Oaxaca Lending Library Bazar 2014

About 20 years ago, Stuart and I were on a walk-about in southern Mexico.  We spent 2 days in Oaxaca, just long enough to find the mercado, the zocalo and the English Language Library.  We returned a couple of years later, and spent an enchanted week here, and that time we determined we'd come back and spend TIME.  So, we returned again and bought a newspaper and began looking for an apartment.  This was in the days before the internet, and we had the opportunity to look inside some walls and gates, to those secret places.  We found our home at Villa Maria, and have returned almost every year.  OK, one year we had a fling with another city, and spent a lovely winter in Merida!  Oaxaca feels like home to us, and apparently to many other people from the US and Canada who return every year.  Some never leave.  The sense of community is strong here, particularly in the comfort of the Oaxaca Lending Library.  There, we can not only check out current books and movies, but we can find books in spanish, meet friends, find local resources for just about anything you can think of,  attend lectures on all kinds of interesting topics, use the computers, and help with any number of community outreach programs the library sponsors. It is a true membership library: it is run from money it raises, and from the reasonable membership fees we pay.  Last year, I had a great time helping with the annual Bazar fund-raiser.  I had so much fun, this year I helped chair it. 

To say that volunteering is about helping others is only a tiny bit of the story.  Any volunteer job I've ever had has returned the gifts to me a thousand times.  The OLL Bazar was Sunday, December 14, 2014.  We raised a record amount of money, because of the incredibly generous donations and the time a large number of people spent preparing and selling those donations.  Many thanks for all my new friends.  You make my life rich!

Bud, who lives here full-time, and worked every day for 6 weeks!  This man knows some stuff about brand names, and I learned a lot last year from him about checking zippers in clothes and suitcases, pockets, hems, and under-arms in clothes, heels and soles on shoes, cracks in dishes and brand names in everything.

 Micky, a modern-day, highly educated nomad, who also worked every day for 6 weeks.  She taught me how to focus, be calm and to enjoy every minute of the day.  And, she's a stitcher.  How can you NOT be a good person when you enjoy a needle, nice cloth and thread?  We bonded.

 Saint Adriana, the ED of the OLL, and her beautiful daughter.  Adriana broke her arm the first week of November, and has kept that beautiful smile and calm demeanor for the past 6 weeks.  No matter how many times I interrupted her work to ask a question, she never lost her smile and ready answers.  Yep, Saint Adriana!

 Ralph and Tom.  Fun, hard-working, funny, talented and giving. Married to women with the same characteristics!  Thanks, Ralph, for the carry-out from the Moroccan restaurant!

 One of my favorite Geeks, Bill, and Jill, who both live here full-time.  Every year Bill and Enrique show up to check out anything that plugs in, turns on/off, has batteries or is hard-wired.  Computers, vacuums, coffee pots.  They work and make us all laugh.  Jill.  The energizer bunny.  I look like I'm on downers next to her!  Funny, too!  And, takes charge of the Boutique with wit and determination.

 Michelle, the acting Volunteer Coordinator, while the VC is away.  Party organizer extraordinaire.  Speaks spanish like I do in my dreams.  Michelle, my kindred spirit.  With brownies and cool aprons.

 Laura and David, both full-timers.  Whatever you need done, they are the people to ask about who/how/where.  In the poor pueblas, the behind-the-scenes jobs, the pick-up people.  Always with a smile and a hug.  Laura and I have been known to be the back-up dancers for the weekend rock-and-roll concerts.  Just sayin'.

 My darlin' husband, who lifted, taped, toted, sorted, bagged, fetched, marked and tied for 6 weeks.  Then, toted and unboxed and listed and was the Hall Nazi during the sale.  He fetches my tamales many mornings, and puts the chocolate in my coffee every morning.  Yep, he's taken!

 Micky and me, stylin' in our donated hats, during one of the many pricing and sorting days.  Yes, we sold them!

