Budding Artist, Mexican Healthcare and a Pup on the Mend

Matt needed a project....and he found one.  We cleared out some dead bouganvillas from our terrace when we first moved into this house - and this left a large space of garden wall very exposed and very empty.  We planted some young bouganvillas but it will take a while for them to come of age.  What to do about this wall?  We talked about buying some wall art that would do well outside, or a tile mosaic, or possibly having a local artist paint a mural.  Whatever we did, it needed to be fairly inexpensive as we are renting and not sure where we'll go after the year's lease expires.

Then Matt came up with a solution - he would paint a mural.  Now everyone says upon hearing this "I didn't know Matt is an artist!"  And I say - "he's not".  But he planned a geometrical design, plotted it out on paper, ran plumb lines on the wall so everything would be in order, cut templates, and then got to work.  I've got to say he did an amazing job.  I soon found out that he wanted very little input from me.  This was his project and he took full ownership of it.  When the design was all plotted out on the wall and we went to buy paints, I thought he'd really need my help then.  Not so much!  He had a clear idea of what he wanted and he found it.  We came to one major disagreement about the design - he wanted to outline all the shapes with blue and I thought it was better to leave just the wall color peaking through each shape.  Well, we compromised; he outlined one area in blue to make a circle and left the rest as is for me.  Well, here is his completed design.  I think it looks really nice!  We had this crazy vine pop up on the side of the mural and over the last three weeks it's grown from nothing to about 12 feet long.  Matt's training it so it will circle around his mural.  And this turned out so well, he's already got two other designs plotted out.  Updates to follow!

Matt's first mural

Seems like since we've been back in Ajijic we've done catch up with our health care needs.  I've seen a GP and a opthamologist.  Matt has seen an orthopedist for his sore knee.  We've been very happy with the health care available here, and the affordability.  The one thing our friends and family usually wonder about is the quality of health care here and affordability.  We continue to just pay out of pocket for what we need (doctor visits ad prescriptions) and have a high deductible health insurance plan with very reasonable rates in the US.  When Matt was dealing with a lot of knee pain, we felt this might be the first tough call we needed to make.  Should he have it repaired here and we foot the entire bill or go back NOB and have it done with our insurance?  Luckily the knee is doing much better right how, so no need to make a decision,  One thing we especially like about doctors here is that they tend to be much more holistic.  Before offering a prescription, they'll have a serious talk with you about diet and exercise.

Part of the charm of living in a village is that almost everything is within walking distance.  The medical doctors we chose to use are a bit too far to walk, but there are a couple options for health care within a 15 minute walk.  There is a dentist across the street from us that does an amazing job of cleaning your teeth for only $150 pesos. And all work is done by the dentist.  At her clinic, extractions are $350 pesos, fillings $400 peso and crowns $2500 pesos.  And there is a vet for Hermann and Lola that is only a five minute walk away.  So lots of good options for all of our family very near our house.

For the past week I've been wearing my Nurse Syd hat.  A four month old pup was brought to the ranch with two broken rear legs.  Gudrun and I took him to a vet in Guadalajara and Drl Barron felt he could repair his legs but it would be two tough surgeries.  Since this little guy was so loving and friendly, despite all the pain, we decided to give him a shot at recovery.  He was at Dr. Barron's for 10 days recovering from the surgery.  Last Saturday we picked him up and he obviously needed a lot of special care so he's at our house for a bit.  I can't say Matt, Hermann or Lola are especially happy about this development.  He's not doing as well as I had hoped, and seems he has some nerve damage in his right leg and he won't use it at all.  I'm taking him to the vet twice a week for a vitamin B12 shot which may help repair this damage.  He's also still in a lot of pain at times as well.  So the jury is still out; not sure if he'll recover enough usage of this leg that he'll be OK, or if we'll need to consider another very sad option.  Have my fingers crossed for sweet little Buster.  Matt calls him thumper because he's always wagging his tail...despite all his troubles.

Sweet Buster

Buster Giving Herm some Loving - Herm is not Happy!

Lakeside Life is Busy!

Wow.....after six months of lazing near the ocean, I had forgotten how busy we are here!  Busy in a fun, doing what you love kind of way, but still busy!

Our routine is for Matt to play golf Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and then he works on our little garden on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  I work at the ranch (my dog rescue) Monday, Wednesday and Friday....but sometimes help with special events or run dogs to the vet on other days.  Our housekeeper comes on Friday afternoons, so that's our afternoon to go out for lunch and do a bit of grocery shopping.  Add in yoga five times a week and Spanish class twice a week and we have our routine.  But still leaves us plenty of time in the evenings for fun stuff.

