One is frequently reminded that - living in the mountains as we do - the weather you may experience may be a completely different experience for someone quite nearby.
There are no official weather stations here in SMA. We have no airport of our own, hence no official weather station. However, there are unofficial or private weather stations: one in the colonia in which we live, one closer to Centro, and one out in the campo on the north side of town. They are each connected to the Weather Underground so their uploaded results are readable on the Wunderground website.
The weather station out in the campo even summarizes the data from the other two stations and reports all three on their web page. The differences between the locations is very obvious when the reports are shown side-by-side. We've been told this all along, but when it's presented graphically, it's hard to ignore. The station in the campo reports hotter and colder temperatures, day and night, than the stations in town where our particular architecture tends to level things off. The variations between day and night are lessened since the presence of buildings slows both the heating of the city and the cooling at night. The masonary buildings are slow to warm during the day and slow to cool off at night because of their composition.
The greatest difference is when it rains. A neighborhood in another part of town can get a vastly different amount of rain that we do at our house. A recent spate of storms delivered over 3 inches of rain at the house, while friends in the same colonia received over 6 inches! What a difference a few blocks (and the differences in geography) can make!
However, because our weather stations are unofficial, we never received weather forecasts in the past. Only recently www.weather.com has begun posting forecasts for SMA. And they're fairly accurate, temperature-wise. Although during the summer there is often a chance of rain predicted on most days, we've learned to not expect any precipitation unless the prediction is at least 80 - 90%.
So imagine our surprise this evening when a faint roll of thunder was followed by rain spattering the pavement in the back yard. The rain prediction for today was only 60% at most. We had gone ahead with plans for dining in the back garden instead of inside based on the forecast. We'd just prepared the salads and baked ziti with sausage and meatballs when it started to rain!
Well, as it turned out, perhaps 'rain' is too strong a word. Prolonged heavy sprinkling might be more accurate. At any rate, dining al fresco was out of the question. So we took our plates into the office and I'm trying not to spill any pasta sauce on the keyboard as I write!
The sun is out once again, the thunder had faded (though there's some again right now), and the pavement has begun to dry. If it rains a bit more, perhaps we'll not need to water the lawn today after all.
[For historical accuracy, last night's precipitation amounted to 8.4mm or 1/3-inch including that which fell at the dinner hour and a bit later - around 9pm.]
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Santa Fe is on Fire! - II
The next morning dawned early (here in SMA, the sun stays up longer but it doesn't rise any earlier: 7:00 am is about year-round), but we were ready for breakfast and dined on chiliquiles with green peppers and fruits with delicious coffee. I'm a bit of a coffee snob and wasn't expecting much, but even with cream and sugar, it tasted like COFFEE!
We took the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the new camera (what happened to that 16 MB chip?) and headed out into town. Stopped at a couple of places then decided we'd try Maria's for lunch. From the inn we took a cross-country route rather than walking down the more popular streets to Maria's -- and promptly got lost. Saw a lot of nice neighborhoods before we turned down a street that - by chance - was the street on which Maria's was located.
They make a mighty fine margarita with any one of their multiple tequilas; we tried two of them and enjoyed our luncheon. Michael ordered the sampler platter (taco, chile relleno, enchilada, and tamale - Christmas style). I enjoyed the stuffed burger (I know, how Anglo!) but it was stuffed with cheddar cheese, onions, and green peppers. We also shared Michael's bunelo with lots of honey!
We headed back to the inn (using the main thoroughfares this time - a much shorter trip) and then decided to walk to the Plaza. Visited the Museum, a camera shop (bought a 4 GB chip, as the camera's memory was full after taking the second picture), bought a Zia necklace for Michael, then stopped into our favorite hat shop - gotta plan for next year.... Back to the inn for a nap and then on to the opera.
