Tuesday, August 31, 2010

August 2010 - a slice of time in SMA

Here in San Miguel it is probably the best season of the year -- the rainy season. Rains go from about late June - Sept, but tend to be heavier in the first two months. Everything turns green (from the gold brown of an arid climate) and there are an abundance of wild flowers. Trees shoot up in height, the tall rose colored grasses wave in the breeze and in large fields look like a pink lake. Bougainvillea of all colors flow over or up walls and our lime tree is heavy with fruit as are the local fig trees. The temperature is perfect...cool at night and in the seventies or eighties in the day, depending on the amount of cloud cover.

San Miguel is hurting though … like most of Mexico. With all the intense negative media regarding the border states, the damage is done to the whole country. San Miguel is as safe as Squirrel Hill, but tourism is critically down. This is one of the high tourist seasons, but restaurants and event attendance is terrible in general. Several of the old institutions here … like the library …are in jeopardy. This is also due to the global recession on top of the real but grossly exaggerated depictions of Mexico's instability. Despite all of this, the overall economy in the country is relatively strong and the people demonstrate an incredible reliance.

The bicentennial and centennial of the Mexican Revolutions is coming up and the heart of it all is right here in the state of Guanajuato. Preparations have been going on for well over a year with infrastructure improvements from paint to highways! Road signs read, “Ruta 2010” indicating that the revolutionaries followed various roads and paths during 1810 and 1910. It seems like everyone is gearing up for a month of celebration ... flags high from houses, events in the Jardin (town's center) daily, fireworks, historical reenactments, etc. Mexican’s need very little incentive to have a fiesta so you may well imagine that this is going to be a happy place. It is wild and crazy and lots of fun.

Last Sat. Mike took an impromptu evening walk into Jardin in El Centro. The square was packed with people and we saw the Centennial Queen of San Miguel pageant and crowning followed by the most fantastic light show projected onto our beautiful church ... la Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel. The light designer is French and designed similar shows for 4 other colonial historical towns in honor of the revolution celebration. It was an incredible display with highly technical computer generated and drawn images flowing up and down and across the splendid architecture of the church.

Everyone is hoping that the bicentennial celebrations will bring in tourists. It really is a time of excitement, celebration, and enchantment.

Closer to home, we are both cruising into a more committed Mexican life, or should I say San Miguel life … as much of what we do is with expats and not necessarily Mexican. Hopefully that will change and we can be more and more part of the real Mexico … especially when our Spanish improves. But in the meantime, there is an abundance of riches to take advantage of everywhere one looks.

Personally I went through a week of post-retirement angst ... who am I? ... where should I put my focus and energy? ...what are my routines? Those worries were put at bay somewhat while the wonderful Gould family – Court and Sherri – Ben and Alli - shared a week with us here. After a delightful week with them, I sought the soothing comfort of meditation to help both ground and direct me. That and the dear voices of my sisters have helped me to stay calm and take time to let things evolve. It's like building a new house...taking time to build a strong foundation and look before I leap into any commitments that could bog me down.

So I've decided to focus on getting back into physical shape first. Despite walking in Pittsburgh in the park occasionally, I'd been pretty sedentary. Coming here at 6500 feet and trying to do Zumba (a fast paced Latin exercise class) or climbing our practically vertical hill, I got winded, nauseous, etc and had to take breaks to catch my breath, or stop altogether after 20 minutes! So now I'm taking a movement class called NIA (combo of Latin dance, modern dance, yoga, and martial arts) several times a week, yoga, Sunday morning hikes, and walks to and from town or next door in ‘our’ magnificent Botanical Garden. I can see and feel the difference already and I'm happy.

Learning Spanish will take the form of home study with our multiple resources for awhile. Eventually I'll take a class at the local university. My Mexican friends are now trying to talk only Spanish to me to help force me to use what I know.

