Thoughts on Mexico

I can't believe I have already been home almost a month! I think I ended my posts about Mexico before I even left there because I didn't have computer access during my last 4 days there. But the last part of the trip was really exciting! Doug, Brianne, and I went to Cuernavaca together and then made a pilgrimage down to a little town, Chilapa, for their weekly Sunday market. It was somewhat grueling, but I think definitely worth it! It was a long drive from SMA to Cuernavaca, made even longer by our detours through Toluca. Toluca is a large city southwest of Mexico City. Although it has big easy roads, getting around is nearly impossible if you don't know your way. We missed our turn and got really turned around. We eventually turned off onto small roads and after a dead-end dirt road, and hours of driving, we found our way to the main highway. It was beautiful country. Some of it was in the Sierra Madre, some in the dusty farm lands of central Mexico. All of it was interesting, slightly stressful (navigating with a pitiful map) and beautiful.

We drove into Cuernavaca before dark which was the most important factor. It was fun staying outside of downtown because I was able to see parts of the city I had never seen before. After we settled in, we got in a taxi headed for el centro. It was hopping! There was all kinds of different dances going on. We saw break dancers, Aztec dancers and drummers, and even traditional salsa being danced by elderly couples. Then we went to the church, but there was a wedding in progress so we couldn't really go in and check it out. After walking around a little, we went to eat at La India Bonita the first night. It wasn't great. The best part of it was the dance show after dinner. It was incredibly warm there compared to SMA, although it did get a little chilly after the sun went down.

The next day we took a trip down to Chilapa. It was a 6-8 hour drive round trip. It was too much for one day really, but we had a pretty good time. And we found the little boxes we were looking for. The town is basically a long dusty strip of road in a valley. We went up and down narrow windy roads to get there. What looks like a blip on a map, was actually much longer because of the driving conditions.
Originally, we were going to drive to Olinala where the boxes we were looking for are actually made. They are made of wood from trees that grow there. Well, that idea was quickly dashed when we realized how much longer it would be. We would never get there and back before dark.

When we arrived we were all extremely hungry. We stopped at a place I spotted. They had pork and pork. It was cooked in a tasty sauce. I was a little worried, but ate it because I was so famished. While we were there we asked the girls working there about our lacquer boxes. One of the girls said, "Oh, boxes like this?" and pulled one out of her backpack. She offered her sister to show us the location of the table in the market. I was pretty sure their would be someone selling them at the market, since it is the closest market to the tiny town in the mountains. Sure enough.

They had hundreds of boxes all lacquered and hand painted with either flowers or whimsical little creatures. Brianne grabbed mostly floral boxes. All very beautiful. She was a quick little shopper! I got mostly animal boxes. The couple, Antonio Cortes Calzada and Rafaela Castillo Rendon, from whom we bought the boxes and gourds are from Olinala originally, but now live and work in Chilapa. They were incredibly nice. They invited us to come see their home and where they work. They also offered to contact family members in Olinala to show us around. Unfortunately we were not able to take advantage of their generosity due to the time constraints, but NEXT TIME!!!

That was pretty much all the shopping we had time for. Brianne stopped and got a mask and a bunch of straw/cornhusk flowers. They were obviously getting ready for Christmas (which is a HUGE holiday in Mexico) because they had loads of green and red decorations made of straw, including wreaths, flowers, and garlands.

After shopping for about an hour, we hopped back in the car and drove all the way back to Cuernavaca. It was fine until we got into Cuernavaca after dark. It was difficult driving, we were all really tired, and on edge.

Somehow we made it back to La Casa de Malinche in one piece. For dinner we caught a cab down to La Gringa Tacos. They were some of the best tacos I have ever had! We had al pastor which is marinated grilled pork (see photo) with a sliver of pineapple on top of each taco along with cilantro and onion. It was so damn good. And dinner for 3 was $15 or less. That was one of the most memorable dinners of my time in Mexico.

The next day we slept in. And then toured around town. Unfortunately, in Cuernavaca as all over Mexico, museums are all closed. So, we didn't have much exciting to do and I was really bummed because I really wanted to show Doug and Brianne all of my favorite museums, of which there are many. The Robert Brady Museum, one of the most memorable of all. He was aa American guy who lived in Mexico most of the year and also happened to be independently wealthy. He traveled all over the world collecting folk art and his "house" is chock full of folk art. Most of the rooms are available for viewing. It is located in a building that was at one time a convent. It also has beautiful gardens. I hope they go back when the museums are open!

Doug suggested that we go to Las Mananitas (on him) and have lunch. It was quite a treat and very generous of him to offer. It was first class all the way... including the prices. But, everything was really amazing, including the service. My only complaint was that drinks weren't refilled for free which seems really ridiculous. But it really was a great dining experience. I ordered the Mexican plate with a quesadilla with huitlacoche (corn fungus), a chile relleno with white sauce, and chicken enchiladas one with salsa roja and one with salsa verde. All of it was served with guacamole and rice and beans. I had to take leftovers home, which I ate for breakfast the next morning.

New Family Member!

Meet Ruby Rose! She is my new puppy. She is a Chihuahua Pug, about 9 months old. I met her on Wednesday and picked her up on Saturday morning. She is really cute (as you can see). She also has serious anxiety when I leave the room. Tomorrow when I go to work things are going to be very interesting. On a good note, she did very well in her crate last night. Although, she did wake me up at 6:30am. When I took her out she didn't want to go potty at all. No pee, no poop. I crawled back in bed, but realized that it was a lost cause and that I most likely wouldn't be getting any more sleep. It will be good because I won't have any problems getting up in the morning.
She is quite the couch potato. She would happily spend most of the day on the couch under a blanket. Her favorite one right now it the Mexican striped blanket.

Yesterday I brought her home to introduce her to the rest of her family. The cats are doing much better than I expected. It helps that Ruby almost couldn't care less about Rascal and Pearl. They are certainly more interested in her than she is in them. Rascal seems to be very curious and will get pretty close to check her out. He even chased her lead which I left attached. Pearl was much more upset, which I knew would be the case. She isn't hissing at her at this point, which is progress. Pearl even jumped on the couch when Ruby was safely asleep and sniffed her out. I think it is only a matter of time before they are all cuddling together. Especially Ruby and Pearl. It goes to follow since they both have the same favorite pastime: sleeping.

So far Ruby has met Paul, her grandparents Julie and Mark, and Rita. She ignored my parents' cats completely. She is very social with people. She seems to love kids because whenever she sees a small person she stops to check them out. The thing she hates most is when I leave her alone. Like when I go in the other room to brush my teeth or take a shower (oh, that's right, that's why I haven't taken a shower yet). She comes up to the doggy gate between the living room and the bedrooms and cries like a baby. It is really rather pathetic.

Ruby does like to go for walks and trots along, usually in front of me. At times she will slow down and things can get interesting because she is so small. I am afraid I am going to step on her!

Today I took Ruby with me to get my nails done. She sat on my lap contentedly the entire time. The sound of the water pouring into the foot soaker freaked her out at first, but she got used to it quickly. This afternoon we are going for a walk around the lake with my friend K.S. I may end up walking her some of the way, but usually she is happy walking.

I am learning about house training her, including potty training. Ick. This morning at around 7am she started circling the living room. I almost didn't catch her in time. One little drop of fairly dry poop came out and I grabbed her and took her outside. At the grass she didn't want to go in to potty. I stayed out there until she decided she was ready. I was relieved because I didn't want to get back upstairs and have a repeat performance.

There is a thing about the stairs. She is okay on the first flight, but the second flight, she completely freezes. This is both coming and going, up and down. It is something we will have to work on with treats. So far I am trying to not be too hard core, but also not too accommodating. I think there are bets about how long it will take me to let her sleep in bed with me. I did very well last night. And I feel strongly that Pearl should have some time to have me to herself. This is a difficult adjustment for her too.

Home Sweet Home

I arrived home on Tuesday evening. I can't believe I have almost been home a whole week! It has really flown by. And in a few days we will be celebrating Thanksgiving! Jeeze. Well, I have much more to say, but for now it is good to be home. Tomorrow I start work again, after a month off. I am happy I have a three day week and then some time off again. It is good to get back into things slowly. My house is mostly back in order. It was a disaster because after my birthday party I pretty much just threw things in the back room in a pile. This week I have been cleaning up and putting things away and doing piles of laundry. Fun. I also went out and bought a few things to make some fun Thank You cards. That will be my project next week.
Mexico was amazing as usual. I am already planning my next expedition down there!
More thoughts on Mexico and traveling to come...
And photos... Finally!

Adentures in Mexico

The computer is extremely slow this morning. Very frustrating, so this will be short.
I woke up this morning with a big swollen eye. I figure I was bit by a spider or mosquito in the night. It was almost completely shut. Glad I am not going to school today.

Doug, Brianne and I are going on a trip to Cuernavaca and to a couple of small villages south of there. I am really exciteded to be going with them as they are great company and will appreciate the adventure of it. The one of the villages has a market on Sundays and the other is known for painted laquer boxes. I think I may have written about it earlier.

I need to get the map and stuff which may take some time given the speed of the computer today. Adios para ahora.

