One of the highlights in Queretaro is this pyramid that had fairly recently been unearthed. Apparently it had been covered with trees and other greenery over the years and local folks did not realize that there was a pyramid underneath. It's really quite amazing....two sides have been unearthed and the other two have been left covered with flora. There are guides who describe the astrological basis for the location of the pyramid, etc. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=pyramid+in+queretaro+mexico#cobssid=s&fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5ea7f933,vid:5nPoEjHo9Tk,st:0 This link might work...its a you tube video with some interesting commentary. I apologize for the proselytizing at the end.
Another highlight was eating and having an occasional dark beer. We had a discussion about alcoholic content...Modelo Negra is my favorite.
This is preparation for a posada. We did not stick around for it to be performed. We walked at least 6 miles a day and my back was not happy....so we left. Posadas are a phenomenon, in my opinion, that occur at Christmas and somehow combine brass bands and dancing with the celebrations of the birth of Jesus.....
This is the inside of a catholic church decorated for Christmas....interesting combination of religious icons and foil streamers. We sat for a few minutes and then as we were quietly leaving, my shoe string got caught on a nail in the kneeling bench and I tripped, hit the ground and on my way down grabbed the back of the pew in front of us which made a loud sound which reverberated in this huge quiet space. Embarrassed ? duh.
A street vendor of Lele dolls and other items.Notice the children that are often brought along with their parents to sell on the streets.
This is so cute. It's hanging on the door of a little shop indicating that it is ......yep closed.
I couldn't resist these next few photos.....dog walkers rule, apparently. Note the people who have given up the sidewalk to the dogs. These photos also give you an idea of the cute streets in the center of Queretaro.
This appears to be a rifle ( not sure of the model but think its one of those automatic military style) that is painted on the exterior wall of a house near me, actually it's on my walk to the PC office.
This is just an example as there are many similar storefronts showing this type of gown....this is what many girls wear to their quiceneras....celebrations of their 15th birthday. I met a young female student at UTEQ who told me that her family gave her an option to have a quincenera or take a trip to the US. She chose the trip for the whole family. She is a very impressive young lady.
This takes some careful reading, but the word "cajones" caught my eye...it must have several meanings...in this context it means "parking space."
HaHa
Now, as to the cats:
We have had a family of cats living in the Peace Corps patio for several months. The mom showed up and shortly thereafter she apparently moved her 4 kittens into the patio also. They began getting comfortable and growing , we were all enjoying watching them grow and thrive. We even had a naming activity and agreed on names for them. Somehow, mysteriously, someone on the staff of PC decided to take the mother to be sterilized. Apparently, they did not consider the effect on the kittens because While she was gone, her 4 kittens took off . To be sure, they were eating kitten food and were no longer nursing but .... At least one ended up living next door on the grounds of the Marista Prepatoria. That is what they call private high schools.....prepas. The grounds are very nice and many of the staff are also great. Somehow the nuns are involved but the teachers all looks like civilians so....?
So, there are a couple photos below of the mother cat and her 4 kittens. HOWEVER, there are also photos of the mother cat and 1 kitten. When they all took off, only one, the orange one, was recovered. We have no idea what happened to the other three....The mother did get sterilized and has a little notch in her ear and that is wonderful but 3 of the kittens are gone. When the mother was returned to the patio, after two weeks at the vet ( to recover from the surgery) she began looking for her kittens, meowing and hunting around, and we heard a meow from the other side of the wall. I went over to the school and they were very cooperative in letting me put little piles of food and water on the wall, near a hole that that went down into the hollow in the wall, and little by little the food disappeared and we occasionally sighted the orange kitten sneaking out to eat but when he became aware of us, he scampered back into the hole. THis went on for several days until I got a humane trap from Amazon, we caught him and returned him to the patio and his mother.....see the other photos. It was not handled well.....it is an example of cultural differences between the folks who took the mom leaving the kittens behind and how it would have been handled in my culture.
As I end this post, both cats are still there but every day when I go to feed them or give them water, I expect to see one or both missing. So far so good.
As I end this post, both cats are still there but every day when I go to feed them or give them water, I expect to see one or both missing. So far so good.
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