There is a lot happening in terms of medical infrastructure development here and I'm getting involved with that work from many angles. I'm working with a group on a resource directory that will cover all elements of care access and treatment here including living wills, end of life care, practitioners both conventional and alternative, and insurances etc. Also there will be many trainings here for emergency care from basic life support to ACLS for OB etc. We will be having Emergency Medicine fellows from the US come and help set up cardiac protocols for pre-hospital as well as in hospital services. Much is happening in this arena and I'm looking forward to seeing where my skills can best be used.

We've met tons of interesting people and our social calendar is more than adequate, but that is how it generally is in a place like this. There is no shortage of interesting people and social opportunity, but again the balance of personal time is important to maintain.

Today I'm off to the big Tuesday market for clothes as well as food, then to bring nurturance in the forms of food and massage/therapeutic touch to a friend who is post op. And as I look outside my window, another beautiful San Miguel day greets me.

Love to all and stay in touch,

Bev

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Free Spirit





In a dream in March of 2004, she saw herself in the midst of a star named, Free Spirit. The next day, she discovered the star in the Plaza of the Four WInds in El Charco Del Ingenio - the botanical garden - a few hundred yards from what was to become our property.

Here she is one day after arriving here in August, 2010, now retired, and becoming that Free Spirit.

2010!

So Bev says, "I'd like to start a blog!" And I reply, " ... we already have one!!" (The fact that probably two years have gone by without an entry should tell you something about how good I am at keeping any written word about all the exciting things here in San Miguel de Allende and Mexico).

But really, I can't think of a better time to actually start blogging about our life here... for now - post Bev's retirement - we are here for 6 or 7 months rather than the heretofore 5 or 6 weeks!

So, we both will try to be better at keeping a written story of our life here ... but most important ... we invite you to comment on the blog! Some of you have visited ... maybe you'd be willing to make an entry of your visit .... others are yet to visit ... so you may have comments or questions and maybe you'd be willing to enter them.

From time to time, we'll also enter pictures or links to our Picasa site. We hope that in these instances, a picture will be worth 1000 words!

So here we go ... our re-entry into the sphere of blogs! Take it Bev!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

July 2008 in SMA

We begin with a letter from Bev:

Hi everyone, From Bev and Mike 7/08

Here is my wish you were here note from San Miguel. I’d love to share in person so much of what happens and the character of the place. There are definitely parts, however, I prefer not to share…more on that later.

We arrived to a growing neighborhood. There are about seven building projects in our little section. The houses tend to be quite large and beautiful. Most of the people are from the west coast, Berkeley, Portland, LA and I figure got good money for their houses and converted it to dream houses down here. There are surprisingly a lot of social workers, psychologists, architects, teachers and even a few of us nurses among the group. People are casual and very friendly and generally of a progressive point of view. Last night we hosted an Obama Platform party and we had a lively and interesting discussion. Most of us were on the same page, but each had their own life’s work and experiences to color the discussions. This part of SMA is the expat community experience, where you are surrounded by your own kind, which has its pluses and minuses. The good news is that I like all these neighbors and expect to feel a growing sense of community with them.

Summer is one of my favorite if not the favorite season here for me. It is the rainy season so that everything turns green, the hillsides, and the gardens. Things grow rapidly, like overnight, so we came back to our baby trees looking like grade schoolers. With the growth of things we nurture, come the things we don’t …weeds, which I spent yesterday chasing. Flowers abound...beaugenvellia (sp) in all colors either grow up walls or flow down over them, tiny black-eyed susan type weeds peer up through the breaks in the cobble stone streets, cactus flash their red flowers, and all the gardeners here enjoy the bounty of their efforts. Never having been much of a gardener myself, it will be fun to learn about the many varieties here and learn how to use them. We want to stick to low water, low maintenance, native plants, but I’ll allow for a few beautiful flowers.

The weather is perfect. Cool enough at nights to have a light blanket, and in the am to use a light fleece. It the afternoons, short sleeves is in order. The sun is out most of the time, but you get these dramatic storms. We had one last night. Flashes of lightening all around us up here in the hills, pounding rains that turned into hail, with torrents directed at angles so our house once again got lots of water under doors and even through some windows. Then after an hour or two of lighter rain, it stops and the next day is fresh and clear. We haven’t had enough rain yet this year, so hope the storms continue.

