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On this platform, my “footprints” are postcards to my friends. My home is the country I am in! I am committed to learning its language, and as much as possible about it, while maintaining great curiosity, a sense of humor and increasing acceptance. Read more Alexandria, United States
  • Speak, World1. Beginning to Draw Again
    2
    Day 114

    #3. April 21 to June 14, 2023

    June 15, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    In this latest part of this Udemy course, “The Complete Drawing Masterclass,” I’m drawing “portrait parts,” i.e., eyes, ears, noses, mouths, and hair. Then there are a few subjects of my own: a little dog, a stuffed goat head, and “souvenirs” of my left knee injury: a crutch and my knee injury, as seen from a view of the ligaments.

    Dates and explanations are on each picture.    Read more

  • Speak, World1. Beginning to Draw Again
    22
    Day 72

    #2. March 28 to May 3, 2023

    May 4, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    This is what I’ve studied in my online “Complete Drawing Masterclass, lectures 56 to 100
    1. Applying value: hatching, cross-hatching and the “reductive method.”
    2. Drawing in one- and two-point perspective.
    3. The blocking-in method of drawing
    4. A few drawings of my own

    Dates and explanations are on each picture.    Read more

  • Speak, World1. Beginning to Draw Again
    Day 34

    #1 February 19 to March 26, 2023

    March 26, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I am definitely doing a different kind of “trip” here: after a 24-year hiatus, I decided to start drawing again, and I wanted to keep a “diary” of my progress. Therefore, every “trip” here is a course or a topic, and every “footprint” in the trip will be my drawings. All will be in chronological order so I can keep track of my progress, and so can you.

    This first class of “Beginning to Draw Again” is called “The Complete Drawing Masterclass: From Beginning to Advanced” taught by Jonathan Simon. It is a course on a very well-thought-out platform called “Udemy.” In this footprint, I covered Lectures 17-22, doing gesture, contour, and structural drawings, This is the usual way drawing instruction starts for beginners.

    Although I’m not an actual “beginner” in this footprint, 24 years is a long time to not do something! Also, in 1998-99 as a true beginner, it somehow didn’t occur to me to practice every day. So my progress wasn’t good. This time around, at age 72, I’m practicing almost every day.

    Dates and explanations are on each picture.

    Cheers to all!    Read more

  • Speak, WorldAt Home in Oaxaca

    FEBRUARY 2023: Outings and Carnival!

    February 28, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    OUTINGS AND CARNIVAL! FEBRUARY 2023

    First, a moment of memory and affection for my friend and neighbor Roger Bobo. I call him the Jascha Heifetz of tuba players. He also also taught the world through his many distinguished students that the tuba is a beautiful instrument. Please listen!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1txIgL8-2xY

    We started February with a Sunday excursion to the town of Cuilápam to see the ex-convento there. Twenty years after Spain’s conquest of Mexico in 1521, it is astonishing how many such gargantuan religious edifices were built. (Or maybe not “astonishing,” as the Mesoamerican peoples were forced to tear down their own buildings and use the same stones to build the Spaniards’ religious edifices.)

    At the ex-convent it was not only the day of a marriage, a baptism, and a quinceañera, but also Culiápam’s saint’s day, so there was much action in this ancient place. Enrique and I went for a walk in the surrounding farmed areas, and bought just-harvested black beans and peanuts from a local owner. And as always, there was a delicious meal in the market. Since we arrived late, we were served the last remaining dish: beef “panzita” in a tomato-y broth. It’s the only kind of tripe that Enrique can stomach.

     The following Sunday we went to the town of Ocotlán, home of the artist Rodolfo Morales. We visited the museum which his family’s Foundation is running to display his works in rotation. There are murals of his in churches in the Central Valley of Oaxaca, and in other places as well. Search for “Roberto Morales Ocotlán” for beautiful images. The market was quite a highlight—full of activity, color, noise, and so much to buy!

