Well, the Blogger folks say that they have streamlined the process of writing and editing one's blog. So far I have not found that to be the case, but as I am writing now, I must have done something right!

Since last I wrote some things have changed a bit. I'm writing on the fully-functional sleek titanium MacBook Pro that I bought from a friend in Beirut. He bought it in Cairo, so it has an English/Arabic keyboard, which was very amusing for Nery, the repairman hero here, who got it running again.

I have also been out and about with my new Sony camera with a super zoom, and discovered that the school print shop has a terrific Epson ink jet plotter. There are several 20x30 prints waiting to be framed, some of which you will see here shortly.

In the last post (ages ago) I mentioned that I had been booking a trip; for a long weekend, we went to Antigua, Guatemala. It is the former colonial capitol which was destroyed by earthquakes and rebuilt several times. They finally gave up and moved the capitol to Guatemala City (we spent a little time there too). Fortunately, Antigua reinvented itself as a tourist destination, became a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is now a very popular place to visit by Guatemalans and gringos alike.

We traveled there on the biggest bus I have ever been on. A double-decker, with luxury seating below and economy above, we headed out for Guatemala City after school on Thursday (in the economy section). As we approached the border, I was thinking that it had been a long time since we crossed and international border on land (probably on the road to Damascus (It might have been The Road to Damascus, not sure). As it turned out, we had to cross the bridge on foot! I think it was probably the Central American version of the Allenby Bridge into Israel. The bridge was under repair, and open only for cars, carefully one at a time.  So we crossed over the river and boarded a mirror-image bus on the Guatemalan side. They even managed to have the movie playing at about the same spot!

A van from the Hotel Soleil met us in Guatemala City and zipped us off to Antigua; we got in about 10:00PM. We finished up the snacks that we didn't eat on the bus, had a small nightcap, and dropped off to sleep.

Friday was a walkabout day and I will let the photos do the talking for now.

 On Friday, this street was clogged with cars. I joked with a watercolor painter that at least he could leave the cars out. Happily, Saturday was a no-car day!

Clearly, Antiguans like their colors! Some walls have acquired a natural patina of age, but others have had it applied. Either way, the result is a very carefully protected ambience of color and age. Even the fast food restaurants (McD's Domino BK) are patina-ed outside, and are limited to very small outside signs. No golden arches. In fact, it was easier to spot them by the legions of delivery motorbikes outside.

And, yes, I was with Carol, and I do have some photos of her. Next post.

On Monday, I walked past the National Museum of Art, but of course it was closed. (Is that an international rule?) But I had to go back to the tour place on Tuesday, so that took me past the museum again, so this time I got to go in.

It is an architecturally interesting building, with spacious galleries and multiple levels. There is space for the collection (which is mostly Central American) and also space for visiting exhibits. I suspect that the museum's strength is that it has the space to mount some substantial exhibits.

The signage is all in Spanish, which I am not complaining about, but a pamphlet or xerox in English would have been helpful. Since i can't really tell you much about what I saw, I will just let a few photos do it for me. I have to mention that this bunch of images on Flickr has been wildly popular!

 This really is a window.

Enjoy! more soon!

So, yesterday was Monday, and I don't work on Monday; it's a chance for me to get out of the bubble, and do some basic errands as well. We have decided to travel to Antigua, Guatemala in February, so I needed to find the travel agency and make that arrangement, and of course there were groceries and the occasional bottle of wine on the shopping list.

This part of San Salvador is the most non-grid street pattern that you could imagine! There are two concentric circular loops that are connected in some very odd ways (none of them intuitive), and to get from one loop to the other can require some very roundabout travel. That's all well and good if you are in a car, but on foot it does present a challenge. So I meandered through San Benito (our neighborhood) discovering a few connections that I had not known, and ended up at the Sheraton as planned. I also went by the Arr Museum, but being Monday, it was closed. I made the travel arrangements, but they wanted passports, so I would need to return.  I kept walking.

Since the street went downhill, I just went with the flow and after awhile ambled past some restaurants we have been too (Gourmet Burger Company)(Minh's Vietnamese/Thai) and noticed a third restaurant in that string was the Cadejo Brewing Company. But, it was only 11 in the morning, and a little early for a brewery visit. Further downhill, a bookstore, an art supply store, and huge grocery store took up some time. Then it was time to turn around and  head back up the (very long) hill down which I had been wandering.

Imagine my relief to arrive at the brewery just a bit after noon. Uphill walking is thirsty work, so of course I stopped in to see what might be available. There were several options, and the most interesting was a ginger flavored strong beer. (6.4%) it was excellent!

I got a sandwich too, a panini with beans, cheese, tomatoes and avocado. (sorry, no photo, and it needed hot sauce, but the waiter wasn't around and I was hungry). I made the beer last as long as I could!

Then I asked if I cold visit the brewery, which was just behind the restaurant; I could see that it was very sleek and stainless-steely. In a few minutes, Beto arrived to give me a tour. He apologized for his English, but of course it was much better than my Spanish. (it was fine, really) But I did tease him and say that this was a test. I need ot go back without a guide and just shoot, but here are some of the snaps:
Including Beto)

From here it was up to the grocery store and then home, and out to the hardware store for some odds and ends. Finally home, I decided I had earned a quick splash in the pool. Life is good!

