I'm sure you have watched the television show where some man shows up to met a child with whom he has been having sexually explicit conversations within a chat room. Or you have read about a marriage breaking up because one of the partners found someone else over the Internet. Makes email and chat groups sound dangerous doesn't it?
But that hasn't been my experience. I've made dear friends over the Internet. Back in about 1991, I joined up with a group of photographers in a email group. That group has splintered and then both groups have added additional people. Over the years we have gotten to know the spouse and children, met up in locations or visited in each others homes. We've seen children grow up, been through marriages and divorces, job changes, illnesses. Friends....that is what we have become, that is what we are.
I've been blogging less than two years but I'm finding that I'm making the same kind of connections via blogs. I've met other bloggers on line and now I'm having the opportunity to met some of them in person. Several of them I know because they live here in San Miguel but last Saturday Ned and I met Deb and Chip for breakfast. It is like there wasn't any need for introductions because as soon as we walked into Cafe Colon we started talking and we talked and talked. Just wish we would have had more time but there will be another time.
Now I'm looking forward to meeting Nancy and Paul who will be in San Miguel for a day. Already I know that we'll have lots of things to talk about.
I wonder which blogger I'll actually meet next? Or maybe someone who doesn't have a blog but reads regularly will stop lurking, send an email and I'll get to know them as well as they know me.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Cancun Salad
What the heck is Cancun Salad? Here's the story.
When we first started going to Cancun, we were staying in Pat and Tom's condo in Cancun. This was when Cancun was a little more than a village, when the road from the airport to the city was one long stretch of sand and emerald/turquoise water, when the majority of people who went to Cancun were not on "All-inclusive" packages, when Carlos and Charlies was the biggest and raciest restaurant in town. When...well you get the picture, it was in the 80's.
We cooked in some nights and if we wanted a salad, we improvised because we were afraid to eat the lettuce. And so was born Cancun Salad....a salad of raw vegetables. Vegetables that we could scrub and disinfect to our satisfaction. Carrots, avocados, onion, green bell pepper (couldn't find a red or yellow bell pepper in Cancun then), zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato. Whatever looked good and crisp in the market. Maybe even some cheese. Add some salad dressing and there you have it, Cancun salad. A salad of anything but lettuce.
The Cancun Salad has become an important part of our diet while we don't have a kitchen. We get hungry for vegetables and some of the little places we eat serve rice and beans and guacamole but not a lot of salads or vegetables. So at least once a week, we buy a chicken from Pollo Feliz and make a Cancun salad. It is one delicious dinner!
When we first started going to Cancun, we were staying in Pat and Tom's condo in Cancun. This was when Cancun was a little more than a village, when the road from the airport to the city was one long stretch of sand and emerald/turquoise water, when the majority of people who went to Cancun were not on "All-inclusive" packages, when Carlos and Charlies was the biggest and raciest restaurant in town. When...well you get the picture, it was in the 80's.
We cooked in some nights and if we wanted a salad, we improvised because we were afraid to eat the lettuce. And so was born Cancun Salad....a salad of raw vegetables. Vegetables that we could scrub and disinfect to our satisfaction. Carrots, avocados, onion, green bell pepper (couldn't find a red or yellow bell pepper in Cancun then), zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato. Whatever looked good and crisp in the market. Maybe even some cheese. Add some salad dressing and there you have it, Cancun salad. A salad of anything but lettuce.
The Cancun Salad has become an important part of our diet while we don't have a kitchen. We get hungry for vegetables and some of the little places we eat serve rice and beans and guacamole but not a lot of salads or vegetables. So at least once a week, we buy a chicken from Pollo Feliz and make a Cancun salad. It is one delicious dinner!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
What is in the Water?
Before we had a house in San Miguel, I knew that everything seemed to bleach out quickly. So I bought white sheets so that we wouldn't have faded sheets but I just couldn't resist buying bright colored towels.
In five years that we have had our house in San Miguel, we have sheets that are getting holes in them and towels that were once a bright rust color that are now some sickly pinky-rusty color. I have bras that have disintegrated in 6 months time.
What is going on? We have a dryer so the wash isn't hanging in the sun. The maid isn't using bleach. What is in the water? If someone knows, please let me know.
In five years that we have had our house in San Miguel, we have sheets that are getting holes in them and towels that were once a bright rust color that are now some sickly pinky-rusty color. I have bras that have disintegrated in 6 months time.
What is going on? We have a dryer so the wash isn't hanging in the sun. The maid isn't using bleach. What is in the water? If someone knows, please let me know.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Concert
Friday and Saturday night there were concerts at the Angela Peralta Theater. On Friday night Huapangos Toreros, the duo of Gil Gutierrez and Wolfgang "lobo" Fink and on Saturday Gil, Cartas & Tuey with Agustin Bernal and the Queretaro String Quartet. We've heard some of these accomplished musicians before. Bass Guitar, banjo, guitar, acoustic bass and violin. Tom and Dianne had asked us if we would like to go on Friday but then Tom found out that the musicians would be playing at Bella Italia Restaurant after the concert. We decided to go to the restaurant.
