I've been thinking a lot about the death of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett and how they were such a big part of periods of my life. When I was in my early twenties I wanted to look like Farrah Fawcett; I wanted her hair, and most of all her teeth and smile. I even tried a couple of shag haircuts but I never got that "look". I was always sad that Farrah never truly became a great actress. I love her in Burning Bed and the other movie were she trapped her rapist. She was fantastic in those movies, but after that she was just more of a Hollywood persona. What seemed to be all over the news was showing up "high" on Letterman or one of the other late night shows. To me, it was just a sign of the times and how everyone seemed to be self medicating to cope with their lives and the world in general.
As for Michael Jackson, I have always loved his music and it was so special to me. During certain difficult times in my life, I always had his music. I loved "Rock With You" and it was such great dancing music. I secretly tried cool dance moves but I never quite mastered any of them. I played the album "Off the Wall" over and over again in 1980. During a very difficult period of my life, in 1984, I met Bruce. We were both struggling, in our early 30's and we were neighbors on Vashon Island, Washington. We had very little money; we were both divorcing and starting over and we had this incredible friendship. Thank God we had humor in our lives because we both had really wacky soon to be ex spouses. We both loved music and since we were short on money we spent a lot of evenings listening to lots and lots of music and drinking wine (of course). He had been a DJ in and after college and had an amazing record collection and one of the things his ex-wife didn't take from him was his sound system. Michael Jackson's Thriller had just come out and we loved it. It was also the beginning of VCR tapes and I think we saw him dance on either a tape or on a tv special. During that time we also loved Cindy Lauper, Madonna, Kenny Loggins, Hall and Oates, Stevey Wonder, Quincy Jones "The Dude" and many, many other great artists of the 60s, 70s and 80's. We also went through a Temps and Tops phase. Today I have all of this music on my IPOD along with the BeGees and my favorite disco artists, Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer. A year later, We Are the World came out and we played it on that Sunday morning with everyone else in the world.
Our relationship evolved and in a year or so we moved into Seattle and got real jobs, eventually got married and I guess you could say we became more main stream, but not quite. We have always lived a kind of alternative lifestyle. We lived on a boat and a houseboat, certainly not the norm. Music remained a huge part of our lives and still is today. In fact last night we listened to an amazing DVD of David Gilmore, founder of Pink Floyd doing music with Crosby and Nash.
Back to Michael Jackson, I'm really sad that he's gone and I hope in my heart that he didn't do the things he was accused of with little children. I think he was a product of abuse and it ruined him psychologically. He was a genius and I feel so sad that he couldn't find happiness and I think a lot of people wanted a lot from him. I hope he's in a better place. His music will always be with us in a big way. Rest in Peace Michael.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Shopping Ritual
I love shopping in San Carlos. I needed some fresh fruits and vegetables today so we headed down to Tony's Truck. First we stopped at the vet so Teddy could get his tick fever shot and some follow up pills. He loves the vet, Vanessa, and she loves him. I told her about my dream of getting another border collie (so Bruce could see that yet another person thinks it's a great idea). Clearly, she's on my side. It's not that Bruce is opposed to it. He's just trying to be practical, but really when has that ever really worked out or been fun. I've had a premonition that Teddy is going to have a playmate.
Tony's place has probably been described before because it's so unique and he and his family are so nice. I'm new here so I'm not sure how long he's been in business, but I can say he is the quintessential entrepreneur here in San Carlos. He has clearly studied what the gringos want and need and he gets it. He makes shopping very easy. I'm pretty sure he gets his Sonoran beef at the Villareal meat market in Guaymas. That's where we go when we're in Guaymas. To us, Sonoran beef is what US beef used to be. It's just delicious. Tony also carries chicken, pork, fresh fish, fresh crab, fresh shrimp and on and on and on. Today I was in the mood for mahi mahi (dorado) and I bought a couple of beautiful fillets, some chicken, some smoked pork that Bruce loves and some chorizo and breakfast sausage Mexican style. We are trying to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and Tony has the freshest ever. I bought potatoes, baby potatoes, red onions, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, beautiful mushrooms, fresh ginger, avocados, peppers, carrots, and nopale. We also bought fresh orange juice (Tony's wife makes it), butter, real cream for our coffee. The last minute point of purchase items that we bought were homemade peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip, freshly baked bread and banana bread. I popped a cookie in my mouth in the car and can I just tell you that it was so delicious and fresh and rich made with lots of butter or shortening. The bill came to $480 pesos, about $40 USD. That's incredible to me and it's another thing I love about Mexico. It's easy and inexpensive to buy great and healthy food.
Tony's place is neat and clean. All of the perishables are kept in giant ice chests according to what they are and laid out very neatly. It's all organized and they are very helpful and fun. Tony is an unusually tall, nice looking Mexican man who is very nice. I've never met his wife but she makes lots of goodies. I think his sons work with him too. I'll probably know more later on when I really become more known to them. I'm sure I need to prove myself by shopping there through a couple of seasons. Right now San Carlos is pretty empty. Most everyone has gone back home for the summer or taken their RV to cooler areas. We like it when it's like this. It's so quiet and peaceful. Now I'm off to Chocolate for a double process hair appointment. I'll keep you posted. Keep your fingers crossed! It could go either way.
Tony's place has probably been described before because it's so unique and he and his family are so nice. I'm new here so I'm not sure how long he's been in business, but I can say he is the quintessential entrepreneur here in San Carlos. He has clearly studied what the gringos want and need and he gets it. He makes shopping very easy. I'm pretty sure he gets his Sonoran beef at the Villareal meat market in Guaymas. That's where we go when we're in Guaymas. To us, Sonoran beef is what US beef used to be. It's just delicious. Tony also carries chicken, pork, fresh fish, fresh crab, fresh shrimp and on and on and on. Today I was in the mood for mahi mahi (dorado) and I bought a couple of beautiful fillets, some chicken, some smoked pork that Bruce loves and some chorizo and breakfast sausage Mexican style. We are trying to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and Tony has the freshest ever. I bought potatoes, baby potatoes, red onions, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, beautiful mushrooms, fresh ginger, avocados, peppers, carrots, and nopale. We also bought fresh orange juice (Tony's wife makes it), butter, real cream for our coffee. The last minute point of purchase items that we bought were homemade peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip, freshly baked bread and banana bread. I popped a cookie in my mouth in the car and can I just tell you that it was so delicious and fresh and rich made with lots of butter or shortening. The bill came to $480 pesos, about $40 USD. That's incredible to me and it's another thing I love about Mexico. It's easy and inexpensive to buy great and healthy food.
