Halloween

The big day of the holiday claendar is coming up, Halloween, or Dia de Muertos, Day of the Dead, as it is called down here. It is a huge celebration that lasts for days. There are skeletons dressed up in different outfits around everywhere. These things can be found all year, but there are so many more right now. There are so many things in stores like this to purchase. It all has to deal with how they view death. I am attaching an explanation of the holiday so you will be able to understand the things I will be posting in the next few days.


DAY OF THE DEAD IN MEXICO
DIA DE MUERTOS

One of the most typical and well-known celebrations in the entire Mexican territory is without a doubt the Day of the Dead celebration. Throughout the country, in both small isolated towns and in large cities, the Mexican people pay tribute to the dead and to the departed. These festivities are the result of an inter-marriage of the way our indigenous ancestors and the Catholic religion from our Spanish roots viewed death.

The Days of the Dead are celebrated with a mixture of reverence for the departed, revelry to make them happy upon their return, and mockery to defy the fear of death itself. Though details vary from region to region, the basic rituals remain strong: receiving the spirits of the dead at home, offering them food and drink, and communing with them beside their grave. On October 27, the spirits of those with no survivors to greet them and no home to visit are received in some villages with bread and jugs of water hung outside the houses; on October 28, those who died by accident, murder or other violent means are offered food and drink, placed outside the home to keep out the bad spirits of these as-yet unpardoned souls. On the night of October 31, the dead children come home to visit; by midday November 1st, they too must be gone. Bells ring through that afternoon as the adults, or the Faithful Dead, arrive. The family formally greets the adult who has passed away most recently, and through him, the other ancestors are acknowledged. At sundown, the family moves to the graveyard for an all night vigil of communion with the dead. Candles are lit on the gravestones, one for each lost soul. By evening on November 2, the party is over and the ghosts return to the world of the dead.

Most Mexican houses will commemorate their dead by making an Altar and depending on the region the order of the elements will be different. The Otomi altar consists of four levels representing the four seasons. The one in the bottom will be white for winter and there will be seeds and water representing earth. The second level will be blue representing spring, and the offering will be fruit. The third level will be red representing summer, the offerings will be any kind of food. The fourth and most important will be orange representing Autumn. In this level you will find an owl to guide the souls back, a snake representing fertility, a shell to call the spirits with music and a turtle symbolizing eternity. In the center will be a cross made with the cepazuchil flower; on the right an image of Christ and on the left the Virgin Mary. There will be candles depending on the number of departed family, and the candles represent light. There should be a mirror for the reflection of the soul, together with favourite different items that the departed used. There is also a bowl of salt that means purification and of course the paper representing the wind.

Location

Hello again,

I have been asked by a few people to put a map on here as to where we are living. I am going to give this a try. I believe these links are written in black, so, you can't see them. If you drag your mouse over the black gap below each of my typings, the link will highlight and you can click it to be redirected. The first one is very large. There are three links below 3 different writings.
The first link is to a very basic Map of Mexico.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.survivalspanishinmexico.com/images/photos/COUNTRYQTO-country.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.survivalspanishinmexico.com/whereIsQueretaro.htm&usg=__1aNZcZX9MvYtn4EQtgCFSThnabw=&h=496&w=700&sz=94&hl=en&start=0&sig2=kII3eKNZFmVluBJzJDpRPg&zoom=1&tbnid=ISkDPT2j5If6MM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=126&ei=WuK-TIeMJcH68Abv8bDqAg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dqueretaro%2Bmexico%2Bmap%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26rlz%3D1T4TSNA_enUS359US360%26biw%3D1174%26bih%3D428%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=468&oei=WuK-TIeMJcH68Abv8bDqAg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&tx=52&ty=68
The following is a link to a map that is a bit more involved of the country the country of Mexico. We are in Santiago de Queretaro. Mexico City is Ciudad de Mexico. You should be alae to zoom in and out on the map to get our bearings.
http://www.maplandia.com/mexico/queretaro/queretaro/queretaro

Our house is in a town called Jurica. the link below puts you close to it. Our house is the one to the right of the 'A'. It has a large driveway opening and the lot is pie shaped in the back. It is smaller than the surrounding houses. You can zoom in and out of this one also.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=s&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-sk-gm&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=map

I hope these help. Email me if they don't. And by the way, our mailing address for the next couple years is:
Call one of our cell phones for this info

This is Mark's work address in the states. they are UPS-ing our mail to Mark's work in Mexico. This way we are assured to get our mail and in a timely manner.

