Dia de Muertos in Alamos

Hola! So, now it is manana.

Last week after our return, I walked up to Casa de la Cultura, without my camera, to see the altars the school children had dedicated for Dia de Muertos. The altars were bright and colorful and the mayor was there to open the presentation and give out certificates.

As I was leaving, fuming over the fact that I left the camera at home, a lady grabbed my arm and told me I would have posole with the mayor.

I sat down, at a table with about 20 other adults and ate posole with the mayor. The posole was excellent and I was quite flattered to have been invited.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The following day I went to set up the History Club altar.

The clay sculptures we did the previous week in clay class were up and I snapped Ian's RIP below.Below is the main courtyard of the museum and the Guajarito altar is in front, the clay sculptures are behind the carriage and the History Club altar is on the left, against the wall. The altar was dedicated to Margo Findlay, an Alamos resident since 1964, who died in January, of this year, at 104.

She was a painter, a dancer and world traveller and quite a charming lady. We had the chance to meet her in 2008, when we first moved here. The balloon painting is one of the last paintings she did.I am afraid the quality of my photography does not do justice to the lovely photo of her that someone else took, but still, I wanted you to be able to put her face to her name, and this was the best I could do.We did not attend mass at the Panteon yesterday afternoon and chose instead to go around 5pm to put flowers on the graves we have adopted there. The Panteon was so crowded that we placed the flowers, took a few photos and headed up to the Mirador.


The grave above is of Helene Adams Wood and the next photo is the grave of her husband, Thomas Morgan Wood. We tend these 2 graves and then also the sites of Ida Louise Franklin and her son, Walter, whom I told you all about last year.

The Alamos 'adopt a grave' program has now identified over 100 foreign grave sites in the Panteon, and almost 80 percent of the graves have been adopted.

Here are just a few photos from last night. I have never been comfortable taking photos at the Panteon during this celebration, so I always only take a few.

We heard a lot of music last night. Near the Franklin graves, was a young boy, about 10, playing his saxophone for all of his family members who had gathered there among the family's grave sites.

Down below, in the newer section of the cemetery, a large brass band was playing. And guitar players were throughout the Panteon, playing for relatives.

At the mirador, there was a nice cool breeze and fewer crowds.

The photo below is of the Panteon and the Sierra Madres beyond.





Below you can see the new lamps do actually light the caraterra outside of town.


It really is a beautiful Pueblo Magico.

So, about this time every day, I am very ready for a nap.

I woke up in the middle of the night, absolutely certain I had not paid the electrical bill which was due in September. So I worried about that all night until I fell asleep around 5am, only to wake up not too long afterward to a skunk in the yard.

Cookies was upset and I was still worried about the electricity.

I was there when they unlocked the door and I was right! I had not paid our bill, which is paid every 2 months. So contrary to what they say, they do not turn off your electricity, even when you are 2 months late paying the bill.

There is a gentle breeze blowing and the wind chimes are tinkling away and I am being lulled to sleep as I write!adios, linda lou...............