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Along the Natchez Trace

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

The Art of Masonry All Around Town....

Today is going to be mostly photos.  Photos of houses, walls, gates, arches and some really fancy brick and concrete work.  Wood isn't available here...  but rocks and sand and whatever ingredients it takes to make mortar, bricks and concrete is in abundance.  
Some of these structures are meticulously constructed...  some a bit rough...  and many with decorative touches that give them an individual look.

This is a new apartment complex.  While the arches are perfect and the brickwork quite well done, it's not as artistic as most of the work we see about town.

Look at this...  brickwork used decoratively.
Even the balcony rail is constructed of bricks.

Sometimes we see little domes above doorways or on the roof.

A variety of materials used here...
Notice the cobblestone street...  quite beautiful.  And... it does tend to slow down traffic in town.

Many people have walls around their property.  Some provide privacy...  some security...  but all are beautiful.


Here the open brick-work allows fresh air as well security.

This wall has rocks incorporated in the pattern...  and the rocks compose those arches over the entrance.

Another view....


And yet a third view....

Another scalloped design incorporating wrought iron and concrete....


At this time this is just a vacant lot....  
But it looks like someone has plans for the future...

We've been watching the progress on this place since we got here.
You can see the rocks in the brick wall....

This is the entrance to an RV park....  
Nice arch and gate....

This wall is very artistic...  lots of designs worked into the bricks and stones....

More of the wall...
The house it enclosed is not owned by a local...
Several houses here are owned by either Canadians or Americans who often are here only a few months of each year.

Many people have gorgeous landscaping that enhances the walls around their property.

Even out in the country you'll see lovely brickwork.
This is the entrance to a pig farm...  pretty snazzy, huh?

This is a closeup of the rail around a balcony.

I think the wooden door is part of the attraction of this house.  It fits in so well with the rest of the architecture. 

I think this is another "works in progress".  There is even a fountain as you pass through the gates and into the patio.

Another shot of that project around the corner from us.
From all the material still stacked outside it looks like it will be a while before it's completed.  I'd sure love to see inside these gates!


Look at these arches!  And the Wall!.....

This wall allows for privacy, but still allows ventilation....
Interesting pattern with the bricks.

Not all the walls are brick...
These folks have used large stones and a concrete walkway in the front of their house.  But you can still see the brick arches over the windows.

Look at the size of this house!
It has the tile roof that is so prevalent here...  and also the stucco sided house...  but there are still touches of wrought iron and brick to complete the design.

Again...  lovely landscaping to complete the picture.

Huge windows...  
If you are wondering...  while this is right on the street, many of the houses here have an inside or rear courtyard for outdoor living.
And too, many folks just take their chairs outside on the sidewalk or into the street and hang out there.

Wrought Iron, Brickwork, Concrete, Arches....

So...  we see a lot of exteriors.  We see walls, arches, gateways, and outside work.  I try to peek in open windows and doorways to see what it's like inside...  but so far, I just don't know.  But the style of architecture that's so prevalent here in Lo de Marcos has a unique beauty of its own.  I haven't even touched on the many colors folks here paint their homes....  that's for another time.  

That's All For Today!

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Monday Morning With Memo and Friends....

As usual, Memo leads an hour walk each Monday morning to anyone who wants to join.  Today there were 21 of us in all...  meeting at the Plaza at 8:00 am.
The makeup of folks changes from week to week.  Some folks are here for only a short time...  some have other commitments....  whatever.  There's no fees to pay...  nothing required of you...  just come along to meet other folks and get to know the town a little better.

That's Memo... in the bright blue vest.
We all kind of follow (or go ahead a bit) in a loose group.  
While it's somewhat chilly at 8 am, most folks dress knowing that it will get warm by the time we're done.  Also, we do walk through the jungle and mosquitoes are just waiting on fresh blood. 

Memo stops at points of interest... tells us about things that go on in town.  This house was built with a gov't grant.  There are certain rules and regulations, but it could be quite a nice deal for Mexican residents.

We do have to cross the river...
Someone had added some stepping stones to one section...  I noticed that several people were quite creative in how they got across.

But even if you escaped getting wet in the first part, the second part is much deeper and wider.  Some folks go barefoot...  but the river bed is very rocky...  Bill & I wear rubber flip-flops to walk across.

There is a fork in the road up from the river...  everyone stops there and Memo counts heads...  yep!  we're all here and will all be walking in the same direction.

