Time to Move?

First of all, what the heck am I doing awake at 6:30am? From personal habit and experience, writing is very calming to me and helps sort things out so I don't end up in an anxiety attack...this would be one of those moments and already, it's working.

I have to give kudos to my dad...foreshadowing much or are you just psychic?

We have these neighbors, they have 2 scotties that bark at all hours of the night and start barking solid at around 6:30 am. The dogs are on the same side of the house as our bedroom, in fact, no more than 2o feet from our master bedroom large glass window is where they "perch" and bark non stop. Usually, Jamison wakes up whenever they bark and this morning was no exception but the dogs were unusually agitated and started full bore at 5:30am. After 15 minutes of solid barking I put on my shoes and went next door.

When our neighbor answered his intercom I said in Spanish "Hi, I'm from next door, It's really early in the morning could you please put your dogs inside?"

The dogs continued to bark so I went back to his front gate and buzzed again.

This time he came out and I walked up to him saying (again, in Spanish, I didn't know he spoke English at this time) "It is really early, Please, could you put your dogs inside?" I was intentionally being super nice so he'd have no ammo to yell at me or anything...which is when I noticed the gun.

While in the dark it looked like a .22...even a .22 could hurt a bit. He said "Do you have a problem?" intermingled with several swear words. I pointed out the obvious, not quite in a panic yet but my niceness was being replaced by 'holy crap this guy is crazy'. "I'm pregnant, I have young kids, I just came over to ask if you could just put your dogs inside so we can sleep?" I didn't understand his reply, which was full of swearing among other words I did't recognize, so I said "I'm sorry, my Spanish isn't that good, what?". He got very agitated and in English mocking me "You don't understand? You don't understand?" waving his gun. So again, my request, this time in English "I'm just asking if you could put the dogs inside" Which is when he said "no, there is a man outside whistling"....ummmm, ok....

I ended it by saying, "I just came over to ask if you'd be a good neighbor..." and he cut me off pointing the gun and said "I'm NOT a good neighbor".

I came inside, the dogs were still going nuts, Kris asked if I wanted him to go talk to the neighbor which is when I said "uh no, he just pointed a gun at me, I don't want him to shoot you".

So Kris contacted the RSO just to report it for security reasons, not that anything can be done about it here in Mexico, but at least the embassy will have a report if something bad happens. Kris was also concerned to put it mildly. If a guy can point a gun at an obviously pregnant woman in a green flannel pioneer-looking night gown what else would he do? I'm thinking if he doesn't come over and profusely apologize he's a complete nutt job. He looks like an unstable wacko and it might definately be time to move into a different house...with a whole 'nother set of problems. What to do?

So back to my dad...when I told him a few weeks ago, if the dogs continued to bark so early in the morning, Kris was going to go over and talk to him about it. Which is when my dad said "I hope your neighbor doesn't shoot him". I laughed and said "oh, please dad"...more proof my dad is a wise man.

800 Pounds of Wood

When Garity and I first married, we bought a small round dining room table for our one-bedroom apartment. This table came with a hidden leaf that folds up inside the table to comfortably seat six. After almost 11 years, we came to the realization that we simply needed a larger dining room table. Fortunately, Mexico can solve that problem if you don't mind rustic style furniture. If you are into glass tops and Scandanavian design, prepare to be disappointed.

We piled the family into the car and followed our friends up to Metepec, a small town just south of Toluca about 40 miles from Mexico City. We entered what looked like a small shack full of rustic furniture decked with wrought iron accents. Very cool stuff. Out back, they had even more items. This was their showroom of course, everything is made to order. You just show them what you want (a picture from a magazine will do fine), or pick it out from their catalog, then they make it and deliver it 10 days later.

We had a budget on this, but we wanted something that would last a long time so Garity picked out a simple but pretty table and chairs. At first we had them calculate a rectabgular table that would seat 8. That came in at about 1/4 of our budget so we made it bigger. We ended up with a table to seat 12; 11 feet by 4 feet - yes it is huge. We were still well under our budget, so we added two very large book shelves to the order. The furniture is hand made solid wood (and very substantial) using mortis and tenon as well as dovetail joints. The stuff would easily cost three times what we paid if bought stateside, and we still came in under budget - including the 12 chairs. All in all, we really got a great deal.



