Daylight Savings Time Ended in Mexico on Sunday Morning

It has always been an adjustment when DST ends and Central Time returns.  It is even more of an adjustment here in Mexico because it ends a week earlier here then it does in the USA.

One must remember that we're an hour behind the Midwest and two hours behind the East Coast - for a week.

For TV watchers, it requires remembering to watch CBS Sunday Morning at 7AM instead of 8AM along with watching the nightly national news at 4:30PM instead of 5:30 PM.  Of course, we all forget from time
to time.

The other adjustment is waking up in the morning.  Typically my slumber ends about 7:30AM at which time
inevitably one rises.  But, now this week, I'm ready to rise at 6:30AM.  Sheesh.

The good news is that I got to join friends for breakfast this morning as I was ready to head down to centro an hour earlier then usual.  The shrieks of shock and awe as I walked into the door of the Bagel Cafe was priceless, ha.

In fact, in order to record the fact for posterity, a good friend was enlisted to document this amazing feat
with a photograph.

Here are three great friends.  Left to right, Carolyn Elam who has left San Miguel and lives back in Nashville now.  Angie Phillips who has been here over twenty years and moved here from Haiti.  Angie is a great portrait artist.  Last, but definitely not least is Jennifer Butz, former owner of the Bagel Cafe who just returned to her home in San Miguel after a couple of years of living in South Korea.

Our group is never at a loss for words.  Always stimulating conversations with this group.

As I left the group this morning, my intent was to photograph doorways and all the fresh flowers decorating the town.  But, the scene below stopped me dead in my tracks and caused me to ask the woman carrying the pinata if I could take a photograph.  She is a Mexican local.  Our conversation while I photographed the Trump pinata was enlightening.

As if the day did not have enough surprises already, it is now pouring down rain along with lightning and thunder.  An hour ago the sky was azure blue.

NEVER a dull moment in Mexico

An Extraordinary Year in Mexico

Every day it seems there is more information about additional foreign investment in Mexico.  Much of it is from Europe!  The Italians and Germans are moving in en masse with factories, businesses and money. Many others as well.  The Asian population is concentrating in Leon which is the shoe manufacturing and leather processing capital of Mexico.  Leon is a little over an hour from San Miguel and has an international airport.

Many people who have in the past gone to the USA to make a living are returning with their families to
have "the good life" back home.  It is very uplifting to see.

San Miguel, Queretaro, Silao, Salamanca and many other cities have benefited from this in the past and will in the future.

The old ways are meshing with the new.  Real estate sales in San Miguel are very busy with not only
people from the USA moving here, but also Europeans and Mexican nationals.

Yesterday I wrote about some of the changes to traditional celebrations.  As one can see from the list that I'm going to provide below, change is inevitable.  It, of course, under some circumstances, is a good thing.

Citibank is investing $1 Billion dollars in Mexico.  That is in addition to the $1.5 billion already invested in 2014!  After this investment through Banamex it will be the second largest bank in Mexico with the name
of Citibanamex.  Say that three times fast.

DHL Express which is part of a German company is investing $100 million dollars in Mexico and when finished with their expansion will have 500 customer centers throughout the country.  DHL has been in Mexico for a long, long time.  It was who I used for sending envelopes back and forth to and from the USA in the early days - the 80's.  It was the only way to guarantee, back then, that the envelope would get there.

New car sales are up 18% in nine months!  Nowadays instead of the Nissan taxis and VWs, one sees every kind of car from Honda to Audi to Toyota being inclusive of all the others.  The percentages of ownership of new cars in this nine months was Nissan 25%, GM 18.8'5 and VW 16.2 percent.  Interestingly, to me at least, is the fact that some of these car models are not exported to the USA but are used within country.

Previously I've mentioned that new clean factories are opening on the periphery of San Miguel out in the countryside.  Several are manufacturers of car and airplane parts.  Queretaro which is forty five minutes away from San Miguel has a contract to build aircraft there so these ancillary small factories are supplying some of the parts needed for the aircraft.  Same with the car parts as there are many, many car manufacturing plants in Silao, Salamanca and other cities about an hour to an hour and a half from San Miguel.