Wouldn't you know that it was cold and raining Friday night when we left the house to go to Tom and Dianne's for a drink before we headed into town. A glass of wine and it is still raining so Dianne and I grab a cab and the guys walk into town. We had a great dinner. About the time we finished dinner the musicians were coming in and setting up. We sat there for two hours listening to an evening of amazing music. The musicians had already played a concert and it seemed to us like now they were just playing for the fun of it, a conversation in music, back and forth, enjoying the music and enjoying each other. It was magical. World class talent in this town. It is hard to believe that such talent entertained the 50 or so people in the restaurant.
When we walked out of Bella Italia near midnight, the rain had stopped. We walked home. This town still amazes me.
Wouldn't you know that it was cold and raining Friday night when we left the house to go to Tom and Dianne's for a drink before we headed into town. A glass of wine and it is still raining so Dianne and I grab a cab and the guys walk into town. We had a great dinner. About the time we finished dinner the musicians were coming in and setting up. We sat there for two hours listening to an evening of amazing music. The musicians had already played a concert and it seemed to us like now they were just playing for the fun of it, a conversation in music, back and forth, enjoying the music and enjoying each other. It was magical. World class talent in this town. It is hard to believe that such talent entertained the 50 or so people in the restaurant.
When we walked out of Bella Italia near midnight, the rain had stopped. We walked home. This town still amazes me.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Color to Black and White
This afternoon I played with some color files....including changing them to Black and White. Not sure where this is going.Friday, January 26, 2007
Conspiracy Theory
In this post I was worried about Parque Juarez being able to host the Candelaria plant and flower vendors exhibition/sale starting the second of February because of all of the infrastructure/street repair going on all around it. Now I've heard it from several sources, the Candelaria Plant Sale is being moved to the big Parking Lot on Cardo because of the construction. It is a shame because everyone loved to go to the plant sales and walk along the meandering paths in the park under the shade of the trees and enjoy the riots of color.
Much more inviting than the parking lot.
I don't know how the Mexicans feel about this change but I can tell you that a few of the Gringos are upset. They seem to be taking it as a personal attack on the Gringos and they are writing on chat lines that this is a conspiracy to justify building the parking lot.
The number of cars, traffic and the parking problems that are happening in San Miguel are sufficient justification for building the parking lot. The growth and development of San Miguel are sufficient reason to do some serious work on the infrastructure.
Give me a break and lose the conspiracy theory mentality!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
A Little Spanish, A Little English
La Arquitecta is studying English because she wants to grow her client base with the expat community. I practice my Spanish with her and she practices her English with me. Yesterday she called on the phone. We exchanged the pleasantries, Buenas Dias, Como esta?, Muy Bien, Gracias, y Usted?
She had something to report on the kitchen remodel and since she thought that some of it went beyond my Spanish or her English, she asked to speak to Ned. He wasn't here but she still needed to convey the information. So she told me as much as she could in English and then reverted to Spanish. I responded with as much Spanish as I could and then reverted to English. By this time we were both giggling knowing that we were murdering verb tenses and misplaced pronouns. But I understood what she was telling me.
Today, I stopped at a shop to ask about a daybed they have near the front door. With my Spanish I was able to find out that they can get it for me without the upholstery because I want a fabric that they don't have and what the cost would be and how long it would take to get it. But that they couldn't get it with the wood stained a darker color. I was pleased that I was able to do this because a lot of times when I know I want to use my Spanish I will think about what I want to say or even write it out before I go so that I can ask my questions. This time I was winging it.
Now I have to admit that both La Arquitecta and the people in the shop hear the expat's poor Spanish often so they kind of have an ear for how we mispronounce Spanish but still I was pleased that I struggled through the conversations. Sometimes, I can't understand some one's Spanish because they have an accent or they speak very fast or sometimes they kind of sing the words together. Well this happens for La Arquitecta too. Last week she called Ned to ask him to call one of the houses that she manages because there was a guest there who she couldn't understand at all but there was a problem at the house. Ned called and talked to him and said he had a very heavy New York or New Jersey accent. By the way, La Arquitecta's English teacher is from England so she has to adjust for our Texas English accents.
While Ned was at the bank this week, he did our transactions in Spanish and the bank officer told him his Spanish was very good. She said that they had some clients who had lived in San Miguel for 20 years who still couldn't speak any Spanish. I think that is a shame. I don't think I'll ever be fluent but I can do better than a little Spanish and it is time to get back to studying Spanish. After all, I live in Mexico.
She had something to report on the kitchen remodel and since she thought that some of it went beyond my Spanish or her English, she asked to speak to Ned. He wasn't here but she still needed to convey the information. So she told me as much as she could in English and then reverted to Spanish. I responded with as much Spanish as I could and then reverted to English. By this time we were both giggling knowing that we were murdering verb tenses and misplaced pronouns. But I understood what she was telling me.
Today, I stopped at a shop to ask about a daybed they have near the front door. With my Spanish I was able to find out that they can get it for me without the upholstery because I want a fabric that they don't have and what the cost would be and how long it would take to get it. But that they couldn't get it with the wood stained a darker color. I was pleased that I was able to do this because a lot of times when I know I want to use my Spanish I will think about what I want to say or even write it out before I go so that I can ask my questions. This time I was winging it.