Tony's place is neat and clean. All of the perishables are kept in giant ice chests according to what they are and laid out very neatly. It's all organized and they are very helpful and fun. Tony is an unusually tall, nice looking Mexican man who is very nice. I've never met his wife but she makes lots of goodies. I think his sons work with him too. I'll probably know more later on when I really become more known to them. I'm sure I need to prove myself by shopping there through a couple of seasons. Right now San Carlos is pretty empty. Most everyone has gone back home for the summer or taken their RV to cooler areas. We like it when it's like this. It's so quiet and peaceful. Now I'm off to Chocolate for a double process hair appointment. I'll keep you posted. Keep your fingers crossed! It could go either way.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Teddy
We've had a couple of nice days just enjoying being back home and into our routine. I love going outside in the morning and enjoying a cup of coffee. I know that all of my fellow Mexico bloggers know what I mean when I say that the birds are spectacular in the morning. We have smaller birds that hang out around the yard and it's wonderful to watch the pelicans and frigate birds catching drafts higher in the sky. I lost my hummingbird feeder in a storm in Sayulita last year and I'm still looking for a replacement.
Teddy and Niko are thrilled to have us here. Unfortunately Teddy had several ticks when we got home and when we had him tested yesterday for heart worm we discovered he has a mild case of tick fever. He doesn't have heart worm and will get medication for tick fever tomorrow. Poor Teddy. It's not slowing him down a bit. Our vet says he will be absolutely fine, but I was panicked at first.
I hope everyone understands how much I love this dog. Next to Bruce (and Niko) Teddy is my very best friend. OK maybe he's tied with Laurie. Teddy's breeder, in Shelton, Washington, has new border collie puppies and the idea is planted in my head that Teddy could use a companion to run on the beach with. Most of all, we love Teddy so much that we want another one (well Bruce didn't really say that). Border collies are smart and sweet and active. Teddy is fixated on car and truck tires going round and round and he watches them from our car window. It's kind of strange to other people, but really I think it's a sign of supreme intelligence. He is incredibly well behaved and he minds us. That is not because I have trained him well. It's because he's just smart; much smarter than both of us. He goes everywhere with us unless it's just too hot. It's great to have him along when we cross the border or get stopped at the random and numerous checkpoints in Sonora. Though they won't admit it, a lot of Mexican men are a bit intimidated by dogs. This can work in our favor (and has). It saves us a lot of time though Teddy's plan of attack would be to lick someone to death.
Teddy and Niko are thrilled to have us here. Unfortunately Teddy had several ticks when we got home and when we had him tested yesterday for heart worm we discovered he has a mild case of tick fever. He doesn't have heart worm and will get medication for tick fever tomorrow. Poor Teddy. It's not slowing him down a bit. Our vet says he will be absolutely fine, but I was panicked at first.
I hope everyone understands how much I love this dog. Next to Bruce (and Niko) Teddy is my very best friend. OK maybe he's tied with Laurie. Teddy's breeder, in Shelton, Washington, has new border collie puppies and the idea is planted in my head that Teddy could use a companion to run on the beach with. Most of all, we love Teddy so much that we want another one (well Bruce didn't really say that). Border collies are smart and sweet and active. Teddy is fixated on car and truck tires going round and round and he watches them from our car window. It's kind of strange to other people, but really I think it's a sign of supreme intelligence. He is incredibly well behaved and he minds us. That is not because I have trained him well. It's because he's just smart; much smarter than both of us. He goes everywhere with us unless it's just too hot. It's great to have him along when we cross the border or get stopped at the random and numerous checkpoints in Sonora. Though they won't admit it, a lot of Mexican men are a bit intimidated by dogs. This can work in our favor (and has). It saves us a lot of time though Teddy's plan of attack would be to lick someone to death.
Teddy has driven cross country with me three times, driven up to Oregon, toured the country in the RV, been to Yellowstone, Mesa Verde and Zion National Park, spent lots of time at my sister's house in Oregon and with my boys in Missouri. He's been to the east coast. His best friend, a husky named Lila, lives in New Lebanon, New York and he's been there for weeks at a time. We have stayed at just about every single dog friendly motel on I-5, 395 and I-70. He loves the midwest because of the cows, horses and sheep. After all he is a herding dog. Some day I'm going to take him on a vacation where he can spend the day herding sheep and cows. He doesn't care for goats, finds them annoying. There are various ranches that accommodate herding dogs and their owners and they are like dude ranches for dogs. You pay for the experience and your dog works all day long. Border collies will never stop even if they are tired. You literally have to stop them. That would be a highlight in my life. He loves my son, Tommy's farm, but Tommy's sheep are herded and protected by a donkey so Teddy's not really needed there though he loves going there. He loves to play frisbee and loves to chase his toys, but he doesn't quite bring them back. He brings them near us, but will never bring them directly to us. It's a little nuts and we don't know what this means. Three years ago in Puerto Vallarta (with absolutely no training) Teddy and I won first place in the Owner/Dog Look- Alike contest. He is a red border collie and he has a couple of freckles so yes, we do kind of look alike. We got a blue ribbon. I also entered Teddy in Best of Show but I think since he ran me around the field and had control of me, we didn't win.....some hoity toity well trained beautiful golden lab won. We were gracious but we knew that we should have gotten that prize as well. We figured there was a political reason the other dog won. Teddy should have won. That was our first and last experience at a dog show. Teddy just feels that competing isn't right. He would rather just hang out and watch tires.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Going to Chicago.
