Well, The Calendar Knows
So, for us, 2014 beat a quiet retreat as we celebrated New Years Eve with a couple of good pals over dinner and chat chez Searles. Outside, however, was something else with tuba bands blaring, cuetes banging, fireworks shooting and twirling and all of Mexico partying. Astoundingly, the denizens of the Village were able to haul themselves out of bed the next day to stage the annual (of course) New Years Day Parade. There is nothing I can say. Just look at the pictures. It was fun. Then it was off to the Soccer Field for the annual game that pits two barrios of the Village (I'm still unsure what the specific barrios --neighborhoods NOB-- are or where they start or end) in mortal combat for machismo supremacy. It was rumored that a first game would feature local gay guys against village girls but, for whatever reason (and it WOULD NOT have been political correctness) that did not come to pass. We were both disappointed -- and relieved. The real game was pretty good and people watching fine. Prior to the game there were little boys playing soccer (very proficient), kids riding bikes and a pony grazing on the field. Food stalls were erected everywhere and it was clear this was a highpoint of the New Years celebration for the locals. We were the only gringos in sight.
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| Waiting...Waiting..Waiting for the parade |
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| Note children dangling off roof to watch parade. No fatalities. |
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| Does she look a little anxious to you? |
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| Not anxious but armed. |
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| Once again, political correctness takes a holiday.... |
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| It must be Aztec New Years too. |
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| What IS that thing emerging from his robes? Oye. |
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| I guess the tiger ate the steer. |
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| This dino had a leaf blower attached to his "bottom" which created an imaginative roar. |
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| A clown? A mime? Just strange? |
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| Lucha Libre and guys with beers.. and a guitar... |
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| My favorite. Pinocchio. Really cute when they pulled all the strings and danced. |
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| Still strange but now with gaily clad women. |
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| They love their ruffles... and black face..... |
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| This plane, painted in official circus colors, screamed Circus ads at us for two weeks. Constantly. |
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| Barrio soccer game |
El Circo
While lying about watching the game, a single engine plane buzzed the field screaming through its speakers at huge decibel levels about the Circus that had come to town. For two weeks this plane and a Hummer, also equipped with huge speakers, have exhorted us to attend the circus. Two weeks.... Why would a circus stay in a small Village for two ear deafening weeks? Because it has been banned in Guadalajara. Attendance has appeared to be scant and I have opined they could rectify this simply by erecting a huge banner that said "Banned in Guadalajara!". But why, you ask, was it banned? Well, a law was passed (maybe) in some places (but not all) that prohibited (or limited) the use of exotic (and sometimes domestic) animals in the Circus (maybe). So, it appears that the only place in the state of Jalisco where all exotic and domestic animals are allowed to perform in a circus is Ajijic. So they are here. Maybe permanently.
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| They were SO glad to see us. They came right over and stuck their heads out of the tent. |
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| Lonely elephant. They really should have two. |
It Isn't All Crazy, Wild Fun
After posting a record breaking four blogs in December we have gone silent for a while I know. That is because having wild, crazy fun inspires blogs while working and doing civic good.... well, it doesn't so much. But, lest you think us frivolous, flighty ne'er do wells, I shall briefly touch on a part of our lives, and the lives of many people at Lakeside, that form the heart of what the place is about.
So Much To Do, So Little Time
Mexico is a wonderful place. But it has needs -- lots of needs. Most of the expats here really love the Mexican people and want to do everything they can to help out. Well... and the Mexican animals. They LOVE the Mexican animals and want to spay, neuter, adopt and leash every one of them. To these ends, there are more charities at Lakeside than I could shake a stick at (what DOES that mean?) There are fundraisers every week -- sometimes multiple. Most people pick a couple of organizations and work hard to raise money or provide services that will help the cause. There are some people here who have the equivalent of a full time job when you add up all their weekly volunteer hours.