Now I have to admit that both La Arquitecta and the people in the shop hear the expat's poor Spanish often so they kind of have an ear for how we mispronounce Spanish but still I was pleased that I struggled through the conversations. Sometimes, I can't understand some one's Spanish because they have an accent or they speak very fast or sometimes they kind of sing the words together. Well this happens for La Arquitecta too. Last week she called Ned to ask him to call one of the houses that she manages because there was a guest there who she couldn't understand at all but there was a problem at the house. Ned called and talked to him and said he had a very heavy New York or New Jersey accent. By the way, La Arquitecta's English teacher is from England so she has to adjust for our Texas English accents.
While Ned was at the bank this week, he did our transactions in Spanish and the bank officer told him his Spanish was very good. She said that they had some clients who had lived in San Miguel for 20 years who still couldn't speak any Spanish. I think that is a shame. I don't think I'll ever be fluent but I can do better than a little Spanish and it is time to get back to studying Spanish. After all, I live in Mexico.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Our Clown
Dexter is the youngest grandson. He'll be two in April. He is a clown. He is into everything and he does the funniest things (well, his Mom and Dad don't think all of them are funny) and he wants you to laugh at his antics and his sense of what is funny is pretty good. So different than the other three grandsons who are more serious and are embarrassed if you laugh at something they did.
Recently his Mom wrote:
Recently his Mom wrote:
"So I was sitting in the bedroom thinking that I had not heard anything from Dexter in a while. That is usually not a good sign. Just then, Dexter walked in with his adornment of bibs (for some reason lately he likes to wear ALL of them). He had a proud smile and his hair seemed all wet. I didn't hear any water running. As I stroked my hand across his hair I found out why. It wasn't water in his hair. He had gotten into the tub of diaper ointment that we kept, until now, on one of the lower shelves of the changing table. It is basically petroleum jelly with some vitamins and scents added.He did not want it washed out of his hair, and he was very upset that I would take the tub of "hair gel" out of his reach.He loved his new gel styles for several days as they shampooed and shampooed his hair.So I did what any good parent would do. I took pictures.This is our favorite. It explains Dexter so well. You can see his collection of bibs worn proudly. And notice the hair waxed down--no flyaways here. But what says it all is, in the background, you can see his little finger getting ready to turn off the printer while mom is working at the computer."
A New Winter Storm
My in-house weathercaster had told me last night that the weather was suppose to change today....rain and cold. And sure enough this morning it was overcast when I left for Yoga. I met Barbara after yoga for coffee but I decided that hot chocolate would help take the chill off. By the time we left La Buena Vida it had started raining and the temperature was definitely dropping.
Then I met Ned in the Jardin so we could go to the bank (see the previous entry about that experience) and when we came out an hour or so later, it was raining, damp and cold. Not your usual mid-day weather in San Miguel in January. More like Houston winter weather. We opened our umbrellas and walked to the grocery store for necessities like toilet paper and wine and as we walked we talked about what we were going to do for comida. I said some soup would be warming and good. Ned agreed.
We stopped at Hecho en Mexico and it was so crowded that we had to eat in the bar. Some chips, some guacamole, some tortilla soup in the cozy bar really hit the spot as we talked about our recent banking experience, about the mail, about the weather, about the common everyday things that make up our life here. We gave each other a discrete little hug as we sat there smiling and talking. Life is good.
Oh, to finish up about the weather......it is suppose to be down into the 30's tonight. I think we'll stay home, light the fireplace in the studio and turn on the warming blankets when we go to bed.
Then I met Ned in the Jardin so we could go to the bank (see the previous entry about that experience) and when we came out an hour or so later, it was raining, damp and cold. Not your usual mid-day weather in San Miguel in January. More like Houston winter weather. We opened our umbrellas and walked to the grocery store for necessities like toilet paper and wine and as we walked we talked about what we were going to do for comida. I said some soup would be warming and good. Ned agreed.
We stopped at Hecho en Mexico and it was so crowded that we had to eat in the bar. Some chips, some guacamole, some tortilla soup in the cozy bar really hit the spot as we talked about our recent banking experience, about the mail, about the weather, about the common everyday things that make up our life here. We gave each other a discrete little hug as we sat there smiling and talking. Life is good.
Oh, to finish up about the weather......it is suppose to be down into the 30's tonight. I think we'll stay home, light the fireplace in the studio and turn on the warming blankets when we go to bed.
A Driver's License Too?
We are opening a new account at a financial institution here in San Miguel. We already have one type of account at the same institution but this is a different type account and so none of the paper work and identification from the first account applies for this account. We asked about that but they looked at us like we were a bit simple minded and and told us that the first paper work is in the other department. Okay, we understand that paperwork is in the room next door so we'll do whatever we need to do.
Ned had started the process the other day when he brought in his passport and an electric bill showing that they were billing him at the address where we live. But now in order for me to be able to have signature authorization on this account, they told him that we had to sign the paperwork together and I would need my passport. Today we back and ready to complete opening the account. I laid my passport on the table. And the bank officer said, "I need your driver's license." I don't carry my Texas driver's license with me in San Miguel unless I expect to be driving the car. "But why do we need it? It is a USA driver's license and does not have our San Miguel address. Do you want my FM3?" We asked because the FM3 has a photo ID and our San Miguel address. "Oh, no" she replied. "I need your driver's license." This had been discussed in Spanish. Ned's Spanish is much, much better than mine but we compared our translations while she was away from the desk, trying to figure out the logic behind the driver's license. We couldn't.
