Week Two in El Paso

So, I am sitting in Kinley’s Coffee and Tea, about a block from UTEP, contemplating all the interesting experiences of the past week. I like this place a little bit better than the Starbucks across the street because it really has a campus coffee shop feel. The menu is written in multiple colors of chalk on blackboards and the main counter is faced with corrugated aluminum like you would see on a farm shed.

The polished concrete floor is mostly brown and the stucco walls are dark gray. The best thing I like about Kinley’s is the variety of pastries and breakfast and lunch sandwiches. This morning’s breakfast an egg, Swiss cheese, arugula lettuce and avocado on an everything bagel. Delicious!

One thing I have noticed is that there are often helicopters or small airplanes flying overhead. They repeatedly fly back and forth at certain times over the casita I call home. I think this might be aerial surveillance by the U.S. Border Patrol since my place is only about a mile from the U.S.-Mexico border.

I started the week by attending the First Presbyterian Church, which is about 10 minutes from where I am staying. The minister, Rev. Neal Locke, is a 40-ish, energetic man who greeted nearly everyone who came into the church. It was a fairly conventional Protestant service, but it was the sermon that made it standout.

“Catholics have Mother Theresa, Baptists have Billy Graham and we Presbyterians have Mister Rogers,” he began his sermon. For the next 15-20 minutes he talked about how the Public TV children’s program host was an ordained Presbyterian minister. He talked about how Mister Rogers made young children feel loved and accepted and, most of all, special. 

He showed several video clips from the 2108 Academy Award nominated documentary about the TV show to illustrate his points. And, I am not kidding, the closing hymn of the service was the TV show’s theme “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” While this may sound camp and hokey, it was not.

On Monday, I was excited to start my classes in the Osher Lifelong Learning program at UTEP. The courses run for six weeks and are non-credit. So, no grades or homework! Those enrolled in the program must be at least 50 years old. OLLI is offered at about 130 colleges and universities nationwide.

My first class was “Borderlands: History and Culture” taught by Oscar Martinez, a retired history professor who taught at both UTEP and the University of Arizona. In the first class, Dr. Martinez gave a brief lecture about how the westward expansion of the U.S. in the mid-19^th century led to war with Mexico and the acquisition of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Then we watched a documentary about how this expansion affected the Native Americans in the Southwest, especially the Apaches. Most of the focus was on the life and exploits of Geronimo.

The next class was taught by Alfredo Arroyo, a 60-ish man who has spent a 30-year career in law enforcement. The first meeting of “Anatomy of Law Enforcement” covered the organization and jurisdiction of various agencies. Arroyo had spent much of his career with both the FBI and DEA and had some fascinating stories about cases he worked on. Later, we will cover crime scene investigation, interrogation and how a detective builds a case.

On Wednesday, I have one class called “Maestro in the House” that will deal with how a conductor manages an orchestra and prepares for a concert. It is taught by retired UTEP professor Ron Hufstader. In this class we’ll learn about the makeup of an orchestra and how the conductor studies the music score to prepare for a concert. Toward the end of the class, we will get the opportunity to conduct to recorded music.

On Thursday, I took an afternoon drive around El Paso. The city is divided by the Franklin Mountains into east and west El Paso. I am staying on the west side where UTEP is located. There is an intermountain highway that links the two sides of the city and the drive is very scenic.

On Friday, I decided to take a road trip to the White Sands National Park, about 75 miles northeast of El Paso. The drive there goes through both desert and mountains and passes the White Sands Missile Range where the military still builds and tests missiles. In fact, the White Sands National Park website posts advisories giving the date and time when U.S. 70, which goes through the base, will be closed for a missile test.

White Sands park is stunning. I took the eight-mile long loop that started on a paved road and then you drive on a packed sand drive that takes you out into the desert. The sand is actually made of gypsum that has washed down from the surrounding mountains during winter snow and rain over about 7,000 years. The gypsum hardened as crystals on the ground and then the constant winds turn it into powder. There are dunes 20-30 feet high and the sand is actually very white. It is truly unique.

I took a different route back to El Paso through mostly desert surrounded by mountains. I passed by Ft. Bliss, the major army base on the east side of the city.

Next week, more classes and a road trip or two.