Deborah Grider is a guera, one of those light-skinned, blond-haired women who look Anglo but are actually Mexican-American.
Gueras and gueros are common at the border, where stereotypes don't easily apply. But it still surprises visitors when Grider switches from English to Spanish in midsentence or when Grider tells them her grandfather, Carlos Escalante, and great-aunt, Raquel Serrano Weaver, both Mexicans, founded the town of Sasabe around 1916.
It surprises them even more if they assume she's Anglo and say something bad about Mexicans. More on that later.
If you have never heard of Sasabe, you are not alone. The tiny speck of a town sits on the border, 72 miles from Tucson. Just 11 people live here. And the only way to get to Sasabe is to drive 20 miles west from Tucson on Ajo Way and then south on Arizona 286 from Robles Junction through nearly 50 miles of nothing but desert scrub land.
Anyone who has spent time in Sasabe knows Grider. She runs the general store, along with her mother, Alice Knagge.
The store has been in their family since 1932, and you can usually find Grider or her mother behind the cash register from sunrise to sunset. It's the only store left in this town, and they are the only two people who work there.
In 1960, Life magazine sent famed photographer J.R. Eyerman to take pictures of Sasabe after Grider's grandfather put the entire town up for sale for $500,000. The price included 450 acres of land and 29 adobe buildings.
"My grandfather built all of these houses," said Grider, who is not about to tell you her age, no matter how much you prod.
Eyerman's black-and-white photographs ran in the March, 28, 1960, edition of the magazine under the headline, "Any Money Down, A Desert Town."
In one photo, the town's entire population, all 30 men, women and children, is shown standing on a hill with Sasabe's rooftops and electric poles in the background. Grider, a little girl in a white blouse, her hair freshly curled, stands in the foreground with her mother, her stepfather, Mike Knagge, her grandparents, Carlos and Luisa Escalante, and her brother Bill, who is looking down at his feet.
Shortly after, Grider's family sent her away to boarding school in Tucson. Grider spent 10 years being taught by nuns at Immaculate Heart Academy, then an all-girls Catholic school.
"My grandparents wanted me to have a good education," Grider said.
As a girl, Grider lived in Sasabe only during the summers. She remembers walking across the border into Mexico to buy candy. When she would return, the customs agents "would just wave you through if they knew you," Grider said.
She remembers playing hide-and-seek and hopscotch with the other children in town. Their parents, most of them ranch hands or customs agents who worked at the port of entry, rented adobe houses built and owned by her grandfather.
There are no children living in Sasabe now, and the entire town is owned by a wealthy Mexican businessman named Domingo Pesqueiro. The San Fernando Elementary School is still there, but the school's 17 students come from Arivaca and other nearby towns or from across the border in El Sasabe.
Grider finished high school in Sahuarita. She used to get up at 5 a.m. to catch the bus for the 1 hour and 45 minute trip from Sasabe to Sahuarita north of Green Valley.
After high school, Grider studied at Pima Community College in Tucson but came home to Sasabe after a year to help her mother at the store.
Grider never married or had children. She moved back to Tucson and spent most of her life living and working there. But doing exactly what, she won't say.
All she will say is, "I had a very interesting life."
"I had lots of jobs," Grider said. "I also ran several of my own businesses. One of them was a mail-order business. Not M-A-L-E order but M-A-I-L order."
In 2001, Grider returned to Sasabe for good. She lives with her mother in a stately ranch house with tall cypress trees overlooking the border. She has been working at the store ever since.
If you visit the store and are lucky, Grider will pull a set of keys from behind the counter and walk you through the store -- past the rows of canned food, the stacks of propane tanks and the racks of T-shirts that say, "Where the Hell Is Sasabe?" -- to a door in back painted green and purple.
A sign above says Hilltop Bar. And when Grider unlocks the door, it feels almost like magic. Hidden inside has got to be the strangest, if not the smallest, bar in Arizona. Just 12 stools and a little table big enough for a game of cards.
"Bienvenidos al rincon de los borrachos," says the ceramic tile hanging on the door. Welcome to the drunkards' corner. (Grider makes sure there is always a designated driver.)
But it's not just the size that makes the bar seem so weird. It's the way the women have decorated the place, kind of like a cross between cowgirl shabby chic and a museum.
