More Color... Another Walk....

After yesterday's colorful buildings, I'm going to continue right on with some other colorful things we saw on this morning's walk...

Russet-crowned Motmot

A colorful bird we've seen only a few times.   He should have 2 tail feathers that grow longer and are shaped a bit like the weights on chains that dangle down on a grandfather clock.  It appears the one on the left is missing the bottom edge.

Black-throated Magpie Jays

Big birds...  have the characteristics of both the magpie and the bluejay.  Yeah...  they are noisy, steal things and do all those bad things both birds do.  But they also have the beauty of both birds, so I guess they got equal parts of each.

 Golden-cheeked Woodpecker

He looks like someone gave him a black eye!

Citreoline Trogan

His breast is bright yellow...  tapering to white at his chest, then a black to very dark blue head.  The underside of his tail is also white.  So this view of his backside could be confusing if you didn't know what you were looking at.

 Today was a day for seeing butterflies....

 Striking colors....

 And as is often the case, the underside looks nothing like the wings  do when opened.  I never did get a top view of this one, but the wings were all black with an edging of white dots.  

Would make a lovely needlework design!

We'd walked well over 2 hours and finally headed back to town.  Since it was close to lunch we decided to eat at a restaurant that was 3 floors up...  

A long way up, but the food was great and the view was fantastic!

 Looking down at the beach we saw this man who apparently is either selling these dresses on the beach or maybe delivering them to someone who sells them in a shop.  

He must to sweltering under all those clothes!

 The beach wasn't very crowded today...

 There was a trail-ride walking along the surf....

And a lady carrying a parasol to keep the sun off.... 

 The view of the ocean seems to go on forever....

Turning the other way up there at that roof-top restaurant, we could see part of the town...

Most are two story buildings, often with the roof being used as a patio or a place to hang out clothes.  Water tanks and LP gas tanks are often put there as well.

We headed home along the River Road...

There is usually a horse tethered along this stretch...  he wasn't there today.  But in the alley-like space between 2 buildings I saw this horse, saddled and ready to ride.  Might be the horse we usually see.  If so, I bet he's happy to see some different sights for a change.

 Monday marks our 8th week here...  only 5 more to go.  Can't believe how fast the time is flying by!

That's All For Today!

Houses of Many Colors...

If you've ever traveled in Mexico you've seen houses of all colors.  Most are stucco homes, which is often just a thin coating of concrete over block.  It would be rather drab if left that gray concrete color, but the folks down here know how to dress it up - making  houses bright and cheerful.

A few days ago I wrote about the beautiful decorative brickwork and wrought iron.  As you walk through the streets here, you'll see many colorful houses.  Sure, there are many that are painted white, or even some their original stuccoed color, but it's the pinks, oranges, blues, green, yellows and purples that catch your eye.

There are so many that I've arranged some of the photos into collages...  their colors show each other off quite nicely.

Oranges and reds...  turquoise...  and even some beige....

Lots of orange and yellow...  some decorative ironwork on the balconies as well.  The lower right is the shower/restroom building on the beach.  Even it is painted a soft yellow.

Storefronts as well as houses get the color treatment... 

Some of the colors are quite bright...  shocking pink...  bright chartreuse....  neon blue....

but they look right at home with these cobblestone streets and the tropical trees and flowers.

Shades of pinks and purples....  yellow with brown trim....  sometimes the buildings are painted several different colors.  But it all seems to blend together very well.

Contrasting colors...  pinks with blue; white with blue trim....  and blue with a red tile roof.   And most houses have lots of flowers or flowering trees in front of them...  all along the sidewalks.

You'll often see two abutting buildings painted very different colors.   Somehow the colors never seem to clash....  Sometimes the trim contrasts...  but still it looks great.

We've been in New England seaside towns...  lots of colors there too, but mostly pastels.  Here the bold, bright colors are striking and used freely.  It's a pleasure to walk through the streets and enjoy the creativity expressed here, and the photos today are just a sampling of the many colorful buildings in Lo de Marcos.

