COSAS PRECIOSAS – Images of Zihuatanejo

As our month here in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico draws to an end, we're full of mixed feelings. (I've shared some of them verbally in my previous post, The Price of Paradise.)

We'll miss the nearly overwhelming beauty of this place. Like the view from our villa out over Zihuatanejo Bay and a swath of the vast Pacific. We're a couple of blocks away from the beach, so, unlike the view from an oceanfront hi-rise, we see and hear and smell life going on in the foreground.

Still, those vistas, and those of the Sierra Madre del Sur behind us, are pretty much the long view. Those of you who know me—perhaps through my postings here at One Man's Wonder—know I tend to shy away from the long view.

I like to look for the little things: a detail of something bigger; the one member of the flock or school or swarm that's behaving differently; the shadow of something instead of the thing; something poignant or ironic; colors, shapes and patterns.

So here, in pictures, are a few such impressions of this year's stay in Zihuatanejo.

La Casa Anaranjada - The view at sunrise from Villas San Sebastian

Very Varied Berries - Fruit of an unknown shrub in La Ropa

Hot Tuna - A blushing, blooming nopal, Playa Madera

Stuck On You - "Gum tree" on the canal walk, near Plaza Kyoto

Blaze of Glory - Heliconia Psitacorum in La Noria

Foothold - Rhoeo (Tradescantia Spathacea), on cement wall, La Ropa

Dearly Departed - A poignant remembrance on Paseo del Pescador, Playa Madera

"We Liven Up Your Events"- Sign spotted atop a building in El Centro

Two Ways To Climb - Stairs with ficus just off of Playa Madera

Iguana Hold Your Hand - A resplendent five-foot-plus specimen seen in El Manglar

Old Man & the Sea - Jeff fulfills his dream of launching his own boat in Zihua

Abracadabra - A washed-up magic wand, Playa La Ropa

Yellow Streak - A rare rain brings out the colors of rocks along the Paseo in La Madera

Mutt & La Jefe - A black-and-white pup and her bodyguard along Rio Lerma canal

Anna By Heart - Grandkids sharing the fun at Paty's Marimar on La Ropa

Optimism - Typical Mexican construction, leaving re-bar for future new floors

See, Like This - Skipping stones in the canal outlet at Playa Principal

Los Colores - A lively mural brightens an alley at the south end of Playa La Ropa.

Banana Split - A banana tree stump, reminiscent of African Samburu & Sankara necklaces

Chickens Panicking...Too Late - Fresh pollo in a market on Av. Benito Juarez

What a Croc! - One of the three resident cocodrilos in El Manglar

Why, You Yellow-Bellied... - Great Kiskadee, also spotted in El Manglar

Study In Green - Limonada, the essence of refreshment, Zihuatanejo style

♫Hey-y-y, Macarela - Small fish, big thrill for rookie fisher Julie (w/Capt. Bernie)

Sombra Picada - A breezy afternoon on Pedro Acencio

Tequila Sunset - Adios to this incredible place till el sol comes 'round a few more times