I have it on good authority…it goes to your hips….that being said….

“All right everyone, line up alphabetically according to your height.”  Casey Stengel

“A signature reveals a man’s character…and sometimes even his name.”  Evan Esar

Why is it that Casey Stengel’s quote makes perfect sense to me…because I hear what I want to hear and lining up by height is less challenging then remembering names particularly when first or last name isn’t specified?  Also, lining up in our village means for probably the first time in my life I’m actually considered tall…at 5’4”!  Needless to say, but say it I will, David is considered a giant and children, in particular, absolutely love him.

People line up for things in our tiny village and I, if I’m walking somewhere and come upon a line feel compelled to join them…heck, I used to do that back home in the States, as well.  Lots of crazy adventures ensued.  Here, however, is the problem….at home I spoke the language…here is an entirely different story, as you all know, my command of Spanish is sketchy at best.

Consequently unable to ask what it is they are in line for, I simply remain happily standing in place until the line moves and…if there is a front….I finally arrive at it.  Of course, by the time I reach the front and find out what I’ve been in line for I often find I’m still confused…again, welcome to my world.

A large container of cactus with a side of silky white flowers is confusing to me.  A basket filled with oddly shaped fruit…prickers all over the fruit in various colors (they look to me like the Sci Fy movie with the pod people)…you guessed it…is confusing to me.  And the list goes on.

Usually I smile brightly while making circle motions on the side of my heard (the universal language for nutso) sputtering “Lo siento mucho, loco Americano no sabe lo que esta hacienda.”  (Translated…I’m so sorry, crazy American doesn’t know what she’s doing.)  The response I usually get, as most all Mexicans in this village and anywhere in Mexico are most gracious…is a bright smile and an “adios”.

That brings me to the whole “signature” thing.  David and I absolutely love being able to walk to the various stores we want to visit.  His comment just recently went something like…I can’t believe I’m looking for new glasses and we can walk to the three establishments in town, from our home, which offer not only the latest in fashion (or what we assume is the latest in fashion) and an eye exam as well.  He was positively delighted with this development.

However, though David’s Spanish is mucho better than mine, we do find ourselves in the position where, perhaps, writing out on a piece of paper might help the person we are talking to understand what we are looking for….NOT.  David is usually the person who grabs the pen and paper and begins writing while I stand back and smile…broadly…for two reasons…first it is a natural past time of mine…smiling that is…second I know what  will happen when the recipients of the written word that David is laboring over receive the note and see his….script…for lack of a more descriptive word.

Once the paper is handed over…you guessed it….they smile too!  They smile and look at me, smiling inanely, and look again at the piece of paper in front of them.  Writing isn’t so much the challenge…reading what’s been written is a whole other ballgame as David seems to write in his own font…or more likely hieroglyphics come to mind.  Imagine anthropomorphizing the printed characters to take on an essence of a comedic spirit…dancing across the page and bringing  joy to the beholder.  Well, quite honestly, his writing does bring  joy to the observer….however; frequently what he is trying to write/say gets lots in the humor of the whole episode.

Well, dear reader, we’ve found the solution…as any great photographer would do…David takes pictures of things….door handles…..stepping stools….the little floaty thing in the toilet…and hands them to those we approach…and all goes really well!  Frequently we even get what we are searching for!!

And…David has done it again…he has another picture in the Daily Dozen at National Geographic.  Go to http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/your , choose “Daily Dozen” at the top of the page…and scroll through the photographs to

National Geographic Pick

What David can do with a camera is amazing and it is wonderful to see his talent acknowledged in such a grand way.

Here are some more of David’s recent photographic excursion throughout our neighborhood.

The Many Masks of Mardi Gras

“You have to dominate the swordfish, only then can you sauté it.”  Cleon Slamming Salmon in The Slamming Salmon

In the 1950’s a film called Two Men and A Wardrobe made it to some of the theaters in the US.  It was a silent film produced by Roman Polanski.  The film features two men, played by Jakub Goldberg and Henryk Kluba, who emerge from the sea carrying a large wardrobe, which they proceed to carry into a town. Carrying the wardrobe, the two encounter a series of hostile events, including being attacked by a group of youths (one of whom is played by Polanski himself). Finally, they arrive back at a beach and then disappear in the sea.

My father, a Welshman, used to preface many things that he often marveled at by beginning a sentence with…there most be folly afoot.  Which instantly prepared our family for whatever might come next, quite often it was something he heard that confused him by the use of something other than the King’s English.  He and my mom had gone to see Two Men and A Wardrobe and found it extremely perplexing but, oddly enjoyable.

That, my dear friends, is what it is like for ex-pats living inMexico.  Quite frankly, not for all of them, more honestly for me in particular as I find myself grinning from ear-to-ear – I’m sure anyone watching would be thinking what’s wrong with her – when certain happenings…well happen.

Have you ever tried to think like a shower?  Let’s face it; you can’t control the timing of when a canoe might come into your life any more than you can control, oh let’s say, when the electric might go out in our littlevillageofAjijic….forget the canoe or, for that matter, attempting to saute the swordfish! 

