an ode to fall

Fall is here.
I think it's the season I'm most anxious for by the time it finally arrives.
(Spring is a close second).

Autumn makes me quiet down.
And brings a lot of lovely images to mind.
Plus very specific melodies.

Here are some of those combinations*

family reunions at Thanksgiving in the Carolinas


The Funeral - Band of Horses

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picking olives in the Tuscan countryside


Postcards from Italy - Beirut

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colorful falling leaves and cool temperatures in big cities


Fourth Time Around - Bob Dylan

...and pumpkins, boots, cinnamon, down comforters, open windows, and that unexplainable outside smell of cool...

*email readers click through to view music player

viva mexico :: part 5

Ok. Finally going to wrap up the posts on our Mexico trip.
Catch up here: part 1 • part 2 • part 3 • part 4

Chris playing soccer with the kids • ring around the rosie? • bunny ears
The day after our excursion to the Teotihuacan pyramids, we woke up and headed to the Armonía community center right after breakfast. We helped with the all-day childrens' program they host during the summer months. The day started just playing around with the kids: learning the Spanish words for 'duck duck goose' (and always being the 'goose' because I think they liked seeing the new white girl run around in circles all morning) :), getting pulled around by little hands showing me all sorts of fun new games and telling me stories with such animation which I'm sure were great stories if only I could understand Spanish.

Next everyone split up into age groups and went to separate classrooms for the day's lessons. We were shuffled into the preschool class mainly just to help keep a bit of order, pass out cookies, teach the words for colors in English, and smile a lot as they all stared at us. Then it was lunch time. For many of the children, this is the only meal they get each day. We were on vitamin duty - passing out Flintstone chewables as each person left the dining area. By the end of the afternoon, I'd come to know a handful of kids by name and was just beginning to get attached...but we had to hug and say goodbye as it was time to go. I'm so glad we were able to spend time with this great community and see the valuable work they're doing...giving hope to many of these souls who would be almost hopeless without this loving center.

Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera House • masks at the market • Aztec ritual
The last full day of the trip included a whirlwind tour of the city, starting at the south end in Coyoacan to visit the home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. This was one of my top must-sees in Mexico as I've always been interested in both of them as artists. Actually walking through the gardens and home where they lived from 1929 to 1954 (the year of her death) was amazing...then add rooms of original artwork, even better. One of my most favorite things there was a case of hand-written personal letters to Diego Rivera from some of his famous friends, including Albert Einstein and musician John Cage (to whom I have a special affinity for as I studied his crazy progressive style of "chance music" on the piano).

Palacio de Bellas Artes • street murals
After leaving that area, we headed for one of the city's best artesian markets to pick up a few souvenirs including a couple Luchadores (Mexican wrestling) masks, and some paper-mâché Day of the Dead figurines...I mean, you can't return from Mexico without either of those in hand. A few more must-see stops were made, and then before the day was over we enjoyed a last dinner and evening at at the Armonia guesthouse and said goodbye to some of the other volunteers...

...and early the next morning, waved adios to Meh-hee-koe.

viva mexico :: part 4

view over Teotihuacan and the Avenue of the Dead from the Pyramid of the Moon
In the afternoon of our first full day in Mexico City, after spending time in the morning at one of the community centers of Armonía - we headed north to the ancient Aztec city of Teotihuacan.

side of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent • view towards the pyramids • painted remnants
Home to the third largest pyramid in the world, this city which began as early as 200bc, was amazing to see and learn a little bit about. We began at the southern end of the site known as the Citadel, where apartment buildings and public gathering spaces once existed. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent is in this area and we explored around the grounds trying to understand what it must have been like to be here at the city's pinnacle.

stealing shade • line going up • just in case
From the southern end we made our way north along the Avenue of the Dead, which was the main thoroughfare and stretched for more than 2.5km. From this street one can see how detailed the layout of the city was, as it was divided in symmetrical sections each corresponding to astrological patterns. Some believe that this was to help with their calendar planning in dealing with seasonal farming.

