CNJ staff photo: Tony Bullocks Clayton Ortiz of Clovis spent time Saturday in Green Acres Park flying a kite with his son, who wandered off to play basketball with his friends. Ortiz said he had a hard time getting it airborne due to the wind, but the weather was great for kite flying.
Benna Sayyed
Saturday capped a week of unseasonably warm weather, with high tempartures 15 to 18 degrees above normal for this time of year, according to Accuweather.com.
The high on Saturday was 82 degrees, capping off a string of four straight days of highs in the 80s. Today’s forecast high of 72 — with blustery winds — signals a cooling trend into early next week.
No records were set this week, although Thursday’s high of 81, which came within 2 degree of the all-time high for March 15 of 83 degrees set in 1936.
Across the nation, more than 1,200 record high temperatures were set between March 8-14, according to Accuweather.com
Here’s some snippets on how some area residents took advantage of the weather Saturday.
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To take advantage of the sunshine Chacho Arce, 60, of Farwell, went for a bike ride with his friend James Smithhisler.
“I heard that the wind is going to be picking up today and tomorrow it’s going to be howling also,” said Arce, a maintenance and groundskeeper for Bovina Independent School District.
“This is the perfect time. This week since we’re not working I rode just about every day. I’m also getting a little tan.”
Arce said he and Smithhisler are preparing to ride in Santa Fe’s 27th Annual Century Ride in May.
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Mark Carpenter, 60, spent his afternoon pruning and yard cleaning at his residence on Raintree Boulevard.
Carpenter said to keep his yard looking attractive he works two or three Saturdays during the spring.
“From spring to late fall we’re always doing something in the yard,” said Carpenter, a plumbing contractor from Clovis.
“It’s like therapy for us. It’s different than what we do everyday.”
Carpenter said he likes to eat lunch or dinner with his family on his back porch and observe his greenery when the weather permits.
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Clovis residents Taisha Bosque, 18, her boyfriend Franciso Martinez, 22, and their son, Jayden, 9 months, spent their afternoon at AYSO fields rooting for Bosque’s younger sister, Julianna, at her first soccer game of the season. Martinez and Bosque plan to attend Juliana’s games every Saturday. Bosque said she likes to spend sunny days outside playing sports such as softball and soccer with her boyfriend.
“When you’re inside you don’t experience anything,” said Bosque, a Clovis Community College nursing student.
“Even though you’re an adult you can still be a kid outside.”
The couple plans to play softball throughout the spring.
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Joanne Jones, 38, and her daughter Tressa Ilg, 10, took their dog Rosie to the recently opened dog park at Hillcrest Park for the first time Saturday.
Jones said Rosie befriended a friendly gray pit bull puppy but seemed to be mostly enjoying playing with other dog owners.
Jones said the abundant sunshine, warm temperature and breeze gives people a reason to mingle with other people they normally do not and meet new friends.
“I’m really enjoying being here at the park, seeing all the people out here,” said Jones, a bookkeeper for S and S Supermarket.
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Chenavia Ruffin, 23, and their son Malachi, 6, visited the Hillcrest Park Zoo to get out of Portales and view the baby giraffe Jerrica.
“When the weather is nice like this I Iove to shop and walk outside,” said Ruffin, a Cannon contractor for Lockheed Martin.
“I like seeing how different the environment is, especially in the spring when the flowers are blooming.”
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Clayton Ortiz, 33, visited Green Acres Park with his son Isaiah, 5, to fly his kite and give his son a chance to play basketball with other children. Ortiz said he hardly misses a chance to take his son to the park when the weather is sunny.
“It’s hot and humid in Hawaii,” said Ortiz, who is from Hawaii.
“We’d be sweating over there. We’re not sweating here. It feels pretty good here,” Ortiz said.
“When the weather is like this I like to barbecue, get some sodas and chips, turn the music on and dance.”
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