Jack is 10 Years Old

This week we went out to eat with Jack and some of this friends for his birthday dinner. Tokyohana where the food is cooked at the table on big firey grills. The boys love the fire and watching the chef prepare the food and throww a few bites their way. This is Will, Jack's brother, a friend and Jack, the birthday boy in the baseball hat.

Can't believe that Jack is
-now in double digits
-three years away from being a teenager
-5 years away from a learner's permit for driving a car
-8 years away from college

Happy Birthday Jack.

Forget About Art, Take Pictures

My blog buddy, Tommy Williams wrote a comment the other day in my blog about the difficult time he was having making pictures. He was expecting one thing but he was getting something else when he took the camera out. His expectations were inhibiting making any photographs at all because they might not live up to what he was expecting.

Yes, I can relate. I have been busy with printing and doing other things and wanted to go out and make pictures. I loaded up 3 Holgas and took off walking. I was expecting to "see" pictures, pictures that would fill up the 3 rolls of film and out of the three rolls, I was sure that there would be "something." I just took the film to be developed but I don't think I made a picture of "anything" much less a "something." I was pretty disappointed with myself. I was expecting to make ART.

This was the first time I've had film in a Holga in a long time.....maybe a year. Why did I expect to pick up that camera and suddenly be back where I was with it two years ago. I gotta forget about ART and just make pictures.

Isn't This a Toy Camera?

Anonymous said...
isn't this a toy camera? what am I missing here?

This was one of the comments to my blog entry yesterday when I wrote about ordering a new Deluxe Modified Holga. I'm not sure what Mr. Anonymous is asking.

Why are you excited about buying a cheap plastic camera?
Why the heck are you paying a premium price for a cheap plastic camera?
Why do you care if it leaks light? It is a cheap plastic camera?
Are you serious? Do people really modify these cheap plastic cameras?
Isn't this like a toy, not a real camera?

Mr. Anonymous, what you are missing here is that I love some of the images I get with these cheapo pieces of plastic. Each camera has it's own fingerprint because there is little quality control and the lens is not a percision piece of glass but a molded piece of plastic. Sometimes when you make an image with one of these cameras, an angel is sitting on your shoulder and the image reveals something mystic.

And last, what you are missing is that I've had two one-person shows with images made from these camera and another show will be opening soon.

Toy Camera? Yes, that is what it is called by some.
But also it is often my serious camera.

Shipping Today

I've ordered a new camera and it is shipping today. It is the Deluxe model. Very pricey....for a Holga. I'm getting the Deluxe Modified Holga with a cable release and maybe with more or less correct apertures of f8 and f11. I want to see what it can do with night photography. I just hope I get one with a lens that is really soft around the edges and maybe if I'm really lucky it will have double images in one or two corners but no light leaks.

I seem to jump between high-tech and low tech. The first time I used a Holga it was as a way to free myself from a tripod and a medium format camera. Oh, it was so fun to photograph with the Holga with no expectations after being so intent while I was shooting the interiors of Mexican churches for several years. Now I've been mainly shooting digital for about three years and digital is feeling confining and static. Time to play.

Oyster Feast

Tender, succulent oysters from Smith Point, Texas. I miss them when we are in Mexico. Oysters from along the gulf coast in Texas and Louisiana are special. This is the "season" for them. When I went to Fiesta Grocery store on Tuesday, I couldn't resist buying a 1/2 gallon. I thought it might have been too many but as it turned out, a little more than 24 hours later and they are gone.

Raw, they are briny and hold their own with a sauce heavy with horseradish, catsup and worchester and a bit of lemon. I pulled some of the small ones from the container and while I cooked and we ate them raw. But the main course was fried oysters.

I had never eaten an oyster until I met Ned. His mother served them to me fried. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I season them with salt, black pepper and a good sprinkling of cayenne pepper, toss in cornmeal and fry. Some friends say I make the best fried oysters in the whole wide world. Of course, they may have said that because I told them that I make the best fried oysters in the whole wide world. Nevertheless, it has always been easy to gather a crowd at our house for an oyster fry and it is never difficult to put away a gallon of oysters.

So Tuesday night we had raw oysters for appetizers and fried oysters for dinner. Then I had the leftover cold fried oysters for lunch on Wednesday. Ned's mother also introduced me to oyster stew. Wednesday night I made oyster stew with the remaining oysters and the oyster liquid. I'm not sure exactly how she made it but over the years I've kind of made up my own recipe.

