Friday of Our Lady of Sorrows

 It seems every year this tradition slips up on me until I'm walking down a street, see a courtyard door open, peek in and voila!  An amazing altar in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows.  This tradition is the beginning of the festivities for Holy Week.

Each and every item on the altars, fountains and on the ground is symbolic of various things.  Purple and white symbolize Lent. 

 Chamomile and fennel represent humility. Wheat grass represents Christ or new beginnings.  The one item that takes my breath away are the scenes done on the ground using colored sawdust!  Not only are they talented artists, but the amount of work is staggering for each and every altar or decoration.

 This altar and art in sawdust was in a home on Mesones as I was walking into Centro yesterday morning.  What a treat to see.

 As the day wore on there were more and more altars EVERYWHERE!  Even this tiny one next to the entrance to a restaurant on Ancho de San Antonio.  The smallness of it made it a treasure.

Familys were out walking all over town.  Being welcomed into homes for paletas (popsickles).  Groups standing in front of decorated fountains.  Police directing traffic.  What a magical night!  Even the sky cooperated with a clear, bright star-filled sky.

 As I was going around a corner, this altar was so magnificent.  Not only was it covered with fresh flowers, wheat grass and candles.  It also had music playing which was a children's choir singing music from a Passion Play.

I don't know who is in charge of all the colonias decorating for honoring Our Lady, but it was the most beautiful and prolific ever last evening. 

Just another beautiful surprise of living in San Miguel de Allende.

Old and New Friends

 Thre is hardly anything in life, in my opinion, then getting together with friends to share a meal and good conversation.  It's fun to set the table, pick flowers in the garden and to plan a menu appropriate for the time of day.

I decided to do just that when I met some new women recently on the trip to the Yucatan.  Women that I wanted to know more about and have a lengthy conversation.  More then the bus conversation as we traveled from place to place.

I'm so glad I gathered these women.  What a delightful group.  A couple of the women I've known since I moved here but life had interferred and we had not spent time together in several years.  Time to reconnect.

I planned a light lunch of two kinds of quiche, a fresh fruit platter of watermelon and cantaloupe, and dessert was homebaked sand tart cookies plus a few other things thrown in from the bakery.  Such a simple menu.

The ladies brought wine and flowers to finish out the decor and meal.

We laughed and talked for a couple of hours.  The time went by too fast.  And then as people left the conversation turned to who was leaving the next day for the |USA or soon and for how long.  It appears all ov us are going somewhere in the near future.  One woman though topped us all.  She is heading for Venice, then a cruise and will end up in Morocco.  Lucky lady.

I am vowing that I'm going to start cooking more and having more people up to enjoy the food, the house, the gardens and each other

 A perfectly delightful afternoon was had by all!

 Life is good!

Namiste

 It's interesting how things that you have in your life, in your home go unnoticed a lot of the time.  I was moving some things around in the area of the house where this precious photo is  located and stopped and just admired it all over again.  Of course it has a story with it.

 When my son was in his early 30's he backpacked for three years starting in Australia and ending up in Nepal.  While on his hike up to the base camp at Everest, this little guy was on the trail.  He said he was about two years old.
My son loves children.  Always has.  Is the "favorite" uncle to five nieces and nephews. And a wonderful father to his two children.   Children flock to him because of his kindness and gentleness with them.  So, he engaged this little guy in an attempt at conversation.  When he got ready to leave him, he went to take a photograph and the little tike said to him, "Namiste". 

When the trip was over and we were looking though the zillions of photos that he had taken (he's a phenomenal photographer) this photo was my favorite.  For Christmas one year my son had had a copy made and framed for me.  It touched my heart.

When the world is fighting with each other and people aren't being kind, I can look at this photo and get a sense of inner peace - from a little boy in Nepal who I'll never meet.

Whining.............and, then, the REAL WORLD!

