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
