Still Walking: On the go with John in San Miguel

Josh climbing the walla, looking like Spiderman! This is right across  the street from
 our B&B, La Jardin de Don Quijote.

The Parroguia at dusk, and on the horizon from the Instituto,

along with mansions on the hillside (top right).  Besides Josh ordering his Picasso hamburger, 

these are a few scenes along our walk on the secret path. 

We’ve been walking nonstop.  Every day to and from the Jardin, and at night to see the Parroguia lit up and the beautiful Christmas lights all about the center of town, mostly blue.  It reminded me of a Christmas I spent with Peace Corps friends Jud and Justin in Istanbul, around the Blue Mosque and St. Sophia's. 

This morning I asked Josh if he needed to do any laundry. "YES! Definitely.  Let's do it."  He put on his new shoes and his leather jacket (he looks so handsome!), and away we went on another little adventure, this time to the lavanderia.  Josh Learned that it's a nice way to get laundry done, by someone else.  Ater we dropped off our big load, I steered Josh along a “secret” path behind the La Aldea neighborhood where our B&B is, strolling past brightly painted houses, murals, and bougainvilla galore. It’s a path less traveled, and therefore more special.

Later, we went to the Saturday market at the Instituto de Allende, the famous art and language school that once brought lots of American expats to San Miguel; it was super-loaded with arts and crafts.  They were beautiful, but as Josh said,  “the stuff’s more expensive here than at the Mercado.”  True! 

"But I have a little surprise for you."  From the backside of the Instituto, behind the great muraled walls, there is a fantastic view of the town, and I guided Josh there for a look. “Awesome!” He took photos of the Parroquia and churches on the horizon, against a crystal clear blue sky, and the mansions on the hillsides.  It’s one of my favorite views of the town.

It’s great to be able to show Josh these kinds of “hidden” treasures behind the beautiful windows, walls and doorways of San Miguel.

On our Saturday walks we also made stops at shoe stores along the way from here to there, this time for me, with Josh very willing. "Your turn," he said thoughtfully. We finally found a pair of black comfy sandals on sale.  Josh was a big help.  We then had a nice lunch at a restaurant up Ancha de San Antonio, but the names of the items on the menu were more interesting than the food itself: named for world-famous artists, musicians and literary icons.  I got a Salvadore Dali and Josh a Picasso, or something like that!

Josh was still ready to keep going but, frankly, my feet and hips were sort of telling me to slow down (hate to admit it).  So I decided to go back to the B&B, and Josh decided to take a walk to the Park (Parque Juarez).  On his own, all by himself! He said he’d be back at the B&B in time to pick up our freshly washed and perfectly folded (which I could never duplicate) laundry.  He did it, and I think was proud of himself for finding his way around on his own.  He had energy to spare this afternoon, and at one point he was literally climbing the walls, like Spiderman. 

By now Josh is familiar with getting from our B&B in La Aldea, between Soledad and Orizaba, into and out of town.  He’s traversed streets named Zacateros, Pila Seca, Umeran, Hildalgo, Mesones, Insurgentes, Relox, Correo and Sollano. 

Tonight, I tell him, we’re going down Zacateros to Canal to Hernandez Marcias. "Why? Where are we going?"  

“Want to see a Beatles tribute band at the Teatre Angela Peralta, if we can get tickets?”  

Josh and I at Tio Lucas before the Beatles tribute concert at the Teatre.

“Yeah that sounds good.”  We had seen a similar concert in Sylvania a year before, the "1964" tribute band, and had fun.

So off we went.  Josh picked up a street dog on the way.  We had no trouble getting tickets, and had time to get a bite to eat at Tio Lucas, a great restaurant across the street from the Teatre.  I think it was one of the best meals we’ve had here.  Josh thought the chicken frajitas were delicious.  So did I.  But I caught Josh wrapping chicken and tortilla in a napkin.

"What are you doing?" 