Siobhan and Tom (again!).  More of those wonderful people who are always around when you need a hand, people who take charge of other things quietly.  And who love to laugh.  Thanks to Siobhan for taking all these photos...wait, who took this one?!?

The almost full bodega before the sale.  We're grateful to the past few years of fund-raisers that allowed the OLL to make some terrific renovations to the downstairs, giving us space upstairs for sorting/pricing, parties and general purpose, outdoor space.

Textile Museum, Oaxaca

The beautiful San Pablo, which houses the Mueso de Textiles de Oaxaca, is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.  The Harp Helu foundation funded the restoration and renovation of this former monastery in the heart of the city.  It is now useful, beautiful and a gathering place for education and a place of tranquility. Today, I saw the current exhibit in the Textile Museum...all about caracol, cochineal y indigo.  Dyeing cloth and thread with conch, the little white insect that lives on the nopal cactus and indigo.  A beautiful exhibit, with video interviews of the people producing the dyes, from planting the indigo seeds to scampering over slick rocks to collect the tiny conch.

This huipil especially appeals to me.  I love the way the selvedge of the heavy, muslin-like fabric is covered with a satin stitch on the outside, and below the intricate weaving, the selvedge is turned inside.  The purple and red are cotton threads dyed with  caracol and cochineal.

 This detail photo (above) is the intricate embroidery, from Quezaltenango (Chela), Quatemala.  The work is done with cotton thread, dyed in the isthmus of Oaxaca using caracol.

I love this part of the exhibit!  The nopales con cochineal, hung against the beautiful red color of the tiny white insects.

We wandered across the street when we left the Museo de Textiles, into an exhibit of posters, maps and scale models of the planned work on las Canteras, the rock quarry.  The famous green stones of many of the colonial-ear buildings were quarried from right here in the city.  Well, at the time, it was outside the city!  Today, it's a huge park, with small polluted lakes.  We like to walk over there Sunday mornings, when it's quiet, but the park is nothing to write home about.  The houses and apartments on the high ridge above the quarry have spectacular views, facing west, of the central valley.  The park itself, however, could be another jewel in the city. The plans look like that dream is going to happen.  New, beautifully designed buildings at the north end, for exhibitions and archives, music and gallery spaces, and lots of open areas.  Spaces for music and gathering, walking and small exhibitions.  Really pretty!  We were impressed with the models.  Even the men's bano is beautiful:  organ-pipe cactus placed just where the men can look at them!

When I asked Jesus, who was attending the small model and exhibit, about funding, he told me the Governor is making it possible, with some help from the Federal government and the most-generous Harp Helu Foundation.  When I reacted with surprise at the news that the Oaxacan governor had a major hand in this project, he quietly said, "yes, there is no money for the people, but there is money for this project".  No water, sewer, electricity, schools or health care in the pueblos, but money for a nice, giant part in the city. Of course, Oaxaca is a World UNESCO site.  It will indeed be an asset to the city, however, it seems to me to be misplaced funding.  But, as the grafitti on the walls in the city proclaim, there is a thief running the place.  And what value is the opinion of one gringa?  Nada!

I love the Textile Musesum, and I'm going to love the new park. Next year.

Thanksgiving in Oaxaca

While Thanksgiving is strictly an American holiday, the locals give thanks along with the gringos.  And, like everything else in Oaxaca, it's done with great gusto.  Stuart and I enjoyed a huge covered-dish feast at the Oaxaca Lending Library Thursday.  Friends cooked several turkeys and hams, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, and everyone brought a dish to share.  Our favorite rock-and-roll band played on the roof afterwards, and we danced and laughed until we'd worked off most of the meal.

Michelle, Bob and Jose in the kitchen...

Tere B, dancing off the Big Meal...

Katz, Job, Dr Z and , playing the songs we all love!









Saturday, we feasted and gave thanks again at Michelle's beautiful house in Teotitlan.  She and Carol cooked turkeys and ham, and again we brought covered dishes to share.  Spence and Alex brought their guitars to entertain us until the moon came up.  Another fabulous day! 

Larry, who is FIRST in line!  It truly was a feast.

