A day in the life....

Last Friday was a full day but not atypical, so I thought I would share it so all of you can see how we spend our days doing "nothing."

Isabel, our housekeeper, comes in for 4 hours on Mondays and Fridays at 9:00.  We usually set an alarm for 8:00 and then manage to roll out of bed by around 8:30.  We prefer to be up and dressed when she gets here so we don't look like the lazy slobs we really are.  Friday we were up, let the dogs out, made the coffee, and then realized it was 9:15 and Isabel wasn't here.  Not only is she never late, she's usually early by 15 minutes or so.  She takes the bus from Chapala where she lives with her husband, son, and daughter.  Soon after, she came in, and I could see right away that she seemed upset, apologized for being late, but she was ready to work.  She had gotten a phone call on the way here while she was on the bus.  She explained that her son had been in the hospital in Guadalajara for two days, and she had been with him.  Early that morning, she left him there with her mother so she could come home, take a shower, and come to work.  Except, the hospital had just called and said he was ready to come home, and she needed to come sign the discharge papers before noon.  But she said she was ready to work anyway and would go later.

We told her no, of course not, and that we would take her to the bus station in Chapala immediately so she could catch the bus to Guadalajara.  So we hopped in the car and set off.  Isabel speaks English about as well as I speak Spanish--which has a lot of gaps.  But she explained that Geraldo, her son (15), has hemophilia and has to be hospitalized fairly often.  This time he had been at school and suddenly began hemorrhaging from the nose. So he was rushed to the hospital. She said that instead of blood transfusions, they administer something called Factor 8 intravenously which helps the blood to clot. Then they keep him until they determine that he has stabilized.  She also told us that she, her daughter, and most of the other women in her family are carriers, or portadoras, and many of her male cousins and nephews also have hemophilia. I didn't ask her how long her family had known this, or if she had known about it before giving birth, but since abortion is still illegal (except for the health of the mother) in most states in Mexico, there's not much that could be done even if detected before birth. Anyway, she was quite anxious and we dropped her off at the Chapala station so she could take the express bus to Guadalajara--about 40 minutes. (She told us today that he's home and doing well.)

So, there we were in Chapala unexpectedly so we checked out an artisan shop where they make equipal furniture, thinking about putting an equipal couch on the terrace so I can be comfortable when I fall asleep reading in the afternoon there.  But we didn't really like anything there.

Back west toward Ajijic, we stopped in San Antonio for what would now be brunch instead of breakfast as we'd originally planned.  Cafe Negro is a cute little place for breakfast and lunch only, indoor and outdoor seating.  They have very good food, and best of all, they have GF bread.  Bob loves their Reubens, of course, and he had French toast the other day.  I had a fruit plate with cottage cheese.  Talk about color--the fruit plate is so colorful and varied, it's beautiful: watermelon, cantelope, strawberries, kiwi, guava.  No mango yet, not in season.  The berries are so plentiful, we eat them every day, especially the blueberries and blackberries.  The stands are full of strawberries, raspberries, figs, ciruelas (a small orange plum), and plenty of others. And then our mandarina (tangerine) tree in the garden is so loaded that we can't give enough away.

So after brunch, we went to the viveros nearby to pick out a couple of pots of bouganvilla because we've been decorating the terrace upstairs with plants.  Beautiful plants all over the place, and so inexpensive.  The pots of bouganvilla were 35p each--less than $2 each.  Here's a view from the terrace as of this morning:

After the viveros stop in San Antonio, we headed back home, stopping one more time at our favorite viveros, Eduardo's, just a couple of blocks from us.  We had already checked his plant stock, but his bouganvillas weren't as nice as the other place.  But we got a couple more pots and more bags of dirt.

After we got home, I reviewed my lesson plans for the afternoon. I don't think I've blogged about it, but I'm now volunteering once a week, teaching an English conversation class to high school students.  I have about 10 students, plus two bilingual assistants which is great for splitting up into small groups for lots of practice.  The classes are sponsored by a group called Pathways, which offers scholarships for high school , or prepa, students.  Tuition for public schools is free, but there are additional costs such as uniforms, books,supplies, etc. that some families just can't afford.  These students receive sponsorship for those additional items, and they are required to maintain regular attendance and an 85% overall average in school.  This year is the first for the conversation classes.  The students are highly motivated with plans to go on to university.  I'll write more about them another time.

Although the class location is barely a 5-minute walk from home, Bob dropped me off in the car because I had bought some supplies--a flip chart, and so on--too bulky to carry.  The "classroom" is a tiny space with a couple of mounted white boards and some dry erase markers.  No internet, no projector, or smart board.  I didn't realize how dependent I had become on technology at hand in the classroom until I started preparing for these classes!  But they all have smart phones and we have a class group on Facebook.  The class is from 3-5 on Friday afternoons.  And Friday's class was so exhilarating to me.  I know it's the same sort of thing actors feel when they have the audience with them.  Such a high, and I haven't felt it for a long time.  These kids are so eager and fresh, not jaded and bored.

Bob walked over to meet me after the class with both dogs and that made a big hit, especially Princess Daisy.  So we walked back home, two blocks up toward the mountain and one block west. At home, we quickly fed the dogs and then headed out again to be at Friday evening services by 6.