Geez, it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to add to my own blog. Finally got it. We're all packed and ready to leave for the Guaymas airport to Phoenix and then Chicago. Tomorrow at this time I will be in my rental car heading up to Madison, Wisconsin for my nephew Nick's graduation from high school. I have never met him or his older brother, Erik. I can't wait. However, looking out over my beautiful bay right now, makes it hard to visualize that I will be driving from downtown Chicago to Madison in 24 hours. Both sisters, Kelly and Lisa (graduate's mom) will be there along with my other niece, Haley, so it will be a fun reunion. It's funny how it goes when you're with people you love. It just feels so easy and wonderful. No worries about being politically correct or wondering where you stand with them because they love you no matter what.
It's always hard for me to leave Mexico because it's my home now. That's kind of funny coming from someone who refused to take Spanish in high school because she (I) hated Gilroy so much (at the time). Now I can't wait to get back here and work on my Spanish some more because my biggest goal this year is to become nearly fluent. I am missing so much by not being fluent. I understand most everything but when speaking I fumble over the words. Of course, part of it is due to my advanced age. No matter where I fly I always have a fleeting moment where I'm a little scared, but I'm always ok.
Yesterday was, unfortunately, a wash for me because I truly made myself sick from eating those cookies that I made the night before...you know....the best cookies in the world. Bruce loves them and doesn't seem affected by them at all, but for me it was a physical disaster. At one point I actually felt like I might be having sort of a gaseous heart attack. I gathered my wits about me though and realized it was just an overdose of butter, sugar, more sugar, oats, cornflake crumbs and more butter, oh and some flour. One or all of those ingredients set off the gasometer in my body. I guess I had better end this topic now. I'm absolutely fine now but scared to eat before I get on a plane. I think I'm sounding like a middle aged woman now for sure.
I'm excited about Chicago. Though I will be in Wisconsin for a few days, I will have three or four days to explore Chicago. I'm going on the architectural boat tour on Monday which I hear is fabulous and we have all kinds of recommendations for restaurants. I'm the kind of person who wanted to go see Oprah but they quit taping in May so now I'm mad at her. We are going to a big design conference so we'll see lots of design friends, some that I haven't seen in a while and it will be great. No matter what, these people are always fun and delightful. Bruce will be busy most of the time but I get to join him at night. Can I just put in a plug for him and say he is the National President of ASID this year and I am so proud of him. It's a huge job and it keeps him really busy. It's also a big honor. This, of course, makes me the first lady, though I have no privileges whatsoever. Oh yes, that only happens in real life when you're the real first lady. Just so everyone knows I greatly admire our president and the first lady. I don't really want to get political but last night I was watching Lynn Cheney vs. James Carvelle and she kept referring to President Obama as "your president" not her president. I think that was just wrong and it really made me wonder where she was coming from.
Ok time to go. Great thanks to my beautiful son, Tommy, who likes my blog. What an honor truly. I'm thrilled that he read it and liked it. Both of my boys are so smart and such good writers that I was a bit nervous that they might not like my writing. They are just the best. I'm grateful for all of the feedback I am getting. This is really fun for me and everyone who blogs is just so interesting. It's truly a great mix of interesting and fun people who have a lot of good stuff to say.
It's always hard for me to leave Mexico because it's my home now. That's kind of funny coming from someone who refused to take Spanish in high school because she (I) hated Gilroy so much (at the time). Now I can't wait to get back here and work on my Spanish some more because my biggest goal this year is to become nearly fluent. I am missing so much by not being fluent. I understand most everything but when speaking I fumble over the words. Of course, part of it is due to my advanced age. No matter where I fly I always have a fleeting moment where I'm a little scared, but I'm always ok.
Yesterday was, unfortunately, a wash for me because I truly made myself sick from eating those cookies that I made the night before...you know....the best cookies in the world. Bruce loves them and doesn't seem affected by them at all, but for me it was a physical disaster. At one point I actually felt like I might be having sort of a gaseous heart attack. I gathered my wits about me though and realized it was just an overdose of butter, sugar, more sugar, oats, cornflake crumbs and more butter, oh and some flour. One or all of those ingredients set off the gasometer in my body. I guess I had better end this topic now. I'm absolutely fine now but scared to eat before I get on a plane. I think I'm sounding like a middle aged woman now for sure.
I'm excited about Chicago. Though I will be in Wisconsin for a few days, I will have three or four days to explore Chicago. I'm going on the architectural boat tour on Monday which I hear is fabulous and we have all kinds of recommendations for restaurants. I'm the kind of person who wanted to go see Oprah but they quit taping in May so now I'm mad at her. We are going to a big design conference so we'll see lots of design friends, some that I haven't seen in a while and it will be great. No matter what, these people are always fun and delightful. Bruce will be busy most of the time but I get to join him at night. Can I just put in a plug for him and say he is the National President of ASID this year and I am so proud of him. It's a huge job and it keeps him really busy. It's also a big honor. This, of course, makes me the first lady, though I have no privileges whatsoever. Oh yes, that only happens in real life when you're the real first lady. Just so everyone knows I greatly admire our president and the first lady. I don't really want to get political but last night I was watching Lynn Cheney vs. James Carvelle and she kept referring to President Obama as "your president" not her president. I think that was just wrong and it really made me wonder where she was coming from.
Ok time to go. Great thanks to my beautiful son, Tommy, who likes my blog. What an honor truly. I'm thrilled that he read it and liked it. Both of my boys are so smart and such good writers that I was a bit nervous that they might not like my writing. They are just the best. I'm grateful for all of the feedback I am getting. This is really fun for me and everyone who blogs is just so interesting. It's truly a great mix of interesting and fun people who have a lot of good stuff to say.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tuesday in San Carlos
Bruce and I went to our first Board Meeting of the Caracol Homeowners' Association this morning. Our construction plans were formally presented to the Board and other members that attended the meeting. Our builder, Carlos, presented our drawings and had written up a blurb to explain to everyone that we're not asking for anything extraordinary (we really aren't). One of the bylaws is that you have to have parking for three cars at your house. There really is no street parking because the roads are very narrow and the whole Caracol is on a hill. Most lots cascade down the hill with huge retaining walls. The idea is to have a wonderful view of either the west towards the Teta mountains or the east which looks out over Guaymas in the distance and the Sea of Cortez dotted with little islands. Either side is gorgeous; the kind of view you can look at all day and the stars and full moon have been incredible the last couple of nights.