There was another bank officer at the next desk and we had heard her speaking English to someone else, so Ned asked her about the driver's license requirement while our officer was away from the desk making copies. She concurred that I must have MY Texas driver's license and a passport but Ned didn't need his driver's license because the house is in his name and the electric bill and his passport was all that he needed. Ned said, "But what if someone doesn't have a driver's license?" Her look said that it would be a BIG problem.
We have talked and talked trying to figure out the logic for this. If they had asked for a marriage license or a second photo ID or an FM3, okay we could see some logic. What are we missing? Have we lost something in the translation? If you can figure it out please comment. But tomorrow I'm taking my Texas driver's license so we can complete opening our account.
Ned had started the process the other day when he brought in his passport and an electric bill showing that they were billing him at the address where we live. But now in order for me to be able to have signature authorization on this account, they told him that we had to sign the paperwork together and I would need my passport. Today we back and ready to complete opening the account. I laid my passport on the table. And the bank officer said, "I need your driver's license." I don't carry my Texas driver's license with me in San Miguel unless I expect to be driving the car. "But why do we need it? It is a USA driver's license and does not have our San Miguel address. Do you want my FM3?" We asked because the FM3 has a photo ID and our San Miguel address. "Oh, no" she replied. "I need your driver's license." This had been discussed in Spanish. Ned's Spanish is much, much better than mine but we compared our translations while she was away from the desk, trying to figure out the logic behind the driver's license. We couldn't.
There was another bank officer at the next desk and we had heard her speaking English to someone else, so Ned asked her about the driver's license requirement while our officer was away from the desk making copies. She concurred that I must have MY Texas driver's license and a passport but Ned didn't need his driver's license because the house is in his name and the electric bill and his passport was all that he needed. Ned said, "But what if someone doesn't have a driver's license?" Her look said that it would be a BIG problem.
We have talked and talked trying to figure out the logic for this. If they had asked for a marriage license or a second photo ID or an FM3, okay we could see some logic. What are we missing? Have we lost something in the translation? If you can figure it out please comment. But tomorrow I'm taking my Texas driver's license so we can complete opening our account.
New Look
See what happens when you can't sleep. I haven't been totally happy with the way the blog looked and I'm not sure about this template either. I'll look at it some more before I decide.
Archive #2
Salisbury Cathedral in England, 1996. I was shooting with a Pentax 645, TriX film and of course on a tripod. We made several trips to England while a son and his family were living there. I tried to photograph all of the Christopher Wren churches in London and also found out about the Church Trust which takes care of many of the tiny village churches which are seldom used. I photographed in a few of them also while we were in the countryside.Saturday, January 20, 2007
Passports and Mexico
The USA is initiating a requirement that if you fly in and out of the country, you must have a passport. Somehow this is suppose to reduce the chance that a terrorist can get into the USA.
My immediate thought about this requirement is that the government just raised the cost for family and friends to come see us. $100 per person cost increase unless they already have a passport. Well, all of the family doesn't have passports, especially the grandchildren but now they will have to get one even to come just one time in the next 10 years. I think we need to be sure that the sons have passports just in case there was an emergency with one or both of us here in Mexico so that one of them could come to help us quickly and not have to wait for several days even for an expedited passport (if the government still allows the expedited process).
This is how it affects us on a personal level but this new passport regulation will be a blow to the Mexican tourist industry. Lots of people who never traveled other places around the globe traveled to Mexico. We have been able to visit our neighbor to the South with a birth certificate and photo ID but not any more. It is estimated that 330,000 of those US citizens will decide not to get passports to be able to come to Mexico. That will reduce tourist spending in Mexico by 2.7 billion dollars and it will eliminate 95,000 jobs in the tourist industry.
Do you feel safer now that American citizens need a passport to go to Mexico and then return to the USA?
My immediate thought about this requirement is that the government just raised the cost for family and friends to come see us. $100 per person cost increase unless they already have a passport. Well, all of the family doesn't have passports, especially the grandchildren but now they will have to get one even to come just one time in the next 10 years. I think we need to be sure that the sons have passports just in case there was an emergency with one or both of us here in Mexico so that one of them could come to help us quickly and not have to wait for several days even for an expedited passport (if the government still allows the expedited process).
This is how it affects us on a personal level but this new passport regulation will be a blow to the Mexican tourist industry. Lots of people who never traveled other places around the globe traveled to Mexico. We have been able to visit our neighbor to the South with a birth certificate and photo ID but not any more. It is estimated that 330,000 of those US citizens will decide not to get passports to be able to come to Mexico. That will reduce tourist spending in Mexico by 2.7 billion dollars and it will eliminate 95,000 jobs in the tourist industry.
Do you feel safer now that American citizens need a passport to go to Mexico and then return to the USA?
