Chapala Pier

Yesterday when we were in Chapala at the art show, before we returned home we sat at the Beer Garden right on the lake, enjoyed the strongest Cosmo I have ever had, and then walked along the pier.

I had heard ravings about how wonderful the new malecon is but I had never seen it before or ever, until yesterday. The boardwalk is perfectly paved with beautiful tiles. It is such a joy to walk on.

There are brand new park benches all along the pier and stained a deep brown which makes them the most beautiful park benches I have ever seen.

Of course there were flowers all along there hanging from the light poles and alongside the pier.

Chapala Inn is right there off the water and it always looked a little like a hole in the wall from the front but from the back, I would love to stay there, its so beautiful.

They are opening all new restaurants facing the water so it will be a real treat to be there any time day or night.

The PanAm games are coming to Lake Chapala in 2011 I believe and so they are working really hard to upgrade the entire areas. There has been so much money spent and it is so worth it.

Artisans Fair in Chapala

Today I need to get out of the house. Andre was at home in Canada emptying our home, giving away our prized possessions and I was feeling sad.

There is nothing like shopping to cure a little sadness so I asked my friend Janet if she wanted to go. She had already been but was up to tagging along with me. Yeah!!

First we went to find an artisans outlet just outside of Chapala that she had heard good things about. We found it, after a bit of an adventure and they had so many beautiful vases, jars and other ceramic decorative pieces. Because I have not made this house my home yet, nothing jumped out at me. I found nothing that said this would be perfect there.... So I came away empty handed. Janet found that something that she had to have and bought it.

So off we went to the artisans fair at the Yacht club in Chapala. It was a beautiful setting right on the lake and the lawns were filled with so many beautiful things that I just wanted.

There was a large ceramic jar, about 2.5 feet high that was a glistening pineapple. There were so many colours and I really liked them and wanted them. But the big ones that I loved were $1800 pesos, so unless I knew where I wanted to put it, not a good idea.

I found a mesquite wood carving that was about 3 feet high of a dolphin diving in the water. The dolphin was oiled and smooth and the base that it sat on was in its original condition. It matched all the other wood pieces that I had been given by my parents in their travels and matched all the others that I now inherited. It was only $900 pesos so it was a steal but I thought that if I was going to get something like that I should know where it was going to go.

I found so many beautiful things like a silver toilet paper holder that had painted flowers on it, a silver earring holder with a butterfly on it for Kristen.'

Mexico has black pottery that is just spectacular and I had seen it when I was here visiting my parents years ago. I really loved it then and wanted to buy it, and here it was today at the shop. Thank goodness there was not one that I adorded today or my pocket book would have been hurt.

Mexico has the most beautiful artwork made from the bark of a tree. The bark is soaked so they can manipulate it into braids, cutouts and all sorts of designs. The colours are always natural brown, beige or soft white and they had so many there so reasonably priced. I would love to have one and I will one day.

Janet my friend and common sense for the moment made me think about all that I wanted to buy.

So I decided that I would enjoy these found treasurers so much more if I was to search and find them, falling in love with each piece when my husband was here with me and we could build our new home together.

So that is what I am doing. I will wait and live in a house that it filled with memories and some one else's things so that I can create a new life and home, together with the love of my life.

I can't wait!!!

Computer Problems

I don't know why I seem to be cursed with computers but I am.

I wanted to bring my computer down to Mexico with me when I came but right before I brought it down, it got a virus and crashed and needed to be rebuilt. This was not the first time it happened to me or to this computer. I had it rebuilt once before as well.

When we got down here, I found a young computer geek who came over and helped me configure my computer and make it work to peek performance. Everything was wonderful.

Then another virus hit.

So he came and got the computer and took it to the computer lab and loaded Linux and Windows so I could work on both systems. After it came back all done and new, I sent my fathers computer to get the same thing done because it was starting to fail too.

Unfortunately my perfect newly built computer did not last more than a week before it started acting up again and it got progressively worse as time went on.

So Young Techie came back with my fathers computer and took a look at what was wrong. He said something that I can not tell you how many times I have heard it from other techies. He said " I have NEVER seen this one before"

Why does every wierd and unusual issue with computers always happen to me?

So my computer has gone back to Techie Workshop and hopefully it will work again.

Hmmmmm.

Day of the Dead

On Sunday we went to the "Celebration" in Chapala for the Day of the Dead. When you go to such an event you really need to put aside your North of the Border beliefs and traditions because this is the exact opposite of what we are used to.

The history of this celebration is that they believe that on November 1st and 2nd that if they make a proper alter for their beloved. The 1st of November is a memorial for children and the 2nd is for the adults. I don't think I could have handled going to the children's one because it was enough of a culture shock just going on the 2nd.

The altars are 3-4 levels high, with remembrances of those who have passed on. They will have their favourite foods, drinks and activities. Many many of the altars that I saw had bottles of booze on them and it was always the persons preferred brand. All of their good and bad was displayed as it is to show the person as they actually were. There is no hiding of weaknesses for the sake of privacy. Everything is out to show.

One alter that we saw had a corpse displayed laying down on the ground. There were picket fences on either side of the corpse and it had signs saying Disfunctional Life.

Some had slide shows or movies that was the favourite of the deceased.

There was an elaborate altar set up against abortion with a whole production of music and film as well as dolls of difference stages of a fetus.

Some had children and/or adults dressed as the dead. There was one woman dressed with white and black makeup and a bridal gown on holding a sign that she was looking for a new good looking boyfriend. Some people managed to hold not only their poses but their eye expressions were all solid and dead looking. The commitment that it takes to hold these poses was extrodinary.