Haven’t spent much time downtown yet. Finally got hit with the bad bug. Either it was unwashed sprouts or tuna samples from Costco, but my second or third day here got the full Monty of GI distress. I was at a Mexican friend’s house when this came over me and fortunately her boyfriend is a doctor. She called him and he sent Mike to the pharmacy where he could buy over the counter without prescription, Zofran injectible plus a syringe for nausea and vomiting, Cipro, another med for diarrhea which I still haven’t figured out, and a bottle of electrolyte stuff…cost $60. No MD visit is necessary if you know what you want…Guess this is common stuff. I instructed Mike how to give me an IM injection and have spent the last few days recovering. After the first 7 hours, hasn’t been that bad, but those hours were ugly!

Can’t believe that when I return Tessa will be in the States. We are so excited to have them back in our world and to be part of this incredibly wonderful time of their lives.

So hasta luego to all and hoping you are having a wonderful summer.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

March 2008












March 2008 ...

This is our 10th. Visit to SMA …exactly four years after our very first trip!

Again, just to appreciate the difference between here in Pittsburgh and West Virginia, Bev took this photo just days before our departure:

In West Virginia, our friends Betty and Ernie Savage - a highly industrious country couple - who among many other country crafts - spend the winter making beautiful quilts - one of which graces our bed in Mexico.

Our first week in SMA was the ‘adjustment’ week! Bev’s arthritis was not good so taking care of herself was a priority. We decided not to take the trip to Laredo during the first week as planned so that Bev could have some ‘healing time’ rather than 1500 miles on the road!

It was Bev’s first opportunity to see how house that had been transformed from white to earth-tone brown…and she loved it!

Casa Tecolote's front entrance at night:

So we lay low for the first week…and prepared for Sue and George’s visit … which we were greatly looking forward to. Their plan was to arrive basically a week after we did.

I started to draw up the plans for the kitchen storage cabinets/computer station and Bev went about setting up the house according to her wishes.

We went to the hot springs during that week in order to give a ‘soak’ in the healing waters.


Sue and George’s visit was fantastic. They are the easiest ‘guests’ one could possibly ask for as they are as perfectly happy to sit around and read as they are taking an adventure of unknown destination … though I must admit we did more of the former than the latter!

They loved walking down and about El Centro (and Sue found the artisan’s market the best place to shop for gifts!), but didn’t relish the idea of the near 45 degree incline back to the house so took the taxi!

Walks in the botanical garden where one of their favorite ventures. Of course, it was necessary to do the ‘Tuesday market’ which they loved.

Naturally we had to take themto the hot springs. Here the major feature are the three pools of water …each progressively more hot that the other. While there are few who linger in the hottest pool for the 30 minutes plus that I do, I had never known anyone to dip a ‘toe’ in to the first pool and say, “no way … this is too hot” … before Sue! So, she we again, perfectly content to sit and read ( as we all did!).

It was a great visit and we hope that they too have many good memories of San Miguel!



One of my greatest joys in scooting all around SMA on the four-wheeler…it gets places fast, is easy to park, and given current gas prices is really cheap! That said, I’m thinking about trading it in for a motorcycle. Somehow, given my retired status, I think I look better on one:


Sue and George, Bev and I, went out to the land that is owned by friends, Lourdes and Victor. Lourdes (you may recall from an earlier blog entry) is a friend who rows and is building a rowing program in neighboring, Queretaro. They are building a beautiful vacation place on the Presa. Their land is on a little bay that during low water reveals a portion of the town that was flooded including the steeple of the church. (That's me rowing near the steeple!)

And here the six of us are enjoying a leisurely comida!

