Travel

Winding down the year

Dec 12, 2015

…and catching up on photos!

Here are a few from our most recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, for the Day of the Dead festival.

Oaxaca was a vibrant city full of good food, wonderful authentic people, and unique and deeply-held customs. We spent the week leading up to All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days there, and every day something incredible happened.

Some customs seem to be put on just for the tourists, but Dia de los Muertos isn’t one of them. We ran into countless parades put on by churches, schools, and community groups. They were clearly proud and happy to be celebrating – a few times we were even offered candy by small children in the crowd!

Oaxaca has managed to resist the American Halloween. The traditional costume for women and girls is the Calavera Catrina, a face-painting resembling a delicate and colorful skull. The male equivalent is the Catrín.

The festival has a large religious component, with a mix of Catholicism and lightly syncretized prehispanic ritual that seems completely natural.

On our second day we went to a “dog costume contest and parade” in the neighborhood of Jalatlaco. I enjoyed seeing the dogs and their owners, although some of the dogs looked slightly to absolutely miserable to be dressed up in public.

Tide Pools, La Jolla Shores

Aug 31, 2015

Summer’s almost over, what better time to catch up on photos I took in January? This photo was a result of being in the wrong place at the right time. I was actually looking for these tide pools, down the coast a little way. I misunderstood some directions and ended up at a place called La Jolla Shores, a very pretty public beach with some rocks way off in the distance.

And I mean way off. I probably hiked almost half a mile out, across some very slippery, seaweed-encrusted rocks, but it was worth it. I got some unique pictures, saw some wildlife up close, and managed to get back to high ground before the tide came back in.

Sea Life at La Jolla

May 17, 2015

On our fourth morning in San Diego, we drove north to the seaside town of La Jolla. The coastline there is beautiful, rugged, and lined with beaches and coves. We spent most of the day there and ended the day with an amazing winter sunset on the beach.

$Happy Seal, Children\'s Pool Beach$

Happy Seal, Children’s Pool Beach ⤴

Our first stop after breakfast was Children’s Pool Beach. Built in the 1930s as a protected area for the children of San Diego to swim, Children’s Pool has since been taken over by a colony of harbor seals. They laze on the beach, playing and sunning themselves. Some residents of the city would rather see the seals moved elsewhere, but I don’t think San Diegans have any shortage of places to swim.

San Diego Zoo, Part 2

May 3, 2015

Here are a few more pictures from the San Diego Zoo. It was such a big park — we spent an entire day there and I took almost 500 pictures — so there will be a part 3 later.

Jaguar ⤴

I snapped these in a hurry and honestly didn’t expect anything to turn out. The light wasn’t great, but I really liked how the jaguar was partially hidden by the log. It looks almost like it’s stalking its prey.

Ocean Beach

Apr 21, 2015

One of my favorite places in San Diego was Ocean Beach. In the 60s, the city built a giant pier out over the ocean so people would have a place to fish. They were still fishing when we got there, all men, some of whom appeared to be homeless and fishing to eat, and others just having a good time. We watched two men reel in a dazzlingly blue frilled fish called a “rock cod”. Seagulls were drawn to the pier as well, probably waiting to snatch some fish guts.

Travel

Happy Seal, Children’s Pool Beach ⤴

Jaguar ⤴

Ocean Beach from the Pier