NOW
One of my sweet daughters-in-law gives me a subscription to Yoga Journal Magazine every year for my birthday. The latest issue had an article about living in the Now. So I've been thinking about when I have been in the NOW. It is a wonderful place to be. NOW is about being in the moment....having all of your senses involved in what is happening. So much of my life was spent living in..........not sure what to call it...........maybe living in the past or living in the future, living without awareness. Baby crying in the crib, lunches to make, plans for a business meeting. I wasn't aware of the light, the smells, the touch, the sounds of what was happening NOW. Oh your brain registers these things but there is no time to be "with" them, to savor them. I was in a vortex of activity, tied to worrying about the past and worrying about the uncertainty of the future. It seems like much of my life has been spent "doing" instead of "being."
I've had several conversations with friends about the uncertainty of the future. Who knows what is going to happen tomorrow or next week or next year. I've never known what was going to happen in the future but at my age, I'm so much more aware of this fact. So more and more I'm learning to cherish what is happening NOW. To delight in the light on a leaf, the roosters crowing, the soft breeze on the terrace, the setting sun glistening on the windows across town, a walk with Ned, a phone call from a son. The future holds whatever the future holds, but NOW, this moment, life is wonderful.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Parque Juarez
I was wandering in Parque Juarez today with the camera. In just two weeks the Candelaria will be in the park. The park will be full of flower vendors, the streets around the park will be full of their vans and taxis will be cruising for fares. I don't know how that is going to work out because on three sides of the park major contruction is underway and the street is narrowed to one lane.Shot today in Parque Juarez with the holga lens cap on a digital camera.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Archives #1
Since I'm going back through my digital files and negatives and trying to get better organized in 2007, I'm going to post some of the old images from time to time. This one was made with my favorite Holga camera with film in 2004 in the back gardens at the Instituto. The thing I love about this particular Holga camera is how it makes a double image in the lower right hand corner. And of course the red in the top right is some light leak even though it was taped up. As I looked through this set of holga film scans from the rolls of film shot at the Instituto, I was reminded that I do take a different point of view with the film holga over what I have done so far with the digital holga. Interesting how I'm responding differently with the two tools.San Miguel's Parking Problem
San Miguel has traffic problems. I heard that during the holidays the traffic was bumper-to-bumper gridlock throughout the centro. Although the gringos were affected too, the majority of the traffic is Mexican cars and trucks. And of course with all the cars parking is a problem in the narrow streets especially since they are starting to limit more and more where you can park on the street in the centro. We have noticed that more cars are getting parked in our Colonia because it is an easy walk into town.The City Fathers and the State of Guanajuato decided that this situation needed to be addressed so they took the soccer fields and built a huge parking lot. It is in a pretty good place so that you could walk into town or if you walk about two blocks you are at Ancha de San Antonio which is a major bus route and you can hop a bus to where you want to go in the centro. They also made space for buses to load and unload right by the parking lot and we have been told that the city has requested bids for a bus route that will circulate from the parking lot to the centro. Doesn't all of this sound good?
The picture above is approximately 1/2 of San Miguel's new parking lot. The rest of it is to the left of the yellow building on the top left. If you look really hard at the center of the picture you will see five, maybe six cars parked in the parking lot. Now San Miguel has two parking problems. First, narrow streets that are congested with parked cars and moving cars and secondly a nice parking lot that no one is parking in.
I'm not a city planner but my guess as to why people aren't parking there would be that the parking costs 9 pesos an hour and that unless you are a resident you probably don't know that the parking lot exists on this side street since there is only one sign that I know of that points to the lot. Nine pesos an hour is a lot for the Mexicans but the gringos gripe about it too. There are no discounts or weekly rates to encourage people who drive in and work in the downtown to park here. No lower prices at night. Marketing wasn't my major but it just seems like to me that if they lowered the cost and had more than five or six cars parked there they would make as much money AND they would reduce the congestion in the centro.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Sunset in Cortijo
We went to a party in Cortijo and the hosts said to come at 6:00 PM so we could see the sunset from the terraza. They have a 360 degree view of the countryside and it was a beautiful warm, balmy night. Hard to believe that some of my readers are suffering through snow and ice storms this weekend.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Ex-Pats or Loco Gringos
A month ago I wrote about the opening of Mega a new super market here in town. One of our ex-pat community talked to the Manager of the new store and the Manager told him that he would see about stocking items available in Mexico that the Gringos wanted. This was posted on one of the chat groups here in town. Now the list has been finalized and would you believe that they are going to take a list to him that includes:
- 13 sauces
- 28 cans and jars of food items
- 13 cold dairy items
- 11 frozen food items
- 46 general food items
- 4 meats
Okay, so you may be thinking that the list is long. True, but it is more than just a long list, it also embarrasses me since I'm a part of this ex-pat community. It embarrasses me because they are asking the manager to get things like Kitchen Bouquet sauce, Crisco, Ro-tel brand canned tomatoes, canned pineapples in juice (not heavy syrup), Van Camps Pork and Beans, Pillsbury Ready to Bake biscuits and Crescent Rolls, Marie Calender's Frozen Meals and chicken pot pies, McCain's Steel-cut oatmeal, Asian rice crackers, Chai latte tea mix. It embarrasses me because many of the items on the list are already available here in the Bonanza and Espino markets or in Carey's which specializes in bringing in food for the gringos. It embarrasses me because they are ignoring a Mexican equivalent food item. It embarrasses me because some of the ex-pats think that the new Mega super market was built just to service their needs.