Most of the altars had food and drink that they handed out to anyone going by. There were sweets and cakes. There was cinnamon tea, pop or rice water (another sweet drink). This event would have a major impact on the budgets of these people but they do it in honour of their loved ones.

We went into a primary school that had displays done by the children. There were shoe boxes dressed as coffins. Some were made of wood and very eloborate. Some of the displays were made of miniture versions of the adult altars with little plastic offerings attached. There was a sound system that had a child's voice saying "Don't cry for me. I am in a wonderful place. Come play with me. Don't cry" It was disturbing and comforting all at the same time.

The belief is that there is a small veil between us here alive and those who have died and that creating there altars with their favourite belongings and strong scents is all that it takes to be reunited with their loved ones. They believe that on this day of the year, they are together with them and the Day of the Dead is a celebration of being back together. There was a store bought sign on one of the altars that said "Feliz Dia de los Meurtos" meaning Happy Day of the Dead like Happy Birthday would be done in Canada.

It is a wonderful concept and thought but I found myself crying over my own personal losses after seeing a mother sobbing in a school after obviously losing a child.

Dragonflies

When my paternal grandmother died 4.5 years ago, my daughter was wearing a black dress with a dragonfly on it. The minister at the funeral used the symbolism of the dragonfly to talk about the passing of my grandmother. Ever since that moment, dragonflies have had a special meaning for me.

I have a dragonfly that hangs on my wall which was a gift from a very dear friend. I used to have plaques with them all over the house.

One day I went to lunch with my friend and her mother in law. We were talking about feeling the spirits of those gone and we were giving all sorts of examples in our lives. It was a very special lunch and very intimate. When I left the restaurant and for the first time in my life, a dragonfly came and landed on my shoulder. It startled me and I without thinking brushed it off. Immediately I knew it was a message and said hello to my grandmother.

When we moved here, there were dragonflies every where. They were playing and dancing in the garden and looking at everything. I was sure it was my parents coming to see the changes in the garden and make sure we were ok.

My grandmother's birthday is the end of August. I had a huge party for the neighbourhood and her friends. I cooked the entire day before and we had a great time. After the party was over, I was hot and tired so I put on my bathing suit and went to the pool. After I cooled down and was relaxing, a dragonfly came and flew around my head. I knew it was my mother thanking me for being there for my grandmother and helping her to forget for a moment. I knew in my heart that was what it was and said your welcome to my mom.

I have not seen any dragonflies since then until yesterday. Yesterday when I was at the school picking up Kristen, a large dragonfly was playing around my car. I watched it go up and down and around all over the car. Then without any notice, it flew in the window and hit my hair. I wish I was calmer, because I jumped out of the car without thinking.

Then this morning Kristen came into my room and told me that there was a large dragonfly in her room. She opened her window and left the room so it could fly out.

I do not know what the dragonflies mean today. Is it a warning? Or is there a lesson to be learned?

Everyone in my life is having a hard year this year, 2008. There is so much turmoil and change and a lot of pain. I have been told that the mystics had forecast that 2008 would be like that. But are these two very personal encounters with the dragonflies a sign of change?

I sure hope so.

Halloween in Mexico

Halloween is one of those North of the Border traditions that is a little confusing here in Mexico.

If you ask any starch Catholic Mexican they will say Halloween is not here and the government is working hard to ensure that it does not come here.

But in my community, only the Mexican families have Halloween decorations. We went out to dinner last night to a Mexican restaurant and they had Day of the Dead and Halloween decorations. The stores have a small area of costumes and candy for Halloween.

A friend of Kristen's is going Trick or Treating and they said that they meet people on the streets where they are waiting with their candy to give out. I was told that the chant was I want Halloween by the children instead of Trick or Treat.

The Day of the Dead is a tradition that is wonderful on the surface but is based on fear and retribution. They honour the dead in their family, remembering the essence of them with their food preferences, their loves in life and music. It is a personal celebration of those who are gone. But the belief is that if you don't do it then the dead will come and wreak havoc with your life.

Mexico is becoming more and more North American but they are still hanging onto their traditions. It is so wonderful to see the balance.

Tonight we are going to a grown up Halloween Party. Kristen made the decision on the costumes. She wants to be a cat, and has decided to be Coco and she wants me to dress as a man, or my father. Not sure if it is ghoulish or a mix of both traditions. Halloween and Day of the Dead all rolled together. Hmmmm.

Dinner with Lena

I have been working all month on entering my mother's personal cookbook on to the internet. So many feelings and memories are coming up.

My mother took all her favourite recipes that she found, traded or made and put them into a binder with plastic lined sheet protectors. The recipes are cut outs, typewriter typed and handwritten. I am sure glad that I knew her style of recipe writing before I began this project because even with the knowledge I am still asking my mom what she meant, by how she wrote it, so many times.

I can feel her close to me and am remembering cooking together, setting the table for events and talking on the phone for endless hours about recipes.

I am planning on putting all of her dinner parties and recipes on the internet and charging a nominal fee to access them as a way of supporting myself here. She kept every dinner plan for everyone she ever had over. I have a 6 inch stack of notebooks filled with her notes, plans and thoughts. I will be showing everyone's first name that attended the party so you will know who you are but still have privacy. I hope when you read it you will remember fondly the fun you had with her.

I am planning on sharing memories and stories of her on this site. You can remember, laugh and take her wonderful expertise and claim it as your own. I am really looking forward to building this project.

If you were not lucky enough to be invited or know her, then you can duplicate exactly what and how she did and I guarantee that you will be honoured with raves and praise by all you entertain.

I am listening to music that she loved and getting up and dancing in between typing. So the positive energy that she had I hope will be transferred to this and she will live on through this site. I am planning on calling it Dinner with Lena. What do you think?