Interest Groups
Religious Interest Groups
Backyard Buddha. Photo by Teresa Reinhard
Backyard Buddha. Photo by Teresa Reinhard
Buddhist Meditation Interest Group
by Teresa Reinhard August 5, 2025
The Mirehaven Buddhist Meditation Group, who came together today at the Sandia Amenity Center for their regular meeting, refer to themselves as “Mirbuds,” short for Mirehaven Buddhists, but you don’t have to be a Buddhist to attend. Participants are a mix of other religious faiths, including Buddhist, and agnostic or atheist. However, they do share a desire to practice meditation for the benefits of increased kindness, compassion, and mental peace.
Most sessions include a short teaching or explanation of an aspect of meditation and/or Buddhist beliefs, a 15 – 30-minute meditation, and an opportunity to discuss a topic relevant to the teaching. Members may volunteer to lead a session or take part as an observer.
“Mirbuds” meets every Tuesday at 1:30 in the Movement Room of the Sandia Amenity Center. Anyone is welcome to attend, regardless of belief or non-belief and meditation experience.
St Francis of Asís at Taos Ranchos Church. Photo by Catherine Carter
St Francis of Asís at Taos Ranchos Church. Photo by Catherine Carter
Christian Community Interest Group
by Cathy Carter August 5, 2025
The Mirehaven Christian Community Interest Group came together today for fellowship, devotions and Bible study. The people who were present talked about their personal devotional time in between the group meetings. Most said they start each day with cups of coffee, individual Bible study, and prayer.
When asked about their affiliations with local churches the connections ranged from Catholic and Anglican to non-denominational churches.
One of the activities between meetings is the attempt to tell Mirehaven residents who are not practicing Christians at this time about Christianity. When asked about the responses of neighbors to the conversations, at least one member said the response was “curiosity.”
The group was started by Paula Sears with the intent of promoting friendship on a deeper level. They are also interested in missions, the intent to spread the message of the Scripture to non-Christian people groups.
The group is interested in new members who might like to develop friendships at this deeper level. If you are interested contact Paula Sears by going to the Mirehaven Resident Directory.
Torah page in Hebrew. Photo from Unsplash
Torah page in Hebrew. Photo from Unsplash
Jewish Interest Group
by Cathy Carter August 13, 2025
The Jewish interest group came together today at the Sandia Amenity Center for their regular monthly meeting. Debbie Sloan, the group’s leader, said the meetings are not religious but rather are almost entirely social. These get togethers are opportunities for the members to visit and to eat from the buffet dishes that each brings. Sloan said she is not religious and several of the others there today said they were not observant either. The only thing they do together that is eligious is to host a Passover Seder. According to one member, they are cultural Jews. From meeting and talking with them, however, it was evident that they are proud of their ethnicity and their history even if they do not practice Judaism as a religion.
Jews are a people of history and of persecution and each person there could point to stories of persecution that had been handed down in their families. Some had family members who were incarcerated in the concentration camps during World War II, including some who died in the camps. Others had ancestors who fled to escape the Russian pogroms. None, however, had experienced persecution in America in their lifetimes.
The group meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 11am at the Amenity center. They welcome anyone, Jewish or not, who would like to join them.
Bucket Buddies Travel Showcase
Photos by Cathy Carter
Photo by Catherine Carter
Photo by Catherine Carter
Photo by Catherine Carter
Photo by Catherine Carter
Photo by Catherine Carter
Photo by Catherine Carter
Get your traveling shoes on!
By Cathy Carter, August 23, 2025
Bucket Buddies Interest Group tonight offered their third Travel Showcase at the Amenity Center. The annual event brings together Mirehaven residents with Albuquerque travel professionals. There was a large crowd to partake of refreshments and information from the travel experts and listen to the Time Travelers band playing on the patio.
Group leader Susie Kuykendall talked about the role of Bucket Buddies in the community.
When she started the group Kuykendall said she wanted it to be free for everyone. The travel vendors at the Showcase were SunTours, Lieber Luggage and Collette. Kuykendall said that when the vendors get business, they contribute to the event which makes the Showcase possible. The people from Bucket Buddies working at the Showcase are all volunteers. She said no one gets paid for working in the group.
When asked what her favorite part of leading Bucket Buddies is, she said it was the good reports from people when they get back and hearing that they got more than they expected from the trip.
Three event attendees said they traveled on a cruise with Bucket Buddies. They were on a small ship with only 100 cabins and they agreed that the trip was terrific. They said their favorite thing about the trip was the way they were treated on the ship. The personnel, they said, were wonderful.
