Snapshots

The first day of school was Monday. This required a shopping trip last Friday down to the market called Mercado San Juan de Dios. I am in no danger of bumping into any other gringos at Mercado San Juan de Dios, I'll tell ya. (Rick, it is where you ate the ground goat.)

The Last Extreme Closeup

Six-year-old Lucia with me and ten-year-old Yvón behind the camera. Yvón loves the extreme closeup. I have explained to her that this is last closeup that will be taken of me for the duration now. Those days are over.

School Open House

Recently, I had the honor to be invited to an elementary school open house and program at Escuela de los Niños Héroes--School of the Boy Heroes--here in San Miguel.

The program was put on in the school gymnasium, which is in the open air.

A Blown Day

Sometimes it is difficult to get these phony, heart-warming shots set up.

Chrismas Day, Colonia Adolfo López Mateos

This is my pal, Yvón, and I on Christmas Day. Yvón has her left hand extended to keep the riff-raff out of the photograph, the riff-raff in this case being her five-year-old sister, Lucia. It is pronounced ee-BONE, or just Bone for short. Bone is ten years old and one of Fortino's grandchildren. I have written about Fortino many times here and am not going to recap all that. I spent Christmas Day at Fortino's place. During the day it was only the extended family that lives in his little house. As night fell his sisters arrived with their families, and the evening therefore involved the extended, extended family.

Quit Bitching and Drive

In swearing off the expatriate cocktail party circuit and taking up with the economically disadvantaged of Mexico, I did more than trade fresh shrimp and grouper nuggets for two-day-old carp out of the river. I also traded a vague, theoretical, distant, comfortable, soft-around-the-edges sympathy for the plight of these people for the hard practicalities of life among 'em.

 Luis Eduardo awaiting departure.

Children

Luis Eduardo