As seen from our roof last night, and frequently...

Just like in high school and college, I procrastinate, and now there is so much to write about I don't know where to begin. The holidays as celebrated in the states have come and gone. Family visitors left on Wed. and took the week's fabulous weather with them. Before they arrived we had several days of uncharacteristic chilly weather, including two days of rain! I questioned the locals - what is this rain all about? From some expats that live here, and from my gardener, I was told these are called the "cabanuelas". They are predictors of this coming year's rains for purposes of planning harvest. If you Google the term you will find all kinds of interesting stuff.

Some new friends here have gotten me connected to some neat opportunities. A Writers' Group meets here twice a month, and in the group are all the folks who write for local English publications that we see in print in the area. I went to a meeting with my new friend as sponsor, and it was great fun. There was so much talent in the room - I felt humbled to be included, but at the same time energized, as I think I could do this! If I had only thought to bring down examples of my published stuff... I also am going to begin work with a woman who hosts a network for local women online. The info on their website is in need of an update/clean-up in several areas, and that is my forte. My jewelry group is in high gear as well, with a bunch of newbies on board. All of us who don't feel qualified to produce and sell our jewelry (yet) will have the opportunity to learn from some of the local women who do. Lots of classes are planned for teaching purposes. I can't wait! At the same time Gregg has not been able to pull together a fishing trip. Perhaps in March ...

Things here are the same, yet different, each time we visit. As long as we are "Snowbirds" our experience will change every time we visit. We have have had some really unpleasant experiences this year - including moving in to our supposedly "fully equipped" home in which the TV and dishwasher  didn't work, and there were leaks in two places inside when it rained. In addition there was no iron, salt and pepper shakers, storage containers, mixing bowls, can openers, spare sheets and towels and - in a 2 bd rm house there were only 12 hangers! The 2nd bedroom had only a bed - nothing else. Wow.  Be very careful when finding things online (as we have always done). Ask LOTS of questions and be sure you get answers you are satisfied with. And be prepared to be flexible.

Will post again soon about things going on here. There is always so much.  As well, there is lots to talk about regarding area politics and the daily goings on.

Poinsettias in our garden

These are growing in our back yard... It's clear that it's Christmas time here!

So, the other night we apparently had a "Last Night before the End of the World" party happening at a club that is maybe half a kilometer away. I had been watching the Nat Geo programming earlier to see what the various crazies were saying. It was entertaining, but this party was epic!  Went on until who knows when, because I finally put in ear plugs. You know, any excuse for a party, right? Cannot do all-nighters any more.

Tonight we went to a fantastic restaurant very near to us - we could walk, if I didn't mind walking at night! The chef (Ernesto) took care of us exclusively, as we went early. We also had the benefit of hearing about his background, etc. What a character! Said he has been married 3 times - American, Chinese and Cuban wives. His father was Spanish and his mother Mexican. His menu is wonderful, mostly Spanish-inspired, Grande tapas. Probably the best food in Ajijic right now, although it's always REALLY hard to pick one out from the group. We had Paella which is something Gregg does exceptionally well, so there was some macho going on. When we left, Gregg invited him to our house for his Paella after the New Year, so we will see...

Tomorrow night is Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) here. Last year we were staying in the barrio and there literally were bonfires on our street, music, dancing, drinking and general partying until dawn. As for this year, we have an Open House in the village at a new friend of mine's house by the lake. Christmas day is a brunch at the house of our friends from Oregon. It is beginning to feel like a second home here, with lots of new friendships developing. It will likely be quieter in OUR neighborhood when we get home tomorrow evening, I hope.

I will finish with some random thoughts:

The new administration took office on Dec. 1st here, and there is a lot of skepticism - Mexicans and Foreigners alike. Calderon's administration caught and jailed most of the major drug cartel leaders. Pena's plans do not include chasing any of the big guys, but rather putting increased police personnel in the villages to stem the tide of "new recruits" due to the huge problem here. Sounds good, but he has no money to increase forces, has no info on how he will recruit these people and folks are thinking it's a lot of talk and no back-up.

In closing... in the "Who Would have Thought" category:

They are actually monitoring air quality in Guadalajara the same as they do up North now. It has been bad lately. And...in the plazas in Guadalajara and Zapopan and Tlaquepaque (2 suburbs) they have set up ice rinks, with 600 pairs of skates that are free to users for a half hour. Very cool!

