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A tree falls in Oaxaca

Posted in Environment, Gardens, Parks & Plazas, Science & Nature, Weather, tagged Alameda, Indian Laurel tree, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, trees, zócalo on October 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Instead of the coming of age novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, we have the real life drama of a tree falls in Oaxaca. Heading down to the mercado this morning, I was brought up short by this heartbreaking sight.

According to reports, there were many present to hear and see one of the grand 130+ year old Indian laurels topple during a storm on Saturday night. And, worst of all, ten people were injured, two seriously. Trees in the city, including Indian laurels in the Zócalo, have been plagued by adversity. A laurel in the Zócalo fell a few years ago, damaging a nearby building, and most recently in May 2011, I wrote about a laurel on the Alameda that toppled. Resurrection was attempted and guy-wires remain to this day holding it upright. I guess the experts decided this latest one was beyond rescue.

Controversy reigns, as many assert that these trees should be able to withstand the rain and less-than gale force winds. Thus speculation over the cause runs rampant. Root rot appears to be the immediate culprit but the big question is, why?

And, as Chris sadly noted a couple of months ago, regarding the diseased flamboyant trees in front of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Any tree is hard to replace.

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Home in old October

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, thomas wolfe on October 1, 2012| 2 Comments »

All things on earth point home in old October; sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences… — Thomas Wolfe.

It’s good to be back in Oaxaca.

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Viva the differences, similarities & creativity!

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged automobilies, California, cars, farmers' market, Linda Ellerbee quote, markets, mercados, Mexico, Mill Valley, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Porche, similarities, vegetables, VW bug, wall art, Zio Ziegler on September 28, 2012| 12 Comments »

I’m back in Oaxaca… arrived last night after a brief trip to El Norte. However, over the last three years, culture shock (on both sides of the border) has subsided and I am struck and heartened that despite our differences, humans share so much more… especially the compulsion to make even the most common and utilitarian, beautiful.

Artist, Zio Ziegler added a little pizzazz to a car in Mill Valley… (Yes, I know, a Porche!)

Car in Oaxaca… (Ahhh, a VW bug!)

Wall in Mill Valley (also by Zio Ziegler)…

Wall in Oaxaca…

Veggies in Mill Valley…

Veggies in Oaxaca…

From one of my favorite journalists, Linda Ellerbee: “People are pretty much alike. It’s only that our differences are more susceptible to definition than our similarities.”

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Lost and found

Posted in Creativity, Serendipity, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, art car, California, found objects, Marin County, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Sausalito on September 26, 2012| 3 Comments »

Lost or discarded?

Artist found and created in Sausalito, Ca. You better believe it!

And please, don’t “liberate” any of the found objects, in other words… stop stealing!!!

La lucha continúa. Paz y amor a todos.

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Long and winding road

Posted in Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged beaches, California, foggy day, Marin County, Mexico, Oaxaca, Pacific Ocean, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Puerto Escondido, San Francisco Bay Area, Stinson Beach on September 24, 2012| 1 Comment »

I grew up and lived most of my life twenty minutes from the Pacific Ocean. I learned to drive on the road up over Mt. Tamalpais out to Stinson, Muir, and Bolinas beaches. Needless to say, countless trips followed and continue! So, yesterday I made my regular “Bay Area visit” pilgrimage to the beach. Even on a foggy day, the sights, sounds, and smells of Stinson Beach are magical…

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Alas, it’s 6 hours by car up and over the long and winding roads of the Sierra Madre del Sur to reach Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca’s closest Pacific Ocean beach. The alternatives: 10+ hours by bus (by way of Salina Cruz) or a short but costly flight. Still waiting for the long-promised highway that is supposed to cut auto travel time to two hours!!!

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Wall of many colors

Posted in Buildings, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged building renovation, Casa Oaxaca, Claude Monet quotation, Galeria Quetzalli, Mexico, Oaxaca, paint swatches, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, workers on September 17, 2012| 2 Comments »

Remember Facelift in progress???

Casa Oaxaca and Galeria Quetzalli’s renovation project continues. Patching and plastering have been completed.

Primer and paint swatches have been applied. Weeks have gone by…

Choosing a color is hard! What do you think?

Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment. —Claude Monet

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Chiles en Nogada

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, History, Holidays, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged Chiles en Nogada, El Grito, food, La Popular, Mexican Independence, Mexican War of Independence, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, restaurants on September 13, 2012| 9 Comments »

El Grito not only heralds green, white, and red decorations, clothing, and Mexican flags. It is also the season to savor the multi-layered, delicate flavors of Chiles en Nogada and delight in its colorful, patriotic presentation. Legend has it, the dish was created in 1821 by nuns in Puebla to honor a visit by Mexican General Augustín de Iturbide, that pretty much signaled the end of the eleven-year long Mexican War of Independence.

There are probably as many recipes for Chiles en Nogada as there are chefs and abuelas, but the basics include green poblano chiles stuffed with a picadillo of meats, fruits, nuts, herbs and spices; served with a creamy white cheese and walnut sauce; and topped with a garnish of red pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and the green of chopped parsley.

This was my lunch of Chiles en Nogada today at La Popular, a delightful new restaurant in Oaxaca (Garcia Vigil 519, Centro). Yummm….

(ps) Chris just posted this video of Lina Fernandez making Chiles en Nogada. She makes it look almost doable!

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It’s the same old story…

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged El Grito, Mexican Independence, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, store displays, window display on September 13, 2012| 2 Comments »

Revolutionaries behind bars.

Couldn’t resist just one more El Grito window display!

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You might ask…

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, History, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged celebrations, El Grito, Escuela Primaria Urbana, graffiti, Grito de Dolores, holidays, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, newsstands, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, store displays, Teotitlán del Valle, window displays on September 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Where else have you seen El Grito decorations?

Schools, of course! This one in Teotitlán del Valle.

And, how about newsstands? You can’t miss the green, white, and red — it’s everywhere!

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A rainy day

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Religion, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged convite, El Picacho, Fiesta a la Natividad de la Virgen María, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Teotitlán del Valle, Virgen de la Natividad on September 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Waiting for the convite… Fiesta a la Natividad de la Virgen María.

September 8 was a rainy day in Teotitlán del Valle.

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Size matters!!!

Posted in Animals, Gardens, Science & Nature, tagged Araneidae, Argiope, Casita Colibrí, dragonfly, garden, Mexico, nature, Oaxaca, orb weaver, orb weaver spiders, photographs, photos, spider on September 6, 2012| 5 Comments »

Monday morning, I went out onto the terrace to hang the wind chimes back up (too loud for sleeping), pick up spent African tulip tree blossoms (20 to 30), and say buenos días to Argiope (previously mentioned spider).

Hmmm… all was definitely not “as usual” in the spider’s web. Argiope, what in the world is going on?

Good grief, she had caught a dragonfly! It must have been quite a battle, as her web was a mess and now she was trying to wrap it up.

This was serious business for her and she worked at it most of the day. However I had to chuckle, as sayings from childhood rose up from the cobwebs in my brain — Your eyes bigger than your stomach. Have you bitten off more than you can chew? Pick on someone your own size!

Monday evening, she finally gave up and let it loose from her clutches. When I retired for the night, the dragonfly was hanging by a thread.

By the next morning, the remains of the dragonfly had fallen onto the patio and Argiope was sitting happily in her newly repaired web with a more appropriately sized breakfast.

Mother Nature is amazing!

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Have you got your colors on?

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, History, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged celebrations, clothing, costumes, El Grito, Grito de Dolores, holidays, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, store displays, traje on September 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

El Grito is coming, El Grito is coming!!! Green, white and red is on display all over the city, including clothing stores, as tradition calls for wearing the colors.

Are you in the market for a traditional look?

A huipil and rebozo?

Or, are you leaning toward an updated mix and match style?

Do you need a sweater for going down to the zócalo on the evening of September 15?

By all means, don’t forget to accessorize!

On a more serious note: Despite its current challenges (which are many and serious), Mexicans are extremely proud of being Mexicanos. And, in my humble opinion, they have every right be! They can trace their history back to ancient and highly developed civilizations, their national cuisine has been placed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO, and Mexico is considered one of the most geographically and biologically diverse countries in the world. Plus, when was the last time you heard Mexico had invaded another country?

