What could be better than this! Sitting on a shaded patio at the local internet cafe/restaurant with my friend from Seattle, Nancy, catching up on email while the guys labor away back at the house doing gas plumbing so we can take showers with warm water. (I really don't mind using cold but it is a shock when it first hits the warm body.) The house that our friend in Guadalajara so kindly offered is not really set up for guests but we've been adding towels, dishes and other essentials to make it better for us and him and any future guests. It's up on a hill, a short walk from the center, surrounded by trees and birds (saw parrots today) with a peek a boo view of the ocean.
We had a gorgeous week in Colima with our semi-ex pat friends there but as we were preparing to leave, the weather changed. Arriving in La Manzanilla, on the coast, under cloudy skies, we expected rain but the electrical storm was something we had never before in our entire lives witnessed. Hours of spectacle in the sky -- lightning as bright as strobe lights, blinding in fact. When the rain suddenly came pouring down, the gutters couldn't handle it and the house flooded. We were mopping up til 1 am and fell asleep with the sound of water dripping into every available pot and bowl. Now all is well and beautiful. Having a wonderful time.
We woke up to the very loud sounds of the drum and trumpet corps that has been parading through the streets of this little town for the last few days, celebrating the annual fiesta, feast and rodeo that happens this time of year. Right now there is Mariachi music off in the distance and soon we'll go to the big communal meal featuring goat stew that precedes today's bull riding events. It's perfect summer weather for us but a little chilly for the local people!