This was planned as an interesting evening: shuttle to the opera, a buffet dinner with our friends Michael and Will (who live in Santa Fe), a talk about that night's opera, and then the performance. Santa Fe Opera starts at 9 pm in July - things must be dark, you know - and it was really a good thing this time. The production (Faust) had a dark storyline and the production was largely black: black flooring, black ceiling, black walls, and many black costumes. The use of light was important and it just wouldn't be the same if it had still been light out. This is changing next year, when the opera will begin at 8:30 instead of 9:00 in July. Not sure this is a good idea, but the old general director is gone and there's little reverence for some of his ideas!
Anyway, the dinner was great fun! The four of us simply picked up from where we left off last year and carried on. Good friends are like that. The meal was good, the talk was above average, and the show magnificent. I understand that on opening night - when nearby Los Alamos was still involved in a forest fire - as the back of the stage was opened, the fires of Hell were aptly portrayed with smoke, fire, and exploding pine trees. Even though the fire had gone away, it was still an exciting performance and it didn't seem like 12:30 when it got over. Not sure we needed the French ballet scene, but with a French conductor, you can bet we got it!
And there was talk of next year's season. I think we're going to try for three operas next year; maybe four of the season's five, depending upon how long we want to stay in Santa Fe. There's Tosca, Pearl Fishers, and King Roger for sure; maybe Arabella and even Maometto II, if we get wild and crazy (M-II is Rossini, not my favorite composer).
We're not planning as much traveling in 2012: Cabo in January; a Western Caribbean itinerary on the Disney Dream and the maiden voyage of the Disney Fantasy in March (with about eight days at Walt Disney World, of course, around the cruises). So perhaps we can manage more operas in Santa Fe - or not. There's always the possibility of an additional cruise....
Early Sunday morning we packed up (after a breakfast of feather-light lemon ricotta pancakes in a lemon syrup with berries and bacon) and drove the hour back to ABQ, turned in the car, and shuttled to the airport. Checked the bags, went through security - where I got the full-body x-ray treatment - and went off to await our departure.
And uneventful flight except for the person who lost their breakfast a few rows ahead of us. The need for a clean-up crew in Phoenix delayed us a bit, but we made it to San Diego in two short hops.
Our connection with Paula and Tim went more smoothly this time and they were waiting to pick us up so we zipped off to IKEA for some last-minute shopping. I really miss that store in Mexico. We've heard that there is an IKEA store in DF, but their website doesn't mention it. Paula had done some advance shopping for us at IKEA and Crate and Barrel (and we had covered Target needs in Santa Fe), so there wasn't too much to do, but it was a weekend and the place was jammed. Whew! Weekdays are better.
Then back to their house to repack our suitcases and average the weight distribution. Dinner called, so off to a Mexican restaurant (natch) in Hillcrest for an early dinner and then on to the Civic Theater for the closing performance of Shrek - The Musical. Wasn't sure how I'd like this, but it was inventive and well-performed and I think we all enjoyed ourselves in our fifth row orchestra seats. Don'cha just love theater?!?
Our visit drew to a close and we hustled over to the Greyhound bus station (that's another story; perhaps a mood piece is called for sometime soon) where we caught the bus to the border and then on to the Tijuana airport. No muss, no fuss at the border, but a long line at the airport check-in counter. We eventually made it to the front and checked our bags, then went to the gate to wait for loading.
From there onto the plane and a three-hour flight to Leon, where our shuttle driver was waiting for us. It was a fuller shuttle this time so the trip was longer as we dropped folks off at their destinations in San Miguel. Busy, but a much less frustrating trip than the trip north!
Oh, and the van needed new shocks! Have I ever told you about traffic control in Mexico? One word: topes. Not only here in San Miguel where our designation as a World Heritage site prevents such modern things as store signs and traffic lights, but the rest of Mexico uses them too, anywhere they want traffic to slow down. Bounce, bounce, bounce, but we made it home at last.
Once again, we traveled for more than 24 hours and as soon as we had tagged the furniture, I headed upstairs for a nap. Don't really sleep much on airplanes. Volaris has a lot going for it (prices, schedules, good service), but generous amounts of space are not among their virtues. Even Southwest allows more space between rows, and I think the Boeings that Southwest flies are wider than the Airbuses in Volaris's fleet.
