Al Cielo with Del Sol Photography
Just wanted to share a compelling video of Al Cielo that Wonder Boy and Photog Beauty put together to give a clearer idea about my magical experience with this extremely talented and inspiring couple:
Mind Scraps: Night Runs Along the Surf
Just a quick note about my magical moment today: I walk out of my apartment door and turn down the hallway until I reach the ramp that leads to one of my complexes three pools. Weaving between the shadowy palm umbrellas, I arrive at the gate that opens onto the beach. When my feet hit [...]
Mind Scraps: UFOs over the Riviera Maya
The first night at my new beachfront abode… suddenly the five young men I would be calling my roommates for the next two months all became excited little boys. “Come out and look! Quick!” They were on the outside terrace where one can relax and drink in the stunning view of the gem-shaded Caribbean sea. [...]
Mind Scraps: Dreams and Life’s Sweet, Ripe Cherries
After a most promising and invigorating Skype conversation with the director of the photography agency I will be prospectively working for, I was eager to meet the highly-recommended man on the ground. The owners of this company, a Scottish woman and her French husband, operate from London. Another young French man, the same age as [...]
Mind Scraps: Natural Symphony at the Sea
A musician in Chihuahua connected me with the Musico Magico in Facebook when he found out that I was headed to the Riveria Maya. Now that I had finally made it to Playa del Carmen, I called him up to see if his offer to rendezvous was still good. It was more than good. “Come [...]
Mind Scraps: Powerful Women on Isla Mujeres
Cancun, a young city with just 40 years, is highly commercial. High-rise hotels, giant malls, flashy clubs and luxurious houses line the coast. More clubs, touristy restaurants and local food stands alike and lower class houses interspersed with the occasional luxury house make up the city center. Across the sea, less than 60 minutes away, [...]
Mind Scraps: Beauty and the Beauty
Alone in Stud Photographer’s room, I was caught up in an internet trance – a phenomenon common to my generation. Catching up on emails, editing photos, writing, skyping with friends, and facebooking all at once. Stud Photog had gone out… for what, I wasn’t sure. My plan was to head to Playa del Carmen (about [...]
“Laura Rico” Debuts in Guate Film
Check out the trailer for Aqui Me Quedo… you just might see a familiar face… for a whole 2 seconds!! Hahaha The project was filmed while I was living in La Antigua, Guatemala:
Mind Scraps: Tag-Team Photogs
I took some shots of Stud Photographer in action while I was a part of a recent personal photo project of his. The idea was to take portraits that demonstrated personality and then pair them with portraits of the same people with words written upon half of their face. The words describe how subjects perceive [...]
Mindscraps: Rooftop Serenade
In an attempt to catch up on some highlights of my two weeks in the Riveria Maya, I begin with my personal, rooftop serenade from two beautiful young souls… The plan was to finally have a night out with my host, Stud Photographer. We started the pre-festivities at his house – on the rooftop with [...]
Mind Scraps: Powerful Eyes and Dead Eyes
Throughout my two and a half months here in Mexico, I’ve seen various military trucks rumble by with soldiers hanging off the back. Camouflaged cloths shroud their mouths and matching helmets cover their heads. All you can see is their eyes. There’s something irresistibly alluring about a covered face that shows nothing but its eyes. [...]
Mind Scraps: Spreading the Love
A friend of mine was having Photoshop fun with an image he took in a cave in Chihuahua, MX: “:) Laura hace corazones (Laura makes hearts),” he said. His words touch my heart.
Mind Scraps: Is Humanity Beginning to Trust Itself?
Right now, thanks to Couchsurfing, I’m in Cancun, MX sleeping in a luxurious house. A 19-year-old photographer who has traveled nearly as much as I have and who’s photographic accomplishments surpass my own, casually hosts me – the wayward traveler – as if it is a widely-accepted, worldwide custom. In the morning I awake. My [...]
Mind Scraps: New Soul, Warrior Soul
I call her La Cebollita because, well, that’s what she calls herself. She sent the following to me in response to my post about the Pterodactyl: I’m reading about the Pterodactyl and the Embracer, and I’m remembering how odd I sometimes feel around desensitized people, how disorienting their adaptation to ugliness is. I’m amazed at [...]
Mind Scraps: Love Wells Up When Watching Others Grow
I chatted with the Embracer on Skype today (thanks to Ele). He liked what I wrote about his dear friend the Pterodactyl and felt compelled to share more… The Embracer: Hermoso lo que escribiste. Puedes enviar a mi mail porfavor? Beautiful what you wrote. Can you email it to me please? Me: Si claro Of [...]
Mind Scraps: Pterodactyl with the Eye of a Dove
You hear the screech noting his arrival. The high-pitched cry is his trademark. That’s why I call him the Pterodactyl. “I’m glad you and the Pterodactyl get along,” the Embracer noted happily. “Many people don’t enjoy his company because he can be a bit crude.” (Side note: My story with the Embracer I still need [...]
Skate Chihuahua
A few quick shots of David and his friend skating in downtown Chihuahua: View more photos by clicking here.
Semana Santa: The Painted Diablos of Guadalupe Coronado
Photos from my return trip to the barrancas where I danced with painted devils. A written account of my experience to come… in the meantime enjoy the photos: To view the entire collection click here.
Mind Scraps: No Treating ME Like a Roach
Even my body wanted to reject the psychological injustice… Knowing that I needed to pick up some work, Ele informed me early this morning that one of her friends needed a some help at a factory here in Chihuahua, MX… just for a couple days. The task was mind-numbingly easy: stick labels on bottles of [...]
Mind Scraps: The Eyes of My Heart
Feeling drained the other day, I shared a bit of my less than ‘rico’ sentiments to the Pillar. Once again, his remarkably humbling eloquence gave me the lift I needed. Well, as I believe I told you one time, I believe I can look into a person’s eyes and see their soul, see into the [...]
Mind Scraps: The Warrior Angel and the Cheshire Cat
Her movements are graceful and deliberate. Her eyes shine with stealth. She offers sincere affection, but on her terms, no one else’s. Quietly, she’ll watch from a camouflaged perch, approaching you with a confident swag only when she decides you’ve earned her favor. Her looks are most deceiving; the face of a young early 20’s [...]
Mind Scraps: Hailing in the Desert
Saturday a brand new friend, whom I met once again in Kaldi, invited me to a typical Mexican breakfast. Of course, I wasn’t going to pass that up!! We spent less than an hour together before he noted, “Laura eres loca (Laura you’re crazy.)” I proudly responded with an enthusiastic ‘Yes. That’s me!’ Followed by [...]
Why Risk Crossing the Border?
Deborah Benanzis, a woman involved in Norawas de Rarámuri (Friends of the Rarámuri) and a participant of the 2010 Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon forwarded me this story of an illegal Mexican immigrant. Now, I pass it on to you. Perhaps, it will help you begin to understand why people risk everything to cross the U.S.-Mexican [...]
Mind Scraps: Admiting the Lesser and Doomed to Burn
Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman is one of the books I’m currently reading. I take it in small doses, trying to fully ingest and understand the complex messages woven throughout it’s plot. I definitely recommend it. As I was reading the other day, I copied some quotes that really hit home [...]
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