One large onion minced fine
1/2 a white potato minced
1 large carrot minced fine
3 garlic cloves minced
cooking oil
about 1/4 cup flour
1 pint oysters and their liquid. If there isn't much liquid you might want to add some bottled clam juice.
1 1/2 cans evaporated milk
1/2 stick butter
milk
salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Cook the vegetables in a bit of oil until they start to turn golden, then add flour and butter. Stir to make a light roux.

Add the liquid from the oysters and cook adding the evaporated milk gradually to keep the roux smooth. I wish I knew how much whole milk I added or how much liquid from the oysters I had but I don't. It is one of those cooking intuition things!

Just before serving add the oysters and cook for a minute or two until the edges are ruffled. Adjust the seasonings. We like our oyster stew with a real kick from the cayenne. Serve with a garnish of chopped chives.

Okay, I think my oyster craving is satisfied for a while..........but I may have to have them again before we head back to San Miguel de Allende. After all when we come back in June oysters will be out of season. You can't eat oysters in a month that doesn't have an R in it. That is the RULE.

Infrared Photography the Digital Way

If you have a digital camera that you aren't using it can be converted to shoot infrared light with much less hassle than using infrared film.

My friend Eleanor has been shooting in the snow with a infrared converted DSLR Canon camera. The work is stunning.

Eleanor writes, "All I have to work with up here in Colorado is sky, mountains, blowing snow and some pine trees so don't expect that traditional infrared "look" (white leaves and grass) in these images. The thing to note is that no highlight or shadow was "out of range". There are NO blown out highlights and all shadows have good detail. There images are all high contrast situations."

Social Courtesy

Using social courtesies and customs are the glue that holds a culture together. Warren Hardy who has a language school in San Miguel says that in Mexico the basic courtesies came from Spain and you were considered educated based on whether or not you used the social forms. It was expected that the mother teach her children these courtesies and if her children did not learn them and use them she was not considered a proper mother. But we also have courtesies in the USA and as a Grandmother, I must say it is delightful to hear my grandsons using them. Their parents are doing a good job. Consider a recent call to the USA.

Ring......Ring.....
Hello, this is Jack Mercer speaking.
Hello Jack. This is Mimi. How are you?
I'm fine.
How is school?
Oh, it is good. I got my report card and I had A's and B+'s.
That is great. You are really working hard. How was Will's report card?
Oh, he is only in kindergarden and he doesn't get report cards yet.
Oh, I see........................Some other discussions.
May I speak to your father.
Yes, you may. Just one minute please.

Mexican Highway 57

About 30 minutes from our front door in San Miguel de Allende we get on Mexican Highway 57 and that is it until we cross the Rio Grande 8 hours later. Four lane divided highway. Most of it is a toll highway that by-passes cities and towns. Heavy truck traffic. Mexico 57 through the car window at 75 miles an hour.

The Most Expensive Photograph Ever Sold

The Pond - Moonlight

Made in 1904 by Edward Steichen and sold for $75 in 1906. Sold at auction in 2006 by Sotheby's for $2,928,000.

Framing Respect

Last night we went to a party and while talking to a friend, she asked if I sold my work here in San Miguel. I told her that I was preparing a show for Houston and at some point I would bring that work down and see about having a show here. She told me that she was helping someone decorate a house and she was thinking about using Black and White photographs made in Mexico in one place. I told her about the work from Xilitla that would be in the show. She then said that she was looking for the glass and holding clips so that the work would be displayed between two pieces of glass.

I guess my face told what I was thinking which was, that was not the way to display this work....that the work deserved more respect that that....because she then said, "you don't like that idea do you?" I was flustered. Flustered that I was such an open book and flustered that my reaction had been so strong that this was disrespectful of my work.

As we walked home I kept thinking about this incident. And on a rational level, I can tell myself that if someone is willing to buy a piece of my work it becomes their possession and they can frame it anyway they want. But on the emotional side of my brain I keep thinking that this is treating my work like a poster stuck on the wall between two pieces of glass with clips holding it all together. I don't want anyone to see my work on someone's wall as a "poster."

