Little Mary Wheeler stayed next door while she was here and that house has a fabulous roof. She and Butch and I spent a couple of lovely evenings there and now our own dog is a dogonrooftop.
(STAY TUNED FOR MARY’S GUEST POST, any minute now.)
has mostly consisted of a number of school visits for me and making plans for going home.
We have decided to leave the last week in June and drive home. I’ll be going up to Texas to buy a car to drive back. It turns out buying a car in Mexico to take back to the states is prohibitively expensive, because it would not only need to meet US emission requirements but safety requirements too, which would mean rebuilding the bumpers or something.
Now that we have a plan - I am letting myself think about all my friends and my home and getting very excited to return. It will be very bittersweet leaving here. I have loved it so much - but plan to figure out ways to return.
Here are some pix of the week:
We discovered the fun of combining bubbles and puppies.
We had a party on Saturday and played a very fun intergenerational game of Werewolf.
There have been a number of parades - the people I have asked are not sure what the occasion is.
I spent a few days observing in sixth and first grade classrooms.
And got some nice pix on a walk down a nearby callejon.
The day we went camping….
Can you see the raindrops on the water?
We actually had a wonderful time. We had already had much of the afternoon at the site, swimming and frolicking, when it started thundering and lightninging and then raining. I was convinced it would pass quickly, because the only rain we have gotten here lately has lasted about 5 or 10 minutes. Luckily we had just got the tents set up and we huddled inside and waited it out. ( Though it did chase one of the families that we were with away.) It was actually pretty lovely and wonderful, but I was worried at one point that it would just keep raining and we would end up packing up and hauling everything out in the rain. That’s what would have happened in Oregon. It stopped after about an hour, and we all had dry clothes to change into. It was a chilly evening, but we had time to cook dinner before the sun went down. There were s’mores and guitar playing around the camp fire. I just kept thinking about all the fleece and gloves and hats I didn’t pack because it was 90 stinkin’ degrees as we were packing to go.
Butch did great. She loved being outside and finding sticks and horse poop. The next morning, as soon as the sun came up it was warm and then hot. We took a walk and took frequent dips before
we packed everything up and hauled it out again. Butch got out on a log and dove in to try to follow us, but made a hairpin turn in the water and ran right out. So cute.
The big exciting thing coming up, has been the wedding of one of Maria’s aunts ( who I believe is about 5 years younger than Maria.) The big day was Saturday and my friend Tom, (of penpal fame, who has come back to GTO for a visit,) and I went to it.
We took a city bus out to Yerba Buena, a community on the way out of town, and after asking directions a few times and, of course walking quite a ways, we found the church. Once we were there, we waited for a while - of course.
It was a long mass with lots of sitting down and standing up. We were standing in the back, so we could relax.
I kept trying to focus on what the pastor said, but soon realized even if it was in English, I probably didn’t have the attention span to follow along, so I spent most of my time looking at cute babies, trying not to eat their pudgie little hands.
After the ceremony we squeezed onto a bus that they had hired to take people from the wedding to the reception at El Rancho, (the home of Maria and her family).
Once everyone was there, we sat under tents and tarps, listening to live musicians ( a guitar and a bongo player,) sing love songs.
And waited for the fellows to cook this wheelbarrel full of meat.
It was served with mole, rice and tortillas and mmmm, was it good.
It had been a very hot day, but the wind began to blow and it started to cool down. It was quite wonderful.
We decided to go before the cake, and the dancing. I don’t think anyone missed us.
Last night our friend Patrick invited us over for dinner. He works at Alma del Sol, a beautiful bed and breakfast owned and run by another friend, Hugo.
This is the view from the dinner table. Isn’t that crazy?
That’s all.
On Sunday Quince and I went out to Rodeo de San Jose, the little town near Maria’s family’s ranch because it was their patron saint’s day and there was a big celebration that would culminate in eating the most delicious mole in Mexico, which Maria’s mother, Lidia, makes.
