Morning Thoughts

I went to the Thrill the World dance over the weekend but left before it started. All I had was my i pad and it mostly took awful photos. There was such a huge crowd in front of where the dancers were preforming that I couldn't see them. So I finally gave up and walked home. I took maybe ten photos of various people while I was there and only two came out okay. I ordered two cameras this time from e bay. One new camera and one used camera as a backup. But I can't get them until I meet up with my family in Portland. In the meantime, I am going to have to struggle along with this i pad. It is a lot easier to take photos when there isn't a crowd in front of me and people aren't dancing. I was disappointed. For years I have always had a camera that worked properly in my hand during interesting events.  Here is the only photo that came out okay from that evening.

 

I took the next photo just now. Someone asked me if Chico and Olive slept together or were friends. I said NO... but look at this photo.

 

They are together enjoying the sunshine.

Okay, I have to admit that there is another reason I didn't stay and fight that crowd at the dance. There were some young Mexican men selling bedspreads. They had come up from Oaxaca, where they were made. At least that is what they said. They were all beautiful (the bedspreads and the young men) and I needed one for my front bed ( A Bedspread, not a young man) so I bought this one for 500 pesos, which is about 25 American dollars. Here is a better photo of it. So carrying that around made taking photos with my i pad even more difficult. Trying to hold a big i pad high over the crowd with one hand while holding a heavy blanket with the other was laughable....  It was a stupid impulse buy and after I had it in my hands I wondered about my sanity..... 

 

Morning Thoughts

 

Chico in the morning. He seems to be anticipating a fun day. Maybe a long walk?

We are in the midst of the Day of the Dead celebrations. Lots of people are out at night, shooting off fireworks and generally having fun. This evening  is the Thrill the World Dance at the Ajijic Plaza. It will start at five p.m. EXACTLY. I think it is one of the only events that always starts on time here. That is because the same dance starts all over the world at five p.m.

I always enjoy this dance. The dancers wear bloody zombie costumes and run around, scaring the crowd. One big party. The children love it. After the dance, they have a parade, most of them riding in decorated cars, to six corners. I don't know but maybe they dance there too. I have never been out that way after the dance in the plaza. Then they come back to the plaza for food and fun. 

This is a fund raiser for different charities in the world. Here it is for the Red Cross. 

Curious Chico in my garden

 

I am experimenting with the I pad camera. Chico is my test subject.

Ajijic Wednesday Market Photos

I took these photos with my i pad but I didn't know yet how to zoom in with it. I hope to get this worked out before Saturday. My camera still doesn't work at all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nanette's Restaurant on the Carretera in Ajijic

 

 

The chef is on the right and the waiter is on the left.

 

Their back yard.

 

 

They have jazz on Tuesday evenings outside. 

 

My steak dinner

 

This is another photo of the musician but as you can see, my camera no longer works. It stopped working and now I get nothing but a white screen. The same thing happened with my last Canon Elph. I looked online for solutions and no one seems to have any. Other people have had the same problem. If anyone out there has a solution, please let me know. This morning I am walking down to the market, without Chico, to try to learn how to use my I pad as a camera. I don't want to buy another camera yet. Maybe I should buy an i phone. I am not sure what to do at this point but I will never buy another Canon Elph.....  

 

I just took this photo with my Canon and it is working. Maybe it only works with more sunshine... But I can't depend on it working for the Thrill the World dance that is coming up Saturday and that is in the evening.  

Photos of Alfredo's Galería

 

 

 

wood carved room divider

 

Secretary desk.

 

 

 

Inlaid wooden table

 

 

Above is a photo of the woman working there and her beautiful three month old baby. 

 Alfredo's is a fun store to browse and it has many interesting things for sale at reasonable prices. Open seven day's a week. One half a block down from the Guadalajara pharmacy. Phone number is (376) 766 2980

This Afternoon in the Ajijic Plaza

 This little boy was selling fruit at the outdoor restaurant in the plaza. His mother was watching from bench a few yards away. Maybe she has learned that small children more easily open hearts and wallets of expats than grown up women. But she also sent her daughter in to help sell.  You can see her shadow and foot near her little brother.  Next photo is of them both. She agreed to let me take their picture. You can see that she was very protective of him. 

 

 The next photo is of Chico. 