Mi Ultimo Dia en San Miguel de Allende

So, it's my last evening here in SMA. Time, as usual, has flown by. I feel like I just arrived! After school today I went to a knitting (crocheting, and quilting too) group with Brianne and finished the sweater I started in June. It's a good thing, because it is actually really cold here, especially in the evenings and in the morning. When the sun comes out, all is grand. In any case, the knitting group is a group of women who live in SMA, including one woman from Mexico City. I even got to practice my Spanish a little. It was good to meet some people who live here. I think they are all really interesting and have great stories to tell. When I come back, I will definitely be in touch. I guess I feel at home with other "artists."
This morning was interesting. I woke up at 5am, before the sun rose, to the sound of really bad singing through a mega-phone, with acapella accompaniment. They were singing about Santa Maria Ava... at least that is what I remember from the fog of my brain at dark o'clock. I tried really hard to ignore it, but wasn't successful. Although I have earplugs with me, I find it hard to fall asleep with them because I can hear my heart beating in my ears. So, I didn't have them in. Not that it would have mattered! Eventually I fell back to sleep. Then at 7:30 or so, I am wakened again by a big marching band coming down the street. I threw on a sweatshirt and ran outside to check out the action. It was a much smaller group than I expected. And I didn't take any photos because I have seen that the people from more rural areas ("campesinos") really do not like having their photos taken. Although it was a small group, there were even some dancers.

Yesterday, after a trip to the inaugural opening of the department store "Liverpool" there was a group of campesinos marching down the street in the afternoon at around 3pm. It is amazing to me the contrast between the have and have-nots here. Liverpool was a glittery place like Macy's with REALLY expensive clothes, shoes, makeup, and everything else you can think of. There were mostly rich Mexicans shopping, although we didn't see many purchases happening. On the other hand, the other typical life lived in Mexico is that of the people who are extremely poor. They work hard. They live out in the ranches and rural areas seemingly in the middle of nowhere. (You will often be in a bus that will stop to let someone off in the middle of the highway, maybe at a crossroads, or maybe not. They will disappear into the shrubs.) And they are very very religious. According to my Spanish teacher, there are pilgrimages all throughout the year such as the ones I have seen (or heard). The one I am really bummed that I missed was the caballeros marching through town on their horses. I had heard about it, and seen some of them on the way back to the house from Liverpool. But, they marched through while I was on my way home and I missed them! I really would have loved to see them. I heard there were at least 500 of them. They make a pilgrimage to be blessed (maybe here at the Parroquia, the big church in town - there are numerous churches of course) and then go on to the next blessing. I will have to do more research on the event.
I have met so many amazing people down here. I am really sad to leave.
I would highly recommend the Academia where I took my Spanish classes, and my teachers Aida (group) and Ezequiel (private) in particular! I really got to know Ezequiel pretty well, because a lot of what we did was converse. He has a lot in common with me in how we look at the world and also what kinds of things he has done for a living. Before teaching, he worked at CASA which is an agency for battered women and he did groups with people regarding various gender issues. I gather he did other things more administrative as well. Now, in addition to teaching he works with a non profit agency that gives loans to people (mostly in the campos/rural areas) so they are able to start little businesses. I believe he helps them with all of the processes involved with starting a small business. And he is a great teacher too!
Well, for now, that's it. My hands and wrists are getting sore.
Hasta mas tarde. Besos.

Escuela y Mas Escuela

Buenos dias!
I haven't had time to write for a couple of days... mostly because I have been in school studying Spanish 4 hours a day. I think today is Thursday and today is my last private lesson. That is good because I am feeling like I really want to do something else in the afternoon, but I can't because I have class. Anyway, I can really tell that my Spanish is MUCH better. I definitely need to continue taking classes during the year and maybe find a conversation group or a cute Mexican man to speak with regularly. I need to start up my salsa dancing again!
Anyway, not much has happened here. I have been busy studying and have done a little shopping here and there. I am really enjoying hanging out with Doug and Brianne. We have had some pretty interesting and deep conversations. It wasn't deep but last night, they told me about 2 girls, traveling gringas, who died in their hotel room because they left their heater on in the night and it killed them with carbon monoxide poisoning. Awful. I had no idea about those heaters because I have never had one. When I first arrived, Doug was explaining how to use the heater in my room and told me not to leave it on when I was sleeping. He didn't tell me why! Even so, I have been very careful to turn it off every night. I guess when he said it he made an impression (and I want to be good guest). Anyway. I don't think it would be possible for me to die in the room where I am staying because it is really big and airy with lots of cracks in the windows and a very tall ceiling.

The ceiling is really cool actually. It is a dome made with brick. Every morning I wake up looking at it and wondering how the hell they made it. I am certain they built it by hand, but I have no idea how. It has a beautiful symetric pattern emminating (my spelling sucks and I don't know how to use spell check on this Mac) out from the center.

There have been a few experiences I will write about when I have more time. One is garbage collection day, another is about the old ladies I have met, and yesterday I met a guy with candied apples and guyabas. He let me take a photo of them (but not of him). Those are the ones that come to mind right now, but I am sure there are a few others... I try to write the gist of it down when it happens so I won't forget. I am 40 now after all. The brain just isn't the same. :)

Carnitas Galore

On the way into Delores Hidalgo, we went to eat carnitas at Vincente's. Brianne told me the rule: "As you are walking into the restaurant, do not look into the big pot on the left." Well, of course I had to check it out... This is why I don't cook carnitas myself! It was a giant stainless steel vat of oil and pig parts; all the parts. (Maybe I can get Anthony to try the cabeza/head? He will eat anything!) But, damn that shit was good! We ordered chips and guacamole. You have to order chips down here, they don't just come with a meal. Usually there is at least one salsa, in this case there were two, one hot and one salsa fresca. And a pile of carnitas, both ribs and white meat, with loads of handmade tortillas. GOOD GOOD GOOD! It seems to be a popular place among the gringo population here as well as with the Mexican folks. At around 1pm when we arrived there were only a few other people. But by the time we left we were surrounded... a giant family of Mexicans were sitting right next to us eating chicharron (fried pig skin), empanadas, tacos, and carnitas.

After stuffing ourselves, we headed down the street. Someone asked Doug, who was driving, where he was headed and weren't we going to the ceramics shops. He said,"Oh, I was heading for ice cream. Were we going shopping?" We didn't stop for ice cream. I am not too crazy for ice cream, but hear it is excellent down here.

The shops were actually HUGE warehouses FULL of plates, bowls, cups, sinks, vases, dining sets, spoons, boxes, planters, whimsical animals for the wall or for plants, and even a fish serving dish that is made with space underneath for a little fire to keep the food warm. That I will have to have a photo of so you can see it! Very funny. Basically, anything you can think of, you could find. And everything is painted with brilliant colors in various patterns, many with a floral theme. I thought if I didn't bring too much money I wouldn't spend much. Famous last words! I borrowed some cash and got everything I wanted. And then some! I keep wondering how I am going to get it all home without breaking it.

I am making dinner tonight: pasta with shrimp and veggies, and a salad. And maybe even chocolate chip cookies. Mmmm.

AKA Todos Santos

I have almost been here a whole week already! Wow. Time flies when you are having a good time! Last week seems like a blur. But I have more to say about Dia de los Muertos...
On Friday Brianne, Doug, their friend Suzanne (very fun, friendly person) and I took a short walk over to the old cemetery. They no longer bury people there because it got too small for the ever increasing population of SMA. Interestingly, there are plenty of gringos in the cemeteries. There was even one who died in 1908 or so. The old cemetery has been totally locked up for many years and only recently did they open in for Dia de los Muertos. A group of Mexican women get together on Nov. 1 and decorate all of the graves, hang papel picado, and make an altar. This year the altar was for a man who was a big radio personality in SMA who died last year. Apparently he was very well known and respected in the community.

After touring the cemetery we had a pleasant lunch at a small place on the way home. We all had beautiful salads with real lettuce, carrots, beets, cucumbers, and avocado. The wait staff all spoke perfect English. And if I spoke in Spanish they responded in English. I find many people will do that. It works for me. I get to practice my Spanish while they practice their English.

That was the big event of the day. I haven't been going out at night, because it feels weird to go alone and I am just as happy having dinner and conversation here with D&B. The first few nights we were trying out two different cooks. It was fun to do little critiques of their Mexican cooking. Some of it was excellent (the green salsa one made was to die for) and some was pretty bad (apples, pineapples, and nuts with cream). In any case, I have now been earning my keep by cooking a few things... which I am loving! It is so nice to be appreciated.

The first dish was chocolate bread pudding. I call it Pudding de Dia de los Muertos because I made it Friday and because I made it with pan de muertos (special bread for the day) and the chocolate (with cinnamon) they use here to make hot chocolate. It tasted really good, but it was not at all light and fluffy like the last bread pudding I made. Maybe the altitude was a problem? SMA is at 6500 feet.

Last night after visiting a really interesting gallery, owned by a couple from Berkeley (more on that later), I made potato leek soup, green salad, and zuccini cheddar muffins and bread. It all came out pretty well. Apparently Doug REALLY loves soup, so I made a friend! I just love cooking so much! I am going to do some chocolate chip cookies tonight because there are no good cookies here in SMA.

One thing I am not able to do as well as the Mexicans is their carnitas! On Saturday D&B and Suzanne and I took a ride into Delores Hidalgo. It is in this city that most of the talavera (brightly painted ceramic dishes, etc) are from. Puebla is also known for it's talavera, which is supposedly nicer and has a commiserate price tag. I personally think they are totally different, like comparing apples and oranges.

Running off to school.

Dia de los Muertos

Did I mention I had the best birthday ever? I have the most awesome family and friends!

In any case, here I am in San Miguel de Allende. I am staying with Doug and Brianne, father and step-mother of my good friend Alison. I wish she was here with me! But, I am making due. Doug and Brianne are awesome! Their home is beautiful (we're talking Home and Garden beautiful!), they have been extremely welcoming, helpful, and very fun to hang out with.

The first day I was here I stayed in the house all day. I spent time on the roof terrace, reading and chatting with D&B, in the courtyard when the roof got too hot, in the bed taking a luxurious 2.5 hour nap, in the TV room watching the news, and in the dining room eating a lovely meal of green bean soup, albondigas (meatballs) with red sauce, rice, and one of the best green salsas I have ever had in my life. It was a good day.

