Darkness & Light

Rem and I set up our Dia de los Muertos altar last weekend.  Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is a not an event from the culture either of us grew up in but we borrow or share it with our neighbors here in San Rafael and San Francisco.

Each year the altar is a little different. It seems like each year we have new names to add to our garland of hearts.

This year we included sweet Ruby and I found a photo of a much younger Rem and a young Ruby to display.

In addition to our altar, we attended the San Francisco celebration for the first time.  This included a Festival of the Altars in Garfield Park and a Procession with traditional Aztec dancers, artists, activists and community members.  I like the description on the Dia de los Muertos SF site about the event:

Dia de los Muertos is a traditional Meso-American holiday dedicated to the ancestors; it honors both death and the cycle of life. In Mexico, neighbors gather in local cemeteries to share food, music, and fun with their extended community, both living and departed. The celebration acknowledges that we still have a relationship with our ancestors and loved ones that have passed away.

In San Francisco, Day of the Dead has been celebrated in the Mission district since the early 70s with art, music, performances and a walking procession, which help us contemplate our existence and mortality — a moment to remember deceased friends and family, and our connections beyond our immediate concerns.

So – a holiday that remembers and honors our loved ones that have passed away, and uses both food and art in the celebration. This is Pan de Muerto, or “bread of the dead,” a sweet bread yeast bread, from our altar last year.

At Craft Gym in late October we made Papel Picado or perforated paper, used as decoration for different occasions but for Dia de los Muertos, it usually depicts humorous and whimsical skulls and skeletons.

Rem and I have some beautiful papel picado that we bought on a visit to Tijuana with much more detailed and elaborate designs.

Artisans using traditional methods use chisels to cut through about 50 sheets of tissue paper at a time but machine made versions are also available.  I cut mine with scissors and did one sheet at a time.

In our celebration of Dia de los Muertos, I notice the contrasts: skulls that are made of sugar, bright, festive colors instead of the more familiar dark ones used around death and grieving in our culture.

Candles glow on our 2013 altar.

This past weekend I paid a visit to my dad’s grave. It was late in the afternoon and from the path below his grave, I could see the piece of abalone shell set into his gravestone, catching the rays of the setting sun.

I hiked up the hillside  and cleared away stems and dried up flowers from the site, arranged some fruits and vegetables of the season, then scattered the dried flower petals around. I still feel deep sadness and miss my dad terribly, but I also honor his memory in many ways, including lighting candles on an altar for Dia de los Muertos.

After shedding a few tears, sharing some current events and singing some songs, I took a final look at his grave.  The colors of the abalone shell, glowing in the last, diffused sunlight were beautiful and reminded me that even as our days become shorter and we’re entering the darkest part of the year, there is still light and beauty to be found.

Thank you for your visit. Thank you, Rem, for sharing your photos.

 

 

 

Day 5: Paper Moon

Day 5: Paper Moon.  This is my take on a page that caught my eye on Pinterest. It is from the blog “La Chaquetita de Punto”  but I don’t know who the artist is.

I collected bits of paper with different text and numbers, the Periodic Table, some old pages from books including textbooks, music, a Scantron, a sky chart from an Astronomy book and more.  Some pieces were white so I dipped them in tea and let them dry.

During my lunch break, I collaged the background using Mat Medium .  After dinner I completed the skyline and finished with the moon.

For 2012, Day 5, I did this easy project: Tape Dispenser Before and After

In 2011, Day 5, I never got the hang of: Shrinky Dink Rings

I’m glad you checked out my blog today!

San Francisco Ferry Getaway

It was Spring Break this past week at the community college where I work, so students and faculty were off, but the campus was still open and the staff were still at work.  Until Friday.  After four quiet days of catching up on undone tasks including typing evaluation comments, filing a towering pile of paper and reorganizing my filing system, I decided to enjoy a vacation day.

I’ve been wanting to take the Larkspur Ferry to San Francisco and wander the shops in the Ferry Building Marketplace, and Rem was game.  It was a beautiful, sunny day and it was so nice being off work on a week day, I enjoyed it all the more.  Hooray for last minute days off!

Our destination, the Ferry Building Marketplace, is a beautifully renovated, landmark building with lots of little shops, cafes and restaurants with a major focus on food, plus beautiful and useful things for the home and garden.

First stop, Sur La Table, where I saw these little cake stands, or maybe cupcake stands.  They were very sweet and also very small.

I love the artwork on this tin of Merula olive oil from Spain.

I admit, I wouldn’t have known that Pioppini and Nameko were mushrooms.  They are only two of the many, many mushrooms we saw at Far West Fungi.

A beautiful set of nesting bowls made from olive wood was only one of the many items  at The Gardener that I would be delighted to have in our home.

You can pick up a cute little knit critter.

Or a book on how to knit your own.

We already have our own little dog, LLP (Little Little Pup), which is good since I don’t knit.  He came along on our adventure and met a small crocodile.

Succulents – I like their pretty soft greens and purples.

The high ceiling of the Marketplace is topped with skylights.  A few pigeons have wandered in and made themselves at home, adding to the Farmer’s Market feeling.

We sat outside on the esplanade to eat our lunch, overlooking a docked ferry and the Bay Bridge.

My spring rolls and peanut sauce were from Out the Door, the take-out counter for the Slanted Door restaurant.

Rem enjoyed a hot BBQ Pulled-Beef sandwich from Golden Gate Meat Company.  We went back later and bought some steak to bring home and grill.

I could have done more shopping but I didn’t want to schlep it all home on the ferry.

Bright, colorful produce at Farm Fresh to You.

Pretty shopping bags caught my eye.

As did this striped and ruffled pasta at Village Market.

After more strolling we stopped at Gott’s Roadside for a cup of soft serve vanilla ice cream to share.

Back outside into the sunshine, this time we sat on the street side of the building to people watch.

I enjoyed the line of pedicab drivers as they hustled to get customers.  These two were at the end of the line.

We made a relaxed visit to Book Passage where I picked up one new and one used book.  The new one is An Everlasting Meal, Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler.  What an appealing title.  The used one is Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, a book I loved and read several times included while on a trip to Italy that was inspired, in part, by the book.

I lost my well-thumbed copy and hadn’t thought of getting another until I saw this one. I started reading it right away while sitting on a bench in the marketplace.  It was like sitting down with an old friend.

Soon enough it was time to board the return ferry and head home.  I went out on the deck and took one more shot of the building as we departed.

We had a splendid day!

A day like that reminds me how lucky we are to live where we do.   I am grateful.

Thanks for coming by for a visit.