Charming Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay

Our stay in Annapolis has been one celebration after another. What a fun capital city this is.
Our arrival on Mother’s Day, began our two weeks of celebrating. A gift had arrived from Julie, and Doug took me out for a nice dinner at Maria’s, one of our favorite restaurants here.

Well, we’ve lucked out again with our accommodations. We’re staying in a wonderful old colonial home right in the heart of downtown Annapolis which means we can walk to restaurants, church, theater, art galleries and shops. This charming old home was gutted and completely renovated and decorated just the way I would have done it. It’s going to be tough leaving here, we’ve become so comfortable. The owners, Genevieve and Bill, live on the top floor and we’ve become fast friends. We have so much in common - they’ve been live-aboard boaters, love traveling to Europe, are artists (they own Annapolis Pottery) and enjoy fine food and wine. When we get together, we never run out of things to talk about. They’re coming for dinner this evening for "our last night ashore."

It didn’t take us long to settle in here and we’ve enjoyed visiting our many favorite restaurants and watering holes: McGarvey’s Pub, Maria’s Italian, Harry Browne’s, Carols Creek Café, Chick & Ruth’s Deli,and some new ones - Ying Yankee and Severn River Inn. There’s also a wonderful book store/coffee shop at Harbor Circle and a nice little breakfast spot near the Academy grounds.

On Wednesday, the 16th, I celebrated my birthday and was shocked and surprised when Julie showed up! She flew in from Phoenix so that we could celebrate our birthdays together (hers is the 17th) and stayed until Saturday. We have a habit of staying up until about 3:00 a.m.the first night we’re together and this time we said "We’re not staying up until 3:00 tonight." Well, we didn’t. We stayed up until 4:00. We did sleep in a bit the next morning and had a relaxing day of shopping. On Friday, Julie’s friend (bridesmaid), Karen, drove over from D.C. and we went out for a feast of hard-shelled crabs at Buddy’s Crabs & Ribs. It was the best birthday surprise I’ve ever had.

We attended a nice service at St. Mary's Episcopal Church and enjoyed a wonderful champagne brunch at Harry Browne's restaurant on Church Circle. Later that afternoon we stopped by Aurora Gallery for a wine reception and show featuring the work of seriographer Jeanne Norton Hammett who very graciously talked us through the process of silkscreen, screenprint and serigraph. We would like to have purchased a piece of hers but at this time we don't have a wall to hang anything on. It's a challenge being nomadic.

Seeing all the boats here in the harbor and out on the Bay brings back many wonderful memories of our boating years. We talked to a boat broker but never quite went so far as to look at any boats to buy. It is sometimes tempting.

We spent one day last week being tourists in D.C. The morning was devoted to the West Wing of the National Gallery of Art and we concentrated on works by European artists Rembrandt, Bellini, Raphael, Jan van Eyck, Rubens and my favorite, Vermeer. I particularly love the painting of the Girl with the Flute. Karen met us at lunch time and gave us a wonderful tour of the area with an eye towards the best places to live based on safety, access to metro line, shops, etc. The International Spy Museum more than took care of the rest of the day. It’s a new museum and very well done. It’s a hands-on tour of the "invisible profession" that has shaped history and continues to impact world events every day. It houses the world’s largest collection of espionage artifacts, weapons, disguises and surveillance and portrays spying from biblical times to the present. It was absolutely fascinating! We stayed three hours and could have easily stayed another hour, but wanted to have an early dinner and get our car out of the lot before it closed at 7:00.

Our stay here happened to coincide with Commissioning Week at the Naval Academy so there are lots of people in town and lots of celebrations going on. Thursday, the Blue Angels put on a fabulous air show, which we watched from the Academy grounds. It’s certainly convenient that we chose to stay downtown because driving and parking this week is all but impossible. Our "landlords" Genevieve & Bill, asked if we’d like to get together for dinner Thursday and said they’d arrange for us to eat somewhere we hadn’t yet been. We met at their house for a drink at 6:00 and learned that dinner would be at their place. The next thing we knew it was after midnight and we were still talking. What fun.

