Will I ever get caught up on this blog?  Here are some more December observations --
Posted business hours are only a suggestion, as are traffic lights and signage for speed limit and no passing, for example.  We, however, have been stopped twice by one cop for ambiguous reasons here.  After great discussion in broken Spanish and English, the result was "OK, no pay".  The Guadalajara Reporter (English language newspaper here) reports that the minimum wage in Mexico goes up to $60.5 pesos per DAY.  The exchange rate has been hovering at 13.5 to 1 pesos to dollar.  For comparison, the minimum wage in San Francisco goes to $10/HOUR for 2012.  Amazing!  Also amazing, Chapala just elected their youngest mayor ever.  He is 25 yrs old, with a law degree and two years previous political experience!

Regarding the quest for the Weber BBQ, we found that the reason they are so expensive is that the ones we see here are assembled in China after being made in the US, and then they are shipped here.  So I'm assuming it's the duties and taxes for all the back and forth that makes the high price tag.