Hats

I am the proud owner of many a hat.
There is something to wear for wherever I'm at.

A hat for the summer,

A hat for the fall,

A hat for nary a reason at all.

I have one with big bows and one with a feather.

There is one I can wear when there's inclement weather.

A hat made of rhinestones,

A hat made of fur,

A black one, a white one, and a red one for sure.

I'm told that I am quite a vision in hats,

And I am not too shy to agree about that.

Hats for excursions,

And some just for play,

My hat is my crown, and I like it that way.

        By Pamela J. Randolph

I can't believe I sold this one.

I would eagerly marry into the British royal family just so I could wear hats.  I've always swooned over them, but I could never wear them because of my glasses.  No matter how many different styles I tried on, none of them ever looked right.  To my great disappointment, the glasses just ruined the effect.

Then around 20 years ago, I had lasik surgery to correct my vision, but it was badly botched.  Very badly botched.  At the time, I was on my way to becoming a professional travel and nature photographer, so this was a devastating development and caused me to sink into a severe depression.  The only compensation was that while my vision was not good enough to tell if my 35mm slides were sharp, I no longer needed glasses for distance.   Eventually I told myself that even if I couldn't see well, I could at least look good.  So to cheer myself up, I bought a bunch of hats.  Glorious hats.  I even had a few chances to wear them although ladies in hats were not common in Toronto.

Sold this one too.

I'm very far from being religious, but I seriously considered moving to the South and joining one of the African-American congregations famous for ladies wearing "church hats".  I think I would have fit right in.  The book Crowns is a marvelous celebration of these ladies and their (multiple) hats.

Fast forward to 2019 when we prepared to move to Mexico and had to downsize our possessions.  I sold or gave away most of my nice shoes and, I'm sad to say, a number of my more elaborate hats.  A church-going lady in Toronto bought several of them.  I never dreamed I would have any use for them in Mexico, but now I'm kicking myself for getting rid of them.  Because of Covid-19, our wonderful classical music organization has been holding its concerts outdoors during the afternoon, and it has been warm and sunny.  A perfect opportunity to wear fancy hats.  I'm very glad I kept a few of them, and I've been delighted to show them off to my fellow concert-goers.

Shopping During a Pandemic

As we read about the opening of States in the USA, I am struck by how different things are here in our UNESCO Heritage town of San Miguel de Allende. Our mayor instituted a lockdown in early March that shut pretty much everything down. Subsequent pronouncements pushed for mandatory mask-wearing (not always observed) and even roadblock health checkpoints. On June 1^st, a Phase 0 condition* was deployed with the opening of medical professionals, restaurants that pass a health certification, and shops. Entering a restaurant requires dipping the soles of your shoes in disinfectant, signing name, date, phone number, and temperature (taken with a handheld infrared thermometer). Then a squirt of alcohol gel and entry to a layout with tables spread wide apart. The staff often have disposable menus, wear gloves, and always have masks.

Grocery stores have been open throughout this period but they too have imposed safety precautions. Usually they do temperature checks, provide exclusive early shopping hours for seniors, have one-way aisles, spacing marked on the floor, and of course do a squirt. Some even provide awkward disposable gloves.

I approve of pretty much everything our town and the retailers have done with one exception. A national chain of fabric stores, Parisina, has an outlet in San Miguel. They chose to deny entry to anyone over age 55. Instead of creating separate senior-only hours they have shut out a significant portion of their customer base. AND, they are the only comprehensive fabric store in town. Despite my hat, mask and sunglasses, they wouldn't let me in. Call me super-frustrated.

* Phases 1-4 will open other types of businesses, parks, etc. as conditions warrant. Sadly, since over 60% of our local economy depended upon tourism, hotels and AirB&Bs will not be opened until Phase 4.

