A Tour, A Parade, A Fiesta, A Feria and Dia de Gracia

Yeah!  House Tour is Back

OK house tour junkies here goes.  Just to review-- the house tour is a charitable event where people open their homes and the ticket proceeds go to the School for Children with Special Needs.  I love it when I can snoop through people's houses while doing social good.  So, House Number 1.  This house is in Upper Chule Vista and has perhaps the best view of the Lake that I've ever seen.  The owners are Belgian and built the house.  Uber modern as you will see.  Clearly they love the house and invested huge effort in designing and decorating it. And then the Mexican thing happened.  What you ask? Well, the vacant lot next door.  They are currently building THREE houses on a half acre lot right up to the lot line.  In Mexico, beware the vacant lot!  There is little regulation and what regulation there is can be overcome by influence, bribes or just doing whatever the hell you want. So, rather than adopting the Mexican defensive move of building a twenty foot wall to obscure the houses, the owners have put the house on the market.  For $1.3+ million USD.  Any takers?

(All house photos are by Deirdre with editing by Michael.) The entrance to the very modern house.

With no railing on the stairs,  this definitely "creeped out" Deirdre on her ascent to the second floor.

The spiral stair case to the second floor was also not old people friendly.

The view to the mountains was spectacular (although the scar in the mountain from the "road to whatever" mars the view).

The view from both the upper balcony and the lap pool below to the lake is also magnificent.

House Number 2:  Also ubber modern.  This one was a little cold for my taste -- all black, brown and white.  And that intimidating, overly endowed wooden Aztecy guy creeped me out.  But the layout was smart.  They had two bedrooms with ensuite baths across the courtyard from the main living area and master ensuring privacy for guests and owner.

The entrance to the house.

With the lap pool in the middle & the "Aztecy guy" at the end.

A small intimate? living room.

One of the two guest bedrooms in back of the pool.

Uber modern kitchen in keeping with the style of the house.

The master bedroom.

Based on the mounted targets on the wall, someone is impressed with their sharpshooting.

Avery unique piece in the master bathroom.

House Number 3:  Ahhhhh. Pure Mexico.  Just pull out your sun glasses and look at those vibrant colors.  An interesting story on this one.  It is quite far out of Ajijic and on  little dirt road with no neighbors right near by.  The woman who bought it completely renovated it and lived there by herself for  a number of years (more nerve than I've got). Happily married now.  Love nice endings.

The entrance to the house with the bell on top & the ubiquitous satellite dish.

The "Sun" pool.

The living room with boveda ceiling.

One of the guest bedrooms.

The guest bath.

The dining room with a lot of artwork on display.

A very traditional looking Mexican kitchen.

Another view of the kitchen.

Another guest bedroom.

A swinging sofa on the covered terrace.

An outside dining area with a hammock in the background for lazy lounging.

A cozy den.

The master bathroom. The sun & moon are very common decorations. The moon is visible & the sun is on the wall to the right & only partially visible.

The master bedroom...

and the fireplace in the master bedroom.

House Number 4:  My favorite!  This house was the main character in a book called Village in the Sun which is all about Ajijic and San Antonio (village next door) in the very early days of gringo invasion -- like the 40s and 50s.  The author writes about the construction of the house and about running the first hotel (posada)in Ajijjc.  The house is in San Antonio and is right on the Lake with beautiful gardens and an orchard. Really beautiful.

The entrance to the house with lush gardens.

The library/den. The original owner was an author & an avid reader.

The dining room complete with fireplace.

The pool with the lake & the mountains just beyond.

The eat-in kitchen.

A bedroom with more bookcases above the bed.

The English hunt scenes above the day bed seem a little out of place.

The living room with yet another fireplace (the only means of heating because it rarely gets cold for long periods).

A very creative use of a pulpit to create a bar.

