Tag Archives: San Miguel de Allende

Colonia San Antonio, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

Biblical downpour, biblical outpouring

Matthew 25:40: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. “

And the rain pours down

Like on no day before.

My Rose takes our red umbrella

And hangs it over the hummingbird’s nest.

.

And the rain pours down

Like on no day before

But the three tiny eggs

And their mother stay dry.

.

And the rain pours down

Like on no day before

But my Rose thinks only

Of the frailest among us.

.

My heart fills with love

For a woman who thinks like that.

Let the rain pour down

Like on no day before.

Postscript: There are now babies in the nest and Rose lets me place the umbrella up when it starts to rain. Sometimes.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

The evolving physics of the Parroquia

Every time I think that I’ve photographed the Parroquia San Miguel de Arcangel from every conceivable angle during the past five years, something new comes along.

It’s like in physics. Scientists were pretty sure that the Standard Model that addresses all “of nature’s known particles and forces” was The Overall Encompassing Answer to Everything.

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Colonia San Antonio, San Miguel de Allende

Early morning Samaritans

She was standing in the middle of Callejon San Antonio around 6:30 this morning as I left the house, a dazed look on her face. And tears. On a closer look, she was crying.

“Are you all right?” I asked. A dumb thing to ask, I know. “Can I help you?”

“No, I’m not. I don’t know.”

She removed her hand from the top of her baseball cap. A large dark smear of blood was seeping through the hat and dripping down the side of her face. In her other hand, she held the leash to the dog she had been walking.

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San Miguel de Allende, Writings

Imagine that

(The author begs your indulgence if you already read this on Facebook. The blog seems a better home for it. Thank you for reading and commenting. — The editor)

A whole ocean spreads out before them

But for two little boys

A string of shallow pools

And some rocks

Are quite enough.

They hop from pool to pool

Splashing water with foot-stomping fierceness

They move rocks from pool to pool.

They wallow in the deepest one

Like beached sea lions.

All the while, the ocean calls

In vain.

It sends dolphins to entice them

But the boys will have none of that.

Yesterday, at a children’s park,

It was the rolling green lawn, the wind twisted climbing trees, and the incurious squirrels

That captivated their imaginations.

Not the swings, not the slides, not the plastic and rope confections of an adult’s imagination.

They are like cats with boxes and Christmas wrapping.

Give us nature’s raw materials,

they seem to say,

And we will build sailing ships and castles

And fantastic flying machines

In our fertile minds.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende

Bonus: Closing night fireworks (now, with stunning video!)

After two weeks of festivities ramping up to the Feast of Saint Anthony and the Convite de Locos on Sunday, the closing night fireworks were spectacular. Flashes, flames, arcs of brilliant light, cascades of incandescence, strobes of white heat, yellow flamethrowers, whistles, and booms all danced around the Parroquia San Antonio de Padua in Colonia San Antonio.

A stunning display of pyrotechnics set to beguiling classical music.

Crank up the volume!

Click on any image to enlarge:

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photography, Reviews, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

Maybe they’re not so loco after all … what a parade!

They did it. The Loco marched, danced, walked, twirled, teased, sweated, tossed candy and rubber balls, waved, smiled, and consumed copious amounts of water and electrolyte drinks on Sunday morning.

And the thousands lining both sides of many downtown San Miguel de Allende streets loved every hot and sticky, broiling, joyous moment of the Contvite de Locos.

What an incredible day.

The city estimates that 130,000 people were in San Miguel for the parade, of whom 5,300 were Locos marching in the parade. Only 43 people required medical attention for heat, falling, tripping, or other maladies. Four individuals were arrested during this very family-oriented festivity.

It is worth noting that the city staffed a number of “hydration stations” along the parade route for marchers and watchers.

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

One … more … time. Before things get really crazy … on Sunday.

Tonight’s pilgrimage to the Parroquia de San Antonio de Padua was the last before Sunday’s massive Confite de Locos parade.

It was probably the most poignant.

Tonight, pilgrims walked to the church on their knees. There were nearly a dozen. And it gets me every year.

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photography, Reviews, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

A rock concert in the park

You know that feeling? Like you are being watched by somebody in the park? Somebody you can’t see. But those eyes …

This morning while walking the gentle philosophy dog, Moppit, in Parque Guadiana I couldn’t shake the feeling there there were eyes upon me.

Well, I wasn’t completely wrong.

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

Surprise encore: For the Queen of the Night, beauty shall not be denied

And the Creator said, “epiphyllum oxypetalum, you shall be a cactus, though you do not look like one. Once a year and only at night, you shall bear forth beautiful flowers while the world sleeps. Before dawn your flowers shall wither away, but only before being ravaged by bats.”

The epiphyllum oxypetalum did not understand this curious fate but it knew better than to argue with the Creator.

Perhaps the Creator felt a little guilty because later, the epiphyllum oxypetalum was given a lovely and pronounceable name: Queen of the Night.

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Colonia San Antonio, photography, San Miguel de Allende

Dress rehearsal for Sunday’s Convite de Locos was crazy, man

Well, this explains so many things: Anthony de Padua is the patron saint of the insane.

Now the Dia de Locos — or Convite de Locos — isn’t so crazy after all.

Well, yes, it is. Crazy, I mean. Very very crazy. In so many delightful ways.

What better way to honor the patron saint of people who have lost their minds than to assemble thousands of people in costumes that suggest they, too, have indeed lost their minds?

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