Today I got out the paints again, and I made a few attempts at some watercolors. I think it's safe to say that I haven't got my groove back in my art, but practice, practice, practice. I've felt a bit discouraged, but I guess you can't walk away from something for 20 years and expect to proceed. It's not really like riding a bike.
On other fronts, I've become very relaxed in our new abode. I guess I'm absorbing the Mexican ambiance. The other night I had fillet mignon for dinner. $11. Really.
It's been quite warm here probably in the 90s in the afternoons, but with very low humidity it's fine.
We've been told that May and June are the hottest months of the year, then the rains come at the end of June. Two things happen then: the hills and countryside turn green populated with wildflowers almost overnight, and the bobos go away. Bobos are gnats that don't bite but swarm on certain windless days and can be annoying but not dangerous. There are also annoying cricket-type creatures referred to as "rain callers" who are heard just before the rains. We never see them, but they sound like tiny buzz-saws. Again, we are assured that they go away once the rains come.
Yesterday we attended a lecture on relocating to the Lake Chapala area. Kinda' boring but necessary stuff about living here: postal service (bad), phones, TV, internet, buying houses, renting, driving, medical care(good), estimates of costs of living(good). There were 4 other couples (we may have been the youngest), and afterwards we had a very long lunch with a couple from Colorado. Interesting. NRA members and a master bridge player. We enjoyed our lunch and exchanged a lot of opinions. He will vote for McCain, his wife wasn't saying.
The restaurants here are wonderful, and there are many beautiful places to live. In addition, there is the omnipresence of hard-working Mexicans who show up each morning and clean the rooms, do the laundry, sweep the pool, and anything else that has to be done.
The trip from the main road up through the village of Jocotepec is enlightening if not inspiring. The people are poor. The village homes are close together and in many cases very shabby. However, the homes are all of brick and they are not falling down, just not much to look at. Even the most beautiful parts of Ajijic are not much to look at from the narrow streets, but entering any house or restaurant opens up a vista of gardens and beauty.
One of the most enlivening aspects of viewing the area is the constant presence of art and artisan crafts. Every room has recessed nooks for artifacts, all tiles are either artistic expressions or bordered by artistic tiles. Much of the work we take for granted like hand rails and doors are. hand crafted. It takes a while to notice the subtle beauty of it all.
Tonight we'll be going into Chapala, yet another small town here on the Chapala Riveria. Ta.
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