On Mothers Day we help an open house brunch for some friends and neighbors.  Was a really good time....but a lot of work.  We're all mothers with kids far away, so celebrating with friends makes the day special.   Special shout out to Matt - he surprised me with a certificate for ten massages.  He set the bar pretty high!

I bet they're talking golf!

Matt enjoyed showing off his garden

Notice Lola hanging with Jan and Ron who fostered her while we were away this winter.  She was glad to see them!

Add caption

Add caption

Add caption

\Kitchen talk!

We had another great dinner at Molcajetes, which is our every other Saturday night usual....home of the bottomless, free Margaritas!  Yumm!  We like to save room for gelatto; you know...kids and old folks all love their ice cream.

Note the Mexican sound system on this car.....you just strap a huge speaker to the roof of the car, connect it to the radio and are able to piss off a whole bunch of gringos,

After much deliberating, Matt and I have a new ride!  With our schedules the way they are, it was obvious that we needed to add a vehicle.  I wanted a small motorcycle since I felt I could ride it on the highway to the ranch.  Matt wanted a scooter, since he HATES motorcycles.  Matt won - we bought a 2008 Honda scooter.  I don't think it has enough power to carry both of us, but it's good for one person.  I ride it to yoga and Matt will use it to run errands when I'm at the ranch with the car.

There is a great bus system here, they run constantly.  I've often thought we were foolish not to use them more often, especially when we go into Chapala where parking can be hard to find even in low season but even more so in the winter when all the snow birds are in town.  My neighbors Isabelle and Donnie don't have a car here and were taking the bus into Guadalajara one day this past week and asked me to join them.  Was a fun trip.  There are local buses into Guad and express buses.  The express buses are much nicer with reclining seats and leg rests.  We took a local bus into Guad (a two hour trip) and an express bus home (one hour trip).  Note to self....wait for the express.  Very little difference in price - 42 pesos for the local bus and 50 for the express.  Once in Guad we took a cab ($40 pesos) to a mercado -- and what an experience!  The mercado took up an entire large city block and was three levels.  You name it and I'm sure you could find it at the mercado.  There were fruits, vegetables, nuts, candy, clothing, shoes (and more shoes), saddles, boots,  belts, watches, jewelery, lotions, herbs, meats, fish, electronics,  baskets,  blankets....you get the idea.  The difficult part was finding what shop you needed.  They also had a huge food court area where you could choose everything from sushi to goat stew.  We ended up having some ceviche tostados and a beer!  Was fun and I think a good alternative to driving.

Lakeside Living

We've been in our new home for just over three weeks and love it!  It seems to be just the right size for us and the layout is perfect.  The Ajijic house we lived in last summer was newer and more up-to-date, but this one just seems to fit our lifestyle perfectly.

Back Terrace

We have a little terrace just off our bedroom so this is our view every morning when we wake up.  Matt and David, the handyman, hung a clothesline out there for me.  I love taking the clothes fresh off the line, folding them on our bed, and then having our closet right there to put them away.






For those who visited us in La Cruz or La Paz,  you know what it's like to work in a small, Mexican kitchen.  Well here we have a nice, full sized kitchen and I love it!  We're working on getting it stocked with what we need, but it will be perfect for us.  We're within walking distance to some of our favorite restaurants in Ajijic, but we've been out to dinner ONE time.  We loving fixing dinner in our new home.


This covered terrace is right out side our living room and we spend a lot of our days here.  Matt and I found the perfect hammock chair for me in La Paz and I think this is the perfect spot for it!

 Our living room is very comfortable....and colorful.  And Matt finally has his recliner!

 When we first arrived, our terrace was terribly overgrown.  Matt and our gardener, Leo, worked very hard to get it thinned out.  This day they filled ten bags of yard waste!  Clearing out all this old stuff, gave us plenty of room to add plants of our own.

Terrace Work in Progress

Cleared out and ready for "our" plants to grow!

One thing we were missing was a barbeque grill.  Kathleen took me on a shopping trip to
Tonala, which is a great little town to pick up some incredible bargains on hand-made Mexican wares.  I bought some beautiful pottery, hand blown wine glasses, pots for the garden and this great barbeque grill.

We had just been settled into our new home for one week, and I left for a few days in Cancun to meet my sisters, niece Niki and here very cute little boy Gunner.  Was a good trip for sure although the timing wasn't perfect since we were still in a bit of a turmoil from our relocation.  Love my sister time....and so good to spend time with that sweet Gunner and his mom.

A lady walking the beach asked if we were twins - must be our lovely hair

Karol enjoying the back porch

Niki and Gunner

Gunner playing with the toys Uncle Matt sent him

My last beach sunrise....for a bit

The lovely Lola has fit in perfectly.  She craves affection and petting, but goes about getting it in a very subdued mellow way.  From the first day we picked her up, she has worked very hard at winning Matt's heart - and I think she has succeeded.  Herm does really well with her, although probably just a bit jealous.  They both love their morning and afternoon walks!  Both get very excited, do a little dance and try to crowd their way to the front door so they can be first out the door!

