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Archive for the Category "Art"

A visit to Horatio’s studio……… Author: CancunTom Aug 06

Wednesday afternoon Suzie and I took a ride to the Bonfil area of Cancun to visit Horatio’s studio. This is where he creates his beautiful stained glass. beveled glass, and sandblasted glass works of art. We also got a bonus…….we met his companions. Several dogs and cats and one precocious little kitten.

Horatio’s studio interior with his dogs Canela and Uxmal…..

An example of Horatio’s work…….the blue wine bottle is an actual wine bottle flattened in the kiln and then added to the window………….

I was mesmerized by this cat. It is one of the most unusual cats I’ve ever encountered. It’s coloring and long coat were quite different. It’s name is Paloma and she has a very sweet loving nature.

This is Tic Tac a cute kitten that played peek-a-boo we us from this box  while we were visiting…..

Horatio….

From Horatio’s sample kit a stunning piece of glass…..

Workshop table w/ photo books of past projects………

This is how larger panels are reinforced so that they don’t collapse under their own weight. Strips of copper and aluminum are soldered on end, on the back side of the window providing additional stiffness.

Closeup……….

Couch shells…….

Large window w/ sandblasted flying eagle ……….

Horatio does beautiful cut beveled glass work as well ……this entrance-way is an example…..

A 3-way stained glass room divider……

Workmen installing a large stained glass window in a new private home….

Finished installation

Preparing delivery of finished windows to Lorenzillo’s lobster house restaurant….

After installation at Lorenzillo’s lobster house in the hotel zone

A great looking bathroom stained glass window…….                An example of a beveled glass decorative window…….

Horacio creates stained glass, beveled glass, sandblasted glass windows, mirrors,and many other items that beautify homes, businesses, churches, and other places. Horatio explained that prices are dependent on complexity of the design, the sizeof the piece, and quality of the glass the customer chooses.

If you have a desire for this kind of work here are Horacio’s contact details:

ROCCO

diseno de vitrales

IMAGINACION EN VIDRIO

HORACIO MURRAY PARRA

viralista

Cel. 044-998–257-7326

Cel. 044-998-224-2015

Bonfil Q Roo





Category: Art, CANCUN, Living in Cancun, MEXICO, Q-Roo, Yucatan, animals  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  | 3 Comments
Stained Glass by Horacio Murray Author: CancunTom Aug 01

Here are some examples of Stained Glass from the fine art studio ROCCO by Horacio Murray. I met Horacio when I hired him to repair the stained glass in our front door. I had become dislodged by a strike from an exuberant newspaper delivery boy. He is very creative and his work speaks for itself. He also does glass sandblasting that is just beautiful. Click on any image to see a larger version of it.

Click HERE to visit his web site.

Category: Art, CANCUN, Living in Cancun, MEXICO, Q-Roo, Yucatan  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,  | 3 Comments
A week at the Sands……….part 4 Author: CancunTom Jul 08

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On Friday morning  we wandered over to the craft area. We both picked out a piece to hand paint. Suzie choose a snail and I choose a sun god plaque to add to my collection. We worked on them for over two hours. We could hardly wait to pick them up the next day after they had been shellacked and fired in their oven. This is how they came out…………….we’re so proud.

This is Suzie’s snail, which she named “Escargot”………..

and this is the one that I did………….to add to my collection decorating our home which is: “Casa del Sol”….

As you can see the Caribbean was a little too rough to try swimming today…….

The happy couple on the beach …….but not in the water

The Veranda Restaurant put up the plastic owls to keep the birds away from the outdoor tables……..

See how the red flag is pointed……….that wind was strong and coming right off the Caribbean……..Thanks so much TS Alex!

The waves pounded the beach until Friday morning when they finally put the yellow flags up………

The beach palapa’s……..red flag means DON”T GO IN!!!

A look at the pool…….

The entrance way to a great place to spend your vacation……

Saturday came and we packed up, paid our bill, and said goodbye to the Royal Sands until next time????

We had a great week away from the daily grind of retired life in paradise.

Thanks to our friends Juni & Mina in San Francisco for renting us their beautiful villa.

Category: Art, CANCUN, MEXICO, Travel, Trip Reports, Vacation, Yucatan, weather  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  | 5 Comments
A week at the Sands part III Author: CancunTom Jul 06

For your listening pleasure while you view this post………….

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Our  Villa and balcony………

These are some shots I took of  selections offered in the Sands Gift Boutique………….

souvenirs……….

plates painted by local artisans……….

interesting knick-knacks………

the perfect platter for that special fish you always wanted to serve to your guests…..

The Sands Jewelery Store…………..

Rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more……


The Royal Market…………..well stocked, with many choices………

The weather was………………..not so nice………

The wind was even stronger today blowing  sand from the beach across the pool stinging our faces while we tried to swim against the whitecaps. (yes mini white caps in the pool)

****************************************************************************

Today (Thursday) was what this trip was all about………..our 4th wedding anniversary!

