It has been a good day.
Today was the last day of the Level II Class at Warren Hardy Language School. It is with relief that I finished it. It took three days a week for class plus even more time to study and do the homework. I wish I would have had more time to work with the CD's but I still have them and can listen to them. I now understand the Preterite Tense, the irregular verbs in the preterite, and direct object and indirect object pronouns. Note I said that "I understand" but being able to use all of this on the fly is another hill to climb.
One of the biggest problems for me is to hear all the pieces of Spanish when it is spoken to me. Then I have to translate to English and then struggle with how to put the pronouns in the right places and use the correct form of the verb in Spanish. Di, dije, deje....man, those are hard for my ear to distinguish. And that is just one group of verb forms that are difficult to hear. While I'm listening for the gender of the pronoun, I've missed the verb. But I'm not throwing in the towel. I've signed up for a tutor to go over the workbook for Level III which covers seven tenses, imperfect, present, future, conditional, present progressive, and present perfect. I'm suppose to learn the conjugation for 100 verbs in these tenses. I'm hoping that with what I learned in this last level and then with Level III, I will be able to read the newspaper with a dictionary in my hand. A friend who speaks Spanish fluently told me that I wouldn't be able to totally understand the newspaper. Hey, I'm not expecting to understand the nuances of literature just the nitty-gritty of the crime and society pages.
I walked to the class and then home again. Made a little comida, some work on the computer and a little siesta. Yes, I do operate on Mexican Time. A siesta is a necessity.
This afternoon I walked across town and up the hill to Jose Marin's Hair Salon. I was on time. I'm always on time for Jose. He will throw people out of his shop who don't show up on time. Yes, he is temperamental but he does a great job with color and a hair cut. And I like him. While he worked on my hair we talked about the national election, Oaxaca, drugs in Mexico, tourism in San Miguel. I love getting his take on these issues. He did a great job. I now have shorter hair and golden sun streaks.
When I left Jose's I walked down to the Rameriz Mercado. Flowers come in on Wednesday afternoon and sure enough the fresh gladiolas were in. I bought a dozen in yellow and shrimp to put in front of the Virgen de Guadalupe in our nicho. Then I bought some of the yellow mangos that are beginning to go out of season, two avocados, and cilantro. I walked down to Insurrentes and Reloj to the roasted chicken man and bought a chicken. Then back toward the house with a stop at Espinos for toastados. Then home.
The gladiolas went in the vase and vegetables in the sink to disinfect.
Ned is the guacamole - pico de gallo maker and he made that up for us. He went after fresh made tortillas and we had a wonderful cena with tacos made with all the things that we had just purchased and prepared.
During the day I was also on the internet, worked on some photos in Photoshop.
So for those who are always asking what do you do with your time in San Miguel.................
What do you do with your time in Houston, or St. Louis, or Atlanta or Kansas City?
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Sunday in the Campo
Over a year ago I found Hacienda Las Trancas on the web. I don't remember how I found it but I loved the Hacienda and it has been on my list of places to visit. Sunday we finally went. Oh, my it was more than I dreamed it would be.
The Hacienda was originally built in 1567 as a fort to guard silver being transported back to Spain but in the 1700's it became a Hacienda....not a grand estate but a working ranch hacienda. Fortunately during the revolution it wasn't burned but it has had a hard life.
The story of how Kelley and Stephen Wilkinson came to buy the Hacienda is fascinating and it is another one of those amazing internet stories. Kelley found it by googling "Haciendas." Although it was a maze of dirty rooms, she could see the potential. What she has done with the place is just amazing. She has used people from the village for the renovation and as they have peeled away layers of dirt she has found out that the grandparents and great, great.......grandparents have worked in and around the hacienda. Either they know personal stories about the hacienda or they can tell the oral history that has been past on to them from their abuelita. Kelly has given them a free hand in the renovation so the wonderful original Mexican folkart craftsmanship is being continued through the renovation.
What a place to have a family reunion. Plenty of space for the kids to run, swim, horseback riding, soccer, volleyball or plenty of hammocks for a lazy afternoon reading a book. The kitchen staff is amazing. We were there for a brunch. The dining room table must seat 20. We had huge bowls of guacamole and just fried tortilla chips, huge salad, green rice topped with red chiles in a cream sauce, caldo de pollo, fried squash blossoms stuffed with a tiny potato pancake, deviled eggs. And then the dessert, homemade peach ice cream from the peaches grown on the Hacienda. And the Hacienda has a large vegetable garden so most of the vegetables that are served are grown there.
But take a look at some of the pictures I took at Hacienda Las Trancas then I'm sure you will want to visit it in person for yourself. Sorry about the small size photo in this entry. Blogger is having problems today with uploads. As soon as they are up and running again I will add several larger photos to the entry.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Grooving in San Miguel
In Deb's San Miguel Blog, she writes about her friend Stella coming to visit San Miguel and falling love with the town. She found her groove in San Miguel. This happens to lots of people. Loving and Grooving at first sight.