  

That's All For Today!

More Street Scenes....

The streets here are always alive with people...  walking, in vehicles, some on bicycles or motorcycles...  some on horses or in golf carts.  There is the bus that arrives every hour (more or less), the Collectivos (van type taxis), the taxis...  the delivery trucks (all kinds, all sizes)...  There's always something going on...  

This is the cafe where we buy a glass of orange juice...

This young lady (sorry, don't know her name) always has a big smile when she sees me...  mostly because she's wondering how I'll pronounce "Jugo de naranja, por favor"  (Orange Juice, Please) today.  For some reason I have a terrible time with "naranja".  Anyway...  she'll wash about 8 or so oranges, slice them in half and manually squeeze them on that orange juicer.  Bet she'd win any arm wrestling contest!  The orange juice is delicious!

I love the kids!  These little ones were hanging out at the plaza.  I spoke...  the older sister asked me my name (in Spanish)...  I was able to understand and answer her!  That's Angelina, with her little sister Amanda and her little brother Luis.  

I still don't know why certain cultures give the peace sign when being photographed...  but even little Luis is giving it a shot.

I don't know where woodworkers get their supplies, but we'll see pick-up trucks selling various kinds of furniture...  usually chairs, lawn chairs, or sometimes slatted tables.  These chairs have a rush seat...  an art all in itself.

Several times a week the LP gas truck comes through town and services customers.  All day long we can hear "Gahz (beep beep), Gahz (beep beep)" as his loudspeaker system announces that he's in the area and selling... punctuated by a couple of horn blasts.

This man sells honey.  In that bucket he has jars of honey, but we're told that he sells honey that is diluted with Karo Syrup or the like.  We've never bought any.... 

A birthday party!

Just up the street from us we saw the preparation for some kid's birthday party.  From all those chairs, it looks like there's gonna be a big crowd.  But...  most likely the parents of the kids attending will also be there.  Reminds me of a birthday party that we happened on somewhere else in Mexico several years ago.  Another story, but a heartwarming kind.

Darn! I can't remember her name...  but she's a tiny chihuahuan dog that belongs to our rental person.  I think she was cold and he'd snuggled her up in a scarf.  We see lots of dogs with doggy jackets on here...  especially in the mornings when the temps are around 60 degrees F.  I know...  but that's cold for folks here.  (and dogs too)

If the guy we saw yesterday (the one selling dusters etc) didn't hit up the whole neighborhood, this truck has the perfect household necessity for cleaning.  

And...  lastly....

The work continues on that masonry project around the corner from us....

Look...  they're going up on the 2nd floor...  looks like some kind of fancy concrete separating parts of the wall.  It's always interesting walking past here...  seeing the progress and checking out "what's happening now".

We love our walks through the streets...  we're beginning to feel like we know this community a little better.

That's All For today!

Street... and Sea.... Sights

I love walking around this town...  it isn't a really big town, I think we were told it's 7 blocks long and maybe about that in width.  You'll see new homes being built, which will eventually make the town bigger, but right now, I love wandering the streets and seeing what's out there...

No central theme today...  just some of what I saw...

We walked to the beach around 8:30 this morning.  The surf was pounding...  really high waves...  and the mist over the ocean edge was thick with moisture.  The surf was loud and the waves looked dangerous.  No one was in the water.  In fact, I didn't even see many birds diving into the sea for their breakfast.  

It made me think of Old Faithful in Yellowstone...

Thar She Blows! 

While we were wandering along the shore this horse and rider went by.  We see him frequently...  he trains horses and often brings them to this area to put them through their paces.  He didn't stay long...  maybe 20 minutes or so...  and off down the beach they went. 

We keep a list of birds we see when we travel.  We've identified over 70 species so far.  Today this Rock Dove (pigeon) was walking around in the sand.  Definitely not our favorite bird, but, hey...  we can't forget to put him on our list.

