| Our visit with the Martains was terrific! They were great sports when they learned we were afraid to drive into San Luis Potosi at night to pick them up from the airport, opting instead to send a UBER driver to bring them to Pozos. After the trip with ab million speeding trucks on the pothole-infested I-57 they even understood why!  The first day Jane & Brian were with us we introduced them to our next door neighbors, Shannon & Mike. Then we walked into small Pozos to look around town. |
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| La Villa Hotel- Rosa & Jane |
We stopped by La Villa, Rosa & Oscar's deluxe boutique hotel at the top of Pozo's main street for lunch and a tour. The antique store owner, Thomas, invited us to his home later in the day to look at a table he thought might work for my desk at home.
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| Enjoying ice cream in La Jardin, Pozos |
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| The elegant La Villa |
On Sunday we returned to Pozos for taco lunch at Un Ta
co Gratis, Kelly's children's eating establishment that opens on busy Sundays.
Keith, Brian and Jane took a tour of the mine ruins while I took a nap. (Two late nights had taken their toll on my body!)
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| Touring some of the ruins of Mineral de Pozos |
Monday we went into San Luis de la Paz, a larger town 7 km down the road and walked around the center of town where we found a beautiful park and churches. One need we had there was gathering pesos so that Keith & I could pay our immigration fees in San Miguel Allende the next day.
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| Brian with one of the papermache Santa Catarinas created by high school students in preparation for Day of the Dead |
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| Keith & some young Santa Catarinas in the main square of Dolores Hidalgo |
We took a spontaneous trip to Dolores Hidalgo, another Pueblo Magico about 40 minutes outside of 'La Paz'.
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| Everywhere an ice cream or popsicle... |
We enjoyed walking around the center, eating ice cream (whiskey & beer flavored), having lunch and buying a few pieces of the colored tiles for which Dolores Hidalgo is famous. Students were creating Day of the Dead altars & Santa Catarina figures demonstrating their hopes for the future.
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| Another Catarina in front of the main church of Dolores Hidalgo |
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| A Day of the Dead altar in memory of Frida Kahlo |
Tuesday & Wednesday were spent in the colorful historic city center of San Miguel Allende, SMA. We took care of immigration business before finding our lodging high on the hill not ten minutes walking from the main church & square where the Day of the Dead activities took place.
Many people had their faces painted in various images of Santa Catarina, a skeleton figure who is seen in male & female form everywhere in Mexico.
At night these folks in costume returned in a loud & happy parade through the main square with mariachi music, a dance followed.
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| San Miguel Allende |
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| All lit up for the Day of the Dead celebration |
It was a great crowd of people, but a happy celebration full of color & children.
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| Mexicans really know how to have a great time! |
SMA is a great place to walk and window shop.
There are many nice eating establishments, it's a fancy place full of tourists!
Keith tucked in an artist's studio and fell in love with a collage which we purchased to go above my new piano, which we hadn't yet found.
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The traffic & subsequent air/noise pollution take their toll, so we were happy to return to sleepy Pozos and our home in the country air.
The cemetery in Pozos was filled with flowers as part of the Day of the Dead celebration.
It was a rainy day in Pozos on Thursday and so we made plans to go to the state capital of Guanajuato for the weekend. The drive to & from Guanajuato was about two hours, the scenery lovely with green fields, small towns, high mountains and light traffic.
Guanajuato is Keith's favorite Mexican city.
Built in a valley, everywhere you walk it's uphill and downhill. 
Luckily our lodging, an apartment not ten minutes walking from the center, was an easy jaunt once you walked down to the main road.
While SMA is filled with English-speaking tourists and thousands of ex-Pats who call it home, Guanajuato is more authentically Mexican.
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| Brian imitating Diego Rivera, a native son of Guanajuato |
Guanajuato is a university town so there are loads of young people.
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| The steps leading to the University, note the mascot in front |
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| Brian & Jane in the main square |
Artists set up the wares right down in the center.
We met an artist, Loretta, from whom we had purchased a painting on another visit many Christmases ago. We had lunch & explored, taking the funicular to the top of the hill to visit an enormous statue of Pipila.
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| The Funicular pulled us right up the hill |
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| Pípila, became famous for an act of heroism near the very beginning of the Mexican War of Independence, on 28 September 1810. The insurrection had begun in the nearby town of Dolores, led by Father Miguel Hidalgo. He soon moved to the city of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, where the Spanish barricaded themselves–along with plenty of silver and other riches–in a grain warehouse known as the Alhóndiga de Granaditas. The granary was a stone fortress with high stone walls, but its wooden door proved to be a shortcoming. With a long, flat stone tied to his back to protect him from the muskets of the Spanish troops, Pípila carried tar and a torch to the door of the Alhóndiga and set it on fire. The insurgents–who far outnumbered the Spanish in the warehouse–stormed inside and killed all the soldiers and the civil Spanish refugees. Some accounts say that Pípila was not alone but went accompanied by other indigenous miners ready to fight for their freedom from the Spanish, but as the story is told today in Guanajuato, Pípila stood alone to break through the door. (a history lesson from Wikipedia) |
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| Enjoying lunch in the garden of Un Taca Gratis |
The Sunday Market was open in the Plaza Principal.
Our destination for Monday, the Martain's last day in Mexico this trip, was the large metropolis of Queretaro. While the center is old & semi-calm (an UNESCO World Heritage Site), this city is very modern and industrial. Our first stop was the Antea Mall, I wanted to show the Martains & Keith The City Market, the most beautiful food market I've ever seen.
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| Independence Square in Queretaro |
Afterwards we walked through the semi-openair mall past every name-brand store you can imagine to Liverpool. (I have been trying to find some mattress pads for our twin bed set that would soften the hard mattresses.) I was shocked to see Yamaha pianos on sale there! Talking with the salesperson, my heart leaped when I heard that in a couple of weeks there would be a great sale on the pianos. Keep posted for pictures of the piano in our house!!
Keith kept very calm driving into the center of town. We parked the car and headed out on foot to see the sights. Unfortunately because it was Monday the main church & museums were closed, but the sun was out and we had a nice walkabout returning to the car nearly melted.
Back to Pozos to pack their bags and enjoy another dinner together. Jane is a wonderful cook and was creative with the foodstuffs provided! Avocado and tomatoes graced every meal!
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| Part of the routine in Las Barrancas is walking with Shannon each afternoon. Here's Jane in front of Shannon & Mike's house. Notice the beautiful lavender plants planted this summer. |
It was drizzling on Election Day Tuesday as we drove our guests to the airport in San Luis Potosi and wished them a good trip back to the states. The sky opened up and rain POURED causing us to lose power for over 18 hours so we were unable to watch the horrible election news live with Shannon & Mike next door. Luckily, his oven doesn't need electricity and his homemade lasagna was the tastiest I've ever had!
We are excited that Papa Stan will be our next visitor. He is coming for a week over Thanksgiving!
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