As some of you know, I've been working with a group that I helped to found called, Amigos de la Presa and most recently had been trying to have a meeting with a group of developers that are building a huge housing development on the shore of the Presa. They have aroused some opposition from the community, but during a recent phone call I had with one of the principals, I got the sense that this group may be wanting to do an environmentally sensitive development. We decided that we would approach the developers from a positive point of view and attempt to subscribe their support of the work of Amigos.

I'm pleased to say that I had an excellent meeting with two of the principals who are truly attempting to create a development that is a cut above ... and, most important, they want to work with Amigos ... suggesting that they would like to see a boathouse, boat building facility, and docks. So, we are off to a good start.

Here are two of the principals on the day we did a site visit ... with the Presa in the background.


Stay tuned to the blog for updates. (I recently submitted a concept paper to them on how this whole thing could come together).

As usual, we had many great walks in the Botanical garden. One of our favorite things to do is to invite friends over for breakfast followed by a walk in the garden . Here we are on one such outing with Alan and Flora.

The Easter celebrations in San Miguel are among the most popular festivals (and there are many celebrations in SMA)! I couldn't begin to list the various 'festivals' - most very sacred - that the community celebrates as some are rather obscure and even particular to SMA. (There are some that call for fireworks ALL night! Others will have a procession in the middle of the night!) However, here are a few pictures with explanations under them that will give you a bit of a feel:

Some of you visiting this blog more than likely received Bev's letter, but if you didn't here it is:

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE

March 15, 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

Writing you again from our glorious San Miguel, the place of beautiful vistas, sunshine and fresh breezes, succulent fruits and vegetables, gentle people and a very happy Bev and Mike. We are settling more and more into our house, furnishing it poco a poco with as many lovely bargains as we can find. Rustico is the style, and warm and colorful rustico it is. Golds, oranges reds, greens, yellows and blues are the predominant colors.

We’ve found some old weathered side tables at the Tuesday market, a huge food and flea market that astounds or assaults the senses depending upon your point of view. Mike is making friends with some of the vendors as he shows up regularly looking for “distressed” items. A few more comfortable chairs for bedrooms and outdoor spaces and we are pretty set. Our walls are now displaying works of art by Emily Noelle Lambert, Peter Lambert, Christina Sol, our neighbor, and Santiago Coral, a friend. It is a joy to be surrounded by such beauty and talent in works of art by those we know and love. Even when they are far away, we have a part of them with us.

Sue, Mike’s sister and her husband George have been with us this past week and it has been a comfortable and pleasant time. It is good to experience the house with various people as it is clear there is plenty of space of “alone time” and having people expands the joy of the place. Experiencing the flight of egrets each night and morning, hearing the church awaken us to the new day, watching the colorful hot air balloon pass over, gazing at the twinkling lights of the city and the stars overhead from our roof, all this and so much more is best shared with others. Sue and George have been troupers as we take them the long walk down the steep hill to town and all around, up at 6500 ft. and on cobblestones. At first they were leery, but now they navigate with ease.

Only showed Sue one shopping area. We still have much to explore.

Last night we went to watch Flamenco dance with a troupe of local dancers and musicians. Passionate, colorful, and robust with grace and energy, it was powerful.

A few nights ago we went to hear a jazz trio in the same small local venue of about 120 seats. They had a “francophone” week, so this group played works of Jango Reinhardt and the music of the 30’s in Paris, plus some tango music which they said actually started in France. Last night we went to a fine restaurant where our friend Adrienne is now the head chef, for an outstanding meal. After “having to leave the US of A” he and his darling wife Christie have landed not only on their feet here in SMA, but with bells on them. They have a precious almost one year old son, Temo, who enjoyed the dance concert and dinner with us, charming all with his smile and joyfulness throughout.

Amazingly or not, my health is greatly improved down here. Lots of great food, sunshine, dryness, rest, exercise, beauty, and good times must be the ingredients. Too bad can’t bottle the stuff and take it home with me. I am grateful for this time and opportunity to feel better. I recommend it to everyone.


Hope you all are well and enjoying the beginnings of the beautiful spring season.

We send our love and look forward to seeing you in April or soon after.