You know that we joined the synagogue last September.  A small community, it reminds us a lot of our years in Japan and the Philippines--very close and welcoming.  They don't hold services every week, but usually one or two Saturdays and one or two Fridays.  The snowbirds are beginning to drift back so it appears that activities are picking up.  Friday nights are potlucks, so the brief service is done sitting around tables set up in an L-shape.  We have a paid lay leader who leads the services on Saturdays and some Fridays.  David (Rosett) is from NYC and has had a mostly international life after growing up there.  Oddly enough, he was born in Yokosuka, Japan while his father was in the Navy JAG corps in the late 50s.  He's taught all over the world and is married to a very nice woman from Guadalajara. He's funny and very laid-back.  The congregation is from all over, as you might expect--US, Canada, Mexico, Israel, Morocco, Czech Republic, among others. It's quite a change to step into the synagogue, decorated with Oaxacan wool rugs on the walls, with an ark (with a regular-sized Torah and a baby Torah).  And, of course, when the service begins, it could be anywhere but it's all so familiar.  Afterwards, we do the blessings over the wine and challah and then eat, sitting around the tables.  And again, it's warm and familiar--mishpocha, I guess, as it's meant to feel like.

And that was the end of our day--a very good day.

Saturday, December 10. 2016

Unlike Susannah, I'm not all that good at coming up with creative titles.  Enough already that I get some words on the screen, right?

Standby, because I have a pretty lengthy blog brewing in my head, but I'm not quite ready to commit the time to it.  Maybe tomorrow.  I mean, I's almost 4:30 and I've already done a lot today!

My main cooking goal for this week was to prepare cabbage rolls, like Nonny used to, and I have a few times.  The days got away from me so this morning was the cabbage roll day.  Had some trouble finding a slow cooker that didn't break the bank.  This kitchen only came with two appliances--coffee maker and blender. (No Mexican cocina is ever complete without a blender.) But Bob found one on the shelf at Walmart the other day.  So this morning I chopped and mixed and cooked and got the cabbage rolls in the slow-cooker just before noon.  (Smells wonderful.)

Then we went to fulfill a couple of errands--always errands.  First we stopped to make a hair appointment for me at a different shop. (Not happy--another story.).  Then to the plaza to the Everything Store, aka locally as the Dollar Store.  I think the first name is more appropriate because you can almost find EVERYTHING there that you can't anywhere.  It's very small with an opening onto the sidewalk that's only about 10 ft.  It continues this narrow path into the store for quite awhile before it widens up to about twice the width, but not for very long.  It's a tiny little store with things crammed on shelves and mostly only the women who work there can find anything.  So we particularly to find playing cards (sure I brought some but can't find them).  While we were there, we bought a Rummikub game and dominoes because, of course, we're in Mexico and everybody plays Mexican Train.  Bob lucked out and found on a shelf--all by himself--a wire brush for cleaning  the grill.  Big day!

Then to the carretera where we found the vendors who sell blankets.  We keep a couple of blankets on the couch in the den where we hang out most of the time.  The dogs love it, although Howdy has to be boosted from the back, but we needed a couple more so we can rotate with the washing.

 Then we found a yummy bakery someone had recommended.  I bought a little caramel-pecan cake, and Bob bought two GF pecan muffins.

And now I want to read.  So no more blog for today.

Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 2016

I don't think I've ever seen this aerial shot of the memorial straddling the ship with the outline of the Arizona beneath.  Very moving.  But Susannah knows how memorable this day is for me, for both of us, I think. I'll add more to this blog later because I want to recollect as much as I can that amazing week, the biggest adventure of my life.

What happened to the perfect weather?????

Well, for about a week, it's been overcast with heavy clouds sitting right on top of the mountains directly behind us, and the lake and mountains across are invisible. The temperatures have dropped as well with highs in the low 60s and overnight lows about 55.  Then Friday came the deluge; it started raining and it's pretty much been raining ever since.  Here's a picture of the terrace shiny with rain.

You can see that beyond the wall we have no view.  This is evidently the result of an unstable low pressure system pushed very far south--called "el norte."  In the northern estados along the border, the low temps have dropped below freezing and there's even snow in the highest altitudes there. Highly unusual, we're told, but then it's just tagged as another signal of global warming.  I guess we'll just standby for much more of that.  😞

Mexicans are walking around in down jackets or vests with knit caps pulled down over their ears.  Your dad is freezing, wearing his flannel jammies and sweatshirts.  So cold is he that we actually turned on the gas fire this morning.

Too bad I didn't see this coming; I could have had some hot chocolate in the pantry.  Appropriately, it feels very much like November/Thanksgiving weather. It's also good to know that Tuesday the "sun'll come out" and the temps will rise by 10 degrees.

Long Day in Guadalajara

There's a beautiful song called Guadalajara.  Here's a great version.

