Central Park in Fall I
With it being the 10th anniversary of the loss of the Twin Towers I thought I would dedicate my next several posts to the lives and liberties that were lost that day and also to the incredibly beautiful and resilient city of New York. We begin with a few that I have called Central Park in Fall as I love the song “Danke Schön” and the park really is a site to behold in autumn. I began my walk at the South Gate of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.
This is seen quite often in movies and has a jogging / walking path that surrounds it, the views from the path are quite amazing.
It was a gorgeous day and the water was so glassy it seemed to be reflecting all the buildings.
I always love to see people getting married, it’s such a beautiful testament to new beginnings and there were many weddings in the park on this day.
As someone in love with Ancient Egypt I absolutely had to seek out and view Cleopatra’s Needle.
It towers through the trees that surround it and is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. I stood in complete awe of this ancient artifact before me.
A little history on the obelisk: Cleopatra’s Needle ~
This obelisk was erected first at Heliopolis, Egypt in 1500 B.C. It was removed to Alexandria in 12 B.C. by the Romans. Presented by the Khedive to the City of New York. It was erected here on February 22, 1881 through the generosity of William H. Vanderbuilt.
Of course I absolutely had to get a skyward view of it.
One of the things I adore about New York is the small items of beauty that can be found almost anywhere and it is only made better by the awesome street musicians that contribute their talent to the memories of the day.
Today I end our post with Belvidere’s Castle which we will continue to further explore on my next post, you have to love the many surprises that can be found in Central Park.
Danke Schön for reading and I think you will be quite please with the upcoming posts.
Short Sweet Sunday
Because of the date I was going to begin an extended post today on pictures from my last visit to NYC. I was having trouble motivating and was lying on the couch looking outside when I saw one of the outside cats touching something that would jump every time she pawed at it. The drought has turned my whole back yard to hay (for lack of better description) so it wasn’t too hard to see what was going on. At first I thought she had a frog but when I went outside to inspect her prey closer I realized she had a little chameleon. I happen to be particularly fond of these little guys and he actually jumped on my shoe and tried to climb up my leg to escape so I reached down and picked him up to save him.
He was so exhausted from trying to get away from her that he let me take a couple of pics once I got him onto the porch. I decided that he needed somewhere safe to hide so I let him loose in a big philodendron.
When I picked him up in the yard he was mottled brown and looking very stressed out but once I placed him on the plant he turned bright vibrant green. He sat and looked at me for a while I think in a bit of disbelief and then crawled off to do whatever lizards do. Thanks for the pics and the inspiration for the post Little Dude I hope you live a long life and have many little leeezards.
Short Sweet Sunday
A little over two years ago I rescued nine kittens; while I found homes for five of them, I wound up with four. Fritz was the youngest, he was the runt and the one who required a great deal of attention as he was the most malnourished. While caring for him I had no idea he would grow into such a cool cat. He is my enforcer and he cracks me up because if you mess with Mom (Me) he is the cat you have to answer to. He comes to the door to greet me whenever I come home, he is the first cat to talk to me every morning when I wake up and I can rest assured at some point during the day he will do something to make me burst out laughing. This cat makes everything I went through to rescue them worth it everyday. So it is with great affection that I share with you a couple of my favorite shots of Fritz.
To the Barrier Island we go… part 3
We’ve now arrived in what is probably the most well known part of Padre Island, Port Aransas. 🙂 The Horace Caldwell pier is on the public beach and a place I have visited many times before. The piers are not expensive to gain access to and worth the admission price to walk down to the end, see what other people are catching and get a different look at the town.
The lady at the gate said I should hang around until the cute fishermen came out at 6 o’clock but I’ve always been a little more partial to surfers.
This is Texas and we may not get the huge waves other places get but that doesn’t mean we won’t get out and catch a wave or two. It’s kind of hard to see but this young dude gave me a shaka when he saw mean snapping shots.
This kid was actually pretty good and you could tell he was having a blast.
I like the way the sun reflected off the water in this next shot, I was out there late in the afternoon and the sun was getting closer to the bay.
As soon as I saw this guy I thought Pau Hana because if I lived here it is definitely what I would be doing after work.