"Ah, well, I can't help it Nana.  That dog needs food. He's so skinny."  

I understood. Josh went looking for the dog, but it had disappeared.  He finally left the food under a tree, hoping the dog might sniff it and get it. 

Then it was across the street to the Teatre for some Beatles music via what turned out to be a very talented Mexican tribute band calling itself "Sheep Dogs."  The first half was classic Beatles tunes, and the second  featured Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The music was great, and the performers extraordinary.  I loved the Ringo Starr on drums best, but the guitars, bassist and keyboards were amazing, especially for the Sgt. Pepper songs. Josh probably got a bit bored, but he was a good sport.  

We walked home happy campers, under a starry sky with a full moon.   We never saw that dog again.

On the Way: Shoes and a Leather Jacket

Josh gets new black suede shoes on the way to the Mercado, via Bellas Artes art school.

SMA at night from the B&B rooftop. A full moon! 

What do you want to do today, Josh?  “Let’s go back to the Mercado.  I want to look for a gift for my dad.”  Okey dokey.  So after our huevo rancheros, off we went to the market, after a stop at my favorite wifi place, Café Mesa Grande.  On the way, Josh spotted a shoe store, and this time we had good luck.  Josh got a new pair of black suede shoes!

“On the way,” I told Josh, is one of the best things about traveling.  You may be headed toward a destination, but “on the way” you’ll discover some great places, see lots of shops, and make lots of stops. It’s okay.  It’s good!  “Yep, it’s how I got my shoes!”

We had good luck at the Artisans Mercado, too.  Josh found something for his dad  (I can only hint that’s it’s made of tin), and then spotted something for Kyle and his mom.  We managed to bargain the vendors down to 50 pesos.  What a deal! 

“Is that okay,” Josh asked  “To talk them down like that.”

“Oh yeah for sure,” I answered.  "In fact, you’re supposed to do that.  It's expected!” 

By now 2:00 pm, Josh was ready for lunch, and so was I.  “You got to make the guacamole,” Josh reminded me.  We had bought the ingredients the day before, fresh avocados, tomatoes and onion. 

A kind of “day 3  travel weariness” set in. "That’s what I call it", I said to Josh, and so we both agreed to taxi back to the B&B instead of walk it!  The guacamole awaited us, and a nap!

But wait! Was our day over?  Far from it.  We look at each other. "We can't just hang around," Josh said.  Jusst what I was thinking! Let's go for another walk, first to Cafe Mesa Grande to check email and facebook, then to the park.  Okay, so on the way..... 

Guess what?  Yep, we stopped in the leather shop, and found.....a beautiful leather jacket made for Josh!  He hesitated, checked with his sister, then decided. His first leather jacket on his first trip to Mexico!

We did make it to the park, which is beautiful, and to a classy part of town, higher up in the mountains.  I remember taking my grandchildren Julia and Tony there, many years ago.  Josh loved it, too.  Another great day in paradise! 

In San Miguel with Grandson Josh

Leonardo mural, Biblioteca, top left.  Josh & me at Hecho en Mexico; Josh, in front of a beautiful carved and painted door on Ancho San Antonio, a main street; at Jardin de Don Quijote,, in his room and on his deck, from which you can see the town;, on the balcony surrounded by red bougainvilla;  at the oldest church; and at the Mercado de Artesenia, bottom right corner.

I woke up this morning and wondered where I was, then it came to me,  oh my god, I’m in San Miguel!”  Josh, my fifteen-year-old grandson, was telling me about how his first day had started as we ate dinner at Hecho En Mexico.

And we are having the best time together.  Josh is a sponge, and he noticed right away, as we traveled from Leon to San Miguel in our shuttle van, that “We aren’t in America anymore.This is definitely Mexico!” he said, as he took in the countryside and the mountains, the towns, the landscape of the dry high desert, the architecture, the roadside stands.   Right away he noticed lots of beat up old cars, still going, a true Mexican talent. What a gift to be traveling with my grandson to a place I know and love!

