Feliz Día de San Valentín!- Happy Valentine's Day!

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I love Valentine's Day. To me, it is more than just for lovers, but also for friends. I remember in school, sending Candy Grams to all of my friends and hoping that I would get one from a secret admirer. The excitement in my heart lasted the whole day. Here in San Miguel, I can see the school children are going through the same thing.

As Ronnie and I walk down the streets, we see many giggling girls with roses and huge balloons from their admirers. Vendors line up outside of the parroquia holding countless sizes and shapes of balloons. Kids run up to him to ask a price, and then run back to the bench in the jardin where their friends wait, giggling shyly for the answer.

I was chatting with a trabajador, who was in our apartment helping us hang some things, and he told me about a crazy (to me) tradition here in San Miguel and perhaps all of Mexico. To show you love someone, or that you are great friends, or you want to get to know someone better, you hollow out an egg and fill it with something fun. Confetti, fake gold dust, sparkles..and then walk up to your chosen person and smash the egg on their head. The sparkles rain down over the person for all to see. Apparently, the Jardin becomes filled with people doing this and so the trabajador told me if I didn't want to get smashed on the head, that we should watch from a roof or balcony. For the last couple of weeks, we have found many smashed eggs on the ground with confetti pressed into the hot cobblestones of the road. Perhaps they are practice eggs?

Ronnie and I will not be able to see this event as we are going to be traveling by bus to Mexico City that day en route to Puerto Vallarta. We need some beach time and I am ready to wear my bathing suit all day and swim when I feel overheated. And so, we are westward bound!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you out there. Whether you have someone to share it with or not, remember it is just a day to celebrate love in all it's forms. Savor it!!

Also, here are some of my recent paintings. The headphones series is for a NY show at APW Gallery in Queens in March. If you are in that area go and check it out.

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Photos

Headphones
For the show in NY

Headphones II
also for NY show