Ajijic, Mexico Day 4

January 2, 2020April 5, 2020 / Benn Bell

Had breakfast this morning with the breakfast club at Min Wah’s.

Members of the Breakfast Club: Buddha, Perry Steve, Andrew, Bruce, and Al.

Took a cab with Buddha to Chapala, a town nearby much larger than Ajijic. A beautiful town on the lake with a nice Malecon. We had lunch at the Patio and looked around the square and visited some shops. Buddha bought a guitar which he didn’t need. Spent too much money and ended up with buyer’s remorse. He said he was going to trade it. Later that night he got drunk and fell asleep with the guitar in his bed. He kicked it out of bed and the next morning when he woke he discovered that there was a crack in his new guitar.

We took the bus back which was quite an experience. The bus was full. Jam packed with people. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up some supplies and went home for a siesta. Buddha came over about 5:30 and we took a bus to Perry’s pizza to listen to the music. Not much happening there. We had a couple of drinks and ended up at eEl Barco for a nightcap and then I walked home from there.

Breakfast at Bin Wah’s

Buddha, Perry, Steve, and Andrew

Bruce, Al, Alain

The next series of pictures were taken in Chapala later that same day.

Chapala

Boats on Lake Chapala

Girl eating a snow cone

Young Boy Singing for his Supper

The Fisherman of Chapala

“I am the light of the world.”

Mother and Daughter

Shoreline Chapala

Fishermen of Men

Please be generous

Interior Parish of San Francisco, Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico

Mary Mother of God

Jesus Christ

Angels and Ministers of Grace Preserve Us

Angel Heart

Please Be Kind

Lunch at the Patio

Happy New Year from Ajijic!

January 1, 2020 / Benn Bell / 7 Comments

Today is New Year’s Day so I interrupt my narrative to wish all my WordPress friends and followers, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And I’ll post a few of my favorite pictures from Ajijic.

Happy New Year from Benn and Anna

Celebrating New Year’s Eve with fires in in the street.

Sunset over Lake Chapala

Our Lady Of Guadalupe

Having fun on the Square

Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico Day 1

December 27, 2019April 5, 2020 / Benn Bell / 1 Comment

Drag Show

I left Louisville at 7:30 in the morning on a United Airlines flight connecting in Houston. It was a tight connection and I boarded almost immediately after arriving at the gate. We got in the air with no delay and arrived in Guadalajara on time at 3:30 pm. Off the plane we had to go through immigration and customs. There were long lines but it didn’t take long before I was in the main terminal looking for a taxi for the last leg of the journey to Ajijic.

It was about a forty-five minute ride to Ajijic. By the time I got there and checked into my Airbnb my phone was blowing up by two of my friends who were already there.

“Where ya at, Kat?”

“What’s your exact address?”

“Can you come over now to Bruce’s on Victoria?”

We had plans for dinner as a seafood restaurant that night and then we were going to a “drag” show at the Spotlight Theater later.

So I got my shit together and headed over to Bruce’s house one block away on Victoria Street where my friend Buddha was staying. We got in Bruce’s car and drove to La Pacena for dinner. That was a whole other experience that I’ll tell you about later.

Anyway, after dinner we went to the drag show. Here are some of the pictures.

The show was hilarious and quite well performed. Topical humor, political humor, and a lot of Jewish Jokes. Oh…and the name of the show was, Oy ve Christmas! Performed by The Kinsey Sicks.

‘

Merry Christmas from Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico

December 25, 2019 / Benn Bell / 16 Comments

Merry Christmas to all my Word Press friends and followers!

Feliz Navidad!

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

November 30, 2019 / Benn Bell / 3 Comments

Tuesday Photo Challenge

Pingback: https://wordpress.com/post/bennbell.com/7110

HARD ROCK HOTEL

November 16, 2019November 23, 2019 / Benn Bell / 8 Comments

Dateline: New Orleans

On a recent trip to New Orleans I came upon this scene.

This is a shot of the Hard Rock Hotel building which collapsed while under construction in New Orleans on October 12, 2019. Three dead and dozens injured. We stayed just two blocks away but the streets were blocked off for three blocks north and south which required a walk around making a five block walk to Bourbon Street an eight block walk.

Canal Street, a major thoroughfare in New Orleans, was blocked off creating a transportation nightmare. The streetcars were not running for fear of vibrating loose the already unstable building. Authorities sill haven’t recovered the bodies of the dead.

The Barnes Foundation – Philadelphia

September 27, 2019September 30, 2019 / Benn Bell / 7 Comments

On a recent trip to Philadelphia I had occasion to visit the Barnes Foundation with my friend Winter. This is a wonderful collection of art from around the world and from different time periods. It is housed in a magnificent building that is an architectural wonder. The photographs in this post are my impression of my visit and in no way exhaustive of what I saw.