On the cement floor are a couple of mano y metates, the grinding stones used by Native Americans in prehistoric times. An old broom and a metal pitchfork hang from one of the walls. A mounted deer head, a gift from one of Grider's hunter friends, juts out from the side of the bar.
But the most bizarre item is a female mannequin. Decked out in a cowboy hat and woolly chaps, the curvy figure is propped up on a table in the middle of the bar clutching a six-pack of beer. A perpetual smile graces her face.
"We used to have a clothing department. She used to be our clothing mannequin," Grider said. "Did you notice she hardly has any fingers? Some kids from across the line broke her fingers off. They thought she was real, so they broke her fingers off to see if she would bleed."
The mannequin is just one example of Grider's quirky sense of border humor.
Over the bar, Grider has posted a sign listing the "House Specials." Sasabe sits in the middle of one of the biggest human-smuggling and drug-trafficking corridors on the border. Using Mexican border slang, Grider has concocted drink specials that pay homage to the various characters found along the border. One drink, tequila and a "secret juice chaser that makes it real smooth," is called "La Migra" -- the Border Patrol.
"The juice is green, and what does La Migra do? They chase people," Grider said.
Another -- tequila, bloody Mary mix in a glass rimmed with salt and chili powder --is called "El pollero," or the smuggler.
"I can say these things because I'm Mexican. And in Mexico we are not politically correct," Grider says with a laugh.
Grider opens the bar just two nights a week, on Fridays and Saturdays, and for special occasions. On a good night, the bar might draw 15 people. But usually it's just Grider and four or five customers. Some are town residents. Others are visitors from the nearby Rancho De La Osa Guest Ranch, an exclusive hotel that serves gourmet meals.
During hunting season in October and November, the bar also fills up with hunters who sometimes stay at a bunkhouse that Grider rents out for $25 a night per person next to the store.
Grider has a rule against foul language at the bar. Customers who break it stick a dollar in a "cuss jar" she keeps on the counter. When the jar fills up, she donates the money to charity.
And here is the part where Grider sometimes hears people say bad things about Mexicans. It's usually the hunters sitting at the bar after they've had a few drinks. Because she is guera, the hunters assume she is Anglo. Grider, who has an easy-going manner and a charming smile, lets them dig a deep hole before she lets on.
2011年11月14日星期一
2011年10月18日星期二
Two Red Roses Acquires 1860s Cinderella Story Tiles
A rare set of ceramic tiles made by the English firm Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company of London in the early 1860s has recently been acquired in London by the Two Red Roses Foundation of Palm Harbor. Seven pairs of hand painted tiles depict the story of Cinderella or the "Cinder-Wench…the maid with the shoe of glass." Only four sets of these tiles are known to have survived.
In 1862, British artist Edward Burne-Jones began to design fairy tale tiles in his illustrational, narrative style for Morris's newly founded company. The Cinderella story tiles were designed first, followed by Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty. All three tales were commissioned by British watercolorist Myles Birket Foster for his new home, called The Hill, in the Surrey countryside, where they were installed as overmantels.
The Cinderella set now owned by the Two Red Roses Foundation includes a pair of tiles depicting the romantic culmination of the story, the wedding scene originally designed for the Sleeping Beauty narrative. According to Morris tile expert Richard Myers, all of the tiles, including the bonus pair, appear to have been painted by the same decorator in the late 1860s or early 1870s.
The staff of Morris had little expertise in ceramics and could not produce tiles from scratch in their facilities. White, tin-glazed earthenware tiles called "blanks" were imported from Holland and then painted by in-house decorators with low-fire overglaze enamels. An intermediate clear glaze was evidently applied to the blank and fired to maximize the bond with the surface decoration. Multiple colors required several firings at decreasing temperatures in a kiln Morris's staff also used for stained glass. Overglaze is a notoriously difficult medium to handle and often results in a fragile surface, prone to abrasion and flaking; consequently few examples of these early fairy tale tiles have survived.
Two other examples of the Cinderella story tiles are at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, and the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif. A fourth set, which also included the extra wedding scene, was sold in 1999 by Christie's in London.
In 1862, British artist Edward Burne-Jones began to design fairy tale tiles in his illustrational, narrative style for Morris's newly founded company. The Cinderella story tiles were designed first, followed by Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty. All three tales were commissioned by British watercolorist Myles Birket Foster for his new home, called The Hill, in the Surrey countryside, where they were installed as overmantels.