Last evening we enjoyed Doug’s birthday gift to me - two tickets to a production of "Godspell" at the outdoor Annapolis Little Theater. What a great cast - young, talented and very enthusiastic. After the show, we walked to O’Brien’s for a nightcap but were met with a very smoky, loud atmosphere and walked back out. The manager caught up with us on the street and suggested we might like "The Treaty of Paris," a small bar at the Maryland Inn so we made our way there and it was perfect. The bartender, Peanut, took great care of us and it wasn’t long until we’d met everyone at the bar. Allison, from Vero Beach, FL and her brother Peter involved us in their discussion relative to his recent (within minutes) announcement that he was getting married on Tuesday. Allison is strictly opposed to the marriage for a variety of reasons and everyone at the bar, including Peanut had an opportunity to provide advice. The next thing we knew it was 1:00 a.m. (I don’t know what happens with time here). We all exchanged cards and promised to be friends forever and keep in touch. We certainly are meeting interesting people on our travels.
The weather, approaching Memorial Day, is absolutely gorgeous. Warm and sunny - not yet hot and humid. Tomorrow we’re off to Columbus, Ohio (to visit family), then Indianapolis (more family), then Pennsylvania (yet more family) and finally Upstate New York (friends and family), before heading over to the Berkshires where we’ll stay at a B&B and visit with friends, Richard & Pauline.

Stay tuned and we’ll take you along.

