Thursday, April 29, 2010

Wednesday Market in Ajijic and The Jardin Restaurant

How would you like to have these two sweet babies in your life?


I have no idea of why this little boy was so upset. Maybe he was trying to do a rope trick and it didn't work out. His family was having a good time watching him try.

Evening Walk in Ajijic


It was 85 degrees here yesterday in the afternoon. The evening breeze felt great.

The Boston Deli in Ajijic

Gigi and her husband Toni. Gigi wanted me to take this photo for her daughter.

Dale and John, two of my favorite people.......
My lunch. Gigi gives me enough food to last two days. I never get tired of eating at the Boston Deli. It is next to the movie theater in Ajijic. If you have never been there, you are missing some great food. This Filete Mignon meal only cost me 45 pesos. Gigi cooks it just the way I like it.

The Garden Restaurant in AJijic


I met Patricia through John. They met in Ecuador. We had a long talk about the pros and cons of living in Mexico and Ecuador.

Dale still looks tired in the above photo. That long bus trip took a lot out of him.

My friend John. He leaves on Saturday and Dale takes over the lease on the apartment.

We were the only customers in this beautiful restaurant.













I loved watching the male peacock trying to get the attention of the female. She just ignored him. The Garden Restaurant is on Colon towards the lake. I had never eaten there and I was surprised to walk into such a huge garden in the midst of town. It was a lovely afternoon and we stayed a couple of hours. The food was reasonably priced and good. After listening to John and Patricia talk about Ecuador, I decided I like Mexico better.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Breakfast at the Early Bird Cafe with Friends

Above are my friends Carol and Dan. They treated me to breakfast. I have a very special connection to them and their loving dogs.

Above is Dan's meal. Chocolate crapes.....yummmmm.......


I had a delicious breakfast the other day with my friends. The great thing about the Early Bird Cafe is that you can bring in your pet.

Last Week's Walk with Loretta on the Malecon


Loretta and Daisy. I am taking care of Daisy now. She is a great dog. Every morning is new in exciting to her. She is always up for trouble. Like chewing my shoes.

Love. It is a wonderful thing.

This little dog thought he was going to make some friends. He ran over to the two Huskies and was quickly rebutted by them. He ran away as quickly as his little legs would carry him.


I love their eyes.



I took many photos of the little girl above. She kept coming back to look at herself in my camera. Maybe she had never seen her photo before but she was entranced.

My Friend Dale Arrives


Dale arrived in Ajijic yesterday afternoon after a two day bus trip from the border. He recently retired and has made the decision to live in Ajijic. He took me out to dinner at the local Italian restaurant. He had been on the road for two weeks from Indiana so he looked pretty tired in this photo. The Mexican bus lost one of his suitcases. His mission for the next few days is to try to trace it.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

A Going Away Luncheon for Loretta

Camille and her dog Sweet Pea. Camille is a house and dog sitter. She is almost done with one job and is looking for another one. If you are interested in hiring her, e mail me and I will pass it along to her. I don't have her contact information with me right now. I have to do this at the Lake Chapala Society. I have no internet connection where I am house sitting.
Stacey made a beautiful lunch for Loretta and her friends. Loretta left for the States early this morning. Stacey is in the front of the photo and Camille is sitting in the chair with her pug Sweet Pea.

Above are Loretta and Stacey. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of everyone sitting at the table. I got distracted by the food. It was a lot of fun.

Stacey made shrimp salads for us.

Above are Dawn and Alicia. Alicia is facing the camera. Dawn has her back to the camera. This lovely home is Alicia's. This is the third time I have been to her home for a meal. She is a gracious hostess.

Above is the view from Alicia's deck. It was a wonderful afternoon but also sad because Loretta is leaving. I have been spending a lot of time with her and I am going to really miss her. The piece I wrote in the previous post was written with her in mind. My friend John leaves in a few days. I am going to miss him too.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Fluctuations and Time Sense

The other day I was talking with a man about renting his casita. He asked me if I wanted it long term. I asked, What is long term in your book? He said, one year. I laughed. Can you imagine trying to negotiate a lease in the States and the landlord telling you that he only rents it long term, one year?

A sense of time is very different here than in the States. Everything here is in constant fluctuation. Friendships quickly form and within months they disappear as people return to their other homes north. I have written about this before in previous posts. Every few months here the entire feeling of the area changes. I lived in a beach town for many years; Santa Cruz, Ca. so this way of life isn't new to me. The town cleared out in the wintertime. Here, the town clears out in the summer. But the feeling is the same. Change. One must embrace change to live here. It is essential to enjoy the friends on a daily basis and be willing to say good bye when they leave. Then the dance begins again with a whole new set of friends. The old ones may return in a few months. Or you may never see them again.

I remember when I left here many months ago. I felt such a sense of sadness to be returning to the States. I also didn't like listening to my friends here planning their futures together when I was having to leave. How dare their lives go on without me. Childish but I am willing to admit to selfish and childish thinking. But when I returned I was again welcomed into a circle of friends. It is like taking a hand out of water and then putting it back in again. The water adjusts. I find that most people here are very accepting and open minded. They will go out of the way to welcome new people in town and into their hearts. We are all outsiders here. We need each other. I try to be accepting and appreciative of everyone. When I find myself being judgmental I want to slap myself because we all are precious. We all have a light and a dark side. I want to focus on the light in people and not the dark. It is what I want from them too. I don't need my dark side to be pointed out to me. I am all too well aware of my shortcomings. This is a good place for self discovery.

My Neighborhood

Above are two of my neighbors. They are enjoying the afternoon shade.

Above is my new friend Emily. She spent the afternoon with me and Daisy. Daisy took an immediate liking to her. Emily seems to love the color green. You can't see in this photo but she is wearing pretty green eyeshadow and green toenail polish.




Above is my friend Cesear. He is one of the waiters at La Bodega. He likes to sit outside before his shift and enjoy the sunshine. When I walked by, he was drawing an interesting picture. Nice man. I took some photos awhile back of him arranging flowers out there. He isn't afraid of his sensitivity.