Beach Videos

Tooth vs. Boogie Board

Boogie Board wins!

A look in their eye

Perhaps you've met a few of these people in your lifetime. One of them was the doctor who performed Jacob's bris. He was wrinkled, grey-haired and bent over. But he had steel blue eyes that focused in on Mary and me as he explained the procedure, how we care for Jake post-procedure and why this is such an important mitzvah. He spoke as if he knew exactly why he was placed on earth and the joy he received in performing this task. It was like I was directly linked to God via this centered and purposeful man.


While in Troncones, I met another. The gardener in the beautiful property we stayed at was a man named Herardo. This man would greet us every day with the largest toothy grin you've ever seen. He was sweeping, cutting dead palm fronds off trees, watering.... always smiling. He always had a suggestion for a place for comida ("mas barato!") or would talk about how "tranquilo" it was to live in Troncones. One morning Jake and Jay wanted to open up a coconut. We asked Gabby, the maid, for a suggestion on how to get one and cut it. In no time, Herardo was there with a ladder and a machete, pointing out to us which tree bore the sweetest fruit. Up he went and down came 3 coconuts. He climbed back down and "whack!" the coconut was opened and milk sprayed all over Herardo. He had such joy in his face as he poured the milk into a jug and scooped out the fleshy meat as Jason and Mary watched on. (Can you say Pina Colada?!!!?)


The day we left, we came outside to find our van washed from the mud, salt and sand from the week. Herardo stood there proud to have served and said, "Your car was pretty dirty. I thought I'd clean it off for your trip."

In our conversations, he had the glimmer in his eye. The love for his chosen place in life. The comfort in knowing he was doing what he was supposed to do. And that through his pruning and watering and cutting and clearing, he was bringing joy to others that they would not soon forget.

(Double click images to make them bigger....)

More Driving in Mexico

We just returned from our drive down to the beach at Troncones, just north of Zihuatenejo. It's about 7-8 hours each way. Here are a few things we came to understand:

-Tollroads - there are some lovely toll roads we were able to travel. These roads are typically 2 lanes with generous shoulders that bypass many of the small towns. This makes driving a pleasure, fairly quick and uneventful throughout much of Mexico.

-Small towns - be prepared! We ran into a large traffic jam on a 2 lane highway (not toll road) outside of a small pueblo. We sat for about 25 minutes not knowing what the hold up was. We also curiously watched pickups and a few taxis pull off to the left onto a dirt road and head in the same general direction of the highway. Finally, we joined them and, bumpity-bump!, hit the dirt road. After traveling about 1 km, we got to the pueblo and took a right onto the only major crossroad. One block later we are back at the highway and SMACK DAB in the middle of the reason for the halted traffic. There was a large flea market in the pueblo with over 40 tourist buses trying to get on and off the highway into a one lane entrance between booths. Buses are backing up, pulling forward all while cars, 18 wheelers and others are trying to pass around them. No traffic cops anywhere. It was a cluster _____! And we were dead center. Luckily, through scooting here and inching there and snaking around here, we made it through in another mere 15 minutes! WHEW! And no dents!!!

-Small towns part 2 - if you are driving through a small town, and you notice families all walking down the same street you're on in the same direction, and the girls are wearing white dresses and the boys are dressed with colorful panchos and have fake mustaches drawn on their faces, and the crowds start getting bigger and bigger.... then either turn around or be prepared to join the parade or posada or local celebration of the Virgin of the Guadalupe for the next 2 hours! (We figured it out in time to turn around!)

-Animal Crossings - this is actually the bigger danger in Mexico. You come over a hill and a cow or burrow is situated right there in your lane. When you DON'T expect it is when you are driving 70mph down the toll road (yeah, the one you can go fast on) and a goat herder is shepherding his flock across the road. This prompted Mary to yell "GOAT!!!!!" at the top of her lungs. We swerved left then right, narrowly escaping the responsibility to pay for and have cabrito for dinner.
This did lead to an interesting conversation. Mary said, "What if that was the last word I said before I died? GOAT!!! How sad!" Then we started talking about last words before some fiery crash or other untimely end. "CRAP!" "LOOK OUT!" Those are obvious. But the less obvious are: "De, De, De, De, De, De, De, De, ........" when you just can't get the work out in time, "BIMBO!" (Running headlong into a truck that sold this brand of baked goods), or "ASS!" (the double entendre naming both the animal you are about to disembowel and your idiotic husband).