Beautiful scenes from all over the city.  Unfortunately we weren't anywhere near them today. This is mostly what we saw instead:

We were on a mission or two or three:  

• card stock to print cards with our names, addresses, phones, etc. so we can hand them out to new people we meet
• a small blackboard for our kitchen list
• a doggie gate to block the steps from the garden down into the carport so the dogs won't run out into the street and get run over when we leave them out in the garden and open the garage doors to go somewhere in the car (I know. We have at least two in the garage in Louisville.)
• a small folding drying rack (I know. We have at least two in the garage in Louisville.)
• a small drill for you-know-who (I have no idea how many of those are floating around Louisville.)
• and other assorted things

First we visited Petco (where we found a $100 USD fancy doggie gate with a smaller gate set into for the cat if we had one). Looks like this:

Cute, huh? btw, this image is from Target where it's listed for $36.99 USD. So, absolutely not.  Besides, see note above about how many we have back in the USA. Home Depot provided the drill but not much else we needed. Walmart was useless, and Sam's Club much the same.  Didn't go to Costco because we aren't members. Office Max was our one success, where we found both the cardstock and the little blackboard.  All of these stores happen to be on one main artery of the city, Avenida Lopez Mateos which stretches from SW to NE.  Access is very easy for us by going west through Jocotepec where HWY 80/15 becomes Lopez Mateos.  The problem with the street--and all the other main streets in Guadalajara--is that they're all limited access with side streets running parallel--laterals.  So sometimes you have to go miles north in order to find a cross street (called "retornos") that will let you cross over and go South, the direction you really want to go in.  We spent a lot of time going unwillingly in the wrong direction because sometimes we just couldn't get there from here. Frustrating on top of not finding what we wanted.

Times like this we really miss Amazon! But Bob is a pro: no way can you compare driving in Manila, Tokyo, Paris, etc. with Guadalajara.

After we got home, while I was checking Facebook, Maritza tapped me for a video message.  Very cool.  We had a nice little chat.  She put her little boys on so they see and say hello to Bob.

Then we went upstairs to the terrace off our bedroom to watch the afterglow of the sunset. It was so pretty turning from gold to pink to red.  Below us, it looked like a postcard with the village, the church steeple, the still lake, and Mt. Garcia silhouetted in dark blue against the darkening sky.  I've tapped the official photographer to get some pictures at the same time of day.

Busy day but tomorrow will be quieter. Lazy day at home with some pool time in the afternoon.

Almost fin de semana

 Not that it really matters. But the dates do.  We went to Chapala this morning to pick up our ID cards that show we're now officially temporary residents of Mexico.  This means we can fly in or out with or without the car (which is also officially temporarily imported --with a $400 hostage fee refundable on returning the official sticker).  We're just officially official.  You might not think that's so important in Mexico, but they believe in paperwork and getting it right.  We had to have more pictures taken for these visa cards.  The instructions were to remove glasses and have your hair completely brushed back from your face and off your forehead.  Sure enough, when we went to claim our cards at the Instituto de Nacional Migracion, the lady behind the desk asked Bob to take off his hat as she compared the picture to his (apparently) real self.  But we passed and are now completely legal.

We haven't been to Chapala much yet.  In case you don't remember, Chapala is the big little city of the municipality of Chapala, which includes Ajijic, among other villages.  It's like the county seat.  But it was certainly bustling today as the weekend before a major holiday was beginning.

Here in Mexico, Halloween is not a big deal except for a few families and kids who copy trick or treating like in the US.  And although real pumpkins don't seem to grow here, jack o' lanterns are everywhere in the form of terra cotta pots and even painted talavera ceramics.

But the big holiday is El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, which is actually 3 full days starting on October 31.  The Wiki link above has a much better and fuller explanation than I can give.  But starting already we're hearing the rockets (cohetes) and the bands beginning. From a couple of blocks up the mountain, the drums and tubas dominate, so it sounds very much like marching band practice from a distance.

One of the strangest images from this holiday is the Catrina, the dolls and costumes reflecting all kinds of people but all are skeletons. Or sometimes only skulls. Pretty gruesome reminder of death, but it's such a happy holiday and the purpose is to remember the dead. Here's a picture of some Catrina dolls.

Anyway, the next several days will be noisy beyond compare and even Daisy has started trembling and hiding or jumping into our laps.  If I could find a way to turn them temporarily deaf, I would do it for the next few days for sure. Scaredy dogs below:

Howdy--big brave dog:

I'm sure there will be lots more to share as the holiday rolls on: castillos at the plaza, parades, bands, dancers, and so on.

We're heading out to a Western BBQ at the Chapala Country Club with Johs and Judy this evening--two for one wine and beer from 5:30--7:00.  Whoo-hoo! 

Plants among us

And, yes, Z, with more pictures:

Took this picture at a nursery (viveros) nearby. And, yep, that's a poinsettia--the same as the ones you see in pots every Christmas, and I'm standing as tall as I possibly can. We have a couple of these trees in our garden and some of the leaves are just beginning to turn red. When I saw the picture, it reminded me of the first time I saw these plants grown so tall.  It was in Baguio about 1982, the first time we went up there.  Curious, I looked up the elevation of Baguio--5000 ft, just like here. Hmm, I wonder about their respective latitudes: Baguio, 16.4 N; Ajijic, 20.3 N.  Hadn't really thought about it before, but that explains the similar climates, of course. (I'm really fighting the nerdy geographic urge to go on and find more places of similar latitude and altitude.......Later!!) There is a picture in a box in the garage in Louisville similar to this one with several of our 1982 selves standing under a large poinsettia tree just like this one.