A Little Different

You can see it in their eyes when friends and family from the suburbs visit....here in San Miguel or in our inner-city neighborhood in Houston. It is a bit of a look of fear, a look full of questions about why would we want to live in a place like this...a place where things aren't all neat and regulated. I like to think somewhere in that look is also a look of wonder for being such an adventurer.

I first heard about "The Look" from my friend Guy more than 10 years ago. He and Debbie were inner-loop people, living in a neighborhood that had become somewhat out-of-fashion as people fled the city for larger more modern houses in the suburbs. Ned and I wanted to move IN from the 25-mile-OUT suburb we had lived in while raising our family so I was talking about different areas where we had been looking for lots or houses. Guy said if we did buy in those areas, I should be prepared to get....The Look. He said he got the look when family and friends were visiting and the alarm and sirens from a nearby Fire Station were heard or when standing in the front yard as friends arrived and a homeless person walked by pushing their grocery cart filled with all their possessions. Or when suburban friends were leaving their house at night and inquired about safety as they glanced up and down the street. He told me that not everyone could deal some of the messy details and ambiguity of inner city living. Then he told me some of the positives of it. He said you just have to be a little different to live in the inner city.

I guess the positives outweighed the negatives because we kept looking until we finally bought a lot in a old inner-city neighborhood. We were excited. Our friends Jan and Milton were excited for us and wanted to see where we were going to build our house. As we drove around the neighborhood, past the mostly boarded-up dilapidated "Wagon Wheel" house where we heard some people from a circus or carney show had lived or maybe still lived....I saw the look. Ahh....now I understood what Guy was talking about. I saw the look again and again after we moved in and old friends came to visit.

Bill, a friend and real estate developer from our suburban neighborhood, wanted to see what we were doing in town and he wanted to take a look at all the real estate development happening in the inner-city so one day I took him around town. While we chatted, I said, "Bill, I know you think we are a little bit crazy to leave our golf course community where everything is neat and tidy and move into this neighborhood." Bill talked with a slow drawl. He was a little older southern gentleman and he said, "Honey (with his slow drawl), I don't think you are crazy. I just think you are a little different."

A little different. That is how I felt last night. Friends from Houston were in town and came for a drink before we went out to eat. They liked our house. They asked a lot of questions about living in San Miguel. But we saw "The Look" and we knew they thought we were "A Little Different."

They're Coming

Yes, the Mangos are coming in season again. Hurrah! Hurrah! Last night we had friends over who are visiting from Houston. I made my Mango Salsa. Several of them wanted my recipe which was one of the first entries in my blog last March. I haven't been able to make it because the Mangos were expensive and they weren't the sweet variety that I like for it. Now I'm starting to see the buttery yellow skinned kind that are my favorite.

This morning we had pan dulces and plate of mangos, banana and oranges. Life is good!

Making Lists

We make lists of things we want to bring back from Houston.

The things on the "Grocery List" so far:

Capers - I can get capers here but I like the tiny ones and I can seldom find them here. The ones here are big with a thick skin and soft inside.

Bubbies pickles - Ned loves these garlicy dill pickles. You can buy them in the refrigerator cases at Whole Foods. We have never seen them here but Ned was looking at the writing on the jar and they are pickled and packed in Mexico.

Sweet pickles - I like sweet pickles. The other day I did see some at Bonanza but I'll probably bring back a jar of my favorite brand.

Chicken broth - We can never find canned or boxed chicken broth. I've learned to adapt...most of the time...by making my own chicken broth. But it is nice to know I have some boxes of chicken broth sitting in my cabinet when I need it.

Basmatic Rice, Polenta, Risotto, Wild Rice and Bulgar Wheat - I can find these here most of the time but not necessarily when I want it. I like to buy it in bulk at Central Market or Whole Foods and bring it back with me. It usually costs less than what I pay for it packaged or in bulk here.

Dried cherries - I have a couple of recipes that are great that use dried cherries. I've never seen them here.

Briana blush wine vinegarette and poppyseed dressing - I've found a pretty good poppyseed dressing here but nothing I like as well as the blush wine vinegarette which is my favorite when I don't make my own dressing.

Spagetti sauce - I can make a sauce from scratch but there are times when it is nice to start with a canned sauce and add "stuff" for a quick dinner. The canned sauce here is sweet, really sweet and rather pricey. I like the Classico sauces so I'll bring back 3 or 4 of them.