Pyramid of the Sun • looking up • coming down
In the center of the Avenue is the massive structure, the Pyramid of the Sun. It looked big even from a far way off, and kept getting larger and more daunting as we approached. It's hard to capture it in a photo, plus adding to it the heat of that afternoon, and the crazy crowds, it made me laugh (but feel a bit more at ease) to see a permanent paramedic stand just outside the main staircase.

The line to go up wrapped around the front and one side of the structure, as the crowd size is controlled by several guards along the staircase. Finally, when it was our turn, we trekked our way skyward and then hung out on the top for a while to people watch and take in the scenery. The way down was just as harrowing and there was still one more pyramid to go...the Pyramid of the Moon.

emerging from part of the Aztec drainage system • detail of the stone work • street vendor
On the Avenue of the Dead again, there were many things to explore, as there didn't seem to be any regulations on what you could and couldn't climb on, walk on, or crawl through. We saw several little kids going from one structure to the next crawling through the remains of a system of drainage pipes. Some were definitely only suited for people shorter than 2'...but a couple openings looked like I might just about fit - so I tried it out. And I fit. And my calves got a big workout. And the kids behind me looked at me funny. And I didn't care :)

After another climb up and down the final pyramid, then a walk back to the parking lot, we headed back to the guesthouse for a good night's rest...as the next morning we were heading to the community center again to help out with the all-day children's program...

viva mexico :: part 3

Mexico's flag • volunteer housing • Chris with Lupe and Nico wearing their Rosa Loves shirts
When we left the Yucatan we flew into Mexico City for the last 5 days in the country. Although there were several sites we wanted to see in that area, our main focus in visiting the city was to get to know and work with the group Armonía, who Rosa Loves has been raising money for recently.

Armonía is an NGO working in Oaxaca and Mexico City transforming poverty into life - and who has done an amazingly effective job over the years in bringing sustainable education, skills and self-reliance skills to the rural and urban poor. I'd heard about the many programs they sponsor, but until I was able to see it first hand, it didn't register just how effective and full of love and compassion Armonía really is.

children of Armonía
As soon as we arrived, we were hosted in the volunteer guest house (which serves as a B&B of sorts to help raise funds for the organization), and met a few of the workers including the resident volunteer couple, who were in their last few days in Mexico after a year assignment. We had a wonderful time talking with them and learning about what they've been doing with the organization. That evening we met Lupe and Nico, the two guys that Rosa Loves are sponsoring with scholarships. Read the story here. We gave them the shirts that have been sold, and told them about the sponsorships. They were blown away and just couldn't believe their story was being told...they wore their shirts proudly and laughed as they said "we're famous!" with huge smiles. It was so much fun just to be able to hang out with them a bit...in the days to come we got to know them even more and heard their personal stories, which will be shared soon on Rosa Loves.*

The next morning, we headed to one of the community centers where several programs are hosted year-round. Right away I found myself cleaning the bathrooms - scrubbing toilets, wiping the floors, and bleaching the sinks. It made me laugh a little to think of a few days earlier when I was getting completely pampered with chores being the last thing on my mind...and at the same time knowing that doing this work was in a way bringing an even greater pleasure to me on this trip. At the very beginning of the day we met the lovely women who run the center, and then all the children that quickly filled the playground. During the summers, a camp/school program is held, while during the school year, more like after-school programs are hosted in the afternoons. Each day the children receive a balanced meal (and more many, this is the only meal they eat each day), level-appropriate educational lessons (from preschool to high-school), and most importantly, love and compassion shown by the staff.

songs and dances at Armonía
We were treated to a show of traditional dances performed by the children and volunteers, as well as lots of fun songs which I tried my hardest to sing along to while reading off a page in Spanish. In the afternoon, we headed just north of the city with Nico and another volunteer/college student (part of Armonía's program is education, and if a recipient is receiving a scholarship to college, part of their reciprocal duties are to volunteer with the younger children at one of the community centers). About half an hour up the road, we arrived at Teotihuacán - the site of the great Aztec Pyramids of the Sun and Moon.

Teotihuacán
...to be continued...