The following information from the brochure will give you some more facts about the collection and the philosophy behind it. I must say I was not prepared for what I saw and my jaw was agape from the time I walked into first gallery until the last.

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Top Picture: Models. George Seurat, 1886-1888

The Barnes is home to a world-class collection of impressionist, and early modernist paintings, with especially deep holdings in Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, and Picasso. Assembled by Dr. Albert C. Barnes between 1912-1951, the collection also includes important examples of African Art, Native American pottery and jewelry, Pennsylvania German furniture, and wrought iron metalwork.

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The Card Players. Paul Cezanne, 1890-1892

The minute you walk into the galleries you’re in an experience like no other. Here you will find paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, And Pablo Picasso, hanging next to ordinary household objects: a door hinge, a spatula, a yarn spinner. On one wall you might see a French medieval sculpture displayed with a Navajo textile. Dr. Barnes chose to combine objects from different cultures, genres, and times to create diverse displays he called “ensembles.”

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Bather Drying Herself. Pierre-August Renoir

These ensembles, each one carefully put together by Dr. Barnes himself, are meant to show the surprising similarities between objects we don’t normally thing of as belonging together. He arranged the works according to light, color, and space-principles that he called the “universal language of art.”

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Bathers in the Forest. Pierre-August Renoir, 1897

Dr. Barnes believed that art had the power to improve minds and transform lives. In 1922 he established the Barnes foundation as a school for learning how to see and appreciate art. He had a gallery built on Merion, a Philadelphia suburb, to house his growing collection. He held classes in the gallery so that students could learn directly from the art.

In 2012, after much controversy, his collection was moved to Philadelphia.

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Luncheon. Pierre-August Renoir, 1875

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Sailor Boy. Pierre-August Rodin, 1883

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Bather and Maid. Pierre-August Renoir, 1900-1901

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Woman with White Stockings. Gustave Courbet, 1864

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Before the Bath. Pierre-August Renoir, C. 1875

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Two Women Surrounded by Birds. Joan Miro, 1937

Winter at the Barnes

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Studio with Gold Fish. Henri Matisse, 1912

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In the Galleries

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Leaving the Conservatory. Pierre-August Renoir, 1876-1877

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Girl with a Goat. Pablo Picasso

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The Music Lesson. Henri Matisse, 1917

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The Dance. Henri Matisse, 1932

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Mussel-Fishers at Bernal. Pierre-August Renoir

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Jean Hebuterne. Amedeo Modigiani, 1919

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Two Standing Nudes. Jules Pascin, 1914

Outside the Barnes

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Reflecting Pool Outside the Barnes

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Art on the Avenue

The Killer of Hope

September 25, 2019 / Benn Bell / 2 Comments

The continuing saga…

So, I was on a photo shoot with Candide in the old neighborhood. Here’s what happened.

Candide: Where should I stand?

Benn: How about over here with that building behind you in the background? Or, over there with the fountain behind you? Or, over there in front of that tree?

Candide keeps walking….

Benn: Or, hey! I have an idea! Why don’t you pick a spot?

Candide: Is that another smart-ass remark? More of your sarcasm?

Benn: What me? Sarcastic? You obviously have me confused with someone else!

Candide: No I don’t! It’s you all right! You with your sarcasm, your cynicism, and your skepticism. You a hope killer!

Benn: Hope kills…

Muhammad Ali Center

September 19, 2019September 19, 2019 / Benn Bell / 6 Comments

Photo Essay

The Muhammad Ali center is a multicultural center with an award wining museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali. It is located in the heart of beautiful downtown Louisville at 144 N. 6th Street. Ali was a boxing champ, a humanitarian, and a Louisville legend. He is widely regarded as one of the most important sports figures of the 20th century.

I recently visited the Muhammad Ali Center with a friend of mine who was visiting from Philly. While there I snapped a few pictures. Here is what I saw.

Front Entrance

Ali – Our Champion Forever

Olympic Torch

Islam vs. Christianity

I am the Greatest!

Winter in the window overlooking the Ohio River

Picture Ali

A young Cassius Clay

“Cassius immediately springs to his feet” -Leroy Neiman

In the Lobby

White Lotus

September 4, 2019 / Benn Bell / 1 Comment

The lotus symbolizes the simultaneous nature of cause and effect or the laws of karma because it blossoms and produces seeds at the same time. We can create our own happiness under any circumstances. This is also symbolized by the lotus. The lotus grows and blossoms in a muddy swamp, yet remains utterly free of any defilement.

Ghost Dog

Notes From the Underground

photography