Getting back to the variances, we are building closer to the property line than the bylaws allow because our property line is already more than a meter back from the street and we already have room to park a third car off the street. This is all very confusing really but we all have to follow association rules. Ofcourse, it's good and bad. The rules are written mostly to protect people's views. This brings to mind a house near Sayulita, where we used to live, that had a lovely view. The property just below it was bought by a couple from LA who built a four story house directly in front of that house completely blocking their view and lowering the value of their neighbor's house by hundreds of thousands of dollars....so you see the laws here are really meant to be a good thing. I just can't imagine someone doing that to another human being. Those are the kinds of things that started the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys (I think). I think with some people it's all about control. I'm sure there will be some sort of a law suit but in Mexico two gringos going to court over something like that seems very silly and makes us look ridiculous. It's embarrassing. People in town would drive out this house just to see it for themselves because it is pretty unbelievable.
There's a very interesting man in our association who thinks we should just design our house back a few meters because he thinks it would flow better, and a man who thinks we should change the side of the house that the garage is on....easy...just like that. However, keeping these suggestions in mind, we're not going to change the design and the committee did approve it so all is well. I am still trying to figure out why someone would want to make a change like that to a design that's been in the works for a year and designed by an actual designer. I'm not sure I understand it, but then I'm still learning about people. It just never stops.
The house is going to be great, not a big and fancy house but a culmination of what we both want and our ideas for saving energy and collecting rainwater. There are fantastic systems out there that don't cost an arm and a leg to design and end up saving money and our our environmental resources . Doing the math, we will have almost enough water to keep us going all year and then we'll supplement it with city water. In this part of Mexico you really need heat in the winter especially at night and though I would love a romantic wood burning fireplace, we're going to have natural gas heat in the fireplaces. We will have a pool. It is so hot in the summer and though not so hot in the winter, I'd still like to use the pool. However, I need a warmish pool. I am not a fan of cool water; never have been. We'll heat the pool with a solar heater. It's really interesting here in that a lot of people know a lot about having a "green" house. We've gotten a lot of great ideas from people including filtering and reusing gray water to water our plants and yard. It's all really exciting and now Carlos will go to the city and begin the permit process. We will break ground in July. I love thinking and talking about the house.
With our first meeting behind us, we went out for lunch at a little place called Evie's. It was good and it just feels like a new experience.....almost like retired life....going to a meeting and then going out to lunch with Bruce. I don't want to feel retired though and I really wanted to do something constructive because the day was already half gone. I am two thirds of the way done with my closet unpacking but I couldn't face it so I drove back down to the store and got ingredients for the world's best cookies...you know the oned with lots of butter, cornflakes, rolled oats, brown sugar, vanilla, almonds etc. I ate a bunch of batter, baked the cookies and ate about four right out of the oven. Now my stomach is so upset that I couldn't even manage dinner. I made myself sick and I know better, but they really are incredible. I really hope I can sleep tonight and feel great tomorrow because by messing around today I have backed myself into a corner and have to finish unpacking tomorrow, pack for Chicago on Thursday and do something to my hair. I'm really in trouble. Oh and if I could lose about 15 pounds before Thursday that would be really good too.
Getting back to the variances, we are building closer to the property line than the bylaws allow because our property line is already more than a meter back from the street and we already have room to park a third car off the street. This is all very confusing really but we all have to follow association rules. Ofcourse, it's good and bad. The rules are written mostly to protect people's views. This brings to mind a house near Sayulita, where we used to live, that had a lovely view. The property just below it was bought by a couple from LA who built a four story house directly in front of that house completely blocking their view and lowering the value of their neighbor's house by hundreds of thousands of dollars....so you see the laws here are really meant to be a good thing. I just can't imagine someone doing that to another human being. Those are the kinds of things that started the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys (I think). I think with some people it's all about control. I'm sure there will be some sort of a law suit but in Mexico two gringos going to court over something like that seems very silly and makes us look ridiculous. It's embarrassing. People in town would drive out this house just to see it for themselves because it is pretty unbelievable.
There's a very interesting man in our association who thinks we should just design our house back a few meters because he thinks it would flow better, and a man who thinks we should change the side of the house that the garage is on....easy...just like that. However, keeping these suggestions in mind, we're not going to change the design and the committee did approve it so all is well. I am still trying to figure out why someone would want to make a change like that to a design that's been in the works for a year and designed by an actual designer. I'm not sure I understand it, but then I'm still learning about people. It just never stops.
The house is going to be great, not a big and fancy house but a culmination of what we both want and our ideas for saving energy and collecting rainwater. There are fantastic systems out there that don't cost an arm and a leg to design and end up saving money and our our environmental resources . Doing the math, we will have almost enough water to keep us going all year and then we'll supplement it with city water. In this part of Mexico you really need heat in the winter especially at night and though I would love a romantic wood burning fireplace, we're going to have natural gas heat in the fireplaces. We will have a pool. It is so hot in the summer and though not so hot in the winter, I'd still like to use the pool. However, I need a warmish pool. I am not a fan of cool water; never have been. We'll heat the pool with a solar heater. It's really interesting here in that a lot of people know a lot about having a "green" house. We've gotten a lot of great ideas from people including filtering and reusing gray water to water our plants and yard. It's all really exciting and now Carlos will go to the city and begin the permit process. We will break ground in July. I love thinking and talking about the house.