The furniture was delivered as promised - at 10:30 Friday night. I ran out to find them near our home because the had gotten lost. It took me several minutes to find them, and I actually drove past them twice. I was looking for a moving van, they were delivering it on an old 1/2 ton truck...your regular pick-up truck. I remembered looking at it thinking "why would anyone stack so much furniture on such a small truck?" and "that table on top is huge - wait - that's my table!"



Two men had the old pickup loaded beyond capacity. The chairs were stacked on the bottom with the bookshelves laid flat on top, then the table on top with more chairs. It was all packed very tightly and from ground to the top of the bundle was easily 8 ft. The local policeman even stopped by to help us, which was perfect timing because the four of us could barely move the table. The legs are just shy of one foot wide. They said that they needed to do this as well as make the top thicker (it is 2.5 inches thick) because of the length. It is free standing with no center support. The fact that it was driven over bad roads 40 miles away without any damage at all is a testament to how well this stuff was made. Delivery cost a whopping 400 pesos (about $28). Realizing this is what the delivery men were getting paid from, we gave them each a healthy tip as well as the cop for his help.



We got it all moved in and are enjoying the extra flat space, as well as just having a real dining room table. I don't know how we will move it when we leave because it does not disassemble, but if two men and an old pickup can do it, I'm sure that a professional moving company can manage.

País de la Monarca...Monarch Country

Apologies in advance but this is a pretty long post with tons of pictures.

Kris and I decided to take the boys out to Michoacán when we found out we were so close to the end migration sites of the Monarch Butterfly. These monarchs, from the east of the Rocky Mountains, (those west of the Rockies migrate to California) have traveled as far as 3000 miles from the United States and Canada so of course we had to check it out.

The D.F. is where the red square is. The state of Michoacán is highlighted in yellow.



We left Friday afternoon for a scenic 2 hour drive from the D.F. out to Angangueo, Michoacán. Angangueo is a very old and small municipality (and former mining town!) in eastern Michoacán, 8622 feet in altitude, surrounded by amazing and beautiful Oyamel Fir and oak forests. The Oyamel, Abies religiosa or Sacred Fir, is preferred by the monarch colonies to hibernate in.

In this map, I have underlined in red the city of Angangueo.



I had researched several hotels in the area and settled on the "3 star" Hotel Don Bruno, reviewed as THE BEST hotel in the area including the neighboring town of Ocampo. Keep in mind, there were no "4 star" hotels to speak of not that I think the ratings mean much out here.

We found the hotel pretty easily, checked into our 2 double-bed room (not much choice when it came to number of beds) and realized quickly: to say this was going to be a rustic experience...would be an understatement. As we opened the door, we were hit with a blast of eau de rouille (or mildew, if you don't speak French). I told Kris it smelled like an ancient down sleeping bag that had been locked up in an airtight cabin in the woods. Kris said "it smells...earthy"











The hotel was BEYOND charming and we didn't care that it was so rustic, in fact, it made it that much more exciting for us and the boys. No TV, no telephones, no heat. Some of the rooms had fireplaces and from what I understand, were not as damp, if you were in the 2nd floor rooms but they were already occupied. Through my online research I already knew there would be no heat so I came prepared with 2 space heaters. Because of the damp mountain air, the blankets, sheets and pillows were completely damp so I was also grateful that I went with that little voice in my head that said "bring your own bedding". I may have over packed, and Kris may have given me a bad time for it but in the end: I WAS RIGHT! I will mention that the first thing the kids and I did was check for bed bugs. Click here for the lesson we learned about bed bugs! The mattresses looked brand new and no evidence of bed bugs in sight!



We settled in, the boys in one of the double beds (Weston is so tall we put a small coffee table topped with pillows for him to rest his feet on), Kris and I in the other...glad we don't mind being so close to each other. It had such a rustic cabin feel (but with a bathroom) so we felt like we were camping.

