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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 22, 2014 4:19:42 GMT
So anyway :: here we are in Tlacotalpan, to spend a few delightful days. Our lovely little apartment in Casa de la Luz ~ I'm embarrassed about the photo of the garden, which doesn't come close to doing it justice. The host of Casa de la Luz is not only wonderfully gracious and accommodating, but also a dedicated and talented gardener ~ The first evening's walk from the guesthouse to the main square brought me to the side of this church. There are two churches on the square, this one and one that was gutted & being renovated. There was a great deal of sprucing up being done, much of it no doubt because of the devastating double floods of 2010 -- one in mid-September, and another that October. Peeking in the side door ~ There was a wheeled vehicle on either side of the church's side door, this rustic handcart ... ... and this modification of a bicycle which belongs to a legless man. He turns the hand crank to move it ~ Twilight on the square ~ Time to go get some supper, which we did at one of the restaurants overlooking the Rio Papaloapan (river of butterflies). The view was lovely, but dusk meant the mosquitoes were ravenous as well ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 22, 2014 4:41:39 GMT
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Post by questa on Dec 22, 2014 4:54:47 GMT
The colours ! The colours! Why do our buildings have to look so drab and pale. I would get drunk on colour walking down those streets. And the scarlet and purple chairs on a teal floor...wondrous. (reminds me of my room in Delhi) You certainly have the eye, Bixa, thank you for sharing your great pics.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 22, 2014 5:11:34 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2014 7:00:51 GMT
Ah, it looked and sounded like paradise until you mentioned the mosquitoes. Well, it still looks like paradise, and that apartment is extremely appealing. I wouldn't mind settling into a place like that for a few weeks.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 23, 2014 0:55:36 GMT
Questa, thank you so much! The blue floor made me happy the whole time I was there. I always think of Australia as a place of bright sunlight -- a place perfect for exuberant colors. Maybe you can start a trend! I think, with your artistry with knitting needles, that you may enjoy this next section very much. Kerouac, the mosquitoes were only bad at dusk near the water, but also seemed to just want a taste, as they didn't bother me after that first evening. Let's move on to La Casa de la Cultura. We were admiring this very large painting of luminaries past and present who were from or who had lived in Tlacotalpan, and asked a passing lady if she could identify the subjects. She graciously pointed out the ones she knew, then chatted with us about the cultural center. She was the handwork instructor there, and had been for over thirty years. She pulled a long piece of fabric from her bag to show us what she was working on ~ The piece is meant as the bottom flounce on an elaborate dance dress, such as those shown in the first part of this thread. She was concerned we couldn't appreciate it fully, so took us into another room in order to spread it out on a table. This is the most exquisite pulled-thread technique, so I make no apologies about showing so many of the individual parts. In real life, the circles were @3" in diameter. The fabric is batiste. There were two ladies in the room working on a different kind of needlecraft. The lady with the short hair was eager to show us her skill. She is 90 years old, very lively and friendly ~
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Post by mich64 on Dec 23, 2014 2:43:00 GMT
The talents of these ladies is truly amazing and it must have been such a joy to inspect their creations Bixa! Beautifully intricate patterns.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 23, 2014 3:47:47 GMT
Thank you, Mich! Yes, the work was truly beautiful and the ladies so welcoming and cheerful. Really, everyone in the town was friendly, smiling and greeting even us strangers as we passed in the street. I haven't mentioned that all the conversation in the previous post was mostly yelled over the sound of feet loudly stamping on a wooden floor. That came from the dance studio down the hall, presided over by Elena Ramírez Aguirre. She has been the dance teacher here since the center was opened, forty-one years ago. She is woman depicted far on the right in the big painting in the last post, and was born in 1925. Another parlor in the center. This use of the locally produced rocking chairs seems to be common in homes all over town. No one has curtains, so living and dining rooms with their nice cedar furniture are completely on display. The tile shows the level of the flood of 2010 ~ Goodbye! Thank you! And out into the late afternoon ~ A quick peek into the church as we pass it. It was so pretty with all those tea lights on the altar ~
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Post by questa on Dec 23, 2014 5:00:07 GMT
What incredible hand craft, so fine and delicate. It would be awful to have to undo a mistake with all the intricacies of the pattern. Apart from the long skirts, what do they use these decorations for?
