More from La Paz......

We left Telluride last Sat., a day early because a storm was due to hit (good thing we did; we got a whopper!) This was my second trip to the Baja but my first to the Sea of Cortez or the California Ocean. We flew in over La Isla Espiritu Santo which was gorgeous to see from a small plane. The color of the ocean had so many shades of blue and green.

My first impression of La Paz was not great. It is a city of about 400,000 people and lacks the beautiful historical center and colonial buildings I have become accustomed to in San Miguel. However, as we neared the marina, we drove along the Malacon, an ocean walkway similar to that in Puerta Vallarta and other Mexican seacoast resorts. Beautiful brass statues, white,wrought iron benches, and flowers in all colors wrapped around the natural curve of the bay.

The plan was to spend the first and last night in La Paz on the boat in the marina. We all got settled in and went for a walk back to the city along the Malacon, enjoying the warm evening, the stars, and the Mexican music. We found a lovely outdoor restaurant on the ocean for dinner. The margaritas were the biggest I have ever seen! Ice cream, at a nearby stand, topped off the evening before we headed back to the boat to sleep.

The next morning, I took the kids hiking on a nearby hill where I had spotted caves the evening before. We had a science and history lesson along the way as we discussed the type of rock (puddingstone; a conglomerate), animal and plant life, and who might have lived in the cliffs over the years. The height afforded us a wonderful view of the bay and the city and we got our exercise before heading off to La Ribera........more to follow!

La Paz, Mexico Jan 26, 2008

 

Hello all,
Experimenting again with my blog site. Just arrived back from Mexico and am trying to send a photo taken in La Paz near the marina where we spent the first and last night of our trip. I had taken the kids on a hike to explore some interesting caves worn into the rock by erosion and weathering. Jack took my photo. I am signed into blog through Picassa but can only seem to attach one pic. My brother said my photos come through large and I'm wondering if this is better. Let me know!
Love,
Patti

Telluride Snow Fest Jan. 17-21, 2008

Telluride knows how to have a good time and one festival follows another. In this winter wonderland, various ski festivals take place. The "snow fest" is the first in a series and it was enjoyed by young and old alike. It didn't matter that the temperature was in the single digits as the sun rose over the mountains.....a steady stream of people made their way to the gondola with their skis each day.

I enjoyed skiing on Saturday and took time out to watch the progress of the snow sculptures as they were being created. Mountain Village, where the snow fest was held, looks very European and has many outdoor cafes where people sit and chat over coffee, hot chocolate , or lunch. You can view the square and watch many of the races and competitions as well.

On Sat. evening, a torchlight parade and fireworks were going to be held. It was also about 8 degrees around 6:00 pm and staying in was looking mighty good. However, I really wanted to go and reminded myself that this was my opportunity to take in all that I could this year. So, I bundled up in my down coat and headed for the gondola.

The evening was spectacular and I didn't feel the cold! The torchlight parade opened a wonderful ski exhibition (with lots of jumps and flips) and the event closed with fireworks.

Leaving the winter behind on Sunday as we head for La Ribera in the Baja for the week!

Brrr.....Jan. 17, 2008

Hello friends,
Just a quick hello to let you know I am having more technical difficulties; this time with logging on to my internet service. It seems to have happened out of nowhere but it is peventing me from sending photos with my blog. It dawned on me today, however, that I could come to the library and at least sign on and say hi.

Winter is really here and the nights are dropping down to the teens. At 7:00 this morning, I noticed it was -14. It warmed to about 11 this afternoon though it really doesn't feel THAT cold. I was quite comfortable when I bundled up in several layers. the sun is delightful and there is no wind.

School is going well and we have settled into a nice routine over the last couple of weeks. We keep a pretty regular school day except we can take longer breaks and simply add on time at the end of the day or evenings. The scheduled is soon to be disrupted, however, as plans are being made for a trip to Mexico at the end of the month and then, a trip to Argentina for two weeks in Feb.

Hopefully, I'll get the computer issues resolved soon and can send more photos.Thinking of all of you and hoping you are enjoying the solitude that often comes with Jan.

Love,
Patti

Home(?) Again Telluride 2008

School starts again today! I had expected to be back last Monday but it was decided that the kids would attend ski camp; Jan called and said not to rush back to teach. I enjoyed an extra few days organizing things back in my storage bins and spending time with my family. (I still have lovely mahogony antiques for sale in case you are interested!)

