Day 92

Scene 14

The porch empty, clearly unused.A couple and Jaime show up. Jaime has a key and is touring them around the place.

Jaime: It's a nice place. Folks here before were getting ready to restart the orchard.

Woman: Really? Could you?

Jaime: Oh certainly. They had filed for the water rights and it was all set.

Man: Then why didn't they do it?

Jaime: They were from the east.

Woman: So are we. Does that stop someone?

Jaime: Pardon. No senora. I just meant they weren't from nearby and something happened back where they used to live. So, they couldn't stay.

Man: Ah. Well, I think were pretty safe from that. We don't have the “sandwich” problem. Our folks are gone and we didn't have children.

Woman: An orchard would be nice; it seems cozy somehow.

Jaime: They do require care.

Man: I'll bet you know someone who could do the work.

Jaime (a pause): Well, si, yes, of course. Though if you want to be profitable . . .

Man: Well, I don't want to pour money down the drain, but I've made my bundle. A little loss-leader might be just the thing for Uncle Sam anyway.

The 100th day

I hope to catch up with the last 8 or 9 posts so that I have my 100, but on this the 100th day, I wanted at least to acknowledge the moment. I had really wanted to cross the line on time having posted everyday.  Nevertheless it has been a great experience and I've gotten a lot written so the community has been a great thing. Congratulations to all who've been on the journey, and especially to those of you who really did it for all 100 days!

Day 91

Scene 13

Porch, May on phone, Jaime standing just off the porch

May: I don't know where he is. He hasn't called you has he? . . . I'll try Frank . . . our lawyer back in Connecticut. . . . I don't know, but if it has to do with the orchard, that's money and that's Frank. . . . Ok, love you. I'll let you know. (she dials) Hi It's May Callahan, is Frank available? . . . Has my husband called in the last day? . . . No? Ok. . . . No, no, that's fine. Thanks. (hangs up) Shit.

Jaime: Senora?

May: Yes?

Jaime: I need to go home, but I will check in town to see if anyone has word of him. I'll ask Pedro at the Conoco first. If he was leaving town, he probably would have filled up first.

May: Well, I would, but I don't know if Henry would. But it's a good plan. Thank you Jaime. Call if you have any news.

Jaime: Si. Yes, senora. Good night. (he exits)

(May gets up goes in carrying her phone, and comes out with a glass of water and stands sipping from it. Her phone rings from inside.)

May: Where? What the . . . crap. (She runs inside) Hello? Hello? . . . Jesse? . . . From where? Why didn't he call me? . . .

Day 90

May: What is the problem?

Henry: No idea? Seriously?

May: Seriously.

Henry: Ok. I'll get back to my book then. (he exits inside).

May: Henry? (she grabs duffel and heads inside) Henry. (Henry appears briefly at side of house heading off toward orchard. A few moments later May reappears on porch and calls out) Henry?

Fade to black.

Scene 12

later that day

(May is sitting on porch with an absent expression. Jaime approaches)

Jaime: Senora, you are back. I heard you were in town, so came out.

May: What's been going on?

Jaime: Going on?

May: What have you and Henry been up to?

Jaime: Senora, I came out right after you left. I told him how much it pleased me that you wanted to run the place, not just, just live here. He didn't seem to think much of that. But then a few days later I heard he was moving on the water rights.

May: And what did you do then?

Jaime: Nothing. He said you hadn't made a decision but you were leaning against it.

May: I was leaning against it?

Jaime: No. The two of you. He said, “We haven't made a decision.”

May: But then he did I guess.

Jaime (shaking his head): I don't think so. My friend is a friend of your lawyer's. He said he was like all gringos, pardon, just trying to get the water for himself.

May: No. Well, I don't think so. He said it wouldn't make any sense to be thinking about the orchard unlesss we knew for sure we could get the water.

Jaime: There are no guarantees on a farm. You can have all the paper and the plans in the world, and if the rains don't come, or the locusts do . . .

May: We would say all the more reason to have as much secured as you can.

Jaime: No guarantees, nothing is ever secured.

May: Well, I wouldn't use that argument on Henry or you'll never see us a pick an apple.

