RW Hampton: Tag Archive for "New Mexico" -

Two plus Two equals Twenty-Three

Posted on: May 4th, 2012 by Lisa Hampton 1 Comment

After reading R.W.’s last post about Colter’s wedding last spring I ran across a photo from the holidays and it made me think about math. Simple math. You know, the kind you learn in 6th grade.

Take two adults, they get married and they (sometimes) have children who then meet other children from other marriages and they get married and they have children, who get married and have more children….

Okay, sometimes it’s not so simple. And sometimes we get things out of God’s order. But you understand the basic principle, right?

You see, these two people met and married and produced R.W., his younger brother and his little sister.

And my parents met and married and produced me (Lisa) and my little brother.

Then back in 1998 (we will leave out the boring details…) R.W. and I married and we combined our two families.

So here’s where you don’t want to get lost… My two (parents) plus R.W.’s two (parents) now equal twenty-three….

That’s four (4) parents, five(5) kids, plus three(3) additional kid-spouses, plus eight(8) grandkids, and now three (3) great-grandkids…

Isn’t love great.

Isn’t math fun when you learn to add like this?

2011 was a big year for the Hamptons, we added 3 new members with another on the way. This is the most current photo of our part of the equation. It was way too hard to get all the other parties togther for the full effect, but we sure do like this bunch and really loved having them all here in New Mexico for the Christmas holidays!

So here’s to families and how they grow and expand. We hope ours just keeps getting bigger and we consider ourselves so blessed to have so many of our members still with us.

How about your math? I bet some of your two plus two’s equal a lot more than our twenty-three! Let us know about your families & how you spend time together.

Taking Time Out

Posted on: January 19th, 2012 by Lisa Hampton 8 Comments

January Evening Skies here in New Mexico

Does life ever get so crazy that you don’t know whether you are coming or going? Ever get that small voice in the back of your mind saying “Umm, and how exactly do you expect to get all this done?”

It’s been one of those weeks here.

Up early, trying to fit in a little exercise time before starting the day’s chores, catch up on the weather and news & check emails, then it’s time to get breakfast going and roust the boys for schoolwork (all before 7:30 am). Then it’s back to the computer to try to answer a few emails and phone calls while R.W. does a bible study with the boys.

From 8:30 to noon it’s a balancing act of 5th grade and kindergarten lessons while R.W. does ranch chores and practices his music, a short break for lunch and a few minutes outside to lend R.W. a hand with winter projects he is working on here at the ranch, then it’s time to get the boys back to their schooling, fix dinner, do a couple of loads of laundry, straighten up the living room and kitchen from the day’s studies (yes, the books seem to end up everywhere in the winter as we gather by the fire most of the day.)

Most evenings as soon as the dinner dishes are cleared and washed, the nightly ritual of putting kids to bed is upon us. We haven’t had TV reception in years but on the occasional night we all finish early we like to play games or curl up and watch a movie as a family. Almost every evening one of us will read a chapter or two of a book of the boy’s choice before it is “lights out” for them somewhere between 8:30 and 9 PM. That leaves roughly an hour or two for me to tackle whatever else awaits on my desk or in my kitchen before we fall into bed. And there really isn’t ever enough time to get it all done.

But tonight, amidst our last lessons R.W. came in and announced – “School is OUT! You all HAVE to come outside right now!”

Sunset behind the Sangres

Well, he was right, as usual. No matter what was going on it was one of those moments that time stands still and as we stood there as a family our New Mexico sky turned oranges, pinks, violet, vivid reds, and deep turquiose blues.

Thank you God, for the wonderful reminder of why we live here in this land.

Thank you for giving us moments when time stands still, moments we can share with our children and thank you so much for the beauty that is uniquely your creation.

Thank you God, for making us take time out.

I wish my photos could do justice to the changes in colors, they really don’t, but I wanted to take time out of our crazy week and share the moment with you.

And I want to thank you, for riding this trail with us, no matter how busy we are, we always love to hear from you.

Love you all,

Lisa, R.W. and the boys

Happy 100th Birthday New Mexico!