Car shopping

We have finally begun the search for cars. And what a trip it is!! First there are no big lots of cars for you to browse through and peek in the windows, not stickers to read the price, of course. It is definately a formal adventure. When we walked into the dealership, we were greeted by a receptionist. She took our information and introduced us to a salesperson. All well and fine....would you like a drink of water, coffee, pop? Normal question here as it is so dry and you always seem to be thirsty. Yes, we take the water. Well, that means you now sit at a desk and discuss what you are looking for, even if you already knew what car you want to see. The sales person shows you to the vehicle in the showroom and stands by your side and explains every little button...helpful. We are looking for automatic transmissions as driving on the roads here is as hazardous as me driving a race car in a race! I have enough to think about just avoiding the crazy drivers and trying to figure out where I am going. The sineage is quite a difference. Sometimes the sign for an exit is after the exit! We found out, you can get all the airbags, front, side, curtains feet, in standard cars only. The automatic ones tend to only have front airbags. OK So do I want to save my life by being able to keep all my attention on the road or just hope and pray the airbags work??? We opt for the automatic and find that a slightly bigger car has the chance of more airbags. There are models of cars we do not have in the US and may of the ones in the US are not available down here.
Oh, you want to test drive the car?? Well, that is not possible of course, you need to make an appointment and come back on another day. And so we did. Talk about a time taker!! We entered the dealership and skipped the water this time...getting smarter!! Now you don't get to drive the car you are specifically looking for. You get to drive their demo car and imagine what it would be like to have the seat that goes up and down. Just imagine what your visibility would be! First, the agent must drive the car to show you how and to work all the features. Then you are allowed to drive, with him in the backseat of course, on their designated route. The better the car, the shorter the route. And did I mention, we were testing two cars in each dealership. One for Mark and one for me. Mine first. Next we drive Mark's . The agent decided she could let Mark drive without doing it first. Mark drove his directly off the showroom floor, as there isn't a demo model for the nicer cars, only the floor model. I think he got to drive it for 6-8 miles. Imagine how that engine might be when climbing a hill or how comfortable the ride must be when you drive over all the cobblestone roads in your neighborhood! Upon return, we had to go in, sit down and discuss what we thought of the car, having a drink. Thought we were And of course talk about how we are going to love that vehicle and how are we planning on paying?? Finally after a couple hours, we are free to go, but they kno, we will be back to buy that car!! We just don't know that.
After a weekend and a couple weekdays, we managed to make it through Honda, Chevy, Ford and Nissan. We are down to Nissan Sentra, Honda Civic, Honda Fit for me. And the Nissan Altima and the Honda Accord. My decison is...Do I want the fun car (FIT) the safe car (Civic 6 airbags) or the smoothest riding (Sentra). Help if you have an opinion!! Mark is still working on his decision too.
Oh yes, and two days after Mark test drove the Altima, the salesperson showed up at the Makino office with "HIS" car!! Nice touch! But he hadn't made up his mind and neither had Makino!

Forgotten Images

I see from the reviewing the posting that Mark's sister, Anne, did that she left out one very important adventure that she and Mark embarked upon. We were out to dinner and the waiter suggested they try a local delicasy. I opted out of this one, but Anne trusted Mark and gave it a try. He had had the dish before and told her it was good. Anne was such a brave sole that evening. First she joined in on the Tequilla Train with Mark and then this! Yes, those are what you think they are......ANT EGGS!!!! They were served cooked and piled high on the plate. Mark and Anne put some in a tortilla, added guacamole, a little salsa verde, top it off with a squeeze of lime juice, and ........ Crunch! Yuuuuummmmmmy, or somthing like that! I guess with enough tequilla in you and your brother at your side, in a wonderful setting, you'll try anything!

Relaxin'

Well, It is Friday afternoon and what a gorgeous afternoon it is! Judging from themorning temperature you would never have guessed this day would turn out so nice. It started out at a very brisk 40 degrees, which feels cooler than it actually is, and it is now about 76 and no humidity, with beautiful blue skies. As I sit on our patio and type I look out over our beautiful gardena nd yaard and listen to the birds chirping. there is a large cage in the back corner that has 5 birds right now and from what I can tell, two on the way. The owner says they will hatch the eggs and we will have many more. All we need now is some comfy yard furniture. I thought you might like a peak at my relaxin' spot so I have attached a video to this post. I need a glass of wine and a friend, sister, daughter, mother, etc. by my side and this would be heaven!!

Tennis anyone??