Information on Bucket Buddies and their trips is available on their website, https://www.mirehavenbucketbuddies.com.
Mirehaven Shooting Interest Group
By Cathy Carter
Members of the Shooting Interest Group. Leader Ed Buttner at left holding a 3D printed gun. Photo by Catherine Carter
Members of the Shooting Interest Group. Leader Ed Buttner at left holding a 3D printed gun. Photo by Catherine Carter
August 21, 2025. The Mirehaven Shooting Interest Group met today in the Amenity Center’s Manzano Room to discuss their interest in firearms. There were ten members present including a new attendee who said he wants to learn more about firearms. Group leader Ed Buttner asked that each person introduce himself and say a little about where they are from and what their experience with weapons is. All but one member has extensive experience with weapons of all sorts; several had rifles and shotguns while others had pistols.
During the meeting they discussed different types of firearms. Member Chuck Webster said that in his opinion the revolver is the most stable weapon, is simple to operate, and requires minimal maintenance.
According to the members, safety is the number one consideration when shooting a gun. Safety comes from training, they said, as they made recommendations on where to get good training classes. Webster described his favorite acronym for remembering how to be safe with a gun. The memory device is TALK. T is for TRIGGER, as in keep your finger off it. A is for AIM, that is, know at what the gun is pointed. L is for LOADED; know for a fact whether or not the gun is loaded. K is for KNOWLEDGE; know what you are shooting.
While there were no women present this morning, Buttner said there are women shooters in the community. In fact, other members said, women shooting in the Olympics competitions are better target shooters than the men.
The group welcomes anyone who would like to attend, male or female. There are no requirements to belong to the group and it is not necessary to own a gun to participate with them.
Del Webb Democrats Happy Hour
by Kim Hafermalz August 7, 2025
Mirehaven News has thought seriously about two of our readers who told us the News appears to be politically biased. Is the News biased? The News concluded no. When covering interest groups, the News contacts the leaders. We asks if it is OK for a reporter to visit. The News contacted the Conservative interest group, and the leader told us not to come. Respect is one of the News' values, so currently, no reporting is done on the Conservative interest group. The News happily considers story ideas and invitations from all Interest Groups to attend their gatherings.
The Del Webb Mirehaven Democrats interest group held a creative happy hour on August 7 in the Manzano Room. It was part organizing, volunteer recruitment, and fun. The Del Webb Mirehaven Democrats is an interest group. To join, contact Kathy Porter at dwmprogressives@gmail.com.
A staple of Democrat campaigns is postcard writing. The folks working at this table quickly ran out of postcards. Names were taken down to receive the postcards soon.
A new campaign is “No talk without action” At this table Maurice Norman explained the multi-level program where folks can volunteer for jobs that they are comfortable with.
Roadrunner volunteer Mary Kay Austin, had a table to recruit neighbors to volunteer at our regional food bank. Mary Kay had informative handouts and a sign-up sheet. Mary Kay is looking to build a Mirehaven group that volunteers to assist our Albuquerque community with food security.
The fun table “Vent for $5.00”. Rather than venting, most conversations were about what direction the Dems should take. A happy note, a couple of folks sat down, declared themselves Republicans, and then had a good conversation.
It's a happy hour
Neighbor for Neighbor
By Cathy Carter
August 21, 2025. The Neighbor for Neighbor (N4N) Interest Group came together at the Amenity Center this morning for their regular monthly meeting. Group Leader Carolyn Ajie first discussed the work the group did in the last month. She said there were ten meals delivered to households with a temporary need for meals. There was also some help with maintenance assessment which ended up saving the resident a large plumbing bill.
The feedback that is coming in from those who are helped has been extremely positive. Even those who don’t think they need help, say after a hospital stay, but ended up accepting help have been quite grateful.
The group discussed the resources lists they are putting together. There will be two lists, one for the Estates at Mirehaven website and the other for N4N members. Both of these lists will be useful for N4N members to consult when helping a neighbor.
The majority of the meeting was spent reflecting on what N4N means to each member. Some said that the group helps them to meet other people. Others said that the ability to help their neighbors when needed is a positive activity. Most said that the opportunity to help people and care for one another is important to their lives.
The group considered how to help those neighbors who are reluctant to ask when they need someone or something. Ajie emphasized that taking a meal to someone isn’t just taking in food; it is knocking on the door to check on the person and show consideration for their needs. The group is now thinking of ways to break down the barriers between those who need help and the helpers.