After a long travel day on Wednesday, 26 December, from Detroit (our flight left at 6am) to Houston to Leon/Guanajuato, Mexico, otherwise uneventful, we got to San Miguel at 5:00 pm, and got settled in our B&B, the Jardin de Don Quijote, as colorful and cheerful as always, the lush garden in full bloom. Josh discovered two cute ducks wandering around the fountain.  We wondered how they got there.  Maria, the owner, and her daughter Alajandria, greeted us warmly, and so did Dona, the revered 90-something nanny and grandma. Josh even managed hola, mucho gusto, and gracias in Spanish.  He charmed the Garcias!

“Want to take a walk into town,” I asked Josh.  He looked at me, eyes half shut. I think he was thinking “Is she serious?” but only said “Sure!”  Tired as he were, Josh decided to stay up a little longer instead of crashing. What a good traveler! 

So we took our first walk into town, to the Jardin, where Josh got his first glimpse of a lively Mexican public square and the famous Parroquia, the beautiful cathedral.  It was a warm and balmy night, with an almost full moon, and the bells of the cathedral tolled as we arrived. We walked around the square and then got a bite to eat at the Café de Jardin, where my sister and I had enjoyed meals and margaritas.  We sat at a table outside where we met Ricardo, an IT worker from southern Mexico on vacation with his wife and two kids. We learned a lot just sitting with him and listening to him talk about Mexico.

Josh is absorbing it all: the language, the culture, the architecture, the cobble-stoned streets, the people, the street life.  He liked his first glimpse of all the little shops where you can buy everything imaginable. We got back to the B&B and crashed.

On day two, after a hearty breakfast served by the Garcia family’s long-time cook Marilou, we took another long walk into and around town.  I decided we’d go to the Biblioteca and the Artisan’s Mercado, to catch more street life, indigenous arts and crafts, and the feeling, sights and sounds of San Miguel’s bustling, joyful daily life. Josh loved it. He liked the David Leonardo mural at the Biblioteca, and especially liked the Mercado, where you can buy everything from Mexican crafted souvenirs, fresh fruits and vegetable, cheese and edible cactus, to homemade toys, and inside, everything from produce to clothes. 

 “Can we go back to the Mercado” he asked at the end of the day.  Sure thing. Anytime. We’re getting into the pace and lifestyle of beautiful San Miguel.  We’re taking it easy, taking it in, and having a ball!      

Ukrainian-Style Farewell to our Ukrainian Visitors to America

Our guests were Volodymyr, Serhiy, Yulia, Iryna,
Andrii, and Mykola

I had a farewell party for our western Ukrainian friends last Thursday night. I put a big bouquet of golden and yellow sunflowers and the  Ukrainian flag on a dining table loaded with goodies, and lots of beer.  I had copies of photos from our road trip to Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan, to share with our guests.  

Elissa used her photoshop skills to make a wonderful photo of a van blazoned with “Ukrainian Freedom Fighters” on it, like her own van that put on almost 300 miles for our Michigan trip, broken window and  funny noises that Serhii heard from the back seat  notwithstanding.  Elissa, who is known for her love of Challengers (that's a car, for the uninitiated) and other “muscle” cars, among other things, also  gave our guests toy models of her favorite cars.  

Laura Kline, our professor of Russian language and literature extraordinaire, was our fearless translater.  She brought Michigan souvenirs as gifts and enough food to feed an army, knowing Russian traditions as well as she does.  That included chocolates, in the Ukrainian tradition of gift-giving.  It was a night of joy and laughter. Cross-cultural understanding, appreciation and love at its best!

We three together did pretty well as hosts, by Ukrainian standards.   We showed our Ukrainian friends good old Ukrainian hospitality, American style.  We hope they enjoyed their visit to the Toledo area and to the great city of Chicago, and wish them well on their journey home today.  May their memories of the USA be as precious as my memories of their country and its people.