November in Oaxaca

I'm out of clever titles for the day.  Maybe tomorrow!

As I read this before posting, it should have been about three posts.  But, here it is anyway!

The month has flown past.  Friends Beth and Fish arrived in Oaxaca a couple of days after we did, and settled right in at the pretty Casa Colonial.  They wasted no time in hitting the streets the next day, while Stuart and I were in Teotitlan with friends for a fabulous afternoon of cooking and eating and sampling mezcal.  Fish managed to buy not one, but two rugs within the first 24hours in town!

While Beth and Fish shopped, we headed to Teotitlan with Tom and JoAnn.  Michelle hosted chef Jose Luis in her spacious house in Teotitlan, set on the side of the mountain just across from San Francisco Lachigolo, and invited friends to help him cook.  And, taste his family's mezcals.  Several of us joined Jose Luis at the small mercado in Teotitlan to do the shopping, and then we took turns in motocabs which hauled us up the hill to Michelle's house with three people and several bags of food in each cab.  Once at Michelle's, I admired the view from her patio, and joined in the washing and prepping tasks.  Jose Luis started a fire in the grill with hand-made charcoal we bought at the mercado, and a team began roasting chiles, squash, tomatoes, garlic and onions.  Another team peeled and chopped chayotes, quesillo and raw tomatoes.   Someone cooked the tasajo, and then some chorizo while the rest of us chopped, mashed and stirred together three of the most delicious salsas I've ever eaten!  (Recipes below)   After eating until we couldn't eat more, we moved out to the patio to enjoy the afternoon sun and conversation, and more mezcal.  Eventually, JoAnn and Tom, Stuart and I shared a cab back to the city.  It was a wonderful way to begin our winter in Oaxaca!

Beth and Fish came to Oaxaca to study spanish at Oaxaca Spanish Magic, the language school I've attended off and on for three years.  Flor has a great staff of teachers, and an efficient agenda tailored to people who are here only for a couple of weeks at a time.  The classes are 3 hours daily, in the morning. Beth and Fish worked hard in the mornings, took a break for comida, and hit the books again most afternoons. We met after class most days for comida, laughing that we ate our way through Oaxaca with them!  Not to be missed:  Los Danzantes, La Cuisine, Itanoni, our favorite tlayuda puesto in the Juarez mercado, nieves in the park, tacos everywhere, drinks on the gozobi rooftop...where is my list?!?  The Sunday rock-and-roll concerts at Casa Colonial began while they were here, and we had a terrific time polishing our singing skills with all the other old rock-and-rollers on the lawn.  We also managed to squeeze in a trip to Tlacolula, Tule and Sn. Martin Tilcajete. 
The photo below:  Stuart, Fish, Senor Joaquin Hernandez (wood carver in San Martin Tilcajete) and me enjoying a shot of Sn. Hernandez's personal mezcal bottle.  Fish and Beth hauled home beautiful treasures from his shop!

Stuart and Sue, Beth and Fish, in the beautiful cactus-fence alley, in the Oaxaca Ethno-botanical garden.




below:  evidence of Francisco Toledo's incredible vision and planning in the gardens.

Sue arrived, to spend a week with us.  We began the eating circuit with her, much to our pleasure!  Sue is a great tourist, and wanted to see everything possible. She and Stuart went up in the mountains to La Cumbre on the Hooking it in Oaxaca weekly hike while I stayed in town that day to work on the Libaray Bazar prep.  In the week Sue was here, we also went to Tule, the Sunday market at Tlacolula, hiked up the Escalera to watch the sunset and see the lights come on in the Three Valleys, toured the world-class Ethno-botanical gardens and went to Monte Alban.

Sue, in a beautiful embroidered blouse from San Antonino.  A great find!

A pair of earrings similar to these Sue found may find their way into my possession!

 Did I mention food?  This is a pitaya, otherwise known as dragon-fruit.  We had great fun talking about this for a couple of days before we actually cut it open....beautiful inside!  Texture a bit like a kiwi, with a taste similar to an asian pear.  Not a very good description!

