Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The "BIG" Roar

I wrote last Wednesday about the "six towel" night BUT I haven't written about the "BIG" roar.
I was awakened at about 3AM Thursday morning by the fact that my house was vibrating - I laid their for a couple of seconds to see if I was dreaming or if the house was actually vibrating - it WAS! Scared the heck out of me! It lasted for maybe 20 seconds and THEN I heard it, the big "Roar"...........of water coming down the canyon. OMG, it sounded like I needed an ark.

"They" had opened the dam above the canyon at the Botanical Gardens and it was rushing down the canyon, into the presa, over ALL the walls of the presa, into the stream and through the old absandoned hotel that was started in 1982 and never finished.

I have GREAT photos of this event on my @#$% digital camera but since I still haven't tried to download to the computer, you'll just have to take my word for it. (When I DO finally get these first photos downloaded there is some great stuff to share with you).

I tried at 3AM to see out the windows to see how much water was coming down the canyon, since in 1998 about 30 people died from drowning, downstream, but it was too dark to see. Needless to say, it was a sleepless night. The sight the next morning was awesome. Many, many Mexican families were standing out on the edge of the cliff watching in amazement, just as I was doing.

The "roar" has subsided and the water is now going through its proper opening, but I must say the power of that water is something to be reckoned with.............the bridge below the presa was closed for a day and I wonder what is happening in the countryside since we have had over 18 inches of rain in two months!

The "six towels" have been used, reused, dried and reused more then in any year I have ever been here. ENOUGH ALREADY..............

Monday, August 25, 2008

It's "showtime"!

The tour group that I wrote about on April 20th will be arriving on Wednesday afternoon. They wil be wined, dined, trekked, toured and a few other things for five days. Hopefully they will go home with a happy and contented smile on their faces.

I've checked, rechecked and double checked every detail til the whole darn itinerary sounds boring to me, but I doubt it will be to them. They are going to see outsider environments that should make their eyes POP.

Then when 20 people return home on Monday, I'll head out with a few more to the Sierra Gorda and Edward James sculpture gardens, Las Pozas. The "ultimate" outsider environment. Google Edward James or Las Pozas or go to www.junglegossip.com and see this intriguing place. Just the other day someone told me they "hated that place". I question that person's sanity as the wild bromeliads the size of VWs, the wild orchids, the parrots and the waterfalls, to me, are so breathtakingly beautiful that I know this must be what paradise looks like. There should be photos back in November 2007 from that area when I was there last.........

So, if you don't hear from me til after the 6th of September, I'll be traveling in the jungles of Mexico. Adios!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Oops

So, after I posted the address to go to Rare Visions and I tried to use it, it didn't work so here it is correctly:
http://rarevisionsroadtrip.com/ Then where it says "Enter" click on enter Flash mx and do all the rest of the stuff............sorry for the goof!

Spring and Summer Goddess

"Out of the blue" last week I received a very touching email from an artist in Rhode Island who has been reading my blog. He found the blog on the Rare Vision blogsite and now has my blog in his "favorites". I was very honored. The artist's name is Bill LaCivita. Bill said he lives near the coast and creates these wonderful pieces of concrete with shells and rocks he finds along the seashore. This piece is entitled Spring and Summer Goddess and he is sending it to me! I'm THRILLED.
I know you'll want to read more about Bill and see lots more of his work. Here's how to do it:
Go to http://rarevisionsroadtrip.com/flash/flash.html/ Then when you get there, click on the "Big Map - then go to Rhode Island and click on Bill LaCivita's name. Enjoy!

Of course I've been prowling around my tiny house looking for the "perfect" place for this exquisite new piece of folkart. Although my house is tiny, my gardens and roof terrace are large and I know she will go somewhere where I can see her each and every day!
Thanks Bill!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The walk...........of discovery!

I walk this way every time I trek down the hill to centro. BUT I'm always on the lookout for a "new" thing - a new sign, a new rooster, new construction or a new neighbor! One never knows what to expect.............. I love this cross inset into the wall - not particularly in front of a house or anything - just inset in a wall. The color of the cantera, the texture and THEN one day, this little bouquet of flowers tucked inot a crevice...........why? Doesn't the simplicity of it take your breath away?

An "Expanding" Personality

For those of you who read this blog, you know that a cat adopted me last year! She was a feral cat who would come through the garden but ignore me........for two years. Then she had babies which I found homes for and so I took her and had her fixed and VOILA she became a lap cat. She now follows me wherever I go...........hence her name, VELCRO.



