Guess Where!

I enjoyed growing up in the parts of SF that I did, but that didn't really include Glen Park, the neighborhood around the house where I lived for my whole life. I'm getting to know it better now as an adult. It has a great mix of residential and recreational--not many boutiques, but I don't shop that much anyway. On this last visit, we took several walks through the above-pictured Glen Canyon (including one with Mali and Denali, wearing their hats! and one with my mom, and one with Jimmy K), ate more than a few crepes at Higher Ground (Chenery and Diamond) and had tapioca tea at Eggettes. I also finally bought some eggettes. They look like bubble wrap, smell like waffles, and taste like waffles, too, but with an enchanting range of textures. Crispy outside and chewy inside. Love it. I'm a little worried that Eggettes won't make it, though. Its footprint is on the large side. And you know those machines they have at the front of supermarkets, where you put in a few coins and a mystery toy in a plastic bubble comes rolling out? Eggettes has 48. I counted. Along with a "UFO Catcher." I would've gone there all the time in high school if it would've been closer (and open). In its current location, I'm not sure they can generate enough business to stay open. But there were plenty of customers the second time we went. They should pay me for advertising them on my blog.

Jimmy described the canyon as a "Disneyland attraction that never got finished." It does pop up unexpectedly in the middle of the city, but it doesn't seem out of place to me. The homes remind me of hobbit holes, not in their specific appearance but in the idea expressed in the way they nest along the canyon rim, living right inside a beautiful place. The weather was perfect for walking (though recent rain made the paths a little muddy), and the light was great. I kept poking Patrick and saying, "Look at how un-flat it is!"

-I wrote most of this a few days ago. We got back to Chicago yesterday. Today is Sunday, and tomorrow I'm back to school. The time for blogging is over for now!

objets d'arte

My first week back at work. Included the annual overnight retreat to a board member's beach house in Indiana. Nice to see everyone. Learned a new card game!

I think this is my last post for Mexico pictures. Maybe second-to-last.

To start off with, some pre-Hispanic art objects. From the anthropology museum.




1) Teehee! A cat! Actually, that's just a guess. I don't remember what civilization this was from. One thing that's striking is how much trade and exchange they had, anyway. 2) Mom and I liked this vase. Easy to envision it for sale in a modern gallery. I wonder how many periods and places around the world it could plausibly seem to belong to. 3) I love the expression on these two friends. The one on the right reminds me of an anime character, but I can't figure out who.

Left: The 200 peso note, featuring the famous intellectual and nun, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (and Patrick's money clip, .925 silver with malachite inlay, very nice). I wonder how many countries have women on their currency. I guess we have Susan B. Anthony and Sacajawea on the dollar coins that no one uses.

Right: Mexico's version of Peeps? I hate the taste of those sugary marshmallow things, but these sure are cute.

Back to planning for the return of students!

Primary(ish) Colors

Driving around San Francisco, you'll see a house every now and then that's painted some totally absurd color: lime green, raspberry sorbet, you know what I'm talking about? Well, the exteriors in Mexico aren't that wild, but the interiors are often brighter than US ones (not counting my condo). We got to the top of some stairs, and the sun was shining through these leaves, against the red of their niche ... maybe my picture isn't so great, but it's at least a personal memento of perfect light.


All of these walls at the Museo de los Murales (Beatriz de la Fuente) are painted the same shade of yellow (including those in the foreground). The museum is beautifully designed, besides preserving and displaying original murals from the pyramids at Teotihuacan. I can't really imagine what the walls must have looked like when they were new, covered in plaster and colorful frescoes; it must have had such a completely different effect from the massive faces of broken rock that remain today. Maybe one day, the Sistine Chapel will be seen this way. Stripped of its paintings and stained glass, I'm sure it would still be impressive, but more than unrecognizable to us who have lived to see it as it is now.


In the Plaza de las Tres Culturas (the Three Cultures Plaza), there's a colonial-period church made with stones pulled from Aztec temples. The inside of the church is kind of creepy; when Patrick and I went in, it was filled with eerie music and weird blue light. The source of the light is lovely, though.