The Cinderella set now owned by the Two Red Roses Foundation includes a pair of tiles depicting the romantic culmination of the story, the wedding scene originally designed for the Sleeping Beauty narrative. According to Morris tile expert Richard Myers, all of the tiles, including the bonus pair, appear to have been painted by the same decorator in the late 1860s or early 1870s.
The staff of Morris had little expertise in ceramics and could not produce tiles from scratch in their facilities. White, tin-glazed earthenware tiles called "blanks" were imported from Holland and then painted by in-house decorators with low-fire overglaze enamels. An intermediate clear glaze was evidently applied to the blank and fired to maximize the bond with the surface decoration. Multiple colors required several firings at decreasing temperatures in a kiln Morris's staff also used for stained glass. Overglaze is a notoriously difficult medium to handle and often results in a fragile surface, prone to abrasion and flaking; consequently few examples of these early fairy tale tiles have survived.
Two other examples of the Cinderella story tiles are at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, and the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif. A fourth set, which also included the extra wedding scene, was sold in 1999 by Christie's in London.
2011年10月12日星期三
The biggest problem with tile floors? The grout
Tile floors have been the standard for luxury installations for more than 2,000 years. But in the last decade, in particular, new materials and building techniques are challenging this method, because of both appearance and long-term performance.
First, let's talk about the biggest problem with tile floors. They have three main weaknesses: grout, grout and grout. Grout is integral to tiling floors, and while there is nothing wrong with the product itself, it has some inherent weaknesses in how we use it in our modern homes.
Modern-house floor construction (with smaller-dimension lumber and greater spacing between supports) is more flexible than you'll find in older homes. If you compare a new 2 x 6 versus a 2 x 6 from 50 years ago, you will see a big difference. In places where framing was once spaced 16 inches on centre, now it's common to see them spaced 24 inches on centre. All of this adds up to a framed house that has more "give" in it. Structurally speaking, the frame is still strong enough to do the job, but this added flexibility doesn't take into consideration the effect it has on a tile floor. That flex will cause grout to crack.
However, ceramic, porcelain, slate, and other types of floor tile require absolute rigidity in their support. One of the biggest complaints from new homebuyers is cracking floor grout. The builders are diligent in coming back and repairing the grout during the warrantee period, but the reason for the cracking grout has not been addressed. Without addressing the frame flex, the cracked grout will more than likely return over time.
Depending on the situation, the fix can be as simple as adding more blocking to the floor joists directly under the tile floor. This works where there are small areas, such as a powder room or front entrance. For areas where there is more tile coverage over a greater span, the joists may need to be laminated, or doubled up, in order to reduce the floor flex.
I think many people are drawn to a tile and grout floor because of its lasting durability, over alternative flooring systems. But durability depends on investing in high-quality materials. One option is the use of a decoupling membrane, such as the orange waffle sheets I recommend, which will allow for the flex. But these products aren't cheap, and many people don't want to spend the money for something they can't see. The smart money isn't spent properly.
There's another tile floor product that causes a lot of grief: the material that bonds the tile to the floor. The product I use is called Thinset. It comes in powder form and there is a big cost difference between cheap, low-quality product that doesn't adhere well over time, and expensive product that has excellent adhesion, and durability. Ultimately, the difference is in the longevity: The cheap stuff only performs for a few years and the expensive stuff can last a lifetime.
Since builders and contractors don't have any vested interest in seeing your tile floor last a lifetime, only a few invest on your behalf in buying the high-quality Thinset.
And when it comes to the DIY crowd, I'm never surprised when I'm at a big-box store and the shelf with the cheap product is always almost empty, while sitting on the shelf right beside it is the expensive product. I don't have to tell you that it's stocked full. Even when homeowners have the choice, they still opt for the cheap stuff without understanding the consequence of their decision.
If you've ever dropped anything hard, such as a cooking pot, on a tiled kitchen floor, you'll know the tile or gout it hits can crack or chip. That's one reason vinyl floors are so popular for kitchens: They're more forgiving. But vinyl flooring doesn't look like tile.
But now you can buy a peel-and-stick vinyl tile product that you can put grout in between in order to make it look like real tile, without the expense. Not a good idea. I would like to remind everyone that "crap plus crap equals crap".
