Category Archives: photography

photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way

Hiking the West Highland Way: Day 4, a hiker called it ‘Green Hell’ — now I know why

The WHW trail from Rowardennan to Inverarnan has a bad reputation. No doubt about it. Books call it the hardest stretch in the whole trail. An experienced hiker yesterday called it “Green Hell.”

Let me add to all that: This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Physically, I mean.

The books say this segment is broken into two parts for a total of 14 miles. The reality is you can add a few more miles to that, and a lot of them require climbing up and down, up and down, up and down — over rocks and tree roots, through boggy bits, up steep steps, some ladders, and along nervously narrow cliff-side paths. There are a lot of undulations in that trail.

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Memoirs -- fact and fiction, photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way, Writings

Hiking the West Highland Way: On Day 3, a bit more than a stroll beside the loch

I would like to report that the chubby red squirrel navigated its way up the pine tree to the fifth level of branches with no assistance from me whatsoever.

You may be amazed to learn — as I was to see — that Red carried a small pinecone in its jaws while performing this feat.

Look, I know squirrels do this sort of thing very well without me. But it just seemed so important to me at the moment.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way, Uncategorized, Writings

Hiking the West Highland Way: On Day 1 we learn that everyone walks to the beat of a different drummer, and that is just fine

Day 1: Milngavie to Drymen. Distance: 12-13 miles. Level of difficulty: Child’s play.

How long did it take? Maybe less than a mile. No, easily less than a mile.

But, technically, I wasn’t lost.

I just didn’t know where I was headed.

And I did feel … what’s the word I’m reaching for? Ah, yes: Foolish.

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Memoirs -- fact and fiction, photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way

Hiking the West Highland Way: We canned the ‘Outlander’ kilts for lack of abs

It looks like I won’t be wearing a kilt as we hike the West Highland Way.

It’s not that my heart was set up on it. The whole idea started as a bit of a joke. I think Susan suggested that her husband, Brian, wear one because he has nice legs and would look good in one. He good-naturedly went along with the idea.

Rose said my legs were OK, too, and maybe I should wear one. I went hot and cold on the idea.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way, Writings

Hiking the West Highland Way: Ease on down the road

Well, we’re off to see the Wizard.

Or very soon.

Our bus left at 1 p.m. for CDMX, the airport in Mexico City.  Our British Airways flight takes off at 10 p.m. for Edinburgh. There has been discussion over whether nine hours is leaving enough time to make our flight, given the capricious and precarious nature of highway travel in Mexico.

Our first roll of the dice. First of many in the next couple of weeks, I imagine.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, The Week in SMA

SMA Events for July 7-13: We’ve got festivals, music, authors, puppets and more for you

Is this an event? Oh yes, it is. Welcome to San Miguel’s much anticipated rainy season — performing almost nightly. When rain spoils your plans, be like this woman. Go with the flow. This photograph is by Randy Kremalak, who against his better judgment went out in the pouring rain and came back with this classic. See what happens when you throw reason to the wind? (Be wild … but wear a raincoat and don’t catch cold.)

Sorry if things look a little abbreviated this week. There are two major football/soccer tournaments going on and even if all my favorites — across the world — have been knocked out of contention, the playing has been superb. Copa America and Euro Cup — check them out. The style of playing in each tournament could not be more different from the other.

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Colonia San Antonio, photography, San Miguel de Allende

Sweet heated dreams are made of these … when it hits 99 degrees, we go dancing

How do they do it? How do they put on some of those costumes that look not only like a second and third layer of skin but a whole winter coat for a grizzly bear — and then head down the street dancing and twirling and skipping to the pulsations of Mega the Sound Systems Inc. on the back of a pickup truck?

Crazy, I tell you!

Locos, by name. This year, the Locos are earning their name and reputation for endurance, exuberance, perseverance, and any other “ences” you can think of. It is hot. Every single day. Hot. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen it rain on a Locos parade.

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Colonia San Antonio, photography, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

… and suddenly a parade breaks out on Sunday in San Miguel de Allende

How can you tell if a parade is about to break out in San Miguel de Allende?

Sadly, if you are a gringo, you’re probably the last to know. Parades and processions, for the most part, are cultural. You may not be connected to the network that announces such things. So, pay attention. Follow these tips and you may end up on the sidewalk watching one of the most unique and exciting things to happen in this city.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

Clean sweep

That must have been some party.

Early this morning, the limpia crew was all over the square in front of the Parroquia de San Miguel de Arcangel with brooms, buckets, and tanks of water. The bucketers would scoop and splash water on the stones and the sweepers descend on the water like hungry birds, sloshing it left and right, until only clean damp stone remains.

Splash and repeat. In the early morning breeze. The first in what feels like months.

While this is cleaning writ large, all over San Miguel de Allende in the morning, women (mostly) wash the sidewalks and streets in front of their homes. Same routine — water, bucket, and broom — as they have been doing for centuries.

Why the public square on a Sunday morning? I can’t say.

A messy party? Too much spilled and melted ice cream? Too much dust? In anticipation of the arrival of a wedding princess or social media queen? Simple hygiene?

You just never know, do you?

Unless you ask.

But why spoil the fun?

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