The Festival of San Jeronimo has come and gone in Coatepec. This year, Jim ran in Festival's 4k run. I took lots of pictures but you won't get to see any because somehow I lost them all transferring them from camera to laptop (desafortunadamente). It is a VERY informal run. To say the least. There was no really clear finish line for one thing. And no official timer we could see. There was prize money and everyone could see who came in first, second and third: the Kenyans again. There seem to be a number of Kenyans here in Mexico who make their living at local runs. Jim didn't come in last. I didn't run at all. The oldest known runner was an 82 year old man of great vigor who punched the air when he ran just like male tennis players do. A woman who came in after Jim was wearing a lot of makeup, had her hair done, a fancy schmancy woman-tennis-player style dress, dangling earings and plain old grubby tennis shoes and athletic socks. And she appeared to be 82 also. It had rained cats and dogs and hammers as our friend David Town likes to say just before the race, but cleared nicely in time for the start. The guy on the podium seemed to have become enamored of his voice because 4:00 came and went as he droned on and on about the magico of Coatepec. The runners actually started clapping and booing to get him to stop. He never did for the whole race, but finally someone gave the start shot and they were off and running by 4:15.
That was Friday. Today we took the Rav to be repaired and wandered around Coatepec doing some odds and ends of chores. We went into a large store filling several rooms on Av. Cuahtémoc. It's been there for some time and is truly wonderful. The rooms are in an old colonial house with big windows and high ceilings. It is filled with light and sells just tons of incredibly varied and interesting junk that you don't need but suddenly want: really glittery fake jewelry heavy with fake diamonds and rubies and stuff, underwear, plastic containers, toys, make-up, books, clothing, shoes, beads, mops and all kinds of religious and some other kinds of statues. We saw an end table to beat end tables, a painted seductive over-made-up plaster of paris woman squatting on one knee holding up a glass top with a scalloped edge. I crave it. I can't imagine a more unlikely piece of furniture.
Then we stopped briefly at a plant shop that pours out onto the sidewalk from an old (older than me) woman's living room. She had some roses with gorgeous, brilliant yellow and reddish-pink blossoms, lots of very healthy herbs and a plant with big eggplant-like leaves that had ....EGGS...hanging from it. The lady came out to chat. THOSE eggs aren't for eating, are they, I asked. Oh no, she said. Just for drawing. I swear that's what she said. Jim said something about eggplants. Then I said to Jim, maybe they glued the eggs on the stalks. No, no, said Jim. Those are part of the plant. Naaah. I said can't be, but they WERE!
After looking at some tile choices for our new house/store, we stopped at a fruit and vegetable store we go to from time to time. We went to buy bananas, but because Jim and I rarely hear each other these days, especially in the din of traffic, (of course we pay very close attention to what the other is saying) we got our signals crossed and I ended up buying a number of things not including bananas and Jim got nothing.
Finally we took the bus home because we were quite sure the car wouldn't be ready even though good ole Carlos Alarcon, the charming, guapo mechanic with the slicked-back hair who seems to me like someone who'd come from Queens was 100% sure it would be.
I've got to go back with my camera and get some pictures.