In the morning I went to a yoga class with D&B. It was perfect since I haven't done yoga in ages. I was stiff! So, the class is held in a room in the Bellas Artes, which is located a couple blocks away in an amazing colonial style building, all the rooms set around a large courtyard. They had papel picado (colorful, cut tissue paper) strung all over the walkways around the center. After yoga was breakfast and then a jaunt to check out the local Spanish language schools. I ended up choosing one that is located almost directly across the street from the hotel K & I stayed in April. Academia has group and private lessons and as I am not here very long, I have decided to do both for a week. I started with one private class yesterday and will continue for the rest of next week with both. I am very excited to improve a little and possibly be tested for bilingual pay at work eventually. I think I will have to come down here more often if that is going to be a reality. In any case, it is great to have a place to meet people and improve my Spanish.

Thursday and Friday, November 1st and 2nd were huge celebration days here in San Miguel de Allende (SMA) and all over Mexico. They celebrate and eulogize their family members, important people in the community who have had an impact on many lives, and friends. Altars are created which assist the dead to pass back into the world of the living to visit their families. The papel picado is cut with different scenes with skeletons in all different colors of tissue paper. They come in all sizes. I even saw some that were probably 5.5 feet tall and 2 feet wide. These are hung all over town (mostly in the zocalo) and in the cemeteries. Gold or orange marigolds and purple garra de lion (lion's claw) flowers are everywhere. Thursday is a day of preparation. In the zocalo there were students hanging papel picado, erecting a giant altar and putting marigold flowers everywhere. Additionally, there were designs of skulls and ancient Aztec and Mayan gods "painted" with colorful wood chips, corn, seeds, and other natural dry ingredients.
On the way to the main cemetery there is an entire street devoted to stands of florists, people preparing and selling food, and tables with sugar skulls, lambs, hens, and fake food. All of these items have significance in promoting a safe journey for the soul to come back and then return again to the realms of the dead. Most Mexicans are Catholic, so they mostly believe that souls are in heaven. This is a holiday which is definitely not Catholic and originates from the indigenous cultures pre-Spanish take-over.
Inside the cemetery people were busy cleaning the gravestones, painting them white in some cases, and putting colorful flowers all over the tombs. The tombs and plots are different than those in the US in that they are mostly raised, there are very few marble stones, often the grave has a gate around it, and in some cases there is nothing but a simple cross and a mound of dirt. There were also stacked crypts, walls of them, each with a small box facing out, with enough space and a ledge to put flowers on and other items you might find on an altar.
The place was buzzing with activity, but there was very little display of sadness.
November 1st is also a day to specifically celebrate the lives of children who have passed.
In the evening D&B and I went to my favorite place for pozole. It is their favorite place too! Actually it was the first restaurant K and I went to in April. And their pozole is very good. (I have never had better pozole than a little place in Cuernavaca and one of the stand in Coyoacan in Mexico City.) The zocalo was swarming with Mexicans, gringos, and children in costumes, mariachi bands, a skeleton couple on stilts, both before and after we had dinner. It was very exciting and the energy was high.

Mas, mas tarde.

Mexico, where else?

After a whirlwind birthday week, I am back in Mexico. My home away from home. I arrived on Tuesday October 30th early in the morning. The flight was very bumpy, lots of turbulence. Luckily I had some sleeping pills that made me almost anxiety free. Last time I was down here, we stopped in Zacatecas for immigration. This time conveniently there were no stops. Have you ever been through immigration and customs in Mexico? Immigration isn't much different than any other country I have been to, in that the customs officers have little to no affability let alone a sense of humor. They must be very bored. Although I checked my bag (I wanted to bring more than a quart bag of toiletries), it was circling the carousel when I was finished with grumpy pants immigration man. Customs is my favorite part of the process. I guess because it seems so kitch how they decide whether or not they are going to check your bag. After they ask you a bunch of questions about what you are bringing (apparently there is a big business in fashionable clothes down here so many people bring in giant bags full of clothes to sell without claiming it... illegal of course... someone is getting paid) in, you are faced with a thing that looks just like a traffic light with two lights. You push a button. If the green light shines, you are free to pass. On the other hand, if you get a red light, there is a terrible, loud, buzzing sound, just like in a game show when you get an answer wrong. Of course this means you don't pass until they tear through your luggage looking for contraband. They say this process is completely random. I am skeptical. I have only had the red light once since I have been coming to Mexico.
I was greeted by a man holding a sign with my name on it. How is that for special? Well, it comes with a cost of course. A shuttle from the Leon airport to San Miguel de Allende is $28 plus a tip. I guess it is about an hour drive. There was a couple from Arizona who joined me. They were very interesting (both retired teachers from Chicago) and we passed the time chatting and me giving them some suggestions on places to go. I was also able to practice my Spanish a little with the driver. It's like using an atrophied muscle sometimes. I arrived at the front door of my friend's parents by around 9am.
More later...

Road Trip Labor Day Weekend 2007

I am in Ventura California visiting my uncle David.
I drove down from Oakland on Wednesday afternoon. I left work at 1:30pm and arrived in San Luis Obispo at around 5pm. My plan was to meet up with my friend Amber, have dinner, spend the night, and leave for Ventura the next morning. When I arrived in SLO, I got a little lost and had to pee so bad, I thought I was going to piss my pants. I got off the freeway and basically pulled into a parking space across the street from a public restroom and next to the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, which is actually in downtown SLO.

Once I found bladder relief, I made my way over to her place: her grandmother's condo where she lives with her mother and grandmother. Three generations of Boyce women. And Sadie the black and brown mini Dachshund. She is very cute and loves to give kisses right on the kisser. When you say, "that's enough Sadie" she turns her head away, to stop. She can't look at your face without kissing you. Barbara, Amber's mom, is a very sweet, very interesting woman. She engaged us in conversation and told me there was a good story about how she acquired Sadie which she ended up telling me later. After taking Sadie for a short walk, we were both ready for some food.

Dinner at Big Sky was okay. I had pozole which was a decent Big Sky-ed version of the Mexican soup with hominy I so love. But, it seemed rather expensive for what it was and it wasn't served with the typical chips, oregano, onions, avocados, and hot sauce it comes with in Mexico. What did I expect? Amber got a tagine with a chicken sausage and pearl couscous. We were definitely full when we left the restaurant. Good thing we didn't have a dessert... I was eye-ing a spicy Latin American chocolate torte with pepper sauce. But, Amber talked me into frozen yogurt.
We walked around downtown SLO, slowly burning off some of the bloated feeling. Eventually we made it to the frozen yogurt place: serve yourself. It was awesome! You get to fill your own cup with the frozen yogurt of your choice of at least 8 flavors and then there are about 15 different toppings, including hot fudge and caramel (my favorite). I had a peanut butter and chocolate frozen yogurt with chopped butterfingers, chocolate peanut butter cups, and caramel sauce. All for just 27 cents per ounce. It was a great deal!

On our way back to the car we ended up in a sporting goods store, like Sports Mart. It was a huge store with everything related to sports you can imagine. We wandered around the store and found a room with special contraptions for doing "sit-ups," stationary bikes, treadmills, and the like. We tested them all out, making complete fools of ourselves and laughing hysterically. We really didn't give a rats ass what the kids working in the store thought of us! They were really nice, considering....

After a quick workout, and checking out the coming thunder and lightning storm off in the distance, we went home, ready to call it a night.

We were both incredibly tired. After crawling into bed, under a down comforter, I realized it was going to be way too hot for anything so heavy. So, with one leg out, I was ready for a good night sleep. We talked each other to the point when you can't remember what the other person just said one second ago, and when you try to speak all that comes out is nonsense.
A few hours into a deep sleep a clap of thunder and bright light from lightning woke us up. It was an intense storm which seemed to last forever. At one point Amber went to the window to look out and maybe to close the window. A few minutes later there was a down pour. And then I passed out again. I guess Amber felt wired and had a hard time sleeping.

The storm cooled things off a little bit for the next day. But, it was still pretty damn hot when I left for Ventura.

I arrived at Uncle David's house just in time for a trip to the grocery store, Peet's, a soak in the pool, and a lounge in the spa. Life is beautiful! We made hamburgers for dinner. I mixed in egg, onion, breadcrumbs and seasonings. David does it that way too I guess. I think that's how my Mom does it too, which is why I do it that way. It is the best way if you ask me!

Although my uncle and I aren't blood related, it seems that we do things very similarly, tease in the same way, are smart asses in the same way, etc. We think it has to do with me being raised by his little brother.

So, by now I have been here three full days. We have accomplished a lot in those three days! First of all, we have spent ample time in the pool, spa and on the hammock. Every night we watch the sun go down, the bats come out, and listen to the coyotes howl at the moon (or at each other?). It is beautiful here, if a little HOT. It must have been 98 here today, at least!

So, Friday at 11:30pm we took a boat ride to Santa Cruz Island, of the Channel Islands which are right off the coast of Ventura and Santa Barbara. It is an hour boat ride which is a little choppy, but not bad enough to make anyone sick. We sat in the back of the boat on the way there. I love the feeling of the wind in my hair, and the sun on my back. I gather you can sometimes see whales and dolphins on the way out or back, but we weren't so lucky. As we arrived, you can see the water is clear to at least 15 feet. There is sea kelp carpeting the water close to the shore. I quickly took out my camera and took over 100 photos while we were on the island.

