Andreas at the Zoo

Today we took Andreas to the Zoo
The fact that he can now walk,
Made the whole day be about eye level,
His eye level, that is,
Which meant that the falling leaves
Were more interesting
Than the animals.
Here’s a movie
(incuding a couple of animals)
Of our day at the zoo.
Click on the photo to view the movie.

Click on the photo to view the movie

Andreas Turns One

This week I’m in California visiting my grandson Andreas who is turning one on the fifteenth.  Wow, what a change in him in just three months since I’ve seen him.  He’s walking – well, running actually. He loves to play and will read a book with you for about 30 seconds.

He laughs a lot,
Understands much of what you are saying to him,
But still has a few things to learn about sleep.
Here’s a few of my favorite photos from the visit so far -

I think he is going to be a little devil too -
You can see it in his eyes in the photo below.
Look out mom and dad

He got his first haircut
And hated every minute of it

Click Here to View the Video

First birthday cake video:

Click on the photo to view the movie

Community Altar

There’s too much going on today with getting ready to go up to the States tomorrow for Andreas’ first birthday to write a big post, but here’s a short follow up on the last few days with some photos from  yesterday.

I spent most of the day on Calle Relox, with Elvia and her girls, watching and helping a group of  young men build an altar for Jesus (Kiro) and in honor all of the other deceased of this neighborhood -parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters and friends. The decorating and painting of this fountain is a tradition with these guys and is also decorated by them for every major holiday or religious festival.

The day began at 9am – a group of men on a mission carrying buckets of soapy water, hanging two story long black curtains, placing the muertos figures, plants and Xuchiles. Then the draping of boxes and tables on which photographs were placed along with tequila, beer, food and last, a giant seed and sawdust painting of Jesus (nickname Kiro) as an ironworker (his profession) and the dates of his life, 1971-2009.

Here’s a few pictures of the day.
The links to the entire slideshow are at the bottom.
Video to come.

Teri, Jesus’ daughter, plucking flowers

Elvia, surveying  the scene

Little Lupita
Who wanted a picture of herself below her father’s picture

The seed and sawdust painting.
Kiro as a skeleton ironworker, hammer and anvil, 1971-2009

The altar at night

Elvia and her four girls at the altar at night.
Beto, her son, didn’t want his photo taken as he had just had
An operation on his jaw, but nevertheless, played a large part,
A rite of passage for him to be included with the men
In the construction of the altar.
CLICK ON THE PHOTO to view the entire dia de los muertos slideshow

CLICK ON THE PHOTO to view the entire dia de los muertos slideshow

Six Months Later

I met up with  Elvia and her four daughters at the cemetery today.  She was late so I waited in front for an hour, arms full of flowers – you know me by now, trying to video people coming in with flowers, buckets, shovels, eating a bag of home made potato chips with salsa and lime, trying not to grease up the lens of my camera, wiping my dirty hands on my white blouse. Boy are those potato chips good, I usually don’t let myself eat those, but I coudn’t help myself.

 

There were hundreds, if not thousands of people inside. Gravesites were covered with flowers, candles and food. Little boys were running around with plastic buckets, offering their services to get water for the flowers. Mariachis, Norteno bands and street musicians were playing.  I’ll never tire of watching a group of mariachis in their white embroidered suits, carrying trumpets, guitars and violins, sing to an elderly couple who have crawled over the iron fence which surrounds the grave, to place flowers, light candles, and sit  down holding hands, while they enjoy the music with their loved one.

 

But that isn’t the point of this post. About seven months ago, my neighbor Petra lost her daughter Maricela to complications with lupus and on the ninth day of  her novenas,  Elvia’s husband, was murdered by a seventeen year old boy who wanted money for beer. It was and is a terrible tragedy for Elvia’s family. Elvia has a son and four daughters, ages four to seventeen. Today, was the first dia de los muertos for them.  For a while we just stood around looking at each other, waiting for someone to bring a ladder to reach Jesus’ crypt which was at the top level.  While we are waiting, Elvia tries to hold back tears as she notices that someone had come earlier in the day, leaving flowers and a can of Modelo beer.  She is pretty sure it was her brother Fila.

 

Karin decides it is not worth waiting for the ladder and climbs the crypt asking for flowers. The older girls and I break off flower tops and hand them to her while Elvia holds her in place. Little Lupita stands by finishing off my bag of potato chips.  Imagine having to decorate a gravesite this way.  If it weren’t so sad, it would be comical.  It takes us about fifteen minutes to get it just right, with Elvia putting on the finishing touch – the can of Modelo right up front in the center.

There is a deep resigned grief, a few minutes of reflection, hugs and kisses around and agreement about how nice it looks followed by an agreement that he will like that Modelo, which makes us all laugh even though it is hard not to cry a on a day like this.

Go here to view the slideshow of this week’s dia de los muertos celebration

Dia de los Muertos

The preparations have begun

There are flower sellers everywhere.
Home altars are being created,
Car repair, shoe and small tiendas
Have transformed into flower shops.
You can’t avoid the papel picado banners or skeletons.
Although Monday is officially the day,
Families are already in the cemetery
Cleaning gravesites,
Placing flowers
Spending time together
Praying.

Back in town, altars are being constructed in the Jardin

This one, is in memory of the heroes of San Miguel.

Today, I went to the panteon -
Just a few families were there cleaning gravesites, placing flowers.
Tomorrow there will be more people, and Monday even more.
I will be meeting my neighbors Petra and Elvia there,
With flowers for  Maricela and Jesus who died this year.
The family has not been to Maricela’s grave since she died.

Last week,
Petra told me she wouldn’t go to Maricela’s grave this year.
Apparently she has had a change of heart, because today,
She told me she will be going after all.
Elvia is going with her five children.
Together they will decorate the sepulchre where Jesus rests,
But the main altar for Jesus, will be on Calle Relox
At the big pink fountain near the artistan market.