Wild and wonderful Outer Banks

The Outer Banks
After Florida visits to family (niece Cathy, husband Tony and two-year-old Emily in Tampa), our long-time friend, Beverly in New Smyrna Beach, and boating friends Sue & Dick Stark in Merritt Island, we made an overnight stop in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and reached Duck, North Carolina on the 29th of April.
Early May is an ideal time to visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Another favorite is September - both being slightly "off season" when the weather is beautiful but there are few tourists. The natural beauty of this 130-mile stretch of islands and landscape of natural sand dunes is what draws most people here. You can visit the site where, more than 100 years ago, the Wright Brothers flew their plane over the sand at a place called Kill Devil Hills, and even take a flight of your own across the dunes at the only hang gliding school in the country at Jockey’s Ridge. We climbed the large dune and the view from the top of the ridge is spectacular - to the east, the waves of the Atlantic break upon the beaches and to the west, the dune line slopes gradually to the open waters of Roanoke Sound. Orville and Wilbur discovered that "The image from the top is like from some other world - nothing but sand and wind and sun - no trees, no grass - just a hilly desert". The only change is that now the dune is covered in grass and a type of cactus groundcover to stop erosion. This is a great place for kite flying and you see all shapes and sizes, as there’s a constant breeze. .
Each part of the Outer Banks has its own beauty, wildlife and history. Artists have always been drawn to the Outer Banks and inspired by the natural beauty and there work can be found in the many galleries located here. The northernmost beaches, north of Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores (including where we’re staying in Duck) were the final frontier of the northern islands to be tamed and much of it remains unspoiled. There are beautiful secluded (this time of year) beaches and protected soundside land. There are also now country clubs, huge mansions, restaurants and shops; where it was not long ago very sparsely populated. The big growth began when the road was paved from Kittly Hawk north to Corolla. Prior to that you had to drive on the beach to get to these areas. We drove through Corolla, as far north as the road goes, and you can only continue on by driving on the beach with a four-wheel drive vehicle. The land actually connects with Virginia but it’s not legal to drive across the border as it is a Virginia State Park. One of the most famous attractions, at the most northern end of the islands, are the wild horses that have run free on the beaches for more than 400 years. They are decendents of Spanish mustangs and are protected in a refuge north of Corolla where you can take an off-road excursion to see them.
Along the soundside of the Outer Banks shoreline, a wide variety of marsh grasses and vegetation protect various types of waterfowl. I’ve heard you can also see deer, raccoon, fox and possum or their tracks in the early-morning sand but, not being a morning person, I’ll probably miss that experience.
I try to imagine how this area must have looked when my parents spent their honeymoon here in 1930. There were just two hotels and a sprinkling of beach cottages. My first visit was in 1965 when I brought my parents here to revisit the area for the first time in thirty five years and they were amazed at the growth. They wouldn’t recognize it at all if they saw it today - especially during the height of the summer season.
Not every visitor to the Outer Banks was lured by sun, surf and beaches. Some were victims of pirates, wreckers and privateers; others were washed ashore when nor’easters and hurricanes broke their vessels on the shoals. For over four hundred years, the waters off the Outer Banks have been among the most dangerous in the world - so many ships and lives have been lost, these waters are known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." Except for the lighthouses, all has been wiped out by hurricanes, tides, salvaging and looting. There’s a great museum that covers the history of the Outer Banks’s - exploration, transportation and commerce.
We’re enjoying our beach-front cottage here overlooking the Atlantic and falling asleep to the sound of the surf. The weather has been mixed - starting with temperatures in the 80's during the day and 70's at night and a few days later plunging to the 60's with high winds and seas, and ending with temperatures again in the 80's which allowed for a few more beach days before we leave. We love it all! We particularly enjoy the local seafood markets and preparing soft-shell crabs (as long as they clean them and "cut their faces off"), fresh shrimp and wonderful lump crab meat for homemade crab cakes.
During the first week of our visit here, we drove over to Hertford, a small town near Edenton (not a big city either) to visit our long-time friends Margi & Phil Wynn who live in a community called Albermarle Plantation. Margi and I have been friends since the early 60s when we were members of Beta Sigma Phi sorority. She’s a wonderful artist and I took my first art classes from her when we both lived in Northern Virginia. They took us on a tour of the area and their daughter, Jennifer, joined us for lunch in historic Edenton which was once the capital of colonial North Carolina. It was great being with them again.
Edenton was a major shipping port until the early 1800s when the Dismal Swamp Canal diverted commerce north to Norfolk, Virginia. Now it’s a quaint, beautifully restored small town with beautiful old homes on tree-lined streets. We had planned to take the trolley tour around town but unfortunately the trolley driver was not working, due to a death in the family, and they had no backup driver. Back at their place, we took a pontoon boat ride around the waterway where they live. The next day, they came back with us and we stopped in Manteo to visit the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island, where we saw gorgeous azaleas, rhododendron, tulips, roses, impatiens and many more too numerous and unknown to mention.
The first Europeans to arrive at Roanoke Island were members of Sir Walter Raleigh’s expeditions of the late1500s when it was inhabited by Algonquian Indians. This is where Virginia Dare was born (the first white person born in the colonies) just a few months after her parents (members of "the lost colony") arrived here from London. I just finished reading a fascinating book entitled "Roanoke - Solving the mystery of the Lost Colony" by Lee Miller, who resurrects the events leading up to the disappearance of a group of colonists who came here in 1587.
I have been inspired by the sea, sand and flowers of this area and it’s reflected in the scarves I’ve been painting. We’ve had a couple of cool, cloudy days that are not suited for being on the beach, so we spend our time painting and reading and just enjoying the quiet beauty of this spot.
One of our last evenings here is spent with our friend, Sara Tyler, who moved here full-time and built a charming house in Southern Shores, seven years ago. We met at her house for cocktails and, in addition to meeting her two dogs Lady and Harry, we met her neighbors Carolyn and Chuck who live in northern Virginia but also own the house across the street from Sara. Chuck is retired Army and is now retiring from a DOD job at the Pentagon. Carolyn has a degree in Fine Arts from Cororan and shows her work at several galleries in Virginia and Maryland. We had a lot in common to talk about and I hope to see some of her paintings while we’re up that way. We went on to a nice dinner at the Black Pelican and by the end of the evening had exchanged phone numbers and email address and promised to keep in touch. It’s amazing how many wonderful people we’re meeting along the way this year.

