Gayle Brennan Spencer – sending random thoughts to and from South Austin
Above: Camarones Gaditanos at El Olivo Gastrobar
With almost every “postcard” from our 2022 trip to Spain delivered, these photos should smooth your, and our, transition to Mexico.
Relatively new on the scene is Casa Celia on Quintana Roo. Although Mexican, the chef spent ten years in restaurants in Barcelona. The menu changes weekly, with paella served most weekends and always options for vegetarians.
Continue reading “Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Food with a Castilian accent”
Above, Plaza Mayor during the final week of San Pedro Regalado
Below is the spectacular view of Valladolid’s Main Plaza from our rental when we first arrived in the city. We were in the heart of the city, yet our apartment was surprisingly quiet… for several days.
Continue reading “Postcard from Valladolid, Spain: Thrust into the thick of things”
Above, plate by Rafael Jimenez on exhibit in “Ceramica de la Familia Jimenez” at Centro Cultura San Pablo
Opening his own workshop in Oaxaca in 1925, Ignacio Jimenez soon realized that the talavera technique he had learned for applying paint did not work with the finer clay he desired using. Seeking a solution, he developed a new method for adding decorative designs and color to clay – ceramica escurrida, best translated as “drained” ceramics.
The skills he perfected were passed on to his wife and children, and his distinctive style continues to flourish as the Taller de Ceramica de la Familia Jimenez. His children employ the technique to create traditional patterns as well as their own more contemporary artistic designs.
Continue reading “Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Ceramics, film posters and photographs fill former convent”
Postcards from Barton Springs 