Spring break...how I love you! Mazatlan...how beautiful you are! Mexico is such an amazing place to relax and be inspired. The weather was perfect, the food incredible, the colors intense. And, the best part...hanging out with my family peeps. Our friends, Pattie and Larry, were kind enough to give us a tour of the old downtown where we dined on enchiladas suizas, a dish I'm going to try my hand at. But, let me show you what we saw in the streets:
Isn't she beautiful? There was so much to photograph, I could barely make it down the street. In fact, I did stub my toe several times, tripping about on the rough sidewalks. The first thing that always strikes me are the colores de las casas. They're nothing like the more understated colors of our homes, here in the States. These colors are saturated, brilliant, thrilling to the eye:
Coyoacan blue...a lucky color for houses. Old Mazatlan is a feast of windows and doors for a collector like me:
Did I mention the food? Mazatlan is a coastal city so there's lots of fish and shrimp. It was divine...
Back at our place, we did the tourist thing, which is ok with me. Tourism is down in Mexico. Publicity on the dangers of traveling to Mexico has affected the people there, in a big way. As scary as the news sounds, we never felt threatened or in danger, in any way. Mazatlan is absolutely charming; the Mexican people, rich in history and culture...kind and friendly.
And...my peeps. I love my guys! (I'm forbidden to post photos of Wife Whisperer and the rest of our crew...they're kinda shy that way.)
One last amazing thing about Mexico...the skies. So rich, it made me want to reach out and grab a handful of gold:
Thank you for touring with me! Vaya con Dios, Mexico. Until next year...
It's always soooo wonderful to see our city through another's eyes!!! And it's always a privilege to share her, especially with an amazing art sister!!! Thank you Lit'l Sister for brightening my days with your visit!!
Pattie ;)
Mazatlan Mx.
Posted by: Pattie | Saturday, April 09, 2011 at 12:02 AM
Deryn, I've thoroughly enjoyed catching up on your blog and this post in particular was such a vacation - maybe just in my mind but it was so close to being there, I could almost feel the breeze and see the vibrant colors. What a fantastic get away...and I'm glad you were able to share a few photos with your boys, luckily I've met Wife Whisperer in person. My husband is the same way about posting picstures of him. :-)
Posted by: Cindy | Monday, April 04, 2011 at 10:14 PM
Deryn...
Very nice photography...
Jeannie
Posted by: jeannie black | Friday, April 01, 2011 at 04:18 PM
You lucky dog, you! It's all so beautiful - I'm especially drawn to the colors of all the houses. You have such a great eye for composition - that makes such a difference in how we perceive the the colors.
Waaa! I wanna go there so bad. (Catalina would love these photos!)
So glad you had such a lovely vacation, and can't wait to see how this trip influences your work :)
Posted by: Deb | Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 10:20 AM
Amazing photographs, what an incredibly colourful place.
Posted by: Lululiz | Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 08:17 AM
WOW! The colors are fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing them :D
Posted by: Judy | Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 06:27 AM
The photos are absolutely awesome, Deryn! So vibrant! I am with you on the doors and windows - something that always fascinates me when I go south in Europe...
Thanks for sharing these wonderful pics.
Posted by: Renate | Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 01:15 AM
beautiful photographs...though how could they not be beautiful when photographing a beautiful place. My family and I lived in Mazatlan for about a year when I was around 6 years old. My memories of my time there were the happiest of all my childhood:)
Posted by: Jeanette Ryan | Monday, March 28, 2011 at 03:51 PM
That is just awesome and inspiring Miss Deryn! I was there once when I was about 18 for spring break. I don't recall seeing such loveliness (but I was likely face down on a beach!).
Enjoy the day.
Erin
Posted by: Erin Prais-Hintz | Monday, March 28, 2011 at 02:46 PM
Beautiful photos Deryn, thanks for sharing them with us. I don't thibnk i'll be getting there anytime soon so it was wonderful to live vicariously through your pix! The colors are so inspirational!
Posted by: Laura | Monday, March 28, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Wow! Such color and movement and texture... and flavor!! It's been awhile since I've been south of the border and I now wonder why!
Great post. Thanks for sharing your great time!
Posted by: Janet Bocciardi | Monday, March 28, 2011 at 12:38 PM
Ooooooooh!
Sitting here in New York state with snow outside....seeing your lovely photos of sun, family and food just totally brightened my day!
So glad you let us go with you guys!
Thank you.....
Suse
Posted by: Susie Land | Monday, March 28, 2011 at 12:27 PM
Oh, I see lots of inspiring things! I lived in Mexico for 6 months in the 1990's and loved it...glad you had a great vacation!
Posted by: Stacie | Monday, March 28, 2011 at 12:18 PM
Love your photo's. Thanks for the trip.
Posted by: Kathy McElroy | Monday, March 28, 2011 at 12:01 PM
Beautiful photos and I LOVE the color -- wish our neighborhoods were all more accepting of that particular form of self-expression!
Posted by: Kay Mallery | Monday, March 28, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Oh my gosh, the colors and textures of this place are more than amazing! I've never been to Mazatlan but I'm adding this to my long list of places I want to visit.
Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Your photos are fantastic, even if you did stub your toes a time or two.
Have a wonderful week!
Posted by: Alice | Monday, March 28, 2011 at 09:52 AM