Sunday, November 17, 2013

Our First Three Weeks in Tlaqupaque

 
We arrived in Tlaqupaque on October 24th to warm and wonderful weather.  We had a few days of 25 degrees and clear skies but most of the days since then have been cloudy and cool and a bit of rain.  It is most unusual weather for this part of Mexico at this time of the year.  But there is hope as the weather map has us warm and clear for the next week.
 
We also arrived to an over grown garden as it had not been looked after since we left last April. 
 
The first photo are the flowers on a very beautiful Frangipani tree.  Usually when we arrive there is maybe one or two flowers left on it, but this year it is still blooming and looks as it will keep blooming for some time
.
 
 
Last year I had cut this bougainvillea to the ground and this is what happened after one year as what happens to most plants in Mexico.  Things just grow.  But it was a mess and I had to fix it.
 
 
And these are hibiscus that have not been cut for 7 months
 
 
We spent a week getting it all in order and this photo is what we did to the bougainvillea.  I put chicken wire on the wall, separated all the branches and hopefully it will fill in and cover the wall with the flowers of the bougainvillea.  That job was not fun as the bougainvillea has cm long thorns and my arms looked, I am sure, like the head of Jesus after he was crowned with thorns.
 
 
Last year someone gave Nancy a poinsettia for Christmas and after we had looked at enough in the house I planted it outside and in 7 months time this is what it looks like.  You cannot see them but it is getting red flowers as it should at this time of the year.


 
And just more of the garden after we had chopped it down and made it our garden again.


 
Since our arrival, the Herrera family (the family that visited us in Canada this summer, and our dentist is part of that family also), have invited us to a number of celebrations and we actually went to a couple of them.
The first was a 16th birthday party for Romina.  We thought there would be just a few family and friends there but there were more than a few.  Maybe 70+, all catered by an uncle who does catering for a living.
 
This is not Romina but Karen and her new boyfriend
 
 
 
 
 
But this is Romina and not with her new boyfriend.  They are the girls who stayed with us for 5 weeks this summer and are both very beautiful.
 
 
Time to eat with a buffet style serving.

 
The uncle, Benjamin and his wife, Elvira, who made the great tacos and salads and salsas.

 
 
Romina and cousins.
 
 
These are all Romina and Karen's aunts and uncles and grandmother.  The lady in the bottom row on the left in the red dress is our dentist.  Nancy has made a cheat sheet so we can keep all their names in order.
 
 
Romina and some of her many, many cousins.
 
 
Romina, Karen, their mother and relatives.
 
 
The next celebration we went to was at the grandma's house.  Every Sunday, starting in the morning and lasting till late night, the whole family shows up at some of that time for food and drink and talk.  Everybody body brings something to eat and drink.  Nancy brought home made cookies and they were a great hit.
 
 
One of the uncles and his wife [Beto and Fira] who runs a little store that is attached to the grandma's house.  The young man with the beer is a son of theirs, who is an architect.
 
 
But even when they are surround by cousins and aunts and uncles, there is homework that needs to be done.  Romina is in her first year of high school and this is her and her cousin, getting Romina's homework done..
 
 
Not only everyone brings food but everyone cooks.  A very nice picture of Teresa, the mother of Romina and Karen.  Her husband died about 8 years ago and she works 3 jobs to make a successful life for herself and her children.
 
 
And the dishes need doing.  Not many dishwashers in our circle of friends here in Tlaqupaque so are all done by hand.  This is Chela, a sister to Maria, our dentist, and Teresa in the preceding picture.
 
 
 
On November 2nd, all Mexicans celebrate the day of the dead and it is a huge celebration.  Alters are built and put up on the street and each one in in memory of a close relative.  Families also celebrate at the graveyard with food and drink and flowers and cleaning materials to clean the grave and cut the grass and weeds surrounding it. 
 
We did not go to the graveyard this year but the following 3 photos of alters that had been constructed on the streets of Tlaquepaque. 


 
 
Just a small celebration at our house.  Nancy hosted a supper for Frank and Christy who were living upstairs from us and Janet who still lives beside us and Carol who lives across the street.
 
This is Frank  and Janet having a pre supper drink on our patio.
 
 
From left to right around the table, Carol from Los Angeles, Janet from Fairbanks, Nancy from Lethbridge and then Christy and Frank from Seattle.
 
It was fun with great discussions and as you can see from the preceeding paragraph, the Canadians were greatly outnumber by the Americans.
 
 
 
And one last photo of Teresa and Romina at our house.
 
 
We do hope to get more blogs out this year than we did last year so until next time.
 
Nancy and Ron
 

4 comments:

Carolyn said...

I love your blogs with the photos so I am glad to see that you have started them again.

Anonymous said...

Great pictures and commentary! Glad to see you made it back for another year!

Unknown said...

It looks very warm -- not just the weather, but the friendships as well.

Al and Rhonda said...

Great photos and blog as always you guys! I didn't realize Day of the Dead was Nov 2. My birthday. I have been intrigued about this since visiting you guys and seeing a fantastic Day of the Dead shop in Guanajuato.
love you
Rhonda