Grout depends on rigidity and good adhesion, and grout also needs to be a certain thickness to gain its maximum strength. If you look at the sides of a ceramic or porcelain tile, you will notice it has a certain thickness to it and the sides are left unfinished. This is so the grout can better stick to the edges of the tile and enough of the product gets down in between the tile to give it some strength.
A groutable vinyl tile is just half the thickness, and because the vinyl tile has rounded edges, there's even less space for the material to work itself in between. This is not a good situation.
First, let's talk about the biggest problem with tile floors. They have three main weaknesses: grout, grout and grout. Grout is integral to tiling floors, and while there is nothing wrong with the product itself, it has some inherent weaknesses in how we use it in our modern homes.
Modern-house floor construction (with smaller-dimension lumber and greater spacing between supports) is more flexible than you'll find in older homes. If you compare a new 2 x 6 versus a 2 x 6 from 50 years ago, you will see a big difference. In places where framing was once spaced 16 inches on centre, now it's common to see them spaced 24 inches on centre. All of this adds up to a framed house that has more "give" in it. Structurally speaking, the frame is still strong enough to do the job, but this added flexibility doesn't take into consideration the effect it has on a tile floor. That flex will cause grout to crack.
However, ceramic, porcelain, slate, and other types of floor tile require absolute rigidity in their support. One of the biggest complaints from new homebuyers is cracking floor grout. The builders are diligent in coming back and repairing the grout during the warrantee period, but the reason for the cracking grout has not been addressed. Without addressing the frame flex, the cracked grout will more than likely return over time.
Depending on the situation, the fix can be as simple as adding more blocking to the floor joists directly under the tile floor. This works where there are small areas, such as a powder room or front entrance. For areas where there is more tile coverage over a greater span, the joists may need to be laminated, or doubled up, in order to reduce the floor flex.
I think many people are drawn to a tile and grout floor because of its lasting durability, over alternative flooring systems. But durability depends on investing in high-quality materials. One option is the use of a decoupling membrane, such as the orange waffle sheets I recommend, which will allow for the flex. But these products aren't cheap, and many people don't want to spend the money for something they can't see. The smart money isn't spent properly.
There's another tile floor product that causes a lot of grief: the material that bonds the tile to the floor. The product I use is called Thinset. It comes in powder form and there is a big cost difference between cheap, low-quality product that doesn't adhere well over time, and expensive product that has excellent adhesion, and durability. Ultimately, the difference is in the longevity: The cheap stuff only performs for a few years and the expensive stuff can last a lifetime.
Since builders and contractors don't have any vested interest in seeing your tile floor last a lifetime, only a few invest on your behalf in buying the high-quality Thinset.
And when it comes to the DIY crowd, I'm never surprised when I'm at a big-box store and the shelf with the cheap product is always almost empty, while sitting on the shelf right beside it is the expensive product. I don't have to tell you that it's stocked full. Even when homeowners have the choice, they still opt for the cheap stuff without understanding the consequence of their decision.
If you've ever dropped anything hard, such as a cooking pot, on a tiled kitchen floor, you'll know the tile or gout it hits can crack or chip. That's one reason vinyl floors are so popular for kitchens: They're more forgiving. But vinyl flooring doesn't look like tile.
But now you can buy a peel-and-stick vinyl tile product that you can put grout in between in order to make it look like real tile, without the expense. Not a good idea. I would like to remind everyone that "crap plus crap equals crap".
Grout depends on rigidity and good adhesion, and grout also needs to be a certain thickness to gain its maximum strength. If you look at the sides of a ceramic or porcelain tile, you will notice it has a certain thickness to it and the sides are left unfinished. This is so the grout can better stick to the edges of the tile and enough of the product gets down in between the tile to give it some strength.
A groutable vinyl tile is just half the thickness, and because the vinyl tile has rounded edges, there's even less space for the material to work itself in between. This is not a good situation.
2011年9月15日星期四
Make a tile statement
The two most popular varieties in the market when it comes to tiles are ceramic and vitrified tiles. Vitrified tiles are the shiny big ones tiles you might have seen in houses and shops. This is made by mixing silica and clay to form a non porous tile with a glassy texture. Ceramic tiles are those made from clay tiles and topped with a ceramic glaze.
The basic difference is that vitrified tiles are actually one kind of ceramic tile. But these are made after the vitrification process and go through a high level of refining, generating a glassy effect, while ceramic tiles are made of natural biodegradable and recyclable materials.