I mean that last sentence literally. On Tuesday when I came back from Celaya from Walmart, Home Depot and Costco, I had a bit of stuff to bring in the house. She would follow me to the car and then follow me into the house with each load..........pretty darn funny, I think.



The "drinking out of the sink in the morning" routine has gotten more elaborate. She hears me turn on the water to brush my teeth in the morning and she jumps up on the counter and sits patiently til I put the plug in the sink and fill the bowl a little for her. The CAT has taken over my life.



Her latest "trick" is when she wants to go out in the middle of the night at about 4:30(I have no cat box) she jumps up on the table next to the bed, walks across the bookshelf above my head bumping into photos that are there and that little sound awakens me. I get up, let her out and then she wants to come back in when she hears me (somehow) get up in the morning.



It is amazing how this little ball of orange fur has taken over. She is darn smart. I've always been a dog person, but somehow Velcro is working her way into my heart!

A "Six Towel" Night

We LIVE with the weather here in San Miguel - ALL the time. It is magnificent about 340 days out of the year BUT when we get the summer rains - watch out!

When I first moved here I would run around with towels worried about the rain coming in - I caulked and caulked with silicone but to no avail. Then I realized that the walls are stone, the floors are tile and if no furniture is right under the windows, all was well. So I stopped worrying.

Well, this year for some reason, the rains are particularly ferocious - lots of lightning and thunder and winds. Buildings have been flooded such as the Bibliotecha where books and audio tapes were lost.

I don't have that problem, but last night the rain came from three different directions and HARD. I couldn't ignore it - first it came from the South and I have LOTS of windows facing that way - so a couple of towels went on the sills, then it switched to the West and that whole side of the house is windows, so more towels and then it switched to the North..........Good Grief! At one point there was a mini waterfall cascading down the stairs from the door on the roof terrace. Until I stuffed two towels up there!

Luckily yesterday I bought more tubes of silicone at Home Depot in Celaya and will add another layer WHEN everything dries totally - which might be a looooooong time. I think some day archaeologists, a thousand years from now, will dig the ruins of our houses and say "Hmm, interesting "formations" in these houses" It will be the buildup of silicone around the windows. Cause it seems every house in San Miguel leaks!

We;'re close to 20" since mid-June but in perspective, I DO remember in 1979 having 42" of rain in 24 hours in Houston..............a record. Somehow these rains seem closer and more ferocious.

Monday, August 18, 2008

A "shut down" day..almost!

Woke up this morning to rain. And I DO mean rain. It is extremely unusual for it to be raining in the morning - almost never.
It was the first day back to school for the kids but no smiles and noise, just trudging up the hill in their uniforms with their umbrellas.........no recess either!
The maid Josefina never came, and no need for the gardener to come - no sweeping and no watering for sure.
So I headed to the car mechanic who I had spoken with last night because some kids had pried the door to my gas cap open and it wouldn't reclose.....mutter, mutter. My "beloved" mechanic didn't show up at his garage "yard" either.
Ok, I'm thinking, remain calm. So I attempted to DRIVE to the farmacia for meds that I had to get today - my fault I shouldn't have waited til the last minute. NO one on the streets - well only a very, very few walking in the rain. Couldn't find a place to park within any walking distance of the farmacia and just came home and gave up..............had lunch - took a siesta!
NOW the sun is out - it's 5PM - went over and the mechanic fixed the door; went to the farmacia and got the meds.......so even though the day started out on the wrong foot - as usual it ended up ok!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

