We Made IT

Oh my gosh, we are in Mexico! It is such an amazing place. Soon, for Stephen and me, Mexico will become a land of....

beauty....

beasts...

bugs...

birds...

las flores...

buildings--

finished...

unfinished...

los amigos...

churches...

cemeteries...

construction...

destruction...

colors...

street talk...

art...

and romance...

You will see these things scattered

here and there throughout these blogs.

But, let me start in the beginning-- A big thank you to daughter, Vanessa, who drove us to JFK airport making it look easy to drive in New York City. Huge trucks were surrounding us and switching lanes while Vanessa seemed cool and collected. Actually, it was the easiest trip from JFK ever. We landed in Mexico City and had an hour to go through immigration (customs) and find our next connecting flight. Mexican people are polite to the extreme and very helpful. We were loaded on the plane from Mexico City to Guadalajara but then sat on the plane for 2 and a half hours! It was hot. Everyone was polite and no one acted distressed by the late takeoff. The delay was because the airline was short two pilots in Guadalajara and needed to get some from Mexico City. So we waited for pilots for another plane to arrive before we could leave. My only concern was that Stephen's cousins were meeting our plane and had to drive an hour and 15 minutes to the airport. I did not have a phone number for them but I did have an address. If worse came to worse we could take a cab.... But Rick and Leigh Frederick were there, smiling and warmly hugging us in a big welcome to Mexico. I was very happy to see them.

We drove the hour-plus back to their home on the "wrong side" of Lake Chapalla. It is the wrong side because it is out in the country so far that no Guadalajara cab driver would ever have found it. It was dark, but we still saw beautiful trees,

flowers and the lake. Arrival at their home was an adventure as we were greeted by an enormous mastiff dog. She had been severely abused, but under their loving care this huge lassie had become a real sweetie. We were oriented to the house and off to bed. It was a big day.

Up this morning and saw the lovely 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom lakefront hacienda that we were staying in. Lots of tile-work, brick and cement painted in lovely, mexican yellows and oranges. There is also a small two-bedroom house for the gardner and his wife, the housekeepers. They have a rescue pit bull dog that is also a love hunny dog. There is also a house next door that is part of the property. It is only three bedrooms and bathrooms with private lakefront as well. The yard/property is huge. They have avocado trees and limes, lemons, mangoes and other things that I have never heard of. We had margaritas this evening made of sour oranges from the yard. They also have sweet oranges. As we are sitting and looking at the lake a large egret is sitting on some tree branches in the lake saying hello to us. Rick and Leigh are gifted hosts and we feel immediately at home and spoiled.

Today we drove to the little town of Ajijo to go to the bank and get pesos. The current exchange rate is 9.71 pesos to a US dollar--the lowest it has been in years. The US economy is falling! We also went to a grocery store and a wine store. The big event of the day was going out for lunch in a little restarant that's claim to fame is hamburgers. They have top quality beef and serve the burgers in a number of memoral ways. Zachary would love this place. Funny thing is that the decor was 60's music. Oldies that Steve and I enjoyed as young people were being played. As you see at the top of this blog, we danced ourselves off the wall! The walls were decorated with old 78 rpm records and photos/posters of Jimmy Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Bill Hayley,etc. The burgers and hand cut french fries were served in old 78's that had been melted on the edges to form the shape of plates. We also had milk shakes. The place was in an large open air area that is enclosed by buildings on the sides. The owner's wife is from Germany and quite a seamstress. You have to walk through her handmade clothing shop to get to the burger joint. It was a fun day. Oh--there are chickens, horses, cows, dogs and burrows on the sides of the roads foraging for food. Mexican cowboys ride horses everywhere. Also, we stopped for fresh strawberries which we had for dessert tonight. They were just lucious. Did you know that the Driscoll farms brand of fruit that you buy in Wegmans is produced on a farm on Lake Chapala?

I do miss all the kids and my home. I miss Sandy and think she must be pining away for me. Mandy is taking care of her this week (and Scrapper) so I am sure she is OK. Mandy, I miss you too! I am going to try to learn to upload photos tomorrow so you can see this place.

Love to all, Meema in Mexico