 

San Miguel Widows' Club

Until tonight, every expat and snowbird we have met in San Miguel, who expressed any kind of political opinion, has been very liberal and virulently anti-Trump.  Tonight we were having dinner at a lovely restaurant with outdoor seating, and even though the tables were widely separated, we couldn't help but overhear the conversation among four elderly ladies, elderly being defined as older than me.  At first we were amused by their discussion about disposing of the remains of their deceased husbands - "he didn't want to be buried next to his first wife" - and talk about their amorous adventures between marriages, but then the conversation turned to the issue of removing Confederate statues.  These ladies all seemed to be from the South, Texas and North Carolina specifically, and two or three of them didn't like the idea of removing what they said was "history."  One lady said, "But would you want a statue of Hitler?"  None of them responded to that.  She also said she had not known until recently that the Civil War had been about slavery!  No response to that either.  Then another lady said she was hoping they could hold out until November and how Trump had done so much for Black people.  WTF???  What planet has she been living on?  They soon realized that we were listening to their conversation, and that was the end of the political discussion.

As they were leaving, I told them that I was planning on getting rid of my husband, who was sitting at my table, and I wondered if there was a widows club in San Miguel.  They said there was and I would be welcome to join.  Sad, but funny.

A Happy Tail

Last Sunday, on a typical balmy late Spring evening in San Miguel de Allende, we walked down from the mesa where we live and stopped at our local Southeast Asian restaurant for dinner and drinks. OKO Noodle bar has outdoor seating with four tables placed apart and we grabbed the last one. Our waiter arrived and we ordered from their eclectic drink menu - a ginger margarita for me and a lychee pomegranate martini for mi esposo. Our neighbors included a table with a Mexican couple and their shaggy terrier mixed-breed doggie, two men next to them that we learned later were a cousin and a brother, and closer to us, a table with four young Anglo women. Like the French, Mexicans are quite indulgent (and affectionate) about having dogs in their dining patios and we noticed a tan, short-haired Golden Retriever mix wandering between the tables looking for scraps and an ear scratch. We had seen her in this mall before, a street dog with no collar or ID.

Sadly, SMA has an overabundance of street dogs that either grew up feral or were abandoned by their owners. They tend to fall into one of three categories: scary wild dogs that can stalk your own pooch when you are out for a walk; shy dogs that will follow but are afraid to get too close; and sweet dogs that are apparently looking for a friend. We have run into all three types but the mix wandering among the tables, who we nicknamed “Blondie”, was definitely a sweetie.

No sooner had we started noticing Blondie than one of the brothers began rubbing her tummy. Our dog, Molly will do just about anything for a tummy rub, and Blondie seemed to possess the same personality. We noticed one of the young women approach Blondie and speak fluent Spanish to the brother. It seemed she was inquiring as to her ownership. We suggested that she should adopt Blondie, and she told us that was her intention! Surprise! She had apparently just moved to a new apartment with a backyard and a balcony and was ready to adopt a stray. She had not expected to get one with dinner.

Everyone was very happy, especially Blondie, and as they paid their bill the four women and the brother brought her over to their car. You could see she liked the idea of her new partner in life. The picture below shows the brother holding Blondie as a treat is offered to help her into the automobile cargo area. What a happy tail!

Trip to Puebla and Cholula, Part 2

On Thursday morning we left for the city of Cholula which is now pretty much a suburb of Puebla.  On the way we stopped at two churches, the most spectacular being the Templo de San Francisco Acatepec.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_San_Francisco_Acatepec  It was decorated between 1650 and 1750 by the Poblano pottery craftsmen who covered its entire façade with handmade ceramic pieces, primarily Poblano Talavera, and red brick.  (Click on photos for larger versions.)

The inside was another masterpiece of Mexican Baroque decoration.  The Golden Altarpiece is marvelous.

Part of the steps have
been excavated

Next we went on to the Great Pyramid of Cholula, also called Tiachihualtepetl.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Cholula The complex is massive and the pyramid is the largest by volume in the world. Interestingly, most of it is below ground, and for a small fee, you can walk through the narrow, low tunnels, something that was hard on my tall husband's back. You can also climb up the pyramid to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies.  

Because it was the Christmas season, there
was a creche set up inside.  The tradition is
that the Baby Jesus is not put into the cradle 
until Christmas eve.

After exploring the pyramid complex, we were hungry and stumbled upon a nice restaurant where we indulged in some alcoholic beverages, and I had a delicious Enchiladas Suizas.