We woke early and were refreshed even though none of us slept very well. I kept waking up to crank up the heaters but the dampness just soaked through everything. It was so much like waking up to the morning dew in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado on our family camping trips there...but we were in Mexico's Sierra Nevada...the Trans-Mexico Volcanic Belt! Surreal.







We breakfasted in the hotel's restaurant. Fabulous Mexican hot chocolate and fresh squeezed orange juice. The boys had scrambled eggs and bacon.




Look at Jamison's face in this picture. I caught him right as he was about to sneeze! And yes once he did, hot chocolate went flying!



I had my favorite breakfast; chilaquiles (CHEE-la KEE-lays). I prefer the chilaquiles verdes but these were chilaquiles rojos. Spicy as all get out, enough to make my eyes water which is pretty darn spicy.
So what the heck are they? If I describe them you will probably gross out but trust me, they ARE what's for breakfast in our area of Mexico. Think slightly stale fried corn tortillas simmered in green or red chili sauce until they just get slightly soft but are still a bit chewy. Serve topped with eggs or shredded chicken (I prefer scrambled eggs), white onion slices, queso fresco and crema. Every home or restaurant does it slightly different so there isn't an etched in stone recipe. They taste similar to enchiladas but still different. It took me a while to finally try them, without gagging at the thought of trying them, but once I did it was all over.



We made our way through Angangueo and further north towards the Sierra Chincua Monarch Sanctuary, another 45 minute drive or so. It was breathtaking to see how high we were. The base of the sanctuary was a pastoral set up of shacks as well as a fenced area where you could rent horses to take you up to the area where the monarchs were. You could ride up or hike up, the hike would take over an hour but Kris and I decided to go with the horse option because it was so darn cheap and the boys were really "chomping at the bit" (ha ha) for a chance to ride them.



It was an hour ride up on horseback, and another 30 minute hike to the butterflies. I forgot how much I enjoy riding horses not to mention the smell of leather and horse poo...reminds me of my grandparent's ranch in Oregon. Being over 5 months pregnant I thought I did pretty well between the horse ride and hike. As you can see from the pictures it wasn't a straight flat shot. We actually rode and climbed an additional 2000 feet in altitude (according to our guide). I wasn't in any pain but talk about a rough time breathing! Kris mentioned the same thing and I was glad I brought Braedon's asthma inhaler! Towards the top of the sanctuary you could get a clear view of how high we were.



The boys were having a great time on horseback. Jamison fell asleep twice on the ride up. (FYI, I did speak to my OB before we made the trip and she said the horses would be fine for me to ride, after all, "the roads in Mexico City are bumpier than any horse ride as long as you aren't trotting")











I have to mention this Kelty backpack we have. It has turned out to be one of the best purchases I have ever made. I first saw it in a picture that friends had sent from one of their hikes where their daughter looked so comfortable, not to mention how comfortable it looked to wear. Kris used it for the first time on this hike (doesn't fit pregnant women too well so I can't use it again until I can get back into it) and he was able to carry Jamison quite easily. I love how it feels on and Kris said he was pretty comfortable as well. Jamison loves being able to see everything and from all the times he falls asleep in it, I'm guessing he's pretty comfortable as well. (Thanks again Jason and Melissa!)



Once there I was amazed at how many butterflies there were. I had no idea and this is only one of many sanctuaries in the area! When the weather is cooler they huddle together on the trunks of the Oyamel trees and hang like dead leaves from the branches. As the air warms up they fly everywhere landing on flowers for a meal of nectar. Unfortunately for this particular sanctuary (or maybe it's a good thing) you can't get close enough to where the butterflies are unless they decide to fly near you. There is another sanctuary we will be going to next year where you are right in the middle of the colony and completely surrounded rather than where we were, being on the outside and looking into the colony area.

In these pictures all of these scale looking things are the butterflies!







As usual, you could tell who the Mexicans were from the DF (Districto Federal or Federal District), they were the ones pushing and shoving everyone out of their way, being loud and obnoxious and acting like the spoiled brats they are. The other Mexicans around us were pretty vocal about how rude they were and we couldn't help but chuckle thinking "this is how Americans talk about those from New York City...or how those of us living in Fredericksburg would talk about those in Northern Virginia, too funny". I was happy that others noticed how well behaved our kids were compared to the DF brats. The boys just sat and enjoyed watching the butterflies through their binoculars while others enjoyed pulling the wings off butterflies they were able to catch or scream and run around like little monkeys.







