Skirt 71

See what I mean about the bus???

This is the 71st skirt that I have worn... It's a new one that I bought in the States before I moved to Mexico. Not that I needed a new skirt... I bought it for several reasons:
1. It's red jewel toned color
2. The silk fabric
3. It has pockets
4. It's a bubble skirt
5. It was on sale.

I'm wearing today's skirt for several reasons too...
1. The Red Sox won last night and are going to the finals! yay! ;-)
2. I'm expecting some big, good news from Boston today too.
3. For my love.

I'm staying in the love bubble today.
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Getting ready for the Halloween Festival at school. We made papier-mache soon-to-be jack-o-lanterns in 5th grade today. What a mess! My hands are orange from the papel crepé. Some parents liked it, "soon these will be sold in all the boutiques in Vallarta..."
hee hee

Meet Jack:

The cutie I got to get photographed with. I miss my dog Moxie. Soon I'm going to write about the dogs of Mexico...

Jack's owner saw me taking skirt shots in front of this advertisement. I like the message...
(Except that he's wearing pants...)

Dogs in Mexico

Punta de Mita

I went to the beach this weekend to Punta de Mita, around the other side of Bahía de Banderas (Banderas Bay). Out in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Kiko made for some huge waves and undertow... I meant to try my boogie board, but I was content to draw in the sand. The beach is white but reveals black sand when you draw or walk on it.



Check out this little booger... el cangrejo. I love their eyes, and the way they move across the sand. Fast little critters.


This is something new: Skirt Dude.
Actually it's his lady friend's skirt. I thought he was going to swim with it on in the ocean, until we saw him take it off. Ewwwwww!
How could a sarong be so wrong!


Ah, Mexico...

Where will this adventure take me?

Skirt 70

Trying something different...

Yes, I am now up to 70 skirts, but whose counting?

I needed a little retail therapy yesterday, so I went to Mega - my neighborhood grocery store. If I think really hard about it, as I did everything yesterday, I can equate it to Target - which I miss and LOVE back in the states, among many things... sniff, sniff.

Anyway, I only went in for bread. Honestly! But, I walked out with a couple of non-perishable essential items in PV: a beach towel, a boogie board and a skirt... of course! One of the reasons that I left Texas was to get away from my material habits and my attachment to things. While these are not things that I needed, I thought long and hard about my purchases and even had to go and exchange the skirt later, a task you take for granted until you have to try it in another language. Even the sizing is different... 32, 34, 36, etc. So... it was worth it.

Today's skirt is a simple, black, short, A-line mini. While I have other black skirts here in Mexico, I bought this one because of the fabric: a light weight linen and rayon blend. Unlike my other black skirts, it's not too heavy, it's not too short and the cut is different.

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Taking the bus in Mexico is hardly mundane, but it is incorporated in my daily routine. I tried to capture something like the car shots but the bus is too bumpy and jerky. The seats are too small and as I make my way to work, the bus becomes too crowded. This was my first attempt at a bus shot. I went for the overhead angle, though I could have aimed higher... I'm pleased with my intro shot at the beginning of this post.


I played with the kids today. I received so many hugs, beautiful pictures and even little love notes, like this one below. I'm exhausted... but still looking for love. I found it at school.


I ♥ first grad [sic]

Ah, the parachute... Oh, to be 3 and wearing a skirt. Life was so simple then...



I've got the late, great Johnny Cash going through my head today.
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire...
Maybe Tropical Storm Kiko can put out the fire. We'll see...

Skirt 22, Part Deux

Great photo David! Buen trabajo!

Skirt 22 is from Laura. I chose to wear it today because I needed to feel good. I am tired and emotionally beat. (So much change in such a short amount of time, and I think I've gotten 6 hours of sleep total in the past 48 hours.) Today's skirt is very versatile and flexible, which is what I need to be more of these days. (Click on Skirt 22 to see what I mean.) I received so many compliments on my skirt today. I stopped counting at 7. I love today's skirt. It makes me feel beautiful.

I think the color is lovely and peaceful: aqua with flecks of gold and multicolored metallic thread. I love the way it flows when I walk. But what I love most of all is that it was a gift from Laura. This is actually the first skirt I received as a gift after I started Skirt Project. She is so supportive and I love that about her. She bought this skirt for me when I last saw her in Austin, and when I put it on today I felt so good. I felt her love and support around me. Who knew a skirt could do that? I'd forgotten.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it or if it's obvious, but adjusting to life in Mexico has been difficult. Not always a negative experience, but it could easily become so if I don't change my perspective. But that's changing... Something is changing, just listen to what happened to me today...