-Passing - this is what our friend calls a "polite game of chicken." It's still chicken, but they are polite about it. When passing someone on the toll road (remember 2 lanes), the passer puts on the left blinker and heads into the oncoming traffic lane. Most polite drivers who are "passees" move over onto the shoulder to make room. And, even more polite, the oncoming traffic moves into their shoulder to avoid the head on collision. This took some getting used to , especially when you are the oncoming traffic person.

-Banditos - there's some talk north of the border that banditos lurk at every corner putting rocks in the highway to stop you and then rob you. I am pretty sure those stories have happened to folks. However, we found nothing but friendly people along the roads of Mexico. Now, we make sure that we don't drive at night, too!

-Vistas - driving through Mexico offers some beautiful vistas along the way. Lots of unspoiled beauty....

Thanksgiving in Mexico

Many of you asked how Thanksgiving was down here in Mexico. Here's Keith's perspective:
It was a normal day.... got up at 6 and got the kids up and ready for school. On the walk to the bus stop we passed by the San Antonio Church as we always do. But that day was the Blessing of the Musicians. So in front of our neighborhood church was a 25 piece mariachi band including bass, guitars, trumpets and a guy on a really chintzy handheld buzzing speaker system. They were playing a lovely tune and sounded clear and pure (except for the buzzing singer on the speaker). All this at 7:30am.
The kids went to school and I went back to the house. I did the regular errands and email checks.
In the afternoon, we picked up the kids and then ran over to Lucha's. Lucha is one of our babysitters. She and her sister, Diana, are very sweet to the kids. (Perhaps even TOO sweet.) Lucha is about 4' 10" and hoping to be a great cook or chef one day. So a few days before, we decided we'd hire Lucha to cook up Thanksgiving dinner. We didn't know quite what to expect, other than some kind of Turkey.
I went over to get the food at her house. The food just kept coming out of her house into the van for transport. A huge smoked turkey. Deviled eggs. Spaghetti. Pasta and green bean salad. Chicken cordon bleu. More salad. Sauteed veggies. Two cheesecakes. (Pumpkin pies are a bit hard to come by here.) And more! We loaded up the van and headed home.
About a dozen other folks with kids joined us and we had a lovely meal out in our jardin. We shared good food, good wine and good times.
And just like at home, I ate a ton. And a bit later in the day, as we say at home, "I don't feel like I'm going to throw up. So it must be time to eat again!"
Happy Thanksgiving!

Time Changes

So Daylight Savings Time ended in Mexico last Saturday night. But it doesn’t end in the US until next Saturday. That’s OK, unless you are taking a flight at 7:15am on that Sunday following.

First, is the van service going to remember that the clocks moved back and pick you up at the right 3:30am? I couldn’t tell if they did or didn’t. They called at 3am to say they were at the front door. Were they 30 minutes early or 30 minutes late, but didn’t move the clocks back?
Second, did Continental Airlines get it right when they listed the flight times, ‘cause I didn’t want to miss the connection to California? They did have it right. But I still have had to switch my watch ahead 1 hour and then back 2 hours to keep it straight. What time is it anyway?

Another time change is the change between Mexico time and US time. It’s so evident when I come back across the border… both externally (watching the blackberries pop out as soon as I enter Intercontinental Airport in Houston in an effort to maximize how we spend time) and internally (just noticing my stride speeds up or slows down). Time is treated differently and I’m not convinced that we northerners have it quite figured out.

We held a birthday party for Jacob at our house. The assigned time for the party? 10am to 1pm. The first guests arrived at 10:48am. Over 50% of the guests were still at our house at 5:00pm. Why? We were having such a good time. And if anyone had somewhere else to go, it just became less important than being where we were and with whom we were with. It was a glorious day, and we all just enjoyed the time in the garden with laughter, beer and hot dogs.

Finally, I’m being convinced to buy a hammock. Why? Where else would you want to spend your time? Why I haven’t bought one, yet? I suppose it is because I don’t feel like I’ll be able to slow down enough to enjoy it. So I suppose I’ll really get the lesson of time that Mexico has to teach me when you find me in my hammock, spy novel on my chest as I snore away into oblivion.