It's the tip of the iceberg.  Mexico is on a roll.  Happily it has been an extraordinary year for Mexico and it is not over yet.  Viva Mexico!

Dia de Muertos in Mexico

My perception of Day of the Dead or Dia de Muertos is this photo taken near Lake Patzcuaro at least thirteen years ago.  The night was cold.  It had rained.  The mud from turning the graves to clean for this day was soft and slippery.  However, the beauty was spiritual.

As one walked to this cemetery with many Purepecha peoples, the fragrance of the incense and the flowers assailed and surrounded one.  Then the eerie beauty of the lit candles along with all the families sitting at the graves of their loved ones was overwhelming in its purity.

The time was well after midnight and yet, children, teenagers, mothers and fathers along with grandparents were all there.  It's a sight that is seared into my mind's eye.  One I'll never forget.

The photo above is just one of many that I took while there for a week.  The prelude of photos of the flower stalls, incense and candle sellers along with the sugar skulls being sold in booths around the plaza in Patzcuaro could not begin to prepare one for the spiritual beauty and silence of these cemeteries.  This photo was taken near Ihautzio after going to Tzinzunzan and other small cemeteries. Happily, if I were to return to this area near Patzcuaro or other places in rural Mexico, their time of reflection and rejoicing would still be
very much like this.

Unfortunately, here in San Miguel going to the Pantheon or cemetery is a daylight activity.  Yes, it is a joyful, family affair, but more of a party atmosphere then a spiritual one.  At least that is my perception.  Families still create their altars in their homes, clean the graves and hold short vigils, but times are changing.

About five years ago, a group from Mexico City began a Calaca Festival and the whole atmosphere in San Miguel changed from the original intent of a spiritual thanksgiving to a parade of mostly grownups dressing as catrines and catrinas who come to the jardin to party.

Many locals, both gringos  and Mexican residents are not happy about this turn of events.  They are also not happy about the introduction of Halloween customs of candy giving, and costumes that dilute November 1 and 2 from its original intent.  It iss distressing to hear the Mexican locals, who seldom complain, say that they resent the intrusion of other customs from Mexico City and the United States.

Sad, but true, unfortunately, things change and not always for the best.  Commercializing a day of purity and spirituality is what is happening in San Miguel.  For those who come here for the first time, it is a lot of fun but for those that know the original intent it is disturbing.  The solution?  There is none - this is known as progress.............

New Restaurants in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

It is hard to keep up with all the new places opening weekly and monthly in San Miguel in response to the demand from locals and tourists!  Honestly, it is astounding.  Will they all last? Probably not.  However,
San Miguel does not seem to experience the failure rate that is typical in the USA.

Many places, my favorites, are the hole in the wall places like Ole' Ole' which did close but now has reopened.  At one point Bon Appetit magazine named it one of the best in San Miguel.  Great fajitas and prices. It is strange that I would like hole in the wall, undesigned places, but I do go for the food, most of the time and not necessarily the concept or ambiance that used to be designed by my firm.

Now there is a true "concept" restaurant that has opened.  It is called Fat Boy's.  Not a name that would have been chosen by me, but it is what it is.  Name aside, it is a fun, funky, well done theme restaurant.

The owner is no stranger to the restaurant scene.  He has been in the business since I moved to San Miguel, which feels like a long time ago.  He was a silent partner in Romano's with Dick Weber, then a partner in
Hansen's in a building he owned and had had a previous restaurant, lo those many years ago. 

Now there is Fat Boy's.  On a huge piece of property located on Cinco de Mayo, there are several dining rooms on the first floor and second.  Space for TV watching, darts, private parties.  You name it, Arvino
has thought of it all.  Open only part of the week from 1pm til.........check out their website for all the info.

It is being promoted as a biker bar.  No feeling of that during the day, but I hear at night it is hopping.  Especially late at night.  Since I'm usually a daytime diner, the times I've been there with friends the service has been excellent as has the food.