"To Ukraine!  To the USA! To you!  To us!  To good health! Hooray for our USA-Ukraine partnership!   Для України! У США! Для Вас! Для нас. Для гарного здоров'я! Хай живе наша США-Україна партнерство!"

  

Ukrainian Groups Visits Toledo

Ukrainian Flag, photo by Peter Musolino, flickr. 

Welcome reception in Maumee for Ukrainian

delegation from Rivne and Ternopil Oblasts

(counties) in Western Ukraine. Above, Elissa shares

Sylvania Advantage with Rivne journalist Volodymyr Torbich.

“Hello, my name is Iryna.”  Iryna is one of a nine-member delegation from western Ukraine visiting the US, thanks to the Great Lakes Consortium of Training and Development, with funding from USAID.  I was at a  welcome reception in Maumee, Ohio, just south of Toledo, for the newly arrived group, with my daughter Elissa, who’s a graphic designer at the Sylvania Advantage, and her friend Laura Kline, a professor of Russian Language and Literature at Wayne State University.  

“I’m Fran and happy to meet you.  I spent two years in Ukraine, but in the East, not the West; I’m sorry I do not know Ukrainian.”   She smiled and nodded, but I don’t know if she fully understood me.  Maybe I was talking too fast. I'm told some of the delegation understands more English than others. For those with little English, the translators are essential. 

I understand. It can be very frustrating, the language barrier. I learned survival Russian during my Ukrainian stay, but for the most part I was in the dark for two years, unable to have a normal conversation about what I was seeing, doing, feeling, about the simplest things.  My host moms in Chernigov and in Starobelsk were as frustrated as I was. You want so much to be able to converse, but it’s difficult to impossible.  Language becomes a huge barrier, and it takes time to find ways around it to build relationships.  

But I was delighted to be with this group of lively and inquisitive people from Ukraine.  Elizabeth Balint, project manager of the Consortium’s international exchange program, introduced each one, all from Rivne or Ternopil oblasts in Western Ukraine:

* Serhiy Anoshchenko, mayor, Kuznecovsk City Council 
* Ivan Bashnyak, mayor, Borschiv City Council

* Vitaliy Undir, mayor deputy, Ostroh City Council

* Ihor Hul, mayor deputy, Berezhany City Council, and a great guitar player who led the group in a patriotic song.

* Andrii Hreshchuk, City council secretary, Rivne City Council

* Mykola Orlov, Chairman, NGO Analytical Center of City Development “ZEON”

* Volodymyr Torbich, director, main editor, Rivne NGO “Agency for Investigative Journalism" 
* Yulia Parfenchuk, lawyer, leading specialist, and member Kremenets City Council  

* Iryna Pakhniuk, Consultant for coordination and cooperation with local government departments, Rivne Regional Council.

What a powerful and talented group! How I’d love to sit with each and every one and talk about what they do, how their cities are faring, what goals they have, what dreams for the future of Ukraine.  Instead, I can only hope that their three-week stay in the Toledo area will provide the opportunities they seek to learn more about strengthening local government and economic development.  

I'm sure that the cultural exchanges--staying with host families, attending local events and festivals, museums and parks, even baseball games, along with attending seminars and professional development programs--will have a strong impact and strengthen the ties between Ukraine and the US.  

“I hope to learn more about your government and also about journalism practices and the media here,” Volodymyr  said through the group’s interpreter Sasha Etlin. He looked over the Sylvania Advantage newspaper Elissa had with her.  He couldn’t read it, but the idea of a community newspaper supported by local advertisers interested him.  

Community-based journalism is, afterall, relatively new in Ukraine, where for so long the State, the central government, controlled the news, and some say still does.   Journalists there have been silenced and imprisoned for telling true stories about human rights abuses, corruption, injustice and central government interference in local affairs.