So here we are, safe and sound again. The bathroom mirror frames (reminiscent of 'Who's the fairest of them all?' in size and design) were now mirrored. The carpenter arrived to install the spice racks beneath the wall cabinets, and this morning the masons arrived to complete the fountain platform in the back yard. Not that we're going to have a fountain, but the owners had originally planned on one there (and in the front yard, too) so there was plumbing and a rough concrete platform built.
There were some difficulties in the execution of the design we had in mind, but it looks great, it's nearly completed, and it's even better looking than the tiled steps the same masons did for us leading down into the backyard from the loggia.
Next up: a back-to-back cruise on the Disney Wonder from Vancouver to Los Angeles, then on to the first Mexican Riviera cruise of the winter season in mid-September/October. And as long as we're in Los Angeles, a stay at Disneyland to see the work that's been done so far on the re-imagining of California Adventure from a representation of the whole state to a recreation of Los Angeles in the 1930s when Walt first arrived in town. Oh, and a few dinners at Club 33, of course, with friends invited, et cetera.
Can't wait!!!
We took the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the new camera (what happened to that 16 MB chip?) and headed out into town. Stopped at a couple of places then decided we'd try Maria's for lunch. From the inn we took a cross-country route rather than walking down the more popular streets to Maria's -- and promptly got lost. Saw a lot of nice neighborhoods before we turned down a street that - by chance - was the street on which Maria's was located.
They make a mighty fine margarita with any one of their multiple tequilas; we tried two of them and enjoyed our luncheon. Michael ordered the sampler platter (taco, chile relleno, enchilada, and tamale - Christmas style). I enjoyed the stuffed burger (I know, how Anglo!) but it was stuffed with cheddar cheese, onions, and green peppers. We also shared Michael's bunelo with lots of honey!
We headed back to the inn (using the main thoroughfares this time - a much shorter trip) and then decided to walk to the Plaza. Visited the Museum, a camera shop (bought a 4 GB chip, as the camera's memory was full after taking the second picture), bought a Zia necklace for Michael, then stopped into our favorite hat shop - gotta plan for next year.... Back to the inn for a nap and then on to the opera.
This was planned as an interesting evening: shuttle to the opera, a buffet dinner with our friends Michael and Will (who live in Santa Fe), a talk about that night's opera, and then the performance. Santa Fe Opera starts at 9 pm in July - things must be dark, you know - and it was really a good thing this time. The production (Faust) had a dark storyline and the production was largely black: black flooring, black ceiling, black walls, and many black costumes. The use of light was important and it just wouldn't be the same if it had still been light out. This is changing next year, when the opera will begin at 8:30 instead of 9:00 in July. Not sure this is a good idea, but the old general director is gone and there's little reverence for some of his ideas!
Anyway, the dinner was great fun! The four of us simply picked up from where we left off last year and carried on. Good friends are like that. The meal was good, the talk was above average, and the show magnificent. I understand that on opening night - when nearby Los Alamos was still involved in a forest fire - as the back of the stage was opened, the fires of Hell were aptly portrayed with smoke, fire, and exploding pine trees. Even though the fire had gone away, it was still an exciting performance and it didn't seem like 12:30 when it got over. Not sure we needed the French ballet scene, but with a French conductor, you can bet we got it!
And there was talk of next year's season. I think we're going to try for three operas next year; maybe four of the season's five, depending upon how long we want to stay in Santa Fe. There's Tosca, Pearl Fishers, and King Roger for sure; maybe Arabella and even Maometto II, if we get wild and crazy (M-II is Rossini, not my favorite composer).
We're not planning as much traveling in 2012: Cabo in January; a Western Caribbean itinerary on the Disney Dream and the maiden voyage of the Disney Fantasy in March (with about eight days at Walt Disney World, of course, around the cruises). So perhaps we can manage more operas in Santa Fe - or not. There's always the possibility of an additional cruise....