BIG ROCK!

We departed on a cold, foggy Sunday morning with our kids and 2 other families, Zeesman/Hills and Schaffs, in matching Honda Odysseys. As we exited San Miguel towards the east, we were adrift in the clouds that had covered the countryside. All occupants simultaneously noticed that on both sides of the road were hundreds, in fact, thousands of spider webs, glistening in dewy beauty from every bush and tree. We stopped to admire the handiwork (the legiwork?) of these geometric wonders.

A few minutes later, we came over a ridge and, POOF, the clouds dissipated and we were left blues skies and sunshine. And so it was as we headed the remaining hour to the Peña de Bernal. This rock is the 2nd largest monolith in the world. What’s a monolith? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monolith)

So here we are driving and seeing the signs tell us that we are within kilometers of this rock and it is nowhere to be seen. “Can’t be that big”, I thought. Then you round the corner and “Look, kids!” Whoa. That is a big rock!

After finagling our way around the construction in the little town to the highest parking lot (saves you about another hour of uphill walking), we unload, pee (don’t forget your $3 pesos for your friendly bathroom monitor and paper hander-outer), slather on the sun block, get the water and snacks loaded into the backpacks (I’m tired, already!), we begin the trek upward.

The rock reminded Mary and I of our neighboring central Texas Enchanted Rock. Except, you can’t summit Bernal without some ropes, carabineers, crampons and shear wall-climbing experience. The climb is highlighted by:
-Beautiful flowers
-A couple of dozen man-made steps, a short slippery rock face, and lots of hopping from craggily rock to craggily rock
-Rests in the few shady spots
-Yodeling (“High on a hill is a lonely goatherd….” I think I was the only one who thought this was funny. How do you say goatherd in Spanish?)
-Some Mexican women climbing in their Sunday best, including shoes with heels
-Incredible vistas!

We enjoyed our accomplishment from our high perch for a bit and then completed the almost 2 hour (total) hike as I often hoped that back at the bottom there would be cold cerveza and a knee-replacement surgeon.

Back in the quaint little town, we had a fine Italian lunch (it’s not all Mexican food down here, you know). As we exited and as often happens, our friends ran into other friends of theirs that happened to be playing blues and jazz in the little town square. We listened for a few songs, and were happily interrupted by a parade of caballeros and caballeras(?) riding through the streets in their customary garb.

All that, and we were home by 6pm.

How my daughter became a Vegetarian

We extended Jessica's birthday-week (ha) by letting the boys get on the school bus Tuesday morning, and letting Jessica "skip school" and spend a special day with Keith and I. We took her out to breakfast and to the "Tuesday Market" --- a wonderful, colorful market that rivals any Super Target in the States. The kids never get to go, as they are always in school.

You can, literally, get ANYTHING, there. Clothes - new and used. Pinatas. Car parts. Shoes. Plants. Barrettes. Dry beans. DVDs of brand new movies just out in theatres (Hmmm - not legal??). Embroidery. Arts & Crafts. School supplies. Kitchenwares. Pets - kittens, puppies, fish, turtles, gerbils, birds, parrots.......

this is where we got in trouble. See you can also get live chickens. You can also get produce -- eggs. There are also wonderful stalls to eat -- churros, papayas, coconuts, jicima, tacos, bisteak, even pizza.



Within about 500 feet, Jessica witnessed the entire lifecycle of a chicken ---- a produce stand with eggs. After some very loud Mexicano music to display the power of some speakers and quality of CD copies, we saw a group of cages with some adorable baby chicks, ducks, geese, and many different chickens and roosters. Not far after were some of those large oven spits roasting some 20 chickens over a hot broiler. Nearby were happy couples and families enjoying their meals. It wasn't too long before my 10 year old was HORRIFIED!!!!

Luckily, we are in a land of plenty when it comes to beans and lentils. Soy milk and tofu??? Probably not.

Tequila

Honestly, we've only had one or two shots of tequila the whole time we've been down here. Really!

Now, where did I park the van again?

More Fiesta photos and movies...

Parade Pictures....







Voladores from Veracruz and Happy Fireworks Watchers!

Fiesta!...... Peligroso!!

September is the month of fiestas in San Miguel. It includes: El Grito, the celebration of the start of Mexican Independence from Spain; the San Miguelada, a running of the bulls in downtown San Miguel; and the Fiesta of San Miguel, the patron saint of our fair town.

