shadows

spring flowers

...bring MORE spring flowers!

Ambiance of Sound

*I wrote this at a jazz concert that I went to this week.

Ambiance of Sound

As soon as the piano starts jazzing

and the drums begin punching the beat,

their bodies begin to sway.

They are possessed in this way.

Eyes abandon scripts on music sheets

and deep rhythms of soul take over,

pouring out like the currents rushing over a waterfall.

Sounds beckon one, sounds beckon all.

Vibrant expressions of life reverberate as far as sound waves dare to explore-

bouncing off walls, absorbing floors, slipping through cracks in doors,

echoing in the ears of avid listeners.

This music knows no barriers.

Bodies bend like birches in a thunderstorm,

contagious like a virus, waiting for the soulo-

the flow of octaves practiced and mastered in one breath.

All cares beyond the music are put to death.

Energy and funk is what they create,

flowing back and forth to rhythms,

blissful melodic beats moving bodies around.

Everyone gets lost in the ambiance of sound.

wine

and for my evening drink...

coffee

nothing like a little cup o' joe to start the day...

enter here

Some pretty entryways in Guatemala

g to the wattamallla

This will probably be my last batch of Guatemala pictures...

Lake Atitlan

This is a 3 wheeled vehicle which motors around the city- called a tuc-tuc (pronounced took took).

Approaching the Pacaya Volcano- about to hike up onto the black lava.

That's some liquid hot magma, right there.  We stood about 10 feet away from it.  Any closer or our we would have fried... literally.

This is a traditional Guatemalan cemetery- much more cheerful than an American one, I must say.

Iximche Mayan ruins

perhaps an altar...?

Adios, Guatemala!

a sunny sunday

more from break

Some more from Guatemala::

The Chi-Chi Market:: deemed Central America's most colorful open market.

The cutest preschool class ever!

Volcano "Fuego" smoking at sunset.

Coffee berries that I picked in the plantation.

At the coffee plantation on the mountain.

easter

today was celebrated at Sugarloaf
it was a PERFECT day
that's not an exaggeration

Antigua, Guatemala

I'll begin with a few photos from my trip...

Here's a view from the rooftop of my first hotel.

Volcano "Fuego" (meaning "fire") in the background.

The Golden Arch of the city.

A Cathedral and fountain at night. The details are missing, but in the lower part of the statue, the water is pouring out of a goddess' bosom... how risque!

We happened to be in Antigua during the Semana Santa (Holy Week), the week preceeding the Easter holidays- and these carpets were all over the churches (and on the streets during the parade which ornately depicted the stations of the Cross).  They are made of sawdust!  The detais were astounding.  Also, the array of fruits and vegetables surrounding it represents the offerings presented to God.

This photo was taken in the morning, when people were preparing the grass and sawdust carpets in the streets.  There were probably at least a hundred of these scattered all through Antigua.  As the parade marched through the town, the carpets were destroyed and only colored sawdust remained in the streets.

The tiles on the undersides of the roofs have the city's symbol painted onto them.

The men dressed in purple were part of the parade.  In the distance beneath the purple tree you can see part of the float.  Each float was made of styrofoam and carried on the backs of 50 or more men.

The parade began with a group of men carrying these hanging incense burners.

People from all over Central America flock to Antigua to get in on this parade- it is famous for its carpets especially.

 

Here is a corner detail of one of the carpets.  This one, as you can see, is made of grass, with some cucumbers, onion rings, seeds & dates... among many other fruits and vegetables.

Here is one of the 13 floats- this one is Jesus carrying the cross.  The men carried these floats down every street of the city, from the afternoon until 3:00 the next morning.

Each float was followed by its own band... which sounded like a middle school band... during warm up.

More to come soon!

mustard

I'm still working on catching up... but here's a nice mustard-colored cathedral that i thought was wonderfully playful in its ornate and bright details.