Early Sunday morning we packed up (after a breakfast of feather-light lemon ricotta pancakes in a lemon syrup with berries and bacon) and drove the hour back to ABQ, turned in the car, and shuttled to the airport. Checked the bags, went through security - where I got the full-body x-ray treatment - and went off to await our departure.
And uneventful flight except for the person who lost their breakfast a few rows ahead of us. The need for a clean-up crew in Phoenix delayed us a bit, but we made it to San Diego in two short hops.
Our connection with Paula and Tim went more smoothly this time and they were waiting to pick us up so we zipped off to IKEA for some last-minute shopping. I really miss that store in Mexico. We've heard that there is an IKEA store in DF, but their website doesn't mention it. Paula had done some advance shopping for us at IKEA and Crate and Barrel (and we had covered Target needs in Santa Fe), so there wasn't too much to do, but it was a weekend and the place was jammed. Whew! Weekdays are better.
Then back to their house to repack our suitcases and average the weight distribution. Dinner called, so off to a Mexican restaurant (natch) in Hillcrest for an early dinner and then on to the Civic Theater for the closing performance of Shrek - The Musical. Wasn't sure how I'd like this, but it was inventive and well-performed and I think we all enjoyed ourselves in our fifth row orchestra seats. Don'cha just love theater?!?
Our visit drew to a close and we hustled over to the Greyhound bus station (that's another story; perhaps a mood piece is called for sometime soon) where we caught the bus to the border and then on to the Tijuana airport. No muss, no fuss at the border, but a long line at the airport check-in counter. We eventually made it to the front and checked our bags, then went to the gate to wait for loading.
From there onto the plane and a three-hour flight to Leon, where our shuttle driver was waiting for us. It was a fuller shuttle this time so the trip was longer as we dropped folks off at their destinations in San Miguel. Busy, but a much less frustrating trip than the trip north!
Oh, and the van needed new shocks! Have I ever told you about traffic control in Mexico? One word: topes. Not only here in San Miguel where our designation as a World Heritage site prevents such modern things as store signs and traffic lights, but the rest of Mexico uses them too, anywhere they want traffic to slow down. Bounce, bounce, bounce, but we made it home at last.
Once again, we traveled for more than 24 hours and as soon as we had tagged the furniture, I headed upstairs for a nap. Don't really sleep much on airplanes. Volaris has a lot going for it (prices, schedules, good service), but generous amounts of space are not among their virtues. Even Southwest allows more space between rows, and I think the Boeings that Southwest flies are wider than the Airbuses in Volaris's fleet.
So here we are, safe and sound again. The bathroom mirror frames (reminiscent of 'Who's the fairest of them all?' in size and design) were now mirrored. The carpenter arrived to install the spice racks beneath the wall cabinets, and this morning the masons arrived to complete the fountain platform in the back yard. Not that we're going to have a fountain, but the owners had originally planned on one there (and in the front yard, too) so there was plumbing and a rough concrete platform built.
There were some difficulties in the execution of the design we had in mind, but it looks great, it's nearly completed, and it's even better looking than the tiled steps the same masons did for us leading down into the backyard from the loggia.
Next up: a back-to-back cruise on the Disney Wonder from Vancouver to Los Angeles, then on to the first Mexican Riviera cruise of the winter season in mid-September/October. And as long as we're in Los Angeles, a stay at Disneyland to see the work that's been done so far on the re-imagining of California Adventure from a representation of the whole state to a recreation of Los Angeles in the 1930s when Walt first arrived in town. Oh, and a few dinners at Club 33, of course, with friends invited, et cetera.
Can't wait!!!
Santa Fe is on Fire!
So by 4 am we had risen, taken care of some last minute tasks, showered, shaved, and were in the SUV for the drive to the Leon airport. (Actually, I was up and about by midnight.)
Anyway, the trip started off just fine. The shuttle was a bit early, but we were ready for it. It got lost finding the house of the other person on the shuttle, but we left town in good time, reached the airport on schedule (even though two rabbits tried to slow us down on one of the roads - eewww), we checked our bags at the counter and went off to a new waiting room that we'd not used before.