I was once again reminded of how new the ideas of  government of, by, and for the people are in Ukraine; how new the idea of local governance, transparency and community involvement in decision-making; how brave the people, like the members of this delegation, who are working for change.  

Like American democracy, Ukrainian democracy is in process, and the challenges are daunting.  But I learned while in Ukraine that change is happening from the bottom up, all across the country, east to west. It's often not visible, yet, but I have faith that it will be one day.  

This 9-member delegation of Ukrainian local officials and activists is testimony to this development and this hope.  I wish them all the best of luck.   Я бажаю їм усім удачі.

Colors: San Miguel Street Scenes

Colors, a nice artisan's shop on Zacateros. Below, street colors.  

Color galore.  That's what makes San Miguel special.  These street scenes just wouldn't fit into a Ukrainian setting.  Mediterranean, Latin and South America, parts of the American southwest, maybe.  But these colors and styles in such grand abundance, around every corner, up and down the hillsides, around back alleys, in the center of town, and out beyond the Mercado, are distinctively San Miguel de Allende.  It lifts the spirit. 

Viva San Miguel.  

Symbol of Mexican Independence

El Grito de la Independencia, a fierce cry for freedom, has its origins in the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende, in 1810. It  marks the beginning of the Mexican revolution against Spanish colonial rule.

A revered symbol but shrouded in myth, the cry for freedom is attributed to a Catholic priest, Miguel Hildago y Costilla.  His supporters included Ignacio Allende, Mariano Abasta and Juan Allende.  These are revolutionary names, familiar names, all firmly implanted here in San Miguel, in its architecture, statues, street names, artistic expressions, folklore traditions.  The El Grito below graces, if that can be the word, the magnificent entrance to the El Grito bar and restaurant.  I've always passed it with fascination, thinking it must be a Mexican version of the devil.

The Battle of Guanajauto was the first revolt against Spain. Independence wasn't declared until September 27, 1821, after a decade of fierce fighting  The mountainous regions of San Miguel de Allende remain sacred territory, the terrain of freedom.  El Grito remains the Patrick Henry of Mexico, the Cry from Dolores.   "Give me Liberty, or give me death!"  Like the 4th of July in the USA,  27 September is celebrated every year, the  most important national holiday in Mexico.  

Movies, Music and San Miguel: A Nice Trio

Christopher Plummer& Ewen MacEwen; Atwood cover, Yahoo photos.

I'm going to lots of movies and concerts here in San Miguel.  Or I should say I am walking to them.  Maybe that’s why I’m going to so many.  This town has something going every day and night, all enticing, and easy to get to.  Like the literary festival held at the Hotel de Minas, featuring Margaret Atwood, which was sold out so I couldn't get in; art exhibits just about every night; daily film series and lectures at the Biblioteca and the tiny Puppet Theatre; jazz at the Peralta Theatre and other venues, including restaurants and cafes.

I’m going to an Oscar party on 29 February, so I’m catching up on the movies.  My favorites have been  Beginners, with outstanding acting by Christopher Plummer and Ewan MacKwen;  Jose Reneyos, a wonderful documentary about a Latino judge and his civil  rights struggles and triumphs from the Caesar Chavez years in California to the Gore election nightmare in Florida;  In the Wake of the Flood, a documentary about an environmental book tour designed and undertaken by Margarat Atwood, a great writer but the documentary seemed a bit dowdy; and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, nice photography, some great acting but way too long and a bit overwrought, I thought.  I’m glad I had read the book first.  Some of these movies are up for Oscars in various categories, so I’ll go to the Oscar party more informed than when I got to SMA.  Estelle, from NYC, a SMA regular for some 15 years, who has seen every Oscar- nominated movie and more, says forget about seeing the films.  Just don’t forget a bottle of wine and something to eat! 