We are living in Mexico! And yes, I know that at times we all miss a food item that we ate in the USA and we can't find here. But to present this long list of items to the Manager of Mega, some of them are not even available in Mexico and some of them will only be bought two times a year by maybe three people in the whole town, makes the ex-pat community look like Loco Gringos.
Passion
A passion for something usually translates into obsession....no matter what the passion is for. I've just read Heat by Bill Buford. The book is about how Bill's interest in cooking led him into working in a famous New York City kitchen and going on to seek out the best chefs and butchers in the food world to learn more about food. As I read about some of his "ah ha" moments, I found myself equating them to some of my "ah ha" moments in photography.
When he first started working in the NYC kitchen it seemed like a mass of confusion was happening around him and he felt uncertain and awkward with the food prep. But after he had cut bushels of carrots into julienne strips or boned hundreds of quail, the knife was sure, an extension of his hand. He writes about cooking polenta day after day and suddenly he understood what was happening inside the bubbling cauldron. He writes about suddenly realizing that he understood where something was in the cooking process without looking at it just by hearing the noise it was making on the grill or in the pan.
I can remember reading Ansel Adam's book on the negative and trying to comprehend the "Zone System." On a surface level, I got it but on a deeper level, I didn't have it. It was a constant concern for exposure. At some point, I found my way to expose roll film to get what I needed. Soon all that reading and re-reading, testing and re-testing was in the past, I didn't just know the mechanics of what I needed to do, I looked at what I was photographing and my fingers just moved to make the adjustments to the camera. Yes, the brain processed the information but it could now do it in the background while I worked on finding the best image.
Another thing he wrote about was how the great chefs are obsessive about their ingredients and process. Only a certain steel for sharpening knives, a certain rolling pin for pasta dough because the grain of the wood makes a difference, only meat raised in a certain way. Because all of these tiny choices makes the difference between a four-star restaurant and a one-star restaurant.
Photographers are like that about their materials, equipment and process. We worry about whether to process images in the ProPhoto or Adobe RGB working space, perceptual or realistic rendering, whether a profile blocks any of the shadows or highlights, about "sparkles" on a paper surface, do we have enough pixels, darkroom chemistry, and on and on. When we talk with another photographer, we may discuss how the ink sits on a new paper or the process another photographer is using or the size of a sensor in a new camera, the characteristics of a lens. We have voracious appetites for seeing and evaluating images in books and in galleries. We know that all these obsessive details make a difference in the final print. It makes a difference between a one-star print and a four-star print................PROVIDED, that is, that the image is worth all this obsession and passion to begin with. Hopefully our passion will also translate into images worth all this obsessive behavior.
When he first started working in the NYC kitchen it seemed like a mass of confusion was happening around him and he felt uncertain and awkward with the food prep. But after he had cut bushels of carrots into julienne strips or boned hundreds of quail, the knife was sure, an extension of his hand. He writes about cooking polenta day after day and suddenly he understood what was happening inside the bubbling cauldron. He writes about suddenly realizing that he understood where something was in the cooking process without looking at it just by hearing the noise it was making on the grill or in the pan.
I can remember reading Ansel Adam's book on the negative and trying to comprehend the "Zone System." On a surface level, I got it but on a deeper level, I didn't have it. It was a constant concern for exposure. At some point, I found my way to expose roll film to get what I needed. Soon all that reading and re-reading, testing and re-testing was in the past, I didn't just know the mechanics of what I needed to do, I looked at what I was photographing and my fingers just moved to make the adjustments to the camera. Yes, the brain processed the information but it could now do it in the background while I worked on finding the best image.
Another thing he wrote about was how the great chefs are obsessive about their ingredients and process. Only a certain steel for sharpening knives, a certain rolling pin for pasta dough because the grain of the wood makes a difference, only meat raised in a certain way. Because all of these tiny choices makes the difference between a four-star restaurant and a one-star restaurant.
Photographers are like that about their materials, equipment and process. We worry about whether to process images in the ProPhoto or Adobe RGB working space, perceptual or realistic rendering, whether a profile blocks any of the shadows or highlights, about "sparkles" on a paper surface, do we have enough pixels, darkroom chemistry, and on and on. When we talk with another photographer, we may discuss how the ink sits on a new paper or the process another photographer is using or the size of a sensor in a new camera, the characteristics of a lens. We have voracious appetites for seeing and evaluating images in books and in galleries. We know that all these obsessive details make a difference in the final print. It makes a difference between a one-star print and a four-star print................PROVIDED, that is, that the image is worth all this obsession and passion to begin with. Hopefully our passion will also translate into images worth all this obsessive behavior.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Another New Blog
Paul and Nancy are getting ready to move to Mexico and they are blogging about their experiences. I've added Count Down to Mexico to the links under South of the Border. I think their blog will be interesting to those of us who live in Mexico as well as anyone who is thinking about making the leap South of the Border.