The flight was fine - full, but we had our two aisle seats and it's only a 2 -3 hour flight. Lots of people at the Tijuana airport waiting for luggage, but we got our bags, found a taxi, and arrived at the border, only to find a line of about 2,000 people snaking around, down the hill, across a park, and disappearing into the distance. Drat! we had a plane to catch, Paula and Tim were waiting for us on the US side, and we were supposed to catch breakfast together.
So we backtracked and found a taxi/van to take us to the border gate, skipping the wait in line. Or so they said. Of course we had to wait until the van was full (waiting) and then we drove up to the border crossing point. But they couldn't let us out at that point (we'd have had a tussle on our hands from the folks who'd been standing in line for hours!), so we sat as the driver waited our turn in the 'Bus' lane (wait, wait, wait). By the time we reached the front of the line four hours had passed. We couldn't call Paula or Tim 'cuz our US cell phone was in the luggage on the top of the van and there was a big, heavy, old man who spoke only Espanol sitting between us and the door, so we couldn't rescue the phone and call them.
So four hours later we reached the front of the line and were unloaded into the side door for the US Customs & Border Patrol review -- which took about 5 minutes.
Called Paula who scooted back to the border to pick us up. We had talked ourselves into missing the plane and having to take a later one to Albuquerque, but Paula said, Oh, let's try to catch this one; you'll make it!
So when we reached the airport moments later, we dashed inside, SouthWest's agent sent us to the checked baggage counter right away, Michael had to go to the other end of the counter to print out our boarding passes (I had not found them when he printed them at home the previous night, so we did not have them with us), then zipped back to the baggage check counter and our bags were tagged 'Late Check-In' which absolves the airline from any responsibility if they don't make it! The agent said she thought we'd make the flight; she wasn't sure about the bags.
Luckily, Southwest in San Diego has a very nice set up with their own TSA screening agents and we easily made it to the gate before they called the flight for boarding. The change of planes in Phoenix went smoothly, and we landed in ABQ to find that our bags made the flight along with us!
After shuttling to the car rental area, we picked up our car (they didn't try to upgrade us this time) and were on our way to Santa Fe. Found the B&B easily (we took our GPS with us) and figured out how to get into our room since the owners had left (we got there kinda late), which involved lock boxes, multiple keys, directions, et cetera.
After freshening up, we walked to one of our favorite restaurants in Santa Fe, Rio Chalma - which we first discovered when we took a restaurant walking tour with a local culinary school. We've returned each year for our first meal in SF. They also have a rather good bar with Hendrik's gin and a decent selection of tequilas. Oh, and the food is superb, too; dinner included pulled buffalo sliders with foie gras....
At this point we had been up for twenty-four hours, so we toddled off back to the B&B and fell into bed.
Anyway, the trip started off just fine. The shuttle was a bit early, but we were ready for it. It got lost finding the house of the other person on the shuttle, but we left town in good time, reached the airport on schedule (even though two rabbits tried to slow us down on one of the roads - eewww), we checked our bags at the counter and went off to a new waiting room that we'd not used before.
The flight was fine - full, but we had our two aisle seats and it's only a 2 -3 hour flight. Lots of people at the Tijuana airport waiting for luggage, but we got our bags, found a taxi, and arrived at the border, only to find a line of about 2,000 people snaking around, down the hill, across a park, and disappearing into the distance. Drat! we had a plane to catch, Paula and Tim were waiting for us on the US side, and we were supposed to catch breakfast together.
So we backtracked and found a taxi/van to take us to the border gate, skipping the wait in line. Or so they said. Of course we had to wait until the van was full (waiting) and then we drove up to the border crossing point. But they couldn't let us out at that point (we'd have had a tussle on our hands from the folks who'd been standing in line for hours!), so we sat as the driver waited our turn in the 'Bus' lane (wait, wait, wait). By the time we reached the front of the line four hours had passed. We couldn't call Paula or Tim 'cuz our US cell phone was in the luggage on the top of the van and there was a big, heavy, old man who spoke only Espanol sitting between us and the door, so we couldn't rescue the phone and call them.