With our first meeting behind us, we went out for lunch at a little place called Evie's. It was good and it just feels like a new experience.....almost like retired life....going to a meeting and then going out to lunch with Bruce. I don't want to feel retired though and I really wanted to do something constructive because the day was already half gone. I am two thirds of the way done with my closet unpacking but I couldn't face it so I drove back down to the store and got ingredients for the world's best cookies...you know the oned with lots of butter, cornflakes, rolled oats, brown sugar, vanilla, almonds etc. I ate a bunch of batter, baked the cookies and ate about four right out of the oven. Now my stomach is so upset that I couldn't even manage dinner. I made myself sick and I know better, but they really are incredible. I really hope I can sleep tonight and feel great tomorrow because by messing around today I have backed myself into a corner and have to finish unpacking tomorrow, pack for Chicago on Thursday and do something to my hair. I'm really in trouble. Oh and if I could lose about 15 pounds before Thursday that would be really good too.
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Beginning
I wake up most days now not even knowing what day it is unless I'm travelling somewhere. It feels so good.
I still remember the agony I felt when I was working a structured job. If I think deeply enough I can actually feel the tension in my body (I try to block those thoughts). I hated Sunday afternoons because I started thinking about work; and Monday mornings brought little panic attacks. It always got better as the days wore on heading towards Friday, which was, ofcourse, my favorite day. Most of my jobs were on the lower echelon of the corporate world and I was motivated by making money. I wasn't happy in the work part of my life. I swear my quiet irreverence and sense of humor pulled me through. Then in the mid 90's I started a travel agency with a partner (just as the travel business started bottoming out) and boy was it fun. I loved it a lot and I spent most of my time researching trips for people. I have always loved travel in any form. Ofcourse, the bread and butter was in booking tickets and tours and most of all, cruises. If I counted all of the extensive research I did, I think I made about a dollar an hour. I worked in a wonderful building in Fremont (Seattle) which was filled with artists and musicians. There was even a guy who specialized in making bows for violins and a woman who made exquisite knitted scarves and ponchos and lots of seriously talented artists. It was a really special time; one of those times in life that's just fun and interesting. I loved going to work and my building mates were also good clients. Being close to Starbucks and Hale's Ale was also a big plus.
Bruce and I had just built our house in Mexico during that time and I was secretly yearning to move down full time. I thought about it all the time. I secretly obsessed about it. The house was meant to be a vacation rental and Bruce started the design on a napkin on a flight home from Puerto Vallarta just after we put money down on the lot. We still have the napkin.
In November of 2000 we packed up our little jeep wrangler, our two cats, linens, pots and pans, and drove down to Playa Las Tortugas to spend Thanksgiving and oversee the final touches on our beach house. When we arrived it was a long way from being done (which all of you who live in Mexico can relate to I'm sure). It was really unliveable, but we had to stay there. We had no choice. We did have the essentials; working bathrooms and all of the appliances. Oops, our developer/construction manager forget to tell us the house wasn't ready before we hit the road for the 2,000 mile drive down from Seattle. Still, we had already been through a lot, being so far away during construction, so we just accepted that it was a little behind schedule. We had invited our dear friends, Jake and Sharon, to come down and stay in our new house for Thanksgiving. They arrived just in time to celebrate Sharon's birthday and help us sweep the dirt out of the house so we could stay there. They were and are such good friends and good sports. It seems like they are always there when we are in the midst of a big change or a minor crisis (they don't use the word crisis here). Jake and Sharon didn't even flinch when they arrived and our furniture was in the yard encased in plastic wrap just waiting to be moved into the house (by us). It had been driven down the 9.8 kilometer dirt and gravel road at midnight the previous evening from Guadalajara. I was completely immobile by then (shock), but when Sharon pulled out her box cutter and started cutting the plastic away, I finally sprung into action.
We threw together a delicous Thanksgiving dinner with all of the fixings (there was already a Sam's Club in Puerto Vallarta - two hours south). We had no doors and windows (manana) and put the garbage in a double sealed plastic bag on the back porch. It didn't occur to us that the mapaches (racoons) would have a late night orgy on the porch and there would be garbage and racoon droppings strewn everywhere you can imagine. I don't exactly remember how I felt about that but I think Sharon and I went right back to bed and Jake and Bruce cleaned up the mess. That was kind of how it was back then. We blamed Bruce and Jake for all of the outdoor mishaps (which means everything since we were essentially living outdoors). I was already in the manana mindset even back then. It took Bruce a little longer.
Long, long story short, I didn't go home after Thanksgiving. Bruce flew back to Seattle by himself. I had to be there to oversee the final touches on the house and make numerous trips to Guadalajara to get pots and plants and more stuff. I had the time of my life because everything was so inexpensive....giant terra cotta pots for $120 pesos ($12 USD). Bruce was a really good sport about it. He had installed an incredible sound system and I have the most wonderful memories of listening to the Dixie Chicks and Sarah McLauchlin every single night with a glass of wine and just living in the here and now and loving it.
The doors and windows arrived in February and I went home in early March. My business partner was resigned to the fact that I was on an extended leave of absence and he actually encouraged me because the travel business had by then, officially tanked for us. For me, things were never the same after that. I was captivated and charmed by Mexico and everything about it. I think that's when I realized I could really live here full time. Everything that happened was fun and magical and I felt like I belonged there. I loved the way I was able to shop in Zacualpan, a tiny town nearby. I loved the fresh vegetables and fruits, buying fish from the fisherman right in front of our house. I had a Mexican family who worked on the property and are still family eight years later even though we don't live close by anymore.
We moved to Mexico full time in November 2001. Bruce brought his design business down to the beach. After all, he could communicate with his main client in Hong Kong easily enough and it was the age of telecommution. We got one of the very first Hughes satellite dishes in western Mexico so we could have internet. There were no telephone lines to our house then. That was the beginning. Now we've moved north to San Carlos. I wouldn't trade any of the little inconveniences and that's not really what they were anyway. They were lessons and we're still learning. As I sit here in San Carlos now I feel really fortunate for the way things unfolded for us. I'm still charmed and delighted by Mexico. Our lives are still unfolding and changing and it still feels really right.