Well, I fell in love with San Miguel at first sight but it has taken me a long time to start to feel like I might be grooving photographically. Although I've photographed in lots of places in Mexico and I think that I found a groove with the 16th century Mexican churches, for the most part it has been hard to find my own voice in San Miguel. I was talking with my friend Deborah Whitehouse another photographer here in San Miguel and she has experienced the same thing. But both of us are beginning to see below the surface in San Miguel.
I think that the colors and light and festivals of San Miguel are seductive. You rush out to photograph all of this excitement and foreign-ness but when you come back home and look at what you have shot, you think....Oh, I've seen these images before. And I had. I wasn't bringing anything new to the party. I'm not a street photographer so why would I think that just because I'm in San Miguel I would suddenly become one. All of my work is much more contemplative, more about the spaces where people are than about the people.
For the last year, I've been photographing in my own Colonia. And yes, I've photographed some of the festivals and processions in the Colonia but they are small and I can move through the crowd and there is time to watch and room to catch some moment happening at the edges. It is more intimate and personal.....more my style. I've also just walked the streets and photographed in the Colonia. It is beginning to happen. I think I'm finding my groove in San Miguel. Thankgoodness it has been a long dry spell.
Well, I fell in love with San Miguel at first sight but it has taken me a long time to start to feel like I might be grooving photographically. Although I've photographed in lots of places in Mexico and I think that I found a groove with the 16th century Mexican churches, for the most part it has been hard to find my own voice in San Miguel. I was talking with my friend Deborah Whitehouse another photographer here in San Miguel and she has experienced the same thing. But both of us are beginning to see below the surface in San Miguel.
I think that the colors and light and festivals of San Miguel are seductive. You rush out to photograph all of this excitement and foreign-ness but when you come back home and look at what you have shot, you think....Oh, I've seen these images before. And I had. I wasn't bringing anything new to the party. I'm not a street photographer so why would I think that just because I'm in San Miguel I would suddenly become one. All of my work is much more contemplative, more about the spaces where people are than about the people.
For the last year, I've been photographing in my own Colonia. And yes, I've photographed some of the festivals and processions in the Colonia but they are small and I can move through the crowd and there is time to watch and room to catch some moment happening at the edges. It is more intimate and personal.....more my style. I've also just walked the streets and photographed in the Colonia. It is beginning to happen. I think I'm finding my groove in San Miguel. Thankgoodness it has been a long dry spell.
Friday, August 25, 2006
It's a Good Life
Tonight we walked up Orizaba and out Ancha de San Antonio to Los Faroles, a taqueria that our friends Dianne and Tom introduced us to. Just a short walk from our house. Just a simple meal. Still as we sat at the tile tables on almost comfortable wrought iron chairs and watched the four ladies making tortillas, stirring bean soup and cutting on the Pastor trompa, I had such a feeling of well being. All was right with my world, sitting there at one of the five tables as buses, cars and pedestrians went past the double open doors. We chatted and wiped our hands on the tiny-tiny paper napkins and licked our lips tingling from the salsas. The cost of our dinner with two beers and tip was less than $10 US. Nothing fancy, nothing elaborate, nothing gourmet but so satisfying.
I felt at one with where I was and what I was doing. I was so comfortable, so happy.....it is really hard to describe the feeling but I'm thankful to have this opportunity to live in Mexico, to have the companionship of mi esposo, to have a simple meal and to watch the world unfold just feet from the table.....it's a good life.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Learning a Second Language
I'm half way through Level II with Warren Hardy Language School here in San Miguel working on the conjugation for the Preterite Tense which has a mess of irregular verbs and also working on using direct and indirect object pronouns. Every language has its rules but I don't understand why anyone would want to say
For him....it....you did
That is bad enough but whoever decided to make the little change from Le to Se in the third person when it has a direct object pronoun should be shot. WHY did they do that? WHY does everything have to be feminine or masculine? WHY singular or plural and it all has to match?
Of course all of this information is having to be downloaded into a.....shall we say mature brain that is already filled up with a lot of stuff and nonsense. So I did a little googling about the brain and learning a second language. When you learn a second language or third language as a child the languages create separate spaces or modules in the brain. When a child hears a word of the language the whole module is activated and ready to start retrieving words and rules. But when you are an adult you have to dump all the languages into one place and the language you are learning becomes the parasite of the original language. For example I have to activate the Spanish words through my first language.
Where (donde) is (esta) the (el) bathroom (bano).
And the only way to keep this working is to continue to "test" the brain with finding the Spanish. Otherwise the Spanish will start to lose the connections with the English words. Of course I'm simplifying all of this but the "Use it or Lose it" saying is true.
At some point if I get to critical mass, I may learn to think in Spanish because my brain may form another module for the Spanish language words and rules so that it will be easier to access the information. But now......the old brain hard drive is really spinning. I wonder if there is a way to do a disk defragmenter and speed up processing time.
For him....it....you did
That is bad enough but whoever decided to make the little change from Le to Se in the third person when it has a direct object pronoun should be shot. WHY did they do that? WHY does everything have to be feminine or masculine? WHY singular or plural and it all has to match?