Jaime: Are you going to do it?

May: I . . . 30 minutes ago I would have said no. I don't know. I need to find Henry.

Black

Day 89

 Day 89

May: I only just go here. No problem. What were you doing at town hall?

Henry: Looking at property lines and the acequia.

May: I realize I was gone more than a week, but I thought the deal was to let the idea go for awhile.

Henry: For a week. Jaime came by and that got me thinking about the rights and it just made sense to get those taken care of if we could. Wouldn't make sense to say yes or no if it was going to be moot point anyway.

May: So do we have them?

Henry: Mel, the attorney, filed the paperwork, but lots of agencies look at it I guess and it can be challenged by other landholders—thus the trip to town hall.

May: County hall right?

Henry: Well yes, that's right. So what course did you take? Something on apples?

May: What? No! It was an overview of the latest research on the Mayan languages. An adavantage to having a daughter at a major university.

Henry: You stayed for 5 weeks to get caught up on Mayan not doing something that might make your project more feasible?

May: We agreed to let the idea just lie fallow.

Henry: For a week. But when you stayed, I assumed you . . . well I guess this proves the old adage.

May: What?

Henry: When we assume we make an ass of “u” and me.

Day 88

 (he goes back in and gets his laptop and starts to write. Stops. Starts. Stops. Phone rings—it's the climax of the 1812 Overture)

Henry: May! Hi, how are you? How's Jessie? . . . . Another week? . . . . Jaime stopped by . . . . I know . . . . I didn't tell him to . . . . well, actually I called the attorney and told him to go ahead with the work to get the water rights because it seemed we ought to at least be sure of that, it's important to know what our rights are regardless of what we decide . . . . I'm glad you're having a good time . . . . miss you . . . . I'm eating fine . . . . ok. Love you. Bye.

(Sips beer. Starts to write. Stops. Starts. Stops. Get's up and crosses to steps off porch)

Henry: Guess I should take a good look at what we're talking about. (crosses off in direction of orchard)

Scene 10

Henry: Jessie? Yes. How are you? School going alright? . . . Good. And Brian? . . . Oh. Well, sometimes a break is good. . . . Yeah, and sometimes not. Is your mom there? . . . Oh. . . . A class? She's signed up for a class? . . . . No, didn't say a thing to me. . . . I don't think so. Do you know something I don't? . . . . Sure, we didn't agree about the orchard, but we haven't agreed on lots of things over the years; we always work our way through. We'll find a middle ground. I'm actually getting intrigued by the orchard. . . . Ok, well ask her to call me when she's back.

Day 87

Henry: No.

Jaime: You do not think there is such a thing as different cultures? You do not think the ways did not change when the anglos came first, and then when they came again after the war to build missiles, and now to . . . retire?

Henry: I think blaming a race for something is a pretty dangerous concept.

Jaime (smiles): In my experience anglos only feel that way when someone refers to them as a race.

Henry: Look, I'd be the first to admit that whi . . . anglos have held racist attitudes but that doesn't mean that reversing the process is any better.

Jaime: Yes, you are always the first to admit that. I will be going señor. I hope you reconsider the orchard.

Henry: I wouldn't get my hopes up.

Jaime: No, I won't.

Scene 9

(Henry alone on the porch, talking on the phone)

Henry: Well, it seems worth it just to establish our rights to the water. . . . . Yes, I understand that the right only holds if we actually are operating the grove, but we can't proceed with that without being sure we have the water rights. . . . . Can't we get the rights before we incorporate? . . . . Ok. Well try, and if we have to do the incorporation we will. But there's a cap, ok. If the costs of this start to spiral we pull the plug. . . . Ok.

(sighs, goes in and gets a beer and returns)

Henry: What in hell am I doing?

Day 86

Scene 8

 (Henry alone on porch writing; Jaime approaches)

Jaime: Señor.

Henry: Hmm? Oh, hello. Uh, sorry forgot your name.

Jaime: Jaime Sanchez.

Henry: Ah, yes, Jaime. Good to meet you, I'm Henry.

Jaime: Si, is the señora home?

Henry: No, she's gone to visit our daughter for a few days, week really.