Long story short, the last couple of weeks have involved our paying attention to some work we are involved with in support of the Lake Chapala Society and the orphanage Villa Infantil. But, work starting to be in hand, we are primed to commence to enjoy the run up to Mardi Gras. The festival of San Sabastian, Candelmas, and those wacky Sayaca parades are almost upon us. Our pals are arriving from Boston and the real upside of charity work is that you get to GO to all those fundraisers and party even more. So, on to the fun.....
The Festival of San Sebastian or Bring on the Sayacas
You know, the great thing about the internet -- well, at least one of them-- is that you just don't have to keep repeating yourself. So, to learn about the history of San Sebastian and his festival, just click back to our blog from this time last year and Voila! there it is. The Guad Reporter summed up the festival in this way: "The one day celebration stands out for a quirky mix of religious devotion, communal feasting and collective mayhem". Indeed it does. Upon arising at 6AM when the Ancient Cat started screaming for food, I was stumbling around the kitchen fetching Fancy Feast when a tuba band commenced its symphony in my driveway. Well, practically. In front of our house. Why? Why? Why here? We live at the top of an Everest like hill that required them to ascend in pitch darkness hauling about 200 pounds of brass instruments. We live at the edge of the Village. Why? Stunned by the volcanic roar of the tubas, I spilled Pate Gourmet all over the floor and the cat fled to a closet. And thus, San Sebastian began. From here, the band rendezvoused with the rest of the community in Upper Ajijic where tables had been dragged into the street and a huge breakfast was enjoyed by all. Then they went to work. They had a huge meal in the street at about 2PM, .Followed by a parade with sayacas hurling confetti and flour at teenage boys who taunted them. In the midst of it all, San Sebastian, with gruesome arrows sticking out of chest and back, was promenaded through the streets and back to his own little chapel. Then the merry mob retreated to their barrio for yet more food and lots of homemade alcohol-laced punch. In the midst of eating and punching they conduct the papaqui -- a battle in which they throw confetti filled eggs at one another with abandon. Quite something. Then they sleep it off. From now until Mardi Gras the sayacas will parade and carry on every Sunday culminating on Mardi Gras when they all convene on the bull ring for even more outrageous behavior which we shall cover.
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| Sayaca's at play. Never seen a mouse sayaca before. |
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| The San Sabastian parade |
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| San Sebastian had a very hard time of it. They believed he was killed but wasn't so they killed him again. |
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| What? Who did that? Do I look like a teenage boy? |
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| San Sebastian on his way back to his chapel |
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| Tot climbing dangerous spiked fence after being pelted with flour and confetti. He actually was having a blast. |
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| If you see a red haired baby in Mexico you take a picture. Cute, huh? |
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| Do NOT turn around. |
Yahoo! Another House Tour
As our snow and icebound friends look out their windows at a glistening and frostbite-inducing landscape of white and....well, white... we offer the opportunity to pour a cognac, light a fire and feast your eyes on the colors of Ajijic's landscape once more. I shall not become overly florid in my descriptions since the photos do the job. This time Bets and Fred were in town so they got to come with us. Fun.
House #1:
It was in a gated community nestled beneath the gaping scar that has been carved into the mountain above. Nobody (including the people living directly below it) know what form this insult to the landscape will take. Very Mexico. Some say it will be a casino and resort (Yuck). Some say it will be vacation cabins (one building has been erected that looks like an above ground subway station gone hideously wrong). It is a mystery. However, the house and subdivision were very nice. And we hope, living in a highly seismic region, that whatever they build up there doesn't end up in the house's pool. On to the photos.
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| Entry to the first house on the tour |
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| Livingroom |
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| Kitchen |
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| More kitchen |
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| The chandelier is huge. When we see them in Tlaquepaque we always wonder who can use them. Now we know. |
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| The terrace can be screened off with sliding doors. |
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| View over the pool to the Lake |
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| Great fountain. Note metal grasshopper and lily pad. |
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| Master bedroom |
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Den |
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| Guest Bedroom -- neat bedspreads from Oaxaca. |
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| These ceilings are created from the outside corners inward by hand without bracing. |
House #2:
We retreat to the Village and a handsome older house that was built semi-hacienda style. One of the owners is an artist as will be obvious in the photos. High points of this house were the grotto-like outdoor living area and great traditional Mexican kitchen.