El Grito was a wonderful wave of pariotism that swept over the town, and the country. Mexican banderas fly everywhere and red, white and green decorates many shops and windows. At 11pm, a local government official steps up to a high balcony overlooking the square and reads the same speech given by Father Hidalgo in to get the locals riled up to push the Spanish conquerors back to the sea. Then, it is fireworks and shouts of “Viva Mexico! Viva Hidalgo! Viva San Miguel!” And the party continues the rest of the weekend.

The San Miguelada was essentially moved from San Miguel this year to a smaller town about 1.5 hours away. Although the local restaurants and bars loved the infusion of young drinkers and “bull targets”, the townsfolk were not so fond of the drunks making a disgusting mess of the town, including very lewd behavior. So, I really don’t have much to say about this celebration.

This past weekend was the Fiesta of San Miguel. Natives from all over Mexico danced in parades every day that wound through town for hours on end. The proud colors, feathers and shells made for impressive displays. Other crews had half of their group in native dress battling the other half in Spanish army gear with realistic steel blades clanging up and down the parade route. Flatbed trucks displayed dioramas, using real people as statues, of monks or St. Michael reading bible verses to Indian maidens.

But the dangerous part (the peligroso part) was the crazy fireworks. On Saturday morning at 4am the “battle of good and evil” gets going en masse. The gates to the Parroquia, the main church, are closed. Inside the gates are 50-100 people and outside the gates in the square are hundreds of others. At 4am on the dot, those inside the gates begin heaving large bottle rocket type fireworks onto those outside the gates. (Not sure which side represents good and which side is evil.) This goes on for an hour. My friend, Dave, and I figured that at least 15,000 of these babies are tossed into the square. Minor burns and singed hair are common. But it has the appeal of walking on hot coals – for those of you that find that appealing. On the opposite side of the square, more fireworks are lit and, luckily, directed to the heavens.



But here is the COOLEST part. The castillas. These are large steel or iron scaffolds towering up 60’ or more, wobbling to and fro and tied down with ropes or cables. At night, they are ignited, one at a time, with a fuse that crackles, sparks and jumps. Then the fireworks on the tower whirr or spin or scream or spell out “Viva San Miguel”. Oohs and ahhs are whispered from the crowd or laughter breaks out as one of the wheels refuses to spin despite the efforts of the rockets spewing sparks to move it. All of this culminates in the anticipation for the top of the castilla. The top section may be an iron wagon wheel or a rocket or smaller rings. They light forming a heart or a star and start spinning wildly around. And then, another set of rockets fire and the whole top lifts off and flies 200-300 feet in the air. It can then explode into a bunch of fireworks. Or the entire wagon wheel piece and simply burn out and then fall to the ground. As in, pending where the wind blows, it can fall back into the crowd (Lookout!) or onto a roof or into a garden blocks away. THAT is NUTS!

How much is that again? (by Mary)

I can't pretend any longer. It has been kind of cute up until now. Sort of. On the outside, I guess...

Shopping with the kids, at the market.... after the question we learned so quickly "Cuanto cuesta?" - "How much is this?" The answer is alwasy a rapid fire "dos cientos cienquenta" or "ochenta siete". Quick thinking Mommy that I am (personal pat on back)...... I turn to the "kids-that-are-supposed-to-be-learning-Spanish" with a smile to see who can figure it out first. And YES.....now all three can answer without batting an eye.

But now my cover is blown.

I cannot understand spoken Spanish numbers when said at a normal pace to save my life!!!!!!!!!!!

I've taken Spanish classes, slept to downloaded podcasts on my iPod, chanted the numbers out loud, listened to TV and radio, and yet, still, I have to resort to either this sort of offspring trickery..... or paper and pencil.

I have become one of those parents in a foreign land that needs to rely on her children to translate the language for them. It is awful. It is embarrassing. I have finally accepted that I have spent to much time with English speaking new friends and in art class for my own good. Time to start integrating (or watching Mexican QVC --- Hmmmmm.. could also be fun!)

Driving in Mexico..

