Gayle Brennan Spencer – sending random thoughts to and from South Austin
So many calaveras pop up in Oaxaca, one would think these photos represent newcomers to the street scene added to herald the approach of Day of the Dead.
But I must confess, the timeliness is coincidental. These “postcards” of street art date from mid-August.
Calaveras and catrinas never are out of season in Oaxaca.
(We briefly interrupt the series of postcards from Budapest with breaking news from Oaxaca.)
Out for a stroll last evening with no room for dinner after a major lunch at La Biznaga, I requested a route that would pass by the front of the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de la Soledad. The Mister was not fooled. My real mission was the Plaza Socrates in front of the basilica, home to a dozen ice cream vendors.
But, before I could even begin to ponder the flavor options, music erupted on the street below. Brass bands and dancers with floral arrangements crowning their heads were gathering for one the city’s numerous exuberant processions, Las Calendas, to call out townspeople to celebrate, usually in advance of a saint’s day. This one appears to be a warm-up for the Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary, El Día de la Asunción de María, on August 15.
The festive dancers, fearless as castillos showered sparks around them, gigantes or mermotas, stilt-walkers, a truckload of little angels and the woman in blue bearing extra rockets and castillos to set off every couple of blocks completely distracted me from my original mission.
I shall return to both the delayed delivery of postcards from Budapest and to Plaza Socrates another day.
That leaves me time to ponder whether I want to order rose or chocolate-chile ice cream. Those wouldn’t pair well in one dish, would they?
Thanks so much, John Branch, http://comicskingdom.com/john-branch
Okay, the biannual roundup of what posts you read most during the past year is not exciting, but it always interests me.
As usual, he Alamo floats up near the top. While lots of you read my “Dear Mayor” post, it seemed to have little impact at City Hall despite its direct delivery to the inboxes of the 11. I actually was writing about the Alamo some yesterday, slipping Alamo politics into the historic fiction manuscript on which I am focusing. The passionate stands and debates about the Alamo and its plaza a century ago differ little from those of today.
You hold the King William neighborhood and Brackenridge Park dear as well. And am hoping some of our recent travels help serve as inspiration or guides for yours.
The numbers in parentheses represent the rankings from six months ago:
Thanks for dropping by periodically. Love hearing your feedback.
Postcards from Barton Springs 