One of the best events was a fantastic concert by three accomplished musicians:  Qing Li, violin; Richard Fowling, piano; and Jeffry Solow, cello. Saint-Saens, Maurice Ravel, Handal and Dvorak filled St. Paul’s Church, where these ”Pro Musica” concerts take place.  The musicians played together flawlessly, brilliantly, as if they had played together all their lives, or had practiced a lot before this performance.  But really they were all in San Miguel for a rare trio, and the cellist was a substitute.  The very difficult contrapuntal and disharmonious Ravel was mesmerizing and moving.  The well-informed audience jumped to its feet at the last note with spontaneous wows and bravos for the musicians.  Waves of gratitude and appreciation.  This trio could cut CDs that would sell really well, anywhere.    

Music, movies and San Miguel. This is one of the best trios of all!   

Ola Mexico!

Street scenes, the colors of SMA, crafts, doors and windows.
I did buy the Lupercio painting in the center!
Below, the flag, churches, a woman doll maker.  

Some things are unigue to a place, define it and the culture.  Like the Taj Mahal in Agra, India; the Pyramids in Egypt and the Valley of the Kings near Luxor; the Blue Mosque and Saint Sophia's in Istanbul;  the Vatican in Rome and the Duomo in Florence;  Wenseslas Square with its magical clock in Prague;  St Mary's church in Krakow; the Opera House in Sydney, Australia.  

Beyond the landmarks are the scenes of daily life, the history, the folklife of a place, which evoke such interest and joy. Watching craftspeople and artists at work, women embroidering, men digging and plastering, rug makers and sellers, ubiquitous hawkers, children coming from school, holiday parades and celebrations, families gathering on their sabbaths, evidence of conquests and triumphs, friends greeting one another on the street, musicians playing on street corners and at cafes.    

Here are some scenes, above photos, that say "Mexico" to me.  The bright colors of buildings and nature;  the elderly women who make traditional dolls; the architecture; the cobbled stone streets; the intricately carved doors, painted windows and bountiful crafts; and in San Miguel, the elegant Parroquia, catching the sun during the day, lit up like a heavenly star at night.  It centers this place.  It says San Miguel.  Ola, Mexico!     

Mind Games for the Aging Brain

Painting (donated by Maria Louise Cohen)
on wall of the Bridge Room,
Hotel de Minas. 

I'm taking bridge lessons in San Miguel with Gary Mitchell, a master player and outstanding teacher. Gary and his wife live here year round and love it.  "It's paradise!"  he says, in the same enthusiastic voice with which he teaches his favorite card game.  

I bought his book, which he says we should study, and study and study.  What about Goren and others, I ask. He laughs.  Forget it. Terribly outdated, he says. Toss those old bridge books out.  The rules of the game have changed tremendously, become more refined.

So now I'm learning the game a la Gary Mitchell.  It's fun, and it's hard. But what a great way to keep one's mind agile.  Focus, logic, memory.  All basic requirements to play bridge.  I  can see that it will take years to learn to play the game well.

I will give you the basics, Gary says, but the best way to learn is to memorize the fundamentals, know the rules, apply the lessons and play.   Keep playing. "So we can play contract bridge soon," another learner says with a smile.  "Oh no. No way!" he says.  "You'll be beginners for at least two years."  What? "beginners" for two years?

Okay, I'm resigned.  I probably won't continue playing with my friend Phyllis and her lovely bridge group back in Sylvania (with great thanks for steering me back to the game), but I'll be open to practice games with learners, keeping my brain going, and knowing I'll be a beginner for quite a while.  A beginner to the end!

My San Miguel B & B es Mi Casa

Entrance to El Jardin de Don Quijote B&B, 
and Don Quijote in the garden, below

A Jaime Jimenez Lupercio painting I'm considering. So Mexican!