Jaime: Oh. Did she decide to procede?

Henry: We haven't decided yet, but I think we are leaning against it.

Jaime: Really? Ah, that is too bad.

Henry: Yes, well I'm sure you were looking forward to the work.

Jaime: A man must work, of course. But I was excited to see new people who wanted to preserve the orchards. All the anglos who come now, they want a “ranch” or “hacienda” but they do not want to do anything, unless in a few years it's to subdivide again. The señora seemed to want to keep the place alive.

Henry: We certainly aren't planning on subdividing, but trying to restart an industry wasn't in my plans either.

Jaime: It is odd, my great grandfather objected to the anglos fencing off lands and even to the orchards. Now i'm wishing the new anglos would keep them up.

Henry: I don't think it has anything to do with “anglos.”

Jaime: No?

Day 85 (way behind again)

 Henry: It? Or us?

May: It. I meant it.

Henry: We can't.

May: Why not?

Henry: Because then there isn't enough for us to have retired here, anywhere, comfortably. It works because we're together.

May: Together to do it your way?

Henry: Our way, but we have to do it together.

May: But you have veto power.

Henry: No.

May: Yes! You just used it. You said, NO. Not, I don't think we should.

Henry: I don't think we should.

May: And I do. We're stuck.

Henry: How did a passing though become so important that you're willing to throw us away?

May: I think I've shown that it's more than a passing thought.

Henry: Once it occurred to you, you pursued it; you do that. But it's not like we chose this place because you always wanted an orchard.

May: So now I can't develop new interests?

Henry: Can we just let it go, for a week. We don't discuss it, we don't do further research, we just let it be for a week and come back to it?

May: We don't do further research?

Henry: May, please?

May: Fine, one week. I'm going to visit Jessie.

Henry: What?

May: You want me to let it be, then I need to get away from it. Or am I now not allowed to visit our children?

Henry: . . . give her my love.  

Day 84 caught up

Scene 7

Henry: No.

May: What do you mean, no?

Henry: Simple, I mean, no we aren't going to do it.

May: Jaime's estimate indicates we could make a profit in our second year.

Henry: If you think those estimates are worth anything.

May: If that's the argument, what's the point of doing research?

Henry: The research says, we spend 25 k and we get, if we're lucky, 15 to 20 back. That's a losing deal.

May: Name any other business you'd wouldn't give three years to turn a profit.

Henry: We aren't in business. We're retired.

May: Retired doesn't mean you have to stop living.

Henry: It's supposed to mean that our days aren't spent having to work for fear that if we don't, there won't be any money!

May: It isn't only your money.

Henry: You're right, its ours, and I'm not going to let you throw away our money or force us to work to survive.

May: Well maybe we ought to split it.

Day 83

Scene 6

Jaime: It is difficult. These are mature trees, which might be good, but they are old and haven't been tended. Even so, I think first year You could safely say 200 bushels per acres, well let's say 150 after loss.

May: And we have 10 acres right?

Jaime: Just over.

May: So 15,000 bushels. What's that in pounds.

Jaime: One hundred fifty, two-hundred thousand?

May: So that's

Jaime: A lot of apples for which you must find a buyer.

May: Is that a problem?

Jaime: When this area was all producing? The buyers were here. Now, you have to get the apples to them—Albuquerque, El Paso, maybe Las Cruces.

May: How about direct to stores—if we were organic.

Jaime: Organic, you will lower your yield but maybe raise your price.

May: And maybe make it easier to find a buyer.

Jaime: Maybe.

May: Assuming a buyer, how much per pound?

Jaime: I wouldn't count on more than ten cents, maybe less after transportation.

May: So perhaps 20,000 dollars.

Jaime: Maybe.

Day 82

Posting late. On vacation, so access varies.

Sc. 5

May: So the long and short. The lawyer thinks it's pretty straightforward. We should incorporate, so the farm's legitimate and to protect ourselves. There are papers to be filed and all that stuff, but he doesn't foresee any challenges.

Henry: Of course not.

May: I was suspicious too, but he was willing to give an estimate which seems remarkable to me. I never thought I'd be able to talk a lawyer into giving me the estimate you wanted.