I couldn’t help myself I had to take a picture under the pier before I went to play in the water.
My time on the coast had come to an end and it was time to go, I was leaving a different way than I came in and that was through the ferry, as a child I loved to get out of the car and look at the most traveled entrance to the bay; sometimes you could see big oil tankers coming and going, sometimes there are dolphins at play.
This is how you know you got a good spot on the ferry and are likely to be one of the first ones off and on your way to Aransas Pass which begins the journey home.
These are but a few of the beaches in Texas and I very much encourage you to visit as many of them as you can but please, always remember to respect the locals as they maintain them and please pick up after yourself so that we leave them pristine and beautiful for others.
To the Barrier Island we go… part 2
Today we are under a level two heat advisory which means we are encouraged to get to or stay in an air-conditioned facility, so in order to stay cool I thought we’d head north on the Texas Gulf coast. I headed up 361 and out to JP Luby Surf park, since the waves were small there was… well, no one there but this dude was hanging out trying to catch some lunch.
It really was a gorgeous day and the water did feel awesome but as you can see there were no waves to be caught.
Every once in a while I’ll throw in a self-portrait but because nothing I do is ordinary even these are a little off kilter, so yeah, this is me. 🙂
I then headed further north to Mustang Island State Park and was hanging out between the jetties when I found a little friend. Can you see my little buddy? He’s a little above the center of the shot.
Ok, well, in case you didn’t find him … this is a close up of my friend. I’ve been catching these guys since I was a kid and when you chase them you tend to look like a fool running all over the beach looking down at the sand. I have always called them Sand Crabs but I think their proper name is Ghost Crabs because they are so hard to see on the sand. They get much bigger and tend to be nocturnal but will sometimes venture out during the day. Every time I look at this I think this poor little dude is probably thinking, “Please put me down lady!”
Another bird, this guy wasn’t fishing as much as he was strutting around trying to look cool but I’ll give him props for owning his style.
Of course I had to climb up on to the jetties and this is my view looking out from them.
From the left I was looking over to the right at what was at one time the mouth of Fish Pass; however, over time this water way has dried up and no longer continues from bay to beach so Fish Pass can now only be found bay side but the jetties are still here. You get some pretty cool wave breaks between them but it is rather narrow and the beach here has more broken shells than elsewhere as they are crushed against the rocks.
I walked out almost to the end of the right jetty and as you can see it was a really quite day, there were few fisher folk or water people out; the gulf itself was very quiet on this day too.
So I say goodbye to the state park and headed north so I hope you’ll join me next time as we hit up the other edge of the island.
To the Barrier Island we go… part 1
So as promised we are headed out to Padre Island which is the barrier island for Corpus Christi Bay. I decided to be able capture as much of the island as I could I would head in from the south and drive north, so I jumped on South Padre Island Drive and cruised over the John F Kennedy Memorial Causeway to get to Padre Island. By the way, I did not take pictures of it but under the Causeway on the island side there is an excellent restaurant called Snoopy’s that I have been eating at for years; it is a great place to sit outside, grab a burger and enjoy yourself. Once I crossed the causeway I headed south on SPID and went out to the Bob Hall Pier…
a place I came many times with my father when I was younger, I can remember countless hours on this pier looking out into the distance…
and fishing. There is nothing more relaxing than being out here for hours on end with the roar of the wind in your ears.
As with everything I have to crawl all over the place to get a different view but I learned how neat the bottom side of piers looked while hiding from the sun.
It was late morning on the beautiful Texas gulf coast, I could sit on the beach and stare out at the water forever but I do think the view would be a bit better if the drilling platforms were not out in the distance.
It was also way out there that you could see the coming rain, it is so awesome to watch rain approaching from so far away, to be able to see it falling in the distance while still sitting in the sunshine.
So I jumped in the car and headed north to the mouth of the Packery Channel which is bordered on both sides by jetties, as you can see there are some people kayaking just past the jetties.
As I was walking back along the jetties to continue my voyage I saw something I have seen more of in Hawaii than in the Texas gulf a Honu or sea turtle, there were actually two and they seemed to be be dancing but I only got a good shot of the one.