I still remember the agony I felt when I was working a structured job. If I think deeply enough I can actually feel the tension in my body (I try to block those thoughts). I hated Sunday afternoons because I started thinking about work; and Monday mornings brought little panic attacks. It always got better as the days wore on heading towards Friday, which was, ofcourse, my favorite day. Most of my jobs were on the lower echelon of the corporate world and I was motivated by making money. I wasn't happy in the work part of my life. I swear my quiet irreverence and sense of humor pulled me through. Then in the mid 90's I started a travel agency with a partner (just as the travel business started bottoming out) and boy was it fun. I loved it a lot and I spent most of my time researching trips for people. I have always loved travel in any form. Ofcourse, the bread and butter was in booking tickets and tours and most of all, cruises. If I counted all of the extensive research I did, I think I made about a dollar an hour. I worked in a wonderful building in Fremont (Seattle) which was filled with artists and musicians. There was even a guy who specialized in making bows for violins and a woman who made exquisite knitted scarves and ponchos and lots of seriously talented artists. It was a really special time; one of those times in life that's just fun and interesting. I loved going to work and my building mates were also good clients. Being close to Starbucks and Hale's Ale was also a big plus.
Bruce and I had just built our house in Mexico during that time and I was secretly yearning to move down full time. I thought about it all the time. I secretly obsessed about it. The house was meant to be a vacation rental and Bruce started the design on a napkin on a flight home from Puerto Vallarta just after we put money down on the lot. We still have the napkin.
In November of 2000 we packed up our little jeep wrangler, our two cats, linens, pots and pans, and drove down to Playa Las Tortugas to spend Thanksgiving and oversee the final touches on our beach house. When we arrived it was a long way from being done (which all of you who live in Mexico can relate to I'm sure). It was really unliveable, but we had to stay there. We had no choice. We did have the essentials; working bathrooms and all of the appliances. Oops, our developer/construction manager forget to tell us the house wasn't ready before we hit the road for the 2,000 mile drive down from Seattle. Still, we had already been through a lot, being so far away during construction, so we just accepted that it was a little behind schedule. We had invited our dear friends, Jake and Sharon, to come down and stay in our new house for Thanksgiving. They arrived just in time to celebrate Sharon's birthday and help us sweep the dirt out of the house so we could stay there. They were and are such good friends and good sports. It seems like they are always there when we are in the midst of a big change or a minor crisis (they don't use the word crisis here). Jake and Sharon didn't even flinch when they arrived and our furniture was in the yard encased in plastic wrap just waiting to be moved into the house (by us). It had been driven down the 9.8 kilometer dirt and gravel road at midnight the previous evening from Guadalajara. I was completely immobile by then (shock), but when Sharon pulled out her box cutter and started cutting the plastic away, I finally sprung into action.
We threw together a delicous Thanksgiving dinner with all of the fixings (there was already a Sam's Club in Puerto Vallarta - two hours south). We had no doors and windows (manana) and put the garbage in a double sealed plastic bag on the back porch. It didn't occur to us that the mapaches (racoons) would have a late night orgy on the porch and there would be garbage and racoon droppings strewn everywhere you can imagine. I don't exactly remember how I felt about that but I think Sharon and I went right back to bed and Jake and Bruce cleaned up the mess. That was kind of how it was back then. We blamed Bruce and Jake for all of the outdoor mishaps (which means everything since we were essentially living outdoors). I was already in the manana mindset even back then. It took Bruce a little longer.
Long, long story short, I didn't go home after Thanksgiving. Bruce flew back to Seattle by himself. I had to be there to oversee the final touches on the house and make numerous trips to Guadalajara to get pots and plants and more stuff. I had the time of my life because everything was so inexpensive....giant terra cotta pots for $120 pesos ($12 USD). Bruce was a really good sport about it. He had installed an incredible sound system and I have the most wonderful memories of listening to the Dixie Chicks and Sarah McLauchlin every single night with a glass of wine and just living in the here and now and loving it.
The doors and windows arrived in February and I went home in early March. My business partner was resigned to the fact that I was on an extended leave of absence and he actually encouraged me because the travel business had by then, officially tanked for us. For me, things were never the same after that. I was captivated and charmed by Mexico and everything about it. I think that's when I realized I could really live here full time. Everything that happened was fun and magical and I felt like I belonged there. I loved the way I was able to shop in Zacualpan, a tiny town nearby. I loved the fresh vegetables and fruits, buying fish from the fisherman right in front of our house. I had a Mexican family who worked on the property and are still family eight years later even though we don't live close by anymore.
We moved to Mexico full time in November 2001. Bruce brought his design business down to the beach. After all, he could communicate with his main client in Hong Kong easily enough and it was the age of telecommution. We got one of the very first Hughes satellite dishes in western Mexico so we could have internet. There were no telephone lines to our house then. That was the beginning. Now we've moved north to San Carlos. I wouldn't trade any of the little inconveniences and that's not really what they were anyway. They were lessons and we're still learning. As I sit here in San Carlos now I feel really fortunate for the way things unfolded for us. I'm still charmed and delighted by Mexico. Our lives are still unfolding and changing and it still feels really right.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
I've been overthinking my blog. However, I'm finding that everything I think I "should" write about changes when I actually start writing.
