Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Street Scenes - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

There are always soooooooo many things to photograph here in Mexico.  In fact, I usually try to keep the camera on top of all the stuff in my purse so I can get to it quickly.  Sometimes quickly isn't fast enough.

What comes to mind is the time I was leaving a restaurant and saw a camel centered in the door frame going up Correo!  I fumbled and futzed but couldn't get the camera out fast enough.  Then the elephant came by and I DID get a shot of that.  The circus was in town.  They used to parade the animals through town sans cages.  No more.  Now they go on the periphery of town, sadly, in cages.

Anyway, I digress.  It happened last Monday at the Coffee Klatch group,  I heard horses hooves.  Fumbling to get the camera out, horse with rider, after horse with rider was riding by behind the jardin faster then I could get to the camera.  Darn.  I managed to get the last two riders.  They were heading home from the big gathering near Gunajuato where thousands of riders go this time of year for a gathering and blessing.  Now to get to Guanajuato in a car takes an hour.  Can you imagine how long it would take on a horse?  I'll never find out, trust me.  My horse days are over since the last time I was at the butterfly sanctuary.  One has to ride horses up to the 10,000 overlook.........on wooden saddles.  Never again for me.
Later on that day, as I was getting in the car, I looked up at this lovely sight.  A wall with an opening, but no window.  Yes, the sky is really that beautiful shade of blue.  No industry in San Miguel.  I never tire of the color of the sky.

This shot reminds me of being in a village somewhere in the state of Veracruz once where the entire street of houses had collapsed, but the front walls were still there and the window openings highlighted the jungle
behind.  A scene I've never forgotten.

This wall is on Mesones.  One block from the jardin!  I presume the parking lot I park in was at one time a hacienda and this wall is all that is left of it.  Things are definitely built to last in Mexico, even if its just one wall.

Then on Sunday while working up on the roof terrace I looked over the wall onto the dirt path next to my house.  YES, the piles of rubble are still there.  But, a lovelier sight greeted me on Sunday morning.

It was two boys hitting a ball.  They had a bat, a ball and a mitt.   I checked on them periodically.  What fun they were having.  About two hours later, off they went, home for lunch I presume.

It's fun to watch the kids here play with so little.  Once, sitting in a nearby plaza, I watched two boys with a large empty plastic soft drink bottle play for at least an hour with that bottle.  First it was a soccer ball.  Then they pitched it back and forth.  They spun it and a myriad of other things.  Their creativity was a delight to see.

And, isn't that what its all about?  Seeing and noticing the little things as we traverse this earth.  Each and every one of the above events enhanced my life last week.  What about you?  What did you see?


7 comments:

Peter Kouwenhoven said...

Thanks for that! I need to start seing instead of just looking.

Babs said...

Great Peter!

Anonymous said...

There are lots of kids in my neighborhood. People occasionally ask me if their noise bothers me, but I always say no. The sounds of kids playing is kind of refreshing, like something's right with the world.

On the other hand, idling diesel trucks, horns, etc, all drive me nuts. But kids? Let'em scream all they want. They're having fun.

Nice pictures, by the way.

Saludos,

Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we constantly marvel at the sights to be seen in Mexico.

Babs said...

I too love the sound of children. The most wonderful is when the little children in the kindergarten are singing songs that are familiar in Spanish. Their sweet little voices are so touching.

Droelma said...

I live in front of the WTC in Mexico City and there is not much to report that gives one's soul a little lift. No children singing, no peaceful/joyful family scenes. There is however a lot of traffic, the Metro bus, ambulances, police and in general people rushing about.
However I walk my dog Millie every day at a place called " Glorieta Mariscal ", where several avenues cross like a star and where there is also one of the seven deep wells that supply us with water. There is a little park that over time has developed into an inofficial dog park . That is where I get a lot of my daily unplanned pleasant moments. A couple of weeks ago Millie ( my dog ) was invited there to a quinceañera for a fellow dog who turned 15 and I went along as " guest "...lol.
A section of the park was decorated and there were refreshments for pets and humans alike, games for the dogs and in general a lot of fun.
I wonder if this id the kind of " big city " stuff that would never happen elsewhere.
For a couple of days now I hear a rooster crowing at dawn. I like it, because it makes me think of other, more tranquil times and places and every time I hear the rooster I hope that it's a real one and not just some loud alarm clock.

Babs said...

Oh Droelma, what great things you tell.
Hopefully the rooster is real. I remember the first time I spent any time in a house in Mexico. The sound of the brooms sweeping and the roosters were my markers for serenity.

I love to visit DF, but just like NYC, would not want to live there.

Blogger said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.