We started early for our big day. After having our coffee and pop tarts out on the balcony, Suzie went down to the pool for her 9:30 am water aerobics. I joined her afterward and we went for a walk on the beach looking for seashells. The waves and wind were still too high to risk going into the ocean.

Conch shell on we found on the beach

At 3pm we went to the Sands Spa for our “Couples Ritual” package which included Body Exfoliation, a 20 min. Hydrotherapy session in a private Jacuzzi, a 50-min. Swedish Massage, combined with a Hot Stones Massage.


In a private darkened room with sensual mood music and decor. The motif is like one would expect to have found in a Roman Pompeii Spa before Vesuvius erupted. This couples package cost $4,080 pesos ($340 USD) Don’t pass this up while staying at one of the Royals in Cancun.

At 8PM we drove to Habichuela Sunset Restaurant for our anniversary dinner.


Suzie and I ordered their signature bean  and vegetable soup and then I had a Fillet Mignon and Lobster tail while Suz had the Duck breast in Pear sauce. They surprised us with vanilla ice cream on a plate with “Happy Anniversary” written on it by the pastry chef.


When we got back to our villa we opened our bottle of 2004 Santa Barbara Pinot Noir Cork Dancer 4.1 wine from the famous Hitching Post Restaurant. The restaurant and this wine were made very famous in the movie “Sideways” a couple of years ago. I’ve been saving it since my birthday in 2006 when my co-workers gifted me with it at my place of employment. So it’s been a very well traveled bottle of wine from Santa Barbara County California to Chicago and finally to Cancun. It did not disappoint and we enjoyed it tremendously.


(Today’s wine lesson)

The term ” Cork Dancer 4.1″ is a name that was given the salmon that jumped out of the water looking for a way through the corkline of the commercial fishing boat captained by the former fisherman Gary Hartley. Now winemakers, Gary Hartley and Frank Ostini fancy that when you pull the cork the wine will dance for you.

The “4″ refers to the 2004 vintage and the “.1″ to the first bottling of this wine. It is a blend of 88% Santa Maria Valley vineyards, including Blen Nacido and Solomon Hills, with 12% Rio Vista Vineyard from the Santa Rita Hills. It’s was a delicious Pinot Noir.

The greatest wife in the world…………..my Suzie, Happy Anniversary honey!


Stay tuned for the final episode in a few more days……………

Category: Art, CANCUN, MEXICO, Travel, Trip Reports, Vacation, Yucatan, weather  | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,  | 6 Comments
Kukulcan Plaza Cancun, Mexico Author: CancunTom Apr 24

If you ever have a rainy day while visiting Cancun, this is the perfect place to spend it. The Kukulcan Plaza has been completely renovated. The work started in 2002 and the result is amazing. The Mexican architects are world class and this plaza is proof. It is home to an array of shops that suit every budget. You can go from high end jewelery, clothing, and artwork to simple keepsake souvenirs to take back home to family and friends. Hungry or thirsty?…… not a problem. There is everything from a food court to highly rated steak houses. You can even find pharmacies and mini markets. Just to walk around in wonderment looking at all the architectural details is worth it.

The Plaza is located on Blvd. Kukulcan, @ Km.13 in the Zona Hotelera

The UltraJewels Luxury Avenue store is the anchor of this complex and features two stories of high end fashion, perfume, and jewelery…..

The entrance to Luxury Avenue gives you a clue to it’s many interior surprises…….

This is just a nice little spot where you can check your internet mail…….


From the high beautifully finished ceilings to the polished marble flooring, the eye candy abounds……..

On either side of the Luxury Avenue interior entrance are floor to ceiling waterfalls…………

The main court soars up past the second level into a backlit stained glass dome……


Looking straight up into it from the ground floor…….

Directly below the dome is a fountain and pool with an infinity edge spilling down a water fall towards the parking garage underneath.

Looking out towards the lagoon from the second level. This is the main entrance to the plaza……….

You can almost always catch a couple of art exhibits on the second level………bring your credit cards…….

Another smaller exhibit……….

One of the many choices for fine dinning in the plaza……

You can even buy a Harley or some Harley brand clothing and souvenirs………

Do you like to gamble? Here are the gaming machines……..

A cute photo prop for the tourista’s…….

The tequila grill is a fun place to stop for lunch and it’s operated by the LaParilla restaurateurs……

If you want to just relax and sip a cocktail while taking it all in, this is the perfect place…..

The Kukulcan Plaza is located next to the Royal Sands facilities and across the street from the La Distilleria Restaurant. Don’t pass it up, especially if you’re experiencing a tropical rainstorm.

Category: Art, CANCUN, MEXICO, Travel, Vacation, Yucatan, weather  | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  | 7 Comments
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