October 2011
1 post
“To err is human; to Aaarrrgh is pirate.”
August 2011
2 posts
“the bell ringer”
– my friend joey cannot speak. but he can ring a bell, over and over, changing the tempo and creating patterns of sound that fabricate a dimensional space. lounging on the living room carpet, running his fingers through the threads, he is content. joey cannot speak, but his laugh is an arrow, and...
June 2011
1 post
May 2011
5 posts
what have i to say
you may have noticed my quietude this past winter and spring. against my wishes, my beloved practice of writing left me. it departed quietly, without a word. i’ve felt like i’m in an empty waiting room, with no thoughts or stories raising their hands, impatiently waiting their turn to be expressed. it has slowly dawned on me that i am experiencing writer’s block. how embarrassing...
April 2011
15 posts
Cay Caulker
With Robin off to Mexico for two weeks, I made the small island town of Cay Caulker my home. Coyote rode at anchor 300 yards off the west shore and I quickly developed a daily pattern. I’d wake at 4am, have papaya and coffee and read until the sky just lightens. The sunrise would receive close attention, and be fabulous without fail. Fifteen minutes meditation and some stretches. Then a big...
coyote from belize
Yeah, cruising Belize is beautiful, all you can imagine in the idyllic tropical isle resting in an incredibly tourqouis sea filled with tropical fishes and coral fantasy…yeah, that reality is here in great profusion and we’ve had a bunch of it all to ourselves. Tourists and sailors are few, especially Americans. The weather has been stunningly entertaining and resistant to any...
A sail that sailors dream of
After a couple of weeks sailing Belize’s southern cays and returning again and again to friendly Placencia for communications, grocieries, cappucino gelato, and Brenda’s bbq chicken, we feel its time to take the cruiser’s option and blow town, to sail out to the barrier reef and sail north along it, sampling as many cays and reefs as possible. Robin is going to a magic...
civilization
we are anchored at south water cay, once again in sight of mainland belize. this is a beautifully manicured coconut palm-covered island, right on the reef. there are three small diving resorts, and several cruising boats anchored. shortly after arriving, we went ashore for a cold afternoon beer. we snagged a snickers bar as well. ah, the treats of civilization. what a different feeling here,...
hounds of the sea
For 5 days we anchor in the middle of Lighthouse Reef, out of sight of land, boats, and humans. We are swept clean by wind. We go snorkeling every day in the scattered & submerged coral islands. In this underwater arena, we have millions of companions. The larger, brighter fish catch my eye. There is the male stoplight parrotfish, bright turquoise with pink and yellow highlights, and puckered...
turneffe atoll
yesterday we pulled ourselves away from the comfy anchorage at cay caulker, close to mainland belize, and sailed out 12 miles to turneffe atoll. this is where it gets really pure and quiet. there is so little land, and none of the whir and light of electricity. there is a great expanse of sky, and of water. there is a small fisherman’s shack on shore, and there is one other cruising boat in...
the biggest nut
We are anchored at Long Cay, in Lighthouse Reef, 30 miles off the coast of Belize. It is our favorite spot from last year’s sail. This morning at sunrise, the island’s skyline was silhouetted in pink. And the sun, when it rose, was the distinctive color it has when shining through smoke: a brilliant pink/red. March and April are the months when Central America burns in preparation for...
March 2011
34 posts
mexico city
I take an overnight deluxe bus from Manzanillo to Mexico City, arriving at 6 am. It is Friday morning, the beginning of the weekend, and the city is in good spirits. I deposit my bags at the Hotel Fleming, which is in the historical district, within walking distance of the Zócalo- the main plaza- and then I spend most of the day at the Museum of Anthropology of Mexico. It is immense. The first floor holds artifacts, grand and small, from past Mexican civilizations. In thinking back to what I saw, my mind is still blown. And so for now, I will let the photos speak for me. The second floor is filled with exhibits which depict village scenes from different geographical areas, along with the objects that were used in daily life, and in ceremony. All of it is artful. And this is one reason why I am impressed with Mexico: the creativity, the color, the imagination, the ingenuity... and most of all, the strong, living community: people engaged in the act of creating, contributing to the shared life of their pueblo.
On Saturday morning, the main boulevard leading to the Zócalo is closed off to traffic. Hundreds of bicyclists, skaters, and skateboarders are gliding down the street, mixed with runners and walkers. The park is filled with the umbrellas of vendors, with families, and with pods of teenagers racing about. The benches hold old men napping, mothers and grandmothers with babies, and couples, who are engaged in one way or another: gazing into each other's eyes, talking, kissing, grooming each other.
I walk to the Zócalo, which is filled with various political rallies, occurring simultaneously: women's rights, worker's rights, indigenous rights... people of all ages are listening to speakers or watching dances or demonstrations.
I live on street food. My favorite is nopal cactus salad with goat cheese on a freshly made tortilla.
It is evident to me that the people of Mexico City are proud of their diversity, and of how they make an effort to accept each other, and get along. This pride is expressed to me by cab drivers, waiters, the tortilla woman on the corner.
I visit the Palace of Fine Arts- El Palacio de Bellas Artes- where the symphony orchestra plays, where the folkloric ballet is presented, where art is exhibited. The semi-art nouveau building is brilliant and impressive, with its 3 story high domed ceilings, marble floors, and immense political murals by Diego Rivera and others. And then I go to Frida Kahlo's house/museum. What a pioneer woman! Valiant and creative and brutally honest in the face of her life's physical and emotional pain, and joy.
On Monday I take a small group tour. First we go to the Basilica de Guadalupe. Here, since it reflects my experience, I will lazily give you a quote from the "Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico":
"Mexico's patron saint- actually a manifestation of the Virgin Mary- is the dark-skinned Virgin of Guadalupe, who made her appearance to an Aztec potter in 1531 on a hill outside Mexico City. Revered, she's both the archetypal mother and the pre-eminent focus of Mexicans' inborn spirituality. Elements of the complex belief systems of Mexico's pre-Hispanic civilizations survive alongside Catholicism among the country's many indigenous peoples... [and she provides] a crucial link between Catholic and indigenous spirituality... her name is evoked in religious ceremonies, political speeches, and literature."
Next, we drive about 10 miles outside the city, to Teotihuacán, Mexico's biggest ancient city, and the capital of an empire. I climb the Pyramid of the Sun, the world's 3rd largest pyramid. And then I climb the Pyramid of the Moon. Once again, I will let the photos speak for me. ~robin~
oasis en mexico
i am ushered into an oasis. my large-hearted friends have built a spacious, elegant, and colorful home, whose rooftop also serves their community as a cultural center. la manzanilla sits on the edge of a bay, cupped by hills. she is sweet and small, and i fall in love with her unthinkingly. and for the next week, i abide in enchantment. in this reunion with 3 women friends, i feel showered upon,...