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| The use of color in this house was exceptional. Our pal Jim received the inspiration to repaint his entire house here. |
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Lap pool |
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| Traditional Mexican kitchen. Love the cabinets. |
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| Livingroom |
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| Wonderful wall hangings and paintings at this place. |
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| Fred contemplates the grotto from the covered terrace. |
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| The grotto with softly murmuring water feature. |
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| And now the ascent to the upper floors. |
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| View from upstairs den to the front entry and lap pool. |
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| Office. Many Moorish accents. Note doors. |
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| The studio. |
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| Master bedroom |
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| More bedroom |
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| Mural on second floor terrace. |
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| View from terrace to bedroom |
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| View from Mirador (hey! that's me on on lower terrace!) |
House #3:
Our favorite. Tucked away in Upper Ajijic it was another of those houses that was totally "behind the walls". Very unassuming from the street. In fact, a good friend lives across from it and in all our visits to see her we never ONCE said, "Wow, Mary that house over there looks cool." Never noticed it at all. But it was beautiful. Especially the landscaping and pool area.
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| Dining room |
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| Living room |
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| View from terrace into back yard |
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| Terrace |
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| Super back yard with koi pool and real pool and Lake view. |
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| Looking back to the main house |
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| Looking towards the mountains |
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| Full view of house. On the market for $550K we hear. |
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| Bedroom |
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| That's Jim. Still getting over the colors from house #2. |
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| Lots of nice little accents throughout the house |
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| Den. Love to look at the book titles. These folks have traveled! |
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| Dining room (and all rooms) lead to terrace. |
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| Almost every house in Ajijic has interesting art displayed. |
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| At first the blue cabinets were jarring to me... |
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| But in the end I warmed to the color scheme. |
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| Stairwell |
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| Second floor master |
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| Tub with Lake view. We'd put in a big shower if we ruled the world. |
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| More master bedroom with its own terrace. |
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| View from master terrace. |
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| Lots of stained glass here too. |
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| Outdoor kitchen and dining area. |
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| Masks are a typical art form in many States in Mexico. Some are really freaky.... |
House #4:
Michael and I looked at this house when searching for our place. Well, we looked at it before they put about another $100K into it. So it looks a lot better now. Not our style but impressive. The guy who owns it is very interesting and was in the record business. Signed sneakers of Shaq, gold records, signed boxing gloves, lots of memorabilia that we found actually more interesting than the house itself.
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| Entrance |
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| Livingroom |
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| More Livingroom |
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| Now THiS chandelier was really giant. For perspective, the ceiling is 30' high. |
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| Terrace |
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| More terrace |
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| Newly built pizza oven. I mean, why not? |
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| Casita |
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| More casita |
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| And more casita |
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| House from pool area |
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| Dining room |
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| Kitchen |
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| Pool area from second story of house. Pool was strangely small. |
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| View from second story. |
Only one more house tour left this year. To everything turn...turn...turn...
Tianguis to Table
Our friend Betsy is a foodie so when they landed in town I signed us up for a cooking lesson (which at least ONE of us could use). It was interesting because we met our chef near the tianguis (open air market) and we shopped for our meal as we wandered down through the stalls. We also learned about a lot of ingredients that, prior to this, I had just tilted my head at and muttered "oh, that's an odd looking thing. Hmmmm." and moved on. Linda, the chef/teacher was both organized yet willing to deal with our digressions. I recommend Casa Grande Cooking School to all my local pals.
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| Linda showing us the ropes for Chicken in Mexican Peanut Sauce |
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| Betsy hard at work with new cooking pals. |
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| Searing the tomatoes and onions.... it was really delicious. |
Well, that's it for this edition. More friends headed in, more sayacas, more fundraisers, and more and more Mardi Gras festivities. We'll try to keep up with the blogs. Take care.
