From the 14th Floor: Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 3 and 4, 2017

Tuesday was another day spent exploring El Jardin and the large church known as the Parroquia. It is not a cathedral but a parish church.

This entire week is the Festival dedicated to San Miguel Archangel. These decorations are made out of real plants.

Yes, there was a funeral taking place in the church.

A close up of the decorations. The white candle looking things are made out of leaves. I have no idea from what plant.

Renee heading down hill. How refreshing because it seems we're always going up hill.

Of course there is a Starbucks. We were told the expats hated it when it opened and the natives loved it.

The Jewish bakery.

We accidentally found a photo exhibit by the Mexico City artist, Pepe Saho. This is his Doors of San Miguel.

A mandatory stop is the SMA Shoe Store where the San Miguel Combat Boot orginated. Renee bought a pair. See the red shoes on the 2nd and 3rd rows. Those are the "combat boots."

The day ended with a surprise - a dinner at a Sri Lankan restaurant. I had never had food from there and it was excellent. The owners and staff are from Sri Lanka and they conduct cooking classes at the restaurant.

Wednesday morning was spent at St. Paul's Anglican Church.

Renee participated in the Wednesday morning eucharist.

The priest, who looks like he came straight from Central Casting, is a retired bishop from North Carolina who is serving as an interim while the parish is looking for a new rector. The other gentleman is a fellow Texan who retired from public school teaching and moved to SMA 27 years ago. He stated he couldn't image living any where else.

These images are not typical of Episcopal churches but more Catholic, but if you look closely at the cross over the alter it is not really a crucifix because the arms are raised and there are no nails.

The brick ceiling is amazing. Artisans built it without any plans or design. It's typical of other public buildings in the area.

A member of the parish painted these icons. She replaces them every 6 weeks with new ones. I should have asked what happens to those that are taken down but my guess is they are sold to raise money for the parish.

Fellowship hall. While the room does have a ceiling fan, there is no AC. This is also typical of the area. Walls are so thick that AC is not needed.

I found this interesting and shared it with friends who have a weekend place in Lewes, Delaware.

Often Sunday morning coffee is served here in the front yard of the church.

Before leaving, I met the men and women of the knitting circle. They invited me to join them and I look forward to doing some projects for charity with them.

We were surprised to find this modern building next door to the church. It is a day care center. I only was able to take this photo because the security guard at the front gate let me in. Given his presence and the location in a very upscale neighborhood, my guess is the tots inside come from very wealthy families.