Of course all of this information is having to be downloaded into a.....shall we say mature brain that is already filled up with a lot of stuff and nonsense. So I did a little googling about the brain and learning a second language. When you learn a second language or third language as a child the languages create separate spaces or modules in the brain. When a child hears a word of the language the whole module is activated and ready to start retrieving words and rules. But when you are an adult you have to dump all the languages into one place and the language you are learning becomes the parasite of the original language. For example I have to activate the Spanish words through my first language.
Where (donde) is (esta) the (el) bathroom (bano).
And the only way to keep this working is to continue to "test" the brain with finding the Spanish. Otherwise the Spanish will start to lose the connections with the English words. Of course I'm simplifying all of this but the "Use it or Lose it" saying is true.
At some point if I get to critical mass, I may learn to think in Spanish because my brain may form another module for the Spanish language words and rules so that it will be easier to access the information. But now......the old brain hard drive is really spinning. I wonder if there is a way to do a disk defragmenter and speed up processing time.
Monday, August 21, 2006
San Miguel De Allende and the Movies
My friend Dianne sent me this article from the Corvallis Gazette Times in Oregon about the writer Theresa Hogue seeing San Miguel De Allende after seeing it in a film.
And just yesterday Deb who writes My San Miguel Blog wrote about an article on the on again/off again movie studio that is suppose to be built in San Miguel de Allende.
And just yesterday Deb who writes My San Miguel Blog wrote about an article on the on again/off again movie studio that is suppose to be built in San Miguel de Allende.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Blog Readership
Jon who writes San Miguel Photos sent me this link from FreshBlog about getting your blog read. I've seen some of these ideas before. Always one of the first ideas is to write about something unique and have a focused blog.
When I read that, the old executive, competitive me kicks in and I start thinking about how I could change this blog and get more readers.
WHOA.......
The reasons for this blog are:
Family and friends who are interested can keep up with us.
I like to write.
I have lots of interests and activities. I don't want a focused blog. I just want to write about whatever I want to write about any time I want to write. I will incorporate some of the features in the new Blogger Beta, but I don't want this blog to turn into a competition or work. I started it for fun and I want it to stay fun for me.
When I read that, the old executive, competitive me kicks in and I start thinking about how I could change this blog and get more readers.
WHOA.......
The reasons for this blog are:
Family and friends who are interested can keep up with us.
I like to write.
I have lots of interests and activities. I don't want a focused blog. I just want to write about whatever I want to write about any time I want to write. I will incorporate some of the features in the new Blogger Beta, but I don't want this blog to turn into a competition or work. I started it for fun and I want it to stay fun for me.
Wish List
I've always loved books. Currently 21 books are on my Amazon Wish List. I was just studying the list. I've moved these to the top of the list:
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Ouoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
Not a cookbook but a story about being in a kitchen of a restaurant.
The Ongoing Moment by Geoff Dyer
Dyer is a self-styled cultural critic who turns his eye on photography. I've been told by some photographers who have read his book that although he is not a photographer or collector some of his associations and thoughts about the medium are thought provoking.
Mexican Days: Journeys into the Heart of Mexico by Tony Cohan
Cohan wrote on Mexican Time about his adventures in San Miguel. This book is about his travels into other parts of Mexico.
Houses: Proportion & Harmony by Fernando De Haro
My friend JD, who is an architect, loaned me this book before we left Houston. I loved it. It is about contemporary Mexican architecture. When JD loaned it to me he said, "I think you will like this book because you like a softer contemporary look." He was right. And the more I've thought about it, I think that is why I like Mexican contemporary so much, It really isn't minimal. It has color and warmth and a place to put wonderful Mexican folkart.
Sleeping by the Mississippi by Alec Sloth
I've seen some of the photographs from this book and I want to have it. What can I say....I can't buy all the photographs I like but if a book is published of the project, I can hold them all in my hands.
Photography: Essays in Defense of Traditional Values by Robert Adams
I get tired of much of contemporary cutting edge photography where shock value and degradation seems to be the key to acclaim. I like beautiful images so I'd like to read what Adams has to say.
Creating the Cult of St. Joseph: Art and Gender in the Spanish Empire by Charlene Villasenor Black
This one may be a little scholarly but I'm interested in the Spanish influence on art in Mexico as well as how Mexican art has developed. You might have to read the full review on this one to understand why I'm interested in it.
The good news is that you do not have to pay duty on books coming into Mexico. But you do have to pay Amazon for them. Let's see, which credit card should I use.
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Ouoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
Not a cookbook but a story about being in a kitchen of a restaurant.
The Ongoing Moment by Geoff Dyer
Dyer is a self-styled cultural critic who turns his eye on photography. I've been told by some photographers who have read his book that although he is not a photographer or collector some of his associations and thoughts about the medium are thought provoking.
Mexican Days: Journeys into the Heart of Mexico by Tony Cohan
Cohan wrote on Mexican Time about his adventures in San Miguel. This book is about his travels into other parts of Mexico.
