¿QUE PASA EN LA PLAZA?

The whole center section of the Plaza de Armas is blocked off with plywood, eliciting the amazement of el sr J, who knows how much plywood costs.  See the dust blowing up?  

We had to find out what was going on.  We walked around to a low section and el sr J stood on a low wall to get this shot.  We hadn't noticed anything wrong with the area.  There were raised flower beds surrounded by stone seating much favored by the local hipsters.  We'll keep you posted on what replaces them (not the hipsters, who are irreplaceable).  And when.

It rained last night!  It's odd living in a place where it hardly ever rains and when it does it only lasts a little while.  More people carry umbrellas for the midday sun than for expected rain.  There they are standing under overhangs waiting for the shower to pass.

FUSAKO SHIGENOBU

 #2 in the filet crochet Revolutionary Women of My G-G-Generation series:

                           THEN AND NOW                          

Born in 1945 in Tokyo.  Sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2006.

Her daughter Mei carries on the work.

OTRA CASA QUE NO VAMOS A COMPRAR

Another house we're not going to buy.  It's on a nice tree-lined block, it's beside a school, it's one storey, and it looks pretty good, ¿no?

Well, you enter and the right-hand side is trees and patio all the way back (el sr J says the patio tiles would have to be replaced).  Most of the trees bear some kind of edible fruit.

The rooms are on the left-hand side and they get dicier as you go.  In one room, the ceiling/roof was mostly gone.

The owners are living like campesinos in the middle of the city.

I asked about the hot water heater, since I didn't notice one.  There it was, tiny, in a dark corner.  They heat water with leña (firewood)!  Wonder where they get that.  Firewood is in short supply around here.  Maybe they use trimmings from the trees in the patio.  I'm guessing they don't bathe too often, at least not in hot water.  There were about 6 little yapping dogs inside and maybe 50 birds in cages.

Look at that floor though.  Just the kind I want, and it's in good shape.

Trees and floors are good, but not enough.  Onward and upward.

HAYDEE TAMARA BUNKE BIDER

After crocheting the Emma Goldman chair back cover, I decided to do the rest of my revolutionary women series as wall hangings.

Here's the first one in filet crochet:

Born in Buenos Aires in 1937.  Killed in Bolivia in 1967.

Diez puntos if you can guess who the next one will be.  Hint: she's Japanese and she's still alive, albeit in prison.

UNA CASA QUE NO VAMOS A COMPRAR

A house we're NOT going to buy.  It's funny how your mind works when you really want to find a house to buy.  I hated this one at first, partly because the owner (the woman below) never stopped talking and gave me a headache.  Partly because I couldn't see how we would fix it up for ourselves.  Then, after leaving, I started thinking about the positive points.  It has the beautiful original tile floors from the 19th century.  It has the high wood-beamed ceilings.  It's near a beautiful plaza and concert venue.  

It needs a new kitchen, but that wouldn't stop us from buying it.

But it has serious leakage problems, both from the roof and from the upstairs bathroom. The upstairs bedrooms and bath were added on, or Mexicanified.  The steps to get up there would be impossible if you were old.  The owner never goes up.

We did like the bar in the living room, however.  When el sr J commented on it, the owner said she didn't drink.  Right.

We went back again with a contractor and he advised against buying it because of all the damage from the leaks.  The search continues.

EL EX CONVENTO DE SANTA ROSA DE VITERBO. . .

and the Richie Cole Sextet.

Last night's concert was in a space we hadn't seen before.  It was in the ex-convent behind this beautiful cathedral, Santa Rosa de Viterbo, completed in the 18th century.

The ex-convent now houses the office of the local cultural institute, the sponsor of the jazz festival.  The grounds are being restored:

And the Richie Cole Sextet played here. You can see the nuns' cells in the background.

Born in New Jersey in 1948, here is what he looked like early in his career:

This is what he looks like now:

With special guest trumpeter and Mexican legend, Luis Gasca.  They both attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

Richie Cole is one amazing alto sax player.  He channeled Charlie Parker for much of the evening, and be-bop was in the ex-convent's air.  Wonder what the nuns' ghosts thought of that. 

MAS JAZZ. . .Y FUE MEJOR

From Montreal, speaking English with a French accent, Pierre Labbé.  An exciting event.  When it started to rain, we all had to squeeze our chairs together under the cover.

Here's a representative sample.

Only the guitarist is different.

Which is too bad, because the guitarist last night was superb.