Archive for January, 2006
Tuesday, Jan 31st, 2006
Categories: travels
Mom n Pops are in Oaxaca right now, enjoying a much needed break. Pops just got done with a two week spanish immersion course and mom, well, she’s a totally working crazy person, so she needs a vacation perpetually.
I received this email from her today:
This place is incredible. Amazing. It’s very old and very beautiful, and it feels like we’re living, like, 50 years ago. Here, everybody is very Indian. And they are beautiful. Very strong bone structure. Incredible hair, dark, thick, straight. Eyes deep with the wisdom of the ages. I wish we lived here. What a place. We went on a pilgrimage yesterday, to one of the towns where the men carve little wooden figures and the women paint them. I wanted to track down my favorite artist. We found him, way back in the hills, mountains, really, on a farm. His fence was rancho. We passed through a stile into a small yard where he kept his goats and his chickens, then through another yard where his wife (barely four feet tall, white hair in a braid to her waist) was drying corn husks for tamales, and then finally in to his house where the great man, full of joyful welcoming, had just emerged from a stone bath in yet another yard. He asked us what we wanted and I told him he was my favorite carver and that I had had a beautitiful sirena who was holding her mermaid baby, and that I had loved that mermother more than anything but that Sugar had eaten it and that I was hoping I could buy another. He told me he would be happy to carve me a mermother and that he would send it to me in Nayarit. He asked for $150 pesos (10.5 to the dollar). I tried to pay him more but he wouldn’t take it. Then he brought out a privately-printed book on the Nelson A. Rockefeller collection of Mexican art and showed us the cover, which was a photo of a beautifully carved, and very magic, cart pulled by two donkeys. He told us that was his carving there, on the cover. His grandson insisted we take a picture of us with the old man, and when we did, I burst in to tears. The whole thing, the goats, the tamale skins, the stone bath, were just too overwhelming.
From the looks of things, she’s doing fine.
We went to see JAR HEAD today, sunday matinee. It was a pretty good film, much better then the reviews I had read. Sam Mendez is a killer filmmaker, the script was tight and the cinematography was eggcelent. On the way home from the theater we were listening to Radio Universidad de Guadalajara, the local Puerto Vallarta alternative radio station. Whoever was djing played Peter Murphy, The Cocteau Twins, Morrissey and The Pixies back to back. Dude is on my wavelength. It’s not quite Kcrw, but Radio Universidad will do any day of the week.
I’m currently tweaking my surf theme for this site. so apologies for any weird inconsistencies. and hey! look, new bigger type and images, everyone loves bigger images! oh and slightly new color palette. one of these days i’ll get around to a full blown redesign, but for now nips and tucks will have to do.
Something miraculous is starting to happen. Slowly but surely, Marcia and I are making friends. new friends. good peoples. Not just the “hey, hiya doin. como esta todo. see you ’round.” kinda friends, but honest to goodness quality peoples. Marcia and I have been very insular for the past year, relying on our “yeah we’re old and sit home and watch movies” schtick but that’s only a half truth, in reality it’s just been hard to connect with engaging people here. not to say that they aren’t here, they’re probably just like us, sitting home on a Friday night, ordering Za’s Pizza delivery and watching three episodes of LOST.
I look forward to hanging with my new found potential friends.
Last weekend, Sayulita played host to it’s annual Longboard Classic and Shortboard Air Show, a three day event that gathers the best of the area locals to battle it out for small prizes and year-long bragging writes.
We went up to Sayulita on Sunday and were lucky enough to catch the last two rounds of the finals for longboards (the top four surfers) and the Shortboard Air Show. I got some nice pics courtesy of the 100-400mm lens, this thing comes in quite handy. Every one who is anyone was on the beach that Sunday soaking in the sun, surf action, and plenty of gawking (can you feel my slight sarcasm? good).
Tzahui Poo, one of the Bucerias locals tore it up, I didn’t stick around to see who won the air show but I assume it was Tzahui. The kid kicks ass. Birri another Bucerias local was on hand to judge. Bucerias Represent Represent.
Here’s my 25 best of the best (narrowed down from 250 odd shots):
I blame Melvung.
Four jobs I’ve had in my life:
- Gap employee
- Camp Counselor (arts n crafts, baby!)
- Graphic / Web Designer
- Real Estate Developer
Four movies I can watch over and over:
- Rushmore
- The Big Lebowski
- Riding Giants
- Donnie Darko
Four places I have lived:
- Croton-On-Hudson, NY
- Milwaukee, WI
- Los Angeles, CA
- Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico
Four TV shows I love to watch:
- Lost
- Nip / Tuck
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
- Survivor
Four places I have been on vacation:
Four websites I visit daily:
Four of my favorite foods:
- Fish Tacos at Marismas
- The Karaage Flounder at Ita-Cho
- In & Out’s Double-Double
- Roots’ Shredded Potato, sauteed spinach and roasted pineapple appetizer
Four places I would rather be right now:
- Thailand
- Katmandu
- Australia
- Hawaii
Four bloggers people I am tagging:
Wednesday, Jan 25th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized
My pops is up (or should I say down) in Oaxaca, the lucky bastid. He’s studying intensive spanish at a language institute and I am Ed’s uncontrolled jealousy.
I hopped on Flickr a few moments ago and found that he had uploaded some photos from his trip, so far. One really caught my eye, the composition and the colors!
Go Dad!
I’m more of an Earl Grey man, where as Marcia is more of Lady Grey type of girl. yet, we get along swell.
Four new tshirt ideas:
Let’s hear it, who wants one?
