Our Last Post From Debi and Van's Camera

Debi and Van are our last guests for this year and they will be leaving tomorrow and it will be so sad. We cannot say enough times how wonderful our anniversary celebration has been, never to be forgotten. And thanks to all who partook. One other bit of info about the people who came and visited us. Not one got sick, not one got lost, not one got robbed or got to partake in a drug gang shoot out. It just flowed the way most middle class Mexicans live and just like home, most of them do not get robbed or sick or get lost or involved with the drug violence. It is just a wonderful, warm, very peaceful place to spend some time. This first photo is of one of the churches on the main square in Tlaquepaque and we did not think we had shown a photo of it in previous blogs. Most main squares just have one church on them but the one here has two. Don't ask us why. The front gate of that same church with the pretty trees in bloom. These trees are blooming all over Tlaquepaque at this time of the year.

Van has a good eye and it is the same church, taken through the designs on the surrrounding fence.

Here is Debi.

And here is Van.

Another of Nancy's now famous suppers. Juan Carlos and Olivia, Ron and Nancy and Debi. Van is the photo taker.

Downtown Guadalajara has many km's of walk streets and this view is of one of them. They are great fun to explore.

We have shown a number of photos of the main market in Guadalajara but this one is a bit different. It is the bird market as part of the main market. Many hundreds of birds for sale.

Just an interesting store front on the busy walk street in Tlaquepaque.

We were doing a daytrip to the Lakeside town of Chapala and low and behold they were going to have a circus. They were parading around various animals that were to be part of the circus.

And one last photo of the little corner of love. This time it is Debi and Van.

Debi and Van did a 3 day journey to Colima and then on to the coast at Manzanillo. This photo is a street scene in the city of Colima.

The very pretty central park in Colima. It is wirless internet as many central parks in Latin America have.

Just more of the central park.

Nancy and I have been in Colima a couple of times and both times we lucked out as there were celebrations both times we were there. Debi and Van only got a wedding. The bride and groom arrived in a horse drawn cart followed in the truck by a mariachi band.

They have moved to Manzanillo, a tourist town, but more so a very busy Mexican port city. Here is a pretty lady along side some pretty flowers.

Along the malacon in Manzanillo and some kids just having fun.

They searched long before they found this hotel which the dubbed their pink hotel. They thought it was great, right on the beach and included breakfast.

And a pool to compliment it all.

A pretty spectacular sunset but still, the best ones are in southern Alberta when the wind blows. And a great photo for a great ending of 5 wonderful months in Tlaquepaque.

We are leaving here on Friday, stopping in Seattle for a few days to visit children and grandchildren and hope to see many of you in the coming months.

Rhonda and Alan Had a Camera Also

Our time in Tlaqupaque is soon over, only 10 days and the time has gone incredibly fast. I think you all know that this journey was to celbrate our 50th wedding anniversary and along the way over the past year we asked a number of poeple to join us here and help us celebrate. Well it mushroomed into something beyond our imagination, 29 people, from Alberta, BC and Missouri showed up and kept us in the full celbration mood for the full 5 months. Every night when we would go to bed I would tell Nancy, man we are on a roll and what a roll it has been. Without a doubt, the best anniversary that anyone could possibly have. We cooked, we toured and never missed a happy hour.

Rhonda (Gordon and Lorna Petersons daughter) and her husband Alan were here for 10 days and these photos are from her camera.

This first one is of Alan in the main market in Guadalajara.

And Alan again with his wife Rhonda in the central park in Guadalajara.

Our daughter Ronan and her partner Doug were also here for 10 days and I think here they are waiting for 2 for 1 margaritas.

Just a pretty picture of the central park in Tlaqupaque. You all have seen many of them over the past 2 years.

Ron and Nancy and Lorna and Rhonda at Ron's favorite capaccino place.

Alan and Lorna in that same central park in Tlaquepaque.

He is my shoe shine person and by osmosis became the shoe shine person of all our friends who arrived. It was Gordon's and my turn this day.

Do you think he likes it in Tlaquepaque?

All the old people sitting in the cheap seats to watch the folk dancing and the Mariachi music in the Parian.

I think this is the 4th photo like this. This time it is Rhonda and Alan under the "Little Corner of Love".

Rhonda and Alan our young and brave and decided to head out on their own to Guanajato, a beautiful restored colonial city about 4 hours away by bus. The got there and back, negoiated a good hotel, ate good food and saw everything they needed to see and in all of that they did not take one taxi, everything by bus. I was so proud of them.

I was not with them so really don't know much about the following photos.

The first one is a stairway up to a church that I am sure, during lent and holy week, people climb to the top on their knees and sometimes with someone on their back.

It is a very beautiful city and this seems to be just a street scene.

The trees on the right are one side of the central park but here it is called the Jardin Union. On the other side is a church.

This is one of the many theatres in Guanajato. It is a university town and hosts many festivals each year.

And it is not flat. In fact we do not think there are any 10m that are flat. This photo shows just that.

And more proof that it is not flat.

And again!!!!!

And even at night it is not flat. I think these two photos were taken from the balcony of their hotel.

Bye for now and hope to see you all soon.

Views of Mexico from David's Camera

On one of the walk streets in Tlaquepaque there is a tile reproduction of a very famous painting by a Mexican artist that is housed in the National Museum in Mexico City. This is a photo of that reproduction and if you make it large it is really quite spectacular.



Just some of the incredible handicraft work that is done in Tlaquepaque.

And another photo of our, very beautiful back yard. It is certainly not the first one on our recent blogs.

Some of the numerous people who have come to Tlaqupaque to help us celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary and here we are at one of the suppers that Nancy has become famous for.

Ron and Nancy and Brian and Carolyn and soon it will be capaccino time.

Our favorite visitor, beautiful Emily Bradbury, Gary and Andra's daughter. She is 15 years old and spent 6 full days with 6 adults, including her parents. And not one time did we hear her complain. She is amazing.

This photo was taken through a number of prisims, that is located on a major walk street in Tlaquepaque.

Just a great photo of Brian and Carolyn.

All school kids wear uniforms and this is a group of school kids with the uniforms of that particular school.

Not all music is mariachi music. This type of music is called Nortena music but usually has a small squeeze box accompanying.

Hot!!!!!!!Dried peppers in the market.

Terry is getting a pedicure at Nancy's favorite pedicure place.

One of the many stores on the walk street in Tlaquepaque. Just lots of stuff.

You have seen Juan Carlos' horse many times but this is the first time you have seen it with Terry. Juan Carlos' horse is a working horse. Every day he goes out to haul junk from where ever.

The altar of the church in Chapala, the gringo town on Lake Chapala,

This is Terry, David's friend, with, we are not sure, but, to Nancy and I, we think it is a favorite bartender.

You have seen photos of the dresses that the girls wear to celebrate turning 15. Just more of the same type of dresses.

David and Terry and the female Mariachi band that they went to listen to more than one time. The band is very, very good.

This is a night food stand that David and Terry ate at one night.

And this is what they ate.

David and Terry were lucky enough to be able to go inside the main theatre in Guadalajara and watched a ballet troup practicing. This particular performer was a bit thirsty so, look close, on her toes, danced up to the bar and ordered a drink. This is a ballerina at her bar.

Our time is coming close to an end and it has been wild 50th celebration for Nancy and I. Company has been steady, in fact there are 10 new guests here right now, 4 from southern Alberta and 6 from British Colombia. We have so enjoyed our visits and all the wonderful talk.