Goodbye Parties and Thoughts of Returning

We made a trip to Guadalajara to spend a morning with Steve, Cuqui, Lupita and Mrs. Torres. We have enjoyed so much our time with them and have learned a lot of Espanol too. We went to a very lovely restaurant for breakfast and then to Lupita's home to see her art. She is more fantastic than she knows and I hope that in the near future she will have an exhibit so that many more people can appreciate her work.
On the trip back, we went again thru Jocotepec. We hoped to be adventurous and have a bowl of birria (goat stew). Well, we just forgot that it was Friday and all of the places usually serving it were not. Jocotepec is a very Mexican and Catholic little town.
So, we stopped instead at a tourist place in a Balneario in San Juan Cosala and had our lunch. That place is a maze of pools of varying degrees and on Friday just chock full of little children. They also have all of the spa things-massages etc. I have been told its great. Just another treat waiting for next time.
Warmer weather is here. The mornings are still just perfect and if you walk in the shade so is the rest of the day but it gets up to over 72. The evenings are balmy so that's great.
We have looked at several places to rent but will see about what's happening at home before deciding what we will try next year.
Tomorrow we will go on an art walk and take in another good bye dinner - love it - Yep, we will miss this place and everyone here.
art

Jacarandas and Jocotepec

Well, time is winding down. We have only one more week. I am getting ready for cold and dark but am not liking it. The climate here is just right and the flowers and trees are so beautiful The people, everyone of them are very friendly. We can almost pass for Canadians since most of them have family or friends in Seattle.

I finished my portrait class on Friday and am pleased with what I have learned and the progress that I have made. There were only three students in the class and we all became friends. On Monday we will visit the home of Elaine, one of the students. We are all looking forward to seeing her home because it was in the book, "Behind the Walls". It has been Elaine's creative outlet for the past 8 years and it looks beautiful. So we will all go out to dinner after. I am interested also because it is in the town of Ajijic and it would seem to me that that is where I would want to live if I ever rented or had a house here.

I have seen license plates - my little game - from 33 states so far. I'm not looking for Canada plates but I haven't seen Yukon yet.

We took a bus to Jocotepec today. Saw the town square, where there is a carved sign saying that the town was founded in 1529! Open markets, many people, and lots of restaurants serving birria (very popular goat stew, looks good but we had just had breakfast). We are certain (Elva is anyway) that Lorena Ochoa was sitting in the square with her nieces. If not it was a girl who could pass as Lorena. We also saw the malecon in Jocotepec which has a whole park which contains exercise equipment. The malecon (like a board walk) is new and is about a kilometer long. It is all planted beautifully and has many sculptures. There was a wonderful cool breeze coming off the lake.

Recently all of the Jacaranda trees have come into bloom. Suddenly purple flowers--really purple trees--everywhere among the green of the other trees. The blossoms last a month, I am told but as they drop, the ground under and around the trees turns purple. There is also a tree called the Orchid tree which is a sight to behold - very surprising to see orchid blooms on a tree. Another tree that blooms soon has yellow blossoms. Along with the purple it must be a real treat. Unfortunately we will be gone.

Many people who live here year round enjoy the rainy season from June to October most of all. It rains at night time in the summer and is warmer (up to about 82 degrees) in mid day but everything blooms and is green. Every morning winter or summer it is beautiful and cool until about 12 or 1. Maybe next time we will come in the summer. Of course that means not complaining about the winter at home.

Music and Mexicans

Friday night we went with Helen and Doug to opening night of the Northern Lights 7th annual music festival. What beautiful music! Held in the "auditorio" in Ajijic, the acoustics were perfect, and at about 450 people the event was sold out. Organizers had brought together outstanding musicians from the UK, Canada, US and Mexico to form the best chamber orchestra you ever heard. During a 2 1/2 hour program my favorite was Los Cuatro Estaciones (The Four Seasons) by Astor Piazzolla. As a tribute to Vivaldi there are occasional echos of some of his melodies, but the work is mostly based on a tango/jazz combination that is irrresistable. We'll go back for more this week. Find out more at http://www.northernlightsmusic.ca/ .

This was the first event that we have attended where it seemed that the entire audience was composed of Americans and Canadians. Ajijc is not like a seaside resort. Here the english-speaking community mixes well with the Mexicans. We have only found a few restaurants, loncherias, and fondas where the majority of diners are not Mexican. The same is true in the grocery stores and drug stores. Despite the numbers of Americans and Canadians who have made this area their home this is still a very Mexican town. All of the streets are cobblestone except for the main highway through town. Many of the Mexicans keep horses, and wherever you are you can often see and hear horses on the cobblestone streets. Of course ATVs, smart cars, vans and trucks are more common. There is always music being played, and several times every week there is some traditional activity--never fakey stuff for tourists, but always by and for the Mexican people who live here.