Rose’s birthday season draws to a close … whew!

 

A piece of birthday cake from the staff at Hank’s in Centro, San Miguel de Allende.

Well, the Rose Alcantara Birthday Season has closed the books on another year.

Whew.

Since the day she was born — on Sept. 7, mumble … mumble–  the world has often felt a rather frenzied uptick in activity and happiness in the week’s preceding this event.

Long before I met Rose, her birthday season was filled with road rallies, theatrical skits and dancing, scavenger hunts, magical enterprises and most importantly, lots of friends and family.

My idea of a birthday celebration is the sound of the escaping hiss from a single can of beer in an otherwise vacant and monastically enshrouded livingroom. Or on an empty beach. It is in April and usually, that means a cold and rainy and empty beach.

Going micro at El Charco del Ingenio

A view of the opposite wall of the canyon from El Charco. One of the few “scenic” photos I allowed myself today.

A wise old friend once said, “If you really want to observe life in the desert, get down on your hands and knees.”

His point was, everything that goes on in the fissures and tiny patches of shade on the dessert floor is every bit as complex and magical as the sweeping vistas and craggy mountain ledges and canyons and arroyos.

And he was right, you know. Thanks, Bud Murphy, where ever you may be.

I was thinking about old Bud this morning as we hiked up to El Charco del Ingenio, the jardin botanico in San Miguel de Allende. Two weeks ago when we hiked up here, I was mesmerized by the big picture: beautiful trails, the Presa las Colonias, the ancient canyon below the reservoir dam, the vast diversity of central Mexico flora on display.

Today, it was different. In the intervening two weeks, the rains have returned. Everything is green and healthy. The reservoir is spilling over just enough water to activate some of the canyon waterfalls.

But my focus was on the extraordinary patterns and textures of many of the plants in the garden, especially the cacti.

So, here is some of what you find when you get down on your hands and knees and look deep into the biosphere. Click on each image for an expanded view: