Art Gallery

We have added an art gallery to our apartment walls complements of our almost 4 year old and 2 year old grand daughters. Can't beat that for priceless!

R and R at the conference




B. Ball and V.Ball


And Rock and Roll

Ex-Hacienda de Castillo

Just Pictures
Ex-Hacienda de Castillo






























Security- peep hole and door lock

Adventures in traveling

We had an opportunity to try out the bus system from our small community this past week. We had a conference to go to in Queretaro, which is a state capital so has a large bus terminal. Our town however has a SMALL one. there are 6 buses a day that stop here. 3 go north 3 go south. The times are very early, mid day and very late. In order to make connections in the bigger cities, it might mean leaving at the crack of dawn, traveling on an overnight bus or a layover in another city. Logistics, right?! So, thinking we had a ride to the conference from Tehuacan, we left Saturday so we could attend a Quince-anos (15th birthday party) in Tehuacan on Saturday night. All went well. The bus to Tehuacan dropped us at the "autopista" or highway, we walked up the exit ramp and caught an inbound "city" bus to the mall. From there we caught another bus to downtown. The party was lovely and we spent a relaxing Sunday in conversation with family on SKYPE.
Monday we arrived at the office to catch our ride to Qro. and after about an hour found out the person wasn't going to the confernece! Now we needed to get to the big bus station and make the trip from there on 2 routes. Got a ride, made the bus connections just fine, got a cab and arrived at the conference before dinner. Challenge one accomplished!!
The conference was like any other conference. Presentations, round table discussions, more presentations......ONLY IN SPANISH! To say I was lost most of the time is an understatement! I did get the jist of it though especially when I realized I had become the person responsible for getting a piece of information to EVERYONE else! And I hardly opened my mouth.
So, knowing the trip home required some exact timing to catch the bus from Tehuacan, we left the conference Thursday afternoon and went to the station. No problems, made good connection and arrived late in Teh., got a room and had a good nights' sleep. Left for the Autopista at 10 thinking the buses were at 11, 12 and 1. Well, busdriver #1 said, NO we don't stop there. Wait for "otra autobus". Starting to get a bit anxious as the clock ticked and no bus. Finally another bus stopped and kind of agreed to go into our community. We did get "home" at 2 pm. Only 24 hours. I think that might be good by volunteer standards!

We have spent most of the last 2 weeks walking around our community and trying to observe the issues they face and process how we might respond. The soil erosion is deep and widespread. Some in the community are working on planting trees and practicing better farming methods.

Meanwhile there is this restoration of the 400 year old convent which is a work of art in progress all by itself! We like to go watch the stone masons carve the stone with a hammer and chisel! There is a small museum inside the restored part that shows the pictures to-date of the work. The restoration began in 1998 based on the information that we have viewed and there remains years of work before it is complete.

We attended our first "XV aniversario" last night. It is the 15th birthday of young girls in Mexico. Unfortunately we FORGOT our camera! Duh! So sorry, no pictures.
It was quite the event! It began in the church with a beautiful service and words from the priest to follow your heart and listen to your parents. That could be a conflict in one's life. I think it means what our parents told us, "give your children roots AND wings".
Following the service we went to a reception hall for toasts, music, conversation and finally "cena" (dinner) by that time it was 9:30 or 10pm. We left at 12:30 still waiting on the cake, oh well I did not need those calories! The music was loud but exuberant. It was much like an American wedding and probably costs the same.

Things to know

Chiles in the market in Oaxaca






Dental floss is the new duct tape! I have found it can do amazing things. I used it to tie up the shower caddy, hang a new light pull for the bathroom light AND find it is standard operating procedure for replacing the chain in the toilet when it breaks. Oh yeah and you can clean your teeth with it. I recommend using it that way first.

We acquired a USB for our computer, after jumping through many hoops this week, and sort of have internet connection from our apartment now. It is slow and somewhat unpredictable, but workable. We can skype talk to our family but no video. Always good to hear their voices! Ah the "frustracion o desesperacion" of technology!

Apoala

Got the chance to go to Apoala this week. We hiked DOWN to the falls and what an awesome sight. However remember what goes down MUST come up! It was very tiring for two oldies! But worth the trip. Anyone wanting to visit, let us know. There is also a canyon the other direction and a cave with antique paintings (from the Mixtec that populated the area I think). We did not take that hike huff, puff!!!!

Esta un verde valle con cabanas bonita por durmiendo y guias por su experiencia especial. El lugar es una hora y media donde nuestras casa.

There are remants of pre-hispanic terraces and some are still in use in the valley.

Home Sweet Home

Here are some pictures of our new place. Eat your heart out Martha S.

Patio hammock
Great room








Study



Master bedroom




Guest bed