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!
