The here and now... and what and why

Complacency is a trap. At least that’s what I was thinking when I up and left the comfort of a Yankee prep school gig, where I taught music, amongst other things, for 28 years. There was also that life long career as a composer, musician and artist.

First, it was a year in St. Thomas, USVI, working as a reporter and shooting photography and then, a year in San Agustin Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Time passed.
More time passed and a year back in the Athens of America followed by a hasty return to Oaxaca where it is all happening.
A couple of years in San Sebastian Etla and now, just down the road in San Pablo Etla. Life is good.

Click on an image to see it larger.
For additional photography please visit my flickr page.
You can find my music on Jango (World & latin - Worldbeat) and at iTunes and most online stores.
¡Soy consciente de todas las tradiciones del Internet!
If you are coming to Oaxaca, please contact me for tours or advice.

Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo
The view from Corazon del Pueblo

The hereafter re me

My photo
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
Musician, photographer, videographer, reporter, ex-officio teacher, now attempting to be a world traveler

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Made by hand

The work ethic that people demonstrate here is always almost mind-blowing.  Much of it is grunt work, hard labor.  People do the work, not many have machines to help.  And they just keep going and going and going.  I watch guys carry cement or wet sand in five gallon buckets up hand made ladders all day and joke around while doing it.  Or women carrying heavy loads balanced on their heads while gracefully gliding down the street.  Or grinding corn with a matate?  Hard work!

I noticed these workers just a couple of days ago.  I think it may be the dome on Carmen Alta, but I'm not sure.  I will have to go back and double check.
Prep work, but for what?  Maybe repainting....
 "Throw me up that No. 6 wrench, will ya?"
 But just a day or two later....
 They are replacing all the ladrillos or bricks.
All by hand.... and you can be damn sure that every single one of those bricks was carried up by hand.... and the cement... and the water.....all up those hand-made ladders on the left.
I imagine they will put a skim coat over the bricks, but that remains to be seen.   To be continued....
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