The other day we went to a place we'd heard about for years about halfway between here and San Juan Cosala.  It's called Viveros Cactus, and it's a Biosphere, a beautiful garden of about 2 acres or so where they cultivate various kinds of cactus, some really exotic.

It's really hard to get a sense of how spread out this biosfera really is, but here are some pictures for examples:

I'm making up names for these because I don't know the real names.  I call the one above graveyard cactus. Or maybe just Tombstones. The one below is obviously an octopus cactus:

Below are twisted sister and pots o'cactus.  I'll let you figure out which is which:

Ok.  Hope you enjoyed my little slide show.  It gets boring uploading all these pictures.  Maybe I'll just load them somewhere else and put a link in next time.  Especially for the house and garden pictures which we have tons of.  The last cactus is really named barrel cactus--I think.  If it's not, it should be:

One day in Mexico

I realized that I've rendered myself mute by telling myself that I have to write everything that's happened to us in the 6 weeks or so.  But...never gonna happen. The longer I wait, the heavier the burden ("It'll take hours! I don 't have the right pictures!  I need to sort and label the pictures!" and so on.) So I decided to just start from right now, today, and if I can keep that going (following Z's noble consistency), maybe I'll eventually go back and pick up some other things.

So, today I woke up first about 7 am and drowsed a bit before getting up a little before 8.  Even though actual sunrise happens before that, the full effects don't happen until later.  There are large trees to the east that block the sight of the sun, but the slanted morning rays across the village below us and the lake and mountains beyond are captivating. I went downstairs to the kitchen and started the coffee and let the dogs out.

[ They sleep now in their kennel together in one of the spare bedrooms.  Howdy gets so freaked out by the noise of the loud thunder and cojetes that he paces around and around our bed at night. One night a thunderclap was so loud right above us that he leaped into bed with us.  Hasn't done that for awhile.  We were also hoping that the kennel would soothe him and feel like a safe haven.  So far, he hasn't said, but we're sleeping better anyway.]

Then we all trooped back upstairs with coffee to watch the morning light.  Bob decided it was probably time to get up. It was chilly enough this morning for jeans and long sleeves but very pleasant.  Gorgeous blue skies and the incredible view.

[On the upper floor there is only one bedroom, but it's gigantic.  Huge room with king bed, sofa, fireplace, large-screen TV (55"") on the wall opposite the bed--actually too far away to see it very well from the bed.  I think 100" might be just right. The bedroom has south-facing sliding glass doors that open onto the terrace, about the same size as the bedroom.  The suite includes an enormous closet with glass doors fronting the hanging parts and built-in drawers and shelves.  Through the closet is the bathroom with toilet, double vanity, large walk-in shower, and huge jacuzzi tub that overlooks the garden and the lake. There's also another big linen closet. And a small private terrace past the shower and tub. The only other room on the 2nd floor is the laundry room with w/d and a door that opens into a small drying area.  There's also access to the flat part of the roof where I now have a clothesline.  Yay! The combination of altitude, low humidity, and abundant sunshine means everything dries in a jiffy.  So I get to indulge my (strange, I know) affinity for hanging out clothes while feeling oh so virtuous about using solar power.]

Isabel, the housekeeper, was due at 9, so we had planned to go out for breakfast with the dogs, then take them to the malecon for a walk.  We went to Yve's, one of Bob's favorite places.  Yve was born in Mexico, French father and Mexican mother..  The tables are arranged in the garden around a pool with a fountain in the middle and along the side, plants arranged all around.

Bob always, ALWAYS has chilaquiles for breakfast.

I had a spinach, mushroom, and cheese omelet. (Yve's is also the restaurant that adopted the burro Vino Blanco after his elderly gringo owner died.)

The dogs settled at our feet while we ate.  We haven't taken them out to eat with us much this time, but they were very good.

Then we drove to the malecon to walk off breakfast. Still so beautiful, a bit warmer, but a breeze whipped up the lake almost into whitecaps. 

Our walk was fairly short because we had to be back home by 11:30 when Daisy and Howdy had beauty appointments with Edgar the groomer. They were very good as always (I think they secretly like the bathing and clipping and attention--who doesn't?) and now sacked out in the den with us.  But looking lovely and handsome, respectively. 

So when we got home, Isabel was still here cleaning, Ricky the gardener was in the atrium scrubbing the fountain, and Edgar arrived soon after to groom the dogs in the carport.  Who thinks we do nothing all day?  Somebody has to supervise. So it's 2:30--Bob is reading, the dogs are napping, I'm finally completing a blog (!) and the day is young.  Even though it started out chilly, it's now about 80.  The pool temperature is 78 and we have plans to go in it.

And I have finally written another blog!!

THE TRIP

First, the trip was as expected--long and boring, from Louisville to Memphis, across Arkansas (blessedly short), then endlessly across Texas from Texarkana, around Dallas, then south through Waco, Austin, and San Antonio to Laredo. But Audible helps us endure.  We listened to The Widow on the way.  Good.  I'd recommend it. (Let me know if you want to access it from our library.) We try to pace the trip so that we do between 6-7 hours a day, both for our comfort and the dogs.  Of course, we stay at La Quinta Inns because of them.  We bought a folding ramp for Howdy for the car.  Last year about this time while Bob was in the hospital, Howdy injured himself on our deck stairs.  The vet said it was a sprain and treated him with anti-inflammatories and we continued his glucosamine, but ever since then he's had problems coming up steps and can't jump into the car any more.  But he took to the ramp readily with Bob and me on either side guiding him.  He and Daisy love the car, love road trips, never complain during the rides.  Crazy pups.  While we were packing the car, Daisy kept running around and around, trying to jump in so we had to keep her in the house.

