Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from December, 2009

Tinware Shadows and Pinatas

As we live in the older part of the city, there are no mega-stores like Walmart or Sams or CostCo. All of these stores, along with Starbucks, are outside of the city and are not easy to access if you don’t have a car. On the other hand, the Mercado is in the center of town, about 15 minutes from our house on foot. We go there to buy our chicken, fruits and vegetables. It is an open market under one roof and is a maze of small shops and little eateries. Time doesn’t exist when I am in there. Everything is a treat for the senses. This shop sells Pinatas along with vegetables. Have you ever had a Pinata at your celebration? This week I found shadows in tinware. We sometimes go to Starbucks for a change of atmosphere and to use the Wi-Fi. Last week we decided to walk to Starbucks. It took us over two hours to get there and we were on a busy highway at one point, so we won’t be doing that again. But there were some bright points along the way to make it worth the adventure. We p

Four legged shadows and coffee

I spend my Sundays at Rosinal Cafe with something sweet and a cafe cortado and surf the net. On the way there today, my husband and I saw a dog parade pass us by. The dogs were walking to remind us to treat all animals with respect. There were more shadows in the cafe. These shadows are a bit more subtle. I love the colors and interior of this cafe. Below is the view from my table, looking into the deeper rooms of the cafe. For more shadow shots from around the world, please visit Hey Harriet's blog .

Water and taking the bus in Mexico

As the house hadn’t been occupied for a while, we spent our first week doing a thorough cleaning of the house. It wasn’t until the sixth day that we checked the main water tank. At that point, we realized the city water had not been running so the main tank was very low, leaving us with about three days left of water in the reserve tank. The count down had begun: three days to get more water before we were completely out. On the seventh day, we continued to double-check every reason why the main tank was not filling. It was strange to not have city water running. We checked that the equipment was working. No problem there. My husband remembered there were pipes that ran along the outside of our house. He went out to follow the pipes and spotted a meter and valve on the front side of our house. He turned on the valve and the meter started to work as well. He came back in the house and heard the main tank filling with water. Hurray, that was the city water for our house!

Wi-Fi in Mexico

At the moment, we have no internet. There are wonderful coffee shops in the Plaza with Wi-Fi access, and it is nice to have a cafe cortado (macchiato) while I do the internet on my laptop or itouch. Without media or any connection to the outside world while I am in my house, time expands and goes by more slowly. I have only been in Mexico for a week now, so I am still figuring out my schedule and setting up my Studio. I have gotten a few drawings done, but no painting yet, as I need to buy supplies and set up my art table. I'm also making plans for the 2010 reopening of my Etsy Gallery Juana store. The other morning we went to a breakfast buffet at a restaurant that has Wi-Fi. The restaurant’s interior is gorgeous and they had an interesting matador and bull sculpture near the entrance. I am not sure if the sculpture is made out of leather or papier- mache.

Dirty Panes and Window Sill Shadows

I am happy to be able to join Shadow Shot Sundays again! I have missed visiting everyone’s blogs to see what is happening on your side of the world. Thank you to Hey Harriet’s blog for connecting us through this wonderful photo meme. My art studio is on the 2nd floor. There are windows facing East and North. The eastern windows face the Privada with a view of the neighbor across to the right and flat rooftops to the left. Sputnik is getting used to the Privada life and the close proximity of neighbors. In the photo below, she is curious about the noises outside. Visit Hey Harriet’s blog to join or view more shadow shots from around the world. ** This Privada is similar to an alley with no cars being allowed.

Starting our life in Mexico

We are renting a 3 bedroom, fully furnished, 2-story apartment. We are in a little Privada which is a narrow street that only allows pedestrians. Although we are in the middle of the city, traffic noise is bearable. We hear sounds from our neighbors, birds and church bells ringing throughout the day. We have no yard but we have an enclosed, uncovered patio on the second floor. We are about a 15 minute walk from the old and new centers of the city. The traffic-free, central plazas in the city are home to beautiful, colonial buildings, inspiring sculptures, and stone-paved walkways. Step out of the plazas, and you will feel the liveliness of the city: busy traffic, hoards of people, and lots of different shops. I am in awe of this bulls sculpture that is near the Feria (fairgrounds and modern bull ring) here in Aguascalientes, Mexico. There are six bull in total with one horse and cowboy herding them. They are set upon a large island of rock.

From Japan to Mexico

We got here on December 3rd. The move from Japan to Mexico went very well without any hitches. Considering how shy Sputnik is, she has adjusted well and quickly. How did we get here? I flew on United Airlines from Japan to the U.S and from the U.S. to Mexico on American Airlines. Both airlines allowed Sputnik to come with me as my carry-on luggage, and both were very accommodating. I was glad to have Sputnik with me at all times. Immigration with a cat at the airport in Mexico: Although I had all my paperwork, when I mentioned to the Mexican Immigration that I had a cat and the proper paperwork, they didn’t ask to see either and just motioned for me to push the button. If I had gotten a red light, everything in my possession would have been inspected. I got the green light and was able to go through without any inspection or further questions. What luck! Getting through was a piece of cake. I will be blogging more regularly from here on.