Adam and Eve and friend

A permanent display on the side of a building:

Mural

The birth of the bull.  The birth of the matador.  And their eventual meeting.

Scenes from El Llano

an after-school soccer game

I don't know what this was.  There had been a band and dancing and I just caught the end of the festivities.  Whatever it was, looks like a lot of eligible ladies.

Political statement at the Zócalo

Some items in a Zapatista women's rights group display.

"Women have rights to be heard. we are fighting for the dignity of all."

"Respect the rights of women"

"of all women"

House of Burgers

Went walking in the southwest part of town.  Of course, if you walk long enough in any direction, you start to climb steeply uphill.  On this small street a house had this "House of Burgers" sign.  Very mysterious.  In Oaxaca, there are people selling all sorts of things everywhere, both on the streets and out of buildings.

Up a street in the same neighborhood.  I love these small narrow climbing streets.

Another street, going down:

The more time I spend walking around in it, the more beautiful the city becomes.

Plaza Del Danza

This area is in the Southwest part of town.  Between Basilica de la Soledad and Templo de San Jose, the Plaza Del Danza is one of the sites for Quelaquetza. The stairs form seating for watching native dancers perform.

More murals

Heat Wave

We have a heat wave here in Oaxaca.  It's 86 and has been sunny all day.  The sun is so intense when it is cloudless as we are only 17 degrees north of the equator.  But there is a 50% chance of rain this evening and the expected low is 59.

I met with a local attorney today to see what I have to do to get immigrant status here.   With any luck, I will be able to do this by the end of the year.  This will mean I do not have to leave the country every six months to renew my tourist visa.  I may end up going back every six months or so, but I won't have to and there will be no deadline.  It will also mean that I can enroll in Mexico's national health plan.  Unlike the US, Mexico has a health plan for its citizens.  And I have not heard a word about death panels.

Been a while

I had not realized that my last post was so long ago.  I gotta get back on the stick.

There is a couple from Northampton, Mass staying in the room next door.  (And, Margaret, they live just two blocks away from Smith.)  They are thinking of moving here, too, in a couple of years.  I actually met them at the Oaxaca Lending Library instead of here, much to our surprise. We are going out to dinner sometime next week.

Have met a bunch of North American ex-pats at the library and I am pleased to report that there are no conservative/tea-party types in evidence.  From skimming the NY Times headlines, though, I see that the US is continuing its descent into utter, drooling madness.