A Mayan/ Mexican Ritual

Posted on February 8, 2013February 8, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Our Mexican jumping bean of a tour guide’s name is Paula. From the moment she introduced herself she was just a bundle of energy. One of the first things she did was tell us all to sit on the lower deck of the ferry for the return trip and to close our eyes. She said she would guarantee we would not be sick if we did that.

That out of the way she began explaining the true meaning of the Mayan calendar.

You know the one… the one that was supposed to end the world on 12/21/12. Having prepared us with the history and true meaning of the calendar we pulled into a trading post.

She called it a shopping center but it wasn’t anything like our shopping centers. It was a super sized souvenir stand.

There were some amazing things there including replicas of the Mayan Calender.

We spent about 30 minutes there before we all climbed back on the bus to finish our trip to the ruins.

I would love to go back with pockets full of cash!

Maybe 45 minutes later we pulled into the parking lot at Tulum.

The tour description said there was about a mile walk to the ruins. Miss Ball of Energy said it was a 5 -7 minute walk. Still suffering from a blister on my foot I opted to take the “tram” instead of walking. I was sure I could walk that far but not that I could keep up with Speedy Paula with my sore foot. Joe headed off with Paula on foot.

While those of us too “infirm” to walk waited for the tram we saw a group of costumed mexicans begin climbing a huge pole.

As they climbed one person stayed on the ground playing a flute.

When all reached the top he began to climb up too still playing the flute.

I asked a passing native what was going on and they said something about a rain dance. If it’s a rain dance , it’s working!

At about that time the men began dropping off the pole. They had ropes around their waist allowing them to spin like a carnival ride.

Slowly they were lowered to the ground where once on their feet , they walked away.

We got to see the whole thing while we waited for our ride.

The tram showed up right as the spectacle came to an end. It wouldn’t be long now before we’d see the main reason for the tour. The ruins of Tulum.

Shopping in Key West

Posted on February 1, 2013February 1, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Maine Lobster Tails? Really?

A Colorful Little Shop

Posted on March 26, 2012March 26, 2012 by Dusty Roads

My week 10 Photo of the week was of two cute yellow duckie statues all decked out in a spring display.

Well I thought you might be interested in where I found such a whimsical decoration. I wish I could say I set it up myself but I’m afraid I can’t take credit for it. What actually happened was that I was running errands with my friend Nancy. We had just left Ritz Camera at the Derby Street Shops in Hingham and were headed down RT 53 to Trader Joe’s. Nancy and I spotted the house at the same time. It was kind of hard to miss. It had flowers all over its beautiful wrap-around porch. That splash of color so early in the year (it wasn’t even spring yet) really caught the eye!

Right then we decided to stop in on our way back from Trader Joe’s.

We got back in the mid afternoon. I took some pictures of the house from the parking lot then Nancy suggested we go in. It appeared to be a business and we were curious. We saw the sign, Garden Craft, but weren’t sure what that entailed.

Inside the house was bursting at the seams with silk flowers ands displays. I loved the idea of holiday trees..decorated trees not just for Christmas but for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and even a tree with seashell ornaments.

There were fireplaces in every room and each mantle held a different displays. The lady at the front desk was putting together a floral wreath but stopped for a moment to tell me a little bit about the store.

Garden Craft was formerly in Hanover where they sold not only silk arrangements but also garden and nursery products. They sold off their previous location, discontinued the garden /nursery line and moved the retail operation to this building in 2011. From what she told me they have quite the loyal following for the retail part of the business and the new location is only about 1/2 mile from the old Hanover location even though they had crossed over the town line with the move. They were now in Norwell.

I told her I liked to take pictures and asked if I could photograph some of the things they had in the store. She told me to go ahead and enjoy myself. Nancy was looking for little items so she was happy to give me time to wander around documenting the visual feast surrounding us.

It was great fun wandering around the shop. As these photos illustrate they have a wonderful variety of decorative products and ideas. It’s definitely worth a stop.