I’m almost certain there is instant folly afoot when I decide to have one of my rare dinner parties.  The word sneaks out and some how the gods of electric power decide to take a breather.

The other day we had invited two of our friends over for a light dinner and to view the passion procession of Christ on the donkey on Palm Sunday.  We had to orchestrate the whole evening around the fact thatHidalgo, the street on which we live, is spread with alfalfa before the procession begins.Hidalgobeing the place where most processions begin.  Anyone joining us for dinner and parking behind our gate needed to arrive pre-alfalfa.

Add to the mix this particular day was the first day of Daylight Savings Time inMexicoand clocks sprang ahead. Well most clocks sprang ahead.  Some clocks sprang ahead two weeks prior when the US clocks sprang ahead lending confusion to the whole idea and conversations that went something like…okay it’s 8:00 a.m. here…which means it is 9:00 a.m. central time and 10:00 a.m. eastern time and 7:00 a.m. mountain time and 6:00 a.m. Pacific time…I think.  Consequently we are having an early dinner at our house at 5:00 p.m. Mexican time which is now 5:00 p.m. central time if you’ve moved your clocks ahead at midnight last night.

(Writer’s note….David often likes to quote Woody Allen when I go off on one of my mind bending tangents by saying ours is a match made in heaven…by a retarded angel!)

Any who, once we established the dinner would be early we also established our guests would probably have to get here even before that time as we were uncertain what time they began to lay the alfalfa on the streets.  We all agreed, 4:30 p.m. would probably work as we’d all given up on what time the procession started not knowing, for the heck of us, what time sunset started.  I’m not going to say anymore about this (no luck on the rest of the post) as even my mind is spinning.

So here we are as the time draws near…the table is set, the food is ready, the wine has been chilled and, of course, the lights go out…all the electricity goes out.  Sort of a brown-out in the states something like, if you’ve ever been to Wisconsin during Summerfest (a wonderful musical festival on the shores of Lake Michigan) and they first turn all the electricity on to the festival grounds…the lights dim in most of the high rise office buildings in the area.  The funny thing about this is…they don’t have a lot of lights going on in unison down in the plaza…as it isn’t dark yet.  Folly afoot, I say!!

Okay, not to worry dinner is ready, we have a gas stove and we don’t need light as it isn’t dark out.  That is when the phone calls began….I can’t get out of my gate…it is electric…to get there pre-alfalfa I’d have to either bust through the gate or walk.  It’s all up hill from here.  Don’t think that will happen.  Our other guest called…my landline is down but my cell seems to be working and my gate won’t open.  Well they haven’t closed our road off yet….another phone call, the lights are on but dim (welcome to my world!) however the gate still won’t open…it’s looking promising…wait the lights are brighter but they are now flashing I’m going to make a break for it!!

They did actually arrive in time not only to have a light dinner, conversation a glass of much needed wine and travel down to our gate which is, I might add, easily opened as I am the automatic….so to speak…gate opener prior to the alfalfa.  We had a lovely evening and viewed a wonderful procession of villagers following Jesus on the donkey to the plaza.

One of the things I’ve had to learn while living in our little village is patience.  While there may not be “folly afoot” there is often something going on unexpected by me…maybe no one else…an impromptu parade…a donkey that simply decides to take a rest in the middle of the street…a delivery truck that holds us hostage whilst delivering whatever to where ever and the list goes on.  My heart rate has slowed, my humor has taken on fresh roots and my joy of the moment has succumbed to the less than hectic pace set by our friendly Mexican neighbors…except while driving that is….but that is a whole other story!!

Below are photographs of the streets of Hidalgo on Palm Sunday April 2012.  Also, below, you will see photographs of David and fellow artist Gwynne Lott – a phenomenal artist painting in acrylics bursting with color.  Her large florals – botanicals – are in private collections throughout the US and Mexico.  David and Gwynne showed together at Lolita’s Inn, Gallery and Healing Arts Center in Ajijic in late March.  http://www.gwynnelott.com/#!about

If you are planning on visiting Ajijic, please be sure to consider Lolita’s Inn as Steve and Lana Coffman have captured the beauty of the area in the quiet and lovely charm of their Inn.  They are naturally welcoming and will make your visit an absolute dream.  Email LanaCoffman@yahoo.com

And, of course, what would our blog be like if I didn’t include a photograph of David with his Ajijic Society of the Arts prize winning photograph.

Enjoy! 

Alfalfa Ready for Spreading on the Cobblestones

 

The Streets are Covered with Alfalfa

 

The Entire Community Gets Involved

 

 

The Donkey Awaits

 

 

The Donkey is Made Ready

 

 

The Procession Assembles

 

 

Alfalfa As Far As The Eye Can See

 

The Procession Begins

 

The Faithful Follow

 

Gentle Beauty

 

Everyone Helps Clean Up

 

David and Gwynne Lott at Lolita's Gallery

 

A Great Picture of David in Lolita's Gallery

 

David and the Winning Photograph