Tuesday at the Tiangus

Went to the tiangus (market) today - it was huge - kinda like all the souqs in Damman on Thursday morning. All sorts of things for sale - from clothes to food to hardware to whatever. It was fun. Found a handful of things - honey, some branding irons, fried plantains, etc. One thing that disturbs me, but I saw this in the Dammam markets, as well, were the song birds in cages for sale. Birds like mockingbirds, cardinals, green jays, orioles, vireos, starlings and some of the local parrots. There were, of course, the array of normal cage birds: canaries, budgies, parrots, finches, chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, etc. It was the captured wild birds that I hate to see. My best birding companion and friend, Nicole, would have been aggast. Carolyn, likewise, could not bear to look at them. For me it was taking stock of what would be a very illegal market in wild birds back in the US.

Back at the apartment I worked on another painting. It is the Port Isabel Lighthouse (I think that this is the last of the Texas lighthouses). I hate the paper that I am using - it bleeds when the wash is too wet, so I have had to go with gouache (opaque watercolor). I will salvage the painting for the principle. I should finish it in the next day or two.

The attached painting is a quick watercolor of some more boats in Zihua. I did this last night before dinner. More than a study, but less than a finished full or half sheet watercolor in my normal style (tight - illustration).

A fun day

Friday was a really fun day. It started out bad - couldn't get my debit card to work - had to call the credit union and release the lock - too many attempts (forgot the damned pin #). After that the day began to improve. Went to the Fabrica de Aurora to visit and meet Victoria, an encaustic artist. The place was getting ready for the monthly Art Walk. It is an old fabric mill that has been adapted to a art and design center. A quick trip around made me sure that I would return in a few hours for the Art Walk. Hurried back to the apartment to do some artwork and change clothes in time to rush back to the Art Walk - what a great time I had. Met lots of really good artists that I will get to know. There were several other encaustic artists, a really good traditional artist ( he also plays an awesome blues harmonica), a number of other good realists, but most were abstract contemporary artists.

After the Art Walk we went to the Buganbilla restaurant for dinner and a good margarita, and to listen to Jack & Francis play some awsome classical guitar. They work so well together, so I bought their CD.

After that we headed over to La Malinche to listen and dance to salsa before the Monroy Blues started up at 10:00 PM - this group is great. They are all one family (brothers, cousins, aunts, etc.). An old bull fighter quit the ring and got into music, so now, at 82 years, he is a leader of this fantastic group. Will get thier CD, as well.

I do believe that I had one too many of Joe's margaritas - but it was sure fun. Wish all of you could have been with all of us in the crowd there that night - it was rockin"!!!

Another painting finished today- a watercolor of pangas in dry dock.

The First Week of December in SMA

Here are the other two studies that I did not attach to the last post. These are scenes along the highway in Michoiacan as I remember them. Lots of imagery like this is in my memory bank. I have the colors a bit too green for this time of year. Any finished painting will have a lot more yellow ochres.
A birding note: while I was in the Zihua area the one bird that I did not see was the common house sparrow!! I have seen that bird everyplace else that I have gone in this world, but for some reason it was absent there.
At any rate, life is good. Am in a really nice apartment in Colonia San Antonio, with a great view if the western half of SMA.
Lots of pigeons in this part of town. Someone must have a pigeon coop around here or otherwise encourage those darned birds. They do get rather nervous when a raptor is working the area. Makes me think of the homing pigeons back home that they sell and race out of Quality Feed Store in our neighborhood. There is a small group of Homer enthusiasts in the Houston area and they race their birds almost every weekend. They will take them out for 50 to 175 mile races. It is amazing how fast those birds return home (of course some don't make it back - killed enroute or enticed into the feral pigeon population). It was a big sport (gambling) back in the old countries of Europe not too many years ago - still is. There are other breeds of pigeons, just like chickens, that are bred for show (fantails for example) or meat (white kings, for example). As a yoiung teenager, Ray Loomis (married to Pamela Woods Loomis, twin sister of Cynthia Woods Mitchell) built large pigeon coops or cages for each of us boys in the neighborhood and gave each of us a breeding pair and a 50# bag of feed, with the intent that we would raise squabs for the restaurant market, thereby learning business skills and keeping us occupied with worthwhile activities. I was different, as I wanted to raise quail and pheasant, so I was provided with a long run pen for my birds. I had bob white quail and silver pheasants. The project did not keep us occupied for very long, unfortunately. We all lost interest when we realized how long it would take to get any payout. It was a neat idea, though, and it did teach us a lot.