 I was whining in the last post about walking "like a crab in heat" since something is wrong with my back and also having a bad head cold.  Then I looked over the wall of the roof terrace and was so ashamed of myself.  The real world is scrounging for firewood to be able to cook with..............

 Gently, I watched the father give one or two little sticks to his son so he could "help out".  Very touching.

 After helping load the truck, the little guy is watching his mom in the thicket of dead trees picking the longest trunks and limbs to break up and take home.  Most likely their home has no electricity, no gas and they cook on a woodburning stove.

 Here's a photo of a Mexican woman using everything she can find for her family.

 This little guy was watching the children coming out of the primary school nearby.  THEY were dressed in their uniforms.  I, of course, wondered what he was thinking as he watched all the kids coming out laughing with their friends.

 Loaded with as much as they could carry, off they went, down the hill with enough firewood for a while or possibly to sell in bundles.  Who knows?

My dilemma always is - what can I do to help besides being empathetic with them?  I ALWAYS think, but for the grace of someone, it could be me.  I thank the Universe that it isn't.............

Something else I've always noticed is that the Mexicans recycle everything - string, cardboard, wood - everything.  Those of us from the USA can learn so many lessons from these proud and beautiful people.

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service

Actually that's not what I'm writing about today. It could be titled no photo, no purpose, oh what the heck?

For the last four days I've been hibernating trying to recover from some spine issue that had me looking like a crab in heat. Add to that then I got a sneezing, coughing, head cold.........the picture is not pretty. Hence, no pictures. I didn't want to infect anyone else and so I've been reading and putzing, slowly, very very slowly around the house.

Today, however I got out for a few hours to have Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's house. No we didn't have a specific thing to be thankful for, we just wanted turkey, dressing, the requisite mashed potatoes and gravy along with green beans and dessert.

We had it. We moaned. We sat for a couple of hours and had great conversation.

The makeup of the group were a woman photographer, internationally known from Canada; an a woman antique specialist from Nashville, Tn; an internationally known published woman artist from Florida, Haiti and the last almost twenty years San Miguel; a couple who also lived in Haiti, South America and have sold everything in the USA and moved to San Miguel - avid outsider art, Haitian art and folkart collectors; and a man from Iowa who came on a bus trip, got off the bus and stayed eleven years ago. Great mix, isn't it? Super interesting conversations on a myriad of subjects.

To me, the after dinner conversations are always the best part of a gathering. And that happens often here in San Miguel. Viva Mexico!

Newest Addition to the Family!

 I admired her at a friend's house many years ago.  She is SO outrageous.  My kinda art.
She said I said at the time, "If you ever decide to get rid of her, I would love to have her".  Goodness that was about seven years ago.  I had completely forgotten.

Lo and behold, my friend Susan is leaving San Miguel and moving to Santa Barbara California.  Note to Santa Barbara - Hold onto your hats cause Susan is a barrel of fun.

At lunch last week she said she had the woman for me at her house and I had to come and get her.  To be honest, I didn't even remember what she looked like.  I picked her up yesterday and fell in love again.
Her head is an old VW hubcap - her body is wood - her legs are chair legs.  She is a totally recycled woman with beads for her hair and jewels on her wings.  THANK YOU Susan.

She needs a name - have any ideas?  She is now hanging in the dining room.  And she makes me giggle every time I walk by her.

Mystery and Surprise

 While filling the main flower bed with WHITE flowers as I mentioned yesterday, I never bought a plant unless it had white blooms on it so I could verify that it indeed would bloom in white.  Imagine my surprise when this spring this azalea bloomed fuscia.  The mystery is how and why.  I can't decide where to move it or just laugh at it.

 All these white daisies are a surprise.  When planted a couple of years ago, they were four tiny plants from the nursery that I think I paid 10 pesos for each.  Now the bed is full to overflowing.  I cut off of them for my weekly flower bunches.  Nothing seems to deter them. And the surprise is they bloom all year long.  What a delight.

It just doesn't take a whole lot to make life interesting and wonderful.  At least, not for me.  I find great pleasure in the smallest of things.

Rituals and Traditions

 There are some things I'm very traditional about.  Rituals and traditions as it relates to my family is one of them.  Each week, usually on Saturday, when I have time I wander through the garden looking at the flowers.  I wonder which ones to cut to put into a little silver vase that a good friend gave to me eons ago.  Thanks Sheila Condon. 

 That little vase is placed next to a watercolor painting done by the daughter of another friend.  Thanks Wanda June and Sondra.  It is a watercolor painting of my daughter and her son, who was about five years old at the time.  I love the absolute love shown in that painting done from a photograph.  In addition, there is a little photo that I snapped of Jennifer one day when she dropped by my house in the winter.  I wanted a photo of her and spontaneously, this is what it turned out to be.  I love it.  She had such a great smile and a love of life.

The ritual for me allows me to focus and think about her in a joyful and beautiful way as I wander through the garden and choose the flowers to place next to her.  They are on a table next to my bed and the first thing I see when I awaken every morning.  It's not a sad thing.  It is comforting.  I'm totally confident that her spirit looks and smiles each week.

I often choose the color white as it was Jennifer's favorite color to decorate with in her home.  All kinds of shades of white.  Hence when I redid the main flower bed in the garden, I planted all white flowers.  White azaleas, white butterfly lilies, and other white flowers that I don't even know what they are.  Now there is a bed around the poinsetta tree nearby that started out as four small plants of daisies.  Tomorrow I will show you a surprise in the white garden and what has happened with the daisies.  I'm amazed.  Hopefully you will be too.

By the Sea, By the Sea, The Beautiful Sea!

 We got to Playa del Carmen one evening and first thing the next morning I headed for the water.  THIS is what my view was for at least six hours.  The magnificent changing colors of the Caribbean.  The people were either to my side or behind me.  I was just focused on meditating and chilling from the previous week's traveling.  No better place - none.

 The activity to my left were topless sunbathers that when the men did walk by, caused quite a stir.  The women seemed not even to notice.  On another note, the suncoverings over each of our chaises were clever.  They were peeled sticks with the duck cloth tied to the sticks.  I had never seen this method and might copy it some where some day.....

 

 The sea just kept changing colors.  I quickly realized that the Pacific Ocean is nice but no where else that I have ever been has a sea of such beauty.

 In the far distance you can see Cozumel.  Last time I was there there were no multi story buildings.  That was a shock to see.  As the time drew closer for me to go back to our hotel my reluctance grew to the point that I was trying to figure out if I could sleep there - not possible........................
And then there was Playa.  Good grief.  I couldn't believe all the stores on Fifth Ave., the amount of restaurants and bars.  But the biggest surprise was the number of Europeans EVERYWHERE and the prices of everything.  I could have been in Miami..........except for that beautiful sea.
Playa thirty years ago was a few huts - a few people and now its a large city.  What will be its destiny in 30 more years? 

TULUM, MEXICO

 Our Mayan guide told us that Tulum was one of the last sites built. He also said that only about 100 people lived here - the royalty of the Mayan Empire.  Well, all I can say is these people knew how to pick a site. I came through the small opening in the rock wall, turned left and headed for the water.  Can you tell that I was starved to see the Sea?

 What a gorgeous site!  I loved the breeze.  I confess I didn't walk the whole site.  I just drank in the beauty of the sea. 

 What buildings I did see were nothing like other pyramids I've seen. 

  
What can I say?

 As I was leaving I saw this iguana.  I took several photos as he camouflaged himself.  In fact, I wasn't sure looking through my view finder whether I had gotten him or not til I saw the photos on a larger screen!

 This is the tiny entrance to the Tulum site.  I'd say the wall is about ten feet thick...............

First Sights at Tulum

 The opportunity to take this photo stopped me dead in my tracks.  What a combination?  To me it sums up the contrasts in Mexico.  Do you wonder what she was taking a photo of?  And why?  It was a way to make 50 pesos to have your photo taken with the Indians!