But then there has always been this long-standing debate on vitrified tiles vs ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles have been the popular choice for counter tops, walls, floors and even in home roofing. Vitrified tiles, on the other hand, have a layer of coloured glass.
The composition of vitrified tiles is homogenous in nature. To achieve a glossy look, vitrified tiles are manually polished. Ceramic tiles have a glaze applied over them.
However, most glazes are not that durable or scratch resistant and over time, it yellows, it cracks and it chips. Aisha Siddiqui from Delhi has recently done up her house with a range of tiles. “I’ve used a lot of ceramic in the bathroom and the balcony for the warm and elegant texture it renders to the room. My living room is all vitrified tiles as we wanted to give it a spacious look,” she says. Big-sized vitrified tiles are smooth and easy to clean apart from adding to the spacious look of the room. Vitrified tiles have a demand in countries like India, UK and USA.
When you compare the varieties, you realise that ceramic tiles are actually more cost-effective. However, both ceramic and vitrified tiles are available in a range of prices, colours, patterns and sizes. Talk of durability and vitrified tiles are sure winners. Vitrified tiles are much stronger than natural granite, which is one of the most durable products for modern homes. Vitrified tiles win over ceramic tiles on factors such as strength, ability to resist scratches and acids, alkalis, and chemicals without being damaged.
Full tiling with vitrified tiles cost a bit more than vitrified flooring and therefore ceramics are preferred by many as an economical choice. But for those who prefer a chic and glamorous look, vitrified tiles are definitely going to rule the flooring market in the near future.
The basic difference is that vitrified tiles are actually one kind of ceramic tile. But these are made after the vitrification process and go through a high level of refining, generating a glassy effect, while ceramic tiles are made of natural biodegradable and recyclable materials.
But then there has always been this long-standing debate on vitrified tiles vs ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles have been the popular choice for counter tops, walls, floors and even in home roofing. Vitrified tiles, on the other hand, have a layer of coloured glass.
The composition of vitrified tiles is homogenous in nature. To achieve a glossy look, vitrified tiles are manually polished. Ceramic tiles have a glaze applied over them.
However, most glazes are not that durable or scratch resistant and over time, it yellows, it cracks and it chips. Aisha Siddiqui from Delhi has recently done up her house with a range of tiles. “I’ve used a lot of ceramic in the bathroom and the balcony for the warm and elegant texture it renders to the room. My living room is all vitrified tiles as we wanted to give it a spacious look,” she says. Big-sized vitrified tiles are smooth and easy to clean apart from adding to the spacious look of the room. Vitrified tiles have a demand in countries like India, UK and USA.
When you compare the varieties, you realise that ceramic tiles are actually more cost-effective. However, both ceramic and vitrified tiles are available in a range of prices, colours, patterns and sizes. Talk of durability and vitrified tiles are sure winners. Vitrified tiles are much stronger than natural granite, which is one of the most durable products for modern homes. Vitrified tiles win over ceramic tiles on factors such as strength, ability to resist scratches and acids, alkalis, and chemicals without being damaged.
Full tiling with vitrified tiles cost a bit more than vitrified flooring and therefore ceramics are preferred by many as an economical choice. But for those who prefer a chic and glamorous look, vitrified tiles are definitely going to rule the flooring market in the near future.
2011年6月29日星期三
New Quicksilver Catalog Updates SilverDust Products
QuickSilver Controls new 48 page catalog provides a review of the full range of QuickSilver's motors, drives, and controls that feature their high pole count, 2phase permanent magnet motors when operated in a vector control made as a full 4 quadrant servo motor system. QuickSilver's electronic drives and controls utilize size 17, 23, and 34 hybrid step motors as full brushless servo motors. Copious motor performance torque-speed curves are supplied.
Continuous torque for the smaller Size 17 brushless PM motors starts at 35 oz-in at 900 rpm (35 watts) duty up to 700 oz-in at 1500 rpm (700 watts) for the Size 34 brushless servo motor. Maximum speeds are 4000 rpm. The SilverDust controls product line RS232, RS435, and CANopen protocols with Ethernet and Modbus TCP as an option. Voltages range from 3.5 amps in the smaller Size 17 and 23 SilverDust drives and up to 10 amps in the large Size 34. Typical input voltages are 12 vdc to 48 vdc.
The SilverDust controller uses sophisticated motion control algorithms to maximize the high torque capability and properly handle very high load inertias reaching 100:1 inertia mismatch.