More Zihua and Michoaican studies

Here are the remaining four studies form my trip to Zihua.

It was a really fun and relaxing trip. I am so glad that Kathie posted that notice on the Civil List here in SMA. I did get to go fishing for half a day on one of the panga fleet. It was with Fernando Ignacio. Aother guy, Salvador (Angel) was supposed to come along to share the cost, but he had a bad eye infection and couldn't make it, so Fernando and I headed out into the Pacific. So great to be out in those big oceanic swells streaming across from the far side of the Pacific. I just love being out there in small vessels. The coastline of Mexico's Pacific coast is spectacular with the mountains crashing into the water and jungle growth on the mountainsides. At any rate, we caught about 20 Sierra mackeral about 3-4 lbs each and about 6 0r so Bonita or Black Tuna trolling jogs behind the boat. we would troll through breaking schools of the Sierras and would usually hook one or two each time we made a pass. One boat next to us hooked a nice Dorado (Dolphin or Mahi mahi) and it was jumping all over the place. I was hoping to hook into one, but we never did. Lost several fish to sharp teeth or the stiff tackle that we were using. I would have preferred to have my light level wind tackle that I use back on the Texas coast, and to stop in one of the schools to cast into them. Would have been even more fun to use a flyrod. Next time I want to take one of the larger boats way out to the deep blue waters, well offshore for bill fish. Nevertheless, it was a very fun time. I took three of the Sierras home to have cooked at Carmargo's little restaurant down the road from the Hotel Irma. I emailed Kathie to have her meet me there for dinner and to listen to Michelle Lavallee sing. It was a lovely evening. There was a young couple from New York there on their honeymoon, a couple from Norway, a coulpe from Austin, TX, and a couple my age from Vancouver, BC (he was a sailor). Of course there was Carlos and Perla, the proprietors, and Michelle and her family (she lives next door). What a great last night in Zihua!

The drive home was pleasant, but Kathie seemed to put us on all of the back roads of Michoiacan, Guererro, and Guanajuato. Nevertheless, we were back into SMA before dark - a prime concern. Stopped off to share a dinner at the Golden Dragon on the edge of SMA before getting to Maricella's B&B. I just had the time of my life - added 55 new bird species to my Mexican checklist (now at 174), saw small caimans (like alligators/crocadiles), beautiful big iguanas, and tons of small racerunner lizards, a lot of Mexican Gray Squirrels, and so many different butterflies. I wish that all of you could have been along.

Spent the heat of the day sitting on the the beach front doing some watecolor studies and listening to Michelle sing some wonderful songs in french, spanish and english. These are four of the studies. I'll post the others in my next post.

The sun is setting over the mountain as I write this - just so pleasant to hear the surf crash, to feel the air cool down, to smell the salt air and to see the boats coming in to the harbor after being out all day long with the sun setting behind that mountain across the bay. What I wish I had was a really good margarita to top it off (one of those really good margaritas that they make at Rogorios in San Miguel de Allende).

The cruise ship anchored out in the bay is shuttling those last few passangers who still are onshore. When all are onboard, it will weigh anchor and head back north in a few hours, leaving us back to normal, until it returns with a new load of tourists on Friday for a day stop. That ship is a monstrosity. With all those decks - it looks top heavy and just ugly, particularly with all it's lights aglow. Give me a good sailing ship any day.