Ahh, the food~!  Excellent.  Trooping over there the first time was because I heard they had pate'.  The pate' that Hansen's had served.  They do.  It's yummy

.  But the other items on the menu that our group has sampled from ribs to burgers to French dip sandwiches have lifted the bar for quality and quantity here in San Miguel.

Here are a few photos:

The other point to make is that the times we have been there, both men and women are there.  It is not a typical "biker bar" with dirt and smoke etc.  In my mind, a biker bar was like the ice houses in Texas.  Enter at your own risk, sometimes.  This is in no way like that.   Oh, and did I mention that they have valet parking?  Yup, they think of everything and either own or lease a huge lot for parking! 

Across the street is another new restaurant, Pork Belly.  Oh my, delicious is all that needs to be said.  Our Friday Lunch Bunch group has been there numerous times.  We've ordered just about everything on the menu.  Everything is superb and tasty.  Everything.  The only issue is they don't open til 2PM BUT there is a solution.

Now Pork Belly has a food kiosk at the new Mercado where Don Pedro's hardware store used to be located.  I have not eaten there yet, but it is open from 8AM ..........breakfast and on.  Limited menu, but that will probably change.

There is a new place that I have not gotten to yet but which I hear has a French menu.  Oh la la!  I love French food.  It is on Mesones and called Mon Bistrot.  Owned by a French Canadian I'm told.  It is on my list of a new place to get to soon.

Yesterday our group had lunch at Grandpa's and Sons at La Aurora.  It is a diner kind of menu with hamburgers, hot dogs, great salads and milk shakes, to name a few items.  Well seasoned and well priced in a nice airy semi-outdoor setting just as you enter La Aurora to your left, it could become a favorite place in the near future.

That's about it.  I'm told there are now over 300 dining places in San Miguel.  I don't know if that includes the taco stands or not.  The number is staggering.  All restaurateurs trying to get a piece of the pie of tourists and locals, so to speak.  Buen provecho.

The Code of Silence

We women of the generation that were born about the time World War II began have lived our lives in a code of silence.

We were raised to be polite, respectful, not to "make waves" and to always "be a lady".  We did it too.
Teachers, ministers, relatives, friends of our parents and others were all part of this group.

Then came our days of not having the protection of living at home.  A whole new ballgame, to put it mildly.

Not everyone in the "outside" world lived the Golden Rule.  It was shocking to me.  Having been raised in a relatively religious family and gone to Catholic girl's school for a great part of my life, there was a whole other world out there.

Marrying at 19, it was not necessary to fight that world for long.  I had the protection of my husband....so I thought.  But, when the time came that I had to work, wow, that was something else.

I'm not going to go into the details of the sexual moves, inuendos, repercussions of telling someone "hands off" or worse, but suffice to say, I'm a battle worn woman just like all the other women who have been shocked to our core by the video recording last Friday, followed by the unbelievable comments of some people who act as though it was not the words of a sexual predator.

Even though I thought I had seen and heard a lot, believe me there IS a whole other world out there that thankfully most of us had never heard of.

Who had ever heard of alt-right, Breitbart, Bannon and ad nauseum?  We all knew about the candidate as there was an opportunity to see him on a TV show previously and to read his comments which, even at the time, were disgusting........and still are abhorrent.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday night I could not sleep.  The whole saga kept replaying in my mind along with the things that I had experienced in my life.

It was a relief yesterday to hear someone else say they were shocked to their core - Michelle Obama.  Her heartfelt speech will go down in history as the "words of women".  She said it all so eloquently and with such great dignity and empathy that I thought, "Okay, I'm not alone.  Someone else was as horrified and affected as I."

The code of silence of my generation, hopefully, is over.  My freedom from sexual harrassment and sexual assault occurred when I started my own company and had the financial and moral assurance to not associate with those kind of people.  I wish this for all girls and women.  Freedom.

As Michelle Obama said yesterday, "Enough is enough!"

All GOOD News!

First of all, yesterday afternoon, out of the blue, the Vonage phone rang.  I knew it was a call from the USA, but had no idea it would be such an important call.  The Vonage phone is great because whoever calls can leave a verbal message which pops up on your computer.  The message was from the mail service who I
have been in contact with many, many times since August 24th. 