Houses: Proportion & Harmony by Fernando De Haro
My friend JD, who is an architect, loaned me this book before we left Houston. I loved it. It is about contemporary Mexican architecture. When JD loaned it to me he said, "I think you will like this book because you like a softer contemporary look." He was right. And the more I've thought about it, I think that is why I like Mexican contemporary so much, It really isn't minimal. It has color and warmth and a place to put wonderful Mexican folkart.
Sleeping by the Mississippi by Alec Sloth
I've seen some of the photographs from this book and I want to have it. What can I say....I can't buy all the photographs I like but if a book is published of the project, I can hold them all in my hands.
Photography: Essays in Defense of Traditional Values by Robert Adams
I get tired of much of contemporary cutting edge photography where shock value and degradation seems to be the key to acclaim. I like beautiful images so I'd like to read what Adams has to say.
Creating the Cult of St. Joseph: Art and Gender in the Spanish Empire by Charlene Villasenor Black
This one may be a little scholarly but I'm interested in the Spanish influence on art in Mexico as well as how Mexican art has developed. You might have to read the full review on this one to understand why I'm interested in it.
The good news is that you do not have to pay duty on books coming into Mexico. But you do have to pay Amazon for them. Let's see, which credit card should I use.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Gardening in San Miguel
This past week the Down to Earth Garden Club met at Fran's house. Our guest speaker was Alfonso Alarcon. I've written about Alfonso before, here and here. He is a charming man with an artist's eye in the garden. For this garden club meeting he was telling us about the parasite plants that can kill. There is one called Mexican Mistletoe....that is what he is holding. It is the broad leaf plant that has grafted to a limb of a mesquite tree. The mistletoe looks beautiful right now in the tops of the trees because it has orange blossoms but as it spreads it will kill the tree. The only way to get rid of it is to have the limbs where it has grafted cut out of the tree. It is spread by birds eating the fruit that comes after the flowers and then doing what birds do after they eat. Unfortunately there are many trees across the town that have this parasite.
This is about the third or fourth meeting for this group and it is interesting because you usually think of garden clubs being mostly women but at this meeting the ratio was about 50/50. Although I think we are all interested in making our patios and terraces attractive, there is a real interest in native plants, reforestation, herbs, vegetables and fruit trees. This is going to be an interesting and educational group and I'm looking forward to future meetings.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
What do ya think?
Blogger has a new beta with new features. I'm playing with some of those features so you may see this blog change some over the next few weeks. I'm especially excited to be able to have categories. I was beginning to look at other providers because I wanted to be able to categorize my posts. Also, although I like the photos on the black background, the white print on black is hard to read. So, I'll be playing around with the new features.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Eating out in San Miguel De Allende
Since last Wednesday when we entertained Rick and Deb, our kitchen has been closed. Not on purpose, just the way it has worked out.
Thursday we went into the centro to see Jess Zimmerman's art show and afterward followed it up with a drink with friends and then a light snack at the San Francisco Cafe on the Jardin. We do that a lot so nothing new to report from there.
Friday night was dinner with my friend Phil and Jean joined us. We decided to try the fairly new restaurant Bacca that has moved into the space vacated by Bella Italia in the Sautto Hotel. I love the space because it is a patio with tables and umbrellas, a covered portico and also tables on the inside. Wonderful Mexican feeling to the place. Unfortuntely the food doesn't have a Mexican flare and what is even worse, in my opinion it is barely medicore and what is even worse than that, the food is overpriced. Still the company was great and we really enjoyed catching up with friends.
Saturday we walked through a fairly steady rain to meet my friend Barbara who I've known for sometime and we were also meeting Don whose blog I've been reading for almost a year. We were trying Dila on Ancha de San Antonio. Dila has taken over the space where La Vida use to be. The personable and talented restaurant owner and chef is from Sri Lanka and the food is a mix of Indonesian flavors with a pinch of Mexican ingredients thrown in. He talked to us and told us that he plans to change the menu frequently. The menu we had was about two weeks old and he is working on new recipes for the next one. I hope he keeps the Vietnam Spring Rolls on the new one. Muy Delicioso! He can please any taste with sauces from eye popping hot to mild chutneys. Between the four of us we tried several lamb dishes and a fish. All were very good. Oh, and we spent less than we had the night before on poor food. Dila is recommended when you are ready for a change from Mexican food fare.
Sunday, friends were in from Houston, so we took them to ChaChaCha for a Sunday Comida. Always a good choice and very economical.
Monday night we were treated to a lovely dinner at Bella Italia on Calle Canal by our friend Meg. Aaron and Janeal joined us too. We had not eaten in the restaurant since they moved to the new location. We had some lovely appetizers and salads and then tried fish, veal and pasta dishes. Everyone cleaned their plates. It was delicious.
Some of you may be thinking that we are on quite a busy social calendar but it doesn't seem that way at all. If feels more like a nice walk to a restaurant, meeting a few friends and sitting at a table, breaking bread together, sipping a glass of wine and just talking. And the best part is, there are no dishes to wash.
Thursday we went into the centro to see Jess Zimmerman's art show and afterward followed it up with a drink with friends and then a light snack at the San Francisco Cafe on the Jardin. We do that a lot so nothing new to report from there.
Friday night was dinner with my friend Phil and Jean joined us. We decided to try the fairly new restaurant Bacca that has moved into the space vacated by Bella Italia in the Sautto Hotel. I love the space because it is a patio with tables and umbrellas, a covered portico and also tables on the inside. Wonderful Mexican feeling to the place. Unfortuntely the food doesn't have a Mexican flare and what is even worse, in my opinion it is barely medicore and what is even worse than that, the food is overpriced. Still the company was great and we really enjoyed catching up with friends.
Saturday we walked through a fairly steady rain to meet my friend Barbara who I've known for sometime and we were also meeting Don whose blog I've been reading for almost a year. We were trying Dila on Ancha de San Antonio. Dila has taken over the space where La Vida use to be. The personable and talented restaurant owner and chef is from Sri Lanka and the food is a mix of Indonesian flavors with a pinch of Mexican ingredients thrown in. He talked to us and told us that he plans to change the menu frequently. The menu we had was about two weeks old and he is working on new recipes for the next one. I hope he keeps the Vietnam Spring Rolls on the new one. Muy Delicioso! He can please any taste with sauces from eye popping hot to mild chutneys. Between the four of us we tried several lamb dishes and a fish. All were very good. Oh, and we spent less than we had the night before on poor food. Dila is recommended when you are ready for a change from Mexican food fare.
Sunday, friends were in from Houston, so we took them to ChaChaCha for a Sunday Comida. Always a good choice and very economical.
Monday night we were treated to a lovely dinner at Bella Italia on Calle Canal by our friend Meg. Aaron and Janeal joined us too. We had not eaten in the restaurant since they moved to the new location. We had some lovely appetizers and salads and then tried fish, veal and pasta dishes. Everyone cleaned their plates. It was delicious.
Some of you may be thinking that we are on quite a busy social calendar but it doesn't seem that way at all. If feels more like a nice walk to a restaurant, meeting a few friends and sitting at a table, breaking bread together, sipping a glass of wine and just talking. And the best part is, there are no dishes to wash.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Thoughts on a Sunday Morning
Sunday Emails between me and a friend:
Me: I so happy here. But I am going through some kind of evaluation about my work. I've been going back through the Artist's Way and Art and Fear and also reading about some artist. I'm amazed that the Artist's Way was such an influence on me 13 years ago but it was. It is so New Age. I must have been hurting a lot at that point because it was a stabilizing force and helped me get centered about my art. Art and Fear is different. It still seems relevant to me. But I'm having dreams that seem to have some meaning...which of course I've forgotten by the morning but it tells me that my mind is processing some stuff and I know it is about being an artist. I know that I use to feel intimidated by S.... but right now I don't care that he thinks about what I'm doing although I respect his opinion and him as an artist. I don't think the Lensbaby stuff is the ultimate but at the same time I think there is some interesting stuff in there and it is a challenge to use the damn thing and then I'm also challenging myself to put together a small portfolio of 12 to 15 prints out of the work in my Colonia. Where will it go? I don't really care. But it is something I need to do.
Friend: What we do as artist is so evolutionary, I'm surprised there is ever any stability. That we have other interest that are high on our list I think is what helps keep us somewhat sane. Notice that I used the qualifiers "I think," "helps," and "somewhat," because I really don't know. What I do know that by practicing what I preach is leading me to new images, and interest in new subject matter. I know I'm not breaking any art frontier ground, so long as I make images that satisfy me, what the hell? Like D....., those new kid portraits are making him happy and leading him in a new direction. Who cares if it's cutting edge? So long as it's "well practiced" and "well seen" photography, I can appreciate.
The same goes for your Lens Baby images -- I like seeing you work through the challenges of this device. No it's not breaking any new ground, but so what. Neither is anything I've done in the past 20 years. But it isn't necessary to break new ground -- breaking new ground is like breaking wind, gets people's attention really fast and then rapidly dissipates. Seems to me what
is lasting is not what we see so much with a new vision, but what we see with OUR vision.
Me: I so happy here. But I am going through some kind of evaluation about my work. I've been going back through the Artist's Way and Art and Fear and also reading about some artist. I'm amazed that the Artist's Way was such an influence on me 13 years ago but it was. It is so New Age. I must have been hurting a lot at that point because it was a stabilizing force and helped me get centered about my art. Art and Fear is different. It still seems relevant to me. But I'm having dreams that seem to have some meaning...which of course I've forgotten by the morning but it tells me that my mind is processing some stuff and I know it is about being an artist. I know that I use to feel intimidated by S.... but right now I don't care that he thinks about what I'm doing although I respect his opinion and him as an artist. I don't think the Lensbaby stuff is the ultimate but at the same time I think there is some interesting stuff in there and it is a challenge to use the damn thing and then I'm also challenging myself to put together a small portfolio of 12 to 15 prints out of the work in my Colonia. Where will it go? I don't really care. But it is something I need to do.