Grande grasshopper

It's been awhile since my last post, but not due to a lack of things to write about. I've been working through a new technical challenge - downloading pictures from my IPhone that are publishable. I think it is still a work in progress... See the picture on the left taken with my phone. Grasshoppers here can get as big as 4" long. The detail is lacking, but you get the idea.

The weekend of the Feria, I mentioned in my last post, was a blur. It was a huge success for the artisans that traveled from all parts of Mexico(expenses paid by donation), for our area in terms of tourism and for the more general goal to promote the continuation of this fading tradition of free market sales of indigenous art in this  country that is so rich in that. We worked as volunteers all 4 days and it was an amazing experience. Because my photos are lacking, I want to share a local man's website with you for really detailed info and excellent photos. His name is Tony Passarello, and his site is: antoniorambles.com. He also has many great photos documenting the Dia de los Muertos celebration, and the Revolucion holiday which spanned several days in both cases. Bottom line, if there is any excuse to do so they will party for days...

As for us, we have had an interesting time adjusting to living out of town. Gregg wanted to bring bikes down (we did). Most of the area is paved with rocks - not cobblestone, but rocks - except for along the main thoroughfare. We have not exercised the bikes since we arrived. Another challenge: We have a very few neighbors in our gated community and we just haven't connected with them yet. Not for lack of trying either. Only one has come forward to meet us.  We have invited them for dinner this week. No one uses the shared pool here - I mean NO ONE. When my daughter and grandson come to visit next month that will change!

Right now, things are really happening all over the area. The Christmas season in Mexico lasts well into the new year. There are fundraisers for local orphanages and other groups, to help the locals that are in need, that will be going on until March. Expats and transplants here from points North are willing donors to all the area establishments that are doing the good work. No wonder they are so tolerant of us all.

Amazing, huge, flowers that grow in our back yard.  Below is the view looking out over the lake from our Mirador. The succulents probably come from the vivero (nursery) that is next door to this gated group of twelve lots (6 houses w/1 under construction) and a small, shared pool. The nursery is "cactus only", est. in 1991, and has many, many different kinds. Really neat! I want to go wander around in there sometime soon. Between our little community and the lake are some very large and beautiful homes. I speculate that they may belong to druglords' families... It's possible that I read too many crime novels, though. I feel completely safe here.

As I did in posts from our last visit, I will share some interesting info from the Guadalajara Reporter. I have already read in various sources how well the Mexican economy is doing (very well, gracias), but the wealth is not shared by all, as you may imagine.  Example: 52 Guad. neighborhoods will finally gain permanent access to running water next year. This is in a very cosmopolitan city of about 7 million people (counting all the neighborhoods outside of the muni. of Guad. that I mentioned).  This is astounding to me. Related to this, a new dam is under construction in Jalisco to provide water to 2.4 million people in the area. The only catch - three established towns will be flooded when the project is complete.  Construction has continued despite appeals being legally filed by residents (and ignored or dismissed by Mexico's Supreme Court). The project is 53% complete, and is scheduled to be finished in 2013.

On the positive side, the skate park that just opened was made possible by a 50/50 collaboration of federal and local monies, and is working well. And...the arts community is forever strong here. Later this week is the 11th annual Feria Maestros del Artes which brings folk and indigenous artisans here from all parts of Mexico. We will be volunteering all days, and I can't wait.  This is some of the best artwork available anywhere. Below is a link to their website:
http://www.mexicoartshow.com/ 

No picture this time. I have lots to write about and no time to take new pics right now.

The Dia de los Muertos holiday is drawing to an end. The only part of it we were able to be a part of was a really fun event called "Thrill the World", which apparently happens in many locations. People dress up like zombies and do a choreographed dance to M. Jackson's Thriller. People who take part get sponsors and all proceeds go to charity. Ajijic's group was about 40 strong, young and old - Gringo and locals - and it was REALLY well done. There is a woman locally who is really talented and trains people for a couple of months beforehand. Unfortunately, the sun was too bright and the orientation wrong for pics.

The skate park I mentioned, was dedicated by local parks and gov. folks as well as the architect involved who is related to friends of ours here. It's pretty neat - right on the lake - and the day of dedication there was a competition that drew competitors from all over Mexico, as well as live music later on in the day. If I knew how to incorporate my video taken on my IPhone in this blog I would share it with you. I'm thinking both of these events are probably on YouTube.

