Scorpions, Birds, Clowns

The internet was out last weekend + a day or two... so several of these pictures are from then-abouts.
From a large, flowering tree in the garden.

Last weekend, several of the streets in Colonia Guadalupe (where Billy's classes are held) were closed off & filled with little carnival rides and tents with food. It had something to do with a mini-marathon between SMA and Atononilco (a tiny town and shrine).

Last Sunday we went to a (kids) puppet show. It was... yah. The best part was the reaction of the 10-and-under audience "That's a Real Man!" "Es un hombre!"... tough audience. This was the scene in the jardin that we exited into...
This was a clown, making normal people do silly things for a large group of onlookers. He was advertising for the Festival Nacional de la Risa (The National Festival of Laughter- a show of dozens and dozens of clowns).

The bright red bird is still hanging out in the tree outside our window. I got some more pictures of him on a sunnier morning.

Oh! and this morning I accidentally/unknowingly killed another scorpion.
This scorpion was only 1/2 the size of the first one.

up the hill, down the hill

white house, big white satellite, further up the hill than our li'l apartment-compound-garden.

bright red bird

For several mornings now I've seen a red & black bird hanging out in the garden, perched on the branches of the trees outside our window. I assume it's the same bird, and I'm quite excited at the idea that his perch tree is an indication of his territory. Really, I promise, his chest and cap are BRIGHT red, with black wings and a little black eye mask. These pictures don't do him justice, but they are the first images I've managed to get before he flies away.


(I'm kicking myself for not bringing bird books with me.)

Buratino

Circus-vertizing... It was like having the county fair drive around and advertise by towing the "world's largest hog" along.

Every other day (it seems) I hear a parade going by, somewhere in town... Most of these are to promote one of the various circus groups that visit San Miguel. Another way they advertise is driving around in a truck with speakers, towing behind them some of the circus animals. Last week, I saw a lioness being towed. This past Monday it was a camel (bicameral), mini-pony and a spotty-faced llama.



Somehow, Mads and I got talking about Pinocchio the other night. This led to me wiki-ing "pinocchio" and reading, aloud, a summary of the plot--- the story Disney doesn't tell. I, needless to say, prefer the more disturbing, original, version. This thread led to Buratino- Tolstoy's strange re-telling of Pinocchio, with a Russian twist... and this led to me hunting the internet for illustrations of Buratino. I'm in love with these illustrations. It seems like it'll be easy enough to track down a copy of this version via ebay (once I return to the states & a reliable mailing address).
Buratino burying gold coins outside the city of Catchfools, as the fox and cat (secretly) watch.

So. That was a fun diversion.

This is one of my favorite results from the second day of patinas....The pinks and purples were awesome, as were the egg blues and sea blues.


My other fun diversion this week has been the Japanese alloy Shibu-ichi, and the lovely patinas I can get from this copper-silver alloy.

My li'l set up for testing patinas the first day. The second day I called in the big guns and used the hot plate.

I'm excited about the full potential of these alloys and patinas. Next week, I'll play chemist and mix up some of the traditional Japanese recipes- such as the patina that calls for sake or beer and some (preferably rusty) nails. hooray!

an aside: one laptop per child, or buy one give one...

sunday, again...

It is Sunday, again. So, I suppose I will post some pictures from the past few days...


I noticed the pigeons here before, due to the loud coo-ing of the birds... But Friday was the first time I noticed the cats. You can't see all of them in this picture, but there were at least six cats--- including one kitten about the size of the pigeons.

We took a walk yesterday evening, heading down the other side of the alley and further up the hill. This is some dried vines and leaves on a chain-link fence surrounding an empty lot

Where the hill evened out, stood several houses, a store or two, and this language school (note the long-haired chihuaha in the doorway).

Magic Hour (dusk), and the lovely light it brings.




How Testing Atomic Bombs Changed Trees (and us...)

and on a related note...

How Many Trees Does Each Person on Earth Get?

Outage, Scorpions

Along Calzada de la Luz


The power went out sometime Tuesday morning. Mads & I were already out of the house then. This meant that the internet was out for two days. I was beside myself without my streaming NPR broadcasts. I survived (obviously... and now I'm listening to a woman, a representative for "concerned women of america", talk about how Barack Obama is a threat to Christianity, unborn children and freedom of religion. I'm thinking that maybe my bloodpressure was better without NPR... but- oh, well- no going back now.

...A wall on the way to class, at the bottom of the hill, where Acamapixtle goes around a corner and becomes Calzada de la Luz.

Enough of that-- Classes with Billy are going marvelously. I'm finishing up a couple of silver/copper mokume bands (gouge method). I'm getting started with Shibu-ichi (Japanese alloy, 60%/30% CU/AG). I am quite excited about the colors I'll be able to produce with that alloy and some non-toxic patinas. Hooray! Learning! I really missed having classes, discussions with folks who share a vocabulary (in this case, jewelry & silver smithing). Next week, I learn to set brilliant cut diamonds (or other faceted, hard stones).

Callejon de Chepito, a colorful alley

...But the real excitement was this morning...While making breakfast, the flame in the stove went out. When I went to re-light it (thinking it had only been out a second)---- BOOM! I jumped back, some of the hair was singed off my arm and it felt like i had stepped on something. But, really, everything seemed a-okay. The thing i stepped on looked kind of like some chicken from dinner the night before... Nope, not chicken. It was a scorpion- a very dead, squished scorpion. I smushed him (wearing moccassions) when I jumped back from the stove. Lucky shot.

Smushed Scorpion, exhibit A

Mads & I told the story a little later at the Studio (Sterling Quest). We found out we were in little danger of being hurt by the scorpion... unless we got stung on the torso. If stung on the torso, one should milk the scorpion's venom, blend with fresh raw garlic paste, and drink that down. This is apparently the most common treatment in Mexico- quicker, easier, and less trouble than going to the hospital. Good to know.

Smushed Scorpion, exhibit B

and on a lighter note Oregon Judge Clears Nude Cyclist

from this past week... and "on fireworks in Mexico"

boris, looking out the glass door- one of his favorite past-times (until the doggies run up, barking and frighten him away...

the outdoor sala (living room), the giant rock in the sala, and the door to our apartment.

wilting marigolds, a clack-y skull, and a reproduction of a ralph steadman drawing
black bocho, green smeary wall.


Guanajuato (the state in which San Miguel is located) has the highest ratio of churches to people in all of Mexico. In San Miguel, shrines are in peoples homes, street corners, and there is at least 1 church per neighborhood. Most of these churches feature a bell tower, bells, and bell ringers. A few churches choose to ring the bell on the hour, quarter hour, half hour, and quarter 'til all day and night... Most churches begin the regular ringing at 7am... except on Sundays. Sundays, they start early. Exuberant, and early... For some reason, there were also fireworks this morning between 5 and 7... which is odd, because it starts to get light around then--- foggy and bright light grey--- so i can't imagine you can see them very well. I kept thinking that someone was banging on the metal gate out front--- but it was just two hours of regular firework blasts. This is something I knew would happen. Four years ago, I rented an apartment 1/2 block down from a church dedicated to San Antonio (St. Anthony)... On his feast day there was a huge circus-like event in the square in front of the church. They rang the bells and fired off fireworks all night long... and here, fireworks are more like enormous firecrackers, cherry bombs, and bottle rockets- a lot of noise and flash instead of sparkling colour.

last week(end), the first

View down Zacateros....This is our view as we head down Cuesta de San Jose toward the town.

this is the way we take to and from Billy's studio- Acamapixtle. This is at dusk. The house below has a little garden: chickens roosting in the tree and a li'l cow grazing.


we found an expensive antique store full of masks, jewelry, and statues from churches and shrines.


(I wasn't supposed to be taking pictures)

the Parroquia from behind

....and this is where Bluebird buses go to die...

Day of the Dead

November Third, all the shrines in the center of town are torn down. Someone(s) sweep the once-shrines into piles, stuff papel picado into large black trash bags.

getting started late

I fancied I would start this blog prior to leaving the states. We (Mads, Boris & I) arrived last Monday- October 27th. It feels like we've been here longer, already. .... I'll chalk that up to the fact we dove headlong into classes with Billy (http://sterlingquestschool.com/main.html), the fact we already had a place to stay..... and the fact that I've already done some handwash so I'd have clean undershirts. Huzzah.



Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I am still a news junkie- i stream and download most of my regular NPR programs. I don't know what my mornings would be like without their calm voices.