Up there
on your high horse
you grope in the darkness.
Blind to
azure
and
the midday sun.
Blind to
delicate wild flowers
braided in my hair.
Blind to
the sticky sweat of toil
and the gallop of my heart.
Blind to
fractured limbs
and murmurs of pain.
You only know
the ache of your saddle
the blisters on your hands
the tempest on your horizon
an unfathomable loss.
Dismount
and
discover
it
and
we
are all the same.
Colleen Sohn
Tags: My Poetry
More photos from in and around our digs. Meet Eduardo y Blanca. They run a terrific restaurant, El Cardon, which was about a two minute walk from our place and where we had dinner nearly every night.
Eduardo makes a mean margarita, and Blanca is a wizard in the postage-stamp kitchen. These are her rellenos. A mi me gusta!
Sunrise on the Sierra La Giganta
We saw so many butterflies. Happiness.
This is a hummingbird nest! Though I question the mama’s placement, exposed over pavement, her construction method was lovely. It was about the size of a hacky-sack, and, in moments of stillness, the sweetest of tiny chirps could be heard from the babies.
Sunset at LAX
On our way home…
Hola! It’s time for our day trip to Mision San Javier, which lies about 30 km to the west of Loreto. It was actually meant to be a day on the water, with this first photo taken on the malecon waiting for our boat, but the sea was muy bravo, so we had to save our time with dolpins, whales, and sea lions for our next trip.
These are paintings made by the indigenous people of Baja before the missionaries arrived and their lives were forever changed.
The Calvary Cross that greets visitors to Mision San Javier and the tiny town (150 occupants) that bears its name.
A close cousin of a matilija poppy, I think.
Mision San Javier
Built with great care by indigenous people whose populations would be decimated by hard labor and European diseases.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
It is a beautiful building, one of the first with pane windows.
Meticulously cared for, it is still used for mass.
This olive tree was planted by the Jesuits over 300 years ago.
The Jesuits taught the locals how to make use of the springs to grow things like olives, oranges, mangoes, and some very famous onions. It was pretty wild to see such a bounty in a desert, truly an oasis.
In a place where it rarely rains and the average low temperature hovers around 50 degrees, it is common to see walls made entirely out of palm. I was awestruck.
Greg makes a friend, of course. He’s cool like that…
Gato tranquilo
Hola amigos!
Bienvenidos a Mexico and our home away from home in Loreto. It was a week of glorious sun with every possible moment spent out of doors. Lying in the sun. Reading. Knitting. Walking. Napping. Generally having a marvelous time. We partook of lots of delicious food, margaritas and beer, and encountered a bounty of gentle souls. Fellow travelers. American and Canadian ex-pats. Mexicans. Dogs. Cats.
It was a welcome diversion from the cold and grey of Portland, though the sun is shining here, for today, at least!
Have Bikini – Will Travel.
The above photos were taken in and around the development where we stayed. It is lovely and quiet and filled with some of the nicest people around.
My morning ritual – watching the sunrise.
The Sea of Cortez
Though it was not planned, Francisco became our driver during our stay. He was probably our age, but was very fatherly and protective of us. A sweetheart.
I am always dazzled by old architecture. Mision Loreto dates to the late 1600s.
25th October 1697
Come on people, feed this bird!
The Main Square
This fence is made with cactus.
Orlando’s – very good chile rellenos!
There’s more to come…
Tags: Traveling
Courage looks you straight in the eye. She is not impressed with power trippers, and she knows first aid. Courage is not afraid to weep, and she is not afraid to pray, even when she is not sure who she is praying to. When she walks, it is clear she has made the journey from loneliness to solitude. The people who told me she was stern were not lying; they just forgot to mention she was kind.
J. Ruth Gendler
Tags: Quoting