Italian sausage - I found some one time at a deli here in town but it wasn't very good. I haven't been able to find Italian sausage since then and neither has any of my friends.

Maple syrup - I don't use it a lot but nothing tastes the same as real maple syrup.

That is the "Food Bring Back List" as of today. Then there is the "Odds and Ends List" and then the "Photography List."

PC Decision Was a Good One

Some of you may remember last summer when I was researching computers and making the decision which one to buy. The first part of the decision involved making the decision to stay with a PC or go with a Mac. I've never used a Mac but most of my friends who are serious photographers swear that the Mac is better and faster than a PC for digital image file editing. The Mac users are almost like a cult. You just know that some of them are shaking their heads in superiority and clucking their tongues over my foolishness in trying to work with a PC. Of course, I have two friends here in San Miguel who have had serious problems with Macs which have been unresolveable even after going back to be repaired several times.

I stayed with a PC because whether PC or Mac, our desktop computers are in a state of some significant change. Mac is transitioning to the Intel chip and they have issues to solve. PCs are going with 64 bit processing and Microsoft hasn't yet released an operating system that will take advantage of the power. So a lot is up in the air and when computer stuff is up in the air it means there is the potential for conficts and problems.

I went with a PC with AMD 64 bit processors and the Windows XP media Center operating system. I really haven't heard much about the XP Media Center operating system but it seems to handle applications and additional hardware hanging on the CPU better than XP Pro. It was not an expensive computer and even after I added 2 video cards, 2 more HD and 2 Gigs of RAM, I was still under a $1000.

I had some concerns about how the machine would perform. While working on images for my show I really had the chance to put it to the test. Many of the images grew to more than 300 MB even though they were grayscale....layers and 16 bit files can become large fast. The only time I noticed any hesitation was when I applied some filters or saved one of these large files...it took maybe 2 seconds. Everything else seemed instanteous.

Maybe the 64-bit architecture and Macs move to Intel will make a big difference in the speed a computer. But right now this computer seems to meet my requirements and is working just fine.

I hope it will last long enough to let all the dust settle on all the new technology and software.

DONE

The images for the show are printed. Two sets. In the box and ready to travel to Houston.

I've loaded old outdated color film in the three Holga cameras and I'm going out to play.

Digital History

The older you get the faster time flies, they say. Well I think that it is true but where digital photography is concerned, time doesn't fly it seems faster than the speed of light. Last night I was thumbing through an 2002 copy of Camera Arts Magazine. I had to smile when I read about their recommendations for a Photoshop workstation....512 RAM. Then later in the magazine, they were writing about how you need a 256 compact flash card with a new Canon or Nikon digital camera.

Today, February 13, 2006, the standard is no less than 1 Gig of RAM and 2 or more are recommended to make photoshop run smoothly on a computer. I've just ordered two 2 Gig compact flash cards for my camera.

What will be the standard requirements for digital photography in 2010? Can I afford to keep up? That is the real question!

Fooling Around with a Drunk Chicken

If that title got your attention, you are probably going to be disappointed in this entry because it is about some variations I've tried on a recipe from Zarela Martinez cookbook, Food from My Heart, Cuisines of Mexico Remembered and Reimagined. She has a recipe for Pollo Borracho or Drunken Chicken.

I was kind of forced to do a variation on it last week because I didn't have all the ingredients but it turned out very well so I think I'll work on it some more and see if I can't perfect it. I was making this just for the two of us so I was also adjusting for fewer portions as well.

The recipe calls for golden raisins. I used currants and soaked them in Presidente brandy instead of sherry. Ned thought the dish was a little sweet but I liked the contrast of flavors....if I use currants I may have to use less because they may be sweeter than the golden raisins. I liked the color of the currants in the dish better than the golden raisins. I thought the reddish brown added color and contrast to the sauce where the raisins just blended in to the color of the sauce.

We had anchovy stuffed olives instead of the pimento stuffed ones that her recipe calls for and I used them but I wouldn't necessarily make that change. Zarela's recipe calls for whole pimento-stuffed green olives but I prefer them sliced. I have been thinking about substituting capers instead of olives and that would eliminate the decision on whole or sliced pimento stuffed ones.

