More highlights from Mexico - Guanajuato

One of the highlights of my trip last month was a visit to Guanajuato, the capital city of the state of Guanajuato in Mexico. This city is built on a mountain side, has working silver mines, and is accessed through a labyrinth of tunnels that run underneath the city - mostly one way tunnels mind you!

I looked on the internet for artist's interpretations of the city and see a Craigorio Hauquitz mentioned on many websites. This artist is apparently a German-Slovakian Mexican sculptor/painter. I was very curious to see his work. Nowhere however, could I find an image.

We did visit one mine, a part of which is pictured below. We didn't go inside since it's a working mine, but enjoyed the view of the grounds and panaorama of the city. There were vendors outside the mine selling scrap material, including lots of large crystals and jewelry made from the "scrap".

Guanajuato is also the home of a very unusual mueum - the Museo de Momias. This museum houses the dearly departed exhuned after their families are unable to pay a grave tax on their funeral plot. Some combination of dryness and minerals in the ground has naturally mummified them and now they are on display.

This seems to be something that people will go to see once. It wasn't too terribly gory - there was a school field trip going through shortly after we arrived, although it bothered me that some of the mummies were not that old, but had been buried in the 50's. This seems to change it from something that might be considered historical and scientific to something more creepy or disrespectful. I don't know why - just a feeling that elapsed time creates a boundary of it's own.

A Goodbye to Cole

Cole, one of my three pets, has passed on at the veterinarian's office on Tuesday morning.

Cole was born wild, almost twelve years ago, and captured along with his mother and siblings. Two of the litter, Cole and his brother Porter, came to live with me. I had a spare room that has a loft and I put the two in that room at first, with food and water, to allow time for the other pets to get used to the idea of them. After a couple of days I left the door to the room open and sat with my dog Zeke at the end of the hall opposite the spare room. After some time, two curious little kitten heads gradually emerged at the top of the ladder leading to the loft. Bit by bit they descended the ladder steps, eventually arriving at the floor. Slowly and tentatively they crept down the hall while Zeke and I sat motionless. At long last they approached and then boldly pushed themselves into Zeke's fur and instantly bonded with him. After Zeke was gone and Bear came along a couple of years later, they accepted him as well.
About a year after that Porter disappeared, probably a victim of the coyotes that inhabit the nearby canyon. Cole managed to evade the coyotes even though he hunted every evening. In fact he didn't need me at all up until he got sick. He could find enough water and food for himself and even enough to share with Bear on occasion. His list of hunting conquests was impressive, including rats, mice, rabbits, gophers, snakes, the occasional lizard, and once, sadly, a young hawk. He had a cat door and came and went at will, but he always came home at night. If he wanted attention he would gently, but firmly, bite my hand until I woke up.

Cole was diagnosed with kidney failure in January and began a regimen of prescription food, medication, and fluid treatments. He had to have an abscessed tooth removed and during surgery a feeding tube was implanted in his neck so he could receive nourishment while his mouth healed. Maintaining him during his illness was time intensive and complicated. He had to have water every hour, and food every four hours. He had medication twice a day and eventually another medication an hour before meals. His neck had to be cleaned and disinfected every day and the yards of soft stretchy gauze that held his tube in place had to be changed. The overwrapping comes in assorted colors and I thought he looked very dapper in the red. He had routine visits to the vet for subcutaneous fluids. While I was away he stayed in the hospital so that his treatment could continue. His attitude during this intense human intervention was incredibly sweet and cooperative. Even though he occasionally growled his disapproval - especially at the vet's office, he never lashed out or so much as snapped at anybody.

It was quite an experience to take care of him and I was happy to continue with it as long as it made him feel better - anything to keep him happy and comfortable. He slept a lot near the end. Sometimes I'd have to wake him up to feed him. I would hold his head up with my hand while feeding him. One day while leaning his head on my hand he placed one paw over my arm and then the other and fell asleep. There was nothing else to do but just lie down next to him while still holding his head so he could finish his nap. I will miss him greatly now that he's gone.

Cathedrals, Colonial Architecture, and Cats

In San Miguel it seems like almost everything is within walking distance and at the center of the town is this very whimsical cathedral - La Parroquia – if cathedrals are allowed to be considered whimsical.

All the streets are made of cobblestone, making it a good idea to wear comfortable shoes



Because it is a national monument everything must conform to the colonial architecture, including it seems the mounted policemen, who never seemed to be having much fun.

At breakfast on our first day we discovered four cats – one, a white one with tufted ears, was so bold as to jump directly into my lap and demand bacon. She quickly became our adopted pet during our stay. She would come by at night and rattle the door to be let in. Eventually we learned that she knew a way across the roof and onto the balcony and could come and go through a window left ajar.

I know she was after any food that we might have, but I didn’t realize she’d be so cuddly, eventually sleeping on the bed every night.

The Cranes of San Miguel

Last week I went to San Miguel de Allende with a group of friends. We arrived on a Saturday night that happened to coincide with a Cuban festival involving music and fireworks. Whenever the fireworks would explode white cranes would take off into the sky and glide overhead - feathers illuminated from the firework's glow. In the morning we could see that they nest in the trees above the Bed and Breakfast. My guess is that they get food from a nearby lake. As far as I can see they don't seem to reside in any other location within San Miguel de Allende.

We drove past this lake on the way to Gunajuato. Probably it's the lake that the cranes get their food from.

Frequent Visitor: Snowy Egret in my neighbor's pond

Often when I am walking past the kitchen window I catch a glimpse of this out of the corner of my eye. It's a snowy egret standing in my neighbors pond. He likes to feast on the fish.

And then later, when I was out walking the dog, I saw him (or her) again.

Balls in the (studio) air

At the time that I was figuring on finishing all the paintings in progress in the studio, I hadn't anticipated how much time I would need to spend grappling with tax returns. That's not how I would normally choose to prioritize things, but this year I'm hoping for a refund. I'm thrilled to have finally finished those - the returns, that is. Signed and put in the mail; certified, return receipt requested. I came pretty close to completing everything in progress in the studio anyway, in the week since. The first one below is very close, although I know I'll go in and do a few more glazes.

This next one is also close, but I want to add a bit more atmosphere to the sky.

And on these last three, I just want to have some more fun with before I call them done.

The days are getting longer

Winding Trail

18 x 12"

oil on linen

I've noticed the days getting longer - that's good news to me in the studio and in general. More light to paint with, more opportunity to walk the dog, and more growth for the plants. I started sheet mulching an area last year to prepare the ground for vegetables. Some seedlings are ready to plant now if I can find the time, and the rain barrels are full for watering them. Some of the daffodils have started blooming. With any luck they'll have a chance to be in flower for a while before it gets too hot.

I have six paintings in progress and I'm hoping to have them all complete within the next two weeks. That shouldn't be too much of a challenge. Because of Cole's illness I have to give him water through a feeding tube every hour and that keeps me from wandering too far from the easel. He seems to be stable for the time being as well as being extremely cooperative for the most part.