Weekend Getaway Skirt

Skirt 21 is my original weekend getaway skirt, and that's exactly what I'm doing today at 2:30. My friend Jen and I are escaping to San Francisco, or San Pancho as it is affectionately called by the locals.
Just think: no kids, no sets, no thoughts about leaving in 10 days...
just sun, surf and me.

Set Skirt

I went to a new colonia this evening.

The view was spectacular...

(mi ciudad y el mar)

(los montañas)



as was the sun set (skirt).

Lyrics from Onerepublic's All We Are were scrawled all over my white board this morning when I walked into my classroom today. I thought they were interestingly relevant...

Teenagers... they are more perceptive than most people realize, that's why I like 'em.

Progressing right along with the sets...

I'm getting excited!

Is it Friday yet?

At school...
Skirt 38 and sneakers will carry me through, and hopefully make some significant progress on this set.
xoxo

Time to TCB in Skirt 33!

Long day today... my legs are pooped!

A haiku for Skirt 33:

5 classes today,
Painting sets between my breaks,
7 more days of school...

Ok, so the last line has an extra syllable, but I don't have time to work on it. Sheesh!

Elephants on Parade Skirt

It's SUPER TUESDAY!!!
What's so super about it?

There was an armadillo at school today. The kids were screaming; they had never seen one before, especially here in Vallarta.

That's the State Animal of Texas y'all!

Just this morning I learned that the Playa Los Muertos is named because of all the bodies that were strewn on the beach from a war over silver and gold in the late 1880s between pirates and the natives.

And this was where I ended up this evening. I wasn't the only one, the whales showed up too... It's amazing what you can almost miss if you aren't paying attention.

The Primaries are being held in Texas today, and while I'm not a Republican I thought I would wear my elephant skirt in political spirit. I'm also wearing it because I adore Lauren, my friend who gave it to me. I get so many compliments when I wear this skirt and the kids like it.

In many cultures, elephants with their trunks pointing up symbolize good luck. The trunks on my skirt are not pointing up, but they are joined together... I wonder what that means?

Lucky in l♥ve???

13 skirts and counting

Where does the time go? I'll be home in 16 days, which means there are 13 skirts left here. Last night I packed suitcase full of them to send home.



"That's an awful lot of brown..."

I'm not sure what's going to happen when I get back... I guess the same thing that happens everyday:
L I F E

Here are some skirt shots from this past weekend.
My first and only visitor Karen came to see me this weekend.
Here's Karen's skirt in Sayulita:


Here I am wearing the necklace that Moises made just for me! It only cost me $250 pesos.


We also went to Jarretederas this past weekend to visit Pat, a woman from Colorado who hosts a sewing circle and English classes in her home every Saturday. Besides helping women in Denver, for the past 4 years Pat has brought fabric and sewing machines to Mexico that she donates to the women in her small village. For the 6 months that Pat lives in Mexico, a group of about 14 women gather to exchange ideas and learn to sew new projects. Hopefully, I will be coming back later to do a Skirt Project with the women.

Check out this dress that was made from donated fabric. The blouse I'm wearing was actually a dress for a little girl. But after I put it on, Leticia decided to add some darts and a zipper for a woman's blouse.

Can you see why Pat does it all?

The Botanical Gardens

A couple of weekends ago I went to the Botanical Gardens south of Vallarta. Below are some pics from that day:

A bench on the trail...
(Some habits are hard to break.)


This trunk looks like it has a bunch of tree huggers on it.



This is Lynnette's skirt; she is my next-door neighbor. She is also my Sunday brunch partner and a real sweetheart.



One of the trails led to this stream, where I cooled my feet in the water and drew.


The Botanical Gardens host events weddings and to mark the occasion a commemorative tile is painted in your honor. Belated congratulations to Aubrey & Pep!

Whoever you are...

Besides the orchids, the Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow, or Kiss Me Quick was my favorite flower. They turn from purple to white in a matter of days, yet they are always blooming.

