplus store, peace activism center, and all around amazing place.

The Black Hole, so named because “everything goes in and nothing comes out,” was started by the world famous Edward Grothus (June 28, 1923 – February 12, 2009).  Sometimes called “Atomic Ed,” the man was a Los Alamos scientist for 20 years, helping to develop weaponry from guns to bombs.  He quit his job in 1969, becoming a peace activist and the king of scrap metal.  His goal was to provide laboratory equipment that can be reused for artistic and peaceful projects.

Seeds of Change is a research project dedicated to the preservation and cultivation of organically grown heirloom seeds.  They specifically grow plants that are resistant to diseases, pests, and weeds while yielding a healthy, delicious crop.  Their selection of over 1,200 seeds includes vegetables, herbs, and even flowers.  Selling in bulk to gardeners and farmers is their specialty.

The Seeds of Change Farm started in 1989 in Gila, New Mexico.  It moved further north in 1996, now located in El Guique, right beside the river in the Espanola Valley.  This location has been used for farming for centuries, cultivated long ago by the Tewa people of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo.  The current facility has a 3,600 square foot greenhouse and a 2,000 square foot pollination tent to insure that all cross-pollination of certain plants is controlled accordingly.  Water from the acequia provides flood irrigation, but drip and michomisters are also used depending on the particular plants and what they need.

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many countries all over the world.  It is named after the patron saint of Ireland, hence it is primarily thought of as an Irish holiday.  However, people of all backgrounds take part in the festivities.  Traditionally it is a feast day, with cabbage and corned beef the most common dishes, though such things as green beer have become very popular in modern times.  The practice of pinching those who are not wearing green is an American tradition, as are such things as painting parade routes and dying fountains and rivers green.

Many people in the US have Irish roots, though not so much in New Mexico.  According to History.com, “Irish ranks among the top five ancestries in every state except Hawaii and New Mexico.”  Knowing this, it is less surprising that there are few largely advertised local events for the holiday.  After some hunting about, the Horse Tail Trails Team found four musical events in the Northern New Mexico area for those looking to go out for Saint Patrick’s Day.