The Feria Maestros del Arte

Each fall, during the run up to the Holidays there is the Feria.  Craftsmen (and women) from all over Mexico are invited to participate and local people put them up for the several days of the fair.  It is great for all involved -- the craftspeople get access to a market they may not reach and the gringos can shop until they drop.  It runs the gamut from textiles, to ceramics, to intricate wood work, to copper and, of course, tequila.  When the Franciscans came to our area of Mexico, they went from one village to the next and taught each village a craft.  One would be the village of copper, another would do intricate wood carving.  To this day you can still go to areas of Michocan and other states and encounter workshop after workshop crafting in the same medium. We once drove through a village in which everyone seemed to make metal doors. EVERYONE.  It all seems to work somehow but it seems like a little diversification intra-village might have been useful.

The Feria was held shortly after Dia de los Muertos.  This creature greeted us at the entrance.

These colorful dresses were on sale.

This pottery was emblematic of some of the craft works on display for sale.

These colorful skulls were also  available...

but they could not compete with the cute, colorful pig.

Art work was also available for sale.

We tried to figure out how long it took to add these colorful ribbons to her braided hair.

This sculpture was featured on the posters & other advertising promoting the Feria.

More unique colorful dresses.

From colorful zebras to lurid monsters, you could find it at the Feria.

Revolution Day

Not to be confused with Independence Day which is in September.  Revolution Day!  An excellent excuse for a parade.  I really love this one because our revolutionaries are cuter than anyone else's. Really.  Look at these pictures with the little guys with the big mustaches.  And the Adelitas with a gun slung over one shoulder and a baby on her little back.  This year's parade was different in two ways:

1) for some reason they decided to focus on multiculturalism which seems a little odd while celebrating your own revolution.  But there they were -- floats showing people from Holland and France and who knows where.  What they had to do with the Revolution is rather obscure but much is obscure in our adopted land;

2) there was an element of political activism which usually isn't manifest in a parade.  But the people of Mexico are so outraged at what happened to the 43 students who were murdered in Guerro that there were posters and signs at several points in the parade.  This has mobilized people more than any other single act of violence has since we've been here. (All of the Revolution Day photos were taken by Deirdre with editing by Michael.)

A banner asking for Justice for the 43 students who were murdered by the cartel in Guerrero.

The acrobatic skills of the students creating human pyramids are on display during the Revolution Day parade.

These young students are marching for peace on Revolution Day.

These young students in contrast are dressed up as Revolutionaries complete with rifles, bandoleros & mustaches.

In contrast to the young boys, these young girls are demonstrating their folclorico skills.

Revolution Day is not complete without  the drum corps...

the colorful uniforms & disks,....

and the colorful streamers.

This young ballet folclorico group of "Adelitas" carry their rifles along with their bandoleros.

Even the very youngest participate in the Revolution Day parade...

as can be seen by these pictures (note the bearded fellow on the far right).

This young girls dress & hair braid are representative of the colors of the Mexican flag.

These pre-schoolers chose to include the American & Canadian flag as well.

No Revolution Day parade is complete without the local beauty queens.

The charros also participate in the parade...

as they carry their banner...

and include their young children as well.

Even the dogs turn out to watch the Revolution Day parade....

with some seeking higher ground to get a better view...

even standing on hind legs to capture the best view, if necessary.

The Fiesta of San Andres

The day after the Revolution Day Parade the nine day Fiesta of San Andres (patron saint of Ajijic) began.  Here's what this entails:  1) The major street in town is shut down for a week or so and they install the ferris wheel, bumper cars, merry go round etc. that will amuse the tots; 2)  several surrounding streets just suddenly close and instantly are filled with stalls selling all sorts of interesting wares; 3) people construct banana leaf and bamboo bars and restaurants in the plaza and commence selling huge amounts of booze and food every night for nine nights; 4) a different guild or family sponsors one of the nine nights complete with a procession of floats, tuba bands, etc; 5) different bands play each night at the Plaza at sound levels that allow us to hear each note distinctly from 3/4 of a mile away in our bed; 6) giant castillos are built and erected that whirl, spin, shoot off fireworks and rockets in the church yard; 7) every morning around 5:30 or 6 cuetes (rockets) and/or fireworks go off for five minutes (or until you are fully awake) to summon people to get up, get cracking and get ready for the procession and subsequent mass.  I believe they import extra tuba bands for the fiesta because it is impossible to believe there could be this number of tubas in one small town.  Well, maybe.