I used pine nuts instead of almonds....Ned couldn't find any almonds at Espinos. Although the pine nuts worked, the whole blanched almonds may be a better choice....once again because of the "looks." The currants and the pinenuts are close to the same size and if I decide to add capers instead of olives, I'll have all this little round things in the sauce.

I added one roasted poblano cut up and that added a nice aroma and a bit of a ting. Although Zarela doesn't have pickled whole serrano chiles in the recipe, she says that her friend who developed the dish uses them and it makes the dish very picante. The roasted poblano is a nice compromise for the Gringo palate.

Zarela's recipe calls for tequila and white vinegar. I know, I thought the vinegar was a "different ingredient" too. She says add about 1/3 to 1 cup of vinegar...starting with 1/3 cup and then adding by the tablespoon until you like the taste. I used the tequila but cut back a lot on the vinegar but I do think it needs some vinegar to make the right complexity of flavors. I don't think adding the vinegar by the tablespoon and tasting works because as the sauce cooks the taste mellows so it is hard to know when to stop. I'll just use a specified amount....about 1/4 cup. For the tequila she recommends using Sauza or Herradura tequila. Since you are cooking the sauce and it has a wide variety of ingredients and the cooked tequila will leave only the flavor, I'm not sure that the eater of the recipe will know which brand of tequila was used.

I was thinking about how you could make this for a party. The whole chicken pieces of the recipe are hard to handle especially for a buffet, so I think I would use boneless thighs and legs cut into pieces. If I did that I'd need to cook the sauce until just about done and then add the browned chicken pieces back in because the smaller pieces will cook faster. I also think I would cook it all on the top of the stove instead of putting it in the oven.

You know I keep talking about making a little cookbook for here in San Miguel for friends but it may be more work than I want to do. It is one thing to make these variations for myself and adjust as I go along but to codify it for someone else to make might take all the fun out of it. And I'd need to get someone else to try the recipe to see if it could be followed. It is beginning to seem like a lot of work. Well, one of these days when I have time.....maybe.

250th Birthday

Last week was the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Monjas Church or by its official name, Immaculate Conception Temple, built during the 18th century by the Canal Family when one of their daughter's joined the order. At one time the beautiful building next door, that we now call the Bellas Artes, was the living quarters for the order. This was a special anniversary because it also marked the completion of a phase of some much needed restoration. As I would walk into town I would look up at its bell tower and wonder when the ball on the top of the bell tower was going to reach the point of leaning that it just toppled off and down. Now it is back in place and straight. Lighting was added which is a bonus for us because we can see the church from our terrace and when the lights are on, it is beautiful in the night sky. The roof and ceiling of the church are being repaired and waterproofed and the final part of the restoration will be the interior. I don't think the interior will need much repair because it is, in my opinion, the best kept and most beautiful of all the churches in San Miguel. Those nuns just give it the woman's touch. I think they collected every pink rose and white lily in all of Mexico for the interior of the church. Here you only see the altar but similar floral displays were all along the sides of the church as well. The new bell tower with it's new lights and with a rocket display.
The anniversary was marked with festivities for several days. We know at least one other order of nuns from Vera Cruz came to help celebrate and there may have been even more because there were so many nuns in the procession that wound from the Oratorio Church through town, visiting several other churches before it finally arrived at the Monjas Church just as the sun was going down. In addition to the procession, there were fireworks in the early morning and at night, there was a band that seemed to be non-stop for two days.
The nuns of the Immaculate Conception know how to throw a party.

Interpretations

I've been working on printing for the show. I have a few images that I've printed that initially I thought were finished but as I looked at them again, I saw that they didn't quite convey what I wanted the image to convey. What I want the whole group of photographs to convey is also becoming clearer as I print and look. Now it is about the subtlety of interpretation. So I spent one whole day this week reworking the image above which doesn't show up as well in this small JPG as it does in the 16x16 print.

When I first printed it I thought that maybe I needed to print it just a tad lighter but as I kept looking at it, I realized that wasn't going to work because the image looked too documentary. I didn't want documentary. I wanted the image to convey the "feeling" of the place. Strange, fantasy, misty, shadowy, mystical, ancient civilization, surreal.

After I printed the new interpretation, I showed the before and after images to Ned. He said he could see a little difference. A little difference? I saw a vast difference and once I had the new print, I cut the old one up. I would not want anyone else to see the old one. It just wasn't the "right" interpretation of my vision.