The jetties are created by huge granite blocks which have been placed on either side; besides being a serene place to sit and listen to the water; it is an awesome place to observe the small sea life that teams around them. One just has to be careful as sometimes they are slippery and you can windup in the water a great deal faster than you thought. 😉
Soon we will head north and explore more of the island to escape the heat in the heart of Texas, the heat index was 110 degrees today so I hope the pictures of the coast made you feel at least a little cooler.
A Little Bit of Corpus Christi
So I feel bad I know I’ve been MIA forever and I must explain, I am an avid reader and if something really catches my attention it consumes me until I finish it; occasionally this happens with series of books, so then it seems like I’ve fallen off the face of the earth. I recently watched the series “Game of Thrones” on HBO which then lead to the books, all five of them 🙂 needless to say I highly recommend them but now that I have finished them I am back and I promise not to be so negligent again … well, at least until the next book comes out.
I know I have been promising to take you to the coast forever, with the sweltering heat lately I thought we needed some visual relief so today, for the next couple of posts I am making good on my word. Recently I spent an afternoon and night in Corpus Christi and these are a few pictures from that adventure. Usually I pass through Corpus on my way to Port Aransas but I was in town for a short while so I decided to share some of it with you. These first few shots are some artwork that was posted outside of a tattoo studio that was down town. I thought it was cool that the artists chose to advertise by displaying some of their artwork on the side of the building. This first picture is Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, an icon often seen; I could do a whole blog post about her alone but for now I will say she will always remind me of my Grandmother.
I have a thing for Dragons, many people say I myself am one (even though according to Chinese Astrology I am actually a Water Ox) but I thought this Dragon’s third eye was an interesting addition.
This caught my eye because I thought it was a surf board design, upon closer inspection I realized it is not and it was probably just the shape that made me think that.
BUGS!!! This piece reminded me of M. C. Escher.
I have this thing for looking up at things, one of my favorite things to look up at is Palm fronds; I will at some point in time spend a whole day looking up at a Palm tree just to humor myself.
The point at which it seems the street just ends is actually where the bay begins, so only three blocks away was the water.
If you are going to cruise through Corpus often it is necessary that at some point you stop by the Selena Memorial, which I happened to do at 2:30 in the morning but I thought the dark shots came out cool.
She was a very talented young lady who was taken from this world too soon.
Mirador de la Flor (Overlook of the flower), one of the biggest hits was Como la Flor which the memorial is themed for and as you can see someone has given her fresh white roses.
I was only in CC overnight and this is Corpus Christi Bay mid-morning, in the distance you can see our next destination.
Tomorrow we head out to the Island.
Deep in the ❤ of the Lone ✯
These are actually pictures I took last spring but one of my best friends has asked me to post them several times because they are some of their favorites. In Spring we in Texas get many beautiful flowers including but not limited to the delicacy of Dandelions, the striking beauty of Poppies, the exceedingly aromatic Mountain Laurels and let us not forget the incredibly beautiful state flower our Blue Bonnets.
I hope you fancy our beautiful flowers and I’m thinking for our next journey some fun in the sun is in order.
Luminaria: Arts Night
Luminaria is an annual celebration of artists for every major discipline; one can find everything from dance, theater, poetry readings, music, painting, sculpture, and film, held at night it is a breath-taking sight to behold and one that as a San Antonio resident you definitely do not want to miss. Luminaria is located in downtown San Antonio at Hemisfair Park which was built-in 1968 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio and was also to host the 1968 World’s Fair.
Within the park is The Tower of the Americas, standing at 750 feet tall it has offered breathtaking views of the Alamo City for 35 years, it is surrounded by the six national flags that have flown over Texas. Texas was under the Spanish flag from 1519-1685 and then again from 1690-1821, under France from 1685-1690, under Mexico from 1821-1836, following which point we became our own republic from 1836-1845, in 1845 Texas joined the union and became the 28th star on the flag of the United States of America, however in 1861 with the outbreak of the civil war Texas flew the Confederate flag from 1861-1865, after the war we then returned to the glorious Star Bangled Banner which we fly to this day. You can see almost all of these flags surrounding the Tower in the photograph below.