First thing, we had lunch. I was about to bite David's head off I was so hungry. Sitting facing the ocean, at a picnic table, we scarfed down just about every morsel we brought with us. Fully satisfied, we found an acceptable, fairly easy hike to Cave Point, which is actually located above the caves you can kayak through down at the ocean level. It is an incredibly beautiful island, even given the dryness of the landscape. It is various shades of brown set starkly against the blue green of the ocean. In places, as you can see in my photos (above), you can see red, yellow, and green flowers, shrubs, and grasses.

By the time we got up to the bluff which overlooks the rest of the island as well as the mainland as far as the eye can see, we had to turn around to get back to the 3:45pm boat. If we missed it, we would be spending an awfully long night on that island.

Friday night we sat around, talked, hit the spa and made dinner at around 9pm.

At some point over the weekend, David showed me the joys of eBay and surfing the net. As if I didn't already know! But, really, I hadn't ever been on eBay. I am not the same kind of junkie he is, and I probably won't be, but I can definitely see the attraction! I have a few things saved that I probably won't buy, but it was fun looking for them. The thing is, his notebook is down, so we have been doing eBay shopping mostly on my laptop; much more convenient than his desktop. I am not sure what he is going to do when I leave! I guess he will have to commit to getting on the phone with Apple for who knows how long. The last time he tried to call he got cut off, just as he was getting somewhere with the fixing. Oh well. Such is life with a computer.

Okay. So, Saturday was yesterday. We were very productive. At breakfast, over coffee, we discussed the state of his kitchen counter bar stools. He claimed they needed to be replaced. I suggested he should have them re-chromed and reupholstered. He seemed dubious at first, but quickly realized that it is quite do-able. He is never going to find stools as cool, first of all, and as comfortable, second of all. We found a couple of places who do the metal work. He says he will call on Tuesday to get a quote and see how long it will take for them to be done. They are going to look fabulous!

David recently moved out of a large office space. He brought all the furniture and art work home and put it in the living room. So, we moved most of it out of the way into an extra bedroom. We then hung 2 paintings in the red room (aka the TV room). Once that was done, we started talking about the guest bathroom and how hideous the shower curtain and the blue paint his ex-wife had picked out. This was unusual because she usually had impeccable taste and a good eye for color. In this case, she missed... big time. The pattern on the shower curtain was something that might have been popular in the 80's sometime. It had a beige background with rectangular splotches of blue, purple, and brown. UGLY. Luckily, David agreed with me. I suggested a new curtain to match the towels in the bathroom. He said that all the towels in the house need to be replaced, so we should do the whole thing: curtain, towels, and bathroom accessories. And new paint too!

We headed out to Linens and Things and spent at least an hour picking out a sage colored faux suede shower curtain and beautiful, thick, cozy, cream towels. We did not find appropriate accessories. At Bed Bath & Beyond we debated over a few different styles and left with my favorite ones: brown with different green circles, sort of a retro look.

After all the shopping we were exhausted and starving. We zipped into downtown Ventura for a bite to eat. Finding ourselves at an outdoor restaurant was perfect. The minimal menu (due to them setting up for dinner) and slow service was difficult to deal with, but somehow we managed. We had some salads and a yummy mushroom pizza. And left with five different desserts: raspberry filled heart cookies, chocolate heart cookies, lemon bars, a hazelnut chocolate torte and a raspberry bar. As it turned out none of it was very good. But that didn't stop us from finishing it all by this afternoon!

On the way home we talked about going to a paint store. David nixed the idea saying he just wanted to get home. But somehow we got sidetracked... I suggested getting a movie at Blockbuster and when he realized his DVD player isn't working, we were 100 feet from Lowe's home improvement store. We got a bunch of paint chips and a DVD for helping design rooms.
We weren't able to load the DVD. So, we had to design on our own. David picked two shades of deep purple for the bathroom walls and upper board that goes around the light and the shower curtain rod. He picked a light yellow/cream for the cabinets, door, and moldings. It actually turns out to be a really beautiful combination.

As I was in bed this morning, I had a thought... light bamboo accessories. I even thought it would be cool to have bamboo towel rods, but I never figured we would find anything like that. Well, when I told David about it over coffee, he was juiced. Immediately he grabbed the laptop and started looking. Then he went to his computer and I had mine. Together we found a plethora of bathroom accessories made of bamboo. I even found a site that had the towel racks, hooks, and toilet paper holder I had envisioned!

After that excitement we planned a trip to the beach with the dogs: Diggy and Trevor. They are the most amazing golden retrievers ever! Diggy is about 12-13 years old and Trevor is about 4. Ventura has a long "boardwalk" along the beach. David says you could probably take it all the way to Santa Barbara. Well, I didn't make it that far. We all walked together about 20 minutes. David then turned around to find a shady spot to rest. Diggy was really hot and tired and I think David enjoyed the rest as well. Trevor could probably have come with me for a quick run. I did about a 20 minute run. I was covered in sweat, thirsty and ready for a dunk in the water. David and the dogs followed me and we took a quick swim. It was COLD!! But so refreshing. I was contemplating the swim I will be doing for a triathlon at the end of the month. Hmm. As we were leaving the parking lot, we realized that we got to the beach just in time - before the mobs!
At home we cleaned up the dogs, cooled off some more in the pool, took showers, ate lunch, and got ready for some more power shopping.

First we hit Costco. Okay, remember how I said David and I have a lot in common? Well, the way we shop at Costco is completely different. He leaves his cart at the end of the aisle and walks all over the place, then having to carry the stuff he wants back to the cart. At one point our cart got stolen! When I go to Costco I keep my cart with me and walk up and down almost every aisle, unless I know for sure I don't want anything down that aisle. If I go in knowing exactly what I want, I go - with my cart - directly to the things I want and then leave. In any case, we made it through in less than an hour I think. It is good that he had a list, because I think if he hadn't it could have taken all day.

Our next stop was at Lowe's to get the paint samples. David wanted to see what the colors he chose would look like next to each other. While we were waiting for them to mix the paints, we walked around the store looking for other things to buy. We found a thermometer for the spa... the one he had said it was 60 when it was probably 100! We also got a thermometer to give us a more accurate temperature of the outside than he can get from the internet. The weather and temps on the net are generally from down at the beach, which is quite far from the house. David lives up the hill in a little valley and it is generally a bit warmer up here than at the beach.
Finally, we started looking at kitchen cabinets: I was getting ideas for corner cabinets. I also looked at dishwashers and refrigerators. Nothing I need now, but sometime in the future, I definitely plan to gut my kitchen and start over.

Paint complete and on our way home. But, we had to stop in the downtown Ben & Jerry's for dinner. Chocolate and fudge brownie ice cream in a chocolate waffle cone for David and Half Baked frozen yogurt in a chocolate and peanut waffle cone for me. Best dinner I have had in a long time! Of course I was hungry after sweating a gallon crammed in the bathroom with David doing test painting.

Now my vacation is slowly winding down. I think I would like to go back to the beach with David and the dogs tomorrow. I will be leaving here at around 4pm to drive back up to SLO town to see Amber again. It is a much easier drive from her house to mine than straight from Ventura. And, since she didn't come down here with me I would like to spend a little more time hanging out. I will see her again though... at my 40th birthday party!!!

I have to come back down here to see David sooner than I did last time! Kelley and I came down for a visit 2 Thanksgivings ago. Almost 2 years is too long. Besides, I have to make sure David follows through with the new bathroom design! It is going to look fabulous! Not only that, but I will be looking forward to seeing his re-furbished kitchen stools.

Well, that's it for the moment. David just came in and asked, "Aren't you done yet?" My reply: "I am just writing my last paragraph." And in response he said, "I am just going to turn on the spa." So, that is what I will be doing next. Getting into the spa, looking for shooting stars, and having some "deep and meaningful" with my uncle. Last night it was about the universe and sub atomic particles and God and the meaning of life. Maybe tonight it will be a little lighter?

Financial Responsibility

The first step to gaining financial responsibility... admitting that you aren't yet responsible? Deciding that you need to get a grip? Well, I have finally taken action. I may never have done anything, save for the fact that a good friend of mine recently started working for Morgan Stanley.

So, my friend Jenn, who I have known since college (some 17 or so years), married John. It's been at least 5 years since they have been married. Ever since they have been together, Jenn has raved about how savvy John is with finances, investing, and just understanding how it all works. Apparently he has assisted a number of friends in making loads off the stock market. He is smart about it and has been watching and studying the markets and how they fluctuate over many years. Really, John is an amazing person all around. Not only is he good with numbers, but he is an amazing artist, a talented "handy-man" (he just remodeled their house almost single-handedly), and is a great father as well.

It appears that John was ready to have a 9-5 job after mostly completing their house and started looking into financial planning, I imagine both because he is good at it and it is a lucrative field. He landed a position at Morgan Stanley, where they trained him and he became certified or licensed to do all kinds of things like write loans, trade stocks, and advise people on what to do with their finances. Well, John and I had talked a number of times before about investing and various options, but always at their house, over dinner, playing with their daughter, in between having a drink and knitting, or watching a movie. So, he was finally open for business! I gather I was John's first client!

The evening before I left for his office, I was filled with anxiety. I collected all of the paperwork he might need: my mortgage, bank, student loan, and credit card statements, tax info, pay "stub," and retirement statements. I can honestly say that I know I must be somewhat responsible, since I actually have all that stuff, can easily put my hands on it, and know basically what it all means and can even explain to you what it is. That is a good start. I also know that the market has been very temperamental recently. Interest rates are going up and there is no telling when that trend is going to stop. Knowledge of this didn't help my anxiety.

By the next morning I was a nervous wreck. I met John in his new office in downtown Walnut Creek. The office is a wall of mirrored glass. By contrast to the 80's style building, the decor of the actual Morgan Stanley office is very staid forest green and burgundy striped wing back chairs and a brass lamp on a very dark wood table. The office assistant called John and told him I was waiting. He came out from cubicle land, dressed in a shirt and tie. I know the last time I saw John in a tie was at his wedding. It's all part of the job. In any case, we headed off to a little European cafe John has started frequenting.

