It’s winter here at Lake Chapala, and although we don’t
experience the extreme seasonal changes that more northerly areas
do, everyone here feels the contrast. The air at lake’s edge is a
little crisper, a little cooler, a little drier. Although it rained a
little yesterday, now, the rain comes in the form of a few bolts
of distant lightning followed by unthreatening rumbles of
thunder and a brief, gentle touch of showers that is gone almost
before it has begun. The dense, vibrant, tropical green that has
covered the hills, fed by the drenching of the rainy season, has
given way to a more muted shade of green mixed with the brown
of some of the withering annuals. The surrounding hills and
mountains no longer hold caches of easily accessed drinking
water, and the wild horses that have lived the summer and fall
rainy season invisible in the hills, now descend to embrace the
lake’s shoreline, risking to show themselves to find water and
fleshier grass to munch on closer to the lake. There are
Christmas decorations going up in the towns, but in the rural
areas, outside of the larger towns of Lake Chapala, there is no
need for decorations. The grandeur of Nature’s own decorations
far surpass what we humans could supply for this festive
season. Vast areas of fields and mountains are still covered
with 6- foot- tall wild orange marigolds, and golden yellow
sunflowers. Morning glories whose sinewy vines have climbed
into trees all summer are now bursting in abundance of
garlands of green with electric blue flower-ornaments. Pink crepe
cosmos embellish the main trail up the mountain to the dam,
and a variety of unidentified flowering bushes adorn the hills
with sprays of white and light yellow. Just beyond the village
of San Juan Tecomatlan, to the West, rich purple-feuschia
flowers have appeared at the road’s side. Everywhere, tall
umbrellas of brilliant red poinsettia blooms, on bushes planted
decades ago, tower over people in their private gardens. The
fireworks that go off in in Tlachichilco, the village below, will
soon cease, as the 9-day celebration of their patron saint comes to
an end on Sunday. Soon, the priest will have his catechism
class ready for the procession, hymns and prayers that will
portray the journey that Joseph and Mary took as they searched
for lodging, the Christmas procession known as “ la posada.”
Soft-plumed, elegant, white pelicans ornament the sparkling ,
diamond reflections of the undulant lake water of the North side
as they stop on their way to the other side of the Lake, where, in
the small south-side fishing village of Petatan they will join
thousands of others to repose for the winter. Tourists frequent
the village where students of Nature and beauty study these
birds, and the fishermen of the village willingly place some of
their catch into the water to start another band of white sky-
ribbons of these wide-winged creatures descending upon the spot.
They will visit awhile, and then swim away in a sleek, aquatic
procession towards another invitation of food. Posters go up
announcing a human celebration of Pelicans; the town is
preparing for it, but nothing can be quite as grand as the
pelicans' own celebration as they grace this humble fishing
village with their beauty. Here, at Lake Chapala, Nature has
already decorated for the holiday season with all her splendor.
Winter 2007
experience the extreme seasonal changes that more northerly areas
do, everyone here feels the contrast. The air at lake’s edge is a
little crisper, a little cooler, a little drier. Although it rained a
little yesterday, now, the rain comes in the form of a few bolts
of distant lightning followed by unthreatening rumbles of
thunder and a brief, gentle touch of showers that is gone almost
before it has begun. The dense, vibrant, tropical green that has
covered the hills, fed by the drenching of the rainy season, has
given way to a more muted shade of green mixed with the brown
of some of the withering annuals. The surrounding hills and
mountains no longer hold caches of easily accessed drinking
water, and the wild horses that have lived the summer and fall
rainy season invisible in the hills, now descend to embrace the
lake’s shoreline, risking to show themselves to find water and
fleshier grass to munch on closer to the lake. There are
Christmas decorations going up in the towns, but in the rural
areas, outside of the larger towns of Lake Chapala, there is no
need for decorations. The grandeur of Nature’s own decorations
far surpass what we humans could supply for this festive
season. Vast areas of fields and mountains are still covered
with 6- foot- tall wild orange marigolds, and golden yellow
sunflowers. Morning glories whose sinewy vines have climbed
into trees all summer are now bursting in abundance of
garlands of green with electric blue flower-ornaments. Pink crepe
cosmos embellish the main trail up the mountain to the dam,
and a variety of unidentified flowering bushes adorn the hills
with sprays of white and light yellow. Just beyond the village
of San Juan Tecomatlan, to the West, rich purple-feuschia
flowers have appeared at the road’s side. Everywhere, tall
umbrellas of brilliant red poinsettia blooms, on bushes planted
decades ago, tower over people in their private gardens. The
fireworks that go off in in Tlachichilco, the village below, will
soon cease, as the 9-day celebration of their patron saint comes to
an end on Sunday. Soon, the priest will have his catechism
class ready for the procession, hymns and prayers that will
portray the journey that Joseph and Mary took as they searched
for lodging, the Christmas procession known as “ la posada.”
Soft-plumed, elegant, white pelicans ornament the sparkling ,
diamond reflections of the undulant lake water of the North side
as they stop on their way to the other side of the Lake, where, in
the small south-side fishing village of Petatan they will join
thousands of others to repose for the winter. Tourists frequent
the village where students of Nature and beauty study these
birds, and the fishermen of the village willingly place some of
their catch into the water to start another band of white sky-
ribbons of these wide-winged creatures descending upon the spot.
They will visit awhile, and then swim away in a sleek, aquatic
procession towards another invitation of food. Posters go up
announcing a human celebration of Pelicans; the town is
preparing for it, but nothing can be quite as grand as the
pelicans' own celebration as they grace this humble fishing
village with their beauty. Here, at Lake Chapala, Nature has
already decorated for the holiday season with all her splendor.
Winter 2007
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Lake Chapala
| Seasonal Affective Blog |
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