Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Here's How We Roll...........in San Miguel de Allende!


Last week I posted a photo of a green car with a black and white sawtooth design around the area below the windows.

A couple of days ago I spotted this car parked.  It was in front of the croquet court!  There are a few more vehicles around town that I'll try to catch as I get the chance.

I've been an art car fan for at least twenty-five years.  Houston has the most amazing art car parade every year the first part of May.  If I remember correctly, it is over 200 vehicles, not always cars.

My favorite art car in all the years I've been coming to San Miguel was a car with a luggage rack attached to the top of the car.  Inside the luggage rack were all kinds of cactus planted.  It was here for years and then it disappeared.  I know whose car it was and that person is still here.

I miss that wacky cactus garden car.

When I have to take my US plated car back to the states because my residency status will change,  I'm going to get a VW bug and turn it into an art car.  I've got lots of ideas and nothing but time to do it.

Anyone interested in helping work on it with me?
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10 comments:

picklesandroses.blogspot.com said...

Me, me, me....I'll help.

Babs said...

Yeah, we've talked about this for years! I'm thinking all kinds of stuff - bottlecaps, broken mirrors, tiles, etc. etc. etc.

Anonymous said...

When I was a kid, I always wanted to have a VW bug, and my plan for it was to completely cover it with the kind of surface-mounted lights like they put on trucks or campers as running lights.

Only later did I realize that such a plan would not only be very difficult to execute, but would require power generation well in excess of the average VW's alternator. So I never had such a car.

And here in Massachusetts, I imagine that someone would find some way to declare an "art car" illegal in any case. We have all sorts of excessively ridiculous laws regarding cars. For example, if you order a new car with tinted windows you are fine. But if you buy an older car and apply window film, you are committing a moving violation. (Don't ask me how the police are supposed to know the difference.) Tires "too wide?" There's an infraction in the vehicle code for that too. (Weird, given that wider tires would have better traction.) And I've never seen those spinning wheel covers here either. It wouldn't surprise me if they had been somehow declared illegal.

There are a lot of good things about Massachusetts, but allowing weird cars is not one of them.

I love your idea of having an "art car."

Saludos,

Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we haven't legislated morality, but we've made great progress in legislating taste.

Babs said...

To be blown away by the creativity of art cars, go to www.artcarparade.com or orangehow.org/art-car
Enjoy.
Cars from all over the WORLD participate in this delightful, wacky event.

Steve Cotton said...

If you recall, Melaque also has an art car.A political art car. Flush with swastikas and a portrait of Che Guevara. They have now been replaced with rising sun flags and a swastika with an international "no" symbol over the top. Art for the politically confused -- I guess.

Babs said...

That's right, I forgot you have a political art car in Melaque. Funny.

Unknown said...

Might I ask how/why your resident status will change? We are soaking all in we can before our move, in hopes we'll know the ropes (or at least the most important ones) prior to arriving.

Many, many thanks for sharing all you do! You have no idea how appreciative so many are, not to mention it's just such a joy "knowing" you!

Dean

Babs said...

Yes, the law changed on visa status last year.
In the past you could stay temporary for as long as you wanted as long as you could prove income. Now you can only be temporary for 4 years and then you MUST go permanent unless you go back to a Mx consulate in the USA to start all over.
The good part of the permanent residency is that you never have to prove income again and once you are a permanent resident you never have to apply again. The downside is you can't have a US plated car.....

Unknown said...

The car reminds me of funky cars I have seen in uptown New Orleans. I love it.

Babs said...

Yes, art cars are perfect in NOLA>