Anyone who has driven with me (Mary here...) knows exactly what I am talking about when I say I am a self-proclaimed bad driver. Not that I get in accidents, mind you (except those few in high school, and that one in college, and oh yeah, when Jacob was just born and I BARELY bumped into the back of a police car -- but there was no damage and I didn't get a ticket, and that is all in the past anyway)...POINT BEING...... I don't get into accidents, I just bump a curb every now and then, miss a turn because I forget about it, stop too fast, or too slowly, park a little too crooked, make 7 point turns, and "drive by Braille" sometimes (as Keith likes to call it when I ride the bumps on the center line). Sometimes I tend to veer where I am looking -- which isn't great if it is at wildflowers, or my kids in the backseat (ok, I'm not serious there).

But I have to tell you ---- I AM A GREAT DRIVER IN MEXICO!!! I know, I know -- those of you who know me well find it hard to believe -- but it is true!!!! I love driving here, it is easy, and I am really, really great at it!! Some of the reasons are:

1) Most signs and signals are merely "suggestions" -- such as "one way", turn lanes, even stop signs. Common sense seems to be the law of the land. I accidentally (really!) ran a stop sign my second week here (the guy in front of me did too, so I really didn't know it was there -- and it was onto a 2 lane "round-a bout", so I had a lot on my mind...). Anyway, there was a Policia right behind me...... I was sure I was a goner.... but he ran it as well. Knock on wood, please, that my luck doesn't run out, and I promise I won't disobey any "suggestions" on purpose!!!!


2) With all the cobblestones, cars CAN'T go faster than 20 kilometers. That's not much faster than you can drive in a school zone. So, even if I did hit anything -- it wouldn't be very hard.

3) EVERYONE (except the occasional new Gringo in town) is incredibly nice and accommodating. Every driver stops for a pedestrian (to the point where pedestrians hardly look both ways ---- something we will have to re-teach our kids upon our re-entry to the USA). ALL intersections and incoming roads are treated like yields --- incoming cars are always let in or across traffic. ALWAYS. There is no butting in or inching your way in front of someone else. It just isn't necessary.

4) The only time I have ever hear a car horn is preceding shouts of "HOLA". Now this is often in such a small town, and it is really nice to see and hear so many warm hello's hollered through the air from the street to the sidewalk, or to an open window, or even to another car.

5) Common sense rule if someone needs to double park to run onto the pharmacy, or into someone's house to get something. Traffic just moves around it, and nobody gets upset about it.

6) If a 2-way street is too narrow for 2 cars going opposite directions, one car always pulls way over, or even backs up into a driveway or between two telephone poles so the other can pass. Usually seeing that I'm a US female driver of a van (usually full of kids), the other driver (usually a lithe VW bug or taxi) has been quick to respond and do this before I can even think of a plan. The other driver is quick to wave me through with a smile and a "Buenas Diaz"

7) If (or when) I do stray, swerve, make a wide turn, need help parallel parking, or making a 5-7 point turn.... others are quick to assist and/or move aside. And always with a smile.

This is my kind of driving!!!

P.S. although - I will hang my head in UTTER shame as I admit to you that my three children had to bail out of the van last night to navigate me into a parallel parking space. Not that it was that tight -- I'm just not very good at it. It went pretty well, except that my 5 year old had the back post, and was shouting, "you have 3 feet before you hit the motorcycle, Mommy". Unfortunately, he does not know what "3 feet" is (unless he thinks of it of 3 of his feet). Fortunately, I had the motorcycle in sight!

Saint Michael Festival at school... by Jacob (7 years old)

Everyday at school is a normal day, then one day we get a note to bring home. It said, "Bring a bowl, a spoon and a cup". I said, "Why?" And Miss Wendy said because it was going to be the St. Michael festival. I didn't know who St Michael was...then....we began to practice our play. The 5th graders began by playing a song on the flute, and then we (the 2nd grade) sang a little song that went like this:

By a dark and peaceful wood,
a quiet little village stood
where people labored all the day
for winter was not far away

Then the teachers sang a verse, but I don't know what it was. Then the dragon came out and said, "Bring me a maid to eat" (the dragon was a great big dragon head with all the 7th graders under a blanket for the body) I forget the next part, but in little bit the dragon ran away. Then they bring out the maid (it was my sister's friend in 4th grade, Estrella). Then St. Michael comes out. Then St. George comes out. And St. Michael gives St. George the sword. And then St. Michael goes away, and St. George slowly goes to the maid to save her. Then the dragon comes out and they start fighting. Then the dragon opens his mouth to breathe fire, and St. George places the flat part of his sword onto the dragon's tongue and he tames the dragon and takes it away. Then we sang the same song again.

