Jacarandas

Someday, somehow, I’m going to figure out how to have the photos line up in the published form the way they appear in the draft. In the meantime…all scrambled up again!

When the jacarandas bloom, I know it’s almost time to leave, and indeed we’ll be heading north in three days. The jacarandas are my favourite of all the colourful blossoms and foliage here–a blue like the blue of chicory, which is my favourite roadside bloom at home

 

 

Last week, we drove to Queretero to spend the day with Cristina, Marco, and Marifer.

It’s not a particularly interesting drive—surprisingly flat given the generally mountainous terrain. This is the bajio, or high plain–as high in altitude as Guanajuato, but without the drama.

Marifer is a delightful little girl–almost 2–sweet-tempered, full of energy, and cute enough to be one of our own grandchildren! In fact, Cristina assures us she is our Mexican granddaughter. Fine with us! She was amazingly tolerant as we all crawled in and out of the car en route to parks and historical sites.

Me, with my Mexican granddaughter

Queretero is known for the aqueducts that run through the city, built by the Spaniards to deliver water from the hills to this colonial centre. It’s considerably bigger than Guanajuato, and has a big-city feel with lots of traffic. But it’s quite a beautiful city, as well, with sprawling parks and well-preserved colonial architecture.

 

 

The sun was too bright to capture it…but jacarandas were blooming in many of the archways.

And everywhere, jacarandas. As Marco quipped, the city is “muy jacarandoso”. I decided I should have one…they can grow in a really big pot. But the blue blossoms in April are the first signs of life in all the time we’re here, so it’s probably not worth having bare branches in a pot for a 2-week burst of colour at the end. As the blossoms drop, they form a blue carpet underfoot.

 

 

 

 

 

We’ll be pulling out of here very early Thursday morning, hoping to make it to cross the border into Laredo, TX before dark. It’ll be a long day, but we’ve done it before. Then, on Friday, we’re going a short distance to Corpus Cristi where the plan is to spend a couple of days exploring Padre Island before making serious tracks north.