Next post: The Musee del Arte

I have had some trouble getting this link, and now most of the excitement is over anyway, but who knows?
Here's a live feed for the only currently active volcano in El Salvador:

http://www.marn.gob.sv/monitoreo-chaparrastique/

No post since November! I am a bad blogger!!

The Christmas holiday in the USA was a spectacular collection of family, friends, and familiar places. 

The only thing we didn't do was get to our favorite restaurants. No Modern Diner, no Apsara Palace, and no Matunuck Oyster Bar. But there were plenty of wonderful meals. Bruce Tillinghast served up a mess o' snacks along with some mighty fine wine. Carol Fotos made pastitsio and lamb, Karen Karidoyanes (and Bill Orsi)  made a magnificent slow-cooker chicken cacciatore. Who needs restaurants?? And, of course, the Chinese Christmas dinner with Emily and Joseph will be long remembered!! Photos? Not one! You'll just have to trust me; this vacation was a moveable feast.

Our travels were blessed by the transportation gods. The one bag that didn't make it up to RI got delivered the next day. We made it out to Chicago and back over Christmas week without any delays, and we fled New England's chill on January 4 just after the snowstorm (which was over-forecast) and before Thermageddon arrives. Our trip down had a 50 minute connection in Atlanta and were 20 minutes late leaving Providence. When we got to Atlanta, we were 10 minutes early, and arrived at gate 28, concourse E. Our departure gate wasn't on Concourse C as we expected, it was gate 32 on Concourse E!! So we casually strolled down E, and boarded leisurely. I did have to gate-check my carryon (with my cameras) but everything was fine when we got home. 

Our return has been saddened by the non-reappearance of the famous Helou (aka Guapo). He went missing just before we left (went missing = ran away from home) and has not been seen by us since then. We figure he's hooked up with Los Gatos, and is now running wild in the woods with his amigos. He may still find his way back to the supper dish, but probably with tattoos...

I do have a new camera. Some results:

The Bubble

One of the difficulties I had not anticipated when we decided to move here, was that it would be difficult to venture too far out of the secure bubble of Escuela Americana. We live on the campus, and have about a five minute walk to work. Nearby stores are easily walkable, and friends with cars help with occasional trips to buy heavy things that come in bottles or cans. And then there is Jose, a taxi driver with excellent English.

Consider that we traveled Lebanon literally from top to bottom, driving close enough to the Israeli border in the south to see the neat rows of settlements on the other side (in contrast to the organic growth of Lebanese villages). And up north, crossing in to Syria on the way to Homs. Traveling east through the Bekaa to Damascus was a routine trip. In Beirut, I walked (and jogged) miles, through neighborhoods and districts. When Carol discovered the bus routes, a whole new adventure began!

When I remember Lebanon, I tend to forget that it took several years to build up the sense of confidence that allowed us to travel so widely. School has taken us on some bus trips  as have friends with cars. But independent out and about exploring has been tricky.

Some of it has to do with how fearful some Salvadoran friends are of traveling. I mentioned that I wanted to take a bus to nearby Santa Tekla's market, and a local friend leaned in close and quietly said "No you don't." Another friend offered to watch me as I walked half a block down to a store to buy cat litter. A lot of Salvadorans live in their own bubble, so I won't be too hard on myself for difficulty.

The weather is getting better, the rain is almost over, and that will make going places easier. More photos here soon, although I have been posting more on Flickr; you can see them here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/13968680@N07/

Time for lunch!

OCTOBER

October 17, 2013
October! The word rustles like orange leaves under your feet. The evening air hints at frosty nights and yet the ebbing beams of sun warm your face. The days feel shorter and you ask yourself when did it get dark? At least that's the October I remember.

My question of the day is will the rain hold off so that I can get a quick swim? Maybe yes today. Yesterday the gray sky lowered slowly and by the afternoon, the volcano was covered. I did get out for a run, but then it finally decided to rain so I let myself head home early. The real rain did not arrive until after dark, and right around bedtime its friends showed up. Thunder and lightning here is a more intimate event than in New England; it feels as it it is right on top of you. Eventually they all went off to play somewhere else, but it was a substantial amount of rain.

I will try to post some photos of the birthday party at the Posada. I say try, because I'm on a pc, the photos are on a couple of jump drives, and I haven't really even looked at them all. Happily, I have arranged to use an iMac in the high school library, but only on my off time. (I may get spoiled by that huge screen)

You know it's a good party when Mother Teresa puts in an appearance. Two pinatas helped too.
Clearly, I figured out the photo system (not rocket science) but selecting from thumbnails wasn't so hot. I'll try to be a little more selective next time. With my iMac access, creative work should go better, and that will be a nudge to get out with the camera more.

I neglected to mention that Papa John's in Santa Tecla donated the pizza and the bear. They both added a lot to the party, and I could be persuaded to eat there. It was good (gringo) pizza.