    Our third outing was to Mitla, which is famous for its Zapotec ruins and beautiful weavings. We saw the ruins first (of course all buildings were devastated by the conquering Spaniards, who forced the rightful owners to destroy their own buildings etc., etc.) Then we our market lunch, and a fascinating conversation with our hostess. She lived and worked as far north as Baja California, but made her way home south to Oaxaca twenty-odd years later. Finally, we bought lovely tablecloth “clothing” for Enrique’s and my dining tables.

     Carnival! It is a time for happy pre-Lenten celebrations, with many many devils. The highlight was a parade of the best of carnival from neighboring villages here in the Valle Central de Oaxaca.

    And oh! Of course there was Valentine’s Day.

    Please enjoy the photos.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldAt Home in Oaxaca
    11

    JANUARY 2023: The Family Pays a Visit

    January 18, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    In my previous blog about my trip to northern Chile, I frequently received remarks like, “How wonderful that you’re traveling again!” This was strange to me, because every single day I’m in Oaxaca, I feel that I’m in the midst of a different kind of “travel:” that of traveling into the depths of a culture and my own soul. This is the fourth time in my life I’ve taken such a trip. The first was 1969-71 in Matsumoto, Japan; the second from 1980-86 in London, England, and the third from 1986-87 in Cairo, Egypt. But now, since August 2020, I’ve been on the journey of a lifetime—combining and using all of the knowledge of my 71 years, and learning utterly new things in depth as well.

    So I have decided to take you along on a monthly blog of this deeper-than-touristic voyage so you can see what it means to me. We’ll start with January.

    My pareja Enrique Suárez Murcio is one of four siblings: oldest brother Marco Antonio, deceased from COVID; older sister Rosalina—“Lina,” and younger brother Rafael. Lina and Rafael came to Oaxaca for the first time since their childhood visits: 36 years later! The purpose was to help out with a legal issue regarding the family home (write your wills NOW, everyone!) but it was also celebratory. After a day in Family Court, we spent the rest of the time enjoying each other’s company in various places. I am thrilled to be in the midst of Family, and equally grateful to be warmly accepted by them.

    The month rounds out with a few other bits and pieces: scenes from Oaxaca, two Oaxacan artists, some street scenes, a Sunday “dry season” outing in the hills to the north of the city, and the stressed-out neighbor’s cat sleeping off his relegation to “decidedly not so important” after the birth of his family’s first child.

    January!    Read more

  • Speak, WorldNorthern Chile
    Day 14

    Atacama Desert: Red Rocks and Salt Flats

    January 14, 2023 in Chile

    Atacama Desert: Red Rocks and Salt Flats

    This is a combination of my last two days’ tours on January 14 and 15, with photos so you can see the desert scenery. More explanations are given in the photo captions.

     Most of the area is up near the Bolivian border. In fact, in the salt flats tour, our guide was actually an English and Spanish teacher from La Paz, Bolivia. A few times we were above 4500 meters (14,700 feet) altitude! When I breathed, I couldn’t feel any result of being oxygenated. This resulted in my walking slowly and not talking to anyone— to try to get my breath back!

    On the last day, I shared the tour with the Bolivian guide, a doctor from Santiago specializing in geriatrics, and a retired Taiwanese chemical engineer. The four of us bonded immediately, and enjoyed each others’ company the whole day. A jackpot!

    And this concludes my trip to northern Chile.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldNorthern Chile
    3
    Day 13

    Atacama Desert: Valle de la Luna

    January 13, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    It seems that the tourism industry in each country I visit picks two or three major sights to fly visitors who have only a week to explore. The two places in Chile are Torres del Paine National Park and the Atacama Desert. Missing are a slew of gentler, lesser-known places that I have loved, such as the island of Chiloe. (I wrote about it in my first trip to Chile.)

    The Atacama Desert is a wild and beautiful place, with little water, high altitudes, and a variety of interesting altiplano plants and animals. The indigenous people who live there are the Likanantaí. They are the stewards of the lands that I visited with my tours, charging admission to each major stop, and watching over the innumerable visitors.