If you read my blog a couple of days ago I wrote about a cattle drive we came across.  I was a the very tail-end of our walking group and couldn't help but thinking of that drive.
Bill was walking with me...  his comment was that he was happy to see none of this herd was leaving any droppings. ;-)
  
 Last Monday I showed this field being planted with pineapples.  Here it is...  planting's done....   these pineapple tops will take root and provide the farmer with a lovely crop.

Into the jungle we go...
It's so shady and the trees are so tall, the muddy spots take a long time to dry out.  These areas are where the mosquitoes like to attack us.

Out of the jungle and on to the beach...
Not too much further to go and we'll be back in town.

 Often we stop and have coffee together before heading our separate ways.   The little shop we had planned to stop at was closed today so some of us stopped at the sports bar...  which serves meals as well...  for coffee or juice.  
That's Memo, back in the far corner next to the surfboard.  He has all kinds of events planned for the next few weeks and keeps us all informed about what's happening.

The light was really bad with the sun coming through the window of that restaurant, so I stepped outside to see if I could do better...
I was too short to look in...  but look at what's looking out at me...
Looks like a bunch of jailbirds hanging on their cell, doesn't it?
Truth is, we've met some great people on these walks and while the exercise is good, the company is even better!

That's All For Today!

Monday, February 1, 2016

Saturday... A Day Late....

I had so much fun watching the cattle drive yesterday that the photos I'd intended to post got put on the back burner.  As it happens, today, Sunday is pretty ho-hum, so it's a good day to play catch-up .

Another Odd Couple
This Wood Stork and Roseate Spoonbill were hanging out together in the lagoon.  Kinda looks like "Beauty and the Beast" to me.

This is the area right in front of the lagoon.  That's Bill on the right checking out a bird through his binoculars.  Those guys sitting on the benches are building a new palapa (a shelter) over the benches.  There was a shelter that (I think) the Audubon Birding Group here in Lo de Marcos built last year, but apparently a storm took it down.  From the looks of those footers these guys are digging, this new one should be indestructible! 

Look at the number of egrets here!
They all appear to be Cattle Egrets, but I suppose a Great or a Snowy could be among them.  I took this photo between 7:30 and 8:00 am...  as we watched, one by one, the birds flew off.

A closer view of the Roseate Spoonbill...
It's easy to see how it got its name.

A few blocks from the lagoon is St Mark's Catholic Church.
That's Skinny...  he's from Iowa and he lives in the same bungalow complex as us.  On Saturday mornings he teaches the town kids how to play basketball.  Skinny comes prepared....  he must have a dozen basketballs ready for those kids to use. No kids here yet, but they'll be along soon.  they'll play until 10:00, when their religion instruction classes begin at the church. 

A block or so west of the church is the beach...
There is an "upper scale" RV park located a few hundred yards behind that white fence on the right.  Each morning several teen-age boys clean the gazebo (not shown here) of sand, rake the beach and put out beach umbrellas and lounge chairs.  
There is very little litter on the beach, so I really don't know the purpose of it all.

 Yesterday we were on the river trail and stopped and talked with this photographer.  We talked cameras for a few minutes...  he had me hold that camera (on a monopod) to see how heavy it is.  And... believe me.... it's HEAVY!  So when I saw him today down at the beach I had to snap his picture.  I love taking photos, but I'll never graduate to equipment like this!

On our way to the Tianguis, we saw those guys (photos at right) painting this announcement on a wall.  I'm not sure what's going to happen, but it's at 9:00 PM, so we won't be attending.
The finished "outdoor" advertisement is on the left.

 I've featured the tianguis several times in past blogs, but there's always something of interest there.  This lady caught my eye...
She's holding her dictionary under her arm...  I did notice that it's a French/Spanish dictionary...  there are many French-Canadian snowbirds here at Lo de Marcos for the winter.  Wonder if it helped her with her purchases?

And...  a day or so ago I included photos of a 3-wheel motorcycle that delivered bottled water.  Well...  here is the purification (reverse osmosis) plant...  right on the main street.  We peeked in the window (it was closed today) and saw the equipment where they purify it right there.  (tap water to super-clean water).  And, Dizzy...  those bottles are pink and blue plastic.  I don't think there's any significance to the color...  the water is clear.

And that pretty much takes you along with me for the day.  Just a note, though.  We're half way through our 3 month stay here.  The time is going by SO fast!
For now...  this is.... 
The End

That's All For Today!