Today is my father's birthday - Don Carlos Ambrose. He was a career Army officer; never the same after he retired. He loved army life and without it, he was a fish out of water. We loved it too and I think that's where I got my love of travel. We lived all over the world and never forgave our parents for planting us in Gilroy, California after he retired. Looking back, it wasn't so bad. After all that's where I attended high school, but come on it smelled like garlic. I hated garlic for years. Now I use it ever single day without fail and I went to a big combined Gilroy High School reunion a couple of years ago and I had a great time; reconnected with old friends from my high school years (but that's another story). I think about my father a lot. He died in 1986, a month after Bruce and I got married. He was only 64, but he had battled alcoholism all of his adult life and it took a toll on him. I think he must have been depressed most of his life and if he had been able to get help for that (or even admit to it) his life would have been different and he might possibly still be here. We all loved him a lot. He had a powerful presence and he did help me through some hard times in my adult life. He wasn't a mean drunk ever. In fact we never saw him drunk. He would simply go away for a while. That's a problem in the army. He was a very funny man; outrageously funny. He had a wacky sense of humor and he passed that on to his four daughters. God forbid any of us should ever say the first thing that pops into our head. Some people would say it's inappropriate; black humor, but if I'm honest it makes me laugh out loud, sometimes that hysterical kind of laughter that nearly gets out of control. My sister Laurie says he channels through me sometimes (actually a psychic I saw a few years ago at Rio Caliente told me the same thing). I think we all have good hearts too. Our father was generous to a fault and would literally give you the shirt off of his back if he could. I think I learned how to really care about people from him. My parents were complete opposites and I don't think my mother ever got over him although she would never admit it. She was a really strong and smart woman and a great person but our father's alcoholism took its toll on her. Sadly, I don't think she allowed herself to be really happy after she divorced him though it was always hard to tell because she never learned how to share her feelings.
Laurie and I have the same mother; Kelly and Lisa's mother was Terry. They are 18+ years younger than we are. We didn't meet each other until the early 70's, when we were grown and they were little girls. We didn't see them again until 1984 when my father was very ill. Then years passed again and it wasn't until about five years ago that we really reconnected and will stay reconnected. We've all realized how important it is to be connected to each other. Kelly and Lisa are in their early 40's and have their own families. There is no question we are all sisters. We are very much alike. Laurie and Lisa have dark hair and flawless complexions while Kelly and I are freckle faced girls. Kelly came to visit me at Playa Las Tortugas with her son, Jack, about five years ago and I hadn't seen her since 1985, but when she came through immigration I could tell who she was because she looked a lot like me! It was shocking. During that first visit we discovered that we even used the same shampoo and conditioner...now that's just crazy. The next year Kelly and Lisa came down to Puerto Vallarta together and we had an incredible week together. Laurie and I spend a lot of time together; in fact every chance we get. We are almost more like emotional twins. Our voices are so similar that we've been able to fool people over the years, even our husbands. We talk to each other every day. She's in Oregon and I'm here in Mexico. Next week Bruce and I are going to Chicago (I've never been there!) and I'm driving up to Lisa's town, Madison, Wisconsin, for her son Nick's graduation from high school. I don't know Nick or Erik (Lisa's oldest) at all and I can't wait to meet them. It's also Lisa's birthday on the 13th so I'll be there for that; the first time ever. I love having sisters. It's really special. I love them so much and no matter what, we would do anything for each other (and have). It's a great feeling.
Well now this is a mini novel, but I want to write about what's happening in the present too. Life in San Carlos continues to be good and I'm happier here than I was in Sayulita. Part of that is environmental. I'm really affected by my physical surroundings. When I was younger and apartment hunting I could tell immediately what the vibe was in the apartment and whether or not I could live there. In our former home, Sayulita, we lived in a neighborhood with roosters, dirt roads and lots of boom boxes turned up to nose bleed at any given hour of the day or night. It's a cool town but, for whatever reason, I never really bonded with it. It's quiet here on the Caracol. We didn't have sunsets at our house in Sayulita because we had no view. We have a wonderful house there (it's for sale!) but here we have the view and the sunset. It is gorgeous. It just makes life seem easier with all of this right here. I love being close to what's going on outdoors. If I had it all to do again, I would be a weather person. Bruce and I lived on our boat in Seattle for several years just before we moved to Mexico and we loved it partly because we were right there on the water and in the weather. I like the people I've met here in San Carlos. Even dealing with the Homeowners Association Architectural Committee has been good and I'm really excited about building our house. The house also bring us closer to the environment because we're going to have as many solar panels as we can afford and we're going to collect rainwater and have a gray water system. It's going to be as green as we can make it. Bruce has put his heart and soul into the design.
So now I'm going to make a small amount of strawberry freezer jam with the strawberries I bought at Tony's truck. I love Tony's truck. It is my way to shop. For those of you who don't know (which is everyone but Bliss), Tony sells just about everything you could possibly need from his truck and outdoor market on the main street of San Carlos. He is an entrepreneur who even has whipping cream which I like to put in my coffee. I think he has the best fresh fruits and vegetables in town. He even has fish, chicken, meat and every staple you can think of. He's also a really nice man. I just feel good when I shop there...just another reason I love it here.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing or if I've formatted this correctly or if anyone is going to read this, and if they do what if they think I'm a moron? I'm thinking the picture of me is much too large, but I don't know how to fix that yet. I don't want readers to think I am in love with my own image because the truth is I am not at all photogenic and I am, and always will be, insecure. However, this photo is probably one of the best of me ever. It's a self portrait and I probably took about 20 shots. It was taken in LA right after I spent a small fortune getting my hair done on Rodeo Drive. It was crazy, but more than worth it because it was really fun and quite satisfying. I normally do it myself and the total cost is about $15.00. There I go trying to justify my expenditure again. I was on my way to Hong Kong with my sister and best friend, Laurie, and I knew I should probably not start running up the credit cards before I even left the country, but it was like I had an out of body experience. I was experiencing one of those stress free days when everything feels perfect (or am I truly mentally ill?). We had been planning this trip forever. My nephew, Josh (Laurie's son), and his beautiful soulmate, Natalie, were having their first baby and we were going over for the big event. Laurie never thought she would be a grandmother and her reaction was over the top. She was, and is, so happy and so am I. They have a girl, Scarlett, named after Laurie. Laurie's pen name is Miz Scarlett. Little Scarlett is the cutest baby ever except for my four grandchildren. More about all that another time.