We bought a Thule cartop carrier, one of those sleek-looking, black ones, which worked like a charm.  With smaller cargo space (than the minivan) and a longer visit and both dogs, we really only have enough room inside for a couple of carry-on size cases. And we still got around 27 mph, so that was really helpful.

We stayed overnight in Laredo two nights because we had to go to the Mexican consulate for our temporary resident visas which allow stays up to a year instead of the maximum 6 months  on a tourist visa.  The length of time for us is really not the issue; I'm sure we'll be leaving Mexico for somewhere else with 6 months, but when you import a car along with your tourist visa, it's illegal to leave the country without your vehicle. This way we can fly out and leave the car here without violating the Temporary Importation Permit.  It's a technicality not always enforced, but we don't like breaking the law in another country.  So we spent 4 hours in the consulate getting our visas.  No problems, just bureaucracy.  For this visa, you aren't allowed to work (in country) so you have to prove that you can support yourself with a minimum of $1500/month each so you won't end up a burden on the government.  That means producing 6 months worth of bank statements, plus more pictures and paperwork, etc.

We always cross at the Columbia Bridge border which is about 25 miles NW of Laredo right along the Rio Grande--25 miles of desert with nothing but occasional huge lots of semis waiting for cargo to go one way or the other.  Otherwise nothing but scrub brush and mesquite as far as you can see. (Side note: at a Texas rest stop, we learned that  I-35 between Laredo and Kansas City was the old Chisholm Trail, used for only a few years after the Civil War to round up all the longhorn cattle that had roamed back across the border to Mexico during the conflict.  Why, I don't know since no part of the war was fought in Texas.  Also, 35 is the NAFTA highway stretching all the way north to just south of the Canadian border.  And there's absolutely no doubt about it. The trucks are thick on the highway with doble-semis south of the border.) Anyway,most gringos coming from the east-central US and Canada use the Columbia bridge because it is out in the boonies--about a 50-mile detour out of the way--but there's almost never any wait or hassle.  The truckers go through Nuevo Laredo.  The other reason for this crossing point is NOT having to drive through Nuevo Laredo, one of those border towns gringos are warned about.

This crossing was especially easy since we already had our visas. But when we walked over to the car importation side, we ran into a little snag.  Since we had bought the car only about ten days before we left Louisville, we were very lucky to get the permanent license plate and registration forms from the state before we left--but not enough time for the original title, so they sent us a copy.  (Don't know why--you'd have to ask KY.)  So we had all our paperwork, bill of sale, registration, copy of the title, proof of Mexican insurance, but, oops, not good enough.

"This is a copy," says the senorita. "We need the original."  So we tried to explain why we didn't have the original yet.  A bit of conversation back and forth, and she pushes the paperwork back under the glass panel and says, "No, I'm sorry. We must have the original."  We look at each other in shock, and Bob says to her, "You mean we can't go to Mexico?"

Without hesitation, she replied, looking Bob straight in the eye, "No, senor. YOU can go to Mexico, but your car cannot."

Holy shit. What now? So we talked a little bit more, asked if anyone else could help us.  She said no, then pulled the paperwork back toward her.  Then she said she wanted to see proof of insurance.  "It's there, Bob says. "Mexican insurance."  "No, no, she says, "US insurance."  So Bob trudges back to the car, gets out the USAA insurance papers, and brings them to her.  She then compares them very closely making sure everything matched.  Finally, she says, "OK, this is good," and begins to stamp all the papers--stamp, stamp, stamp, just like in the movies. We managed to keep straight faces until we got back to the car, but then collapsed in nervous laughter. Why were the US insurance papers adequate to bypass the need for an original title? No reason at all, except to save face.

So then we walked and watered the dogs, prepared to cross through the checkpoint.  Meanwhile we had seen nobody else crossing in the hour or so we had been there.  The border guards were standing by along with a young uniformed woman.  As we pulled up to them, the young woman stepped up to my window and asked if we had mascotas (pets) traveling with us.  They had seen us walking them in the parking lot.  "Pull over here," she says. Of course, you need health certificates for pets when you cross any border, and we've always scrupulously complied, taking the dogs to the vet just a few days before we leave.  She looked at the dogs with the back hatch open but didn't want us to take them out.  She examined our papers and was very impressed that we had both state and international health forms filled out.  Then she gave us pamphlets in multiple languages about how to care for our pets and wished us a good trip.  Not only have we never been stopped on either side of the border because of the dogs, nobody we know--or anybody anybody knows--has ever been stopped.  I decided it might be a sign of Mexico's recovering economy: they now have the money to pay an official at the border to examine los papeles de mascotas.

So now we were free to move about Mexico and off we went.