Stuart and Sue, taking a break on the wall by the Sto. Domingo.

 Back at Teotitlan...recipes are below.
 Below:  Michelle and chef Jose Luis, just before we serve the main courses. 

 Chayote wrapped in hierba buena:

Stuart and Michelle...yes, there was mezcal involved in the apron choices!

Here are the basics of the dishes we prepared with Jose Luis.  The beginning of almost all Oaxacan cooking begins with roasting the vegetables, chiles and tomatoes.  We devoured the salsas with grilled tasajo, and with the best chorizo I've ever tasted, on hand-made tortillas.  If you can put your hands on some good guavas, the dessert is to die for!  These are truly seat-of-the-pants recipes,without portions or serious instructions!

Salsa #1

Roasted Tomatillas, raw garlic minced, salt. 

Peel and roast tomatillas, grind in mocojete, stir in minced raw garlic and salt.

Salsa #2

Roasted jalapenos, avocado, roasted garlic, roasted onion, cilantro

Blend in a blender, adding egg yolk, tiny bit of oil and line juice.  Stir in salt.

Salsa #3

Roasted tomatoes and pasillo de Oax chiles, roasted garlic and roasted onion. 

Grind the tomatoes and pasillo chiles in mocojete, stir in  chopped onion.

Salsa #4

6 roasted tomatoes, 1.5 roasted onions, raw garlic. 

Grind the tomatoes and garlic in mocojete, stir in chopped onions.

Chayote wrapped in Hierba Buena

Chop chayote, onions, garlic, plantains and quesillo.  Saute until soft, with a very little oil.  Add salt at the finish.  Put a spoonful on hierba Buena leaf, add a bit of quesillo, roll, and bake about 25-30 minutes until leaves are soft, not browned.

Jose Luis’ chicken

Boil chicken pieces, quartered onion, smashed garlic and salt in water until the chicken is cooked through.  Cool, and shred chicken.  Reserve the broth.  In a baking dish, layer banana leaves, shredded chicken, solid layer of avocado leaves.  Cover with banana leaves and foil.  Back 25-30 minutes.

Dessert

Guavas. Cut the guavas in half, scoop out the seeds.  Lay the fruit flesh-side-down in a baking pan.  Sprinkle sugar, pour crema and whole milk, chopped basil.  Cover with foil and bake until thickened.  Cool, grate chocolate on top!

Day of the Dead, Oaxaca

It has been said that nowhere in Mexico is Dia de los Muertos celebrated with as much gusto as in Oaxaca. The comparsas, or parades begin a couple of days before the actual Day of the Dead holidays. Just as in the States, All Hallow's Eve is celebrated, but here it is in anticipation of seeing dead loved ones beginning Nov 1. All Saints Day is November 1, is the day for remembering dead children and infants, sometimes known as The Day of the Innocents or Day of the Little Angels.  All Souls Day is November 2, for remembering passed adults.  It is a joyous week!  Families build altars in their homes, with much input from the children.  Many businesses and restaurants build elaborate altars, with orange flowers, candles, photos of dead loved ones, and lots of food and drinks to invite the spirit of the loved ones to return for the day. We have been in some villages where the family takes the favorite food and drinks to the cemetery, along with a piece of burning copal. The spirit then returns home with the living family, to enjoy a meal together, before returning to the Other World.

I'm sad to see the commercialization creeping into the celebrations here.  Every year I see more gruesome masks and costumes, mostly on teen-agers.  Catrina, dressed in all white is a common symbol for both adults and children.  The face painting is terrific!  But, the altars are still the center of attention, and the meals and trips to cemetery begin at midnight tonight, and will continue for the next two days.  Families will hold quiet vigils, with many huge white candles and wheelbarrows full of orange flowers on the graves. In some cemeteries the celebration will be quiet, in others there will be bands and parties and much laughter.  Every village and neighborhood has a distinctly different celebration.  But, they all include food, flowers and drinks!