John really put me at ease. We looked over all of the documents I brought, he explained how each document was a piece of the puzzle and how we could approach the planning in several different ways. He remembered that I had talked about the possibility of going out on my own at some point and said that we could look at what I would need in order to make that a reality in 2-6 years. John was excellent at explaining things so they made sense. It demystified my financial picture and made it feel manageable. He has in mind different options that I can choose to go with or not, as I see fit. So, not only was I feeling relieved, but I was feeling very excited about my future.

I will have more to report on in a couple of weeks when I meet with John again and discuss in more detail the various paths I can take. But, as of now, I would highly recommend him to any of my friends and family who may be in need of the type of services Morgan Stanley offers. Although he is new to the firm, he is not new to the field, and has many excellent references.
If you would like to contact him, you can email him at:
John.Sanchez@morganstanley.com
He would be happy to hear from you! Tell him Elisabeth sent you.

Check in again to see how it's going with me and my money.

Possum Chronicles

Last night I watched a movie; at around 11pm I got up from the couch and headed toward my bedroom. You will never guess who was in my hallway! Yep! One of Percy's brothers! He looked really scared and angry. He was hissing, his little pink mouth open with all of his pointy teeth showing. Fearsome. George was his name. Just then, Rascal came through the cat door. I was really shocked and perturbed by this turn of events. Where did this guy come from? What was Rascal doing and where was he getting all these baby possums?! Was there a nest on one of my balconies? I actually went out to look after I was able to coral George into the bathroom. There were no nests of possums I could see on either balcony. I also had to go down to the car because the cat carrier was still in the trunk. I wiped it out and threw some towels in it for George.
Meanwhile, Rascal was pacing the hall and he stopped and sprayed (pissed on) the door to the closet when I was looking right at him. I grabbed him and threw him out of the house, locking the cat door. I was really pissed (no pun intended) at him!
Before I could get George in the carrier, I needed to go outside for something and there was Rascal at my neighbor's door. I was happy to see he was going to bug someone else. These neighbors are like Rascal's second parents. They really love him. I took a closer look and realized he had another baby possum! Holy shit Rascal, I yelled. I could not believe my eyes. Really. The couple I could see were at the door and could hear me yelling. They opened the window and I told them to throw a towel over her (Lucky) and I would come over with the carrier. Well, when I went to get the carrier, he got a towel. But when he went to throw it on her, she did a flying leap off their balcony and landed down below in their carport, about 15 feet down. She seemed a little shocked and just sat there looking from side to side. We both ran over, me with the cage, he with the towel and successfully grabbed her.
All the while, Rascal was hovering over a hole in the ground on the side of their apartment building. I walked around to check it out. Sure enough there was a big hole under the sidewalk. And there staring out was a big momma possum face. I can't say she looked sad, but I was feeling really sad for her. I wasn't able to see if she had other babies in there with her, but here we had already taken three from her. Guilt. But I didn't feel that it was safe to reunify the babies with her because Rascal would easily be able to get them again.
In any case, we locked Rascal in the house to try and prevent him from more hunting, at least for the night. I went into the bathroom to find George clinging onto the bottom of the shower door jam. He was holding on for dear life and hissing at me of course. I was able to get him into the cage by carefully prying his tiny little paws off his perch. This time I was able to give them some cat food and a big thing of water. George played dead under a towel, the entire time I was arranging the little dishes. Lucky on the other hand, was telling me just how pissed off she was about the whole thing and where I could stuff it!
I finally got to bed at around 1am. Having Rascal locked up in the house is not conducive to sleeping. First of all he wears a bell (supposedly to warn critters he is coming!), and second of all locking him in is like locking up a wild animal. He paces, scratches at the cat door, chases his poor sister Pearl, and is generally obnoxious. All of his antics keep me awake and have Pearl hyper-vigilant, worrying that he is going to pounce on her at any moment. I finally broke and let him out at 5am. I couldn't handle it any more. Pearl's relief was apparent and she was finally able to come to bed with me.
When I went in to check on George and Lucky, they were snuggled up together in a ball sleeping. Although I didn't want to disturb them, I had to remove the cat food and water from their cage. I took the opportunity to take a couple of photos. Their water was nasty, filled with possum crap. (The Lindsey people told me that is what they do in the wild. I guess to clean themselves?) They had probably eaten some of the cat food. But mostly they were happily sleeping.
Lucky and George were taken to join their brother Percy. I can call and check on them next week. I now have two passes to the Lindsey Wildlife Museum. I am becoming a wildlife expert, thanks to Rascal. Well, maybe not an expert, but I certainly know more now about possums and pigeons than I ever cared to know.
For example here is a bit of information you wouldn't think about unless you were in my situation:
Although they are quite slow moving in general, what I realized is that possums play dead. This was quite a revelation! I kept wondering why Rascal would bring these guys in and release them and then basically forget about them. Well, this is why! He grabs them in his mouth and brings them to his mommy to show off his toy. He drops the baby which then plays dead. Well a dead anything is no fun to play with! Rascal only wants to play with a toy that is trying to get away. So, he leaves it. Eventually the possum gets brave enough to escape. I gather this is usually once kitty is far away.
I will keep you posted on how Percy, Lucky and George are doing. They will be released back into the wild once they are healthy and old enough. I am not sure if they are released back into their old neighborhood or into a place more rural than where I live. I know they often release birds back into their original community. I will learn about possum release when I call for an update.

Possum Chronicles

Critter tales.
So, apparently Rascal was at it again over the weekend. I found a little bit of poop on the floor in front of the bathroom. I cleaned them up and didn't think much of it. Maybe one of the cats had stepped in some crap and tracked it there? In any case, it was clean. A day or two later (Tuesday) there was another little spot. Now I was certain there was a critter lurking around. I have no idea where it was hanging out, but apparently, it thought a good place to take a shit was in front of the bathroom. He had the right idea, I guess. So, as I was getting ready for work on Tuesday I was thinking I would probably have to do a sting operation to find it, since most critters Rascal would be interested in are nocturnal, much like himself. But that idea was unnecessary, as he came out of his own volition. There he was, little gray, furry, rat-like critter: yes! another baby possum. He was littler than the one we caught a couple of months ago, but attempting to look just as fierce. Hissing at me, snarling at Pearl. This is not an easy prey for a cat. Rascal seems not to be bothered. But Pearl is a true scared-y cat. She was definitely interested in him, but very cautiously.
I couldn't believe my eyes! This time I had a better plan on how to catch it and what to do with him once he was safely in a carrier. I am getting good at this wildlife rescue thing. I threw a kitchen towel over him and threw him into the cat carrier. He was a fierce little guy, but thankfully didn't bite me.
I have decided that I am going to name all of the animals I have to rescue from Rascal. Having just read Harry Potter, I decided his name was going to be Percy. I took him to work with me so I could take him directly to a rescue place from there. He was the talk of the office. Everyone came in to get a look. He was really very cute.
He climbed around the cage and at one point was hanging onto the front with all four paws/claws, and alternately sticking his nose out of the bars and trying to chew them. According to a website, possum have a keen sense of smell and their eyesight is pretty poor. This would explain the constant sniffing around he was doing.
He wasn't at all interested in the raisin bran flakes I gave him to eat. I found a few internet sites that suggested fruit. He devoured the piece of pear I offered. He took to drinking the water right away. Eventually he took a long nap curled up under the kitchen towel.
At the end of the day I took Percy out to the Lindsey Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek. They told me I could call to follow up on Percy in four days.

In the depths of making apple butter and pear-ginger butter. It is quite tedious. You have to cook the hell out of it. And because it has so much sugar in it, it really wants to burn to the bottom of the pot. So you have to be really careful to stir it often preventing the burn. The upside is that my condo smells wonderful. The pungent smell of apples, pears, cinnamon, ginger and burning sugar! Yummy.

Here I am getting tattooed. As you can see below, I am grimacing. And digging my nails into my arm. This shit HURTS. Don't let anyone tell you it doesn't. But as I have said before, it is completely worth it.

A weekend at home. Time to write.

Work has been really busy over the last month. Never a dull moment.

There is another pregnant woman at work. I had a dream the other night that I was pregnant and in the hospital. I was waiting and waiting. There were no labor pains. I was getting impatient. Interesting.

To celebrate Kelley’s birthday in the beginning of July I went with Kelley and two other friends of hers to Arnold, a small town on Highway 4 in the Sierra’s. It was a great, very relaxing weekend. We ate, drank, talked (and talked and talked and talked), slept, ate and drank some more. It was hot as Hades up there. I loved it. For some reason the heat doesn’t bother me.

Last weekend I was in Tahoe, Soda Springs. It wasn’t as hot as I expected. And the water in Ice Lakes (Serene Lakes) felt very cold. It wasn’t hot enough out to warrant getting into freezing cold water. The company was great. Again we did lots of eating, drinking, talking, and fucking around. On Friday my friend John and I took our mountain bikes out for a spin. I hadn’t been on mine in years. As we made our way out the dusty access road, I kept thinking, “I am going to have to climb back out of here.” But it was well worth it! And getting out took about half as long as I expected. The next day, Saturday, when the others arrived, we drove down the same road and did a little hike along a ridge. We had planned to find a private lake to take a dip, but couldn’t find one that wasn’t on private property. Next time. I have more information now. I have been told that most of the land out there labeled “private property” is actually public land. In any case, after our easy hike we drove back out and over to Ice Lakes, which really are icy right now. I got some sun and walked back to the house. On Saturday night we actually had dinner before it was dark out! That never happens up there. We had a feast of grilled (some charred) veggies and chicken, tortillas, corn on the cob, refried beans, cabbage salad, and red wine. It was all delicious. For dessert I baked “no pudge fudge” brownies – Trader Joes special! So yummy.

