After riding the rails up the edge of the Pacific, starting in Los Angeles, the Coast Starlight dropped me off in the verdant state of Oregon in May for three of my favorite things – hiking, winery visits, and spending time with friends (not necessarily in that order – the first two were greatly enhanced by the third!) Jeanne and Sally, friends I met in La Manzanilla, Mexico, were kind and generous hosts, sharing their homes and...

Love chocolate?! Come to Oaxaca, where chocolate is part of the culture, and comes in many forms and flavors. Recently I had the pleasure of going on a chocolate tour with Chris, of Oaxaca Profundo Tours, where he shared not only tons of tastes, but also the rich history surrounding this flavorful food. While we we tend to just think of chocolate as that sweet confection we eat as a treat, there is so much more to this “food of the...

Teotitlan del Valle is a colorful village of rug-makers just outside of Oaxaca in southern Mexico where Zapotecs have produced rugs for many generations. How much time does it take to hand-make a rug? Answer – a lot! After sheep are sheared, wool is washed, carded, and spun into yarn, then the yarn must be dyed. Some weavers still use all natural materials for color, such as indigo for blue, nut shells for brown, marigolds for yellow, and...

What is it about Oaxaca that entices visitors to come and to linger? Let’s wander around and see… The first thing that I noticed, being a painter and photographer, is that Oaxaca is a city of colors – color is everywhere! From the buildings on the bustling streets… …to the walls of graffiti – whimsical, playful, pretty, and political. Turn a corner, and what do you see? Balloon sellers in the Zocalo, along...

La Manzanilla, Mexico is a sleepy little fishing village and laid back beach town, so what is there to tie a nomad like me down for 6 whole months? Turns out plenty! First, there’s never a shortage of local color, especially for a photographer … Endless walks on the 6km stretch of sandy beach enthrall, delight, and soothe the soul day after day after day. Some weekends and holidays are filled with frolicking swimmers and...