Over on the beach front today where I was painting, the local fishermen are loading up thier pangas and pushing them on logs to launch them into the surf for a night of handlining for whatever they can catch, and bring that bushel or two of small fish, with maybe a couple of bonita or a dozen mackeral back to the beach front fish market for the morning sale. You can see their little lights bobbing up and down out at the head of the bay and beyond, into the Pacific. There is usually 2 or 3 men in each boat and by morning they will still be there trying to get that last few fish before heading in.

Last night, while I was talking to Steph on Skype, I had my door open to the outside porch, and a bat flew just into the door and out. Kathie, who is renting a large house up on the mountain in back of me, said that they get bats in that place every night (the living area that is not closed in). I can see them in the failing light right now flitting around trying to find a few morsels. I have also seen a number of squirrels, but don't have a field guide to identify them (will go to the library in SMA and find out what they are). No other mammals have I seen. I think that I just found out where there is a small colony of bats in an old building next to this hotel. That is where thy arepouring out of. I'll check it out tomorrow.

Oh, I did find a freshly killed (by car) vine snake, a rear fanged snake, slightly poisonous, that I had to examine to find the fangs way back in it's mouth, They are a long, very thin green snake, with a long head, adept at climbing trees and vines in search of small lizards, birds, and insects. Cool find. Just wish it had been unhurt, :(

Zihuatanejo, Mexico

The Bahia (Bay) of Zihuantanejo is one of the best anchorages along the Mexican Pacific coast. It is a beautiful bay, not huge by any means, but large enough for cruise ships to call on the port. The Sierra Occidental drops right into the Pacific, and by nature's work this bay was created

Away for Thanksgiving

I have been enjoying my stay in Mexico. San Miguel de Allende is a town for the arts: dance, theater, visual art, music, etc. There is always something going on at the plaza, or Jardin, in front of the Parroquia, or parish church, in the center of town. I have been doing a lot of artwork, making contacts with galleries, writing, and networking. I have also been able to do some virtual consulting work. Have not had a lit of free time to just have fun, but what the heck, my work is fun.

I am currently in Zihuatanejo, Mexico for the week of Thanksgiving. A woman in San Miguel was driving over to Zihua for the holiday and put a note on the local chatline for anyone wanting to come along. I responded, and it turns out that I was the only one that could travel on her dates. Kathie and I drove here on the 19th. Seven hours on the road, sharing the driving and talking alot, it seemed to pass rather quickly. It was a beautiful drive through the Mexican countryside and mountains to the Pacific coast. We stopped in Patzuaro for a quick sandwich and chips. Outside of Morelia was a great birding wetland associated with a large lake. I think that I will try to organize a birding trip there out of San Miguel in a few weeks.

So what about Zihua? Well, it is an old fishing village on the Pacific Coast southwest of Mexico City. About 30 years ago, the Mexican government built a resort area about five miles up the coast and called it Ixtapa. Today Ixtapa is large resort area with lots of big hotels, restaurants, and golf courses. I was over there today and found the general atmosphere rather not to my great liking. I much prefer the atmosphere of Zihua (except for when the cruise ships port for the day and all the people come ashore to shop and look at the sights.) So today I went into the cneter of town (Zihua), across the little slough that is the main harbor for most of the panga fleet (little 26' open fiberglass craft that are seen all over the world.). I went there to gather sketches for possible paintings. Wow, was there a lot of stuff to work with. It would sure be a lot easier to capture all this with a camera, but where is the challenge. When I was in architecture we were not allowed to use a camera for the city centers project and that's what I am doing now en pleine aire work.

Trying to drum up a fishing trip. Can't seem to find anyone to split the cost. Darn-it. Also don't know about a dive trip. The visibility isn'r but about 5 meters. might just do some snorkrling and free diving around some of the nearshore rocks. There is some coral and a lot of small fish, but nothing like then Red Sea or Belize.