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Raining cats and dogs

Posted in Animals, Celebrations, Churches, Culture, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged animals, Bendición de los Animales, Benito Juárez, Blessing of Animals, Mexico, Oaxaca, pets, photographs, photos, San Ramón de Nonato, Temple of Our Lady of Mercy, Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Merced on September 2, 2012| 5 Comments »

… and fish and turtles and ducks. On August 31, as the rain fell, all of the above and more, assembled at Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Merced for the annual Bendición de los Animales. Animals and their human keepers were there to celebrate the feast day of San Ramón de Nonato, patron saint of women in labor, persons falsely accused, and keeper of animals.

There were some familiar faces, both human and animal, from last year’s blessing. However, this year the dogs were extremely vocal and, on occasion, tested the strength of the human at the other end of their leash — perhaps it was in anticipation of the evening’s “blue moon” or maybe being restrained and made to just sit or stand in the rain made them grouchy.

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This morning’s article in Noticias covering the blessing, led off with this quote from Benito Juárez García:

La protección de los animales forma parte esencial de la moral y de la cultura de los pueblos civilizados. (The protection of animals is an essential part of morality and culture of civilized people.)

For more on this year’s Blessing of the Animals, head over to Oaxaca-The Year After.

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Food glorious food!

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, Parks & Plazas, Travel & Tourism, tagged Alejandro Ruiz Olmedo, bamboo skewers, chefs, cuisine, culinary traditions, dining, El Jolgorio mezcal, El Saber del Sabor, food, Mexico, mezcal, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Plaza de la Danza, popular travel destinations, restaurants, travel on September 1, 2012| 8 Comments »

Thursday night was the kickoff event for the 5th annual El Saber Del Sabor (literally, the knowledge of flavor) Festival Gastronómico Oaxaca 2012. Early in the day, the Plaza de la Danza had been tented and turned into a colorful banquet hall.

A couple of the evening’s chefs arrived early and were cooling their heels, waiting to begin doing what they do best. Hmmm… what’s with the bricks on top of the cantera? (Stay tuned!)

By 9:30 PM the tables had filled and cooking was well underway.

Casa Oaxaca chef and event host, Alejandro Ruiz Olmedo circulated, greeted old friends and fans, and was interviewed by a crush of press. Cameras and microphones were omnipresent — good for publicity, bad for navigating the aisles en route to food!

To begin the evening and ready the palate, wines, beers, aguas, and (of course!) mezcals were offered. We sampled a couple of mezcals from El Jolgorio and all I can say is, Wow! (BTW, that’s a good, “Wow!”)

The festival seeks to promote and protect Oaxaca’s traditional cuisine and to inspire innovation. For this evening’s event, we were invited to sample an incredible range of appetizers, side dishes, main courses, and desserts from 23 cooks, representing the 8 regions of Oaxaca.

I think I must have tasted at least 30 dishes — and this was late at night. Needless to say, no breakfast for me the next morning.

And, remember the bricks? My favorite sight of the evening were the little piggies roasting on bamboo skewers over red and white-hot coals. The tag line for the festival is, “tierra, fuego y cocina” (earth, fire, and kitchen). Yes!!!

From the Plaza de la Danza, the festival moves to restaurants throughout the city, where 36 renowned chefs from all over Mexico have come to prepare innovative cuisine that pays homage to Oaxaqueño foodstuffs and traditions.

A big “thank you” to Henry and Rosa (Amate Books) for inviting me to share such a delightful and delicious evening!

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Argiope’s daughter

Posted in Animals, Gardens, Nature & Science, tagged Araneidae, Argiope, argiopes, Casita Colibrí, egg sack, garden, Mexico, nature, Oaxaca, orb weaver, orb weaver spiders, photographs, photos, spider on August 30, 2012| 5 Comments »

Warning: If you are an arachnophobe, read no further!

Remember Argiope, one of the orb weaver spiders who hung around Casita Colibrí’s garden from September of last year through January of this year? When last seen, she was laying eggs on my screen door. Alas (or perhaps, thank goodness), a workman who was coming in and out of my apartment must have brushed her and her eggs away, thus relieving me of answering the question, “Do I really want thousands of little spiders beginning to explore the world from my screen door?”

However, I suspect that wasn’t her first attempt at motherhood. One day this past June, I was surprised to find…

Argiope’s daughter? That is what I would like to think! And she is just as beautiful as her mother…

… both back (above) and front (below).

And, she is just as good as catching her lunch! I watched as she finished wrapping up the unfortunate fly above. I guess she needs all that nourishment…

Another generation of Argiopes in waiting! And, as I write, the hunting continues…

More to come? La vida may be loca, but on it goes!

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