Still No Kitchen....Now I'm NOT Laughing
Up until now, I've been "entertained" by the kitchen remodeling process. Now I'm starting to get aggravated....some might even say bitchy. In my last post about the remodel I was laughing along with La Gringa about starting the year with two kitchens and ending the year with no kitchen. Today no laughing, not even a smile.
Today la arquitecta went with us to the granite place to see the new slab of granite and to be sure that they still had the "pattern" so that this time the hole for the sink would be in the right place. And of course, to talk about why they kept breaking the slab. We went out into the shop and they found the new slab and moved it so that we could see it. The color and pattern matched but the slab had a hairline crack that ran about 1/2 of the way into the slab, barely noticeable but it was there and it was in the middle of the slap where the hole for the sink would have to be cut as well as the holes for the water connections for the faucet. After much discussion, we rejected the slab. I was so glad we had la arquitecta with us as the lead spokesperson because she wasn't backing down, not one bit. I can't imagine why they would even want to cut that piece of granite for us knowing that it is likely to break along the fissure. So now we wait for 10 days, more or less, probably more, for another slab of granite to arrive. Who knows if the color and pattern will match or it that slab might be flawed.
Now you know why I'm not laughing!
Today la arquitecta went with us to the granite place to see the new slab of granite and to be sure that they still had the "pattern" so that this time the hole for the sink would be in the right place. And of course, to talk about why they kept breaking the slab. We went out into the shop and they found the new slab and moved it so that we could see it. The color and pattern matched but the slab had a hairline crack that ran about 1/2 of the way into the slab, barely noticeable but it was there and it was in the middle of the slap where the hole for the sink would have to be cut as well as the holes for the water connections for the faucet. After much discussion, we rejected the slab. I was so glad we had la arquitecta with us as the lead spokesperson because she wasn't backing down, not one bit. I can't imagine why they would even want to cut that piece of granite for us knowing that it is likely to break along the fissure. So now we wait for 10 days, more or less, probably more, for another slab of granite to arrive. Who knows if the color and pattern will match or it that slab might be flawed.
Now you know why I'm not laughing!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Running a Little Late
Back in October we called Oscar, our favorite painter to come give us a quote on the painting that needed to be done for our kitchen remodel. Oscar is an artist and he is wonderful with colors or with decorative painting on furniture and walls. Because he is wonderful lots of people who are building big houses are using him. Oscar said he was very busy at the time and couldn't come for several months but he had someone working with him now who was also good and he would send him to give us a quote....on Wednesday at 11:00 AM. Well that Wednesday at 11:00 AM came and went along with many other Wednesdays at 11:00 AM between October and January but no one showed up to give us a quote.
We decided that Oscar was just being a polite Mexican and didn't want to tell us "NO" so we moved on to find someone else. But low and behold today on a Monday, not a Wednesday, but about 11:00 AM, someone rings the bell. It is the man that Oscar sent. He said he was a little late but he was here to give us a quote.
We got his name and phone number just in case......'cause ya never know when you'll need a painter.
We decided that Oscar was just being a polite Mexican and didn't want to tell us "NO" so we moved on to find someone else. But low and behold today on a Monday, not a Wednesday, but about 11:00 AM, someone rings the bell. It is the man that Oscar sent. He said he was a little late but he was here to give us a quote.
We got his name and phone number just in case......'cause ya never know when you'll need a painter.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
New Blog
Today I met John Wood....for the second time but this time I found out he has a blog. I've checked it out. It is articulate and original and has some great photographs. I've added his blog to my South of the Border links. I think once you have checked it out, you'll be adding it to your favorites too.
Feeling the Light
Yes I know this is a weird image. But I like it. I like it because it FEELS like the light. You're in the car and the sun is dropping lower in the sky in front of you, the pavement looks like a ribbon of silver and it feels like you can see sunbeams and you are driving into the sun.Light is what photography is all about but sometimes the holga lens lets me feel the light not just photograph the light. This image was made with the holga lens on a digital camera.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Across the Border
We crossed the bridge at Laredo this morning at 6:30 AM. At the immigration check point we were stopped. For the last three or four years when we have gone through immigration the guys never got up from their chairs and just looked and waved us on. This morning the immigration people were standing in the lanes and asked our nationality and we showed them our FM-3 and FM-2. They had flashlights and they actually checked....not just to see that we had one but they also checked renewal dates. Our papers were in order and they handed the them back and waved us on our way. We got a green light and we headed South into Mexico.The service stations that have nice food centers were packed. At this one we had to wait in line for a pump so we could gas up. Still lots of cars, going North and going South, loaded with people and with suitcases and toys tied down on top.
No problems. We're home.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Wrapping Up
It is hard to believe that we have been here 17 days. So much has happened that it seems like much longer than 17 days. It has been wonderful. A vacation in Houston, a city that I know and love. Now it is time to head for home.
It seems strange to be headed "home" after the holidays because for years we would take off a few days after Christmas for Cancun or San Miguel or somewhere in Mexico for a vacation. Over the last 20 years we have probably seen the New Year in more often in Mexico than we have in the USA. It seems like for three or four years our Anniversary dinner on December 28th was in Saltillo at a lovely restaurant as we overnighted on the drive to San Miguel.