 

 

It became crowded as the afternoon got warmer. 

Morning Thoughts

We had a hard rain last night. Saves me having to water my garden today. I am going to take a long walk with Chico this morning. Maybe we will walk down to the Lake Chapala Society. It is busy these days but I don't know many people anymore. It is still nice just to be around there and listen to the conversations. Chico likes it there too. Many new dogs to meet and smell..... Seems like most expats here have at least one dog. Some have two or three. 

The Day of the Dead is coming up in a few days. On Saturday at five p.m. The Thrill the World dance will be happening at the Ajijic Plaza. That is always fun for me. Chico has to stay home because he isn't a good dog in crowds.  He hates clapping and barks as long as it is going on.

I will post my photos of the dance next week. I need to buy some candy for the trick or treaters. Not many come to my neighborhood. They flood into the wealthy neighborhoods. Last year our neighbors blocked off our street, put out tables and chairs, and had a big party. They served pozole and even brought some to me and my friend Virginia. She was staying with me then. We had bags of candy to give out and only five children came. The neighbor children and they came about five times to trick or treat us. They were sweet. I am looking forward to the Day of the Dead celebrations. The photo below is of Virginia last Halloween at the party. She wanted to hold the baby but she started crying. I think Virginia was starting to cry too.  The young fathers thought it was funny. 

 

Lunch Time Restaurant and the Shih Tzu

I had lunch a couple of days ago at one of my favorite restaurants, Lunch Time. The owner showed me the one Shih Tzu puppy that she still owns. She gave the others away. A few weeks ago I took photos of the puppies when they were no larger than the palm of her hand. Now they are much bigger.  

 

 

 

 

Surprised little boy

As I was looking through old photos I came upon this one. The boy looked so surprised to see me taking his picture. This was at the Ajijic Plaza, where I hope to go later on this afternoon.

Morning Thoughts

It is early on a Sunday morning. The Cohates are already going off. I don't know if this is a holiday or not. I can't keep up with all the holidays. Maybe because it is Sunday morning and that is enough of a celebration. The Mexican dogs don't even pay attention to them but the ones here from the United States often freak out. 

I was hoping to have some interesting photos to post today of the food truck event yesterday at the soccer field. But was a bust. Only two food trucks showed up. I didn't even stay.  

We are in the high season now. Restaurants are busy and the traffic is awful. I have to cross the carretera to get into town and it takes a long time. Sometimes the traffic is backed up for blocks. And this is just the beginning of high season. Rentals are filling up. Grocery stores are crowded. Of course the Wednesday market is so crowded it is difficult to walk there. 

I don't have anything important to write about today. I just am feeding the blog. Otherwise it is going to die. I haven't been writing on it much lately. From being sick to being bored.  It takes a lot of energy to keep it alive and well. And when I am not feeling well, I neglect it. 

Happy Sunday everyone. I will look for an old photo to put on here that may make you smile. 

 

 

Sundays in the Ajijic Plaza are always fun. Maybe I will walk down there this afternoon with Chico and take some photos of all the new people in town.

Morning Thoughts

I have been sick again. Stayed in bed all day yesterday. Feeling better today so I hope I am well again. Just in case, I am staying close to home for awhile. 

I am posting a photo of a little girl in her beautiful white dress. Her mother is beside her.  Maybe the other woman is the grandmother? They were all so proud. I don't know what special occasion this was for the little girl. Her family sells things on the carratera. She was sitting on the curb looking bored when I came upon the scene.  I thought taking her photo would make her smile and it did. It was a brief pleasure for all of us.  Sometimes having a camera comes in handy.  I am not going to write any more for today. Feeling a little weak. 

 

Flooded Streets

I woke up at four am and we were having a very loud storm, thunder and lots of rain. I went back to sleep and when it got light I went into my front room and heard lots of noise. The rain had stopped. I looked out the front window and my street was flooding. The noise was all the water rushing by. Lots of debris was coming down with the water. It was too deep for me to even walk out my door. In a couple of hours it was all gone but the garbage. But the street next to mine, Upper Revolution, was still flooding. They needed lots of help to get it blocked off. Here is a photo of that street in the afternoon.

 

Look closely up the street and you will see all the water running down. They were trying to block it off but they only managed to divert it a bit.