I headed back to CO on Friday and arrived in Grand Junction around 5:30 at night. I had a call waiting on my cell from Jan's mom warning me that a huge storm was about to hit; the storm of the century, she said. She suggested I either plan on being stranded on the farm for the next week or head up to Telluride that night. I decided to head for Telluride. As I was driving away from the airport, I also received a warning call from my Dad telling me the same and suggesting I stay at the airport. Well, the sky was filled with lovely stars and it was very mild so I knew I was okay for the night, at least. I, then, called Jan and told her I would drive right through (about 3 1/2 hours) that night. She gave me different advice. She said the storm was due to hit the next day and not to try and drive the mountain passes in the dark....way too dangerous. Well, the elevation/exhaustion headache had kicked in, it was two hours later my time and I had really been looking forward to a night in my cozy, little cabin in Austin. I stopped and provisioned just in case!

Saturday morning, I headed out to do a few more errands and before heading to the mountains. I had planned on one more stop in the Walmart (YUK) in Montrose. Before getting there, ambulances had gone flying by, as well as police cruisers. I pulled into the parking lot and got trapped with hoards of other cars trying to get out. People were waving me away, saying there had been an accident. I couldn't see a thing but slowly threaded my way out of the gridlock of cars, unhappy about wasted time.

I finally hit the road again and ran into rain and then, snow, as I climbed the final mountain. Boy, was I glad I got here when I did as it has not stopped snowing and isn't expected to for the next couple of days. I spent Sunday morning unpacking and started lesson plans (yes, I do work on this job!). I took an hour break and went snowshoeing and took a few pictures. Everyone I met along the way was smiling over the snow! It is not like at home where most people are cursing it.

I did notice it was only Mexicans who were doing the shoveling and I felt badly about that. Each snowy day, they arrive and shovel my porch and walkway and they are employed all around the village. A "day without immigrants" would shut this village right down as they are the ones doing all the manual labor and service work. I mentioned this to Todd last night and felt better when he told me they earn $20.00 and hour for shoveling snow. At least they are being paid well for their labor, though not enough to be able to live here.

All the resorts were full over the holidays....not a room left in the inn and the cheapest rate being $475.00 per night. Jerry Seinfeld just bought a home and is frequently seen waist deep in the powder snow on the double blue slopes, the easy ones I ski! Tom Cruise is frequently seen downtown with his family. Did any of you catch the pre-Christmas special that showed Telluride on the top ten list of places to spend Christmas? I didn't, but heard about it.

How about the Montrose Walmart story? Guess it made national news but I missed that too. It seems a car drove right through the front door ( a man had a heart attack) and continued down through the middle of the store in his vehicle. There are varying reports/rumors as to how many people got hurt or injured but it may have been substantial. Glad I wasn't inside. Life is all about timing....being in the right or wrong place at a certain time. Being in the right place, at the right time, certainly had a part in my getting this job this year and I am grateful!

Time for work...have a great day!

Navidad en Mexico

San Miguel de Allende is not easy to get to.......at least it is not easy to get to if you try to save money. you can fly into Leon or Queretero and spend another hour and a half on a shuttle and be there. However, it is half as much money (savings of about $350.00) to fly into Mexico City and take two buses and arrive 5 1/2 hours later. Being the Yankee that I am, I almost always choose the long way. However, for me, the journey is as important as the destination so I enjoy my travel time and opportunity to talk with the natives and sit back and see the scenery.

I arrived in DF in the late afternoon so was able to witness the lighting of the Christmas decorations along the way. I was surprised to see so many "American" style decorations along the way and resented how our culture is creeping into theirs.

As always, arriving in SMA was special and the streets were gaily lit, again with "our"decorations adorning the streets. Still, it was awesome to arrive and be able to witness how the holidays were being celebrated there. The large Christmas tree in the jardin was totally decorated with red and white poinsettia's (the flower of Mexico)and by night, was lit with blue lights....gorgeous! Many of the colonial homes, now owned by gringos were decorated American style and quite lovely.

Trees were being sold in the squares but they were "balled" and ready to be planted after being used.....a great "green" idea.

Mexican traditions for the holiday were everywhere as well and I'll write about those soon. Hope you all enjoyed the holiday season with your loved ones!