Blog Archives
everything but the kitchen sink
I *may* have followed this woman for a few blocks trying to get a shot of her new sink. I wish I’d seen the place where she purchased it – I did go into one store that was nearby and saw their section titled “quincalla” (hardware) but never made it to the section for “fregaderos de cocina” (kitchen sinks).
Cienfuegos, Cuba
photographed 11.19.2022
exhausting
This is an extremely typical street scene, with a tight mix of cars and people and streetcar tracks and motorcycles. And cobblestones and asphalt and potholes and puddles. Oh, and some exhaust fumes, too.
Calle d’Clouet
Cienfuegos, Cuba
photographed 11.9.2022
love + mosaic
We spent the first morning in Cuba wandering the streets of Cojímar, a town near Havana. The place is considered to be an inspiration for The Old Man and the Sea and there’s a monument to Ernest Hemingway. In the 1940s, what may or may not have been the largest whale shark ever was caught nearby; there is – according to Wikipedia – “considerable controversy” over the accuracy of the measurements.
In modern times, actor William Gutiérrez-Levy and singer-songwriter Camila Cabello are both from Cojímar.
The woman in the photo is not Hemingway, Guitêrrez-Levy, or Cabello.
But probably you figured that out. Especially the part about how she’s not Hemingway.
Cojímar, Cuba
photographed 11.6.2022
pray to god
An interior view of a mostly-vacant tomb at the gigantic cemetery in Havana. Both of the tombstones say “rogao a dios” – I pray to God.
Here’s the thing I’m wondering about: why do you suppose the tombstones are in Spanish, except for the “R.I.P.” on each of them? Because that’s an English term that translates into Spanish as “que descanse en paz.” Has “R.I.P.” transcended its English words and become a commonly understood shorthand?
Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón
Havana, Cuba
photographed 11.11.2022
in the garden
A kind gentleman saw us photographing through the fence and invited us inside to look around.
If I am correct about our location, we’d found the Seminario de San Carlos y San Ambriosio*. But I could be mistaken. When I’m traveling, I like to keep up with my location on my phone: I am A Person Who Reads Maps. I like to know where I am, and I like to be able to see where I am compared to other landmarks. Cell service (through my provider) was non-existent in Cuba, which meant I was unaware of where I was. Sometimes, I can use my memory about landmarks that were nearby to roughly gauge where I was, and that’s how I *think* I know where this photo was made.
And here’s something maybe you don’t know: online maps do show Cuba, but street views are not available. In case you were wondering about that.
Havana, Cuba
photographed 11.7.2022
*The actual seminary is now located outside of Havana. This building currently houses (among other things, probably) a Catholic primary school.