Friend: What we do as artist is so evolutionary, I'm surprised there is ever any stability. That we have other interest that are high on our list I think is what helps keep us somewhat sane. Notice that I used the qualifiers "I think," "helps," and "somewhat," because I really don't know. What I do know that by practicing what I preach is leading me to new images, and interest in new subject matter. I know I'm not breaking any art frontier ground, so long as I make images that satisfy me, what the hell? Like D....., those new kid portraits are making him happy and leading him in a new direction. Who cares if it's cutting edge? So long as it's "well practiced" and "well seen" photography, I can appreciate.
The same goes for your Lens Baby images -- I like seeing you work through the challenges of this device. No it's not breaking any new ground, but so what. Neither is anything I've done in the past 20 years. But it isn't necessary to break new ground -- breaking new ground is like breaking wind, gets people's attention really fast and then rapidly dissipates. Seems to me what
is lasting is not what we see so much with a new vision, but what we see with OUR vision.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Colores de San Miguel
Colores de San Miguel, that was where we were last night, a cocktail reception for Jess Izak Zimmerman's paintings. His work is full of the bold saturated colors of bits and pieces of everyday life and architecture in Mexico. In a way the work is almost primitive but with a very sophisticated use of perspective and color. There were "red dots" appearing on the walls because we were not the only people who appreciated his work.We've known Jess for several years through his parents who are friends in San Miguel. Mom Tracy is an artist and so is his grandmother. No surprise that Jess has talent.
Go take a look at his website. You might want to order now before some big gallery signs him on.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
El Campo
Not everyone who moves to San Miguel wants to live in the town. Some people have different interests and the countryside suits them better. While they can still drive in and participate in the events that happen almost every night, they are experiencing Mexico in a different way. My friends Jon and Jo Ann have started a blog about their exeriences in the campo. Be sure to read the entry about the Reforestation Project.
Fried Chicken
When you think of fried chicken do you think of Church's Fried Chicken or KFC? Eating it with the grease running down your fingers?
When I think of fried chicken my thoughts go back to watching my mother or aunt wring the neck of the chicken in the back yard. It was always interesting to see the chicken flop around for a few seconds before it lay still. Then I stayed around to see the feathers plucked, the skin singed to get all the pen feathers off, and then to watch the chicken being cut into pieces. In the grocery store today you get two legs, two thighs, two wings and two breast pieces for a cut up chicken but back in the old days there was also the wishbone and back pieces and usually the neck was included. Then there was the wonderful smell of frying chicken. I always stayed close to the kitchen to be sure I could enjoy this heavenly golden smell.
Back in these old days, a frying chicken was small, maybe 2-3/4 to 3-1/4 pounds. Today it is almost impossible to find a chicken that small. They were young chickens with thin skins not like today with all the fat in the skin and globs of fat under the skin. You never fried just one chicken but a platter full of chicken. Frying a platter full meant there might be enough left over to be eaten later that night or wrapped up for a school lunch. Cold chicken......Mmmmmmm, just as good.
It wasn't very long into my married life and cooking my own fried chicken that I decided the store bought chickens were too greasy. I wanted chicken like I had grown up eating. I started taking off the skin that was thick and fat and frying my chicken seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, dredged in flour and fried. It was not greasy.
I seldom invite anyone for dinner when I make fried chicken because most of our friends are watching their cholesterol levels and they fear eating something like KFC chicken with all the visible grease. But sometime ago I wrote an entry about preparing fried chicken for Ned and me. Rick and Deb are friends and after Rick saw that entry, he told me that the next time I made fried chicken he wanted to come. So last night we had them over for dinner: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cream gravy, corn on the cob and salad.
We were all in the kitchen talking as I prepared the dinner. There was the heavenly golden smell of the chicken sizzling away in the frying pan, the potatoes were mashed, the dressing poured over the salad and the corn was rolled in melted butter. We talked and ate and refilled our plates until we finally satisfied our hunger for fried chicken.
I don't prepare fried chicken very often but I hope I never have to give it up.
When I think of fried chicken my thoughts go back to watching my mother or aunt wring the neck of the chicken in the back yard. It was always interesting to see the chicken flop around for a few seconds before it lay still. Then I stayed around to see the feathers plucked, the skin singed to get all the pen feathers off, and then to watch the chicken being cut into pieces. In the grocery store today you get two legs, two thighs, two wings and two breast pieces for a cut up chicken but back in the old days there was also the wishbone and back pieces and usually the neck was included. Then there was the wonderful smell of frying chicken. I always stayed close to the kitchen to be sure I could enjoy this heavenly golden smell.
Back in these old days, a frying chicken was small, maybe 2-3/4 to 3-1/4 pounds. Today it is almost impossible to find a chicken that small. They were young chickens with thin skins not like today with all the fat in the skin and globs of fat under the skin. You never fried just one chicken but a platter full of chicken. Frying a platter full meant there might be enough left over to be eaten later that night or wrapped up for a school lunch. Cold chicken......Mmmmmmm, just as good.
It wasn't very long into my married life and cooking my own fried chicken that I decided the store bought chickens were too greasy. I wanted chicken like I had grown up eating. I started taking off the skin that was thick and fat and frying my chicken seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, dredged in flour and fried. It was not greasy.