* There are still more shirts to sell before they can finally close this story and deliver the scholarship funds. View the shirts here and here. Buy one and help!

swimming under stalactites :: yucatan cenotes

inside Gran Cenote
I'm back on the subject of Mexico in trying to finally finish up a few more posts on our trip last month. One of my most favorite things that we did was to visit a few cenotes throughout the Yucatan. Cenotes are a type of sinkhole unique to this peninsula area of Mexico, and exist in several environments, including open, cavern, and cave. The word is derived from the Mayan word, “dzonot” which means sacred well, as the ancient Mayans thought that these fresh water collections were a gift from the gods. Some of the underwater cave and river systems extend for dozens of kilometers in a web of interconnected streams. Divers come from around the world to experience the unique experience and specialized ecosystems of the cenotes.

looking down into the cenote • in a tunnel • in and out of water
The first cenote we visited was the Gran Cenote just outside of Tulum. This is mostly a cavernous sinkhole, and is touted as one of the most beautiful in the area. It was completely magical getting there early before many people, and swimming in the open area as well as under the cave openings where countless stalactites hang. Groups of small birds chirped and wizzed above our head just barely grazing the water before landing again in the holes among the cave ceiling.

Chris diving • stalactites • my (bellyflop) dive
Here's a small video of some of the clips we took on our swims *click through to site if email reader:



There were so many caves and passageways to explore beneath the water but as we were just snorkeling, many were off limits to us, although a couple groups of divers emerged from the blackness during our swim. It was so peaceful down in the sinkhole and the shade of the overgrowth and the coolness of the water was very refreshing from the overwhelming heat during that week.

at Cenote Manatee
A couple days later, we swam in one of the open cenotes that is at sea level just off the beach in the Riviera Maya just north of Tulum, called Cenote Manatee. Unfortunately a manatee hasn't been spotted there in years, but they used to use this series of canals in the past. Now it's just an open stream with narrow passageways through mangroves.

There were a couple others that we saw, although I still think that Gran Cenote is my favorite and to anyone visiting the area a well worth stop. Magical, serene, and unique.

what i've been up to

SURF EXPO : our booth • mural in progress • final mural
**excuse the bad-quality iPhone photos in this post...I was too busy for a real camera :)
The past couple of weeks have been super busy and I haven't had a chance to keep up with much of anything, this blog included. Tradeshow season is in full swing for the fashion industry and we at Jedidiah are in the middle of rolling out some awesome new digs, new office, new website overhaul, all while hosting some fun events along the way. A couple of weeks ago was Surf Expo here in Florida, so we stayed busy at our booth as 5 amazing artists painted a live mural which was auctioned off for the Orlando-based non-profit, Get A Board Foundation.

Here are some videos put together about the mural painting there:

2009 Surf Expo Live Mural Painting from Jedidiah Clothing

Also, you can view Day 1 and Day 2

in san diego
Just a few days to recouperate and then it was a flight out to California to see the new offices, visit some good friends, and then drive through the dessert to the City of Lights. Nothing like 109º dessert heat, and smoke fumes from the LA fires to make you want to actually try and enjoy the flourescent-lit, highly air-conditioned interior of a convention center from sun up to sun down for several days in a row. Plus, then all you have to do is go to the Paris casino to feel like you're under a sunlit sky again as you win $2.05 on penny slots, feel like you accomplished something, then loose it at roulette. Oh well.

sunset after the show • somehow ended up in a limo • signs of the strip
Like last February, Las Vegas was filled with fashion brands all vying for the spotlight at the Magic Tradeshow. So the next few days was filled with a lot of work, people-watching, and multiple cups of coffee. Jedidiah once again hosted an awesome live mural painting to benefit the non-profit Invisible Children.

MAGIC : Jedidiah booth • artists with the mural • final mural
All I can say now, is thank goodness for the long holiday weekend...as I've been catching up on a lot of lost sleep and mainly just relaxing. It's been good to be home. Beach, friends, movies, vitamin D, and non-fast food all on the to-do list. When the week finally starts a day late, I'll be ready to go...doing a small detox, and then ready to hit the road again for work. Anyone want to a sneak peak at some amazing Spring '10 pieces? I have a whole car full of them :)