Henry: Yet, that didn't stop you from promising one (a wry note to his voice).

May (equally wry): Not for a minute.

Henry: So what's the estimate?

May: He thought we should be able to do it for around $5000 fees included.

Henry: And the labor on the acequia and the grove?

May: At least five maybe ten.

Henry: And that cost will deliver us a crop?

May: Well, no. That will put it in condition to produce a crop. But the rest shouldn't be too much. Jaime will teach me the basics of tending the trees and I may need to occasionally hire some help.

Henry: So another ten?

May: Well, I guess.

Henry: Twenty-five grand and we'll produce how many apples?

May: I don't know.

Henry: 25,000?

May: I don't know.

Henry: Think you should find out?

Day 81 Deserted con'td

 Sc. 4 cont'd

May: Ok. Thanks. Henry and I will need to talk this over.

Bill: Alright. Give me a ring.

Jaime: Very nice to meet you Señora. It's good to meet someone who cares about the trees. Good luck on the acequia.

(Bill and Jaime depart, May curls up in a chair on the porch, after a long pause Henry comes out)

Henry: I heard voices, Bill not here?

May: No, they've gone.

Henry: What's the word?

May: Comme çi comme ça. Actual labor? Very reasonable.

Henry: Fake labor?

May: Lawyers.

Henry: Umph.

May: Umph indeed.

Henry: Is it about title?

May: Sort of. Water rights. The nature of our property. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Henry: So, it's a no go?

May: Maybe. I suppose so. But I'd like to at least talk to a lawyer.

Henry: May.

May: You said I could research. This is still research.

Henry: May.

May: We had a deal.

Henry: Alright, alright. Come back with an estimate.

May: Any recommendations?

Henry: For a lawyer?!

May: Yes!

Henry: No. . . . ok, I'll call Frank and see if he can track down someone out here. So what's the field?

May: Water rights.

Henry: An estimate. An honest estimate.

May: Ok.

Day 80 more deserted

For Monday 8-8. Posted a day late

Sc. 3 cont'd.

May: I promise, I'm not going to blow all our savings on some crazy idea. You have to admit when I do give birth to a project they tend to work.

Henry: I know. That's probably what scares me most. Fine. Go for it. I mean go for the research.

May: Deal. (they toast)

Scene 4

(next day Bill and Jaime enter from the direction of orchards with May)

Jaime: Si. But the trees are strong. Most of them. Repairing the acequia will be the biggest work, and you know better than me what the legal status of that is.

Bill: That's about it May. The trees are in ok shape; put a crew on them and you could get them all pruned up and ready for next season without any problem. But since the whole things been subdivided, the status of the acequia is really questionable. First there's a lot of repair just within your section, but the feeder runs across other land and even if they cooperate your right to the water is not a given. All that's for the lawyers. From what I know, if you convince them it's a farm, the access across other property isn't an issue, but the larger water rights issue—I don't know.

May: So, I'll probably spend more on legal fees than for the work?

Bill (laughing): Oh, lots more. The history of New Mexico is the history of courts and water.

Day 79 Sc. 2 cont'd Sc. 3 begun

Sc. 2 cont'd

May: Am I to understand your intention is only to write the great American novel, not publish it?

Bill: Umm. . .

May: Oh, I'm sorry. Look, let's just walk down to the orchard and just tell me what it would take to turn them into a functioning orchard. Maybe you'll convince me it's pointless or too expensive, or even impossible, or maybe I'll convince you and my husband it's a harmless retirement activity.

Henry: Have fun. (he goes back in)

Bill: I don't like coming between a couple -

May (interrupting): You're not. We'd squabble with or without you. We should be more embarrassed about it, but we're so used to it we hardly notice. Believe me, it would never occur to Henry to see you as a co-conspirator.

Bill: Ok, then. Well let's go see what condition they're in. I think Grady kept them going for quite awhile, so they may not be too overgrown. Certainly they'll need pruning. (they head offstage)

Henry (reappearing on porch with laptop): Nobody writes for profit. Sometimes profit happens. There's always the Stephen Kings and J.K. Rowlings, but literature? Not likely.

