Off to Texas en la Manana

Hola!
We are going away for about ten days, to a family reunion in Texas. I am thrilled to get to see my parents and sister and one of my brothers. I am also very excited because our children, KD and Ian, are also going to be able to fly in from Denver and Seattle.

However, I must admit that each time we leave our new old town, I feel a little pang of emptiness. So, I usually take my camera and go for a walk. I know I will not forget what my new home looks like while I am gone, but getting photos just gives me a good feeling and makes it easier to leave.

The photo opportunity also gives me the chance to talk to the mail lady for awhile, to sit at the Plaza, to go in as many of the stores as possible, to get a limonada, or a latte in the Teracotta and to just simply soak it all in before we go.

So, yesterday I did that. Then I went and did it again today.
And these are some of the photos I took on yesterday's walk. The Oaxacans are having a street market around the Plaza. They have been here for a week now. On Sunday night we drove around part of the Plaza and it was very festive, alot of people walking around and the lights at the plaza were beautiful and bright. There was alot of promenading going on, although it is generally all in one direction now, and girls and boys hold hands.

I sat at the Plaza yesterday and since I had no mail, I just people watched.

I saw a tree growing out of the church tower.

I saw alot of Mexicanos I know. I saw a few foreigners that I don't know. There was a big bus parked on one side of the plaza and alot of college aged students walking around, buying ice cream and chips and taking pictures of each other in front of the church.

I went into one of my favorite stores, Bochoco.

The refrigerated and frozen food cases were bright and shiny. The bins on the floor contain chicken thighs, chicken breasts and pork products. To the right are all kinds of vegetables and fruits in bins on the floor.

I buy all my chicken this way. You insert your hand into a plastic baggie and search around in the bin for what you want, pull it out, put it into another baggie, get it weighed and you are good to go to the check out girl.

Eggs are not refrigerated in any Mexico stores I have been in, with the exception of Wal Mart in Obregon. Bochoco sells gigantic brown eggs and white eggs as well. I asked today to buy the brown ones, but they were already sold out.

More shiny food cases in the front of the store, where the room is only about twenty feet wide.

Today, I have chosen frozen chicken so I can take the long way home. The check out lady takes my 23 pesos for three frozen chicken breasts, bags it in pink plastic and I am on my way.

Next stop, the Alameda, where they have put some finishing touches on the walkway and added new benches and alot of cottonwood trees, (alamos means cottonwood), grass and bouganvilla. The fountain is full of rainwater, but one of these days I think it will be gurgling away.

On the way home, I stop and take a picture of this beautiful date palm and suddenly I am back at my own gate.

We will be gone a long time.

I can not wait to see my family, but I will most likely think about my home every day and wonder what is going on.....................does Alma have in the new orange and pink oilcloth I asked about..................she said it might come Friday.................the fabric store just got in a new batch of paints.................... some new colors this time...................new little shiny regalos boxes will come in over the weekend........................Rosie, a lady I worked with at DIF during Hurricane Norbert, wants to stop by week after next when we get back........................a friend and I are planning to put together a Christmas Bazaar in November at the Plaza and she wants to get together............she speaks not a word of English, but so far we are communicating anyway.......is it hot......is it raining......................how tall will the grass be..................adios, we are off to Texas en la manana.......see you when we return.................linda lou

Restoration of the Church

Hola, here is the morning light just before the sun crested the hilltop. I want to update you on the restoration of Iglesia Parroquia de Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion or as most people call it, the church.



As I have mentioned before, Alamos is a Pueblo Magico and is hoping to become a World Heritage Site. Money for restoration projects are given to towns lucky enough to be chosen Pueblo Magicos and more money will be available when it becomes the heritage site.



I have shown you the alameda and where some of the Pueblo Magico money is going. It is so exciting to see all the work. The lamp posts are now lit at night and if you are lucky enough to walk the alameda during the evening you can really feel the Pueblo Magico. Today I was down at the alameda and the old stone fountain has been retiled and the pipes, refitted for water flow. There's no water in it yet, but it certainly draws a big crowd to view the tile work.


The church is where a great deal of the money is going, but it is not just government money that is funding the church restoration. Several groups within the Alamos community, both mexican and foreign, have spent long hours fundraising dollars to assist in the projects.



In the photo above you can see the single church tower. If you recall, originally a second tower was planned but the construction was interrupted for unknown reasons, and as a result, incompleted churches with only one tower do not pay taxes on the structure and land.



Below you can see restoration of one dome has been completed and the larger dome above is now being worked on. The stone wall below has been reinforced with Pueblo Magico funds.




The cupola on the tallest dome has been painted white and you can see the weathervane that is below the iron cross.

Below the painters are beginning to work on the largest dome.

The original construction of this baroque designed church began in 1786 and was completed in 1804. Below you can see the fine china plates that were donated by women of society. Many of the plates were destroyed by Pancho Villa and his troops in the early 1900's. The two arches above the plates are the bell towers.

The church clock was brought to Alamos from Rome and runs by ropes around wheels and not by cogs.

Below, to each side of the bell tower, you can see initials of families that contributed silver and money to the original construction in the late 1700's.

And below, the iron cross above the cupola of the largest dome.

As the restoration moves forward, I will continue to update you and when they do turn on the water fountain at the alameda, I will get you a picture. In the meantime, there is just a tiny little cloud over the top of Mt. Alamos. It is very, very windy and it doesn't feel like there is any humidity. And it is time for my siesta. adios....linda lou