The Newcomer's Club hads a tennis group. I thought this would be a great group for me to join...A little exercise and a little social time for about 1 1/2 hours. I thought, this will be.....no problem, after a few vollies, my lessons will come back to me and I will be in the grove again....HA! It has been over 15 years since those lessons and serveral joint surgeries. In between the balls that I hit over the garden walls, into the pool, or just plain out of the lines, there were a couple that really looked nice! My serve, though, is another story. I am happy to say the ladies were very gracious and patient. And we did have fun, though I owe some balls since I hit them into another yard! When we get home, I will grab my racquette, go over to the courts and sneak in some practice on the backboard. Hopefully next week will go better!

Anne Waymouth's Visit to Mark and Lynda

I am now on my last day of my visit to the state of Queretaro, Mexico. I lived at Privado de Cedro (Cedar St), numero Dos Cintos Cinquenta (250), Jurica Campestre (the suburb's name), the home of my brother Mark and his wife Lynda. I have relaxed and felt alive. Was it a dream or was it real? People go about their daily lives in this extraordinary place, with old stone buildings and not just a few protected buildings, but the whole downtown of Queretaro, the entire village square of Pena de Bernal. I saw so many plazas and town squares that were all preserved and yet still in use. There is no rush here. People walk, I assume to work or to visits, they sit in the Plaza for lunch and have their shoes shined. I spoke with a taxi driver who spoke with pride that new construction was not allowed in colonial Queretaro. San Miguel de Allende was the same way, with picturesque plazas with manicured trees and fountains lined with colorful tiles. I have so many pictures of narrow streets, and stucco walls, wooden doors or decorative gates. But best of all was entering through the doors into a special world, where each of the courtyards seemed to be just beckoning my arrival. Some courtyards were restaurants and Mark and Lynda knew which were good ones to go to. The courtyards also lead to museums that occupied old convent buildings and plazas lead to ancient churches, many built in the 1700's with architectural detail that amazed me that it was possible so long ago to build things so beautifully. Inside the buildings the ceilings were high and the walls were thick and the interiors were cool and refreshing. Many ceilings had open wooden rafters and others were covered with paintings or ornate tiles. No place was crowded. We took our time and appreciated what we saw. I could not believe I have never heard anything about this part of Mexico and the wonders that exist here.

I am typically not much of a shopper, but even I had my days where I shopped until I dropped. Vendors lined the streets and there were stores tucked away in little crannies of buildings. In one, I saw a sleeve of a sweater that looked interesting to me and I asked the vendor if there were others (otros?). She pulled out more and more, more styles, more thicknesses of wool, some with zippers, others with buttons. When I put on one of them Mark and Lynda looked at me with smiles. The shoulders exactly fit my shoulders; the sleeves were long enough for my arms. It came to just the middle of my hips. I bought it for the equivalent to $20 American dollars. It was 100% wool and thick wool at that. It was great entertainment to browse, to view the stalls packed with housewares, clothes, jewelry, pottery, metalworking, textiles, all hand made. It was so colorful, the pottery glazes, embroidery, and weaving. I even spoke a little spanish. I held up an item and asked "Quanto?" (how much?) I relearned my numbers, venta (20), trenta (30). When I got confused the vendor would tap out the numbers on the calculator. I like to collect things that I can use as Christmas ornaments. There were so many wonderful things for sale for only the equivalent to $2 or $3 American dollars.

The sites were both spectacular and also outside my realm of experience. I must describe the monolith in Pena de Bernal. There are only two others that are larger in the whole world, one is the Rock of Gibraltar, and the other is in Brazil somewhere. I could see it for miles away as we drove there. Mark and Lynda have climbed it, but with my back, it was most magnificent for me just to view it. Mark and Lynda knew just the restaurant to eat at and just the table to sit at so the arches of the window framed the monolith. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. A sense of comprehension suddenly came over me of its sheer immensity when I figured out the specs I saw that moved slowly across its surface were people. But on the drive there, I saw my first donkey in real life, carrying its load with a man leading the way. There was a goat in the back of a pickup truck. And there was a dead horse at the side of the road on the way back. And still the town square was exquisite. It had a real well, and benches built into the stone retaining walls around all the plantings in the town square. Views down the narrow streets had old fashion gas-type lamps with electric in them now and the view down the street framed the sight of the distant monolith. There was great goats milk caramel in this town. Quaint is not a complete enough work to describe all this.