Thursday I finally had my 10 year old, very faded tattoos re-colored. I have a beautiful new pink lotus and a blue and green butterfly. Getting a tattoo feels something like a red-hot butter knife digging into your flesh. The closer it is to the spine, the more it seems to hurt. The black outlines are particularly painful. Fatty deposits don’t seem to temper the pain what so ever. So, don’t ever let anyone tell you it doesn’t hurt. But it is all worth it! I am now going through the icky dry, scabby faze of healing. I have been putting cream on it three or four times a day. I think it helps a little. I am happy to be though the painful periods.

Adventures with Burt the baby pigeon.

Rascal caught him. I imagine it wasn’t much of a fight, because the poor thing could barely walk let alone fly. He probably fell out of the tree at a very opportune moment for Rascal. Of course, wanting to share his prize with his Mommy, he brought Burt (who didn’t have a name at that point) into the house, and dropped him in the dining room.

Pearl was all worked up into a fluff-ball state. Her tail looked like a squirrel's. She was in the most animalistic state I have ever seen. She hissed at me, threatening me when I got too close to her bird. How it became her bird, when Rascal was the one who brought it in, I will never know.

When you grab a cat by the scruff of its neck it really does become paralyzed, even with an adult cat. When I got them both safely behind doors, I was able to check out Burt a little more extensively. I could see that he was a baby or fledgling. He was all gray with long, skinny, little yellow feathers sticking out all over. His beak was not fully developed. He had a hurt wing, which was a little bloody, from where Rascal had bit into him. After pacing the floor for a minute, I thought I should try putting him outside to see if he could fly. I grabbed a dish-cloth, which was the suggestion of one of the CWWs I work with the last time Rascal brought in a critter, the possum. I gently threw the towel over him. He was relatively easy to pick up; he didn’t even try to bite me. He had a really cute squeak, not a coo. I took him out to the front porch to see what he would do. But he just stood there, looking very confused (can a bird really have expressions?) As I went toward him he scooted back. He was about to fall off the balcony. So, quick thinking, I got him outside in the back balcony, which isn’t accessible except by the back sliding door. Or by other birds, as I was soon to find out. I put him in an old wooden wine box, standing up on end, sitting in the corner. I was hoping that he would heal and then fly away on his own.

After about a day I went and bought birdseed for him and gave him a bowl of water. This is stupid, but I don’t think I would have thought of water; that was Paul’s suggestion. At some point, after becoming attached, I decided the pigeon needed a name. I named him Burt. Come to find out: Burt, of Burt and Ernie, has a love of pigeons. Who knew?

The cats didn’t figure out Burt was on the balcony right away. When they did figure it out, the sliding glass door became like their own personal TV, with their own personal reality TV show. Burt really didn’t do much. Regardless, the cats sat, glued to his every move. It took him about a day to figure out that the birdseed was to eat and the water to drink. That Burt was a shitting machine! There was bird shit all over the bottom of box, getting stuck to his tail feathers. Yuck.

For the most part, Burt didn’t do much besides eat, drink, shit, and sleep. After he had been out there a few days, my friend Kelley and I were sitting in front of Rascal and Pearl’s TV. Burt got up, walked slowly across the edge of the balcony, and sat down on the corner. He sat there for 15 minutes, watching the world go by, got back up and walked back to his “nest.”

After he had been on the balcony about 5 days, I began to worry. I didn’t see him walking around and he seemed to always have his wings out in different awkward positions. Almost like he didn’t quite know what to do with them. Big birds started coming and stealing his food. He hid behind and under the plant shelf. He seemed terrified and very unhappy.

After calling a number of veterinarians and wildlife rescue organizations, I finally found one in Oakland who agreed to take him. I carefully placed him in a box with a towel for padding. He stopped squeaking only after I put him down. I drove up in to the Oakland hills to a house on the side of a steep valley. The front drive was littered with cages of all sizes and shapes. A young woman came to the door with a baby squirrel on her shoulder. As we stood in the dining room, he tried to jump over to my shoulder, but she stopped him. I think she may have had him wrapped in her robe the entire time I was there, preventing him from leaping around. I looked out to the back balcony because I heard a commotion and there were three fawns! They were super cute, white speckled, baby deer about the size of medium dogs. It appeared they wanted to come in and play. She told me if she let them in they would jump all over us. I wasn’t daunted. Apparently the Oakland Police Department brought them to her a few days before, having found them abandoned. She also had two hummingbirds in a cage. One had just learned to fly. She offered to give me a tour the next time I am there. I figure that I will definitely be seeing her again, given the hunting nature of my cat Rascal.

I called back a few days later to see how Burt had made out. He is fine! Burt was taken to Ohlone Wildlife Rescue in Newark and is now flying with a flock of rescued pigeons.

I am so relieved to know he is okay and now learning how to fly with his own kind!

Rascal and Pearl are the cats who reside in my home with me. To call them “my” cats would be stretching the truth. The reality is, I am their human. I am here, at their beck and call. I feed them, give them water, and provide a lap when needed. Pearl and Rascal balance each other well. You would never guess they are sister and brother. They don’t look anything like each other and their personalities are about as different as you can imagine.

Pearl is a sweet, little gray tabby girl with beautiful green and amber eyes. She mostly hangs around the house, eating and sleeping. Occasionally you will find her outside taking in a spot of sun or saying hello to the neighbors. Pearl is initially shy, but once she knows you she is very demanding of attention. If you are sitting down you are a sure lap, made just for her. Sometimes she follows me from room to room, hopping up on waist high objects (bed, couch, chair) so she can get a pet while you are walking by, all the while chattering away. She is a bit of a whiner. The sweetest thing is when she is on your lap, purring, and gazing up at you adoringly. Of course she has an ulterior motive: to have you scratch her little chin. But I also honestly think she is checking in with you, keeping the love going.

Rascal, on the other hand, is your archetypal, adolescent, tomcat. He is a muscular, sleek, black boy cat. He has about 5 white hairs in the middle of his chest. His eyes are pure gold. Rascal generally exhibits an air of disinterest, unless there is food involved or he wants something from you (food). Rascal is mostly an outdoor kitty. Well, let’s just say he doesn’t spend most of his time in the house. I am not exactly sure where he goes when he is not here. I do know that ALL of the neighbors know him and that is no exaggeration. I live next to an apartment building and all the front doors face out. I can see Rascal making the rounds to each of the 4 floors, visiting everyone. I asked a guy in the building I had never met before if he knew Rascal. He said, “Oh YES, we know Rascal very well over here!” So, it may be that Rascal is couch surfing throughout the night, every night. He usually comes home for a scratch and some food.

About two or three months ago I had a serious scare. It was at the same time as the wet cat food scare. Rascal was looking really run down and tired. I came home from work and there was a note on my door from a neighbor who is particularly fond of Rascal. She stated that he seemed listless and not his usual peppy self. A few days before I noticed that he was home, begging in the kitchen. I even made a comment that someone must be feeding him wet food because he wasn’t happy with the crunchies I was feeding him. At that point I had never fed R&P anything but dry food. The night I received the note getting up the stairs was slow and laborious for him. He came in and drank down two entire bowls of water. He wouldn’t eat the crunchies, but eventually I cracked open a can of tuna and he managed to choke down some of that. I was going to take him to the vet the next afternoon due to issues at work. I talked to my mother who talked me into taking him to pet emergency right away. I am so glad I did.

Taking a pet to the emergency room is probably as traumatic as going to a human emergency room, if not more so. At the Kaiser ER, most of the really dramatic, potentially traumatic stuff either comes in the side door or is behind a closed door. At the pet ER you see every animal, hear every story, and see exactly what is wrong. I saw at least two dogs who were either dead or quickly approaching death. It was really sad. A very drunk couple brought in a huge Airedale who must have weighed a ton. The man was too incoherent to help his partner carry the dog, and she was obviously having a hard time managing his weight. One little poodle-like dog came in covered in blood and the family said he had lost a fight with a pit bull.

Rascal was diagnosed with kidney failure. The outcomes for kidney failure in cats are not great. Often the failure is too far along to be reversed and you have to eventually put them down. Sometimes it can be reversed enough to maintain them with medications and a special diet. In rare occasions, if you treat it aggressively and quickly, the kidney can go back to basically normal functioning. Of course I had to prepare myself for the worst-case scenario: spending a shit load of money trying to save my cat and then having to put him down anyway. Well, Rascal was really lucky. He must have at least 9 lives. After about 4 days in the hospital, he came out with a clean bill of health.

Rascal is back to his old antics. He is at home a bit more than he was before, because I now feed them wet food. Twice a day, like clockwork he is home to lap up the disgusting stuff and beg for more. Sometimes I cave. He did lose quite a bit of weight (2-3 lbs) when he was sick, so he could use a little more meat on his bones.