I want to write about my life, our lives, in Mexico and I guess I have a nagging fear that it might not be all that interesting. The truth is I find it all very interesting and I don't know exactly how I got here. As an old friend of mine said "if I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself". However, if it weren't for all of those crazy experiences in my life, I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today. I can't get over thinking that I'm really lucky and part of life's path is just that - luck ........ and timing. Karma is number one, but no matter what, there's the luck and timing thing. I also got very lucky in finding a life partner like Bruce; a man with enough of a right brain to be utterly charming and creative, and number one in my book, a great sense of humor. It has to be somewhat wacky too.
I kept waiting to start this blog; waiting for the right time, a day when I felt really on top of everything. The truth is that day will probably never happen and when it does I'll probably be off satisfying my manic side.....like getting my hair done at a fabulous place or some other form of instant gratification.
This is my eighth year in Mexico and I have never looked back. I'm an American and I'm proud of it, but when I'm in the US I definitely feel the stress that just isn't present here in Mexico. I'm still trying to figure out where all of that stress comes from. People may not drive all that well here, but in my part of Mexico there is no road rage, just laughter and at most a shake of the head. That's not to say it isn't frustrating to drive here, but there's no fear of death for accidentally cutting someone off. I can't even get started on all of the things written about this charming country that are just not true and my opinions on the border problems would problem rile a lot of Americans. Let's just face it, these hard working people (whether in the US legally or not) are doing jobs that a lot of Americans don't want to do like bussing tables and working for minimum wage. Mexicans are, more often than not, really good and kind people with amazing family values and a work ethic that I don't see often. I also feel absolutely safe here even when I'm travelling alone. I love going back to the US; my family is there and I miss them very much but this in now my home. The US is the greatest country in the world and sometimes we take those freedoms for granted. All of the bad press Mexico has gotten recently is definitely keeping people away. I believe tourism is down at least 50 percent right now.
So now ....about today...I'm getting over a cold I probably picked up on my last trip in spite of my vigilant nose swabbing with Zicam (isn't that a pretty picture). I learned the Zicam thing from my sister on our trip to Hong Kong in the most cramped, tiny, crowded little seats in coach with people hacking and coughing all around us. We managed to arrive in Hong Kong healthy. Oh yes, my pet peeve is people hacking and coughing on a plane. I feel an extremely unreasonable urge to smack them and say "stop it already".
Bruce is working on our house design; I believe the lighting plan; in his office about ten feet away from me and I'm sitting here taking a stab at this blog. I'm looking out of the window at the bay and the mountain. I can't get over the beauty here in San Carlos. It's like we have found the perfect geographic location. We are both water people and we love mountains. It's the middle of the day and I'm going to watch the rerun of Obama's speech. I have only heard the reviews and I'm anxious to hear the real thing. The reviews are all over the place. I know it's cynical but I am sick of the press spewing their opinions and spinning important events in a negative manner. I may also bake some cookies. I haven't baked cookies in about three years. I'm not sure why. I think it has something to do with the heat.
I'm reading this blog over and thinking it's kind of all over the place, but that's how I think too. I will try again tomorrow.
I want to write about my life, our lives, in Mexico and I guess I have a nagging fear that it might not be all that interesting. The truth is I find it all very interesting and I don't know exactly how I got here. As an old friend of mine said "if I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself". However, if it weren't for all of those crazy experiences in my life, I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today. I can't get over thinking that I'm really lucky and part of life's path is just that - luck ........ and timing. Karma is number one, but no matter what, there's the luck and timing thing. I also got very lucky in finding a life partner like Bruce; a man with enough of a right brain to be utterly charming and creative, and number one in my book, a great sense of humor. It has to be somewhat wacky too.
I kept waiting to start this blog; waiting for the right time, a day when I felt really on top of everything. The truth is that day will probably never happen and when it does I'll probably be off satisfying my manic side.....like getting my hair done at a fabulous place or some other form of instant gratification.
This is my eighth year in Mexico and I have never looked back. I'm an American and I'm proud of it, but when I'm in the US I definitely feel the stress that just isn't present here in Mexico. I'm still trying to figure out where all of that stress comes from. People may not drive all that well here, but in my part of Mexico there is no road rage, just laughter and at most a shake of the head. That's not to say it isn't frustrating to drive here, but there's no fear of death for accidentally cutting someone off. I can't even get started on all of the things written about this charming country that are just not true and my opinions on the border problems would problem rile a lot of Americans. Let's just face it, these hard working people (whether in the US legally or not) are doing jobs that a lot of Americans don't want to do like bussing tables and working for minimum wage. Mexicans are, more often than not, really good and kind people with amazing family values and a work ethic that I don't see often. I also feel absolutely safe here even when I'm travelling alone. I love going back to the US; my family is there and I miss them very much but this in now my home. The US is the greatest country in the world and sometimes we take those freedoms for granted. All of the bad press Mexico has gotten recently is definitely keeping people away. I believe tourism is down at least 50 percent right now.
So now ....about today...I'm getting over a cold I probably picked up on my last trip in spite of my vigilant nose swabbing with Zicam (isn't that a pretty picture). I learned the Zicam thing from my sister on our trip to Hong Kong in the most cramped, tiny, crowded little seats in coach with people hacking and coughing all around us. We managed to arrive in Hong Kong healthy. Oh yes, my pet peeve is people hacking and coughing on a plane. I feel an extremely unreasonable urge to smack them and say "stop it already".
Bruce is working on our house design; I believe the lighting plan; in his office about ten feet away from me and I'm sitting here taking a stab at this blog. I'm looking out of the window at the bay and the mountain. I can't get over the beauty here in San Carlos. It's like we have found the perfect geographic location. We are both water people and we love mountains. It's the middle of the day and I'm going to watch the rerun of Obama's speech. I have only heard the reviews and I'm anxious to hear the real thing. The reviews are all over the place. I know it's cynical but I am sick of the press spewing their opinions and spinning important events in a negative manner. I may also bake some cookies. I haven't baked cookies in about three years. I'm not sure why. I think it has something to do with the heat.
I'm reading this blog over and thinking it's kind of all over the place, but that's how I think too. I will try again tomorrow.
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