I felt so fortunate to have my guides Mark and Lynda. I learned to ask for a bottle of water (botillia de agua) sin hielo (pronounced yellow) (without ice). After a few days, I became accustomed to the driving. It is just a different kind of normal. Roads that seem like they are under construction with a last coat of asphalt still to come, in fact, are really done. That is as good as it gets. A old truck with a goat in the back really does share the same street. The dotted lines in the roads are only advisory; sometimes there are two cars abreast, sometimes there are three cars abreast. People cross anywhere; a 4 lane highway is no problem to them, the people just move a bit quicker. And there are speed bumps everywhere. The signs may be advisory, but your speed is definitely controlled. The bumps make you slow down and for what purpose? In one section it appeared to be just for the purpose of being sure we got a good view of the street vendors' wares. But there were the same type of green highway signs that directed us to the cities and towns we wanted to travel to.

Mark knew the overlook to turn off onto that gave us a view of the city of San Miguel de Allende. It looked like a playset from the distance. The cathedral stood out in the center and glowed in the sun light. I saw crocked arrays of stucco homes and the lines of the streets broke them apart. Then we drove down into the city which was deep in the valley. We drove down steep, narrow, streets that were paved with river stones. We parked the car and walked to the cathedral where there had just been some sort of harvest festival. The courtyard had their cultural equivalent to parade floats. There were poles the size of telephone poles that were held together with sticks and covered with colored cactus petals and corn husks and even 2 liter (maybe larger-not standard) pop bottles still full of orange crush. I don't know how it was possible that people carried these immense decorations. There were spent fire crackers everywhere. The cathedral was unbelievable. It was at least 15 stories high with many separate spires; all intricately designed and carved. It was an absolute marvel of construction and built in the 1700's. As we walked down the narrow streets to go shopping I caught a view of the cathedral framed by the narrow streets and it reminded me of the fantasy castle at Disney World with its multiple spires, only this one was real and still in use.

And then there were all the wonderful things that I ate. We ate our way down many narrow streets lined with vendors. There was bread that was sweet like pastry, some with cheese filling. There were roasted pecans with sweet glaze and there were cooked then rebaked beans combined with peanuts and covered with chili powder. There were goat milk caramels and creamy vanilla ice cream. There were fresh potato chips sprinkled with lime juice. The hot chocolate was really liquid chocolate. And these were just the snacks. The sit down meals were really events. Cocktails, for me were margaritas or rum and coke. They served us fresh hot taco chips, pickled vegetables with a creamy dipping sauce. There were fresh radishes sprinkled with chili powder. All of these before the waiter even asked for our order. And of course salsas, tomato and cilantro and another salsa verde. All the times I ate out there was a magnificent spread of these premeal treats. For a supposedly light lunch I had a baked pastry filled with provolone cheese and topped with tomato type sauce and then I had a bowl of creamy black bean soup poured over bread sticks like croutons and a cilantro paste. At another meal, I had stuffed chilis, one stuffed with meat and walnut paste and another stuffed with cheeses. For another meal I had tacos where the filling was served at the table in a volcanic rock that stayed hot for longer than an hour. It was filled with grilled prickly pear cactus, shrimp, baked cheese, grilled chicken and beef all in a tomatilla sauce. And I must tell you that tequila shots followed by clamato is something that cannot be described. It must be experienced. Each meal was at least 2 hours. In one we were serenaded by our own mariachi band and we sang along to Jaun Ton Amera, and La Bamba. At another it was guitar and congo drums that played oldies and latino tunes. To top it off in Mexico, they really know how to do chocolate cake. It was pure decadence. A huge meal for the three of us, with 4 margaritas and two beers was only the equivalent to $60 American dollars including the tip. Like my brother Mark, I enjoy my meals. In this area of Mexico, the restaurants really know how to pace a leisurely meal. Lynda told me a story that she ate our once and did not know you have to ask for your check. They do not just bring it to you. When you are fully done, you will ask for it.

So here are my few pieces of advice to people who travel here to Mexico. Remember that the hot in chilis and peppers is in the veins and the seeds. I took one really big bite of seeds and then I took the sour cream from Mark's potato, and the cheese off of the refried beans. I drank water and ate radishes while my eyes watered and I laughed so hard the muscles behind my ears hurt. Not all bites of chilis are equal. Also beware that you lose more water at the high altitudes. Water normally boils at 212 degrees. For each 500 feet in altitude it boils at 1 degree less. So at 7,000 feet it boils at 198 degrees. You lose more water when you breath and when you sweat. So keep drinking water even if that means finding more bathrooms. I did experience quite a spell of dizziness. Never pass up a good bathroom at a nice restaurant. And Pemex gas stations always have good restrooms. When faced with a choice of a 3 peso bathroom and a 5 peso bathroom, chose the 5 peso bathroom. Let go of all your preconceived notions. Mexico is very clean. There are more people sweeping up the streets than there are at Disney World. Go ahead and try even a word or two of Spanish. Everyone I spoke to was tremendously supportive my attempts to use their native language. I felt totally immersed in another culture, while being only a two hour flight out of Houston. The trip was easy with Lynda's notes. I even saw Mark and Lynda waiting on the other side of glass doors as I made my way through the line at the international customs station. I have never travelled to Europe, but now I feel like an international traveller. I had a great time. See my pictures. Anne

