Janet Lowe

Art and Life in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

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Night Market Point Breeze

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Little Sicilian Riceballs

A slight rain storm dampened our dreams of five blocks of Night Market Point Breeze tonight from food trucks and tents, but by 7:30 the sky had cleared. My long time Philly friend, Carol Symmes, joined me to explore the treats which included: Turkish savory pastries (we shared a huge flake pastry stuffed with tomato, chicken, and pesto and tzatziki made of Greek yogurt, cucumbers and dill on the side),  Cheese Steak Egg Rolls, Black Bean and Spicy Shrimp Sliders, Mama’s Meat Balls,  Little Sicilian Riceballs, Fried Cheese Curd, National Mechanics Corn on a Stick and lots of Mexican favorites. Interspersed were the sweets:  Undrgrnd Donuts, Moon Dawg Fried Ice Cream Sundaes, and Cupcakes of all shapes and sizes just to name a few.  Also there were lots of beer and hard cider tents and live entertainment. And of course there were a couple voter registration tables to encourage the thousands of young people who attended to become voters.

What a great evening organized by The Food Trust which holds these events in  neighborhoods around Philadelphia once a month throughout the Spring and Summer.  This one was in the neighborhood where my two sons live so it was only a block from where I am dog sitting. Point Breeze is an area very near Center City that has recently begun including in it’s almost exclusively African American population many young working people of all races and lots of dogs too. It was wonderful to share the party with the community.

Point Breeze Ave. in south west Philly was packed tonight with food trucks, tents and people.

6th Grade Graduation in Mexico

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Guests of honor who awarded the diplomas including me from Leyendo and Suzanne Filsinger from KKIS Project.

Many students don’t continue their education after elementary school in Mexico. Work permits are allowed at age 12 and families need their income. Consequently there are two elementary schools with morning and afternoon sessions in this neighborhood, only one junior high school with just a morning session and no high school in the vicinity.

So the end of the school year means Sixth Grade graduation ceremonies and parties. Last week I was invited to help award diplomas at two primary schools where Leyendo has built libraries. It has gotten hot and humid here but we were provided with little bits of shade.

At the beginning of the Adrian Cupul Itza Primaria ceremony we were treated to a dance performance by a dance troupe in the Veracruz style which included several of the graduates.
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The tradition is that the graduating class choreographs and performs a dance at the ceremony, they receive their diplomas and then there is formal dance for students with their godparents. And lots of photos of course.

First Benefit for Leyendo a Success

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Last night the Leyendo crew held our first financial fundraiser in my home with live music from Canadian Bluegrass artist Brent Parkin and legendary country/blues singer Rattlesnake Annie. The atmosphere was magical when they played together.

My house was packed

My house was full of about 30 people supporting Leyendo, listening to exceptional music and eating a delicious meal prepared by the Leyendo ladies. We raised money to buy more books for these two libraries and prepare activities within the library spaces to insure their full use.

Pilgrims to the Virgin de Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta

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Incredibly young girls posing as the Virgin on floats through the city.

Jim and I met with friends on the terrace of our lovely penthouse Airbnb place on Columbia (with buses running on the street below until all hours of the night) to drink a little tequila and share a birthday cake that I found at a pasteleria in the neighborhood.

Then we hit the streets and walked with thousands of pilgrims carrying banners, singing to the Virgin. There were floats mounted on pickup trucks, drum and bugle corps and dancers of all kinds, many with feathered headdresses and native looking costumes but a picture of the Virgin on their chests. These were groups of workers from fancy resorts, local business employees, neighborhood groups, etc. At midnight fireworks were shot from the Church top and famous Mexican entertainers entered the church to sing their praises. We got home about 2:00 am. Awesome!

Nightlife in Puerto Vallarta

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Dancing in the square.

Dinner, dancing and fireworks in the square in front of the Cathedral de Virgin de Guadalupe last night in Puerto Vallarta. We got tacos de birria, a shredded beef stewed in delicious sauce, topped with onions, cilantro and hot sauce. Then dancing with the locals. On to the malecon, the boardwalk, for the Eagles football game on TV (no TV at home and computer streaming not working either). $1 USD for Corona beers or margueritas, we stayed for the whole game. And finally to another hidden treasure: a taco stand serving exclusively cow head parts: brains, tongue, lips, eyes and some glands I could not identify. Delicious without onions or cilantro – just a splash of very hot sauce. And to top the evening off, a young girl appeared with a handmade papier-mâché headdress which she kindly donned for a photo.