 The body paint and the feathers in their headdresses were really well done.  Sad to me that they have to go to these lengths to make money.  But beautiful.

 This REAL jaguar skin stopped me also.  I took several photos of this man's costume.  It was so beautiful.  If anyone knows where they purchase their feathers please let me know.  I've sought out a source in Mexico for over twenty years.  I know they're in this country, but WHERE?
Interestingly, that night when we were in Playa del Carmen, these people were on 5th Avenue where you again could have your photo taken with them.  Must be a profitable "gig".

Mayan Womens Co-op - Valladolid, Mexico

 As an avid folk art collector, while traveling my eye is always watching for the craft of the regions.  In Merida I saw many, many beautiful things.  The handwork of embroidery and crocheting on the clothing of the women was exquisite.........and expensive.  Then someone mentioned that there was a co-op in Valladolid where most of the things are made by the Mayan women.  In addition the women are working right there so you can meet them.  I couldn't wait.  The first thing I bought was this little scarf to use over a basket of warm tortillas or whatever.  This work is machine embroidered. Never the less, the design is precious.

 I absolutely could NOT pass up buying this dress for Matilda.  Again, this is machine done but the design is by the women and the work is done by the women.  Their use of color is extremely refined and beautiful.

 And then there is crocheting.  Delicate work.  They use it on the slips they wear under their huipiles and of course on many other things, including blouses such as this one.  I actually passed this by saying I really didn't need to spend any more money.  But it was "gifted" to me by two dear friends, which makes it even more special.

The women were shrewd business women.  They would negotiate a bit but they KNOW the worth of their work. The prices were way below the prices in Merida.  A long, long time ago - almost 50 years ago, I embroidered custom made workshirts and sold them through shops in Houston.  I know that it is labor intensive and worth every penny for that many stitches.  It would have been wonderful back then to have had a sewing machine capable of doing the kind of work these women create.  All in a day's work.  I'm SO glad I waited to go to the source.  To be able to meet the women and see so many beautiful things was a joy I'll never forget.  But I was so busy enjoying the experience that I forgot to take any photos of the place or all the beautiful garments.  Sorry.  You'll just have to go there yourself!

Valladolid, Yucatan, Mexico

 This was the hotel that we stayed in in  Valladolid.  What a LOVELY surprise this town was for all of us.  Immaculately clean, easy to walk around, and all the historical signs were not only in Spanish but in English as well!  Amazing.

 I've posted photos of the courting chairs empty but I wanted to show you that they ARE actually used.  Aren't they clever?  They also are more comfortable then sitting on the park benches. This parque was about four times the size of the jardin in San Miguel.  It shows the former wealth of this area.

 While strolling around their "parque" as they called it, we met two city officials who were leaving their offices about 9PM.  We effusively complimented them on their town.  They beamed.  We had a great conversation about how hard they work so that people feel welcome and that their main source of income is not tourism but cattle and agriculture.  Well, to me, it is one of the gems of Mexican villages.  Go see it if you're ever in the area.

 The hotel was an additional surprise.  Superb restaurant, pool adjacent to the bar.  Can anyone say pina colada in the Yucatan?  And both our dinner and breakfast were extremely reasonably priced while being very, very tasty.

"Fresh" everything was served..  This is a welcoming table at the front of the restaurant.  Lovely isn't it? 

 I tried in our short timeframe to see as much as possible.  The night before when the lights were on in the municipal building I could see these murals on the second floor.  A trip first thing the next morning to see them in person was well worth the hike.  There were four or five murals telling the history of the area.  Very well done.

We left Valladolid wishing we could stay a couple more days.  But onward to Tulum we went ending up that night in Playa del Carmen.  Talk about culture shock.  From Valladolid to Playa del Carmen.  Like going through a time capsule of 1000 years.