The Institute of Texan Cultures has many collections and exhibits that document both the history and growth of our great state. This particular evening it was lite with both abstract art and a beautiful slide show.
Many artists are able to display their wares on the fair grounds and this display of colorful abstract art was quite a sight to behold.
This intriguing exhibit reminded me of colorful illuminated lollipops.
At the edge of the Lollipops was a striking illuminated rooster.
I’m not quite sure which mythical creature this person was but I liked their monochromatic theme and the attention to detail.
This giant sculpture is always on display but fit right in with all the other art exhibits that night.
I must say this piece really struck my fancy as The Lady in Red.
She then promptly changed into the Lady in Blue.
When she metamorphosed once again I simply decided to call her the Lady.
The following is an homage to one of the favorite soft drinks of all Texans, even when we wander far from home we must always get a Big Red fix once we return.
With the Riverwalk being one of the main attractions to San Antonio, it is quite easy to find other small waterways with in the area; I love that this one was lite up in blue.
Alas we say good-bye to Luminaria to which we will return again next year, I couldn’t resist one last look at the illuminated entrance to the park.
As well as a parting view of the majestic tower.
I hope you’ve enjoyed a brief bit of Texas history and am excited to tell you my next post will be for someone very close to me as the pictures are some of their favorite ones that I have taken.
☪ Laissez les bons temps rouler! ☪
We here in Texas are not as big on Mardi Gras as the beautiful city of New Orleans; we just put a little San Antone spin on it. These shots were taken in downtown San Antonio on the Riverwalk. Since this is a parade, I’m just going to let you enjoy the images. Remember if you come to visit SA a river barge is one of the best ways to enjoy the sights of the Riverwalk. That being said Laissez les bon temps rouler!
✿Spring✿
So I was still playing with the Rebel when I took these shots. These were taken over a period of weeks on various days. Spring is brief in South Texas, it is not long before it is hot here and so we savor the cool spring days because we know soon the summer sun will be scorching.
This first shot was taken after a small morning rain, the sky was still overcast which always tends to make this particular hibiscus look like it is glowing. I have always loved the fresh feeling after rain and took delight in catching this flower with raindrops still on it.
Impending warfare or getting to know each other, I don’t know anything about the social behavior of wasps but I can tell you that a nest is now where they were that day. I am actually terrified of wasps and shot this with a telephoto lens while laying on the driveway so as to be as far away as possible. 😉
I truly am not a very big fan of orange at all but I am always so happy I purchased this hibiscus. It has often has big vibrant bright blooms and when it does, it reminds me of the friend that I was shopping with when I bought it.
These next three shots are of an intriguing bush that has been in the backyard since the house was purchased, we do not know what it is but it blooms earlier than anything else around; usually in early February, the bees seem to love it.
In fact the whole bush is buzzing with them when it is in full bloom.
It is an incredibly beautiful sight, the whole thing is covered in clusters of these pink flowers, they all fall off and the whole thing remains emerald green through summer, until it looses it’s leaves again in fall.
These flowers mean the beginning of spring and I who am not a huge fan of cold weather always welcome them. Sooo…. what comes next, who knows but I hope you’re ready to catch some beads.
☽My Mother the Moon☾
Because standing outside admiring the moon is a quiet moment I’ve decided to do this post with out narration. Enjoy ღ
❤G’nite❤
❇Christmas❇
Since the Rebel was still very much new, I decided to play with some of the settings while capturing why I love Christmas. I do love that at this time of year people are for the most part nicer to each other and I absolutely love to give people gifts but I adore all the sparkley decorations and lights of the Christmas Season.
I love peace signs, probably because my parents were hippies but I recently learned the symbol is the semaphore (using flags to communicate over a distance) symbols for “N” and “D” encircled. The it was created for part of the nuclear disarmament campaign and that is why those letters were chosen.
While I like to put up many trees (usually seven) and I joke that the house is a mini-forest, this the big tree and the center of attention.
It is probably because snow is so rare in Texas that I love all decorations with snowflakes.
I was so proud of myself for throwing the decoration on the corner of the table together after my cats broke the oil lamp that was there; alas, the decoration barely made it past Christmas morning before the cats took it out.