Continuous torque for the smaller Size 17 brushless PM motors starts at 35 oz-in at 900 rpm (35 watts) duty up to 700 oz-in at 1500 rpm (700 watts) for the Size 34 brushless servo motor. Maximum speeds are 4000 rpm. The SilverDust controls product line RS232, RS435, and CANopen protocols with Ethernet and Modbus TCP as an option. Voltages range from 3.5 amps in the smaller Size 17 and 23 SilverDust drives and up to 10 amps in the large Size 34. Typical input voltages are 12 vdc to 48 vdc.
The SilverDust controller uses sophisticated motion control algorithms to maximize the high torque capability and properly handle very high load inertias reaching 100:1 inertia mismatch.
2011年5月10日星期二
Quicksilver Resources of Fort Worth lost $70.8 million in first quarter
In the same quarter a year earlier the Fort Worth-based producer earned $8.2 million, or 5 cents a share.
Quicksilver's revenue was $212.2 million in the most recent quarter, down $10 million from a year earlier. The company realized an average $5.07 per 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas, compared with $7.44 a year earlier.
The first-quarter loss included a $49.1 million write-down in the value of Canadian properties and $23.3 million in losses associated with hedging by BreitBurn Energy Partners, a California-based oil and gas partnership in which Quicksilver has a minority interest.
Excluding extraordinary items, the company earned $2.8 million, or 2 cents a share, compared with $33.8 million, or 20 cents a share, a year earlier.
"Our base operations continued to improve as production volumes once again set new records," Quicksilver CEO Glenn Darden said. He said Quicksilver "has assembled meaningful acreage positions in four developing oil plays and three natural gas plays" where the company "can use its expertise in unconventional resource development to cost-effectively grow our reserve base and production."
First-quarter production averaged the equivalent of 392.3 million cubic feet of natural gas daily, up 23 percent from a year earlier. The bulk was in North Texas' Barnett Shale, which averaged the equivalent of 318.6 million cubic feet a day, up 31 percent.
Quicksilver's Canadian production equaled 70.5 million cubic feet of natural gas a day, with 59.4 million cubic feet a day from the established Horseshoe Canyon coal bed methane field in Alberta and 11.1 million from its initial wells in the promising Horn River Basin in northeast British Columbia.
Production was 81 percent natural gas, 18 percent natural gas liquids and 1 percent oil.
In a conference call Monday with analysts, Quicksilver executives expressed optimism about significantly boosting oil production through substantial lease holdings in the Niobrara Shale in Colorado and the Bone Springs and Wolfcamp formations in West Texas, areas in which it plans to launch drilling projects this year.
Quicksilver's revenue was $212.2 million in the most recent quarter, down $10 million from a year earlier. The company realized an average $5.07 per 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas, compared with $7.44 a year earlier.
The first-quarter loss included a $49.1 million write-down in the value of Canadian properties and $23.3 million in losses associated with hedging by BreitBurn Energy Partners, a California-based oil and gas partnership in which Quicksilver has a minority interest.
Excluding extraordinary items, the company earned $2.8 million, or 2 cents a share, compared with $33.8 million, or 20 cents a share, a year earlier.
"Our base operations continued to improve as production volumes once again set new records," Quicksilver CEO Glenn Darden said. He said Quicksilver "has assembled meaningful acreage positions in four developing oil plays and three natural gas plays" where the company "can use its expertise in unconventional resource development to cost-effectively grow our reserve base and production."
First-quarter production averaged the equivalent of 392.3 million cubic feet of natural gas daily, up 23 percent from a year earlier. The bulk was in North Texas' Barnett Shale, which averaged the equivalent of 318.6 million cubic feet a day, up 31 percent.
Quicksilver's Canadian production equaled 70.5 million cubic feet of natural gas a day, with 59.4 million cubic feet a day from the established Horseshoe Canyon coal bed methane field in Alberta and 11.1 million from its initial wells in the promising Horn River Basin in northeast British Columbia.
Production was 81 percent natural gas, 18 percent natural gas liquids and 1 percent oil.
In a conference call Monday with analysts, Quicksilver executives expressed optimism about significantly boosting oil production through substantial lease holdings in the Niobrara Shale in Colorado and the Bone Springs and Wolfcamp formations in West Texas, areas in which it plans to launch drilling projects this year.
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