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Post by bjd on Dec 23, 2014 6:57:59 GMT
I guess the warm climate and friendly people makes for long living! An 89-year old dance teacher and a 90-year old handicrafts maker -- that's just great.
I too admired your apartment with the bright colours and flourishing garden.
Glad to see you had a good time on your trip.
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Post by htmb on Dec 23, 2014 16:04:56 GMT
Wonderful pictures and report so far, Bixa. It's going to take me awhile to get properly caught up now that I have normal Internet service, but I love the different features you've covered so far.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2014 20:08:05 GMT
Wow, for the needlework. My grandmother was a grandmaster of that and could just look at a pattern in a magazine or an item on display and reproduce it without hesitation. I think I still have a stock of her doilies from the retirement home, because she churned them out nonstop when she wasn't knitting socks or sweaters for me. She just didn't know what to do with her free time without a house to clean or a garden to plant and weed.
I find it a shame that it will soon be a lost art since machines can make all of the same stuff now and you can't even tell the difference except for the fact that the machines don't make any mistakes.
Oh well. I am still immensely pleased when I see people still implicated in that handicraft.
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Post by htmb on Dec 23, 2014 20:41:50 GMT
The needle work is exquisite, that's for sure.
Years ago I used to do a lot of needle work. I learned from my grandmother and great-grandmother who both made very fine lace. My oldest daughter knows how to knit, crochet and do cross stitch. I would have loved to learn how to do pulled threads like the work Bixa has featured. Maybe it's not a totally lost art just yet, Kerouac, but I agree you just don't see it much anymore. The artistry in the handmade articles is so much better than the quality of machine made items.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 24, 2014 4:51:26 GMT
Questa, there's needlework all over that town, worked into tablecloths, curtains, & clothing. There is a surprising amount of tatting, of all things. You can buy blouses in candy colors with the entire yoke worked in tatting. That is also the ornamentation on rebozos from there, rather than the macrame found in most regions.
Thanks, Bjd! You really picked up on the ambiance here, and you're probably correct as to the reason for their cheerful and productive longevity.
Thank you, Htmb. I'm really impressed by the lace making. When I was a kid in Spain, it was something taught in school to the Spanish girls. My little friends all had bolsters & at least some rudimentary skill.
Kerouac, crochet, tatting, and pulled thread embroidery cannot be duplicated with machinery. Probably Questa or Tod could tell us, but I don't think the more elaborate forms of knitting -- chains, etc. -- can be done on machine either. Kinda nice, when you think of it.
Apologies to everyone for how slow this thread is going. I got on here to add a chapter, then got a phone call & it's now almost 11 so I'm going to bed instead.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 25, 2014 1:16:26 GMT
Okay, now it's time for a day trip. We are going to Catemaco, the town of witches. We ran into this jolly group on our walk to the bus station. The girl playing the virgin Mary doesn't seem pleased with her role, which does seem less fun that the others. I get the angels, but devils? Santa's minions ~ And we're off ~ Convergence of rivers ~ Passing through a town, we saw these kids serenading the state transit authority office. We saw lots of serenading during our visit to the region. Kids went around town in groups carrying a small manger scene & would sing at doorways. The householders would then give them money or candy. We rolled along "past houses, farms, and fields" ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 25, 2014 1:30:53 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 25, 2014 1:54:35 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 25, 2014 18:37:43 GMT
Ah, the botanical photos are magnificent, but I just realised how much I liked your bird pictures -- not just the one after the naive map but also the three splendid photos in reply #37, particularly the 3rd one with the setting sun. And of course the market photos are outstanding again. What are the red berries next to the cherry (?) tomatoes?