So four hours later we reached the front of the line and were unloaded into the side door for the US Customs & Border Patrol review -- which took about 5 minutes.
Called Paula who scooted back to the border to pick us up. We had talked ourselves into missing the plane and having to take a later one to Albuquerque, but Paula said, Oh, let's try to catch this one; you'll make it!
So when we reached the airport moments later, we dashed inside, SouthWest's agent sent us to the checked baggage counter right away, Michael had to go to the other end of the counter to print out our boarding passes (I had not found them when he printed them at home the previous night, so we did not have them with us), then zipped back to the baggage check counter and our bags were tagged 'Late Check-In' which absolves the airline from any responsibility if they don't make it! The agent said she thought we'd make the flight; she wasn't sure about the bags.
Luckily, Southwest in San Diego has a very nice set up with their own TSA screening agents and we easily made it to the gate before they called the flight for boarding. The change of planes in Phoenix went smoothly, and we landed in ABQ to find that our bags made the flight along with us!
After shuttling to the car rental area, we picked up our car (they didn't try to upgrade us this time) and were on our way to Santa Fe. Found the B&B easily (we took our GPS with us) and figured out how to get into our room since the owners had left (we got there kinda late), which involved lock boxes, multiple keys, directions, et cetera.
After freshening up, we walked to one of our favorite restaurants in Santa Fe, Rio Chalma - which we first discovered when we took a restaurant walking tour with a local culinary school. We've returned each year for our first meal in SF. They also have a rather good bar with Hendrik's gin and a decent selection of tequilas. Oh, and the food is superb, too; dinner included pulled buffalo sliders with foie gras....
At this point we had been up for twenty-four hours, so we toddled off back to the B&B and fell into bed.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
"A flat walk to the Jardin"
After several days with a 60% probability prediction of rain, it has finally started to do so. Usually it takes a probability of 80% - 90% before it will reliably rain, the heaven bursting forth with manna from heaven.
On the walk home from the restaurant tonight, it looked as if the clouds south of town were heavy with rain, but we weren't really expecting any rainfall. So imagine our surprise when, shortly after closing the front door, the rain came!
Don't know how much we'll get or how long the rainfall will continue, but at least things will get rinsed off. The heavier rains from last week left dried puddles of mud along the sidewalk (if you can call it that) from our home into downtown. A rinse would be appreciated. Hope there's enough rain to make it so.
As luck would have it, we leave home tomorrow morning at 4 am for the 'local' airport in Leon (about an hour's drive away) for our trip to Tijuana, and thence to San Diego to Albuquerque and Santa Fe for the opera this weekend. We'll be back in SMA Monday morning. Hope it's stopped raining by then!
After dinner, we were just admiring the view down the Ancha towards home and commenting on how 'nearly' flat the walk was when we noticed the clouds. Built on a mountainous hillside, there are very few 'flat' streets in town. I always laugh when someone advertises a house or apartment for rent with the phrase 'flat walk to the Jardin.' Mostly because there are very few flat walks anywhere in town.
However, for our trek into town, the Zacateros/Ancho de San Antonio/Salida a Celeya road is darn close to flat. Only a barely perceptible rise along the entire two-mile length. Now, once you reach Centro, there's a definite up-hill walk to the Jardin of a few blocks - another reason there's no 'flat walk to the Jardin.'
I suppose when compared to some other treks across town it seems flat!
On the walk home from the restaurant tonight, it looked as if the clouds south of town were heavy with rain, but we weren't really expecting any rainfall. So imagine our surprise when, shortly after closing the front door, the rain came!
Don't know how much we'll get or how long the rainfall will continue, but at least things will get rinsed off. The heavier rains from last week left dried puddles of mud along the sidewalk (if you can call it that) from our home into downtown. A rinse would be appreciated. Hope there's enough rain to make it so.