March Madness 2016

Thought some of you might get a kick out of this commercial. For those of you who might not recognize him, the coach is John Thompson III, coach of the Georgetown Hoyas.  (I know: what's a Hoya?  Whatever it is, their mascot is a bulldog.) Bob is OD-ing on basketball--doesn't matter who's playing. He's sitting with a bag of GF pretzels.  Unfortunately, no GF beer.

Bluegrass

Also, after watching Yale (!!!) beat Baylor, we thought this New Yorker cartoon was funny.

“No way I’m applying to Yale—it’s a total jock school.”

Happy birthday, Mel!!

Don't happen to have any baby pictures with us or I would post some.  Instead, here's one from our wonderful trip to Paris together:

Love you and miss you a lot, especially on your birthday.

Too Much Facebook

I find those quizzes mostly irresistible.  I don't know why since they have nothing to do with reality.  But today I discovered that in two years I'll be living in Tuscany (Yay!) but Bob will be living in South Africa (huh?), and when I get old..someday....I'll be a "sweet story-teller." But then you already knew that, didn't you?

You are going to be

a sweet story-teller!

As an elderly woman you will be the best story-teller! Maybe you can still remember your own grandparents who shared exciting stories from their lives with you? It was so much better than any story hour! People will be hanging on your every word because your lively nature will sweep everyone off their feet.

Strange Weather

Normally, there is absolutely nothing to comment on about the weather.  Like California, each day is pretty much like the one before.  But yesterday, gusty winds were blowing, bending the palms over, slamming open doors.  This morning we had a very brief rain.  Now the sun is out, but it's still very blustery with winds forecast up to 18 mph and temps dropping into the 50s.  I guess March Madness with its changeable weather is global.



Speaking of MM, Bob has his SEC schedule all set, and I may not see much of him this weekend, except hunched over his computer watching the streaming games.  :)

Wildcats are not limited to Kentucky

In case you think things are boring in this sleepy expat community, take a look. This headline was at the top of the front page of the weekly English-language newspaper:

There seems to be some debate as to exactly what kind of cat this is.  The paper calls it a jaguar; others insist it's a cheetah.  Some call it a "tigre." Nevertheless, there's widespread agreement that wild cats of this sort don't belong in residential neighborhoods.  This happened about a block from where we were staying last summer in La Floresta, near where the horses are tied up.

On the Chapala webboard, I like this exchange:

Question: But what about the OP who said someone's dog was killed by this jaguar? That's horrible, if true.

Lexy

      

 Response:  It was a chihuahua.

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

Oh, well, that's different--not a real dog, just a bite.

Odds and Ends

Just some pictures to share:

These trees are all over, seemingly in full bloom overnight.  Appropriately enough, they're called Primavera (spring).  Soon the jacaranda trees will bloom--deep purply blue.  Of course, the bouganvillea are in bloom all the time along with lots of other flowers.


We met this cool cat in a shop the other day.  The shop also had two big dogs, but this character clearly ruled his empire.

In our search for rentals, we saw this house, itself brand-new, very sleek and modern design, no garden though, just a patch of grass.  But the view--oh, my!

Almost enough to make up for no garden, but not enough to make up for no bathtub.  And on that note, I'll share one of the bathtubs from the Galeana house--the tub with a view:

The tub

The view from the tub

Nothing I've ever seen though tops the view from this bathtub--from a house that was for rent last summer but is now for sale.

Oh, well. Can't have everything.

Lunching with Peacocks and Birds of a Feather

Yesterday we went to a new (for us) place, The Peacock Garden, just a couple of blocks toward the lake from the plaza.  You wouldn't know it was there because there's only a narrow entrance with a white boards announcing the day's specials.  There is a sign but it sort of gets lost in the rest of the signs above.  You walk back along a long brick pathway until it opens up into a wide, spacious, beautiful garden.

To our right was a huge mango tree with lots of air plants hanging from it.  There are several seating areas, under the pergolas or out on the lawn.  All kinds of tropical plants, including orchids and bromeliads, fruit trees--orange, limes, lemons, grapefruit.  The garden takes its name from its resident peacocks who apparently stroll the grounds when they're in the mood. But we had to go in search of them yesterday; they were hiding out behind a large wall fountain.  We also found free-ranging chickens and roosters, but nobody seemed to be in a sociable mood yesterday.

We did find a more sociable bird.  He didn't have much choice since he was in cage.  Pancho the parrot didn't talk much although he did do wolf-whistles when women walked by.

Lunch was pretty much forgettable.  Bob had shrimp tacos which were ok but not as good as the tacos we get at Lake Tacos--yummy.  I had a BLT, but I should have known better.  Bacon (tocino) isn't always the "streaky" (as they call it in the UK) bacon we know; this was more like strips of Canadian bacon--hard to eat and not at all what one expects in a BLT. Oh, well. Live and learn.  But the margaritas were good!

And Bob is getting downright hairy.  Already had to trim his beard.

What have we been doing all this time?

Well, I'll tell you.  I haven't been blogging because we've been busy house-hunting.  We wanted to pick up where we left off last summer when our plan was to come down here and look for a place to spend at least a year to see if it might be the place we would want to live for a few years.  Of course, other events overtook those plans, but we're ready to start again.

Order of business then was thus:
1) Find a place that we would like and be comfortable for a year or more
2) Go back to Louisville and put the house on the market again.  This time, we hope to market it more aggressively than last year.