Sopa del Dia

We had soup for comida. I made it yesterday afternoon. It was some of the best soup I've made recently. It was basically a vegetable soup in a chicken stock with some nice little pieces of chicken.

The wings and boned chest cavity of a large chicken (or could be a couple of thighs)
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt

Cover with water then cover the pot and cook over low heat for an hour or so. Let cool and pull all the meat from the bones and return it to the stock.

2 small zucchinis quartered lengthwise and sliced in 1/4 inch dice.
1 or 2 carrots cut in dice similar to zucchini and so that you have a similar amount to the zucchini.

Add to stock and cook over low heat until they are almost tender.

Add one roasted poblano that is cut into 1/2 inch pieces. I make these ahead and wrap each individually and freeze them so that I have them to add to many dishes....after all we are in Mexico.
1 small can of corn or like amount of frozen corn...must be 1/2 to 3/4 cup of corn.

Cook until all is tender. If the liquid has cooked down add some canned chicken broth.
Add more salt and pepper as needed. Try substituting Caldo de Pollo for salt.

Serve in bowls and garnish with diced avocado and cubes of ranchero cheese.
This will make about 4 to 6 servings.

No....I don't know how much water I added at the beginning nor do I know how much chicken broth I added at the end but I had a pot full of soup. And no.....I don't have pictures of it either. I was so tired and hungry, I forgot and just ate my soup. But I assure you it was good and it was pretty. I especially liked the aroma and taste that the poblano pepper added.

Pricing Art

It is just a little more than a month before my show at Goldesberry Gallery opens and I'm in my usual dilemma......how to price the pieces for the market and hopefully make enough to recover a significant part of my costs. I'm talking about the out-of-pocket costs of just putting together a show.....mats, frame, glazing, paper, ink. This doesn't even consider the cost of camera equipment, computers, printers. And it certainly doesn't consider the cost of the time in shooting the images or interpreting them in the darkroom or via Photoshop.

Here I am worrying about this and last night I read an article in the current issue of Lenswork magazine, Issue 62, about the pricing of photography. Brooks Jensen titled the article "Trolling for Fools" and his writing pen was triggered when he received a catalogue with a photograph for sale by a relatively unknown photographer for $3700. He wrote about how many different things that $3700 could buy and then asked how many people would be willing to give up all these other things in their life to buy a piece of art.

First of all some of the things that go into what a buyer is will to pay has to do with how "famous" the photographer is....as in how many books he has produced, how many workshops he has given, which galleries represent him. Buyers also seem to consider the "size" of the piece. Right now, they seem to like BIG photographs. And then somewhere in there is consideration of the image....does the buyer "love" it.

Although being in a gallery seems to legitimize the art for a potential buyer from what I've been able to observe about selling photography through a gallery there are a few issues to be considered. It is difficult to even get into a gallery if your work is not priced high enough for the gallery to make a profit. The gallery typically takes 50% and some are starting to take 60% of the sales price. They have to pay their rent and utilities and hopefully have enough to pay themselves so they are figuring out how many of these pieces they have to sell to breakeven plus enough to make a little profit. They want to represent higher priced works. Galleries are about marketing art.

I've always thought that up to about $400 you can sell to almost anyone who sometimes buys art and happens to like that piece. These buyers are not necessarily collectors and while they want to know that they are buying from a serious fine art photographer they aren't as concerned about the resume. Above $400.....now it becomes a much bigger financial decision and you have eliminated the casual art buyer to someone who is more focused on collecting photography. The buying pool just got significantly reduced.

I may have many, many people come to the exhibition. I may be told that this is wonderful work. I can pretend that art isn't a commodity but it is. I can price it anywhere but the bottom-line is what is the price that will entice someone who likes the work to pull out their wallet or credit card.

I'm still trying to figure out where the buying point is for this work.

Super Party

We went to a Super Party yesterday. I was told it was a Super Bowl Party but I managed to never see any of the game. Mike and Barbara have a beautiful house on the hillside overlooking San Miguel with a big patio. The weather was beautiful so I stayed on the patio and visited with friends. The football fans gathered in the sala and while we did hear a cheer or two, it didn't seem to be a game that generated much excitement.