About a month after his return from the hospital, we had a fun little adventure. I woke up in the middle of the night. I was hearing a “thunk, thunk, thunk.” It was a muted sound coming from one of my closets. I got up and opened my bedroom closet to let out the cat (probably Pearl) I was sure I must have locked in there. No cat. I went to the hall closet and opened it. No cat. I must be hearing things. Back to bed, sleep. Rudely awakened, again. Damn cats. Lights on. There’s Pearl on my bed with me. Oh, and there’s Rascal under the bed snoring away. (Yes, actually both cats snore!) Bedroom closet, open both sides: nothing unusual. Hall closet, open one side: nothing. Open the other side: there I see what looks like a pink, thick tail. Oh shit, there’s a rat in my closet! No, I didn’t scream. I stood back a little. What I thought was a rat, turned around and started hissing at me. It was a baby possum! It had a little white body with a black neck and a pink snout with distinctive little pointy teeth. Really it was quite cute. Pearl is quite interested by this time. I have to push her back into my bedroom. Rascal is still sleeping. I shut the closet door. The last thing I want, besides a possum in my closet, is a possum running around my condo! As I was trying to shake off sleep and figure out what to do with baby possum, I started putting things together in my mind. The day before I had found the pillow I had in the closet had a bit of poop in its pillowcase. I thought it was odd, but figured one of the cats had left a mark before I put the pillow in the closet and I just hadn’t noticed. Very unlikely, but anything is possible. So, how long had this guy been in the closet? Long enough to poop and pee all over the shoulders of most of the coats in the closet.

I could hear my neighbor downstairs watching TV so I called her and asked her what she thought I should do. She suggested calling the Piedmont Police. They have nothing better to apparently. I called them, and even though I don’t live in Piedmont (which they were keen to point out to me as if I didn’t already know), they came with a snare and grabbed the little guy. I was amazed at how flat he was able to get trying to get away from the snare. So, there he was, attached to the bottom of a long pole. I asked where they would take him and the older cop said, “I’m just going to take him out to the street.” The younger cop said flippantly, “In the morning he’ll just be road-kill.” What an ass-hole. In retrospect, I wish I had thrown a towel over him and taken him to a wildlife rescue organization. He would have been better off getting checked out and living in a place away from cars, people, and especially cats! In any case, I haven’t seen any baby possum road-kill. Nor have their been any possum visitors to the condo.

Hola Amigos,
This is my last afternoon at the internet cafe, the last few hours before we take off for the airport. The last part of our journey in Mexico will require big muscles to carry all of the things I have bought, a taxi to the bus station, a bus to a bus station closer to the airport, and another taxi to the airport. We get home at around 11:45pm and are hoping that Mike will be there to pick us up. Otherwise we are taking a shuttle home.
Yesterday I made the journey to San Miguel. The fact is, the shopping in Guanajuato sucks. And there were specific things I wanted to get from SMA. Also, K was going in search of tequila and mescal, which I wasn´t too keen on doing myself.
I left in a taxi for the bus station at around 10am. I arrived in SMA at around 12:45pm. I was starving, so I enjoyed a torta at Tortitlan...my favorite torta place ever. You can pretty much tell them exactly what you want on it and they make it. I love how they melt the cheese right on the skillet/grill surface. They burn one side and it is really yummy. Then I asked for grilled onions, chicken, and no mayo. The mayo is way scary. For some reason in Mexico most people leave the mayo out all day in the blazing heat. No worries about bad things growing in it. No thanks! That is touristas/Montezuma´s Revenge waiting to happen. After the torta I went to a few shops collecting the things I had missed the first time. I ended at the mercado, buying bolsas from the local grocers. They have the name of the grocer and bright pictures of fruits and vegetables. I was weighed down with things, but Christmas shopping is complete... before July! How´s that?
Always take the first class bus in Mexico if you can. If you want to see the people and all the places they get on and off between locations, and you don´t mind tacking on an extra half hour or more, take the 2nd class bus. It can be very interesting when you are in the mood. I timed my return for the first class bus. It was the first 1st class bus since I arrived here. I was back in Guanajuato by 5pm.
K and I met back in the room. She had done lots of shopping too and also found out about a cool mescal bar up on the hill outside of town in Santa Valenciana. We went out looking for tamales for dinner. We had tried some the night before and they were excellent (aside from the American cheese in the one I had!). Apparently there is an evening for everything, but not all evenings have the same thing. We could only find elote (corn on the cob - they slather with the scary mayo and pour cheese and chile all over it) but that wasn´t calling. We ended up back at the Mercado Hidalgo. This time we ate at a Fonda, just outside the market. There are stands one next to another, and the owners are cat calling for your business. We went with the place that had guacamole. Of course. If I am going to get touristas, this was the place. I had a plate with beans, salad, and a 1/4 of a chicken. I also got a bottle of auga tamarindo which they must have bought from another stand, because she told me they didn´t have any. If you want it they can get it because someone around has it. It was all very tasty, but I wonder how clean it was. K was more safe with an order of quesadillas. Although she did order one with barbocoa, goat´s meat. It looked okay, but she said it was too gamey and didn´t end up eating it.
Then we went in search of a bus to Valenciana. We were directed here and there. K saw a bus with a sign for "Valenciana." It´s a good thing it dídn´t stop for us, even when we were running after it because it was going the wrong direction. We ended up in a taxi for 30p. It was up up up to the top of the ridge of mountains surrounding Guanajuato. Very beautiful little town. Very isolated. He agreed to return for us in a couple of hours. (It was 80p to get back down.)
It was well worth the trip up there. We met two really nice guys, Alon, the bartender, and Scott the chemist from Toronto working in the mine here. K was really excited because we were able to have a tasting of all the mescals they have. Basically they buy a big barrel of mescal from a guy on a ranch out in the middle of the state. Then they bottle it with different things like cinnamon, ginger, citron, raisins and jamica (rose hips flowers). We also got shots of the mescal reposado (8 years in a barrel). It was excellent. Our new friend Scott had been in the bar most of the day. Apparently, there is no food anywhere in the town, except in the little market. So, he had a liquid lunch and was working on dinner. We invited him to come to town with us.
Back in El Centro, we went to a taqueria that was recommended to us by Riley and Aaron, a few days ago. They enjoyed the food and music by Oscar Chavez...oldish Mexican folk. We got the entire place to ourselves. The chicken sopes had a red sauce that was amazing. After food, we went back to the casa to drop off the bottle of mescal we bought (we will share) and we had a little bottle of mescal K had bought that she didn´t want to bring back to the states, as there are quotas of how much you can briing back with you. Or at least that was the excuse.
Back out in the street, we found Bar Ocho that was recommended by the woman who owns it who K met at the liquor store earlier in the day. Actually, we first stumbled into another place that had big couches, almost as big as beds! Scott and I fell onto one and had a very hard time getting up. It was so inviting! But the problem was the lighting. It was bright as day in there. No mood lighting. I would like to think that it was because they were closing and not that they have no sense of what good mood lighting looks like.
Bar Ocho. Very cool. The coolest place we have been to yet. Lots of cool shit on the walls and bohemian people both inside and out on the patio. It was 4 stories of places to sit and a pool table on the top floor. I met a group of Chinese restauranteurs who came in and sat next to us. I learned some Mandarin. Like "ganbei" means cheers in Mandarin. It was all a little sureal. We stumbled out of there and to another taco place at around 1am. Those baby tacos tasted so good! Satisfaction. We got Scott in a cab going back to his apartment in Valenciana. I am pretty sure he made it okay.
I was feeling pretty cruda (hungover) this morning. I think K was suffering a bit too. It has mostly worn off by now. Lots of water and some good food helps.
We had an expensive breakfast this morning...$190p ... the ONLY thing I have put on my credit card my entire vacation. Not bad. I had eggs with a sincronizada under it. I am not surprised if you don´t know what that is. It is two flour tortillas with ham and cheese melted in the middle. The entire thing had a red sauce over it. During breakfast we had to suffer through two musicos muy mal. You know the drill: they come and play, standing right next to you (which is almost unbearable with a hangover), and then they want a tip, even though you didn´t want to hear them in the first place. It´s a bit of a dilemma because they have nothing I am sure, but on the other hand, I really just wanted to pay them to go away.
After some last photos, searching for items at the pharmacy, and some little chochkeys, we are ready to go. The bags are packed. K is actually waiting for me. We are going to try to have one last meal: chiles enogada. Finally we found a place that has it.
Hasta luego amigos.
Besos,
Elisabeth