So we've been looking at rental houses--a lot of them--and rejected most for various reasons. But we finally decided on this one:

54 Galeana

That link will take you to the sale listing (it just sold in January, I think) and there's a YouTube link for a virtual tour.  I don't know what the final sale price was, but yes, you are looking at a half-million dollar (USD) house.  There are many of these and upwards, difficult to sell since the crash.  These new owners are a cardiologist and an accountant who live in Atlanta, who've bought the house for their eventual retirement.  Many people do that.  Meanwhile, they want renters to keep the house occupied.  The furnishings you see in the pictures are mostly from the previous owners.  The new owners are refurnishing the house.  Right now, the living room is the same, there's a dining room table and chairs, beds in all the bedrooms, a couple of recliners in the study, and some patio furniture.  They plan to come down a couple of times during the summer to continue the refurnishing and the lease won't start until 1 September for a year. That timing was also an important consideration as we didn't want to start a lease right away. Of course, we'll be coming back to the US during that year and hope to have visitors here!

It's a big house with huge rooms, but very reasonable.  We happened to be looking at rentals with the agent who had just sold the house and knew they wanted to rent it, so it never went public. We like the location: walkable to shops and restaurants; the view: of the village, the lake, and the mountains; the garden and the pool; bathtubs!!; the fantastic kitchen; views of the garden from every room.  This is one of my favorites, the view from the study:

There are two master suites, one up and one down, both with huge bathrooms including separate showers and bathtubs, another guest room with two queen beds and full bath across the hall.  And the study and a living room and a dining room.  Lots of room for company and plenty of privacy.

So, now we're relaxing, enjoying the weather going out for dinner or lunch a couple of times a week, meeting up with friends.  For me, I'm trying to get used to retirement.  I know I don't want to work, but it seems strange not having work--like I"m supposed to be doing something. I read but get restless.  I think I need some kind of schedule.

Anyway, there's the house.

Canadians in the Pool, or What in the World Are Gooeyducks?

The community clubhouse, gym, and pool for Riviera Alta are only about half a block away.  Since the weather has warmed up considerably, so has the pool--which is heated also by solar panels, currently at the temperature of 91 F, just the way I like it!  Anyway, we've taken advantage of the facility recently.  Bob has been using the stationary recumbent bike to strengthen his leg muscles, then joining me by the pool where he swims a couple of laps, increasing every day. (Yay, Bob!)

Yesterday while Bob was biking inside, I relaxed under an umbrella by the pool to read a little.  A young couple were there with their very young children (maybe 3 and &).  Daddy was in pool in giving very loud directions and encouragement to the kids.  Then another couple who were sunning climbed into the pool to cool off and swim.  Conversation ensued (again, quite loud) and they exchanged where they were from--the young couple from Vancouver (which they pronounce something like "Vancyouver, " the other couple from Ontario (where I think 9 out of 10 Canadians down here are from; sometimes they say more specifically "Trano," translated to the city most of know as Toronto.)  Anyway, the strangest conversation ensued as they played the game of who do you know in Vancouver:

 "Oh, my brother lives there."
"Oh, yah? Where?"
"Surrey."
"Oh, we have lots of friends who live there. They like it, eh? What does he do?
"Oh, he's a "gooey-duck" diver."
"Oh, yah? I know somebody who does blah-blah-blah....." also related to :gooey-ducks.

So, by now, I've given up reading because the loud voices are so distracting and I'm amusing myself listening to the accents so like the ones that people imitate and make fun of.  But at the word "gooey-duck," I began to pay closer attention.  What in the world are gooey-ducks and why do you have to dive for them? They mentioned growing vegetation on the ocean floor to improve their habitat.  I'm thinking, that makes sense, but ducks don't dive that deep, why do humans have to?

Thoroughly mystified, I recounted the bits of conversation I had overheard when Bob came out to join me.  We joked a bit about the Canadian stereotypes, and I puzzled over how I would look these ducks up since I only had a phonetic spelling in my mind.  Nevertheless, as soon as we got home, I went straight to my buddy Google and typed in

What is a gooey-duck?

Be my guest.  Hint: it doesn't have web feet and go "Quack, Quack."

Baby Steps

Things are looking up today! I drove all by myself somewhere. Freedom!

I hadn't really missed driving.  In fact, I didn't know it made a difference until I was out on the carretera, having successfully navigated the left turn across traffic at the bottom of the hill.  I was on my way to my first yoga class all by myself. And as I settled into the (relatively) easy Mexican road, I realized that the radio was on, tuned in to SiriusXM to one of my favorite stations.  Wow--instant happiness boost!

Later, as I was prepping pico de gallo for our dinner of black beans and rice, it occurred to me that since Bob has unraveled the mysteries of streaming Roku etc. out of the US, maybe we could get Pandora streaming on the TV as well.  Yes! So (of course you'll never guess my cooking dinner station), I happily chopped away.  The rice is ready, the pico de gallo is ready.  All I have to do is heat the beans.  And even more daring, I'm going to have a Corona with dinner, maybe the whole bottle.  Too soon to say.

Bob is reading with his feet up and we have plans to watch last night's Downton Abbey and maybe the James Bond Spectre we've been saving--pirated copy from the market.

