Traveling Knights

On impulse this morning we decided to drive the Creole Nature Trail that begins in Sulphur, Louisiana and ends in Cameron Parish. The drive is a beautiful one with wild flowers, marsh grasses and a variety of water fowl on display. Fishing camps and duck hunting sites are an outdoors man's dream. We were the only ones with no fishing gear and every family was fishing for next weeks dinner. I do miss seeing the beautiful red wing black birds that were part of my commute everyday when I lived in Lake Jackson and they were everywhere along the trail. A large rookery with great white and spoonbills reminded us of our visits to High Island. This is mating season and the great whites have little ones to feed and the spoonbills are engineering their nests. ... read more

We left Oaxaca City for Monte Alban one of the first planned urban areas in the Americas. The drove out of the city was a riot of color. Purple jackaranda trees competed with the beautiful orange of the Poinciana and the bubenbilla to use the Spanish spelling. We would never think of putting those colors so close together in our yard, but they work beautifully here. Monte Alban was a large complex with temples; residences, an observatory and all that was required of a bustling civilization. There is evidence of trading with far away places and the walls tell the story of battles and conquests. Smaller carving show people suffering from various diseases and it is believed that these were used as medical texts. It is easy to imagine this place full of life, waiting for ... read more

Wednesday found us leaving Mexico City and heading up the mountains to Taxco. We were on a group tour because this trip is difficult to tackle alone. Eight of us boarded a van with driver and guide and headed to our first stop Cuernavaca. Our guide told us that this is a city for resting and that the unlucky Maximillian and Carlotta came here to rest. She before skedaddling out of Mexico back to Europe and poor old Max before he was executed in Puebla. The Mexicans did not take too kindly to these Aristocratic Austrians trying to take over their country. A quick visit to one of the first European Churches in Mexico and we hopped back on the bus. Of course there is always one couple who does not respect the time and so ... read more

Christmas Eve in Mexico City is quiet. Most restaurants close early so that families can gather to celebrate. Our favorite bar Pata Negra stays open until 3:00 AM so we went there for tapas and drinks. The music is loud and the drinks are strong and the food is good so who could ask for more. After that we walked to the Cathedral for Mass. A charming octogenarian with a pony tail met us at the door and gave us a tour which included much information about the history of the Cathedral and its construction and art. As I listened to how it was construced and he showed us dates on art work I realized how young our country is in relation to Mexico. The building was constructed by natives who were forced by the Spanish ... read more