This one of my favorite decorations because of the colors.
For our annual Christmas Party I like to have the whole house non-traditionally lite which with as many decorations as I have isn’t too hard.
I absolutely adore they way these catch whatever light is closest to them.
I am a self professed Hello Kitty freak; one of the seven trees is solely a Hello Kitty tree but this is one of my big collectible ornaments.
This next one is one of my very favorites because of the attention to detail, it caught my eye at the top of the tree and was the last one they had at Neiman Marcus and it was one of their 2007 limited editions.
Rather than common self portraits I like catching my reflection better.
Soon Dahlings, we will go play under the full moon like Vampires. ☽
Rebel Rebel
Let us begin by saying that cyber Monday was a good day and there were some very good deals; this post is so late in coming because it took time to play with the new toy coming from point and shoots previously, they were some interesting and fun differences to get used to. So this post is to share a few of the fun trial shots I took enjoying the Rebel.
The first shot I took was of a full moon, I loved the haze that was created around the moon. It is said that this foretells rain because of the moisture in the air.
The next night I was lucky enough to catch the beginnings of a lunar eclipse, in this first picture the shadow of the earth is barely visable.
There is only slightly more of the moon covered here but I really liked the odd color of the haze around it.
This is about as far as it got before the cloudy skies obscured the whole thing but it was still a thrilling experience to capture what I did of it.
This is actually one I took on the morning of the snow day; I was playing with the macro setting and loved that it caught the kitty tracks in the snow.
I hate to admit but this guy is one of my favorite late night visitors, he comes right up to the sliding glass door and looks around like y’all got food in there but don’t be fooled he is actually pretty good sized.
Hope you enjoyed my discovery time as much as I did. Buenas Noches for now. 🙂
❅Snow Day❅
I am so far south in Texas that snow is a very rare occasion for us, in fact it had literally been decades since the last time it snowed here. Prior to this February the last time it snowed in San Antonio was January 13, 1985; I was old enough to not only remember it but played in it, made snow angels and snowpeople who were taller than me. To this day it seems like a fairy tale and is one of my fondest childhood memories, as we looked over the pristine blanket that coated our front yard I remember my father saying that it had not snowed here for almost thirty years, in fact since he was a boy. So almost thirty years later, I sat glued to the weather channel like a kid waiting up for Santa on Christmas. I’d known since much earlier in the day that it was going to snow, I have traveled to winter places on vacation and seen snow besides the event here as a child. I knew the conditions were perfect and it smelled like snow from about two in the afternoon on. I was ecstatic when I saw the first tweets that the sleet was changing into snow, I threw on some warm clothes and wandered into the night with a broken toe to capture this rare occasion. With out further adieu, snow in South Texas.
There is nothing like looking up into the sky as snow is falling.
This is actually a view of the street once it was completely coated.
You know some type of weed is the only thing hardy enough to be this green after days of freezing weather.
I loved the way the snow looked against the night sky.
Still a kid at heart and I still love the snow.
HAHA! Well, this is a new sight!
The same weed as before, I just felt he determination to be green deserved a little extra help.
It truly was a magical night and it will probably be a long time before we see another like it.
“The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love.” Margaret Atwood
❁Dia de los Muertos ~ Dancers❁
In my last post I said I would share how Dia de los Muertos became an important holiday for me. In 2006 I stage managed for a play called “The Pain of the Macho” it is written by a prominent Hispanic author /actor named Rick Najera. One of the main focal points of this particular play is the Dia de los Muertos Alter that is mentioned in the monologues. It was then I began to research Dia de los Muertos and truly come to understand it’s meaning. The Pain of the Macho is a series of monologues that touch on what it means to be Hispanic in this day and age, the difficulties of trying to hold on to our culture while we’ve have quite effectively been Americanized and the difficulties our ancestors went though in their quest for The American Dream, which is an idealism that to this day we struggle to achieve. In the opening monologue Rick says, “This alter is here to help me remember, because the most fragile thing in the world is a memory.” I was extremely lucky that Rick was in attendance on opening night; it was such an honor to meet the man who created this touching work, more importantly he told me, “Write, write anything but write, write about your family and what it means to you to be Hispanic. We are in an ever changing world and much has changed for us in recent decades; record your experiences because you are not alone in the way you feel.” He also advised me to always stay in touch with your creativity and continue to grow and improve upon your talents. Thank you Rick, for changing the way I look and remember the world, thank you for making me want to push myself to new heights but most importantly thank you for your artistic contributions, you paint a picture with words that my heart sees with crystal clarity.