And I think I'm going to create a Dean Martin station for our Pandora. Even more happiness. The power of music.

(Somebody please comment so I know you're out there??)

Super Bowl Sunday: A Cloudy Day

Not that one has anything to do with the other, but for some reason I had the blues today: missing my own home where I know where (most) everything is and if I need something I know where to go shopping to find it.  Most of all, I'm missing the kids and friends--all y'all, including Susannah and John who aren't where "home" is, but it feels different here somehow even though we communicate the same way--at a distance.  As the day wore on, that feeling of displacement, dislocation, whatever it was just hung over me like the overcast skies today--the first cloudy day since we got here about 18 days ago.  We got to talk to everybody which helped a lot.  But I really found my own personal cloud lifting when I started cooking tonight's dinner--risotto and shrimp.  Maybe the familiar movements, having everything I needed at hand, doing something productive, but it helped a lot.

Super Bowl? Only the background to my cooking. Time to eat dinner.

....a little while later...

Monday, January 25, 2016

I haven't exactly been faithful about posting here this past year, but I think it might be time to start again.  Maybe?  We'll see.

So I'm not going to rehash what's happened since last summer because whoever is reading this already knows, right? So, backing up to a few days ago, we left Kentucky just ahead of the "blizzard" allegedly headed in our direction.  Taking five relatively short days, we got to Ajijic Wednesday afternoon, January 20th.  We drove straight to our house where Antje (pronounced "awn-cha"), the property manager met us.  Antje's parents resettled from Germany to Mexico in the mid-70s when she was a young girl, and she's lived here ever since. She speaks English, Spanish, and German fluently--possibly others--haven't heard speak any others.  Her family has developed several communities in this area.

Riviera Alta, where our house is, is 400 meters up the mountain (north) from the main highway in the village.  Going laterally (back toward the east), it's about another 600 meters to the gate and our house is just inside on the first street.  We don't have a view of the lake, but we can see the mountains on the other side of the lake.  The community reminds me a lot of Florida areas, with about 40-50 homes.  Each straight is flat but they progress up the mountain in tiers.  Obviously, the higher you are the better the view--and the more expensive the home.  There's a large clubhouse with a very large covered terrace, kitchen, library, gym, and so on. Large beautiful pool and two in-ground hot tubs, plus tennis courts, and, yes, a shuffleboard court.  Sounds just like home, huh? Well, that's the idea.  Most of the residents are American or Canadian, with only about a third who live here year-round.

One of the things I like about this neighborhood is that, unlike some other gated communities, the houses are all different.  There is no cookie-cutter pattern which makes for nice variations.  One thing they all have in common, however, is that none of them are more than a single level.  I think that was probably mandated when the development was first started to insure that nobody lost their view to someone new coming in and building a multi-storey home and blocking the view of the lake.

Our house is like a patio home, about 1500 sf (I'm guessing because they deal in meters here and I'm not very good at converting them; also, here they count all the space that is covered by a roof, including terraces and carports).  Imagine a box with a small green lawn surrounding it on 3 sides.  The 4th side is the double carport and entrance. You come into the house on the west side (carport side) into a wide entry way.  Directly ahead of you are doors to the atrium right in the middle of the house.  To the left is a full bath with the guest bedroom next to it.  The bedroom opens onto the atrium and has a full-length double window that opens onto the back lawn--sort of a private little garden view.  If you turn right from the entry way, you go into the open living area--living room with gas fireplace, kitchen with granite countertops and laundry room and pantry beyond.  (You've now come in a circle from the front door.  Off the living room is a very large sunroom, used as a dining area and additional sitting room.  From there, you step out to the small tiled, covered patio.  The living room opens onto the atrium as well.  From the living room you continue around the atrium to a small TV/sitting room That also opens onto the patio.  And from there into the master bedroom with the 4th entrance to the atrium.  Voila--the box! Through the bedroom are the master bath and walk-in closet.  Very liveable floor plan.  I like it a lot.

Today is a little overcast and the temperature is about 70.  This is the first day since we got to Mexico that the skies have not been a cloudless blue.  The daytime temps have been in the mid-70s, evenings in the 50s. We sleep under the duvet and wear a sweater or long sleeves in the morning until we get outside.  Outside the house is surrounded by fencing covered with blooming bouganvillas that provide privacy from the street and the neighbors.  Along the back, on the mountain side is a wall that serves both for privacy and retaining wall for the houses on the next street up.  There's a cactus garden, a fountain, a large rosemary bush, but not a lot of other blooming plants because this house has been empty for quite awhile.  So the gardener has only had to do minimal yard maintenance.  Today we went to a nursery we had used before and I bought some thyme, oregano, and basil to pot.  There are lots of empty pots around the house.  I also bought two blooming African violets that I couldn't resist.  I broke my vow, after my obsession with them in the Frankfort house, that I would never get hooked again.  It's so pleasant to look around see flowers in bloom and trees with green leaves.  I'm sitting in the sunroom and just glanced outside.  There's a rubber tree right outside the window, about 20 feet tall.  Through a different window I see a ficus about 15 ft tall.  In the atrium are lots of potted palms which are our responsibility to keep watered.  Fortunately, there's a faucet and a curly hose in there.