criplomats

Our good friends who we met originally back in Costa Rica in the 90s came to visit this week! We picked them up at the airport Thursday night. They were on their own Friday, then we’ve had a whirlwind weekend since.

Saturday we went to Tlaquepaque and spent the day. We had lunch at Casa Luna, one of our favorites, then we did a tequila tasting at El Buho. Joan and I got in lots of shopping as well. We topped off the evening with oysters across the street from our apartment and fell into bed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we went to the round pyramids and walked around, then had lunch at the gorgeous Hacienda el Carmen, a lovely old hacienda cum hotel, spa, and restaurant. We had a delicious meal and walked around the grounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve also had plenty of bird-watching and wine-sipping time on the balcony back at the house. Yay!

John and I really are loving the rainy season here. Rains are off and on, unpredictable, but I find them so pleasant. And the temperatures are great, usually in high 70s or low 80s. John said I slept right through a raging storm night before last and again this morning. We’re especially enjoying the cool temperatures on the balcony when we have our coffee on the weekend.

Last Sunday morning we took our friend Sarah for breakfast at the Oaxacan place – we had fun catching up with her. We originally met her when she TDY’d in Ciudad Juarez during our first tour.

We had a small book club meeting at our house Monday night which was pleasant, and on Thursday we showed our new next-door neighbor his new apartment (he just arrived at Post).

John was the duty officer until Wednesday morning, so we had plenty of calls from Americans to keep us busy after hours – glad it’s over for now!

Saturday we went fan shopping – they are crazy expensive here for some reason, but we finally tracked down a couple that were affordable. During that outing, John took me to his favorite fish taco place – it was so fun and the tacos were delish. We also walked around the Sta. Teresita neighborhood for a while – it’s a small neighborhood downtown with a thriving commerce district – very old fashioned with a market. Pomegranates are now in season and I bought a cup of seeds for a dollar – they were sweet and delicious!

We received sad news that my friend Pamela’s dad passed away on Monday – he was 94. She was such a comfort to me just a few weeks ago when Mom died; I hate that she is going through this now. I heard that his memorial service yesterday was very nice. Rest in peace, Jack.

I’ve always said that this blog was pretty boring because I primarily wrote it for Mom – not to make any great analysis of foreign policy or cultural statements, but to let her know what John and I were doing. She always loved to log on to the computer every Sunday – right up until her stroke – then we would chat on Sunday mornings as well. So, I guess it makes sense that I just completely forgot to blog last Sunday, knowing on some level that she wouldn’t be reading it. Or maybe I’m just getting old and forgetful! Anyway, I will continue to write my blog even though she won’t be reading it any more.

So let’s see. John left the day after the funeral, and I went out to David and Alison’s that Sunday night for my first grilled hamburger of the season. It’s so peaceful out there! So peaceful that John and I always start looking at real estate every time we’re there, and this time was no exception. David went with me to meet a realtor and contractor before I left Hot Springs; we’re waiting to see what the contractor says – we’re probably crazy but who knows. We’ll see what she says.

I got back to work in Guadalajara on Wednesday. Thursday was the Consulate’s big Fourth of July event. John was in charge of all the planning and execution, and it went off swimmingly. It was a lovely event and he should be very proud!

We’ve caught up on several TV shows – we finished “Game of Thrones” and we watched Season Two of “Broadstreet” (excellent). We’re also watching spooky “Wayward Pines” and funny “Catastrophe.”

We’ve gone to the Farmer’s Market at Andares Mall the last two weekends, and out to dinner once or twice. My boss is on vacation, so I have my hands full at work – our demand never seems to slack off. John is on duty this week, so we’ve been fielding emergency phone calls from Americans in trouble.

Yesterday we had a fantastic outing with the CG and her husband and a few other people from the Consulate. One of their dear friends is an art collector, and he invited us to tour his “office” – it’s his parents’ huge house that he uses as his doctor’s office, but it’s like no doctor’s office I’d ever seen before! Even his examining room is in a huge room with his desk and an examination table behind a partition, but the walls are filled top to bottom with original paintings (like every other room in the house, including the kitchen and bathrooms). We must have toured a dozen rooms each filled with wonderful art of all different schools. He also has several very large sculptures, plus original clayworks from the Mayans, and beadwork from the Huichol. Everywhere you looked, there was art! I was leaning against the door jamb listening to a story when my eye wandered to two small pencil drawings that I really liked. Yep, Diego Rivera! The range went from ultra-modern to traditional. Some of my favorites were Victor Hugo, Lupe Sierra, Ricardo Solis, J. Borges, and Francisco Guillermo Preciado. An incredible collection! This was really a treat to see, and he and his wife are lovely hosts, plying us with food, great tequila and wine – thank you, Dr. Alvarez!