We took the city bus way out into the country outside of Guanajuato and got off at a little dirt road. We followed the road which soon became paved and found ourselves in a little tiny town, festooned with papel picado and all the vendors who are generally out for any celebration
There were lots of cowboys of all ages.
The main event while we were there was this jousting/golden ring type event where two guys race at a time and try to get a golden ring onto a stick off of a rope that they ride under.
When someone gets the ring they take it over to the queen and all the princesses who are standing on the back of a truck and give them the ring and give the queen a kiss. They were all a’twitter when this rotund fellow got the ring.
And a little more positive twittering when this handsome young lad got it.
Everyone else watches. Quince and I were wandering around poking our heads in the crowds trying to find good view spots that weren’t too crazy sunny and hot. A few times we found good spots just to decide to move away because of the super drunk fellows that would come and try to talk to us in no comprehensible language. I think we were the only gringas around.
We eventually found Lidia and joined her and a large group who walked across the road to the ranch to sit in the shade and eat the most delicious mole.
has been lovely with the Aunties here AND I have been teaching English at Mikko’s school. We planned the Aunties’ tourist week around meals, at favorite restaurants and at home. Therefore, we have eaten very well and had some good card playing time as well. One of the best meals is a city bus ride away at Tamales Purupecha. It is Michaocan style tamales, pozole, and corundas, which are kind of like mini tamales that are wrapped in chard and covered with salsa verde and crema. Oh Yummmm.
Quince and I took nice long walks early early in the mornings. It has been great after my long break from walks during our trip.
Then I took Mikko to school, and generally came home to putter until around 11 when I would go back up and teach. It felt good to be back in the classroom. Everyone should get to take a year off, so they can miss their job, and remember how much they love it. (I have probably said that before and will most likely say it again.)
There were two scorpian sightings, one disturbing one was floating dead in the water that I had just washed my clothes in by hand - which makes me think it was alive in the pile of laundry as I was carrying it around. The other was up near the ceiling on the wall. Matthew squished it handily with a book.
Here are some random pictures of the week:
This is right around the corner from Mikko’s school. It has been a good week for burro sightings.
It was the hottest week we have had so far - in the 90s most days. Matthew bought a package of balloons for water balloons - and he Mikko and Mikko’s friend Adam managed to involve the boys across the callejon in some good water balloon fights. Notice the orange blob flying towards the boy in the bue shirt
No puppy news yet.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Our friends Victor and Cindy decided to have a little BBQ since everyone was home from our spring break.
They live in a big beautiful house where the kids just run off and you can forget all about them.
After dinner fashion show
After the party we went to pick up Aunties Sue and Quince who arrived from Portland, but I didn’t get any pictures.
SATURDAY
We went into town with Victor and Cindy and their two kids Taner and Kyan.
We stopped in a church to say hi to poor Jesus. Mikko’s friend Adam had us go in so we could see a statue of a saint who was pointing up, St. Jude(?) and who Adam thinks looks like he is flipping everyone off. I don’t know why I didn’t take a picture.
Got a drink
At the Jardin there were some medieval people being interviewed while they waited for the parade. Notice the little gringo trying to get on TV.
Then of course, the medieval belly dancers and bag pipers came along.
and the rest
We followed the parade to the medieval encampment at the baseball stadium.
There were sword fights, and archery contests as well as horsey things. You could also get medieval tacos, gorditas, enchiladas etc.
That night we played cards by candlelight in observance of the “Hour without Power”
SUNDAY
Victor and Cindy live right across the road from this big dam type lake thing, the Presa de la Olla. There are lovely little parks around and many families come and picnic and take out boats on Sundays. We decided to join them.
Cindy got the prize for happiest rower, in our boat.
Kyan got it for cutest rower
I guess I got the prize for pinkest sweater wearing rower.
The other boat kept pursuing us and bombing us with bread that was supposed to be for the ducks. What is the deal with 8 year old boys?
(The big, square looking, white house, on the left is Cindy and Victor’s FYI.)