We also are very happy with the location of our new house.  We have a great little tienda within walking distance where we can buy household staples.  There is also a pescadoria selling fresh seafood and a carnaceria where we can buy meat.  We also walk to the Tuesday organic market where we buy most of our produce.  There is a great panaderia nearby selling sourdough breads, and a French bakery when we want to indulge.  Very seldom do we need to visit the local Wal-mart!  There is a salon just a block away for me; and next door to the salon is a vet for the dogs.  There is also a dentist across the street.  Also within a few blocks is a ferreteria (hardward store) and vivera (garden center).  We feel like we are just where we need to be!

Was good to reunite with our old friends from this area.  We've enjoyed reconnecting.  Were able to join one group of our friends for our every other Saturday night at Molcajetes in Chapala and last weekend we had a Derby Day party.  Here's a photo of the winners of the best derby hats contests.

Syd, Joe & Sharon

Matt is back on the golf course in full swing, playing three times a week.  I've got a schedule worked out where I can get to yoga class four or five times a week.  I spend every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the ranch with my dogs....and then an occasional Saturday and Sunday.  I'm set up for Skype Spanish classes with my La Paz instructor and that has been going very well.  Wasn't sure I'd feel comfortable Skype-ing my lessons, but is great to be able to do this from my own home.

An update about my La Paz mamma dog that I shared pics of her and her NINE babies on our last post.  She and all nine babies are doing well......and now she has a TENTH baby.  Evidently someone found a very small puppy that had been dumped in La Paz.  Shawn, my friend and dog rescuer, ended up with the baby and tried putting her with mamma dog as she was just a bit smaller than mamma's puppies.  Incredible mamma let her nurse and she is fitting in with the other babies.  Shawn has made arrangements for all ten babies to go to San Diego to be adopted at the end of June; and mamma will be spayed and be one of the first residents of the new dog shelter in El Centenario.

So that's our life as it stands now.  We're very happy to be back in Chapala.

Man....have we been busy!

It's been a month since my last post!  We haven't been kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel, haven't been bitten by a rattlesnake, or sent off to a nursing home.  We've just been busy.

Javier's turn to sing

After nearly a year in Mexico, we finally were invited to a real Mexican fiesta.  Our neighbor Javier was having a party to celebrate his brothers 30th anniversary and he asked several of the gringos in the neighborhood to join.  I learned several things.  First, authentic Mexican home cooking (prepared by Javier's sister) is amazing.  We had carnitas, pozole and barbecued ribs.  Second, at a Mexican fiesta, the tequila flows.  I guess I already knew that, but was fun to find it out first hand.  No way I could keep up, although Matt will say I tried!  Third, Mexicans love to sing...loudly.  Fairly early in the evening the karaoke machine came out and there was always someone anxious to pick up the mic.

Syd & Kate... back up singers

The gringos took the mic, along with Javier's handsome son

Matt was looking forward to following March madness, and since we had great cable t.v. at our casita on the beach, he was able to catch all the games.  We did go into La Paz to Tailhunters to watch his Jayhawks play.  We found out that Matt was the ONLY Jayhawk fan in La Paz, but we got there early enough to ensure that the big screen was tuned to his game.

These Baja dogs tend to draw me in more and more.  My schedule in the Baja was to go to yoga every weekday at 7:30, then on my way home I'd stop at the little refuge to get some face time with the Comitan pups (the litter of pups that had been dumped in our neighborhood).  These babies are adorable, but after 30 minutes with them I'm reminded why I prefer old dogs!  There's always one crawling up my back to pull my hair, one biting my cheek, one tugging at my ankle bracelet and one stealing my sunglasses.  Oh, and they all want some loving....for about 30 seconds before they get into trouble again.  It was fun to go up there and tire them out....and leave them like this.

We had been enjoying the new La Paz bowling alley and bowling every Wednesday afternoon with two other couples.  Matt is never one to bowl for fun....he'd much rather be in a league.....but we both found this to be a lot of fun.  Here's a pic of our last bowling day.