The Wonders of Mexico

The following list was in a local newspaper, El Consejo and I have saved it so I can visit each and every one of these sites. So far out of the 13 Natural Wonders, I have visited six of these breathtakingly beautiful places and can't wait to see the other seven. Here's the list:
Xel-Ha located in the State of Quintana -Roo. Beautiful underground sea caves and lakes that mix with the sea.
Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon) - Amazing canyons in Chihuahua known for their beauty world-wide. I blogged about it a couple of years ago!
Estero Palo Verde is a series of jungle swamps in Colima, Mexico. Home to abundant species of flora and fauna.
Cuatro Cienegas-located in the State of Coahuila and is a natural reserve that many scientists see as a window to the past. It tells a lot about the prehistoric times of the region.
Cerro de la Silla- located in Monterrey - it is a mountain that looks like a saddle with 6045 hectares and a height of 1575 meters.
Agave Landscapes of Jalisco - A magnificent sight. The plants are used in the manufacture of tequila. They were named a World Heritage Sight by UNESCO. Truly beautiful
Monarch Butterly Reserves in Michoacan - The butterflies travel more then 4500 kilometers from Canada to the forests which are at 10,000 ft. A MUST in your lifetime! I have written about these on the blog in the past also.
ParicutinVolcano in Michoacan north of Uruapan is the only volcan whose birth was witnessed by humans. It erupted in 1943 completely covering two towns with molten lava.
La Pena de Bernal - Located in Queretaro is the third biggest monolith in the world with a height of 340 meters. The town is quaint and sells lots of woolen products.
Basement of the Golondrinas - Located in the state of San Luis Potosi near Xilitla. It is an underground cave which plummets 512 meters and is home to thousand of golondrina birds and parrots. They fly out at sunset and fill the sky - I saw this, it is a startling sight.
Reefs of Veracruz - Wonderful underwater reefs.
Swamps of Centla - In Tabasco and covers 300 hectares and is a protected wildlife area.
Underground Caves of Loltun - Located in the Yucatan filled with stalactites and other natural shapes.
The Pinacate - Located in Sonora and is a volcanic region known for the golden colors of the desert and its many volcanic craters.
Sumidero Canyon- In the state of Chiapas it is beyond anything I have ever seen before. The canyon walls are 900 meters high that were formed by an earthquake 35 million years ago. I blogged about this in June this year.
Mexcaltitlan - known as the "Mexican Venice" located in the state of Nayarit. It is an island that in times of heavy rains, people travel by canoes on its canals or when dry, streets!

I must confess that the places such as Mexcaltitlan and Pincacate are totally knew to me and places I hope to visit some day. The longer I live in Mexico the more amazed I am at the diversity of this country. It's time to get out and travel again! If any of you bloggers have been to these sites, write and tell us about it!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Two funnies............on me!

When I returned from Texas and went to the mail service to pick up my mail, the woman said, "Oh you have a package too". I was surprised because it is so costly to get packages in Mexico through your mail service since you pay based on the value of the item and the weight - basically it's NOT worth it. But this, it turned out, was a book from Amazon which you ONLY pay for the weight. "Hmm", I thought, "wonder what this is?" So I went to the bench in the jardine, sat down with my piles of mail and opened the box. "Oh, wow it was Aztec" by Jennings and I had just been talking about it. I thought I must have ordered it before I went to Texas and just didn't remember doing so............I let it go by and took the shipping ticket and stuck in the book to use as a bookmark (I have zillions of real bookmarks). Why did I keep that sheet of paper? The other evening I'm laying on the bed reading and the writing on the shipping ticket is in front of my face and I see my friend's name on the shipping ticket. For a few minutes I couldn't figure out how in the world his name was on THAT ticket and THEN it dawned on me that we had been talking about that book when I was in Texas and he had sent it to me.......I had him in stitches when I called to relay the story ............what a ditz I can be sometimes!



Then today I ran to the vivero (nursery) to buy pots cause several blew over and broke in the "big" storm last week and I needed to replace a dead indoor palm. I got all the macetas and the requisite black paint inside that is "supposed" to seal them. All loaded in the back of the Pathfinder I took off for home. Midway home I realized I drove off and didn't pay for ANY of it..........I was laughing when I got back to the vivero. The owner didn't even realize I hadn't paid and if he had, I know he knew I would come back because I've been shopping with him for eight years. WE both had a good laugh...........what a ditz I can be sometimes! BUT in this instance I can tell you why I was so distracted. I saw a woman I know looking at plants and asked if she was building a house near me and she said she was, and, that she had just finished a 1400 sq ft one in centro. I said "Wow you're brave" (Nothing is selling in San Miguel) She offered to give me some business cards on the completed house and said to give them to my friends. I asked how much the house was and she said $729,000.US. I just cackled...........and said,"Wow, I don't have any friends that would pay that much for a house."............well, I don't think I do! I was absolutely flabbergasted to hear that price - totally ridiculous! That's my excuse for my absent-mindedness and I'm sticking to it...........

ONE of the 4000!