We had all worked up our appetites, what with all the rowing and bombing and such, so went to an excellent restaurant that not only has very good food from all over Mexico, but the best burgers in town.
Just your average weekend in beautiful Guanajuato, Mexico
I’m a little blue, missing my house and friends and mimosas and Pannukaaku and egg dyes and the smell of vinegar and most especially my friends. Mikko and I painted some eggs using watercolors and beet juice. We are planning a lazy day of reading and playing games and maybe not ever leaving the house. It’s nice, but….
Those of you in Portland in July. I’ll be having my easter party then. Could someone save some egg dyes for me?
This is a bit of an epic post, but Tijuana is a bit of an epic place. It is all so big and heavy. I have just barely scratched the surface. Our friend that we stayed with has a blog about living there.
We traveled up Baja through miles and mile of this type of landscape .
This is the first of 6 military checkpoints that we had to stop at. They just chose a few random suitcases to go through, then showed the crowd pictures of things: drugs weapons etc. that they have gotten at that particular checkpoint. I got reprimanded for taking this picture, but he didn’t make me erase it.
At about 2 in the morning they made a bunch of people, including Matthew get off and frisked them. Mikko and I were sleeping like babies, so missed the whole thing.
When we woke up the ocean was right outside and the hillsides were covered with wild flowers.
Jesus was there to welcome us at some point. He’s such a nice guy.
I was very attracted to the dashboard of our bus.
It was much colder, so far north, than we were used to. (Mikko was still a little sick too.)
We were greeted, at our friends’ house by their nine month old Chihuahua, Xoloitzcuintle, Xolito for short. He was a sweet companion, when he wasn’t humping your arm.
Our friends live less then a block from the beach, about 5 or 6 blocks from the border.
This fence runs all the way along the border, so basically is the northern border of Tijuana.
This was a park that represented the friendship between Mexico and the US. They started building the fence just before NAFTA, long before 9/11. The powers that be knew how NAFTA would trash the Mexican economy and that people would be coming north to look for work - so we had to be sure to lock them out.
Families used to picnic on either side of the fence. There were always vendors on the Mexican side selling delicious things, so people would pass food through this hole to the US side where they were miles from a McDonalds. La Migra closed the hole though. There is no one on the US side anymore, except immigration police watching the fence.
The wall has become a site for a lot of art. This shows how once the wall was built and the doors were locked it forced people to risk their lives crossing the desert.
On a lighter note- we went to a soccer game on Sunday. The Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente. (Xoloitzcuintle, is that crazy looking Aztec, hairless dog, BTW.) This is a shot of their fans. They were as loud and rowdy as the Timbers Army in Portland.
And one crazy Mexican hotdog. The Xoloitzcuintle colors are red and black which is why the hotdog comes in a red tortilla, of course.
Unfortunately, they lost. Which was a big deal - I blame myself. Generally when I go to a Timbers game their winning streaks come to a halt too. Sorry.
Another picture I wasn’t supposed to take - so I’m posting it even though it doesn’t really show anything. According to Lynn, the new soccer stadium and everything around is owned by the ex mayor of Tijuana. Including his own private zoo, pictured here. (We could hear lions getting intimate, I believe.)
On Monday we planned to go to some museums to see some artwork of a friend and just generally do some touristy things. Little did we know it was the official holiday celebrating the nationalization of oil, so everything was closed. We saw some pretty park benches though.
The next day we ventured across the border to do a little shopping. I guess I wasn’t supposed to get this picture either.
Ah the beautiful US of A.
And a good ol’ American hotdog.
We found good sushi in Tijuana the next day.
And dropped by a workers’ rights office.
So nice to be around some radical politics, after the ultra conservative GTO.
Though why peace, workers rights and the environment are radical is a mystery to me. (Actually, unfortunately it isn’t a mystery, just a travesty.)
Then on Wednesday we got a ride to the airport, past our last glimpse of the wall, and the art on it. Each cross represents someone who has died making the crossing. At this point more people have died than in 9/11 or US casualties in the Iraq war, since the wall was built.
