Cinco de Mayo

 Highway 12 traverses Sonoma County from the coast to the Napa county line. It wanders through West County dairy lands, which remind me of Scotland, the town of Sebastopol where we used to rent a little weekend getaway when we lived in Berkeley, and dozens of upscale wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms. Between our house and the town of Sonoma is a scattering of little hamlets called "The Springs" because they have names like Fetter's Hot Springs,  Boyes Hot Springs and Agua Calliente.  Some of The Springs, have seen better days, especially the small businesses scattered along the highway, although the luxury Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa is in Boyes Hot Springs

In conjunction with the construction of a new housing project and proper sidewalks, many of the buildings along Highway 12  in The Springs, a largely Hispanic community, are being repainted in a highly colorful  style in keeping with local culture. I pictured an ice cream cream store here  when a bit of controversy seemed to be erupting between the sedate and stuffy wine snobs, the nearby town of Sonoma, and the residents of The Springs over whether the colors were "garish" or "culturally appropriate". I tend more toward the latter interpretation. 

Today being Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that is more enthusiastically celebrated here than it is in Mexico, I decided to see if I could photograph a newly painted building and sign on a carniceria  (butcher shop) in The Springs.

It wasn't difficlt to find….