As luck would have it, we leave home tomorrow morning at 4 am for the 'local' airport in Leon (about an hour's drive away) for our trip to Tijuana, and thence to San Diego to Albuquerque and Santa Fe for the opera this weekend. We'll be back in SMA Monday morning. Hope it's stopped raining by then!
After dinner, we were just admiring the view down the Ancha towards home and commenting on how 'nearly' flat the walk was when we noticed the clouds. Built on a mountainous hillside, there are very few 'flat' streets in town. I always laugh when someone advertises a house or apartment for rent with the phrase 'flat walk to the Jardin.' Mostly because there are very few flat walks anywhere in town.
However, for our trek into town, the Zacateros/Ancho de San Antonio/Salida a Celeya road is darn close to flat. Only a barely perceptible rise along the entire two-mile length. Now, once you reach Centro, there's a definite up-hill walk to the Jardin of a few blocks - another reason there's no 'flat walk to the Jardin.'
I suppose when compared to some other treks across town it seems flat!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Disappointing Weather
Well, the anticipated big rains - as a result of the Tropical Depression/Tropical Storm/Tropical Depression Arlene have fizzled out. Once predicted to reach San Miguel by early afternoon on Thursday, the storm collapsed before even reaching Queretero.
Friday's rain amounted to 0.19 inches; Thursday's only 0.09 inches; and there's been no rain yet this morning. We enjoyed the bit Friday night as we taxied to friends' home in Centro for dinner - and returned home shortly before midnight.
Our dogs were curious when we came home smelling of Gia, their cat, and Baruch, their King Charles Spanish mix dog. Coca was the only one who sat next to us and sniffed our jeans, but they all slept on the bed for most of last night, to remind us who they are and how much they love us :).
Guess we're back to more 'perfect' weather. A bit overcast this morning but it's dry. I shouldn't grumble as we have tickets to a food and wine festival this afternoon. The hotel has promised that if it rained, the event would be moved inside, but they have a lovely green space and I think outside would be the preferred location. It's a benefit for Feed the Hungry, so we ponied up the money for the tickets and will be enjoying the event with our friends from last night's dinner. They are younger than we and recover more quickly from late nights than I - especially - can.
Michael has gone into town to give our old landlord a check to cover the two utility bills for our last month at that property. 'A check' - not a really common occurrence here in Mexico. In fact, we just got our first book of checks on the account we've had since early last year. Our old landlord would take a check in US funds; our new landlord told us that she would take a check in pesos, so we ordered a book of them from the bank. This will be the first time we pay our rent by check; I hope she remembers what she told us (through an interpreter). Otherwise we'll be running to Mega to use the ATM!
Friday's rain amounted to 0.19 inches; Thursday's only 0.09 inches; and there's been no rain yet this morning. We enjoyed the bit Friday night as we taxied to friends' home in Centro for dinner - and returned home shortly before midnight.
Our dogs were curious when we came home smelling of Gia, their cat, and Baruch, their King Charles Spanish mix dog. Coca was the only one who sat next to us and sniffed our jeans, but they all slept on the bed for most of last night, to remind us who they are and how much they love us :).
Guess we're back to more 'perfect' weather. A bit overcast this morning but it's dry. I shouldn't grumble as we have tickets to a food and wine festival this afternoon. The hotel has promised that if it rained, the event would be moved inside, but they have a lovely green space and I think outside would be the preferred location. It's a benefit for Feed the Hungry, so we ponied up the money for the tickets and will be enjoying the event with our friends from last night's dinner. They are younger than we and recover more quickly from late nights than I - especially - can.
Michael has gone into town to give our old landlord a check to cover the two utility bills for our last month at that property. 'A check' - not a really common occurrence here in Mexico. In fact, we just got our first book of checks on the account we've had since early last year. Our old landlord would take a check in US funds; our new landlord told us that she would take a check in pesos, so we ordered a book of them from the bank. This will be the first time we pay our rent by check; I hope she remembers what she told us (through an interpreter). Otherwise we'll be running to Mega to use the ATM!
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