My imploring readers to let me know about them paid off. I heard from an absolutely delightful woman who has a home here in San Miguel and "shock of shock", a home within ten miles of where I lived when I lived across from NASA in Texas.
Now it gets even better, the business her husband is in is food-related, even Mexican food-related and he knows many, many of my former clients because in the 80's I designed more Mexican food restaurants (it was the hot trend) then anyone I know - all over the USA..........I'll keep going - we have mutual friends in San Miguel - that's not surprising, AND their favorite restaurant on Clear Lake is where my youngest daughter was married among other things.
We have emailed back and forth several times and I can hardly wait to have a cupa "something" when they get to town.
I mean what are the chances that she and I probably shopped at the same grocery stores - either in Texas or here in San Miguel?. She sent me a photo and she does look familiar.........so when we get together, we'll discuss IF we have met before.
It's right up there with the bizarre experience I had about 20 years ago in Caracas, Venezuela of all places. I'm in a restaurant and a woman at another table looked VERY famiiar to me. So I got up, walked over and introduced myself. Well, she did live in Cleark Lake, Texas but it was more then that. Our names meant nothing to either of us and after we sat and talked for about 30 minutes we discovered we had graduated from high school together in Louisiana. Zowee!
Six degrees of separation.
Another time I was on a plane coming back from the Netherlands and started talking to the man sitting next to me - he said, "Oh I'm going to Clear Lake to pick up a sailboat at Lakewood Yacht Club". I said, "Oh I belong to Lakewood, what boat?" It was the boat that I learned to sail on! Now Clear Lake is the fourth largest marina area in the USA - HOW could it be that boat?
Creepy huh? Shall I go on with the other stories? I LOVE when these kinds of things happen.
See you soon , my new friend!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Saving the Best for Last!

I was looking in my old portfolios from when I had my design business for some photos of cantera table bases to show someone today. I quietly sat and looked at all the "work" I did for twenty years (and loved it) and it caused me to pause and think about the "seasons" of my life so far.

The first, of course as a child is hard to even bring into context now with the life I'm living.
The second was as a wife and mother - I LOVED that season - is the mother part over yet? (I think so.)........And during the second phase, the years of working - at first for others, but the last twenty years for myself - well that's not quite true - for my clients is more like it. I loved the last twenty years. The accolades, the creativity and, of course the money.

BUT I must say, and I AM saying, "THIS IS THE BEST!" It is still hard for me to believe that most days I can do as I please. The fact that I never have to work again is hard for me to grasp. The freedom to read, write, watch and listen to what's around me and to travel are the gifts of this last season of my life. And to be perfectly honest, I've never been able before to put myself first - it is a STRANGE sensation. Sometimes I question it. But I've decided that as long as I don't become self-centered and/or narcissistic, I'm ok. Is that true?

Well if the last season continues like this and I'm healthy and able to travel, I'll be a "happy camper". That's my thought for today!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

"Social" Schedule - "Blogging" Schedule

As every charity in town tries to get their "event" completed before most of the "sweatbirds" leave next week, one must either have deep pockets or go for the freebies. I tried a couple of the charity events that I support (one was breathtakingly boring) but I kept telling myself afterwards, "Well it went to a good cause", but also said to self - "never again!"

Then the fun stuff was Sunday having brunch with friends at Villa Santa Monica which is one of my favorite places in town - small, intimate, beautiful courtyard and unhurried service. Harp music while we laughed and spent a couple of hours talking and eating - my idea of happiness. Villa Santa Monica was originally a home and now it is a boutique small luxury hotel. Quiet and enjoyable next to Juarez Park - if you haven't been there, you should go some day! It is a little piece of Mexican heaven.

Yesterday was connecting for an hour or so with the "coffee klatch" group - which ranges in age from 80 to mid 40's and since I usually walked down the hill on Mondays to pay bills, pick up fresh veggies, etc. I always stop and have a cup of coffee with them........fun group.

Today was magnificent. Drove out to Atotonilco because there was to be a lecture on the finished restorations in the chapels of the main church. I know this whole place very well and when I bring the tour group here once a year, that is always a destination. But I thought, it might be someone I didn't know lecturing and I might learn something. Ha, imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the woman who I use for the tours who is incredibly knowledgeable.

She did talk about the process that was gone through in the application for UNESCO World Heritage designation and that was fascinating. I was also surprised to learn that Atotonilco has more murals then any other church in the world - including the Sistine Chapel! In addition, it is a pilgrimage site for Latin Americans from as far away as Belize, and during the Easter Season there can be as many as 6000 pilgrims on the site and they are fed and provided for by the Dominican nuns........startling information.

I know right about now you're thinking , "So, where are the pictures?" Well, you can't take photos in the chapels or church and I'm still "fiddling" (that is a kind term) with the @#$%^ new digital camera. I haven't learned how to download to the computer yet. BUT I did get a really poignant group of photos of something that was going on outside the church that I will share with you when I figure out HOW to share it with you...............

