Ahhh… the sights and sounds of the rainy season in Oaxaca.
Late afternoon into the night thunder may rumble, lightening may flash, and rain may fall from late spring until early fall.
Archive for the ‘Weather’ Category
Rainy season skies
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Environment, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged clouds, lightening, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rainbows, rainy season on August 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Hail, yes!
Posted in Flora, Gardens, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged freak hailstorm, hail, Mexico, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, rain, Restaurante y Galería Tierra Antigua, Teotitlán del Valle, video, wind on June 6, 2023| 3 Comments »
This spring has brought some wild weather to Oaxaca. It began with the previously blogged about freak hailstorm in April and this past week, besides the usual late afternoon rain, the city experienced two more hailstorms — definitely not normal. They are very localized, with nearby towns remaining dry or receiving only a few showers.
Late yesterday afternoon, while the city continued to bask in sunshine, Teotitlán del Valle only 23 miles away was hit with its first violent hailstorm in many years. One minute all was calm as friends and I sat outside at Restaurante y Galería Tierra Antigua sipping mezcal. However, within minutes, the sky darkened, wind began to blow, and the heavens opened.
Almost without warning, hailstones, some the size of two peso coins, began pelting us. Needless to say, we grabbed our belongings and copitas of mezcal, as quickly as we could, and ran inside the restaurant. Once all the customers were safely inside, staff scrambled to close doors and windows. Then all watched as the force of Cocijo, the Zapotec god of rain and lightening, among other powerful forces, took center stage. It was an awesome 15+ minute performance! And, thankfully, save for some shredded foliage, there didn’t appear to be any damage.
April “showers”
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, flooding, freak hailstorm, hail, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rain, thunderstorms, video on April 21, 2023| 8 Comments »
With thunder, lightening, torrential rain, and a massive hail storm, April “showers” heralded the end of the dry season — in a most spectacular way!
The evening of April 14 the city of Oaxaca and surrounding villages were hit with a freak hailstorm. Needless to say, I closed my doors and windows, unplugged critical electronics, and hunkered down inside until the storm had passed — which seemed like at least two hours. When I eventually ventured out, I found the apartment complex patio five inches deep in water, hail piled outside my rooftop laundry room door, and a garden of plants with shredded leaves.
Then two nights ago another massive thunderstorm hovered over us for hours, turning streets into rivers and sending trees toppling all over the city.
Will these April showers bring May flowers?
Nothing but blue skies
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Music, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Blue Skies (song), blue sky, chain link fence, Mexico, Moon, Oaxaca, papel picado, photos, popular travel destinations, roof dogs, winter weather on January 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »
After two weeks of San Francisco Bay Area grey skies and cold atmospheric river weather, I’m dreaming Oaxaca winter blue sky dreams.
Singing Blue Skies along with Ella Fitzgerald.
Goodbye 2022 / Hello 2023
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Año Nuevo, calenda, Casita Colibrí, Chiles en Nogada, Chinas Oaxaqueñas, Efedefroy, grasshoppers, I Hope You Dance lyrics, Mexico, murals, New Year's Eve, Oaxaca, photos, quiote, rainbows, rooftop garden, salads, stencils, street food stall on December 31, 2022| 17 Comments »
2022 began with rainbows and ended with fab food, friends, and family — a good way to say hello and goodbye to a year that continued to bring serious challenges to this planet we call home. In my little Oaxaca corner of the world, the year had its circumstantial complexities but also was filled with visits from old friends, becoming more familiar with my Jalatlaco neighborhood, “any excuse gatherings” with my most excellent neighbors, and several adventures with BFFs in and out of the city.
Words can’t begin to express how grateful I am to you all for reading, commenting, and following my blog. You kept me going during the worst days of the pandemic and continue to inspire me. Thus, my 2023 wish for you is…
I Hope You Dance
Written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they’re worth taking
Lovin’ might be a mistake
But it’s worth making
Don’t let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion, always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
Rain on the rooftop
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Mexico, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, rain, rain storms, rainy season, rooftop garden, video on August 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »
At long last, thunder is rumbling and rain is pouring down on the highways, byways, and rooftops of Oaxaca. If you look closely, you can see the buckets collecting the runoff from the new pergola.
Oaxaca, a largely agricultural state, desperately needs the rain. Let’s hope it lasts!
Another Indian laurel falls
Posted in Environment, Flora, Gardens, Parks & Plazas, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Francisco Verástegui, Indian Laurel tree, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rain storms, trees, zócalo on June 8, 2022| 6 Comments »
We read the news today, oh boy. Early last night a violent thunderstorm brought gale force winds and torrential rain. It didn’t last long but it took its toll. The beloved giant Indian laurel that provided shade to the concerts, danzón, and other programs “bajo el laurel” on the zócalo toppled to the ground. Thankfully, no one was injured.
The iconic Indian laurels were planted on Oaxaca’s Zócalo and Alameda de León between 1870 and 1880. However, in the thirteen years that I have lived here, I’ve lost count of the number of laurels that have fallen.
As the late artist and heritage tree advocate Francisco Verástegui once explained to me, the trees suffered from damage caused by an aborted remodel of the Zócalo in 2005, along with improper pruning, inadequate irrigation, faulty drainage, and the use of unsterilized mulch leading to the growth of fungus and causing the roots to rot.