I seldom invite anyone for dinner when I make fried chicken because most of our friends are watching their cholesterol levels and they fear eating something like KFC chicken with all the visible grease. But sometime ago I wrote an entry about preparing fried chicken for Ned and me. Rick and Deb are friends and after Rick saw that entry, he told me that the next time I made fried chicken he wanted to come. So last night we had them over for dinner: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cream gravy, corn on the cob and salad.
We were all in the kitchen talking as I prepared the dinner. There was the heavenly golden smell of the chicken sizzling away in the frying pan, the potatoes were mashed, the dressing poured over the salad and the corn was rolled in melted butter. We talked and ate and refilled our plates until we finally satisfied our hunger for fried chicken.
I don't prepare fried chicken very often but I hope I never have to give it up.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
The Chicken Man is Found!
I found him this week, the Chicken Man. AND his wife is back in the shop helping him.
I wrote just a few days ago that I had lost him but yesterday as we walked up Refugio to get some artwork framed we passed the corner where I turned to go to his Tienda and I was lamenting his disappearence. But lo and behold, just past the corner on Refugio, there was an open door. No signs. I looked in because I didn't remember a shop there. And there he was in a much bigger shop with plenty of room for his vegetables.
We walked in and I almost hugged him I was so glad that he was still here in the neighborhood. Ned told him that I thought he had closed his tienda. He looked at me like I was a little crazy. No! Of course he had not closed up shop. He just moved around the corner. How was I suppose to know that. There was no sign on the old shop to tell customers he had moved but I guess everyone had local knowledge but me.
Today,I went up Refugio to buy chicken. I reviewed my vocabulary so that I could try out my Spanish. Several days ago, I had asked my tutor how to say what I wanted when buying chickens rather than saying a few words and using a lot of hand gestures.
"Dos pollos, por favor. Apartido en piezas. Pero, quiero la pechuga sin hueso y aplanado."
Now that might not be perfect Spanish but I thought it would get me what I wanted. The Chicken Lady (he was off on an errand) started pulling pieces of chicken out of the freezer.
"No, no, Pollos entero, por favor."
Finally I figured out that she was telling me that they are cutting the chickens up when they come in and she would get me enough pieces to make two whole chickens.
She pounded out the chicken breasts and started putting my purchase in a bolsa.
"Por favor, el hueso tambien. Mi esposa le gusta sopa."
By this time another lady was waiting in the shop to buy some chicken. Whether the Spanish was totally correct or not they looked at each other and smiled.
The Chicken Lady said, "Si, si, sopa" and she put the carcass from the breast in the bolsa.
I think I had connected with them woman-to-woman. I had a husband that liked soup.
Monday, August 07, 2006
TO BE in Spanish
There are five ways to say TO BE in Spanish..............
Ser - To describe something or someone, a permanent condition
Estar - To describe Health, Emotions, Location or Physical Conditions
Tener - To descibe age or idiomatic expressions such as I am cold, or hot, or sleepy, or hungry
Haber/Hay - There is, there are, is there? are there?
Hace - about the weather, it is hot, it is cold, it is windy
I can understand the grammar but applying it on the fly as I speak..............
Now that is the challenge! I just hope that the Mexicans cut me some slack and give me some credit for trying.
Ser - To describe something or someone, a permanent condition
Estar - To describe Health, Emotions, Location or Physical Conditions
Tener - To descibe age or idiomatic expressions such as I am cold, or hot, or sleepy, or hungry
Haber/Hay - There is, there are, is there? are there?
Hace - about the weather, it is hot, it is cold, it is windy
I can understand the grammar but applying it on the fly as I speak..............
Now that is the challenge! I just hope that the Mexicans cut me some slack and give me some credit for trying.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Maturing
It wasn't that many years ago that any criticism of my photography could send me into a world of self-doubt. I had no confidence in what I was doing so almost anyone could tell me how or what I should be doing and I'd throw away what I had been working on and start trying to do it their way. I read how-to-books and carefully followed instructions on how to test and develop film. But somewhere along the way I realized that I didn't like to "expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights." I wasn't ever going to be comfortable with sheet film. I wasn't going to go into the Southwest and shoot the big landscapes. I stopped doing what I thought I was suppose to be doing or what I was told I should be and started doing what I wanted to do.
Oh, I can't say that I'm never affected by what others think about my work but I've reached a place where I can hear it as a suggestion rather than a criticism. This really came home to me last week when I asked Frank to go on Flickr and look at some of the work I've been doing in my neighborhood with the Lensbaby because I was thinking of printing some of them in a small portfolio. Many years ago Frank led a workshop that I took and since he has been a mentor and friend. He is a photographer whose work I respect. So what he says holds a lot of weight.