The following pictures are of the Urban 15 dancers, the entered the building at night to ominous sounding drums, their movement flowing with the rhythms, the LED lights in their costume making their Sugar Skull faces glow eerily. Once inside the room with the alters they erupted into flurried movements that seem driven solely by the music. The sounds of the drums created an infectious groove that many of the audience could not resist as they began to join the dancers with reckless abandonment. It truly was an awesome celebration of life, kudos to Urban 15 for their performance that night.
The Dance Begins
This trilogy of posts are dedicated to the memory of my grandparents; thank you for everything you endured so that I could have a better life, thank you also for the wonderful talents and memories you have passed on to me, thank you most of all for loving me as much as you did and teaching me the importance and power of both laughter and love.
❁Dia de los Muertos ~ Sugar Skulls❁
In thinking about this second post on Dia de los Muertos is occurred to me you may not be familiar with the holiday, I will share how it became important to me in the next post but first a little history. Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on the first and second of November and even though the are Catholic holidays as well, this is actually an indigenous Mexican holiday. It is believed that on the first the souls of children are allowed to return to be with their families for the day and on the second day the souls of the adults return. The alters are filled with food and gifts for the weary travelers, as well as remembrances from their lives. Often times we now see the Sugar Skulls as decoration but it is actually one of the traditional foods as well. Sugar art was brought to Mexico by the Italians Missionaries and it is and inexpensive way to make beautiful decorations. So the sugar was molded into a skull which was then decorated with colorful icing and then had the ancestors name written on it and it was presented as an edible offering. Today we see Sugar Skulls in much of the Dia de los Muertos artwork but I always have a special place in my heart for the people who adorn themselves as Sugar Skulls as a make-up artist I have a pro-found respect for a project that takes that much time and dedication to symmetry. So I share with you some of the unique individuals I photographed.
This girl managed to captured her youth while also masking her face, her simplicity paired with the traditional jewelery and accessories convey an interesting sense of innocence.
I love when men dress for the holiday, I guess it is because I think that we as girls naturally want to play dress up so I always think it is very cool when a guy goes the extra mile too. This couple looked incredible; their attire was entirely black and white except for the pink in her bangs, it really gave them their own very distinct look. I really thought the top hat was a nice touch too.
This couple looked awesome as well, they stayed with reds and blacks; I really like that she integrated her color choices with the make-up. I really like her costume and jewelery, I thought it was flapperesque.
I had to get a close up of her face because I loved her attention to swirly detail. I liked that she drew the upside down heart as the nose but also that she connected it to the one on her forehead, the whole look was very girly and cute.
I deemed this guy the fairest of them all because his work was just amazing, I love that he chose to work with greens and that he painted the flower on his chin, the over all look gave him quite a mystic presence.
This next shot was my lucky shot; I was actually eating dinner at an old and well known Mexican Restaurant when these people walked in. I thought they all looked amazing, each of them had a very distinctive yet very defined look. This particular restaurant has Christmas lights hung it in it year ’round, those and the wait staff created the perfect background for this picture.
It is my favorite and I call it Mi Tierra not only because of it is the name of the restaurant but because I embrace the connotations of the words Mi Tierra; it is my land, my home and my culture.
❁Dia de los Muertos ~ Alters❁
Has it really been so long? Quite a bit has kept me busy but I promise I have not forgotten you. 🙂 I know I insinuated that we were going to the coast but I figured I would post something a little more appropriate for this time of year and leave the coast until sometime in February when we will need the photos to remember what “warm” is (I am a big baby about the cold). We recently celebrated Dia de los Muertos here; if you are unfamiliar with it, it is a holiday where we remember the friends and family who have left us, celebrate their lives and try to honor their memory. While I have often desired to paint a sugar skull, I thought it would be better to honor those I miss by photographing some of the traditions of the holiday. So these next three posts are to honor the memory of those that reside in my heart.