A Week In The Bahamas

We arrived at Marsh Harbor at 10 AM (just a one-hour flight from Ft.Lauderdale) and were not surprised to find the tiny little airport terminal had not changed at all from our visit five years ago. That visit, in 2002, was the first time we had flown into Marsh Harbor - having always arrived on our own boat. We spent a week on that visit scouting it out as a destination for my 60th birthday party celebration to be held the following year. For those of you not in attendance, I'll just say that it was the best birthday celebration ever! We had 45 friends and family staying in cottages and on boats and we partied all week.
But, back to our arrival this time. After quickly clearing Customs, claiming our luggage, and going thru immigration, we immediately caught a cab at 10:20 and made our way (there's no speeding in the islands) to catch the 10:30 Hope Town Ferry with a very relaxed two minutes to spare - for our 20 minute ride to Hope Town. There are no cars on Hope Town (and no airport) so the only way to arrive is by ferry and they're so accommodating to locals and tourists alike - more so than we could have immagined which we learned a few days later.
The feery captain called the Turtle Hill office that manages the cottages we had reserved so they would know to meet us at the dock and take us to our cottage.

This trip was initiated by Doug's daughter, Dawn, and originally was intended to be a "girls week" but there was additional space so Doug was invited to join us. (He was nicknamed "Daddy-O" by all the girls) There are nine of us, in two villas, with a pool between us and a bar/restaurant at the beach end. We're steps from the beach and can hear the roar of the surf and enjoy a wonderful sea breeze. There's an incredibly beautiful powdery, white sand beach with gentle waves and crystal clear turquoise water which is a perfect 75 degrees this time of year. We've been very fortunate to have warm sunny days with just a few showers at night.

We were the first to arrive, followed two hours later by our niece, Vicki, from Columbus, Ohio and her friend, Lynn. They informed us that their two friends, Cynthia and Heather, were still at the airport waiting for their luggage. We also learned that Dawn and her two friends Nancy and Tanya were also waiting for luggage and had gone off grocery shopping until the next flight came in. They finally gave up on the luggage and caught the ferry to Hope Town to start relaxing in this tropical paradise. Without going into all the grueling details, the luggage arrived in Marsh Harbor and was sent over to Hope Town Monday afternoon (I'm not sure why they didn't need to go back to the airport to clear their luggage thru customs, but we just accepted the way of the islands). Now the girls could start wearing their array of swimsuits and cute outfits, shoes and jewelry they had spent so much time choosing to bring. We were all relieved and happy to now fully relax and enjoy the week together.

It's a short walk into town but our villas also came with two golf carts which are fun to drive aroound the island.
No cars, or even golf carts, are allowed downtown so we park at the edge of town and walk to shops and restaurants. There are two grocery stores - "the Blue Store" and "Vernon's Grocery," which has daily fresh-baked bread and the best pies - we've tried the coconut custard and the key lime. There are four gift/boutiques, an ice cream shop, two restaurants (downtown), a post office, tiny fire department, small museum, two churches, two fish markets, and a liquor store. That's about it. For anything else, you take the ferry to Marsh Harbor. There's a hotel, Hope Town Harbor Lodge, near the "downtown" area and a few more restaurants a short golf cart ride south.
We tend to go out to eat half the time and eat in half. The first night, Doug and I served a Bahamian dinner of cracked conch, boiled red potatoes and salad, with coconut pie for dessert. In the island tradition,we've been consuming a variety of rum drinks at the bars and creatively prepared at home.

One of the highlights of the week was an all-day boat trip of snorkeling at Sandy Key, (a wonderful coral reef with lots of very colorful tropical fish) and a visit to Little Harbor. We visited a foundry where Pete Johnson and his trained artsists create beautiful bronze sculptures using the lost art of wax molds and sand casting. We lunched at Pete's Pub - a very rustic and colorful outdoor "restaurant" literally on the beach, and had time to explore the beautiful beach areas. On the boat trip back, we anchored in a shallow area with a white sand bottom where we could dive down and pick up sand dollars and sea biscuits from the bottom. There were also star fish (whicih are alive and cannot be taken) and we saw a nurse shark swimming nearby. It was a great day!