He took a look and wrote me:
Going to be honest here. First of all, I like the subject matter -- the tree against the wall, the juice cups, the lone flowers on the table, the front of the old Ford truck, stuff like that. I think you are seeing well, but still somewhat in "full-frame" mode. I guess what I'm saying is the "out-of-focus" is not extreme enough for me. AGAIN, FOR ME. You may think they are already extreme. If I were shooting the Lens Baby, I would cock the front to its most extreme position and tape it there. Then I would go shooting. I would like to see no more than 1/2" in focus across the frame so the edges would get really wild. And I would probably use PS to blur the edges that might too sharp. I want to see these images REALLY out of focus except for one little small area sharpness. The edges should be essentially unrecognizable.
My immediate reaction was to go back and look at what I had done again. I still liked most of the images. I still wanted to print about six or seven of them for the portfolio. They were doing what I wanted done. But I thought that Frank had a good suggestion, maybe I should push this Lensbaby tool a little more, explore how far I can go with it. Maybe those images would fit with this project or maybe it would lead to something else. The good news is, I wasn't filled with self-doubt, I wasn't ready to abandon the project. I realized that I'd come a long way from where I started.
Oh, I can't say that I'm never affected by what others think about my work but I've reached a place where I can hear it as a suggestion rather than a criticism. This really came home to me last week when I asked Frank to go on Flickr and look at some of the work I've been doing in my neighborhood with the Lensbaby because I was thinking of printing some of them in a small portfolio. Many years ago Frank led a workshop that I took and since he has been a mentor and friend. He is a photographer whose work I respect. So what he says holds a lot of weight.
He took a look and wrote me:
Going to be honest here. First of all, I like the subject matter -- the tree against the wall, the juice cups, the lone flowers on the table, the front of the old Ford truck, stuff like that. I think you are seeing well, but still somewhat in "full-frame" mode. I guess what I'm saying is the "out-of-focus" is not extreme enough for me. AGAIN, FOR ME. You may think they are already extreme. If I were shooting the Lens Baby, I would cock the front to its most extreme position and tape it there. Then I would go shooting. I would like to see no more than 1/2" in focus across the frame so the edges would get really wild. And I would probably use PS to blur the edges that might too sharp. I want to see these images REALLY out of focus except for one little small area sharpness. The edges should be essentially unrecognizable.
My immediate reaction was to go back and look at what I had done again. I still liked most of the images. I still wanted to print about six or seven of them for the portfolio. They were doing what I wanted done. But I thought that Frank had a good suggestion, maybe I should push this Lensbaby tool a little more, explore how far I can go with it. Maybe those images would fit with this project or maybe it would lead to something else. The good news is, I wasn't filled with self-doubt, I wasn't ready to abandon the project. I realized that I'd come a long way from where I started.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Where Is My Chicken Man?
The Chicken Man's shop was just up my street and over about two doors on Calle Clavel. A tiny tienda. Along one wall was a case with glass above the counter but it is doubtful that refrigeration ever cooled it. Along the wall to the side was a small freezer case and inbetween was a tiny round cutting block maybe 24 inches across. There was just enough room for the Chicken Man to move to the freezer or to squeeze out from behind his work station. Everyday he started the day with a clean apron, his shiny hair combed back and his sleeves rolled up. The Man was a master with the cleaver. He could chop a chicken apartido in a few seconds or he could slice the pechuga away from the bone in two quick moves. If you wanted the breast aplanado or flattened, he slipped it between plastic wrap and in a couple of quick hits with his pounder it was flat and if you didn't stop him, he would hit it again and again until it was so paper thin you could read through it.
In his shop he also sold some vegetables and fruits. Unless you came on the day they arrived, they were usually past their prime but I sometimes bought some oranges or serranos or maybe a melon. The shop smelled of melons, bananas, onions, fresh chickens and pine-o-pine and clorox. The ladies from the neighborhood shopped there. I liked shopping there. The chicken was fresh and I felt a part of my neighborhood.
The chicken man had grown to understand my very bad Spanish and gestures so I could get my chicken whole, or cut into pieces, or boneless chicken breasts or flattened chicken breast....but not too flat. And he knew I always wanted the bones from the chicken carcass for soup. He knew me, I knew him. We had a business relationship.
What happened to my Chicken Man? He was here when we left in May but he isn't here now. I miss him. I really don't want to find another chicken man. I want my old Chicken Man back.
In his shop he also sold some vegetables and fruits. Unless you came on the day they arrived, they were usually past their prime but I sometimes bought some oranges or serranos or maybe a melon. The shop smelled of melons, bananas, onions, fresh chickens and pine-o-pine and clorox. The ladies from the neighborhood shopped there. I liked shopping there. The chicken was fresh and I felt a part of my neighborhood.
The chicken man had grown to understand my very bad Spanish and gestures so I could get my chicken whole, or cut into pieces, or boneless chicken breasts or flattened chicken breast....but not too flat. And he knew I always wanted the bones from the chicken carcass for soup. He knew me, I knew him. We had a business relationship.
What happened to my Chicken Man? He was here when we left in May but he isn't here now. I miss him. I really don't want to find another chicken man. I want my old Chicken Man back.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Last Day of July, 2006
These images are from a walk yesterday in the neighborhood where I live in San Miguel de Allende....Colonia San Antonio. They were made with the Lensbaby.
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