I wasn’t the only one to come to pay my respects to this magnificent tree. “Muy triste” (very sad) was the morning’s refrain, as people filed by shaking their heads and others stopped to watch as the body of the Indian laurel was prepared for it’s final resting place.
Hurricane Agatha Hits Oaxaca
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Hurricane Agatha, Mexico, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, rain storms, rooftop garden, video on May 31, 2022| 2 Comments »
According to reports, Hurricane Agatha is the strongest to make landfall along Mexico’s Pacific coast in May since record keeping began in 1949. As of tonight, Oaxaca’s governor said there have been ten deaths and twenty are missing, mostly due to flooding on the coast and mudslides in the mountains. Fortunately, friends living on the coast have marked themselves safe on social media. However, given the images and video I’ve seen posted on Facebook, Twitter, and news websites, the devastation is great and much help will be needed to clean up and rebuild.
Here in the capital city of Oaxaca, up and over the mountains from where the hurricane made landfall, we had steady rain yesterday and today we had a couple of episodes of torrential downpours. In Barrio de Jalatlaco we haven’t been hit with gale force winds, our cobblestone streets haven’t become rushing rivers, and we’ve only experienced intermittent power outages. And, as I write, the Guerreros de Oaxaca baseball game is being played at Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos — I can hear the chants and cheers from the above rooftop.
Sometimes in winter
Posted in Casita Colibrí, People, Weather, tagged clouds, dry season rain, Mexico, Moon, music, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rain, rainbows, rooftop garden, Sometimes in Winter (song), Steve Katz (singer/songwriter) on March 17, 2022| 4 Comments »
Late yesterday afternoon… What was that smell? What was that sound? I climbed the spiral staircase up to the rooftop terrace and what did I see?
The little dark dots on the terrace floor confirmed my suspicion. The smell was rain, the sound was rain, those spots on the terrace floor were rain drops, and there was even a hint of a rainbow!
I stood watching and listening and savoring this infrequent, but much welcome, dry season development, when the clouds moved to reveal the rising moon.
The old Blood, Sweat & Tears tune began playing in my head, Sometimes in Winter. Thank you Steve Katz for your beautiful and evocative song.
Weird sky at dusk
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged cloudy sky, dusk, eerie sky, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rain storms, rainbow, rainy season on September 15, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Pink sky at night, sailors’ delight.
Pink sky in the morning, sailors take warning.
What about a weird sky at dusk?
Last night’s sky over Oaxaca was the talk of locals on Facebook. Rain came an hour later.
This is rain!
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Mexico, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, rain, rainy season, video on September 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday’s view from my front door…
A late afternoon deluge. This is the rainy season in Oaxaca!
Rainy season skies
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, clouds, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, rainy season, terrace garden, terrace views, trees on August 25, 2021| 6 Comments »
With storms to the north and storms to the south, Oaxaca is stuck in the middle. And the rain keeps falling. Sometimes, the sun peeks through the clouds…
And, sometimes it doesn’t…
Sometimes it rains in the late afternoon, sometimes at night, and sometimes (like today) the rains come on and off throughout the day. ‘Tis the season.
Back in Oaxaca
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Basilica de la Soledad, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rainy season, sunset, Templo de San José on May 27, 2021| 7 Comments »
Alive, well, back in Oaxaca, and enjoying the views from Casita Colibrí.
I arrived three days ago and, unbeknownst to me (as it was supposed to go all the way through to Oaxaca) my checked bag was held up in customs at the Mexico City airport. I can’t imagine what the problem was. Perhaps 5 dry sticks of Sure deodorant? 4 pairs of gardening gloves (1 for me 3 for gifts)? 3 used books? Or, maybe the 15 used compost-able plastic bags I brought back to line my waste baskets? No explanation was forthcoming, but they did put my suitcase on the next flight that evening and delivered it to my apartment around 9 PM — nothing confiscated, no customs fee, and NOTHING missing!
From the evening I returned, I began sneezing, nose began running, and I developed a head-crushing sinus headache. Except for a quick trip to the pharmacy to buy an allergy medicine, I spent all Tuesday in bed. This has never happened before, but everyone is telling me that this season, this year is really bad for allergies. By Wednesday, I was feeling a little stuffy, but much better.
The rainy season was just beginning when I left six weeks ago and now, the hills are turning green, the garden is lush, and tonight, as the sun sets, thunder is rumbling, lightening is flashing in the distance, and a few raindrops have fallen. It’s good to be back!
Cactus down!
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged cactus, container garden, Euphorbia Trigona, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, terrace garden on March 27, 2021| 2 Comments »
It’s the time of year when late afternoon winds come up, landing patterns change to often bring planes very low over the city, and the occasional top heavy plant topples over.
Tuesday morning I came out on the terrace to find my Euphorbia Trigona down. Prone, though it was, neither it nor its beautiful old maceta (flowerpot) suffered any damage. Both are now safely cradled in a wrought iron plant stand.
January’s sunsets
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Churches, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, clouds, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, silhouettes, sunset, Templo de San José, views, vistas on January 25, 2021| 13 Comments »
January sunsets in Oaxaca are spectacular. Looking west, behind Templo de San José, Basílica de la Soledad, and the mountain Monte Albán sits atop, they often have me dropping whatever I’m doing, dashing out the door and onto the terrace to gaze — before the magic disappears into darkness.
Occasionally, the camera is nearby.
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