Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

Monday February 28, 2011 Tomorrow is March 1 and it doesn't seem possible that we've been in our little Mexican abode for two months! This past Saturday seemed to be the day for art shows; we took in three! The first one featured a new friend who was in my bead crochet class this week. She happens also to be from Chicago but lives here full time. She said she learned to drive and to paint since she came here. I was very impressed by her paintings. I always try to put on some crochet or some interesting jewelry when I am among an artsy crowd. My choice this time proved to be potentially fruitful. I wore an incredible necklace of unusual beads made in Taxco that I have had since we lived in Mexico City in the early nineties. I know the artist who created my necklace is dead now, but lo and behold, an artist, Andrea, at the second show we went to had a necklace for sale with the same unique beads. She hails from Augusta, GA, but spent a little time in Cuernavaca where I boug...

Monday, February 21, 2011 The other day we were walking the long way back from a moving sale (more on that below) and passing through an area we usually don't trek to. We stopped at a little store called something like Fred's Deli , obviously designed for the Gringos, just to see what it might offer. Well,a pickle pimento loaf jumped out and grabbed me! Now, normally at home I avoid such things as that; you know non-nutritious stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love a good baloney sandwich once in a while, but you won't find a loaf of white bread or lunch meat in my frig as a rule! Anyhow, I indulged in a quarter kilo of pickle pimento loaf and we made sandwiches out of some nice whole wheat bread we had. Yum, yum, that was good! Alan said we needed potato chips to go along with the sandwich! So, next trip to the grocery, that's what we got. Chips is another thing I don't keep on hand. If you have 'em ya eat 'em! But boy, they tasted good. It must be that w...

Monday, February 14 HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! How ironic that I'm writing about Virgins on Valentine's day! For a few years I have made a photo book commenorating our visit to Ajijic. One year it was "The Doors of Ajijic" and this year it is "The Virgins of Ajijic." One day last week, we had some free time and it was another beautiful day so we went out on a walk in search of them. They are common decorations on homes, over doors, or on the walls. Here are a few that we found. A gaggle of virgins we saw in a store! Some other interesting sights we saw on our walk. Color, color everywhere! We celebrated Valentine's Day on the weekend. Sat. night we went to Manix, a popular restaurant with the Gringos. They had a special typical Mexican meal for less that $10.00 each including dessert: chile relleno, beans,tacos, ribs, guacamole, and flan. A fun duo was playing very dancable gringo music too. It was a festive and fun group and I felt...

December 4, 2010 Caught in the Holiday Fray!!! Where did last Monday go? Can anyone tell me? Not only am I trying to keep up with the ideas for designs that keep popping in my head, but I am also trying to get some handmade gifts done for the holidays. Then there is the matter of preparing for Thanksgiving, but that's not so bad as dear daughter, Nicole is hosting. Throw in a pre-Thanksgiving visit to dear Dad and a surprise birthday party for cousin Alan while we were there. Good news is that we were already there so didn't have to make a special visit for the birthday party. Throw in another week in MI to babysit sweet baby Chloe while her parents fly off to Miami for a well-deserved get-away to somewhere warm. I am thrilled to have the opportunity and maybe I will get some crocheting done while she naps if I am not too exhausted from chasing a one-year old around the house! Getting a Chloe-fix will be good since we will be away from her for three months this winter while...

Monday, February 7, 2011 We've kept busy since I last reported in. Friday evening we walked to the home of artist, Javier Zaragoza, to see an exhibit of his works. The notice in the paper promoted his garden as an attraction and that drew my interest. It was well worth the walk to the far west end of town to see his lovely garden setting. Snuck a picture of Alan (wink, wink) Zaragoza himself dancing! Things are beginning to come together for us after being here for 5 weeks. We are beginning to see familiar faces now. Javier was one of the judges in the walking cane decorating contest last weekend. He is reknown for his mural painting in Chapala. The band we enjoyed at the Tarahumara fundraising event was at Javier's providing lovely music and even got some to jump in and dance. We ran into Donna bead-crochet student)and her husband at the exhibit also. After enjoying the pleasant evening and atmosphere and some simple appetizers, we headed home. Saturday found us doin...