I've stayed at some great hostels and B&B's in my travels, like the funky Lavender Circus in Budapest and Egyptian Nights in Cairo.  But El Jardin de Don Quijote is one of the prettiest.  It's the home of Maria and Javier Soccoro Barrera, with rooms built around the Spanish-style main house and the copiously flowering courtyard garden watched over by Don Quijote himself.   It's $25 a night, including breakfast.  It's a few blocks from the main street going into and out of town, Ancho de San Antonio, and near the famous Instituto, now an art and language school.  It's a 10-minute walk to the central square, the Jardin, and in walking distance to shops and restaurants;  tailors, shoe repair, watch repair and laundry; the wonderful Juarez Park and other little parks and green spaces; the Biblioteca and the Artisans' Mercado;  several small hotels like Posada de Aldea, where you can have a fantastic Sunday brunch, and a new luxurious hotel, the Rosewood (overly sumptuous and expensive, for the very wealthy, mostly Mexicans, I'm told).

My rooms at B&B & SMA scenes. A David Leonardo at Hecho en Mexico right.

David Leonardo at Hecho en Mexico

Since being back in San Miguel, I remember why my apartment in Sylvania, Ohio, looks the way it does: It's my Mexican casita, mi casa.  After two years in Ukraine, all my stuff in storage, and three years away from Mexico, I had forgotten.  But my apartment is full of Mexican arts and crafts, paintings and decorations. It has tiled, painted and tin mirrors; art on the walls by David Leonardo, Roz Farbush, Vermillion and other well-known artists--still painting, still exhibiting, still featured at galleries, the library, restaurants like Hecho en Mexico.   Mi casa is brightly painted.  It's definitely more of a Mexican apartment than a Ukrainian pysansky Easter egg.  It has a Mexican feeling and spirit.  My Ukrainian friend Tamila said it when she was in Ohio visiting from Cherkasy, Ukraine over New Year's:  so much color and light, so bright and Spanish!

So I'm back in San Miguel, in a lovely B&B, in a Mexican frame of mind.  And I've seen another painting that I think would look great in my living room.  It's by Jaime Jimenez Lupercio (first photo above), a highly acclaimed artists from Mexico City, a new artist for me but not for afficianados and collectors around the world.   I've said no more art. I've got enough.  My walls are full.  But can I resist this piece?

So, when I'm in my San Miguel B&B I feel at home, and when I'm at home in Sylvania, well, I feel like I'm in San Miguel. Mi Casa es tu Casa es Case de San Miguel es mi casa.    

Meeting People in SMA

I'm having a cafe con leche and biscotti at La Mesa Grande on the corner of Zacateros and Pila Seca.  It's a rare grey rainy day, chilly, and it's been a busy morning here.  We're all visitors, helping the Mexican economy. Americans and Canadians come here to be warm, so the weather is a big topic of conversation.  A good conversation starter.

This is how photo of the Cafe uploaded! 

I'm sitting at a long wooden table with a woman and her two kids who have lived here for 10 years, formerly from Portland, Oregon; a retired ice hockey player from Vancouver, originally from Ireland;  a couple from San Franciso;  a woman, Nancy, who moved to San Miguel to have horses; a couple from New York City who have been coming for over 20 years;  a gay couple from 'Detroit, Canada,' as one of them, who just bought a house here, put it; and a handsome naturalized Mexican man originally from Indiana, an architect and builder   Some of us are here for coffee, a snack or lunch; others with our computers, catching up on email, facebook, blogging.  I've been here the longest, so people come and go and I get to meet them all.  A friendly "hola" and "where are you from," and we have a nice conversation.

It's one of the best things about being in San Miguel.  

In San Miguel, Mexico

Don Quijote B&B, San Francisco Church, Andy enjoying, a David Leonardo nural, Street scenes.

I'm in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, kicking back, enjoying the beauty and the pace.  I read about the bitter cold in Ukraine and think of my friends.  I get emails from my daughters saying things are okay in Sylvania,  normal, kids okay.  My friends post updates on facebook.  I miss them all, and feel blessed to be here in the mountains of Mexico where the sun shines and the flowers bloom and, for a while, American politics seem frivilous and far away.