The next N4N Coffee Time will be October 11, 10am-12pm. They welcome anyone who would like to attend or who would like to find out more about participating with the group.
N4N meeting led by Carolyn Ajie. Photo by Catherine Carter
N4N meeting led by Carolyn Ajie. Photo by Catherine Carter
For whom the beer tolls
Photo, image and story by Charles Webster
Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
Every fifteen minutes at the August 14th Craft Beer Interest Group meeting in the Amenity Center, Carl, one-sixth of Craft Beer’s Steering Committee six-pack (Curt, Mike, Kathy, Dave, Sam, and the ringer himself), gleefully shakes a cowbell. If I had kampanaphobia (irrational fear of bells), I’d be sprinting for the Sunport four times an hour.
Why? Civil engineers like Carl don’t just build bridges; they build civilizations. And in our little beer-based society, the bell is law: two people from every table must migrate. Extroverts cheer. Introverts fear (but hey, tough love!). Carl keeps us circulating like sharks; stop moving, and the conversation dies. Without Carl, I’d sit immobile. Instead, I’ve met dozens of fascinating beer-loving humans.
The bell also heralds the Beer Wagon: a rolling armory of brews and garden tools (yes, even a Japanese hand hop harvester: “the Saboten HopMaster 3000: the ultimate hand-harvesting marvel straight from the meticulous minds of Japan’s finest snip-smiths!”) up for auction by Mirehaven Gives Back, to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Proof that beer builds communities. Archaeologists even suggest that beer played a significant role in fueling agriculture, cities, and social life.
So cheers, Carl and crew. And cheers, beer. For without you, civilization and Mirehaven would be a lot less fun.
The Craft Beer Interest Group meets monthly, alternating between the Amenity Center and visits to local breweries. And annually organizes the legendary fifty-person Beer Run, most recently to Beer Creek Brewing near Santa Fe.
AI generated by Charles Webster
AI generated by Charles Webster
The Games We Play, Part 2
by Kim Hafermalz. August 18, 2025
In last months issue Mirehaven News reported on the games of Bridge, Rumikub, and Scrabble. This month we focus on Hand and Foot, American Mahjong, and Euchre
Hand and Foot
Hand and Foot is a variation on the card game Canasta that is believed to have started sometime in the 1970's. The rules of the game are passed along orally, and can change from region to region.
This variation on Canasta involves multiple decks of cards. Each person is dealt two sets of cards. One is called the Hand and is played first. The second set is called the Foot. Aha, Hand and Foot.
Mirehaven has a local convention. Once everyone arrives, the leaders figure out how many table they need, and they number them. Then they set up a hand of cards with four multiples of the numbered tables. Each player picks a card, and that is the table they'll play at. This way, folks are always playing with different people.
Hand and Foot meets every Friday at 12:30.
American Mahjong
No one knows when Mahjongg became a game. It is thought that it started in the 1300’s as a paper card game. Paper cards degraded over time and use. In the 1900’s the game was played with tiles.
In 1923, Joseph Park Babcock, a representative of Shanghai Oil, began importing Mah Jongg sets to the U.S. He published the rules in 1935.
Today, the American Mah Jongg Association sends out annual cards that are slightly different each year. The players play to win each game and accumulate winning games on the cards. This is a difficult game. Those who play love the complexity and the companionship of the game.
When interviewed, some told this reporter they have been playing for over fifty years and others started playing only a few months ago. The group is happy to teach newcomers.
The American Mah Jongg Interest Group meets every Wednesday at 12:30.
Photo by Kim Hafermalz
Photo by Kim Hafermalz
Photo by Kim Hafermalz
Photo by Kim Hafermalz
Euchre
By Kim Hafermalz
Photo by Kim Hafermalz
Photo by Kim Hafermalz
In 1810, Euchre was mentioned along with other games played in gaming houses in America. In 1829, it was played on steamboats in the American Midwest. The earliest rules were written in 1844.
An early American theory about the origins of Euchre says it came with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania. From there the game moved westward.
The Mirehaven Euchre Interest group is small, about ten people, but when available, they come to play every Tuesday at 1:00 PM.
When interviewed, the players told this reporter they either learned the game when they moved to Mirehaven, they learned the game in college, or they were in a pub at some point and learned it there.
The Euchre Interest Group has found regional differences in the rules, so they have, over time, made Mirehaven rules. The group, although small, is friendly and inviting. They’d love to teach newcomers the 200-year-old game.
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