A sad sight

This is our wonderful town square, the Jardin, viewed from a live webcam on Wednesday, May 13th at noon.  Normally on a pretty day, this area in front of the famous Parroquia church is a vibrant place packed with visitors and locals enjoying the ambiance.  There is often music and street vendors selling hats, toys for the kids, and a variety of trinkets.  The garden on the right is always filled with people sitting on benches under the trees and chatting with friends.  Most of the major holiday celebrations take place in this spot including incredible fireworks displays.  We hope the pandemic will pass soon so our lovely city can get back to normal.

Jacaranda trees

Jacarandas are my favorite tree, and San Miguel is full of them.  The purple color is spectacular.  Here are some iPhone shots from a walk into Centro in March.

They do shed their colorful blossoms

A visit to the Monarch Butterflies

Erich and I just spend two wonderful days viewing butterflies at two sanctuaries on the border of Michoacán and State of Mexico, a bit over a 4-hour drive from San Miguel de Allende.  We arranged for a custom tour with Follow Me Tours who provided us with a fabulous driver and guide named Aldo who spoke perfect English and was extremely knowledgable and fun to talk with.

We were making good time on the highways until traffic came to a total halt because the Mexico City taxi drivers blocked the highways to protest Uber.  That same day, 140 highways across Mexico were blocked due to a variety of protests.  When our driver found out that our exit was also blocked, he made a U-turn, and tried to cross the median, an effort which took 5 or 6 tries as we kept bottoming out.  We finally made it onto the highway going in the opposite direction, and he managed to find an open route to the other sanctuary we were planning to visit.

(You can click on the photos for larger versions)

Our first visit was to the Sierra Chincua sanctuary which is very close to the better known El Rosario sanctuary.  The entire protected biosphere is 56,259 hectares (139,000 acres) but the butterflies roost in much smaller areas between about 9,000 to 12,000 feet in altitude.  After using the clean facilities at the entrance, we mounted horses for the uphill trek to where the butterflies were located.  The owners of the horses lead them along the trail, so no riding skill was required.  After 20 minutes or so, we dismounted and carried on up a gentle grade with a wide path to the "quiet zone" where the butterflies had massed.  It was a warm, sunny, glorious day and the butterflies were quite active especially because February is mating season.  They certainly weren't shy and we saw numerous amorous couples.

The forest here was beautiful with many tall, straight oyamel trees which are favored by the Monarchs.  There were also many pine trees and lovely open spaces filled with wildflowers and milkweed, the butterflies' favorite food.  Even if we hadn't seen butterflies, it would have been a delightful trip into the mountains.  We spent a good hour watching the butterflies flutter by, then descended on horseback.

Next we drove to the small resort town of Valle de Bravo situated on a pretty lake.  The town is a weekend escape for residents of Mexico City.  On a weekday evening it was very busy with local people, and we had a nice dinner at one of the restaurants.  Our hotel, Casa Dorada, was right on the charming central square and we enjoyed walking around the next morning looking at the market and the church.

View the video in full screen by clicking on the little square then hit escape to come back to the blog.

On Wednesday we headed to the Piedra Herrada sanctuary where we were greeted by thousands of butterflies that had come down to the lower elevations and were flying all around the highway.  All the cars were driving very slowly so as not to injure the little creatures.  Once at the sanctuary, we mounted horses for the much steeper climb up the mountain.  This was a longer ride, at least 30 minutes,  but we were glad we didn't have to do that hike uphill.  The butterflies were flying all around us as we rode up.  We got off the horses and continued uphill on a very narrow path through the trees with some treacherous footing in the soft dirt.


The viewing at Piedra Herrada was even better because we were able to get closer to the trees where they were clustered.  At the end of the trail, we stayed for a long time enjoying the amazing sight of millions of butterflies and the quiet of the wind rustling the trees and the birds singing.  Although the butterflies are very light, the clusters of them are heavy enough to make the tree branches sag.

A truly delightful experience and highly recommended.