Bev and Mike

Thursday, January 31, 2008

December 07/January 08 - A Winter Visit ... to paint the house!

To fully appreciate this winter trip to sunny Mexico, one needs to know what we left behind:
Crossing Creeks, West Virginia ... in the winter!!



On Christmas Day, Bev leaves Crossing Creeks and heads for home in Pittsburgh and an afternoon of work at the hospital. I head to Friendsville to spend the night at Mike and Aggie's Riverside Hotel and to prepare for our flight to Mexico. And thus begins our month-long separation ...

Mike in the hotel kitchen figuring the total weight of five people and luggage and how best to distribute it in the plane.

And, checking out the plane in its Cumberland, Maryland on the 26th. of December.
Our 'chariot' to our Mexican adventure:

1974 Piper Astec ...November Lima 100 November ... in excellent shape!

For some 11 great shots from the plane and all of us on board ... click here!

Landing at San Miguel de Allende International Airport, while a quiet concern of mine, seemed hardly a concern for our excellent pilots: Mike and Aggie. First, a flyover ...


... and upon sighting people ON the field ...

... and upon recognizing the shirt-waving people as none other than

Matt and Emily, Alan and Santiago ...


Mike took NL100L in for a perfect landing ...

Wheels down in San Miguel!


.... and Alan et al greeting us!


It was great to be welcomed by family and friends. Matt and Emily had only arrived by bus from Mexico City. Alan picked them up at the bus station and drove immediately to the air strip. They looked great!

And, Gracie, who is the most socialized 3 1/2 year older one could meet, wasted no time bonding with Emily!

To know Mike, is to know (yet another Mike) with ADD! As he asserted before leaving Maryland, "... I can't just sit around ... don't you have anything I can do while I'm there?"

Who could pass up such an offer? "Well, how about painting the outside of the house?"

"No problem" says Mike, "I love to paint!" So, not only did Mike put in a couple weeks painting, but he mastered the 'art' of mixing the colors (traditional paint in Mexico is 'cal' - a mixture of powdered pigment, calcium, water, and an adhesive) and leading the crew which variously included: Daniel and Marcos, Matt and Emily, me, Aggie and, yes, Gracie! Check out the ten shots of the paint job and painters!



Everyone worked hard, but we still had a lot of fun: daily hikes into town and the botanical garden, shopping for just about anything at Tuesday market (including the best fruits and veggies), eating out at restaurants, doing yoga, several visits to the hot springs, going to the always fun, "Family Feistas" at Alan and Flora's where you never know what to expect, visits from Emily and Matt's close friends from NYC (Emma, Poric, and Sophie), and a visit from an old friend from Pittsburgh (Alan Hunninen, daughter Kathryn, son-in-law Jose, and grand-daughter, Hannah). For a flavor, check these nine pictures out!


One of the REAL TREATS was to have taken one of Emily's fantastic paintings down on the plane, having it stretched, and hung is a special spot in the dinning room ... (no small painting at 60" x 86")!


See more of her work at: http://emilynoellelambert.net/splash.html

During the month, I did some work with Amigos de la Presa including having a couple meetings, attending a new citizen-based advococy group called, Va Por San Miguel, and most interesting, meeting Lourdes and Victor Garay who live in Queretaro (where they make toothbrushes - including for Oral B) and are building a vacation place on the Presa. Lourdes returned to rowing after taking a few days of sculling lessons at Craftsbury, Vt. and has helped to start a program on a small presa in Queretaro. Their land on the Presa in San Miguel is beautiful and their location is near a town that was flooded to build the Presa years ago. Check these pictures out including the top of the church steeple where Victor is sailing! (Four pictures - Click here!)

After a wonderful time, we left San Miguel and flew to the east coast visiting a fancy resort in Tampico on the Gulf of Mexico. Though it was technically 'off season', the resort was in high gear prep for the season. So, the 20 guests there (we were 5!) were treated like royalty at the 1000 guest resort! Another great trip to Mexico!


Sunrise in Tampico, Mexico!