Whew, I'm glad all the social stuff is over for a while and I can get back to my slow paced life. Well, for a couple of weeks til the tour group gets here anyway.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

So far......NO Good

I wrote mid-week that so far this busy week had been good and then it suddenly went "downhill" yesterday and today - partly my fault and partly not my fault.

I must have read the article about the event last night in a stupor or something as I thought that the Pan American race cars and drivers were going to be at the event and I wanted to see the cars.............so I go to this thing with my friend who is in town visiting and it was just a margarita tasting contest...........I don't drink tequila! Yes, I admit that it was for a charity so all was not lost but we left after about an hour...........I sure wish I had that original article to reread to see how I could have gone so wrong!

But, I salvaged my disappoint about that by reminding myself that the Gueleguetza was this evening and I would be seeing the beautiful costumes and the dances and the gifts they would throw into the audience...........then I got a call this morning from someone I had convinced to buy tickets to see this and he said there was a "snafu" and the whole thing had been cancelled.
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

I would bet that the people coming form Oaxaca didn't get the money from the ticket sales early enough to make the trip from Oaxaca - there were to be artisans and at least 25 performers with all their costume changes etc. I don't really know but they are such honorable people that I know they wouldn't cancel unless there was something of catastrophic proportions.

"Go with the flow" HAS to be the motto in Mexico or life would NOT be fun at all!

We'll see what tomorrow brings............ha!

Thursday, August 07, 2008

OK, it's over 4000!

Geez, who are you? Over 4000 people have read this blog in not that long of a period. Now I KNOW there are people who get that many "hits" in a day - such as Stuff White People Like - and I'm just "small potatoes" to that kind of readership...........except 4000 is a BIG number to me.
I mean, I watch the odometer on the car turn over - BUT I remember the miles I've driven and the things I've seen - this is SO different! It's so anonymous, except for those of you who "comment". Or, those of you who call me or stop me on the street and let me know you read the blog...........I have removed the need for you to register to comment; I have removed that stupid thing where you had to put in those silly shaped letters that was like a Rohrshak test.........so let me know who you are! I care............I think.
When I write I don't think about ya'll individually but just sit down and write - what's on my addled brain or what I'm feeling or when I've taken a great trip I DO love sharing the photos...........
Glad to know "someone" is out there and hopefully enjoying the writings of a Gypsy Diva who is enjoying the adventure!

So far, so good!

I can only move at a rabbit's pace for so many days and then I "crash and burn". That was today! I didn't sleep last night because yesterday at lunch a friend, very graphically, was telling me about a family in the campo that uses two wheelbarrows to take their clothes to the river to wash them - even in the winter - and that they don't have coats. There are five or six children and the father is NOB. I couldn't get that image out of mind at 3AM this morning! They live in a lean-to "cartoneria" - a house made out of cardboard and assorted pieces of stuff that they find and I'm sure they have no electricity or anything - surely no running water - hence the river for laundry. So, the person who told me the story got the call from me this morning about HOW can we get a house built for them (around $1400) and about getting in touch with the people who build these houses. There is a program called Casita Linda and they are now building bigger houses, but they run about $6000 made out of adobe and we'll see how far down the list this mother and children would be.............I'll keep you posted about this.............
But, it had been a fun week up til I heard about the family at lunch yesterday. A friend is in town from Houston trying to decide, now that he is retired, if this is where he wants to be - sound familiar? It has been interesting to see San Miguel through his concerns..........he WAS a banker and he's VERY methodical...............needless to say - we're opposite.
Went to the Etched Glass Project at Zocalo Tuesday night and the glassware that is being made is very beautiful. After that we strolled down the street to a restaurant I used to go to a lot and ran into a zillion (literally) people I knew - well, at least 15 or 20. Does that count as a zillion? Good food - great views.
Yesterday was lunch with the "guy" who wrote Poltergeist, the Baretta TV series and a bunch of other things who is a "hoot" and the widow of a famous country singer who is a character too. The writer is married to the former backup singer for Jackson Browne and she is delightful.
My conservative banker friend did NOT know what to make of us..................we were NOT conservative. The writer gave me the first 100 pages of a novel that is being submitted and I hurriedly headed home and did nothing else but read something very, very funny - very, very descriptive - set in LA. I'll keep you posted on that too, when it gets a name and gets published, cause my friend has a name that the industry REALLY respects ..........and I bet the book gets turned into a movie.
So today has been a LONG nap, reading the instructions for this #@$&@ digital camera........that by the time I go to the Gueleguetza on Saturday I WANT to know how to use...............and that's it! I needed the rest and a day of no talking so I can be ready to be my scintillating self (ha) tomorrow night at the Pan American racer "do" and Saturday at the Gueleguetza deal with a bunch of friends.............then Sunday strutting down the streets of San Miguel with the Brass Synergy Quintet ought to be something that I HOPE I can get photos of also.
That's it from the mountains of San Miguel - where at 4PM it is 75 degrees - over and out!

