little known area that I jumped at the chance, over sixteen years ago.
Not much happens in this colonia other then the primary and kindergarten kids coming to school day in and day out. They are well behaved kids. The only sound heard from either school is at recess and after school.
It is not enough noise to bother anyone.
Recently, there are some boys at the primary school practicing their ability to play horns and drums. I chuckle every time because it is so bad. Wondering how long it will take for them to be synchronized.
At the kindergarten the only sound is the children singing. Every now and then I recognize a U.S. song
such as the Monster Mash sung in Spanish and again, I chuckle.
Back in the beginning when I moved here, the excitement of the day was when the shepherd who was
crippled and walked with a cane would bring the goats up from the canyon about 5PM. At
first they would all stay together until they got near my house and then pandemonium took over as they
would rush to see who could eat the most flowers on my wall. This sent the shepherd into apoplexy
as he tried, sometimes in vain, to gather them and herd them into the house down the hill by the motorcycle
shop where they spent the night and were milked until the next day.
I LIKE the peace and serenity along with the simple routine.
That ended a few months ago when it was announced that the area outside my living room and dining room windows along the canyon ridge was going to be developed into a plaza. Not much information but one trusts that they know what they are doing.
The motorcycle parking lot has disappeared - not a great loss as it was a terrible eyesore among all the natural beauty. However, all the wildflowers and trees were all bulldozed down as well along the ridge. Never did any of us imagine that the side of the mountain was going to disappear as well! There has been a bulldozer and more dump trucks then I could count for a month out there loading rock and dirt which is then hauled off to who knows where. Astounding to me, as I would assume this canyon probably has been here since the beginning of time or at least a very long time. I know the aqueduct and the little stone building go back to the 17th century when the canyon floor was an area for tanning. Tomorrow I will provide photos of what has happened so far.........
On another front, there is a new principal at the primary school. To say that she is whipping the building into shape would be an understatement. It had looked tired and worn, but now it is sparkling and much, much safer for the children. The old rickety iron grilled stairs from one level to another have been replaced with an angled ramp. All the interior walls have been painted as well as the outside walls.
Just last week an incredibly talented artist who does murals with spray paint began a mural for the school's namesake. Montes de Oca. Here is the mural in various stages until it was finished yesterday morning just in time for a big celebration honoring the mural and the school.
sickly looking trees when I moved in. It was astonishing yesterday to see how much they have grown over the years.
Our colonia is changing and growing. It is still a wondrous place to live.
5 comments:
Such a wonderful post. When we rented your place for three month one of my favorites things to do was to watch the outdoor play sessions that the teachers organized not just recess. Also we would leave the house just as parents we picking up there kids and they all responded to our greetings and in three months it was evident we had made a positive impression. Your place is magical, we just were talking last night that it was probably the best life experience we have ever had, either togther or apart. The view from your house is amazing, also grab a mango ice cream from the dude on the truck selling to the kiddies out of school just below your dining window. What was your last post......memories. Cheers from two cold people in Canada
Ah, Shelagh, I had forgotten that ya'll were here for three months! I'm so glad you enjoyed being here and had a delightful experience. You would have liked it even better this year as the winter has been very mild. In the high 70's low 80's most of February! Highly unusual. Thanks for your memories......
I find those grafitti murals amazing, real works of art. As for the plaza being built at the foot of your estate, don't worry about it. You'll still have a commanding view of the canyon, befitting the royalty that you are.
al
Al, I LOVE the art work on the wall. The muralist was a fine young man who I talked to several times. I thought his work was exceptional. And, to do that with spray cans was eyeopening.
When I was designing and building restaurants, we used murals quite a bit in the Tex-Mex restaurants. The woman who did them was a real artist as well.
Royalty, ha. Maybe to Velcro the cat. But no one else, even me, thinks of me that
way, but thanks anyway!
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