Chuck, Diane, Matt, Syd, Claude & Shawn

Our friends from Kansas City, Candy and Steve, came to visit us from April 5th to 10th.  Matt and I drove down to San Jose del Cabo to pick them up at the airport.  Originally we had planned to stay in La Paz until April 15th, and then head to Ajijic.  However, we realized that would have us traveling in the middle of the week of Semana Santa.  That Mexican families would start arriving on "our" beach Saturday April 12th for a week of camping.  This means loud music and parties until nearly sunrise.  Since we would be taking the ferry to the mainland, there would also be a lot of Mexican families traveling so the ferry would be more crowded than usual.  And we would be driving about 700 miles during the holiday week when there would be a lot of others out there who had consumed more than their share of tequila.  Because of all this, we decided that we would take off the day after Candy and Steve left.  Having them visit us right before we were leaving, turned out to be a blessing because we really focused on having fun and enjoying the beautiful Baja, and not obsessing about getting ready to leave.  We re-visited many of our favorite spots and explored some new ones.  Matt was able to get in one last Baja game with Steve, while Candy and I enjoyed a great beach day.  We went to Todos Santos for a last margarita at Hotel California, and then drove to Cerrito's Beach to check out the surfers.  We explored a beautiful B&B on the bluff above Cerrito's and had a drink on their patio with the most amazing views.  Candy, Steve and I (no Matt) had an amazingly beautiful day at Isla Espiritu Santos!  Was a great visit!

Candy & Steve

Candy at our Beach Day

Espiritu Santos

Exploring the Canyon

Up Close with a Humpback

One of Herm's last beach days

I had started taking food and water to a stray dog that had been hanging around our neighborhood.  From time to time I ran into a Mexican woman who was also feeding this dog.  It became more an more obvious that this dog was pregnant and babies were coming soon.  I had a "conversation" one day with this woman (in her bad English and my bad Spanish) that this futura mamacita needed to get off the street.  So I talked with Joaquin who runs the shelter in La Paz and he said if I got her up to the little shelter in El Centenario to have her pups, he'd take them into his shelter when they were old enough.  So I lured mamma into my car, took her to the vet for immunizations and de-worming and then took her to the El Centenario shelter.  I would check on her twice a day, she was as big as a barn; I knew those babies had to come out soon.  Nine days after we got to the shelter, Candy, Steve and I checked on her this is what we found.

Six beautiful, brand new pups!  We marveled how she could have carried all of these.  I gave her fresh bedding and she ate and drank a bit.  The next morning when I checked on her, this is what I found.

She'd had three more!  A total of nine babies!  No wonder stray dogs are a problem in the Baja.  These mamas have BIG litters.

Well, Candy and Steve left on Thursday morning, Matt and I started packing up.  We've gone through this process three other times, so we're definitely getting better.  Some of our great neighbors in Comitan (Kate, Pablo, Jim, Linda, Robin, Miriam, Chuck & Diane) held a bon voyage party for us that evening, and it was a great opportunity to say farewell to a group of wonderful people.

So Friday morning we packed up and left.  We caught the 2:30 pm ferry from La Paz to Topolobampo.  It's about an 8 hour ride but we still got a cabin and glad we did.  The ferry was pretty much packed so nice to have a quiet place to hang.  The entire ferry trip went very well

All packed up....again

Kate walking her "girls" on our last day

except for a little instance with Mexican customs.  They felt our import permit for our car was expired and we'd have to drive to Tijuana to get this problem resolved - that's about a 1,200 mile drive!  Luckily, we kept insisting that they check the status of our permit on line...and they did...and they found that we were good until November 2014.  After that, when Matt nearly had a melt down, everything was a piece of cake.  The loading process in La Paz went very smooth, knowing a little Spanish definitely helps.  The process to disembark in Topo was also very quick.  When we arrived in La Paz every vehicle had a thorough search by Mexican customs; however in Topo none are searched.  I guess that the drugs tend to flow into the Baja, not out of it.  We were at our hotel room in Topo  before midnight and on the road by 6:15 am on Saturday.

We made the drive from Topo to Ajijic in one looooong day.  Stopped at Vern and Kathleen's house on the way in and Kathleen had a bottle of wine waiting for me....and an incredible dinner.  We met the property manager Saturday night to get our keys,  but now way we could stay in the house.  It desperately needed a good cleaning.  We stayed in Vern and Kathleen's beautiful casita.  Sunday morning we did a basic cleaning and unloaded our things.  Monday the housekeeper was here to do a thorough cleaning and now we LOVE our new home.  Oh Monday we also went to pick up our new addition, Ms. Lola.  I fell in love with Lola last summer at the rescue and she had some health issues.  I intended to adopt her this spring when we returned but I knew she needed m

Herm does not look too happy

ore attention than she would receive at the ranch.  Luckily, two or our wonderful lake friends, Ron and Jan, offered to foster her until we arrived.  Ms. Lola was very fortunate and she thrived in their care.  I can't ever thank them enough.  Now, she's home with us and his immediately claimed Matt as "her person".  Matt has found his comfortable place.  He loves our new terrace.

Enough for now!  Pictures of our new home very soon!