On the way back through town we walked past the plaza.  Every night it gets trashed...  there are trash containers, but people neglect to use them.  Each morning 2 or 3 "city" employees clean up the sidewalks and plaza.  They do a beautiful job and keep it very nice.  Somehow, though, I kinda doubt their safety procedures.  Maybe someone forgot to read the manual.  I'm sure this man is being super careful, but I cringed when I saw his passenger on the mower. 

Street vendors are common here.  Most drive around in their pick-up trucks hawking fish, LP gas, vegetables or the like.  Sometimes we see folks like this one...

We saw him off and on during the day on different streets.  I don't know how many dusters and household stuff he sold, but he sure had a load! 

We've been here almost 2 months and it's rained only once.  Even that rain didn't last long.  So, why the umbrella?  She's using it as a parasol to keep the sun off her.  I think she's almost home...  the little girl in the bright pink coat is with her...  and look at the other girl swinging in the hammock.  Folks here spend a lot of their time outdoors...  even if it's just on the sidewalk in front of their home. 

We've been walking down to the Lagoon often...  and usually we see several iguanas.  This wasn't the biggest one we've seen, but look how long his tail is!   I haven't read up about iguanas...  don't know much about them... yet.

This iguana is huge!  And also quite colorful....

That big flap under his chin and all those spines on his back make him look like one mean critter.  We've all read fairy tales about dragons...  wonder if they were modeled after these guys...  they sure look like they could breathe fire!

And...  My favorite Photo of the Day...

This couch (yes, it's out on the sidewalk) is so decrepit and in such bad shape with springs sticking right out, that even that dog isn't interested in taking his nap on it.  When a dog prefers the hard concrete instead of the couch you know it HAS to be bad!

That's All For Today!

Ranchito Del Mar

Instead of the usual Thursday hike, we all were invited to take a tour of a local organic farm that specializes in greens and fresh vegetables.  It's operated by a woman, Britta, who has only 2 regular helpers..  sometimes recruiting others when needed.

Our tour guide is David Graff....

That's David in the straw hat, standing on the wall, telling us the plans for the tour.

David and his wife, Jacque, invited us on a tour of their place a couple of weeks ago.  They maintain a sustainable agriculture type farm, and also help others in this area learn how to practice that way of farming.

This was the largest hiking group yet...  somewhere between 30 to 35 folks hiked the 2 or so miles from the town plaza, over to Britta's farm.

It's called "Ranchito Del Mar".  She sells her produce to restaurants in San Pancho, Sayulita and La Penita, as well as selling at their tianguis on market days.

Look at those beautiful rows of lettuces!  Several varieties of lettuce...  I recognized a few, especially my favorite, romaine.

We tried for a group picture...

But... as usual, the bright sun light got in the way.  But this does show that it was a large group.

I peeked into this lean-to....

Flats of seedlings are growing there, but are protected from the scorching sun.

The workers had picked several kinds of greens for folks to buy during our tour.  Here are Kathryn and Chris, putting some arugula in a baggy to take home.

 This worker had just picked all these varieties of lettuce.  He's rinsing them off and arranging them in a bin to be sold.

 If you wanted, you were allowed to go out into the fields and pick your own.  I was tempted to pick some okra, but got sidetracked and never went out.  I looked at what other folks bought and saw some beautiful eggplant (another of my favorites).

Here's some of the group checking out the produce....

Tamara brought a lovely basket she'd bought somewhere else in Mexico...  it was just perfect for her purchases!

David and Britta both talked some about the efforts folks are making here to encourage organic farming and sustainable agriculture.   They help by teaching, working with, and sometimes even help fund other farmers.

Bill and I had a small farm...  he had a beautiful garden before he met me, and then we worked together for 18 years growing organic veggies, so we know it's a lot of work.  But, we also know how much better that food tastes and how much better it is for you.  So we could really appreciate this tour today.

And...  that's the way we celebrated Bill's birthday... which is today.  Happy Birthday to my Sweetie!

That's All For Today!