Sc. 3

(Evening that same day. Both on porch drinking beer.)

May: How'd the writing go?

Henry: Good, good. I've got the outline complete I think and keep doing little character sketches to try to get at least all the major characters firmed up. I think I can start really drafting tomorrow.

May: Really? That's great.

Henry: Yeah. It feels good. Like I'm really doing it, can keep doing it. How many vacations have I spent “starting”?

May: A lot. (he starts to bristle) No. I'm with you, I understand. When you can't feel like you can just keep going . . .

Henry: Yes, that's the thing. So, now you understand why I really needed us to retire?

May: Yes. But,

Henry: But what?

May: Give me a chance. But, here's the deal, you needed this. I understand. But I was still ok with working. I'm not saying I was in the midst of some great project, but I wasn't burnt out either. Now I'm here. You've got your novel. I don't. That's why I need something.

Henry: Apples?

May: Why not?

Henry: Well, because we could spend a lot of money (she starts to speak) and maybe we're not doing badly but we're not Rockefellers either. Writing my novel doesn't cost anymore than just sitting here really. Isn't there something a little cheaper you could do.

May: We don't even know what it'd cost yet. All I've done is start to inquire.

Henry: But once you start inquiring . . . projects are born.

Day 78 scene 2 Deserted

Scene 2

(morning a few days later. May is sitting on the porch drinking coffee, knees up. We hear the sound of tires on gravel, then the engine shuts off, and a man in bib overalls enters from offstage)

Bill (speaks with a southwestern drawl): Mornin'. You May Wethersfield?

May (standing): I am indeed and you're Bill Perkins.

Bill: I am. So what's this about your apple trees.

May (crosses off porch to Bill and gestures to the opposite side of the stage from where Bill entered): Well, we've got at least 10 acres my husband says and I want to know what it would take to put them back in . . . not sure what you call it . . . production?

Bill: Why?

May: Why? Because it seems wrong to just let them go. They should be cared for and . . . and the apples eaten.

Bill: Apples are good eatin' alright but you don't need 10 acres to get you all the fresh apples and applesauce, and apple pies that you'll ever eat.

May: Well I thought we could sell them too.

Bill: Maybe. Maybe you can maybe you can't. But even if you can, you won't make money. That's why I ask why? What are you hopin' to do?

Henry (enters onto the porch): Good question. What are hoping to do May? Forget about a year, you haven't lasted a second month without trying to go back to work.

May: I'm not trying to go back to work. I just think it's a shame to let the orchard go to rot. You wouldn't call it working if I planted roses, what's the difference?

Henry: You wouldn't try to sell the roses. Hold that, maybe you would.

Day 77 Friday 8/5

DESERTED cont'd

W: Yes, uninterested. You said, “whatever.” My whatever was a walk.

M: It's almost dark. It'll be eight before we eat.

W: Oh, Henry there are whole civilized nations that consider that early for dinner. (she heads in the house).

M (muttering): Well not this civilized nation. (louder) “Whatever” does not mean “uninterested.”

W: (liltingly): Yes, it does dearest.

M: Hmmpf.

W: I wonder what it would cost to get our bit of orchard into shape.

M: Our bit of orchard? There's at least 10 acres down there. What do you mean “in shape”?

W: Producing apples?

M: Why?

W (coming to the door) People eat them. We could sell them to those people.

M (tired): May, we retired remember? We came here to your beloved desert. I don't know why they tried to turn it into orchards, but I can understand why they stopped.

W: They didn't just try, they did it. They didn't stop for anything other economics (returns to cooking inside).

M: Well that's a pretty damn good reason to stop—especially if you're living on a fixed income.

W: Henry, we are not exactly living hand to mouth on our social security and you know it.

M: But there's no new source of income is there?

W: Could be (we can here her smile) apples.

M: Oh for pete's sake you said it yourself, that's not income that's an expense.

W (backing through the screen door with two plates, which she delivers to a small table at one end of the porch): Humor dear. Could you get the drinks?

M: Sure, what do you want?

W (heading thru the door before him): Water . . . no I'll have a beer.

