mexican parrot.

While touring through the Valle de Guadelupe, I came across this beautiful parrot being kept by the entrance of one of the wineries. Parrots are native to this area and I see them flying around in packs around my neighborhood sometimes. They really make quite a ruckus when you get a group of five or so squawking their little heads off as they fly past you. This little guy didn't make a sound, but seemed intrigued by my camera for a second or so before giving me a sideways glance as I took his photo.

valle de guadelupe.

A couple months ago, a friend and I went down to tour the wine country in Mexico. About an hour south of Tijuana, the drive down the coast was absolutely breathtaking on the sunny warm day. The area is called Valle de Guadalupe and stretches down a long road dotted with small towns and wineries. We experienced the high-end places that made you think you were in Napa Valley and other more rustic places down winding dirt roads that might tempt someone to skip the return trip back up to the states. It was a beautiful day trip and I'd recommend it to anyone visiting Southern California in the near future that doesn't mind crossing the border.

old man mexico.

On Wednesday, I went down to Tijuana with my roommate and a great old friend I knew from my days in Greece to hear an incredible missionary/photographer speak at the ministry my landlord runs. After we picked the brain of the speaker for a while, we headed down the dirt road to one of the tianguis set up nearby. Tianguis are a temporary open air market with vendors selling things ranging from pizza and tacos to second-hand tools and clothing. We opted to go to one of my roommate's favorite taco stands on the way out of Tijuana, so we didn't end up getting anything there, but luckily, I ran into this fantastic older man. He was asking for money (I think), so I got my friend Amber to translate for me and ask permission for me to take his photo. He stared at me blankly without showing even a hint of having understood what she asked. I finally just pointed to the camera and then at him and he nodded, but kept his soulful eyes fixed on me expectantly. I wish he'd responded in order for me to get his name, but Old Man Mexico will just have to suffice. *(Side note…I usually try and avoid reflections of myself in my photos of others, but the one that contained less of a reflection just didn't strike me as much as this shot…and for the first time, I actually don't mind my reflection because it kind of shows how personal the photo is to me since I'm in there too.)