Our Minds are Blown

OMG.  We just had the most astonishing experience at the San Miguel International Writers’ Conference.  This is a week-long conference for writers and readers now in its 15th year.  Madeleine Thein,  the keynote speaker for the evening and a Canadian author of Chinese ethnicity, gave the most incredible speech we have ever heard.  I can’t even begin to describe it. It was a literary work in itself.  Poetry in a way.  She got thunderous and sustained applause when she finished, but then everyone sat there completely stunned and it took a long time before anyone could come up with a question for the Q and A session.  This woman has the most amazing mind - I have never had a thought even one tenth as deep as hers.  I have not read any of her books, but I will now for sure.

Ms. Thein has won every Canadian literary award that exists and her books have been widely translated.  She has a short story collection called Simple Recipes and three novels: Certainty, Dogs at the Perimeter and her latest Do Not Say We Have Nothing.  This last book is about China from 1949 to 1989, Mao’s revolution to Tiananmen Square.  

I really would not want to be tomorrow night’s keynote speaker having to follow her.  I think I would call in sick.

A Mighty Wind

No, I'm not talking about flatulence although that has been a problem for both of us from time to time since moving here.  😀  The wind outside has been incredibly strong yesterday and today.  I went up on the roof terrace yesterday to check on our outdoor furniture and all seemed well, but I went up again today because the wind is even stronger and discovered that the furniture had been blown up against the wall and two of our cushions had blown away.  Fortunately they blew down in the empty lot next door and we were able to retrieve them with only a few nasty burrs to pluck out.  The wind was so strong that it was hard for me to walk against it, so our plans to walk into Centro today have been postponed.

The other problem caused by the wind is the dust.  There are three major construction projects going on next to us and the dust is unbelievable.  Even with all the windows and doors closed, the dust in sifting into the house because there are gaps around the doors and sliding glass doors.  Apparently nobody uses weather stripping here, so we will be installing our own soon.

A lovely Sunday Hike

There is a hiking group that meets early every Sunday morning in SMA and goes out into the campo, the country, to hike in scenic areas.  We made our first hike earlier this month and joined the "moderate" group rather than the "ambitious" group.  It's a good thing we chose the easier group because we hiked over 6 miles with some moderate gain in elevation.  It was a beautiful day and the scenery was rugged but lovely.  We started and ended near a little village called Juana Ruiz.  (Click on photos for larger versions)

 It seems that every little village, no matter how small, has a church.  We encountered this one just after starting out.  The next one we came to a little higher up in the hills is probably abandoned or seldom used.  

At one point we crossed a slow moving river.
During the rainy season, it might not be
passable.

We walked through some farmland and had to go through a number of fences.  We were very careful not to do any damage and to leave the fences just as we found them.

We also encountered some stone walls and I loved the bright colors of the lichen.

 

Some of the scenery-the lake is in the background but hard to see in the mist and haze.

Murals in Colonia Guadalupe

The Guadalupe neighborhood is famous for the murals painted by a variety of street artists.  Graffiti was a problem in the area, so an expat lady organized a program to have good artists paint murals instead.  They have become very popular with tourists and many residents, but now some residents and city officials oppose them and are painting them over.  The city is painting buildings, for free, in the Centro area in historical colors of red and ochre, which to my mind will make the streets monotonous.  I like the mixture of colors on the houses.  Guadalupe is not part of Centro, so many are hoping that at least some of the murals will be saved or that new ones will be painted when the owners of the houses give permission.  Here are some photos from our walking tour.  It is amazing how talented the artists are and even more amazing to see what can be done with cans of spray paint (some use other kinds of paint as well).

My favorite

This is painted on a huge textured door.

Revolution Day

I've been so busy with Spanish school and all sorts of other activities that I haven't had time to post anything.  Now I'm catching up.

November 20th is Revolution Day in Mexico, and there are parades all over the country.  Young people, both men and women, dress up as revolutionaries and march through the cities.  Here are some photos from the parade in San Miguel de Allende.

This soldier has plenty of bullets

Many women joined the military, but according to Wikipedia, the men
believed they should be home cooking and cleaning.

Groups of cheerleaders represented various corporate interests

Participants in youth activities marched - these kids attend a cooking workshop

Parade royalty watch from a balcony

These large puppets are very popular