For a little bit of history: Hope Town is a quaint New England style 18th century village with pastel colored cottages dotting the eastern shore, reminiscent of colonial times. On the opposite side of the boat-filled harbor is the famous 120-foot tall candy-striped lighthouse which is a favorite subject of artists and photographers. The 101 step climb is worth the effort to enjoy a breathtaking view of Elbow Cay's sheltered harbor and the nearby Parrot Cays. The lighthouse was built in 1862 and is still operated by a kerosene light that slashes every 15 seconds. You can only get to the lighthouse by boat but the ferry captain will drop you off and pick you up an hour later.
There are just two streets in Hope Town,Front Street and Back Street, and no traffic lights. The speed limit is just 30 mph and no one seems to be in a hurry.
The museum is named for Wyannie Malone, a loyalist who arrived from Charleston, S.C. in 1785 with her four children. At that time sponging was one of the major exports from the Bahamas. Now the major crop here is tourism. A recent line of products, containing veem, is becoming quite popular. The seeds were brought here from India and the trees grow well in this climate. I bought some of the shampoo and body wash and it's quite nice.

Two of the women in our group - code names "Cyn" and "Boob" went snorkeling off the beach adjacent to the Hope Town Harbor Lodge where we were told there was a nice reef with lots of fish. They swam out to the reef and saw three or four baracuda. They weren't too startled because they were told there was a school of them out there. Well, Cyn was in the lead with Boob right behind, feeling a little nervous, when they saw a wall of hundreds of baracuda. Now they were all around them and much larger than they had expected - plus a very large mamma cuda was lurking just above them keep ing a watch on "the kids." Boob became scared and turned and started swimming as fast as she could to shore. But, halfway there she realixed she'd left Cyn behind. She looked back to see that Cyn had turned into a little motor boat of churning arms and legs swimming as fast as she could to get out of there. they arrived safely at shore and went back the next day and had a different experience but their original story was much better.

All in all, it was a very good trip. We all ended up with nicknames which originated from various stories and revelations. I'll list them here but won't attribute them to any one in particular: Flo, Ho, Pot, Quack, Wicky, Ticky, Cyn (or Sin), O and Boob. There was talk of having a reunion somewhere next year. We'll see.

It was good to spend a week, as Jimmy Buttet says, "wastin' away again in Margaritaville".

Arriving in warm, sunny florida

We're finishing up a delightful 10 day stay in downtown Sarasota, Florida. We were fortunate fo find a small boutique hotel whith lots of urban charm. Hotel Ranola is the only hotel in the heart of downtown Sarasota. Originally built in 1926 as an apartment/hotel, it offered snowbirds an escape from harsh Northern winters. Ranola has now been revived (by a delightful young couple - Kim and Robert) and it's just what we were looking for. We booked it for ten days which would allow us time to check out the area as a possible place for our next move - after our year of travel. The outside of the building has an old look to it until you notice that the window treatments are each a different color. Inside, it's been lovingly restored to its original look and decorated in a true retro style, but with all the modern conveniences (flat screen TV, cable, wi-fi connections, i-pod receiver with adaptors and hookup, etc) The accommodations are non-smoking and feature luxury linens and pluish pillow top mattresses. It's the perfect plece for nightly or extended stays. All rooms include a sitting area, private bath and walk-in closet. There's also a full kitchen with stove, microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, cookware and utilities; and, there's a roof-top garden for reading or watching the sunset. We've enjoyed walking to many of the fine restaurants, art galleries and theater (we attended a Nana Maskouri concert at the Van Wezel theater); plus small cafes that are in convenient walking distance. Typical of Florida this time of year, we've had warm sunny days, cool sunny days, rainy days (when a front passed thru) and low and high humidity. Just the way we remember Florida when we lived here .

Easter was spent attending the Venice Presbyterian Church, followed by dinner with fourteen friends, and the rest of the afternoon, spent playing Trivial Pursuit.

We've checked out the real estate market here and discovered some very nice bay view condos in the city that are within our established price range, and have all the ammenities we've come to expect. Sarasota is still on our list of possible places to live when we finish our year of travel. We'll see. We still have lots of places to visit and lots of time to decide.

So, now we're off to the Bahamas (Hope Town in the Abacos) for a week of laid-back sun in the fun. This will be our first time to return since celebrating my big birthday there in 2003 and we're looking forward to a real beach and snorkeling fix. We're allso looking forward to the conch salad and cracked conch served with Bahamian peas & Rice, cole slaw and macaroni & cheese. The best! especially with a Bahama Mamma drink on the side.

There will be ten of us sharing two villas and we're looking forward to meet Dawn's friends that she's invited.

We'll see if I still have what it takes to stay in the water snorkeling for hours and possibly spear a fish for dinner. Perhaps we'll at least find some conch to clean and cook for dinner. As Jimmy Buffet would say, we'll be "wastin away again in Margaritaville."

No worries, mon.

More from San Miguel de Allende

The above photos are a sampling of some scarves I painted while in Mexico. The next two photos are are of the Paroquia which is the focal point of the jardin, or town square, (other photo)where everyone gathers any time to day to visit.

Como esta?
For those who would like to know a little more of the history and flavor of this place we find ourselves, please read on. Otherwise you may skip the next couple of paragraphs and just read the info about what we've been doing.
The tale of the origin of San Miguel de Allende begins with the Chichemeca and Otomi Indians living close to the earth until a kindly Franciscan father arrived to enlighten them. The colonial story unfords literally inside San Miguel homes, where a heroic priest and a colonel conspire to overthrow the Spanish Crown. It climaxes when modern travellers discover that this little mountain town, four hours north of Mexico City is a paradise. San Miguel de Allende is a site of fiestas and miracles (in fact, a common greeting between friends who haven't seen each other in a while is "Que Milagro" or "Ït's a miracle.") It's a place of esstatic religion and fiery revolts, unearthly beauty and curative air - a place for dreamers and artists (probably why we are drawn here.)
Set in an agrarian region with wealth derived from the nearby silver mines (which we'll visit next week) in Guanajuato, San Miguel served as a traders stopover. In past centuries there were slaughtrhouses here for the many local ranches nearby and there were various tanners in town. In the late 1700s, residences were built and later, after the Revolution of 1910, and the violent Catholic counter revolt that followed, the town fell into a slumber, the old colonial homes sinking into decay, the fiestas ceasing and the churches and monasteries languishing. A train running between Mexico City to the Texas border stopped at the foot of San Miguel to take on water, collect mail and discharge or admit occasional passengers.
An educated Peruvian vagabond named Felipe Cossio del Pomar debarked from the train in the 1930s, became enchanted by the place and founded an art institute on the grounds of a large hacienda. A gentle resourceful, eccentric American, Sterling Dickenson, arrived about the same time as did Jose Mojica, a Mexican opera star who built a rambling home bordering Juarez Park. A massive deserted nunnery in the town center became another art school. Soon after World War II, some young Americans came to study art on the G.I. Bill. Life magazine wrote an article "How to Live in Paradise for $100 per month"(You could now probably live her on $100 per month. San Miguel gradually gained popularity among artists, backpackers and some foreign retirees. Years passed and journalists began writing up this "hidden gem"in the travel magazines. When a new closer airport shortened the trip here by half, tour agencies started providing travel packages.
Before long, burros gave way to autos (though I saw two working burros today). The old ruined facades became sleek hotels and bars, and the square thronged with t-shirted tourists. Many old timers and locals are fleeing - seeing it as a "tarnished Eden." For us who didn't see it before these changes, it's still a uniue and very real place. I'd like to think that San Miguel, steeped in 450 years of custom and tradition, it's population still over nine tenths Mexican, would - like an Italian hill town - remain safely inured from the worst effects of this.
San Miguel still offers winding narrow lanes, cobblestone streets (which I recently learned improve balance and lowers blood pressure. I hope my doctor is reading this.); patios and rooftop gardens and church bells to "refugees from the techno future."provide blessings less easily measured - magic, silence, clean air, a slower pace - a place that feels not fabricated but very real.
Some of the history I just quoted was gleaned from a fascinating book Ön Mexican Time"by Tony Cohen. I've just begun Tony's second book "Mexican Days,"which is set in the changing world that he encounters as he travels Mexico - both old and new, the msty mountains and coastal Caribbean towns of Veracruz, the ruins and resorts of the Yucatan, the indigenous world of Chiapas, markets and galleries of Oaxaco, teeming Mexico City, remote Sierra Gorda mountains, Guanajuato (where we're going next week), and Myan ruins of Palenque (all places we'd like to visit).

Doug is continuing his Spanish classes and practically speaks like a native. I'm painting each day and visiting the many art galleries. We've met some locals, visited friends and are learning each day to enjoy the hidden mysteries and beauty of this little village and understand what draws people here.

On Mexico Time

For the first time visitor, the charm of San Miguel de Allende is not always evident. This is our second visit and we see and appreciate so much more about this special place.
There are no neon signs, fast food chains, billboards or traffic lights. Baroque 17th centure buildings line the ancient cobblestone streets of the town centerñ behind their massive and ornate hand carved doors are beautiful patios and palatial residences from a life style long gone. It´s like a step back in time and the pace is more what we remember from the 50s. In the light of early evening you almost expect to see an old lamplighter strolling along the streets adding a soft glow of gaslight to the already picturesque cityscape. Listen and you often hear the sound of a horse drawn carriage scurrying over the cobblestones. This town has gotten lost in time and it´s beautiful! That is the romance of San Miguel de Allende, but not all of it´s charm. The best way to get beneath the surface of this city is to go to the jardin (central plaza or square) and watch the morning unfold. The benches facing La Parroquia (parish church) are mostly claimed by those from the U.S. who are always willing to share their insight on San Miguel (many have been here for 10 or 20 years). Or you can discover everything on your own. As the vendors set up shop, and the morning light shines on the pink stone of the beauty of La Parroquia, the charm of San Miguel begins to reveal itself. You just have to take some time to drink it in. There is a great deal of English spoken here. About 6,000 Americans, Canadians and Europeans call San Miguel home. It´s much appreciated by the locals of you at least attempt to learn and use some words and phrases in Spanish. A little effort takes you far in understanding the sweet nature and polite culture of the local Mexican people. There are a variety of sosphiticated restaurants, numerous galleries filled with the works of international and local artists and craftsmen, lots of unique shops and comfortable accommodations ranging from a true colonial experience to modern resorts. So, you just need to put on a good pair of walking shoes and set our to explore and enjoy this beautiful place.

So, what are we doing here?
We love our little one bedroom casita which sits high above the city (we´re feeling like mountain goats tripping over the cobblestones into town) where we look out over the valley and hillsides covered with cactus and houses. The first photo above is of our casita and the second is the view from the rooftop) In the morning we´re awakened by the crow of nearby roosters and the distant clanging of church bells. If we´re not in town having dinner, we can enjoy a beautiful sunset and the awesome quiet of our little neighborhood - disturbed occasionally by the howling of a stray cat.
Without the distraction of radio or tv, we read, do crosswords and soduko and enjoy a game of cards )we´ve rediscovered casino and Rook=.
We attend Spanish classes for two hours each morning, have lunch in town, and meet at the school later for an extra curricular activity. This week we visited an orphanage which houses about forty boys - ages 6 months to 13 years. It´s a very nice facility on the outskirts of town, housed in a very old building and operated by Catholic nuns. The boys were playful and friendly with us and let us practice our Spanish with simple words. We felt sad leaving them and I wanted to adopt one but Doug kept me thinking in a more practical way and we made a donation instead. We´ve also taken Spanish cooking classes and salsa dance classes.
The rest of our afternoons are taken up with shopping for kitchen provisions (at least enough to have breakfast and happy hour at home)- then it´s time to do our homework. I´ve also found time to paint most days and have completed several silk scarves (I can see the Mexican influence in my art and find I use brighter colors). I also sold three scarves this week!
We´ve gotten together for lunch with friends Sharon and Mike Draper who live here in San Miguel. In fact, they just bought a house and moved in over the weekend. I met Sharon while taking art classes in Burgundy last year. It was great to get re-aquainted and to get to know Mike.
So, our days are full but quite relaxed and we find ourselves quite taken in my this charming and quaint place.
More later.
Rebecca

A Month in Florida

South Florida Paradise

Well, we thought it would be a let-down, leaving the luxury of the Queen Mary 2 and returning to the “real world,” but this past month has also been quite luxurious.

Our friends, Sondra & Dan Bannister, very generously offered the use of their penthouse on the 20th floor of a beautiful condo building on Estero Bay in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Close to Naples). From the spacious balcony we had panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico and the Colony Golf Course to the west, providing us some magnificent sunsets each evening during happy hour.

But, as we keep saying, “It’s not just about the place, it’s more about the people you meet along the way.” It’s been so much fun reconnecting with Sondra and Dan and some of our other long-time friends in south Florida. We had an opportunity to drive up to Venice (for Rebecca to have her hair cut) and have lunch with Judy Bacon and another time to get together with Kathleen & Bud Leeds. We also made new friends with Dan’s daughter Linda and husband Maury and had several dinners out and at their home. Sondra’s in-laws, Karen and Vince Kelty, visited for a few days from Virginia and we partied the whole time, getting together for breakfast, lunch, happy hours and dinners, plus a memorable night of dancing at the club.

There were also some not so happy occasions. Two weeks ago Sondra & Dan called on a Sunday morning, as we were getting ready for church, to tell us that their beloved golden retriever, Molson, (named for Molson Golden beer) had passed away. He was a special dog that we had come to know and love over the ten years of his life and we were all sadden by his passing.

The next week, Linda called to say she was at the hospital with her husband Maury who was suffering chest pains. Maury had a heart attack about ten years ago so they were concerned and spent the day at the hospital only to return again the next day when they admitted him and put shunts in two of his arteries which were 80% blocked. He’s home now and recovering nicely but he had us all worried. Linda’s taking good care of him and he’s anxious to get back to work.

A high point of our stay was a visit by more long-time friends Susan & Sam Campbell,l who live in The Villages (near Ocala, FL). They were returning from a motor home trip to Key West and stayed two nights. It was fun having dinners and lunch together and catching up on what everyone’s been doing

We also had our friends Charlie & Ricki Ryan (now living in Fort Meyers in the winter and Chesapeake Bay in the summer) over for dinner. They loved this condo and would seriously consider buying it if they can sell their home in Ft. Meyers and find a place to keep their boat. Last week they invited us to go out on their boat, with two other fun couples, to Marco Island for lunch. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and we had a great time. Hope to see them again when we’re in the Chesapeake Bay area in May.

The following day, Sondra, Dan, Doug and I got up at at the crack of dawn and drove to Ft.Meyers to take the "fast boat" to Key West for the day. We were all excited about the trip - especially Sondra who walked aboard and immediately grabbed a bar stool and ordered a Bloody Mary. Sondra's not a "water person" so was being very brave to make this trip with us. Well, we couldn't let her drink alone so we all had a good time while we waited to get underway. We started out slowly and then when we were a little further away from the harbor, increased speed and really zipped along. That is, until we stopped. The captain announced that we had a problem and would have to replace the fuel filters because of dirty fuel. The next announcement was that we would be further delayed and another boat came out to pass us some cans of new fuel and more filters. We continued to party, though Sondra escaped her anxiety by taking a nap. The next announcement was that we were going back to Ft. Meyers and would not make the trip to Key West that day. Also, they were refunding our money and giving us each a free ticket for another trip. So, we were all disappointed (well, maybe not Sondra)but made the best of it by finding an island-type restaurant where we got island drinks with fruit in them and ordered conch chowder, conch fritters and grouper - and pretended we were in Key West. We're planning out next trip and hope it goes better!

Last evening we had a call from one of the other couples, Louise & Bob Nagel, inviting us to join them for drinks. We found we had a lot in common and spent several hours discovering like interests and even found that we have mutual friends. Small world. Hope to see them again when we’re traveling up north this summer.

Between all this socializing, going to the fitness center, long walks and hanging out at the pool, I’ve found time to do some silk painting and try out some new techniques. I’ll be taking my art supplies with me to Mexico and am looking forward to some Mexican inspiration and influence in my art.

Today we received our weekly delivery of mail and were happy to have some personal correspondence from new and old friends: Our former dance instructor, Helen, from North Carolina; our new-found friends from the Queen Mary 2, Christa & Bernd of Germany; and my dear friend, Carol Gardyne, from San Diego. From many others, we keep in touch by phone and email and look forward to your messages and news.

While in Mexico (from March 7th until April 3rd), email or snail mail will be the best way to keep in touch. I plan to check email at the cyber café about twice a week, and look forward to hearing from all of our friends.