You'll just have to forgive all of us for not making enough comments about this thread, because it is really difficult to know where to start since it is so overwhelming.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 25, 2014 21:43:52 GMT
Yes, I've been drinking it all in, but don't have much to say.
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Post by questa on Dec 25, 2014 22:24:29 GMT
I am enjoying this a lot, it's hard to pick favourite photos. I liked the positioning of the photo of the adult and child on horseback with the cool greens and yellow and solitude coming straight after the crowded "Santa's minions" photo in reds and hustle and bustle.
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Post by htmb on Dec 25, 2014 22:37:36 GMT
I completely agree. While your threads are always so interesting and I seem to learn something new with each one, this report is all that and more because it's so different from what we are used to seeing. Every photo, it seems, contains something new. I love the market pictures, but am even more jealous of interested in the bird shots.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 26, 2014 6:52:19 GMT
You all have made me extremely happy with your thoughtful and gratifying remarks. It's remarkable that anyone has made time to look during this busy season, much less recorded the kind comments here. It's so obvious that all of you really look at a thread -- something encouraging to me and all the thread-makers here. Kerouac, thank you! I am going to keep inundating this thread with pictures, so be warned. Those "red berries" are actually dried corn, kind of hard to tell in the photo. Yes, those are little tomatoes next to them. Did you notice the four different kinds of merliton/chayote? LaGatta, "drinking it in" is more than good enough for me! Questa, you really zero in on the gestalt of a presentation! Super observation -- thank you! Ah, Htmb -- I was so nervous trying to capture bird pictures, knowing I'd want to put them up & knowing that you have rightfully cornered that market! I don't have any dazzlers, but hope some are clear enough that you can identify the birds for me. Thank you for the kind words! Well, moving right along, we're now going to go out on Lake Catemaco. This is not the boat we took, but is almost identical ~ Note the dark color of the beach. That's because it's composed of volcanic grit ~ And we're off! Bye bye, town ~ Our excellent captain & his trainee co-pilot ~ This requires a little explanation. Apparently a fisherman saw a vision of the Virgin Mary on the rock in front of this shrine. Fine. But I had trouble not snorting when we were told that because the faithful reverently rub away the prints her little feet left in the rock, it is necessary to chisel the outline back in. Uh-huh. We politely got out to look, but afterward got better at saying no to other features on our circuit (cleansings by shamans, miracle mud for sale, etc.). I did get to snap some cactus and orchids growing by the grotto, though.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 26, 2014 7:00:51 GMT
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Post by lagatta on Dec 26, 2014 11:26:47 GMT
BVM sure gets around, doesn't she?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2014 11:32:06 GMT
Looking at all of those pointy beaks, I understand much better how birds are descended from vicious dinosaurs!
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 26, 2014 17:17:47 GMT
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Post by htmb on Dec 26, 2014 17:35:45 GMT
Love, love, love the water lilies, especially the way you captured the light in the last picture.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 26, 2014 17:39:37 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 26, 2014 18:10:07 GMT
Thank you, Htmb! That section was really one of the high points for me, in the midst of a truly lovely experience. And here we are at the other monkey island, this one of spider monkeys. They are new world animals, but were extinct here & have been re-introduced. Hanging out on top of the large, very faded sign on the island ~ Time to head back to land, so as not to miss the last bus to Tlacotalpan. Otherwise, we'd have loved to continue this very serene and beautiful ride ~ Hello, town! Have things in my everyday life to go do, but this report is far from over, so hope everyone will continue checking back in.
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Post by questa on Dec 26, 2014 22:53:00 GMT
You Tease...of course we will be checking back to wallow in the beauty you bring to us! Your birds are amazing, I love the sole white bird on a rock in an all blue world, and the water lilies photos. National Geographic photos!
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