Our friend Phil who was born in the UK & lived in the US was chosen to participate on this float.

Prior to the procession of floats, this young girl was getting into her character by praying in a meditative way.

Each float has a different theme...

with some being a little more angelic & ethereal,....

while others were more down to earth.

However all of the floats reflected the religious celebration of the Feast of San Andres...

as the focal point for their float.

This fishing nets on the float reflect the genesis of our village on the lake, and the Mexican boys on one side of the border fence with the statue of San Andres and the Mexican flag contrast with Phil as the American on the other side of the border as Jesus the fisherman looks on.

Right before the festival was set to begin some officials decided to redo the water & sewer lines and rip up the streets. Another controversial decision was made to set the cobblestones in concrete rather than the traditional dirt.

This was resolved by giving the local stone masons more work by creating these fish replicas in the stone work.

The creation of the castillo is an important part of the Fiesta.

These photos show the various pieces of the castillo.

from the papier mache figures...

to the colorful circular section...

to even more papier mache figures...

to the various pieces that finally make up the completed castillo.

I am embedding a video of the castillo in operation in order to give you an idea of what the final product looks like & how it functions. It is truly an engineering marvel. (The first minute 13 seconds will give you an idea of the castillo in operation. The videographer seemed to have an equipment malfunction after that.)

Dia de Gracia - AKA Thanksgiving

I don't know.  It started innocently enough.  Jim teaches ESL and wanted his students to know about an American Thanksgiving so he invited some of them.  And some Americans.  And then there were more Mexicans.  And a few more Americans.  And then there were two massive turkeys, a field of potatoes, a frantic search for the camotes preparer (sweet potatoes) and a desperate hunt for root vegetables.  I mean what is Thanksgiving without root vegetables I ask you?  And then strange little turkey place card holders and writing notes on the history of Thanksgiving and.....well you get the idea.

So, I am nominated to give the talk about the first Thanksgiving.  Manu will translate.  I decide to give them the cleaned up version and skip the stuff about duplicity, ingratitude and subjugation.  And then I stumble upon Squanto and what they never told you in elementary school -- which is the last time I remember being taught about Thanksgiving.  So, do you know why Squanto knew English? (I assume you know Squanto -- I don't want to talk down to you)  It was because he was kidnapped by the English MULTIPLE times.  First time, he and four other Indians end up in England, are treated nicely (after being KIDNAPPED) and taught English so that when they go back they can help the English with the other Indians. Fine.  Goes back.  Damn! Kidnapped again by the English.  Sold into slavery in Spain.  Spanish friars take pity and free him and send him back TO ENGLAND. Indentured servitude follows but the guy takes him (Saqunto) to New Foundland.  Think he lets him go home to Mass. FROM THERE? No, back to ENGLAND.  Finally, he gets back to Mass. only to find out his tribe has been decimated by disease.  Then what does he do?  He befriends the ENGLISH Pilgrims.  You know, I would have said "Enough with these English guys.  I'm done."  I don't know. Maybe it's just me.  The rest of the story is as weird and worrisome but I put a brave face on it.  A grand time was had by all.  Onward to the posadas and Navidad.

Rescued! Rescued!

People here (read Gringos) are mad for animals.  It may be because they are far from children and grandchildren, miss nurturing, or just are generally soft touches.  It is SO extreme that they have to put articles in the paper explaining that just because a dog is on the street does not mean that it necessarily doesn't have a home.  Remember our American dogs in the 50s?   They roamed? Anyway, the article was necessary because the Gringos were "rescuing" like the Rodriguez's pooch and sending him to a shelter where he would find a "forever" home -- which of course he already had with the Rodriguez's.  However, there really are a lot of abandoned and abused animals here and (trumpet blare) our pals Alex and George, who have mightily resisted the temptation, fell hard for Boomer and adopted him.  His past is a mystery -- but it wasn't good.  But he is.  A real smoochy, goofy guy.  So that's it.  Off to Florida and a wedding and family visit.  Back soon and will report.

Our friend Alex trying to get "Boomer" to let go of the ball....

and after achieving success.