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Sunday, February 09, 2014

Oaxaca My Heart


We are home from our month in Oaxaca. I bunched up the photos so as not to bore you. Travel photos. Can be boring.


While I was gone we got our final sign up for the Oaxaca Paint pilgrimage in September. Man, that is going to be one awesome experinece. I checked out 4 art supply stores and every food option I could get my mouth around. I have lots of tips to share; lots of ideas for fun.


We met so many wonderful people there. Vicki, Rick, Yvon, Suzanne, Deborah, Pekola, Verena, Kel and Araceli - you are all in our hearts. We had our eyes opened to new, exciting possibilities. The world is so huge and the people in it are so precious. So helpful and generous. So talented. I am humbled.


Food in Oaxaca. You will never be the same. Forget the diet. Forget the "health" food. I ate everything from chicharrons to chapulines, pastries and cheesecakes, beer and helado and came home 2 pounds lighter (John lost 10). Neither of us got any tummy troubles. It was just the walking and sunshine and happiness I think that trimmed us down.


We both spent several hours a day in Spanish language classes. This is my third year of study and while I can make myself understood (to a limited extent) I doubt that I will ever be anything beyond survival level. I will never stop trying to improve, however. For one thing it's fun. For another thing, I love the language and the people who speak it. 


Art and food are two main reasons we love Oaxaca. World class art exhibitions, artists living in the town and in the outlying towns, huge inspiration and mind expanding ideas to grasp. John brought home gorgeous terra cotta pottery made by two sisters from a nearby village. 

Here is a 2 minute film of a terra cotta artist from San Marcos which is to the southeast of Oaxaca.



The women who made the pieces that John brought back had been to Seattle and Portland exhibiting their work; he met them in the Abastos market.

Okay, nice to have a short visit but my taxes, e-mails and snail mail are piled up to my ears. Dentist appointments and other artifacts of 'real life' are on the work list for this week. It's going to take a little time for me to get my sea legs back under me.

Hasta luego until we meet again.


11 comments:

wandamarie.blogspot.com said...

THANK YOU, JUDY for the peeks into your trip! such wondrous colors and times. and the video is so full of hard work, earth, love and true art value. just loved your post! xo

Clare Wassermann said...

Wonderful collages of a lovely trip. Thank you for the colourful dreams you're giving me!!

femminismo said...

Yes, thanks for the report. I love travel pics!

Kathie Vezzani said...

Wonderful collage of pictures. I see you went to CASA. Isn't it wonderful? Did you go down below it to the paper place? Can't wait to talk about your trip. What you said about eating? I say that all the time to our trip participants, I always lose weight while in Mexico and we eat all day long!

Lynn Cohen said...

Anything but boring! Yes, amazed by the wt. loss. You must gave watched your portion sizes?? ;-) glad you enjoyed every bite! Are you thinking of moving there?

Unknown said...

Looks like you all had fun!

Pippin said...

Lovely! Warms my cold winter day! Hugs Pippin

kim beller said...

beautiful , as always~ the words , the photos, all of it. i loved the video :)
xo
kim

Caterina Giglio said...

never once have you bored me!

Cynthia of Cynful Creations said...

Thanks for sharing these photos, I always enjoy seeing what other people get up to on their travels. Oaxaca looks lovely and John looks great in that hat!

Mary Ann T. said...

Thanks for sharing your trip to Oaxaca--it is one of my favorite places,too. Love the people, the architecture, the colors, the art, food and the light (colors seemed clearer, brighter). Would love to go back one day..maybe even retire there.