Here's what they look like up close.


These guys were all around the grounds...

I kept thinking they looked like deer heads.

Those are agave plants on that hill...


I took the road less traveled...


"There's a yellow rose in Texas, that I am going to see, nobody else could miss her, not half as much as me."

I'll be home soon to see the blue bonnets.
Yay y'all!

Leap Year Skirt

Some of my students were at Happy Hour today.


"Miss! Come look at our art project!"

"He's holding a cerveza."

Ease your feet into the sea,
my darling it's the place to be.
~Belle and Sebastian


"If you like Pina Coladas..."

Skirt 15, dry for tonight's dinner at La Palapa.

Ballet folklorico skirts on the Malecon





Cha, cha, cha!

I know I've shown this before, but I couldn't resist.

I'm wearing Skirt 15 today, because it's Leap Day, and because of this photo.

This morning I was thinking about what I was doing 4 years ago...
In my wildest dreams I never imagined that I would be here, and it's been such a fantastic ride. Sure, I could focus on the heartache and difficult times. But honestly, more opportunities and blessings have occured. If I keep this up, I wonder what life will be like in the next 4 years...

Art, Science and Birthday Skirt

And the winner is...

This caused quite an uproar... I thought riots were going to break out.

hee hee!

2nd place (the vertical black & white drawing) and Skirt 53.

Check out the little skirt holding her paper flower. I made these with her class when I posted The Love List , 16 days ago.
So adorable!

3rd place


Penney's Skirt hard at work.


Skirts in action at the egg launching contest.

How many meters can you launch an egg without it breaking?

It's my sister's birthday today; she is 19 years young. I remember when she was born; she was so pink! She is a sweetie studying her way through school, and it's been fun to watch her grow. She's still growing, even though she is legally an adult. Maybe someday I'll have insurance and she can clean my teeth.

I'm wearing Skirt 53, the one I hated the most from the original 60. The funny thing is that I loved wearing it, and now I can't get rid of it. I'm donning it today because it's sort of fancy, which is good for handing out awards and meeting parents. AND, it's full and decorated like a special cake, and that's cool with me 'cause I'm sweet!

h a p p y
b i r t h d a y
yai - yo - mi !!!
¡Muchos besos en tu día feliz!

P.S. I've really been craving hot glazed donuts from Café Donuts, but for now churros will have to do.

Mucho Trabajo Skirt

Getting ready for the Student Expo today...
Student Expo is a showcase of science, literature and art for all of the students, Pre-First through grade 12. Guess who's in charge of putting all of the art up??? That's right... me!
I'm wearing my working skirt today, Skirt 5 and a dark shirt. I get to play curator and exhibition designer today.

This is one of my favorite pieces in the expo...

This should be fun!
************************************************************
Whew! Finished at 4:40 this afternoon. It actually wasn't that bad!

I should have posed with a stapler in my hand...

Synchronous Skirt

Wheeee!!!

Yesterday was overcast which always reminds me that I have not seen or smelled rain since last year. The next time I am where it is raining, I'm going to go for a nice long walk, close my eyes and just feel the drops on my face. I miss the way it smells, I miss the lightning, I miss the thunder, I miss the way it makes me feel. I feel like the Earth is cleansing itself and me with it. There is something renewable about it that I crave...
Anyway, that's the funny thing about being present and in the moment. It's almost as soon as it's thought, you invite it into your world. And while it's not raining physically here in Vallarta, the rain came up several times yesterday in conversation and experiences with my teachers: students and friends.
Synchronicity.

Skirt 42 reminds me of the rain, snow, Anna, NYC, wonderful possibilities. All of these experiences I hold dear to my heart. Even though my skirt is black and gray, it is so beautiful, and... (I must repeat this at least three times:)
I will not get paint on my skirt today.
I will not get paint on my skirt today.
I will not get paint on my skirt today.

If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can feel and smell what I am missing.