I was lucky enough to attend the 33rd Annual Dia de los Muertos Celebration and Exhibit, held by Centro Cultural Aztlan; where there were alters on display, art by local artists, pan de muerte and a performance by the Urban 15 Dancers. Many of the alters were traditional in style but there were a few that showed a much more modern influence. The skulls in this colorful alter are gorgeous, I adore the crowns of flowers, feathers and butterflies. 
Some of the detail on the alters was amazing like the picture on the candle and these bride and groom skeletons. 
I thought these guys were cute; see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil, I thought the lotteria candle was a nice touch too. It is easiest described as Mexican Bingo and a game many of us have played as children. 
One of the most beautiful things about the alters are the photos people place on them, they are youthful and often of bygone eras.
A beautiful moment for this young couple in love immortalized, all the other photos were of this couple throughout various times of their lives.
A non-traditional alter but one where the creativity is an excellent homage to the life of Linda.
The collections of pictures from the ’70’s brought back many childhood memories for me.
The beauty of this alter was striking, to see these women on this fabric was reminiscent of the way the memories of of loved ones can sometimes feel translucent yet not faded.
This artistic alter simply took my breath away. The colors and style were unlike anything else, the reoccurring theme of time a reminder as to how limited it is.
Life
Death
Me … hahaha … JK
Another painting by the same young artist named Oscar A. Galvan Jr., I don’t know what he calls it but it reminds me of a dance. 
I hope you enjoyed these alters and I promise to return to you soon with another tradition in a couple of days.
Hola and Aloha
Hola and Aloha! You may be wondering why the double greeting; well, Aloha is a spirit and lifestyle, if you have ever been to Hawai’i and been touched by it you are a lucky person indeed. Hola is a common greeting for where I live, in South Texas Hola is a little more the norm than Howdy. This is my very first blog and I would guess that it is the same with all new bloggers, where you face the overwhelming decision on what to post first. I actually pondered over it all night and was still undecided in the morning. I finally thought that I had picked a subject and then I walked outside and was lucky to have a brand new photo opportunity literally at my door step. These are a few of the flowers that are strong enough to brave the heat and produce beautiful blooms for us.
This is my double bloom white Hibiscus. This plant is the finickiest of all my blooming plants and only blooms once every two years but when it does it is stunningly beautiful.
One of my two red double blooms Hibiscus. I enjoy taking pictures from under or behind things; in some ways it is like having the view it has, I also like that it is a different perspective, in this particular picture it shows off the pretty yellow striping on back.
I am not brilliant with roses but I do adore the ones called Peace, I am quite amazed that they are doing so well for as far into summer as we are, just don’t ask to see my water bill … I kidd, I kidd. If you’re wondering why I keep mentioning the heat, it is because today the heat index was 106 degrees around 5pm; I wasn’t kidding about the “relentless sun”.
My white single bloom hibiscus and it’s hot pink center, it is a flower that I have always adored because of it’s simplicity.
The white double bloom looking toward the sun. I told you I like weird angles. 😉
One of the red double blooms, these blooms are so heavy the plant hangs down with the weight. Both plants have done remarkably well this year and have been blooming consistently.
Another Peace Rose about to bloom, these are very fragrant; it is a wonderful scent to be surrounded with when I am outside playing plant.
So many people think of Hibiscus when they think of Hawai’i, I think of Plumeria. 🙂 I wanted to catch the flower from the angle you see most often. I have quite a few different colors of Hibiscus and it seems as if each one is just as vivid as the next. I am lucky they do well for me as they are always an excellent last-minute summer hair accessory.
I thought I would include a picture of my very small friend, it is not from today but a few days ago; however, I suspect he might be the star of the post. I think he is the smallest chameleon I’ve ever seen and was thrilled to be able to capture this shot.
Well, I hope that you enjoyed a glance into a sublime South Texas Saturday afternoon; it has been great fun putting this together for you. Who knows where we’ll go next but you might want to pack your sunblock. 😉
Lahaina Laura 