Today was the REAL play. Everyone was dressed up in a costume. My class was dressed like farmers and villagers. All morning we made soup in a huge pot over a real fire outside, and the 4th grade baked bread. The parents came before lunch and the whole school did the play. We played games. We walked on ropes holding onto other ropes, we balanced on boards (with ditches of COLD water on both sides that you would fall into if you didn't balance), and we jumped over the FIRE, and climbed up the diagonal bars and jumped off onto a mat from really high up. We had vegetable soup (that all the kids made) and the parents had all brought desserts. Daddy made apple mess and Mommy made key lime pie. They were both really good.


The play was fun, and it was a fun day. I like my school and I like my friends.

Jacob

Easy... and Not So Easy

Easy:
-Taking garbage out - 5 minute walk to the garbage truck parked up the street. Take it anytime between 7pm and 5am-ish.
-The weather - 80s during the day and 60s at night.
-Supplemental grocery run - there are little tiendas all over the place open all different hours to pick up milk, eggs, bacon, cereal, etc.
-Making gringo friends - they hang out at the school bus stop for 10 minutes at drop off and pick up.
-Getting a stranger to say "Hola" or "Buenas tardes" and smile, too.

Not so easy:
-Watching your children struggle with a new language and listening to their heartfelt frustrations.
-Keeping your car clean - cobblestone streets and some dirt roads means you can write 'wash me' on 90% of the vehicles here.
-Getting most of what the pharmacist or shopkeeper or schoolteacher says, but missing that 1 or 2 key words that hold the essence of the message.
-Making Mexican friends - after "hi" and "how are you?", the conversations start getting tougher.
-Getting breakfast tacos - ya'd think they abound. But not a one! We are thinking of opening a Taco Shack down here at the bus stop.

More to come....

Forced to Slow Down

San Miguel doesn’t ask you to slow down. It requires it. There are a few strategies that the town employs to ensure this happens:

Colors – San Miguel is full of vibrant color that steals your eyes. The streets are bookended with plastered cement covered with blues, oranges, pinks, maroons and greens. If it is not a plastered wall, it is a crumbling stone wall that holds up the climbing bunganvilla of vibrant pink and purple. Other tiny yellow blooms and giant red ones vie for your attention. In the morning I am always struck by the sky blue sky that looks like God literally stole that color out of every Crayola box and melted them right across the canvas.

Walking – San Miguel is a walking town. The cobblestone streets wreak havoc on a suspension system. And the traffic in this “city without a streetlight” (advertised this way, but there are a couple that I’ve seen) literally means you can get out of the cab and make better progress on many days. So, you walk most places. Of course, that slows you down. So it takes you a bit longer to get anywhere.

Driving – So, you do have to get in the car sometimes. I’ve made two trips to Queretaro to the Honda dealership (guess why!). 2/3’s of the trip is a two lane highway that then joins a four lane divided highway. On the first trip, an overturned truck on the 4 lane highway had traffic slowed to a crawl. It took 30 minutes to get around it. On the second trip, I had about 10km left on the two lane road when I found myself behind a wide load, as in, the trailer took up both of the two lanes. That means lead trucks were ahead of the trailer stopping traffic in the opposite direction and follower trucks were behind the trailer keeping us from passing. So what do you do? You slow down. You realize that you get there when you get there.

There are obviously many advantages to slowing down. I'll let you respond with your favorite in your comments. One of my favorites down here is that people don't mind when you are late. In fact, they get it. They understand. It's Mexican time.

And then, you get it, too.

Coming "home" to San Miguel

We left San Miguel for a week. Although we saw many loved ones -- friends and family, there was much sadness for us. Keith's Uncle Gene had battled stage 4 lung cancer for 5 months and we lost him last Wednesday night in Houston. His diagnosis last spring was a surprise to everyone.... and the treatment and course was far too quick for us all to grasp. Just days before he was diagnosed, our big Lewis family was gathered around the Passover table, happily making our annual jokes and the brothers and cousins were all ribbing each other as they always do. My children remember Uncle Gene in those times, with his wit, humor, and kindness, as he smiled and laughed with us. In his memory, condolences may be sent to a charity supporting nursing scholarships in Houston called "The Good Samaritan Foundation" at http://gsftx.org/support/

I continued up to Austin, alone, in a rental car to visit some of my closest friends. I loved seeing them... it was just good for my soul. I had lunch with three friends and was able to giggle, laugh, hug and share --- they made me feel as if I had never left!!!.