     Remember the NY Times article a few months ago about huge lithium deposits that were found in northern Chile? Well, this is where they were found—in the fragile reserves in the region. The rights to mine were sold by the Chilean government to a U.S. company, and all hell will break loose in 2030. You need must get to the Atacama soon, as much will be lost—especially in the salt flats you’ll see in my upcoming posts.

    These pictures show my first excursion.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldNorthern Chile
    2
    Day 11

    A 13-Hour Ride: La Serena to Calama

    January 11, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    I was so curious to see the deserts in northern Chile! After the green of Patagonia, I needed some contrast. So, I offer these photos of what my ride mostly looked like, to satisfy YOUR curiosity.

  • Speak, WorldNorthern Chile
    1213
    Day 8

    Penguins at Isla Damas

    January 8, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    My second tour involved traveling north to see the endangered Humboldt penguins. I have to reveal at this point that taking tours was more of a necessity than just getting to see places I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to visit alone. It was also because cities in Chile are at this time extremely dangerous—especially for a solo traveler like me. Not only am I spotted in an instant as a foreigner, but will also obviously be carrying a phone, money, and other valuables. An easy target. Tours are the answer for staying in a group, and so far this has worked out quite well: great guides and pleasant company. The only sacrifice is my 50-year tradition of fascinating solo traveling. At least in Chile.

    Back to the penguins. There are now 12,000 mating pairs up and down the coasts of Chile and Peru, and their habitat is disappearing rapidly. We drove north for a little over an hour to the town of Los Choros to board a boat for Isla Damas. On the two-hour ride to and around the island, we saw a fabulous show of wildlife: sea lions, many sorts of terns, two types of cormorants, and—the penguins. The guide on the boat was excellent and could answer any questions. He was commenting on a non-penguin topic—the dangers of a new mining venture trying to start up in the area—as I took a video of the penguins. You can hear Chilean Spanish and watch the lovely creatures at the same time.

    To learn more about the penguins, here is a link:

    https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/bir…

    To honor my own wishes, our guide in the van made a stop so we could get out to examine the coastal flora at close range. I found that quite thrilling.

    To celebrate my final night in La Serena a few days later, I invited my always kind and affectionate landlady Paula out for mariscos, sea food, in a favorite restaurant of hers.

    Please enjoy the photos.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldNorthern Chile
    Day 7

    From La Serena: Valle del Elqui

    January 7, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I had the great fortune of being a kilometer away from an A+ tour agency, so I booked tours for the 2nd and 3rd of January there. I used to be a “tour snob,” trying to find places by myself. This is a good process in large cities where a map and a guidebook are enough, but to see what’s OUT of town, a tour delivers. Both of mine included 14-15 people, we rode in vans, and the drivers were also quite excellent guides who spoke extensively and knowledgeably throughout via a microphone on board.

    The Elqui River empties into the Pacific Ocean two kilometers north of where I was staying. But its origins are in the west Andes, from which it flows into a fertile valley to the west of La Serena. Here a good portion of Chile’s vegetables are grown—especially lettuces, avocados, and olives for olive oil.

    Our first stop was a dam of the river, and we dutifully walked over the top of it. Actually, the first stop of day-long tours is for breakfast—a kind of prize for the night owls who actually got up in time to catch the van.

    To wake us up further, the second stop was at a pisco distillery. Pisco is an unaged brandy made from Chilean (or Peruvian) white grapes, and is distilled (without water) at 38-48 proof. Our tour guide also had extensive knowledge of the process, so we did our thinking before our drinking, to paraphrase a Spanish saying. (“Primero el deber, luego el placer.”) The classic South American cocktail is a “Pisco Sour,” which is pisco with lemon juice and shaken a great deal. We sampled it without the shake-up.

    Other stops were at Vicuña, the birthplace of Gabriela Mistral (Nobel Prize winning poet), lunch in a nearby town, and on the way back, a place to buy goods produced in the valley.

    You can see from the photos that it was quite a lovely trip. I wasn’t my usual chatty self with the other tour members, but stayed quiet and observant for a change. (A big change.)
    Cheers!    Read more

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