Posted on: January 6th, 2012 by R.W. Hampton 1 Comment

Yes, on this day, 100 years ago, (January 6th, 1912) President Taft signed the proclamation making New Mexico the 47th state of the Union & the U.S. added a brand new star.

As I travel around, folks who’ve visited our 5th largest state are quick to tell me how surprised they were at the beauty, expanse & vastness of the land. They want to tell me about the snow capped peaks and the incredible sunrises and sunsets. And of course the food! Many will tell of visiting our villages with unpaved streets, adobe buildings and churches built in the 1700’s. Yes, we have places here that time has forgotten & yet the Atom bomb was developed in our state and we even have a spaceport!

On a humorous note, it never ceases to amaze me, how many folks still ask; “New Mexico, where’s that?” One fellow I invited for a visit said “I’d love to come out if I can get my passport renewed.”

A lady at dinner one night exclaimed, “New Mexico? You live in New Mexico?”

“Yes”, I answered a bit surprised, “Why?”

“Well,” she said, “You speak excellent English!”

To that I just smiled and said, “Well, I was educated in the U.S.”

So happy birthday New Mexico and may you continue to be overlooked and slow to be discovered but as enchanting as ever. Out here we like our skyline uncluttered and our neighbors scattered out a bit. Here’s to your next 100 years!

Of Men, Music, and the Land

Posted on: May 17th, 2010 by R.W. Hampton 1 Comment

I went to town the other day to get a haircut before I flew to Florida for the weekend.

As usual, our little barber shop was busy, so I got in line behind about a dozen or so other men who were waiting for Ruben to work his magic.

Now in order to paint a clear picture of my world, let me say that when you are the best barber in a huge county of about ten thousand people, you are always busy.

As I hung my hat and coat, I exchanged howdys with everyone and took a seat to wait my turn in Ruben’s chair.

I shuffled through the stack of girlie and hunting magazines.

Not seeing anything interesting, I decided to settle in and listen to the talk. Some in Spanish, some in English, and some in what we refer to as Spanglish.

After listening for what seemed like forever, I came to the realization that I never before had considered how little I had in common with these men.

Different cultures, races, languages, tax brackets, and religions. The only thing I could see we had in common was that we were all men in need of a haircut.

Now Old Ruben is a music lover from way back. As a result, he’s always had an old guitar that he keeps on top of the pop machine in the corner. Many’s the time that Ruben has asked, “Hey RdubbleU, how about a song while you wait?”

One time I went in with my boys, and by the time we all got a haircut, I discovered I was a little shy of what I owed him. Ruben doesn’t take credit or debit cards, but he will take a song. So, at two bucks short and a song being worth a nickel, I am, and have been, indebted to my barber for quite some time.

On this particular day, I went and grabbed that old guitar upon request and started to play and sing. Ruben loves Marty Robbins songs, so I played “I Walk Alone.” One of the other fellas asked if I knew “Cowboy in the Continental Suit.” I played that and some others and then handed the guitar to an old man who played “El Rancho Grande” and “De Colores.”

An old cowman from the Canadian River Canyon up around Roy, New Mexico, got to his feet and did a little jig to that ancient old tune while the other men laughed and clapped. Someone remarked that he was in his nineties! The old cowman replied that he was destined for Dancing with the Stars. And so it went, for the better part of an hour, until it came my time for a haircut.

I looked across this tiny shop and noticed that the faces that once had been courteous, but indifferent, had warmed. We all had a good laugh when one of the wives came in to tell her husband it was time to go home. She said she had dragged him out of the saloon many times, but never the barber shop!

When Ruben was done, I left a ten on the counter, grabbed my hat and coat, and said adios.

Heading back to the ranch, I hummed “El Rancho Grande” as I drove and had to laugh at how wrong I had been. We share so much in common, these men and I. Our bond is a love for music.

But much more than that, it is a love for music about the land, this land, our land!

Posts Tagged ‘New Mexico’

Two plus Two equals Twenty-Three

Taking Time Out

Happy 100th Birthday New Mexico!

Of Men, Music, and the Land