Monday, August 04, 2008

Atencion

The local paper is written by locals, many of whom were former newspaper writers, editors etc. But I am overwhelmed with choices of things to do in the next week or so..........Here are the things I have clipped out to do.

Chamber Music Festival - MANY MANY free events including Synergy Brass Quintet playing at the San Juan de Dios church Wednesday evening - I'll be there! And Sunday they are having a "Street march" similar to the walks in New Orleans. Walking from the jardin to the Parque Juarez all the while playing. For more info on the Chamber Music Festival that has been in existence for many, many years go to http://www.festivalsanmiguel.com/

Next on Friday, the Pan American Car Races will be in town and they are having a Margarita party to benefit a couple of charities. Lots of Europeans and US citizens in town for this event which starts in Tuxtla Guiterrez and ends up in Nuevo Laredo - all kinds of great cars to see too.

A Benefit for Hospice honoring my friend Howard Haynes will be the following week at Rancho La Loma which is just outside of town and the piece de resistance, for me, is an Invitation to Atotonilco by the restoration committee to see all the areas that have been under repair for many years and are not normally open to the public. That's next Tuesday.........

In addition, Zocalo Folk Art store is having an open house to showcase their etched glass that is made at a factory operated outside of town and that employs disabled workers. It is a heartwarming story which can be read at Deb Hall's blog, www.zocalodemexicanfolkart.blogspot.com

Add to all of this the "coffee klatch" group this morning and then lunch with two friends on Wednesday and whoa...............a BUSY week!

Saturday, August 02, 2008

5 Reasons,oops, 4 3/4 Reasons I go to Texas

I wasn't going to use this photo because it was one of those "quick shots" where you say, "Hey kids, let Grammy get a photo of all of you" - not really posed but a little bit. Well Andrew does not like to have his photo taken...........that's 3/4's of him leaving the scene. And then I loved the smiles on the kids' faces at my distress at Andrew leaving and I just had to share it with you..............THEY are the main reason I drive fourteen hours to Texas! Of course this isn't alllll of them cause Matilda is missing. It is darn near impossible to EVER get a shot of everyone together. The last time was two years ago where all the parents and kids were there....and me!
Life is about the little minutes, isn't it?

DETERMINATION IS HER MIDDLE NAME

My trip to Houston was for many reasons (some of the others to follow) but one of the main reasons was to spend time with Amanda and Patrick and to be there to relieve Patrick for a few days so he could go "wander" or whatever. On my third day there, I took this photo of Amanda taking twelve steps, each more agonizing and pain-filled then the one before. You see, since her auto accident the first part of January, she has either been bedridden or in a wheel chair only for the time to get from Point A to B.
But, among all the other admirable traits of my dear friend, is her determination to walk again. Now she has had no physical therapy as yet............she has yet to go back into the hospital for that! This is sheer guts and determination. Three cheers for Amanda.
For those of you who have just discovered this blog and don't know the story you can start in all of January and then again on January 28th when she came out of ICU after 25 days and I wrote again on February 24th and March 24th............
We talked a lot during this visit - when I was up in Houston in January she couldn't talk........and one of the comments that has stuck with me besides her upbeat attitude is......"We always thought I would be taking care of Patrick since he is older then me - who would ever think that it would be the reverse" Yes, who would ever? She is her usual sharp self and directing as many activities as possible from her bed.................she's a real dynamo.
I cannot at this time divulge details of the two drivers who hit them going 100 mph at impact - one of which fled the scene..........but when I can you'll just gasp! It's so disgusting.
BUT we won't dwell on that - we'll dwell on Amanda's achievement and progress and the fact that someday she will be up and rowing her shell and swimming with the dolphins again. She'll be able to be the mother to 7 kids she has always been and so many grandkids that I don't even know the count!
We've been friends for thirty years ................WHAT A WOMAN she is! When I left she said "I'll be in San Miguel next year for a visit" - I don't doubt it at all!