Mescal is often shared with people watching the comparsas.  The woman in the photo above is pouring a mescal for me!   I've been handed cups of mescal, sandwiches, cups of atole, small pumpkins and woven items.  Last night, a comparsa member handed me her candle and shield!  The photo below is the "sag wagon" following a band and comparsa. Notice the keg of beer in the middle of the photo.

 The San Pablo museum hosts a courtyard of altars, decorated in the various styles of the groups of people living in the State of Oaxaca.  This one below was particularly pretty, even if the photo doesn't show it.

 A special bread is baked and sold everywhere for Dia de los Muertos.  There is always a facebaked into the loaf, a sweet egg bread, always served with cups of hot chocolate.  Mescal is served with everything!

Oaxaca Time

The summer of 2014 will be remembered as the Summer of Music.  And a wedding.  And a (finally!) a new truck.  And time with friends.  And the Blue Building That Could.

Summer of Music:  yoga with Michael Franti on the deck of the Battleship NC!  Travis Tritt at our fav Greenfield Lake Amphitheater.  Keb Mo', Paul Thorn, L-Shape Lot at the beautiful Airlie Gardens.  And more.

Summer wedding:  a most beautiful rehearsal dinner party in our gardens!  Everything was beautiful, from the friends and family, to the weather, the pretty tables and the food.  It was the summer that I finally got caught up on garden chores, and I'm proud.

Summer we we finally spent the money on a new truck.  Lots of research, and questions.  Yes, it is GREEN, not black.









Summer of friends!  We spent much time with friends, dinner, lunch, music, just visiting.  A giggle-filled weekend in Boone, great dinners and birthday celebrations, drinks on the deck, lunches on the porch and in restaurants ,Museum trips, picnics in the park.... It was so nice to spend time with you all!

The Blue Building.  Cape Fear Literacy Council board raised enough money to begin work on an old building it bought several years ago. It's on the campus, making it a terrific addition to the old, small existing building.  Al Gumbs, Joe Davis and Dallas Elliott gave up a weekend to help us lay flooring in the original building, putting to good use their Habitat For Humanity skills on a fellow non-profit project.  Thank you guys!  Stuart built the cabinets and some desks for the renovation of the "new" building.  He is an awesome cabinet man!  I was lucky enough to teach my last two ESOL classes in the new building, and it felt good to be in there.  Dick Robbins is an asset beyond value to the CFLC...my volunteer hero!




Now, once again, friends have a need for a place to live just as we are leaving for Oaxaca.  Molly and Rocky moved in last week, and will be here for an undetermined time.  A plumbing disaster at their house...of course, upstairs!  Good grief, I haven't seen that kind of water damage since Hurricane Floyd.  Their insurance company is being alternately easy to work with and impossible, but I believe they will eventually come through.  Stuart and I are so lucky to have a place to offer, and so lucky to have them here while we are away.  I'm sad watching M&R deal with the destruction, but I'm happy they have a quiet place to live!

So, today we're off to Oaxaca.  It's a gorgeous fall day here.

September already?!?

oh dear.  The summer is winding down.  The beauty berries are screaming purple, and the leaves on their branches are turning brighter green.  That bright green just before the leaves fall off, and the berries begin to dry and the birds pick them off.  The dogwood leaves are just beginning to lose their green, too, but haven't changed color yet.  The hibiscus mutablis is tall, and I can see the beginnings of some flower buds.  The vegetable garden looks like a war zone, with zombie summer plants that are waiting for me to pull them up and toss them in the compost heap.  The spider lilies are surprising me daily, the spikey buds appearing overnight.  They'll bloom soon. And, the swamp sunflowers are budding up, waiting for the annual heavy rain that always knocks them down just as they begin to bloom.  Maybe this is the year they get to perform standing?

Our friends Deb and Ed have left the country.  They retired, and promptly signed up for a two year assignment with the Peace Corps.  Living in Cambodia is a reality check on American creature comforts.  Read about their adventure here....

http://babelsincambodia.blogspot.com