I met some new people, visited with old friends, had good food and a margarita or two. It really was a super party.

Now, let me see, who did I hear won the Super Bowl?

Crime in Paradise III

It has happened again. Just two weeks after my friend was raped. Another single woman living alone was raped in her home during the early morning hours. This time in Centro. The news is just starting to circulate but the gringos and especially the gringas are going to be outraged.

It isn't like the City government isn't concerned and isn't trying to do something about it but the justice system in Mexico is fragmented into different areas and they don't seem to share information or resources. The Mayor has been working with the Governor of the State to get additional resources and trying to improve procedures in the Ministerial Publico. I don't have a lot of faith that the police will arrest the rapist but at the same time I know that it is very difficult to find and arrest a serial rapist in the USA. Some people want to berate the police and city government, but we find ourselves wanting to see how we can help them within the parameters Mexican law. This is a very frightening situation but maybe if we all work together, the rapist will be caught and we will have a better investigative police department.

Candelaria - The Blessing of the Infant Jesus

The first I knew of Candelaria, was in Yucatan many years ago. We were traveling through small villages photographing the 16th Century churches. And on February 2, we were in Cholula. I was photographing in a church when people started coming in with small figures dressed as baby Jesus. We sat through the Mass and since then I have learned a bit more about the day.

By the middle of the 5th Century, Christians were lighting candles on February 2 to symbolize that Jesus Christ was the light, the truth and the way. But it appears that isn't the only significance attached to the day. In the Jewish religion, Mary would have been purified 40 days after the birth of Jesus so that she could enter the temple to worship. It is accepted that the infant Jesus was taken to the temple on his 40th day to be blessed.

Here in Mexico and perhaps in other Catholic countries, people take their home altar figures of baby Jesus all dressed in new clothes....remember when I told my readers at Christmas time about the booths of baby Jesus clothes that were being sold in the markets....to the church to be blessed. In addition they bring some candles to be blessed. And the people from the campos bring seeds that will soon be planted to be blessed.

It is the official end of the Christmas season but there are also symbolic gestures around the growing season.

Candelaria in Parque Juarez

In the first few weeks of February during Candelaria or Candelmas, Juarez Parque is filled with flower and plant vendors from all over Mexico. Juarez Parque is a very large park laid out in winding paths and bridges. More than half of the park walkways are lined with one vendor after another and the basketball court is filled with clay pots so no matter what you might want to buy for your garden, patio or terrace you can probably find it there.

Yesterday morning I found lots of schools were bringing the children to see the plants.

There is a riot of color. Blooming plants, herbs, palms, ferns...some very exotic ferns that I don't think stand a chance of living in this dry climate even with lots of water. It is so beautiful in the park that you can't resist just taking a walk through everyday. The prices are in line with what you normally pay at the viveros in town but there are plants that you can't get here at any other time. The orchids from VeraCruz are lovely but they were a bit pricey. A blooming phalaenopsis was $45 US. Most of the time in Houston I can get a similar plant for $15 to $30.
These photographs do not adequately capture the full experience Candelaria in Parque Juarez. I've tried over several years to photograph the flowers in the Parque. I can do "pretty" but not "essence" photographs. Maybe one of these days, I'll figure it out.

Happy Birthday, Gary

Today is Gary's birthday. The sons' birthdays are coming around too, too often and I'm not telling how old they are anymore.....it is making me look old!

Our Gary is a trained pianist from Manhattan School of Music, a talented chef, a successful business owner, Uncle Gary to his nephews and he is my food and party consultant. A very accomplished man with a quirky sense of humor and a great sense of style. We're pretty proud of him.

Happy Birthday Gary from Mom and Dad

A Little Music

This morning I had a message from Miguel Govea of the musical group La Familia Pena-Govea. He was inquiring about using one of my photographs that is on my site on Flickr for the cover of a CD. If you go to Miguel's site be sure to listen to some of the family's music.

"I love all your photographs. I think this one especially would make a beautiful cover for my family's upcoming cd recording, ............We are La Familia Pena-Govea, and we play acoustic Mexican and Colombian folk music in the San Francisco Bay Area. ...................... Thanks, Miguel Govea"

I've had some of the nicest experiences from being out in cyberspace...and a few that weren't so nice but the good outweighs the bad.

Life is just full of surprises.