Roaming Through Retirement



A Mexican Landmark!
Wayne, Maureen and us took a four-hour bus ride to spend Thanksgiving in San Miguel de Allende. The city plaza is adorned by the Church of San Miguel the Archangel, which began in 1700s and completed in 1880.It is the birthplace of the Mexican War of Independence. This city was founded in the 1540s and in 2008 a sixty-four square block area of the city center was proclaimed a World Heritage Center.

The first week of November was a continuation of the last week of October with the Day of the Dead festivities. North of Ajijic is a small town that encouraged local families to recreate cemeteries in the downtown plaza.	The main street of Ixtlahuacan was closed so people could build alters to honor the lives of their deceased family members. These alters are made of colored saw dust and dried flower leaves.
Friends Chris and Barbara joined us in our day-long tour. We were both amazed by the commitment these people put into designing and creating these plots.	Back home, we toured a local commentary near our place. Each plot was decorated with flowers, foods, drinks, and hobbies of their loved ones.
The village plaza where we live had its own celebration, but on a much smaller scale.	Our condo development had their own festivities with a local priest sharing a prayer for the former residents who had passed away.
The Before I Die Wall was moved from the LCS Campus to the Malecon along Lake Chapala and was packed full of wishes on all three sides.	Ajijic had a parade of people dressed as Katrina and dancing to Latin Music along the lake.
The main street was lined with altars. This one honoring the memory of Neill James who gifted her estate to the Lake Chapala Society.	This elementary school in downtown Ajijic is lined with masks. Each mask has a name and a candle which is used to honor the loved ones on All Souls Day.
The LCS Concert in the Park hosted Luis Sanchez, a local boy who made it big. He is currently starring in a musical called La Malinche in Mexico City.	We met up with friends, Mike and Susana. Glorine volunteered with her years ago. They are world travelers who, like us, found Ajijic to retire.
Open Circle hosted Tony Burton, a well-known author who wrote several books on Ajijic. This lecture was about life in the village in the 1940. Very captivating!	On our daily walk, we passed this goat herder with his small flock of goats. The bags he is carrying are filled with food scraps from the residents of El Parque.
This home is one of four homes that were a part of the monthly Behind the Walls home tour. The owners graciously open their homes. All funds raised go to a School for Special Needs.	Here Glorine is contemplating how she would ever need all this room to cook a meal. But then again our guest list is not as extensive as these homeowners. Beautiful, non-the-less!
The rounded ceiling below is disguised on top with this enormous turtle. Most of these homes have great views of Lake Chapala and the surrounding mountains. This mountain is Mt. Garcia, an ancient volcano.	By mid-November, most of the snowbirds are back in El Parque. And to celebrate this occasion, the social commitment hosted a Welcome Back dinner including these two roasted pigs (and salmon).
We went to San Miguel de Allende to spend Thanksgiving with Glorine's niece Linda and Terry, who were vacationing there for five weeks. This picture was a night scene in the city center.	The Church sits in the middle of the city and can be seen from miles around. It is one of the most photographed churches in Mexico. The unique color comes from pink quarry stone which it is built with.
The church interior is said to be a mix of neoclassic and gothic designs that were introduced over the centuries.	The Bibliotheca Publico (public library) is a large expat organization with a large English library, classes, scholarships, and events for both expats and locals.
The city market is an enormous building with nearly everything you could think of.	Wayne and Maureen cooked up some fantastic shishkebabs. There was enough for several meals.
While in SMA, we went on a home tour seeing how the other half live, all within the historic district.	We sampled wine from a local winery. Mostly Malbec and Marlow. All very good!
SMA has a hundred museums and galleries spread throughout the city. Here is the Toy Museum with three floors of one-of-a-kind toys.	Terry and Linda have recently retired from the military and have been exploring different parts of Mexico to call home. While lovely, SMA doesn't seem a fit for their future.  More later.

November's web page includes November 1 through November 30.