Thursday, Jan 19th, 2006
Categories: my photos
Hey! check this out: Digital Photo of the Day - The Digital Photography Weblog nice!
Just to let you know, I took this picture up in Punta Mita at Casa Guajardo. Don Rigo is the velador for the house, he watches it, when we’re not working. Don Rigo is a funny old caballero who mumbles heavily and non-stopily and everyone in Punta Mita calls him “Tio”.
So “Las Fiestas de Bucerias” are in full swing, we went out to the town square on Monday night to catch the action and the Castillo fireworks display. Never disappointing, I got some great pics of the fireworks and the peoples milling around the carnivalesque sideshow tents and rides. great people shooting. again, lots of colors and interesting faces. and more practice with and without the flash at night.
A little kid named Carlos followed me around all night, at first he didn’t want me to take his picture and then insisting on seeing my shots as I took each one. He was my little homie for the night, Marcia was a little creeped out, but we had a good time.
Slideshow Here (19 photos).
this shot was from last year. Las Fiestas de Bucerias (Bucerias Days) are upon us again. I know there’s gonna be tons of grreat things to take photos of. I can’t wait. The giant Castillo is tonight (a large burning man sized tower of exploding fireworks) and locos with rows and rows of lit firecrackers tumbling down their backs, running around the town square, totally freaking out the adults who know better.
Should be a good time. pictures to come.
with a small swell on the way (supposedly) I headed out to Burros today to catch some cut-up action. the wind was blowing a little too hard on the way out, so I thought it might not be so hot. The half mile hike up the beach to Burros up-wind was a little rough and once I got there I didn’t see much to smile about. Undaunted though, I dawned my .05mm wet suit top and braved the shallow rock bottom walk out to the first break. April and DJ, some really good local ex-pats, were out catching the 2 to 3 foot sets. It was good to see them out there and April said the waves were small but held up well. We all caught a bunch of waves and I got a nice coupla rides in. I’m finally getting back into the swing of the Flyer II swallow tail. The swell is supposed to peak tomorrow morning around 6am, but we’ll if there’s anything going on tomorrow afternoon.
I took these pictures last weekend at Burros, the second one with the new 100-400mm lens (it’s the hotness):
first tshirt design in my “Gabachito” series. would you buy one if you saw it at Urban Outfitters?
These are the two guys behind Roots Restaurant in Bucerias. My main stay for quasi-gourmet, vegetarian awesomeness. without Roots, I’d starve. toad-seer.
Andrew:
Boaz:
I took these photos at a little get together, one night last week, at Roots. They have a new out-door movie theater action and so I grabbed my camera and used the screen for a back drop. First time I’ve used a real flash in 10 years. Check my Flickr action for more photos like these.
ohh, so much going on. so little time. so not computer happy right now. need new iphoto. thinking about updating, possibly, some time soon. and surfing. and doing wonderful mexican signage tshirts. don’t steal my idea.
goodnight, for now.
Friday, Jan 6th, 2006
Categories: working
Hey! looky looky: we’re live: La Vida.com. This is what I’ve been doing in mexico for the past year and a half (besides surfing, of course). why don’tcha go check it out. woo-hoo.
update: we’re getting a ton of unique visitors to the site. awesome.
12inch powerbook:
13 things that don’t make sense. Science is one of the coolest art forms we have.
here are three more tranquil photos, taken today in Sayulita:
I was up in Sayulita today, grabbing some waves of the last of the recent swell. After the waves, I grabbed my camera and walked around town, taking photos of all the various groups of people that had descended on Sayulita for the New Years action. The streets were crowded with bohemian-type mexican kids and more adventuresome gringos. As I was walking back to the beach, these kids caught my attention and started asking too many questions about my nice big camera.
In the 5 minutes that I spent with them, I basically talked my way out of getting jumped. Instead of showing fear, as they cased me like street dogs, I engaged them in jarring spanish conversation, something that caught them off-guard. We talked about the camera, I told them about this blog and my pictures, I told them about traveling around mexico. They seemed to enjoy talking with me, even if they were still slightly more interested in wether I had strong friends nearby (I didn’t, but I wasn’t about to tell them that).
The thing about wild dogs is that they don’t tell you before they’re gonna bite, so I snapped a few pics, gave them a fist shake and walked towards the beach. I knew that once I turned around, if they were going to jump me, it would happen in the first 5 seconds. luckily, nothing happened. I snapped some quick photos of beach peoples and got the fuck outta dodge.
the kid on the left was most interested in jacking the camera, but I talked to him most aggressively. the kid with the angel tattoo had what looked like a recently broken nose (like last night recently). the girl was pretty cool, but she was like the bait. never look at the girl.
My dad’s birthday is on New Years Eve. This year, Mr. Edmund B. Fladung III turned 60. the big six-oh. I told him that 60 is the new 50. He liked that. My dad’s cousin Larry and his family came to celebrate, all the way from Rockridge, Oaktown, Cali-forn-e-ya. We had a wonderful dinner and then withdrew to the beach, here in Bucerias, to join the bonfire revelry. My parents actually made it to midnight, something I don’t think they’ve done in years. Molly and Lalo showed up just before midnight and we had lots of fun with sparklers. I attempted to keep the bonfire going with fallen palm fronds, long enough for my good buddy, Justin Pass, to get back with wooden packing slats, to throw on the fire. Molly’s friend, Manuel, passed around shots of “Cuervo Tradicional” and it kept us on fire until one o’clock, when Marcia and I slinked off to bed. Check the Photo Slideshow (35 pics):
