Scenes from the Walled City

It's turned bitter cold again, though the sun was out briefly. I didn't realize it had dipped to 28 degrees when we went out for lunch-- I had on only a thin short-sleeved cotton T under my coat.

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My friend Gladys returned recently from spending the holidays in Manila. A package in the mail arrived from her today-- thoughtfully selected little things for our girls, and for us, a set of lovely coasters and place mats which I think are just too wonderful to use as such... I am thinking of looking for frames for them!

Here's a shot of the coasters, reproducing pen and ink drawings by Felipe V. Adriano, Jr.-- all these, 19th century scenes from the walled city, Intramuros, in old Manila:

Top row, L-R:
Church Tower in the Plaza Mayor; Woman looking out the window of a "bahay na bato"

Middle row, L-R:
Street scene in the Plaza Cervantes, in Binondo; "Caruajes" or carriages on the cobbled streets

Bottom row, L-R:
Horse-drawn trams were a sign of progress; Scene showing some commercial traffic on the Pasig River

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And here is "Landscape, with Cardinal and Earring", my poem-response to The Morning Porch yesterday.