Our new place is great in many aspects. The kitchen is huge and cabinet space is amazing there in. What a treat for Gregg and for me, as I don't get in his way when he's cooking and I am trying to clean up behind him! We have had issues that we shouldn't have, that are not resolved yet. The dishwasher doesn't work and our satellite service is wacked (read: intermittent). As usual the place is missing a lot of things that we need.  And as usual, we are checking out all second-hand options. Today we went to a local woman's sale that is leaving in a month and selling EVERYTHING. This happens a lot here, so if you can jump on these opportunities when they come up you can really get some deals. Today we got two German knives worth over  $125US ea.as well as a 3rd knife worth $30 all 3 for $40US. Houses can be purchased like this as well. It's all about being there at the right time, you know? More soon ...

This restaurant us right down the street!

At the end of our first couple of weeks here we already have had lots of things going on -some not so different than at home in Oregon. I went to a class/mtg. with my semi-pro jewelry making group here. We watched the Oregon football game on ESPN (yes, we have cable TV here), and other than that, we returned to the gym here and have had some great meals. Gregg and our hostess in Ajijic, until the 1st, have been trading off cooking most dinners. Interestingly, a fellow who lives across the street is from Bend, OR and had dinner here one night. He plays golf, and is a fisherman so Gregg is looking forward to a Dorado (tuna) fishing excursion in the near future. And... our host used to be the wine steward at an upscale supermarket in Oregon City, so we have also enjoyed some great wines - including some bottles of Oregon Pinot that we brought to share and a couple from his cellar.

The weather has been wonderful - 78 to 84 degrees every day depending on when the low clouds/fog burn off over the lake. We did have heavy rain one night.  I think most of the 1.17 in. of rain they have had in Oct. fell that night, actually! We are told that it NEVER rains this late in the year here, but there is a threat for several days this week. At least the temps are still warm when it is dropping the rain that never happens this time of year...

In the next post I'll talk about our house, that we move into on Tues., and the Dia de Los Muertos festivities this week. Also, there is a new skate park, just finished, in the park by the lake - BIG news here!

Another beautiful Ajijic sunset

Getting ready to leave Oregon, I thought of the things I will miss while in Mexico. It started out a good-sized list and ended up short: Really good coffee, real Pinot Noir, Chanterelle mushrooms picked 2 hrs. from home, salmon caught at the coast 3 hrs from home, coupons for groceries, reliable phone and internet service and my family - especially my Grandson! The other things that started on the list, I realized, amounted to differences between life here and there - not needs. We are in their place as visitors and should always keep that in mind.

Our trip down was much easier, but not completely uneventful. The drive was 6 nights and 7 days. At vehicle registration we sailed through in half the time (about 45 min) it took last year and avoided inspection of our overpacked car, getting the green light again. No burning tankers on the side of the road to slow traffic to a stop like last year. However... our first night in Mexico we planned to pass Cuidad Obregon based on our disastrous stay there last year, and drive on through to Navajoa. It was not to be. There wasn't a single room in town available to rent! There was a HUGE fiesta with serious sound stage and all the other street party amenties. I've never seen so many bikers in one place (hundreds) - but then I've never been to Sturgis either... Had to return to Obregon, wasting 2hrs and $10US going back thru the tollgate. The room we got was tiny, no internet, loud and there was no cold water in the shower. The only positive to this experience was a wonderful gatekeeper for the parking lot who was anxious to help with anything and to practice his English, while helping me with my Spanish.

On to Mazatlan the last night travelling and the experience was just the opposite. The place is called Las Villas. Beautiful room on the beach, wonderful meal and fantastic service. Of course, early Oct. is still off-season and only about 15 rooms were rented out of 65. Downside was the the temp and humidity - the same at about 90.

Next day: Our last day on the road was going fine until we came upon a convoy of Federale trucks and two "vehicular tanks" - one in front and one at the back, right in front of us. It had no windows and an open "lid" like a tank with a cop covered in black from head to toe (including his face), and holding a machine gun. He stood and watched us for 45 min while they drove much below the speed limit looking for drug runners, no doubt. The rest of the drive to Ajijic was smooth due to new signage and lots of road improvements going through Guadalajara. We arrived on Monday, and so far it's all good!
Beauti