One of the three is the most happy, funny, caring person you could ever meet. As I saw her, we both knew she was losing her mother to stage 4 pancreatic cancer. I spent a few hours that afternoon with my friend and her young boys, wishing I could give her a piece of me to ease her pain. Mostly, I just witnessed her strength, and missed her terribly. In helping her organize some affairs for her mom, she told me that her mom wished that as a tribute and celebration to her life, she wished for others to consider making a contribution to a children's charity of their choice. Please consider this noble wish, and let me know if you do, and I will pass on the good deed to my friend, as they would very much appreciate knowing the wonderful impacts of their mother's life. Her Mom gracefully passed away earlier today at home, with love of family surrounding her.

I spent the evening with another cherished friend, her husband and two kids just talking, sharing and being. (and, ok, eating!) I didn't want the evening to end. I feel truly lucky to have such wonderful friends who know how to love, laugh, give, receive and live life as it should be lived ---- with happiness and joy.

There were so many other friends, neighbors, colleagues, and relatives that I wished I had the chance to see in my 1 day excursion........ but with such little notice, and such little time, it just wasn't possible.

COMING HOME --- late last night..... the kids were dragging, Keith and I were exhausted. I had been battling a sinus/head/chest cold for the last 2 days in Houston and the kids were definately letting us know that it was 2 hours past their bedtime and they were tired of traveling. After a 2.5 hour flight, immigration, customs, a 1 hour drive, I felt warmly welcomed HOME by the lights of San Miguel. A strange feeling, as this has only been our home for 5 weeks.

All of the Red, White and Green lights are up around the town for the Mexican Independence holiday, fast approaching this weekend. Fireworks had already started lighting up the night as we were driving into town, and they continued all night long, like popcorn in the not-so-distant sky (like 5 blocks away). They are like background music to us now. We made it through the door, dropped the bags, cleaned up the kids and brushed their teeth and popped them in bed, and fell into bed, exhausted. And we were home. In San Miguel. We would be seeing our new friends this weekend we were sure.

I heard the church bells in the distance.... I wistfully thought of my many friendships and how much I missed them. I thought of family, and how far, but yet how close we can be whenever we want. It really is a very small world when we can be so connected through a computer screen, a telephone call, or a plane ride. I know how lucky I really am...

And in case you were wondering.... our car window is REPAIRED!!! No more plastic and tape for us... we have pimped our ride! And the Honda dealership even vacuumed and washed it for us (now we are a little nervous about sticking out again, so we need to go muddy it up!) AND, we have our new camera, so we will have pictures of the Lewis clan up soon enough, we promise. (and not the dancing ones... really!) No more kitchen explosions, or any other notable mishaps... so I think we have settled into a routine.

September is a month of Fiestas in Mexico ---- we will report back!

Mary

Flowers in our Jardin

All these flowers are the work of Miguel, the gardner, and possibly a little help from elsewhere...
Enjoy.

Avenida Allende #30, Colonia San Antonio

Allende North
Originally uploaded by klewistpb

Here's a picture of our street looking south (on the top) and north.

This is our door to the street....


Open the door and viola! A beautiful garden! Casa Rosa is there in the background.


The garden is filled with lime and orange trees, bunganvilla and much more!


The family room is bright and comfy. Can you see our big screen TV there in the middle? TV is not a big activity for our family, except Saturday cartoons. Those turn into a spanish lesson anyway...


Our kitchen! With our spanish microwave and gas oven ----- LOOK OUT!


The kids playroom. Signs on the door tell you to scan your eyes and type in the right code for proper entry. Adults are allowed in, only as guests!


Jessica's bedroom


And the boys room. Hey! Jason forgot to make his bed!


And our bedroom. Hey! I forgot to put my clothes away!

More pictures of our rooftop studios/laundry lines coming soon!

OK, we'll talk to you again soon! Gracias por su visita! Adios!