An emergency

On goes a day in the life for me. All was goingwell. The maid showed up and began her cleaning. I managed to get my point across to her that I had a meeting to go to and would return around noon. I even managed to tell her that I wanted to start my cooking lessons upon my return. Then everythign fell apart. I wanted her to decide on what we should cook, something she knows and likes and is typical for Mexico. She was telling me to make a list of ingredients and I was trying to tell her to. Communication for me is still rough. I tried using google translate, and that helps, but if you use anything byut a simple sentence with correct grammar, forget it. I think it is even worse for her. I realized the person who was picking me up for the meeting was fluent in Spanish and I managed to get that point across. Caroline came, go tmy point across of what I wanted, the maid was happy, and we were on our way. Caroline said that on our way home, we'd pick up the maid and go shopping and that she would help us communicate...Yahoo!

Shopipng went wondefully and was quite a learning experience for me. It was nice to have people with me to show me what some of the things are and what they are for. All is well so far.... We are gong to make a chicken soup.

We washed the vegetables and then out came the cutting boards, and knives and we were on our way to lesson humber 1. I was cutting cabbage and Betty was starting to cut corn off the cob. The she quickly left the kitchen. Upon her return she has a tissue wrapped on her finger and came to show me that she needed something. So smartly, I deduced, that she neeeded a band-aid. I got them out for her and she ren out to the sevice sink and ran the water, I stepped out there only to see blood pouring down the drain...a simple band=aid would not do! I promply grabbed one of Mark's white handkerchiefs, got it wrapped around her finger, raised her arm above her heart and squeezed the brachial artery in her arm...that slowed the bleeding down cnsiderabley. Well, enough to be able to see that she needed stitches!...Hmmm, I have no car, absolutely no clue where to get medical help, and how do I tell her we need to go to the hospital??? Oh yeah, Caroline, my friend. Well, calling her is a trick..I thought the telephone gettone in Italy was bad! Here you have to dial a certain way if you are calling a home phone, cell phone,. or from a house phone or ell phone. I could not get her. I really think her line was busy. No problem, I know a lady a couple houses down, she can help, I called her house...she was out, her husband could not help, he wa on a confernce call and she had the car. What to do??!! I called Mark. He called the lawyer (seems a bit much, but we are responsible for the maid and the lawyer has been a saving grace through our learning experiences and adaptation to the country and his office is 5 minutes from our house). But of course, this day, he was not in the office. He said he'd call his office and see if he had a legal aide that was free to come help. OK, so Mark is on the phone with me and on another phone with the lawyer. I put Betty on the line so he could tell her what was happening. Mark could not get her to understand, so he put someone else from work on the line. I could her e the maid, Betty, " No, hospital" but the legal aide was still coming. While all of this was gong on the maid has such a sense of obligations, she insisted she direct me and continue our lesson! At that point, I ws ready for a glass of wine and to forget dinner...wine ans cheese sounded fine with me! Whe the aide got here she took one look at the cut and told the maid she WAS going to the doctor and the hospital if he said she needed stitches. Off they went...laundry on the line, more in the wsher and dryer, kitchen in an uproar...seems normal to me, so I finished putting the soup togther..my way not very Mexican, finished the laundry, and did the dishes. The maid and aide returned...two stiches, antibiotics in hand,, and maid ready to get back to work.. Amazing . She went straight to the laundry room, questioned the laundry and I shoed her the clock. she was to have left a half hour ago and needs to catch her bus home. She felt so bad that I did the finishing of everything. She has such a sense of obligation, It was all normal for me, I do it every day...even when she is not her, I guess that is not what is normal at all.
On her ay out the door, she checked the soup, added some spices, and kept reitterating shewill be back on Thursday (her other normal day). I guess she was afraid she might not have a job after that.
Ahh well, it is al in a day,,,As sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives!!