That was the fateful day that I took the precious package to them to send UPS to my grandson for his 18th birthday on September 4th.

The woman was calling to let me know that she was in Laredo and the package had been found.  Did I still want them to send it to my grandson?  Of course.  Most important though was to make sure that the correct
information was on the package as it had been a long time since I had handed it over and no telling the shape of the label or anything else.  We finished that business of reconfirming the destination.  Hopefully UPS has
picked it up this morning and the package will be at his home by the weekend.  Oh, I so hope. 

I am thrilled that it was found.  That they called and that I can now know my grandson will be able to see all
the photos of he and his Mom when he was first born and throughout his life to now.  Christopher was 5 1/2 when his Mom, my daughter Jennifer, passed on.  So, that explains why the package is so, so precious.

On another note!  Last Friday morning, the day after the earth was scraped clean of wildflowers and debris, including the motorcycle shops complete inventory, there was a big ceremony right outside my house.  Literally.  I could have watched the whole thing from the dining room window, but instead participation was
the name of the game.  I sat among my neighbors to hear what is happening.

It appears that the land that has been the walking path has been donated by the person or persons who owned it and it will become a plaza for the neighborhood.  The plaza will be where the motorcycle shop had their stuff and the part of the area will be set aside closest to the edge of the canyon for enjoying the view.

The architect, city official, heads of the colonia and who knows who else were all here for this big announcement. 

Here are a few photos.

Yes, it is apparent that there will be much noise while building whatever it is that they have planned, but for the colonia, it will be a beautiful and welcomed addition.   To say I'm thrilled that the view of all the junk from the motorcycle shop is totally gone would be a vast understatement.  I'm sure those living right close to it are
as ecstatic as me.

I'll keep you posted on how a scorched earth area becomes a place of beauty.  Stay tuned.

The Wildflowers are Gone!

The canyon, along with the Obraje reservoir, is usually a very tranquil place.  So much so that the zinging of the hummingbird wings, birdsong along with butterflies fluttering, is about the most activity on a typical day.

It's a beautiful place to behold.  It is an honor and humbling to live in such a lovely place.

With all the rain since mid-June - over 20 inches - glorious wildflowers higher then the Pathfinder have adorned the dirt road next to the house.  Photos can be taken out of the car window as it slowly meanders down the deeply rutted road at about 2MPH.  Here are a few.

Imagine the feeling of "oh no" this morning around 8:30AM when the sound of a bulldozer roared through the closed windows and doors.  What the heck?

Within an hour, I'm not exaggerating, all of the wildflowers that the hummers, butterflies and birds used for foraging were GONE.  Totally.  Truly amazing to behold....and of course, very upsetting.

One of the lessons that I have learned living as an expat in Mexico is that complaining or saying something accomplishes nothing.  Plus, it is not my place to do so.  Even when it is my fondest wish to do so.

Here are the photos of the scraping of the street that was totally completed along with some kind of a barbed wire contraption that divides the street.  Who the heck knows what is going to happen?  Not me......

 Obviously no one knew this was going to happen other then the bulldozer guy and the people who put up the barbed wire.  Looking from the roof terrace down the street, the motorcycle guys were scrambling to get all their stuff out of the way.  Tonight it is all under one white tent.  I presume they are moving.......

 The boulders in the above photo are the ones that the head of the colonia had installed last year when they tried to close this path to vehicular traffic.  It did not last long.  And now, they are being used to prevent anyone from driving into a natural ravine at that point. The photo below is at the end of Day One.

 I've been having conversations with myself all day.  ""Well", I said to myself, "You had all these years
of those beautiful wildlflowers every year.  You and you alone since you are the only house that faces this scene. Be grateful"  Then later on, in another conversation with myself I said, "It could be worse, you could
be in Florida facing a horrible hurricane.  Be grateful" 

By late this afternoon it is my intention to be excited to see what new thing is going to happen out there and hopefully it will be as wonderful as looking from the roof terrace and seeing lots of hummers and butterflies.

One can always Hope..........and, Be Grateful.