Monday, the transformation of the panteon will be complete,
Over the top with flowers and wall to wall people.

Click on the photo below to view an album of photos
Which I’ll be updating over the next few days
As I visit the cemetery, my neighbor’s homes,
Plus a visit to our friend Juan, who is making floral xuchiles
For both Maricela and Jesus.

Click on the photo to view the slideshow

El Charco del Ingenio

Mario Mendoza, curator, Charco del Ingenio

On a visit to San Miguel, about four  years ago, we took a tour of El Charco del Ingenio in August after the rains. The preserve and botanical garden was in full bloom. We walked the length, with Mario Mendoza, curator.  The botanical tour was a mix of stories about the natural, plant and animal history plus personal stories about his  grandmother’s knowledge of the medicinal and healing uses of local plants. Included was a story of his life as a teenager, who on a dare, and as a rite of passage for boys at that time, walked the length of the aquaduct  from the Fabrica Aurora to the dam. This pipe sits high above the canyon, running for a full kilometer, making this a clearly dangerous, but I am sure an exhilarating, experience to be able to say that you had survived.

Wedding Getaways

Last Saturday John was walking downtown
When he crossed paths with a wedding getaway,
A couple on their decked out motorcycle,
Four women gathering the bride’s skirt up
Tucking her in, and off they went.

With a double police escort
On motorcycles, of course

In september,
We were in a taxi going to town
When this wedding getaway passed us
Going up the hill.  You can’t help but smile.
Click on the photo to view the video.

The Old Fashioned Way ClICK ON THE PHOTO To view the video

Chile Güero

Chile Güero
A recipe that was given to us
By Mexico Bob and his wife Gina
And this post is for them.
The movie is by us, starring us.

These are what the fresh chiles look like
They are also known as yellow wax chiles in the US
They are yellow to light green when young
Turning toward orange as they age.
About four inches long.

Click on the photo to view the movie

The recipe:
You’ll need a few chile Güeros
Some queso Oaxaca or queso Asadero
Or in the case of our experiment
You can use a soft goat cheese
Which turned out just fine.

Make a lengthwise slit in the chile
Carefully scoop out the seeds.
If you want it less hot,
Get the membranes out too.
Put a small amount of salt in the cavity
Fill the chile with cheese
Close with a toothpick
Roast the chiles on the grill until charred and soft
The grilling took us about 20 minutes
Wrap inside a tortilla and eat!

Delicious!
Click here if you missed the video

Regarding the word Güero,
The first time I heard this word
Was when we were remodeling our house.
There was one worker who everyone called güero.
At the time I thought that this was his name
Until one day I called him güero and everyone laughed.
I asked why they were laughing.
Fausto told me this was not his name.
His name is Antonio.
I asked if this was his nickname.
They laughed again and said
We always call the lightest skinned worker güero.
It was used in a good natured, light teasing way.

So in my then, much cruder understanding of Spanish,
I took this to mean that Güero was the word for light,
Which of course is not the case,
Because there are several words for light,
Depending on the subject matter and context.
Luckily, did not use it in conversation in the wrong context.
Pretty soon I am hearing güero used all over,
In the streets, the markets, in friend’s homes.
I also begin hearing people call me güera,
Taxi drivers  saying ’si güera’
Which it took a long time to realize
They didn’t mean it derogatorily,
However I did hear it a few times,
Walking down the street, by men,
Sitting on the curb calling ‘Güera
Which I did take in a derogatory way,
As it was a taunt.

Meantime, back to chiles,
Another translation came up last week
As having blonde hair,
Or in the case of chile güero,
A light color chile.

United Nations Day

Every year, San Miguel celebrates United Nations Day with a children’s parade, mostly the kindergarten classes, dressed in costume from all over the world.  It is followed by civic speeches in the Jardin and mothers holding balloons on which flags of the world are tied, then let into the air.

The parade is accompanied
By a military drum and bugle corp.
Mothers are marching alongside pulling costumes back into place,
Keeping everyone in order, fixing hair
Saying  Stop! Go!  Stop! Go!
They are stomping their feet in time to the drum corp,
Chanting a mantra of uno! dos! tres! cuatro!
As if these children were in training for the military.

You can’t help but love watching them
So innocent and so serious about what they are doing.
This year’s message is about peace
And who you have to be to help make it happen.

Click on the photo below for a short video
And a message for peace.

Click on the photo to view the movie

Where Did The Last Two Weeks Go?

Yikes! all of a sudden two weeks have gone by.
I’m working on several posts which if all goes well,
Will be up by the end of the week -

The final movie of the sunday parade is finished.
You can click on the photo below
Or go here to read the entire post.
The movie is at the end.

Click On Photo To View Movie of the Sunday morning parade - the dancers getting ready, practicing parts of their dances, and shots of the parade route.

Fireworks and castillo tower fireworks

The final Festival of San Miguel video

Guanajuato and the Cervantino Festival

The Olga Costa, Jose Chavez Morado Museum
Guanajuato

Dori Locos -
You have to love what they do with food here.
Complete with video of how to make these yourself.
Here’s the link to the Dori Locos Post which is finished.

After all this, a posting from Charco del Ingenio

Where I am going today to video a private botanical tour
Let by former director Mario Mendoza.
This post is done, click here to read it.

Last, but not least
As a follow up to Billie’s blog on shrimp coctail
A delicious new recipe that has NO sugar or catsup in it.

Well, I take that back –
There’s one more, a trip to Pena de Bernal
A weaving town that has a spectacular rock monument
The third largest in the world
Behind the rock of Gibraltar and Sugar loaf in Brazil.