We spent yesterday getting organized. Mostly our suitcases are packed. The stuff we bought to take back is in large plastic tubs. Now we just have to figure out a way to get it all in the car. It is always a little tense as we figure out how to get everything loaded.
When we were headed to Mexico for a vacation I looked forward to the drive. It was an adventure. But now we are headed home. I just want to be there.
It seems strange to be headed "home" after the holidays because for years we would take off a few days after Christmas for Cancun or San Miguel or somewhere in Mexico for a vacation. Over the last 20 years we have probably seen the New Year in more often in Mexico than we have in the USA. It seems like for three or four years our Anniversary dinner on December 28th was in Saltillo at a lovely restaurant as we overnighted on the drive to San Miguel.
We spent yesterday getting organized. Mostly our suitcases are packed. The stuff we bought to take back is in large plastic tubs. Now we just have to figure out a way to get it all in the car. It is always a little tense as we figure out how to get everything loaded.
When we were headed to Mexico for a vacation I looked forward to the drive. It was an adventure. But now we are headed home. I just want to be there.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
A Birthday Card
Mike and Betsy gave me a birthday card that makes me giggle everytime I think about it so I'm sharing. I think that my mature readers will have a chuckle too!
SENIOR BIRTHDAY PRAYER
God grant me the senility to forget
the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do
and the eyesight to tell the difference.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Digital Holga at 1600 ISO
The Canon 5D is set at 1600 ISO and I used the Holga lens then cropped square and added some vignetting to make it look more like a 6x6 holga image. Some noise yes at 1600 ISO but it opens up lot of possibilities for handholding and shooting in low light. Also with this image, the lens was unscrewed from the body cap and held away just a bit so I could focus. When I'm back in SMA I have some close up filters that I can try on the front of the lens. I think this could get interesting.Monday, January 01, 2007
No Kitchen
I had a good laugh when I read the comment that La Gringa wrote to the blog about what had happened in 2006.....selling the house in Houston and starting a major kitchen remodel in San Miguel.
I did notice that you started out the year with two kitchens and ended up with none. Haha.
She is right. We still don't have a kitchen. I thought we would have one when we returned to San Miguel after Christmas but we don't and it is a long story.
The kitchen cabinets went in just a few days later than expected and then the granite company from Queretaro came to measure. They came back on Friday before we left to install the granite. While they were working la arquitecta, Ned and I went up to the studio to talk. After a while I slipped back down the stairs to see how things were progressing. It looked like the biggest piece of granite, the one with the sink was installed. The three guys were standing there in front of it and I went over to peak and see how it looked. They just kind of stepped back for me to see. No one said a word. No smile. Nada.
I stepped in between them.........Oh, NO! The granite was broken both in front of the sink and behind the sink. Now I didn't say a word. I just turned and went to get la arquitecta. They told her that they could repair it, it wasn't their problem, the area was too big. No, not acceptable. They are suppose to be the experts and they were the ones who decided where to put the seams for the granite. I didn't want "repaired" granite. La arquitecta called their office. The office agreed that "repaired" granite wasn't acceptable. They would cut another piece of granite. Of course they would have to do it while we were gone.
We left la arquitecta with the responsibility of getting the new granite installed and making sure that it was done correctly. They brought another piece of granite last week but now the hole for the sink was not cut in the right place and besides that they broke it again. She sent it back.
So it is true. We started 2006 with two kitchens and ended 2006 with out any kitchen. I don't know why I'm laughing along with La Gringa, but it really is pretty funny and if you can't laugh about stuff like this when you are living in Mexico, you're probably living in the wrong place.
I did notice that you started out the year with two kitchens and ended up with none. Haha.
She is right. We still don't have a kitchen. I thought we would have one when we returned to San Miguel after Christmas but we don't and it is a long story.
The kitchen cabinets went in just a few days later than expected and then the granite company from Queretaro came to measure. They came back on Friday before we left to install the granite. While they were working la arquitecta, Ned and I went up to the studio to talk. After a while I slipped back down the stairs to see how things were progressing. It looked like the biggest piece of granite, the one with the sink was installed. The three guys were standing there in front of it and I went over to peak and see how it looked. They just kind of stepped back for me to see. No one said a word. No smile. Nada.
I stepped in between them.........Oh, NO! The granite was broken both in front of the sink and behind the sink. Now I didn't say a word. I just turned and went to get la arquitecta. They told her that they could repair it, it wasn't their problem, the area was too big. No, not acceptable. They are suppose to be the experts and they were the ones who decided where to put the seams for the granite. I didn't want "repaired" granite. La arquitecta called their office. The office agreed that "repaired" granite wasn't acceptable. They would cut another piece of granite. Of course they would have to do it while we were gone.
We left la arquitecta with the responsibility of getting the new granite installed and making sure that it was done correctly. They brought another piece of granite last week but now the hole for the sink was not cut in the right place and besides that they broke it again. She sent it back.
So it is true. We started 2006 with two kitchens and ended 2006 with out any kitchen. I don't know why I'm laughing along with La Gringa, but it really is pretty funny and if you can't laugh about stuff like this when you are living in Mexico, you're probably living in the wrong place.
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