Friday, November 23rd

Sorry for not posting sooner, but I don't have a good excuse.  We are getting more acclimated each day and finding things more easily.  Since last writing we saw a great parade where the children from all the schools dressed up and performed dances.  It was quite a long parade and the younger children were the best.  Very enthisiastic, not like the teens, bored.  Some things never change.

We went, by ourselves, to Obregon, which is an hour and a half away.  They just opened a new Walmart (2 days open) so we were lucky.  Plus, drum roll, they have a Starbucks there and we were beyond thrilled.  So, the highlights in Obregon are Starbucks and Walmart.

The other night we went to a woman's house that was built in the 1600's.  She was having an art showing of a friend's paintings.  The house was amazing.  The large living area opened to a magnificent yard which she can enjoy part of the year.  It has no doors, so when the bugs are bad, which happens often and it's so hot in the summer, she is limited to enjoy it.

We met more people at her house and joined them for dinner at a local restaurant, which, of course was very good.

Yesterday, was yoga and more women showed up so it was a nice size class.

There really are lots of things to do here.  There is a gringo site listing upcoming events, etc. so it is good to check it everyday.  Sometimes, things conflict, so you have to choose.  The Americans are really involved here helping the community.

Weather is in the 80's during the day and now it is going into the 50's at night-nice sleeping weather.

Bye for now.

Now it's time for me (Barbara) to put in my 2 cents.  We have been here 2 and a half weeks and I can't believe all the things we have seen.

On Sundays we go to the outdoor market to buy vegetables, clothes and whatever is there.  It's fun to go and prices are good.

On Thursdays I have played dominos which is easy and very enjoyable.  It's a nice way for me to socialize.

Our friend, Dewey, turned 65, so Mary Jo, his wife had a party for him.  Ed's kind of party-hamburgers, key lime pie, chocolate cake, etc.  Lots of fun.

We went to a history class which talked about Alamos streets and explained the origin of the names.  The class was at Hacienda de los Santos, which is a gorgeous hotel with exquisite grounds.

We saw some Mexican Indians in detailed costumes, dancing down the street.  Ed took pictures with my iphone and hopefully, they will be put on the blog.

The food is way too good here, so my diet is going to be hard to accomplish.  Somehow, the food tastes different here and so tasty.

We went on a tour of some of the houses which we, as realtors, found really interesting.  They happened to all be for sale which many of them are, plus we understand they take years to sell.  However, there is a saying that you arrive in Alamos the first day and by the 3rd day you buy a house.  The charm takes you in, but we are not buying.  One house to fix up was enough.  Plus, here it is worse because there is usually so much more to do.

Writing about houses, I have to mention what Mary Jo and Dewey have done to their property.  They redid the house they live in and plan to make more improvements.  They built a palapa which is a structure with a thatched roof, trunks of trees to hold up part of the structure and will be putting in glass doors on the first floor because you don't always know how the weather will be in the winter.  I understand it can get cold in the evening.  The first floor has a kitchen, a bar to sit at and a table to eat at.  The second floor looks like a polynesian hotel lobby.  It is charming.  They put in a beautiful pool, firepit and will be building a garage.

Our house is charming, plus we have a yard with lots of growth.  One thing that is hard to get used to are the bugs.  I seem to get bit quite a bit.  Good to have Caladryl.

Tomorrow there will be an air show with Russian and Chinese planes,  plus a photography exhibit in the evening at the museum.

So, you can see all that is keeping us busy.  It's a different kind of life and I can see why so many Americans call Alamos home.  Many have been here for many years and own homes.

Thank God the election is over and now we can concentrate on this blog.

Last week Ed went to a gringo's home to learn how to roast coffee beans on an open fire in a cast iron skillet. His first name is Squire and has been here 8 years. Beautiful house. Coffee was a little strong but not bad. He comes from a coyboy father in Wyoming and is part Spanish.
Barbara has a full day of activities of which I am not sure what she did.

Oct.31, Barbara and I took Mojo and drove to Navojoa (about 32miles). Mojo hurt his right back leg so we went to a vet. She thinks that he injured his knee. Gave us medication. Then we went shopping for food and essentials.

Here are some pictures