Well, it is SUPER hot here. I like it mostly, but it can sap your energy really quick if you aren´t careful. The internet cafe is a good place to be in the middle of the day when you can´t find any shade outside anywhere.
Yesterday I walked up to El Pipila monument. It takes about 20 minutes with frequent breaks to catch your breath. I don´t remember if I mentioned that this town is at more than 6000 feet. It was in the morning, so it was still relatively cool out. I took some great photos of Pipila. The view from up there is incredible, so I got a bunch of photos of the town and the surrounding mountains as well.
In the afternoon, K and I met up for lunch. We walked down to the Mercado Hidalgo, making a number of stops in interesting looking shops. Our priority was finding some good tacos. After walking around the market a little, we settled on a stand that had carnitas, tacos and tortas (Mexican sandwiches). It wasn´t an easy decision because there were so many to choose from. We each had two large tacos and I had a coke. It was $5. It seems like prices have gone up a bit, but that was still a decent deal. And I saw another patron pay for the exact meal and it was the same price. Often I think we get prices and salsas for gringas.
After satisfying our need for food, we wandered around the market. It is quite small and doesn´t hold a candle to the one in SMA. I was very disappointed. It actually made me want to go back to SMA to buy some things I was sure I could find here, but haven´t. Anyway, it is a large building, about the size of a Safeway at home, with lots of stalls. Upstairs there is a balcony, one stall thich, that has tourist chochkeys. Most of it was complete junk. I did get a few interesting things.
On the way back to the center of town we stopped in a number of little plazas. They are all over the place here. It is a good thing, because the traffic on the main streets is thick with petrol fumes, enough to get you really high. And there were lots of people on very narrow sidewalks. So, going via the little side streets is much more agreeable.
We stopped in the Jardin for a cool drink, which was actually warm. Not as refreshing as expected. That was a short rest before a serious nap.
After a nice shower and getting some decent clothes on we looked around for some street grub. Unlike SMA there are lots of places to get tacos, tortas, chile rellenos, pozole, sopes, and huaraches (a bigger version of a sope in the shape of a shoe sole). K wasn´t too keen on any of the options available, so we went to a plaza we had passed through. After looking at all the menus, settled on La Oreja de Van Gough. While we were searching out a restaurant, we stumbled upon a really great jazz band playing. Unfortunately we weren´t able to hear them from our table, because they were in the next plaza over.
Dinner was acceptable, but nothing amazing. We left there and decided to get a bottle of tequila for the next part of our evening. At the Jardin is also a church and Teatro Juarez right next to each other. In front of the church there is a band that plays every night. The group is all dressed in matching costumes like they used to wear in the 1600s. They do a little show and then take off through the town, singing and playing as they go. It was silly fun. They actually go part of the way to our room, so we stopped in and dropped off the bottle. We met back up with the group, following the music it was easy to find them. During this parade, you are required to pay $80 pesos. For that you can be a part of the parade and they give you a ceramic thing (that looks a lot like a bong) from which you drink orange juice. When I first saw it I thought it was pulque, but I was mistaken, much to our dismay.... We have both been wanting to try it and haven´t had an opportunity yet. Apparently it has a very low alcohol content and you have to drink a lot of it to get any buzz from it. Anyway, when they realized we didn´t have a cup, they made us leave.
Later in the evening K and I parted and I went back to the casa. There I met up with the guy I had met a day or two before. Then a French guy (Franc) joined us. It was a good conversation about cool places to see in the world and especially in Mexico. It was Franc´s first time in Mexico. He is loving it so far.
When I returned to the casa, K had already gone to bed. I ran into (almost literally) one of the students living in another room in our casa. We started talking and moved up to the terrace so we wouldn´t bother K and la Señora Lidia. Then the other student joined us. I was really putting my Spanish to good use. At times I understood well, and other times I had no idea what they were talking about. Both are from the state of Guanajuato and are attending school at the University if Guanajuato. Armando is also a folklorico dancer and a bull rider. That is quite a combination! When I asked what he liked better he said bull riding, without a doubt. Abraham is into mountain biking, climbing, rapelling, and other outdoor sports. It sounded like their parents were all well educated, teachers and something for the government.
This morning we got up and had a breakfast of frutas and cafe with Sñra Lidia. While we were sitting there, a man came in with two huge boxes of candy. During the day she comes down to the Plaza Mexiamora (the closest plaza) and sells candy to the kids who go to school nearby. It seems as if she is the grandmother to all of them. Anyway, she bought a stack of new candy to sell. She paid with a plastic bag full of coins. It was about $200p. I wonder if she is making any money with her side job? She also told us that she isn´t in any guide books for lodging because they wanted to charge her per person she gets to stay at her place. Apparently Casa Bertha has to pay some of the guide books to get their name in them. It seems really wrong to me. We told her that when we got home we would plug her place to the Lonely Planet. We are fairly sure they don´t charge.
Just outside of town is an area called Presa de la Olla. We took the bus up there after breakfast. Many of the homes are grand art deco places. Their roofs are caving in, but they still run businesses in them. Social services. Go figure. Actually the CPS down here DIF is located in a very nice, fairly new building. We stopped in at a haunted house that was recommended by Sñra. It was silly, but still I was scared. We were supposed to see real antiques, but I don´t think there was one real antique in the entire house.
The walk back to town was getting really hot, so we jumped back on a bus and here I am!
We have two and a half more days to explore Guanajuato, more than enough time. This afternoon we are planning to check out the Museum of Diego Rivera, some building with famous murals, and the Callejon de los Besos. The story is much like Romeo and Juliet. Feuding families and two kids in love. The callejon (very small street) is so narrow they were able to reach across and kiss each other from their respective balcony´s. So romantic. I am also considering taking a day trip back to SMA to pick up those things I didn´t get when I was there. It´s a bit of a trek though, so I´m not sure yet what I want to do.
Well, I need to run to the baño. I have to drink lots of water down here. And still I feel dehydrated constantly. I will see you all very soon!
Muchos besos,
Elisabeth

Hi all,
We arrived in Guanajuato yesterday. It´s a good thing we left SMA because I think if I had stayed there a minute longer I would have killed Kathleen. Not necessarily through any fault of her own. For those of you who know both of us know that we both have very strong personalities, and we know what we want and what we don´t want. Some things are important to her that I couldn´t care less about and the other way around. Also, I have noticed that she is very cautious about certain things that I don´t worry about at all, but I worry about things that she would not think twice about doing.
For example, when we first arrived in SMA she spotted a bar across the street from our hotel. It is a cantina with the swinging doors. El Gato Negro. I told her that from what I understand, only putas go into places like that. They are for men and an occasional hooker. (of couse the irony of a white hooker in SMA is not lost on me) Anyway, she was obsessed with going into El Gato and I refused. Well, the evening before we left she found out that this particular cantina is actually okay for women. And gringas are definitely welcome and not considered to be selling themselves. This was a comforting thought for me, but I still wasn´t really interested. Anyway, because I wouldn´t go with her, I will never live it down. Oh well. I figure if we find a similar place here I will amuse her curiosity and go with her.
So, on the other hand, it is not unlike Kathleen to carry around three different bags so she can have her money with her and spread out over her body. Very smart I know. But I just can´t be bothered. A safe in the room would be nice, but at $10-20 a night, we are not finding safes in our rooms. So, I hide things around and just hope that we are staying in places where the housekeeping is honest.
In spite of these differences, our crabbiness with each other is around guess what!!? You guessed it! Being too hungry. We both lose our minds when we are hungry. It is not a good combination. The other problem is when we have different ideas of what we want to eat. I was looking in vain for tacos all over SMA. There are no good taco places that are open late. For some reason the stands didn´t look too appealing for various reasons. The stands on El Jardin were all elote (corn), helado (ice cream) and hamburguesas or salchichas (hot dogs). I have no idea why there are no taco stands on El Jardin. Anyway, one night we were starving after spending the afternoon at La Gruta, a hot spring place. That was a disappointing adventure in itself and when we got back to SMA we were rushing to be ready for drinks with friends of K´s. We ended up at El Tomate, a health food restaurant. This was not at all what I was looking for, having been dreaming about succulent tacos for the last 3 nights. So after a small meltdown on my part, I left and got a hamburger. It was really good for street food. I have yet to get tacos!
Yesterday we had a VERY Mexican experience at the bus station. K bought the tickets and for some reason neither of us thought to ask for the tickets. Well, you HAVE to have a ticket to take the bus. So, when I realized that the woman hadn´t given us our tickets, just before we were supposed to take off, I ran to the counter to have her print us out new tickets. That would have been way too easy. She claimed to have printed them and handed them to us. K and I were positive that she just gave us the change, but no tickets. She said she could not re-print them no matter how much I tried to argue...which is difficult given my level of Spanish. I was able to basically state what I needed to, getting my point across. But this is Mexico and a rule is a rule. You must have a ticket to take the bus. It didn´t matter that she had a record of us paying for the tickets and she even remembered us buying them. After much argument I paid for two more tickets. I decided that it wasn´t worth having a heart attack over $12 total! I never for one minute gave any thought to the fact that she was taking us for a ride. K suggested that she printed out our tickets and then sold them to someone else and pocketed the cash. I hate to think like that about people, but I think that is a likely explanation. There is no way she gave us those tickets. And if she hand´t sold them to someone else, what would it be to her to re-print the tickets. Anyway, maybe not. It certainly isn´t the first time I have experienced something so rediculous in Mexico that was due to some crazy rule that no one wanted to bend.
You take the bad with the good down here.
The towns we have visited have all been very well kept up. There are garbage cans everywhere and people hired to clean the streets regularly: in SMA, Queretaro, and Guanajuato too. One thing that has taken me totally by surprise is the cleanliness of most of the bathrooms in town. Even the bus stations have clean bathrooms with toilet seats and paper. It costs 3 pesos. Well worth it if you ask me!
Guanajuato is really amazing. It is a colonial town tucked into a little valley with houses built up the hillside and streets are mostly walking only. The roads for cars are mostly underground. The tunnels are very old, built for the mining that was going on here when the town was first built. This is a town of many college students, some tourists/travelers from around the world and lots from here in Mexico. It has lots of history as one of the first places the revolution was started. It was a big mining town and was very wealthy as a result. Many of the buildings are very grand and seem strange given the scale of the tiny streets. We have yet to really explore. It seems a place you could get very lost and turned around. There is no grid here. Pipila (a statue of a revolutionary, not Jesus) is the only real landmark I have been able to use to find my way around. I am looking forward to seeing the Diego Rivera Muesum (where he was born), the mummies, el mercado (of course), and some of the churches.
Our room is up on one hill off a tiny alley. There are alleys everywhere, winding up the hills. Walking only. I had to lug my suitcase up a zillion stairs to get there. But it is $10 each per night, quite a deal! There is nothing fancy, but Lidia, La Señora, is very nice and accomodating. We have our own keys and can come and go as we please. It seems like a good deal. We looked at another place too, but it was too much noise and people for K. But, we ended up meeting two nice kids who are traveling around Mexico. We had dinner with them last night and may meet up with them again. It´s always entertaining to meet people and exchange travel stories.
I have tried to send some postcards, but you probably won´t get them until after I return. I failed to get stamps the first day and then it was the weekend and then a holiday; May 1 is Labor Day here. When I finally got to the postoffice all they had were the stamps they print out separately. They are too big, or I have written too much on each card to accomodate the sticker. So, I will try again.
Well, I think I have shared enough for the moment. My wrists are beginning to ache. And I need a nap. I got very little sleep last night. Too much fun. That is what vacations are for right?! Hope you are all well!
Love, Elisabeth