Brackendale "The Eagle Capital"

Went to see the eagles today.  Unfortunately they were across the river and difficult to photograph.  Lots of gulls and ducks around looking for the pieces  of salmon the eagles drop.

Night views of Nuevo Vallarta

Practicing with different settings on the camera.  Some turned out better than others.

Mismoyloya

A fishing village south of Puerto Vallarta where The Night of the Iguana was filmed.  Now the site of all inclusive resorts,  the fishing village is up higher in the hills.   At at a fantastic outdoor seafood restaurant and towed Mama Lucia's tequila distillery.

Crown on the tower of Our Lady of Guadeloupe Church, Puerto Vallarta

The crown was erected on the main tower in 1965. It had been drawn by the priest Rafael Castillo and was sculpted by JER Guadeloupe the same year.  It is not replica of one supposedly worn by Carlos mistress of Emperor Maximillian.  Weathered and eroded it was replaced in 1981, and the fell off following an earthquake in 1995.  At that time it was replaced by a fibreglass one.

Night of the Iguana

Filmed in Puerto Vallarta in 1964, starring Richard Burton, Ava Gardiner, and Deborah Kerr.  Elizabeth Taylor came to visit,  Richard bought 2 villas across from each other and built a bridge between them.  Apparently they had a wonderful time there even though they were both married to other people.

Our Lady of Guadeloupe, Puerto Vallarta

This is a remarkable church which has been built over the past century. Storms and earthquakes have destroyed sections over the church including the crown on the tower which was eventually replaced with a fibreglass one.

Papal picado (pierced paper)

Hanging across the streets and in buildings these sheets of paper (now made of plastic) decorate Mexico for all kinds of celebrations. First made in San Salvador in the 1920's and chiselled out of stacks of paper, they became a tradition around all of Mexico by the 1970's.

Diego Rivera and a more modern representation

Between  1946 and 1947, Rivera painted a more modern La Catrina, one which is still seen today.

La Calavera Catrina(Dapper Skeleton )

Jose Guadeloupe Posada (first lithograph in 1910-1912) designed the personification of death in fancy french garb. He also coined the phrase "todos  solos calveras" meaning "we are all skeletons".
Some examples of the "La Catrina" figures from Puerto Vallarta on the day following the day of the dead.

The Malecon, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Some pictures taken during the city tour.  The Seahorse statue and the Arches represent Puerto Vallarta and I  thought the balancing stones were interesting.

Dia de Muertos

Several altars set up at our resort to honour the dead on All Souls Days. Traditional gifts left on the altars. Salt,bread and sugar skulls.

All Saints Day in Nuevo Vallarta

November 1st ,  a Shrine was set up at our resort.
Celebrating Frida Kahlo a female Mexican artist also considered a feminist.

Day of the Iguana?

I noticed this little fellow on the grass as we were headed back to our room. So far we had only seen little geckos so this was quite a surprise.

Vaseau Lake bird sanctuary

This beautiful place is between OK Falls and Oliver in the south Okanogan.  Amazing that the large rock is 2 billion years old.

The Empire Motel, Penticton

Stayed here for two nights on a recent trip to Penticton.  It is a comfortable spot only two blocks from Skaha Lake Park.  Families book suites for longer stays in the summer and there is a heated outdoor pool with a nice grassy area with barbecues and picnic tables. Apparently they are always booked way in advance for the summer months.