Some virgins / Algunos vírgenes

La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.

NOT THAT IT REALLY MATTERS to me, except that it’s a holiday and shops are closed, but today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Día de la Inmaculada Concepción). So I figured, while we’re on the subject, I’d share photos of two local virgins I happened to visit the other day.

The first is the Virgin of Carmen, whom I mentioned last week (click here) when I shared photos of the star-shaped flowerbeds. As the patron saint of mariners, she’s very important in this fishing and seafaring town. Her day is 16 July and there’s an exciting, and crowded, annual procession that takes her right into the sea (click here). It’s our favourite local festival and we missed experiencing it this year, as I’m sure did many others for whom it has even more meaning.

For today’s final photo, it’s helpful to know that San Geraldo’s Norwegian grandmother had a difficult time pronouncing his name, Jerry. She called him what sounded exactly like Yeti.

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NO ES QUE REALMENTE ME importe, excepto que es feriado y las tiendas están cerradas, pero hoy es la Fiesta de la Inmaculada Concepción (Día de la Inmaculada Concepción). Así que pensé, ya que estamos en el tema, compartiría fotos de dos vírgenes locales que visité el otro día. 

La primera es la Virgen del Carmen, a quien mencioné la semana pasada (haz clic aquí) cuando compartí fotos de los parterres en forma de estrella. Como patrona de los marineros, ella es muy importante en este pueblo pesquero y marinero. Su día es el 16 de julio y hay una procesión anual emocionante y concurrida que la lleva directamente al mar (haz clic aquí). Es nuestro festival local favorito y lo extrañamos este año, como estoy seguro de que lo hicieron muchos otros para quienes tiene aún más significado. 

Para la foto final de hoy, es útil saber que la abuela noruega de San Geraldo tuvo dificultades para pronunciar su nombre, Jerry. Ella lo llamó lo que sonaba exactamente como Yeti.

The Virgin of Carmen, patron saint of mariners and star of the sea.
La Virgen del Carmen, patrona de los marineros y estrella del mar.
A star of the sea flowerbed (one of two flanking the Virgin of Carmen) with a chapel to the Virgin of Fátima in the background.
Un parterre de flores de estrella del mar (uno de los dos flanqueando a la Virgen del Carmen) con una capilla a la Virgen de Fátima al fondo.
The Virgin of Fátima.
La Virgen de Fátima.
Dudo enjoying a spot of sun this morning.
Dudo disfrutando de un poco de sol esta mañana.

Yeti, my “indomitable” snowman. There’s nothing abominable about him. He went out to pick up pizza last night, braving a bone-chilling 59 degrees (15C)

Yeti, mi muñeco de nieve “indomable”. No hay nada abominable en él. Salió a comprar pizza anoche, desafiando unos escalofriantes 15 grados (59F)

Author: Moving with Mitchell

From Brooklyn, New York; to North Massapequa; back to Brooklyn; Brockport, New York; back to Brooklyn... To Boston, Massachusetts, where I met Jerry... To Marina del Rey, California; Washington, DC; New Haven and Guilford, Connecticut; San Diego, San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Santa Barbara, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Irvine, California; Sevilla, Spain. And Fuengirola, Málaga..

31 thoughts on “Some virgins / Algunos vírgenes”

  1. How could anyone not love San Geraldo, all bundled up in his big, cozy coat? I suspect he doesn’t care much for the alternative pronunciation of his name, or maybe he loved his grandmother so much that it didn’t bother him. How simple it would be to ask saints to intercede on one’s behalf.

    Love,
    Janie

    1. Janie:
      He adored his grandmother (the wonderful Alice’s mother) and adored hearing her say Yeti!

      1. That’s great. I saw my Norwegian grandmother a few times, but never said anything more than Hi, Nana. I don’t remember her replying.

    1. David:
      Our blood has thinned after all these years in deserts and Mediterranean climates. Although you wouldn’t see me dressed like SG in this weather, I WOULD be wearing long pants and a jacket, maybe even a knit cap or hooded sweatshirt.

    1. wickedhamster:
      Spend a few years living on the Mediterranean and you’d be wearing at least a sweatshirt, I think. The blood DOES thin.

    1. Bob:
      Yeti has the heat blasting in his office. I can’t stay more than 30 seconds because I immediately break into a sweat. If Dudo’s not on the floor next to my space heater, he’s in the sun on the rug, or in Yeti’s office. Often he “forces” SG out of his chair, which is then rolled in front of the space heater. There’s also regular heat in the office and sometimes BOTH are going.

  2. virgins – pish posh, ain’t no such thing. dudo looks warm, SG looks uncomfortable. what kind of pizza did you get?

    1. anne marie:
      Oh, there are more virgins than you can shake a stick at here. I had to think about the pizza for a moment. We’ve been getting the same thing for so long, we simply all and say “lo mismo” (the same, the usual). It’s barbecue chicken pizza with pepperoni… and extra chicken. I’m not a fan of the usual barbecue sauce, but this is excellent. It’s an Italian restaurant owned by a Lebanese man with a Finnish wife with Spanish kids, and they’ve lived here forever. Amazingly good and authentic Italian food and healthy tasting, thin-crust pizzas.

  3. I remember seeing my first movie when I was very young with my older sister….it was called The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima……a very heart-wrenching film about 3 kids who claimed they saw and listened to the virgin Mary asking them to pray for peace. Quite the claim, I’d say now that I am older and wiser…..
    I bet Jerry/Yeti didn’t feel a thing last night getting that pizza.

    1. Jim:
      Oh, Yeti stilled complained about how cold it was. He didn’t bother putting on his long underwear.

  4. Is it that cold there for San Geraldo to be wrapped up like that???? Gees , if he were here now he’d really be cold. I think today it’s like high 40’s. I like the garden and the little hut of the Virgin of Fatima that’s cool.

    This is day 3 now with no buns.

    1. Mistress Maddie:
      Yes, it IS cold here. SG’s not the only one dressed like that. I must admit, when temps drop below 65, all my scarves come out of storage. I think I’ll keep my buns to myself for a while — although I sure did enjoy the exposure.

  5. When S.G. went out to pick up his pizza, did he say “I’m just going out. I may be some time”?

    Btw: On today’s date, I was just thinking this very morning – and I suppose it still might be true – just how many people used to think that the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception meant the same as the Virgin Birth. For non-Catholics it may be excused but for those of us brought up in the R.C. religion it’s pretty poor, yet it used to be a prevalent belief even among my former schoolmates and, I wouldn’t be surprised if that belief (misconception?) remains widely so.

    1. Raybeard:
      Thanks to you, I just read up on the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth. I had never even thought about it.

    1. larrymuffin:
      SG’s sister lives in South Dakota. She wears short and sandals through much of the winter. You know it’s cold if she puts on a sweater with her Capri pants.

  6. I think there’s a movie title in there: Two Virgins and a Bat-Mitzvah. Jerry looks like I do when I go for a walk when it’s below 5ºC. When it’s 15º, I have a fleece or a sweatshirt. Are you sure he’s of Norwegian-via-Dakota descent?

    1. Walt the Fourth:
      SG grew up in an old house (in town) in Sioux Falls. There was only heat downstairs. When he tells me stories about how cold he was growing up, I can understand why he left and why he’s never gotten that chill out of his bones.

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