1. I finally got an idea for all of the bus tickets (boletes) that I have been saving. I've accumulated quite a collection from all the rides I have to take to get around town.

2. At work, I got an assistant! Hoo-ray! (I didn't have to ask for help, but I desperately need it.)

3. I began to get reimbursed for some supplies that I bought in the States. Money! Mexican pesos! Another gift...

4. I tasted fresh agua de coco from the trees outside the my classroom door, which I blogged about on Nancy's Skirt. What a treat! Don Gil planted the trees about 20 years ago. I can tell he is especially proud of them, or maybe just exceptionally proud... Muchas gracias Gilberto.

I learned that the "Coco Loco" is a local drink made with agua de coco, ice and rum. But another person I talked to today mentioned more ingredients. It was in Spanish, but I think he mentioned tequila, sugar, and something else. I'm not sure if I'll try that one. I liked mine sin alcohol. My first sip of agua de coco was sweet, warm and natural. I sipped on it all day in my classroom. Another gift, I could feel it felt nourishing my soul. I hope the agua stains come out of my skirt...

5. Another first, all of my classes went really well today! The kids were great and some of them actually thanked me. (?) I don't know why... We're learning about color... They are funny.

6. Maybe it's my foreign surroundings, but ever since I've landed in Mexico I have been more aware of the sounds around me. The sounds of Mexico amaze me: the rocks rolling under the current as the tide ebbs and flows, the language of Spanish spoken all around me and the music. While I can't understand it all, I like it. A Bassa Nova band played tonight just outside my apartment. I sat on my porch in the cool evening and listened to a private concert, and the bus ride home was especially entertaining.

7. Yes, I said cool! It actually is starting to cool down. It's still hot, and I'm still sweating my @## off, but you can definitely feel the breeze in the air. Something is changing.
AND...

8. As I watched the sunset tonight, I saw dolphins swimming in the Bay. It was awesome.

I believe these are signs from God or the universe telling me that while it's difficult to be here, this is right. There is "something" here that I need to do, or perhaps it's "something" that I need to learn. There is a reason for everything.

When did Mexico become magical? Maybe it's been happening all along and I was too caught up in my head to realize. My reality isn't reality... it is what it is.


My world outside my classroom door...


My world outside my back door.

From the lyrics of the poet Nas ~ Whose world is this? The world is yours.

Same skirt, different story.

Here we are again...

Is this the end, or the beginning?

I haven't been sure where to take Skirt Project since I've been down here. Should I repeat the same skirts? Should I document others' skirts? How do I do that in a foreign country? (There are so many questions that go with that last question...)
I've brought quite a few skirts down here to Mexico with me. But it's so hot and humid and I've been dressing as cool and comfortable as I can. I have some cute dress shorts that I've been sporting, even though teachers are technically not supposed to wear them... Oh well.

I'm back to skirts, at least for now. I need to get back to Skirt Project for myself. Many of my skirts are repeats, so be prepared. But Skirt Project is different... It's Mexico! I'm going to be open and see where it takes me. It hasn't steered me wrong yet. I have a couple of new skirts to show, but at this point I'm doing what I need to do - passing the time while being creative.

Previously, Skirt Project had opened up so many opportunities. So many stories and revelations about myself. It's been amazing, and I realize that it doesn't have to stop here. I've been trying to keep Skirt Project really positive, but the truth is that a lot of bad, or negative things have happened too. But, that's ok. That's life. And as we all know, out of something bad comes something positive, and the good or truth always reveals itself eventually.

You only get one shot, and life's too short, unlike my skirt...

Coming Soon! Tri-Association Conference Skirts!

Conference Skirt part deux

Conference Skirt

Square Dancing Skirt(s)

We tried a new place to eat tonight: Pez Gordo en el centro. It was great!

I had the fish and chips, English Pub style. This photo is for my mom, the queen of catching English repetitive redundancies. ;-) I'm not sure if it counts, but I thought of my mama when I saw it.

What are you to do on a Lazy Sunday, but go and watch the sunset on the Malecon. By the square is a gazebo where people gather after sunset to dance. Sometimes there is a live band, tonight there was a dj.

Check out this little cutie's skirt!

This woman and her partner were one class act. They had some fancy footwork and sometimes she danced with a fan in her hand. She must have been in her 6os! What a great time!