M (at door): I thought you wanted me to get them.

W: (coming back through with silverware) I do dear, there's more than just plates to fetch.

M (going in): Oh, of course. All right. Beer eh? Guess I will too.

(They almost collide as he comes back and out and she heads in)

M: I got them.

W: I believe you, still a few things for me to grab.

M: I could have gotten them if you'd asked. (He stands expectantly by the table)

W (returning with catsup, olives, etc.): Sit, sit. This is the last.

(They sit and there is a brief pause as they comtemplate the table, the lighting shifts to night)

M: No twilight here. Sun sets and it's lights out.

W: Oh, it's not that bad. Besides the stars are so bright you don't need twilight.

M (Holding up beer): To our first month of retirement.

W: To our first month. Think we'll make it a year?

Day 76 Thursday 8/4

Another late post.

We're leaving on vacation tomorrow, but I expect to be able to keep posting. I decided with 25 days left to take a stab at another play. This one is much less clear in my head, but I think a shorter work. Anyway here's the opening.

DESERTED

Cast

Man

Woman

Setting

Porch of house in High Rolls NM

W: I suppose I should get dinner. I was going to do hamburgers. That ok?

M (reading): Hmm? Sure, whatever.

W: Or we could just skip it, we both could lose a few pounds.

M: Hm-hmm.

W: Right, well in that case, I'll go for a walk.

(she rises and exits, man continues to read)

M (after as long a pause as you think the audience will take): May? (no answer) May? Wonder where she went? (He stands opens door and looks around inside) May? Must've needed something.

(He goes back to reading – again for as long as the audience will tolerate – finally stands again and crosses to front of porch and down steps and looks around)

M: Car's still here.(he returns to his reading)

(Lighting shifts to twilight, he rises, looks around baffled, goes inside and turns on an overhead light on the porch, returns outside and walks down the step and crosses to each side of the stage. Finally seems to see something, waves and responds as though his wave has been answered)

M (calling to the distance): What happened? Where were you?

W (distantly): What? I told you. I went for a walk. (she enters the stage).

M: A walk? I thought you were making dinner. Hamburgers right?

W (shaking her head, but she's calm, relaxed): You seemed uninterested, so I said I was going for a walk. It's beautiful this evening. It's a pity almost all the orchards have gone to seed.

M: Uninterested?

Day 75

The exhaust fan is still working. yea!

So, more work on the layout. I built a "tent" on top of the box as the peak of the range. At that point it looked like playhouse. I then began building up terrain with more foam. The end is close enough to reach from the aisle, so there I was able to build all the way down to track level.

The first view shows the "roof" in place and the beginnings of the terrain.

The second shot shows the end with just the base pieces in place.

Third view is a close up of the terrain on the "roof."

And then a view of the end with terrain in place.

Lots of work left but it's starting to look more mountain like.

Day 74 Tues Aug. 3

Posting a day late because most of Monday and Tuesday was spent under my stove/oven repairing a downdraft exhaust fan. Fun stuff that didn't leave me in the mood for writing.

My other "artistic" endeavor is model railroading. I model one of the first railroads through the Colorado Rockies, the Denver, South Park, and Pacific. The DSP&P was the first railroad to tunnel through the Continental Divide and this is the part of the line I'm modeling. The photos show a stretch of the eastern approach to the tunnel. The track here is on a penninsula, one town on one side, the track makes a180 turn at the end of the penninsula and then another town on the other side. A mountain range separates the two sides. The peak of this range will be almost 7 feet off the ground and on one side the peak is almost 5 feet from the aisle. That means I can't reach this area to do the scenery work if were to build it all at once.

So I'm building the peak of the range first and will fully scenic that and then build the lower slopes and blend the two.

First step is to build the support structure for the peak--a styrofoam box. All the substrate of the scenery is made from foam insulation.

The first photo shows a basic mock-up of the slopes that showed me the need for the two-step approach.
The second photo shows the box in place. In the distance you can see the enginehouse that was located in the valley at the tunnel portal.
The third photo shows the box from the reverse angle.
Tomorrow, it will look more like a mountain--I hope.