Weston found a butterfly that had died and was closely examining it lamenting on how I should have brought the microscope. I promised the boys that if they collected some of the wings that were on the ground we would study them under the scope once we got home.

After enjoying the atmosphere, or as much as we could once the wave of D.F.ers ruined it all, we started back on the hike towards where the horses were waiting for us. Kris and I wanted to hike back so we could take our time and enjoy the area but the kids were pretty adamant about riding the horses again. On the way back, our guide told us his wife had a restaurant below if we were interested in eating once we got back. I told him that sounded great so he brought us to his wife's ummm, restaurant.





The temperature had cooled off quite a bit on our return trip alone so the boys enjoyed warming up by the stoves. (It snows up here!) We ordered our food and while it was being prepared, the father of the one other family there told our guide's wife to load our food with tons of hot chilis laughing himself silly in the process. Kris responded to him in Spanish "hmmm, that sounds like a great idea, thank you!" The guy lost his laugh immediately and then I said, also in Spanish "we've grown rather fond of chilis while living in Mexico, that does sound good". After several minutes the guy asked Kris "You speak Spanish? Where in Mexico do you live". Kris told him that we lived in the DF. The guy said he did to which I then told Kris under my breath "duh, he's a rude jerk, of course he does". He then added the icing to the cake by telling us "yea, I drive a Sitio Taxi" which is when Kris and I nearly lost it. Not only is he a rude jerk from the DF, he's a rude taxi driver as well!



They left and we were able to enjoy our meal in peace while enjoying our conversation with our guide's wife. She was so sweet and offered to make us anything else we wanted. As you can see from the pictures the place was about as rustic as you can possibly get. Even so, there was a china hutch in the corner of the room that looked so out of place. While she was asking if Kris and I would like some beef and rice with squash blossoms, she walked over to this hutch and opened the lower doors pulling out 2 plates heaped with beef. Kris and I both had eyes as big as platters as she showed us this meat that had been sitting in this china hutch for who knows how long. We told her we were fine with what we had already eaten (holy crap, we were going to be so sick!)

We stopped at some of the little tienda shacks that were selling souveniers so the boys could pick out some things. While I was finishing up our purchase and asking the sales woman a few questions, a woman pushed by, interupting me mid sentence, and started asking her several questions. I told the rude woman in Spanish "I'm sorry, she was helping me, I'll be done in a few minutes and you can then have her all to yourself without having to be rude and pushing me out of the way". Kris was standing right behind me and we both nearly burst out laughing in this woman's face...but then we would have sunk to her level. I would have said "Hey you rude twit, you can take your overdone collagen mouth in full pout and big huge bug-eyed looking Channel sunglasses back there and wait your turn." But I didn't know how to say "collgen" or "bug-eyed". Just one of the typical behaviors we have had to deal with but Kris and I have rather enjoyed being pretty vocal about not letting them get their way. It's been fun. The sales woman shook her head and said "las mujeres como ella no tienen verguenza" (women like her have no shame) and I had to agree. Just for that I paid her for 3 shirts even though I just bought 2.

As we drove out of the sanctuary, we saw a van with diplomatic plates making its way up the steep mountain road. I thought to myself, what are the chances that we know these guys? As they got closer we saw they were friends from church! I couldn't believe that we actually ran into friends from church clear out here in the mountains!

The drive home was uneventful, Kris and I both agreed that we felt like we had been camping for a week. Horses kick up a lot of dirt and a lot of it made it's way up our pant legs! The 'restaurant' was also full of soot so we were covered with that as well. Kris and I were both a little sore from the horses but nothing tylenol for me and motrin for him didn't take care of! The boys weren't sore at all. We got home, everyone took showers and spent the rest of the night talking about our trip next year. We are going to try the sanctuary near Valle de Bravo which is a town with a lake you can boat on...can't wait!