Waters of March? Not here, but....

I wish there had been, however, I just found this and it is one of my all time favorite songs/performances  evah.  I had no idea there was a video of their performance, but wow, I love it.

Red sky at night...

This.

to this

It is supposed to be in the upper 90's this weekend which is very unusual for Oaxaca.  We did have a nice break Wednesday with "normal" temperatures, 80's during the day, 50's at night, but it would seem we are going back into el horno, the oven.

Whew! - What a job

I am always absolutely amazed at how hard people work here and some of the things they do.

This is one of my favorites sights, watching a crew pour the cement for a roof.

 

It always goes something like this, but sometimes the cement is hand-mixed, adding even more intense manual labor to the process.

In this case, just down the road from me, they had a mixer, but the ongoing activity was wild to watch as someone was shoveling sand, another was loading the mixer, others were carrying the stuff up to the roof, where others put the finishing touches and smoothed the mixture.

Once started, the process has to continue until the entire roof is poured as the concrete needs to set as a whole.  Just watching these guys work made me tired.  How do they do it?

I imagined running up those hand-made ladders with a five gallon bucket full of cement on my shoulder and I am pretty sure I would struggle with the first one and I am in good shape.   What's more, they are acting like it is one big party, a good time being had by all.  I love it.

Words to live by.....

Sure works for me.

"And that's the Double Truth, Ruth."

Viernes del Llano continued.... one last time.

On Friday we had our final installment of this year's Viernes del Llano, the series of popularity/beauty contests, presented by a different preparatory school each week.  After the previous two (this one and that one) that I have been to this year, this one seemed exceptionally lively and the place was packed with cheering and enthusiastic students ready with lots of flowers to be presented to their favorites.  These are a big deal and people turn out in droves to enjoy them.  They rekindle memories for many and are just another traditional part of the fabric of the city.  I can't entirely figure them out, but hey, no one ever seems to be bummin' and it is definitely a wonderful people watching time.

 After their initial introductions, the young ladies process in a circle and are presented flowers.

There are lots of sweet moments when shy guys get up the nerve to make their presentations.

 Lots of cheering sections this week.

 They were not messin' around this week.  I love how almost everyone in this shot is smiling.

Yes, there are judges.  I like the halo over the second judge.  The contestants are judged on how photogenic they are, how many flowers they get and if they have solutions to all the world's problems.... well, many not so much on that last one.

It starts slowly, but by the end the girls need lots of support in carrying the flowers. 

Fortunately, there are a few guys willing to help..

Ready for the runway.

Whew!  Am I glad I am not this guy.  That is some serious floral poundage.

And once again, there was the fun and challenge of getting nice candid portraits.  Given the nature of the subjects, it was not too hard.

I like this one.  I think they are mother and daughter, but certainly, two classic oaxaqueña beauties.

That's it for this year.  Now, we get ready for Semana Santa.

Handy Man

I was following this gentleman the other day and noticed that, even though he was traveling light and had only a binder in his hands, he had almost every tool one would need to do lots of jobs. 

As one who has lots of tools, I have to appreciate his economy towards efficiency... or is it efficiency towards economy?

Hammer, drill, hacksaw, vise grips, wire clippers, pliers, putty knife, screwdriver and no doubt, a pencil in his pocket and a tape measure on his belt.

I can think of people who have van loads of tools and never seem to have the right one with them.  And the Buddha was oh so right when he said, " The right tool for the right job, grasshopper."  Also, too, "Measure twice, cut once, chapulin."

Right around the corner

 

It is hot and dry as we are well into the dry season and although there have been a few drops, we are still many weeks away from the rainy season..... unless, this whole climate change thing messes things up.  But for now, it is time to enjoy the beauty of the countryside and take in the contours and patchworks that look so different from when they are so nice and green.  It is almost like winter in New England (without the snow) when there are no leaves on the trees and one can see the lay of the land.  This is the view right outside my door as I headed in. 

At any rate, I walked down into civilization today, Trinidad de Viguera, just to see all the little places that go by in a blur when you are driving.  I could not believe the number of places that there were to eat... and lots of them looked good.... but hot with those corrugated tin roofs.  I love the look of this tiny place which is all of five minutes walk from my house. 

Now this is art.

"American Pickers" would love it or as they are known here, "Cazadores de Tesoros."

The Raid is a nice touch, too.

I've eaten in quite a few places like this and they are always fun.  Most of the time, people are more shocked and amazed by me being there than vice versa.  And the food is made right before your eyes and often soooo good.

Viernes del Llano continued....

On every Friday morning during Lent, Llano Park is filled with flowers and beautiful young women.  And of course, wherever there are beautiful young women, there are sure to be lots of young men.  They come from the city's preparatory schools and there is a different group of schools represented each week.  (Here is last week's post.)

This past Friday was no exception and, once again, I found myself trying to figure out this event in which everyone seems so happy.  I guess it is a popularity contest and some the girls show up with cheering sections loaded with flowers, while others seem pretty unsupported. 

I guess it could be sad not to receive armloads of flowers, which is the determining factor in winning, but it sure does not seem like that is the case.  Everyone seems like they are having a blast.

The young ladies process around a statue for close to a half hour and, as the flowers amass, guys step in to help carry them.

There is a taste of stardom with lots of local media.

It is always a fun challenge to try and get nice candid shots.  Of course, it helps that the subjects are so easy on the eyes.

Stunning.... sometime the shot just happens.

Or maybe she is just photogenic.

This young lady was a real crowd favorite.

Nice shoes and a nicer tat.

She had quite a pile of flowers at the end, but.......

Here she is, in all her glory, this week's queen.

Next week is the last of the year and of course, I plan to be there.

Dinner anyone?

Mole estafado from Comedor Colon in Etla.  How do they do it?  Everything always tastes as good as one could ever hope.