Not Exactly Hot...

No, not exactly 'hot' in the way you expect the coastal jungles of Mexico to be in February. Pleasantly temperate. Unusually cool. Less humid. Less tourists too. Its quiet here. Except for the roosters, the dogs, the truck airbrakes, the waves. Thankfully it is not a time of fireworks or fiestas. Its more tranquil and I like that. There are some changes here that I find a little sad. One of them is that more people are speaking English...I know that is a concession that the locals make to survive but I force my Spanish on them anyway. I usually get away with it (my dark hair and olive skin helps). I want Mexico to remain a foreign country to me....does that make any sense? I want it to stay Mexico. I don't want it to be 'fixed'. It isn't broken.

Manana...

Manana.

I am starting my journey to Mexico. There will be a few doors to step through. I hope to be HOT the next time you hear a peep from me. Hasta Luego.

....WOW...

I saw an eagle today. Yup, it was extremely windy and frigid cold on the lake this afternoon. The dog and I were just getting a wee bit of exercise...well her more than me as I wrenched my back skiing (aka 'falling'). So there it is, directly overhead, a beautiful black and white, huge bird just gliding on the currents. Made me stop and gape. I gaped for awhile. Gape, gape, gape. The dog didn't even notice. Nary a gape from the dog. Nope, no dog gape. Nada. Nothing. No, I did not have my camera with me so that is why we have this random shot of you-know-who looking especially gazelle-like in the snow.

Foreign LOVE Affair

Maybe we can blame it on the humidity. 'they' always say its the humidity not the heat. Personally, I think its the combination. Your head is overheating and you're sweating, really dripping. It's not so pretty. Let's not forget how bright the sun is...blinding even through your shades. Then you see the being who steals your heart in an instant.

Shall we say, blindsided? At first there is the typical denial. (Good luck with that). Then there is some tentative eye contact. A bit of silent communication. A private "hello".

In a very short time you are quite relaxed and amazingly comfortable with each other. What is happening here? You end up spending everyday together.

Life is sooooo much fun. You cross over into believing this could work! We can do this....we could be together! Why not? All obstacles to 'being together' fall away. You see yourselves 'together'...it looks good. The decision has been made. You commit. This is not just a foreign affair. This is the real thing. This is a foreign LOVE affair. This is how it happens. ...and they lived happily ever after... (in South Dakota, USA of all places)

Crime Scene

I am in a mooooood today. Should be depressed, but I'm not. Actually verging on uber-happy. Got me thinking about the last mexi vacay I took with a pal of mine. She is such a good friend. I know this for a fact because she allowed me to keep these photos of her. Knowing that I might share them.

I remember the time we spent meditating, exercising and cleansing toxins from our overloaded systems. Hence the peaceful sleep that followed.

The intensity of self-discovery and the letting go of pretenses was profound. Feeling safe to really expose our true selves in a safe, caring and intimate environment was very liberating.

The freedom to just let go and not be anything but the beautiful, delicate flower that we keep hidden inside. (Clearly evident here) Some memories are forever and oh so sweet. Love you JJ.

MEANWHILE...

....back on the metaphorical farm, so to speak, we are in our full winter white. At the risk of stating the obvious, I must say, it is snowing a lot. Yes, still LOVE it. Yes, still gaga at how the world is transformed. Yes, still love the challenge of negotiating a life on ice. So the trick is to get outside EVERYDAY. Of course, with PonyGirl that is a given. My skinny, mexican mutt is really a snow dog. There is no hesitation on her part to get out there and just dive in. Once she figured out what x-country skis were, she became a great companion on outings. . That girl can run and basically swims through deep snow. A great workout for us both. We also usually pick up one or two of her friends to come with us. On this day it was her BFF, Koda. Embracing the winter opens up an enchanting world. Going to Mexico has nothing to do with disliking winter. Au contraire, I just don't want to miss 'the winter' in Mexico.

Some do's & dont's for my Mexican Adventure

Must get some of this whatever it is.

Need to avoid this guy.

May have to update my lingerie.

This place looks like fun.

Okay, all right...I'm sorry...I won't do it again.

Be reminded that color is NOT a bad thing.

So pretty in the details.

Must remember to look up.

Wanna come?

Its official. I'm going to Mexico!

Going to meet some new friends. Going to become politically involved.

Going to dine in some fancy restaurants. Going to buy something ridiculous.

Going to see some real cute kids.

Going to dress in weird 'vacay only' outfits.

Going to go to the beach.

Going to hurt myself (mysteriously). Going to P-L-A-Y with puppies.

It's official. I'm going to Mexico! Going to dine at fine establishments. Going to shop for a new dress. Going to dress up in weird outfits. Going to play with puppies Going to go to a fiesta.