We got word this morning that we will be staying at the realtor's house to start, and then move to our orginal house on Wednesday for the last two days of our stay. We'll be keeping company with Juanita the maid, Hugo the gardner and Skipper the bassett hound. If I understood correctly, Juanita is a very good cook and will be making us breakfast and lunch if we so choose. On Sunday neither the gardner nor the maid come in so we will take on the feeding and care of Skipper that day.

I have to prepare myself to be immersed in the colors of San Miguel. Everything is literally drenched in vibrant color. I don't think it will be much of a burden.

I thought I'd share just a few photos from our last trip.

Mexico here we come! I will be blogging, so stay tuned!

Our trip to Mexico has been a challenge from the start. We had to postpone it last year because Alex was sick and we didn't know if we'd be able to  make it or not, so we made the choice to cancel and the people that owned the house were kind enough to say we could re-schedule with no loss of deposit. Same with our airfare. We rebooked the same house and forged ahead with our plans.

Until last night. Last night we got a phone call from the realtor of the agency we are renting the house in San Miguel from. Uh oh. The people got a buyer for their house and the new owners have cancelled all pending rental contracts. Eeeek! It never fails. We knew there was a chance that the house could be sold since they've had it on the market for a couple of years, but really, two days before we leave? He's scrambling to find us another house which he promises will be even nicer than the one we were going to rent. In fact, if push comes to shove and he can't find another house, he has offered his own house to us since he is in California right now.

One of the first questions he asked us was if we liked dogs or not. Rick, said "uhm, yes, we have dogs ourselves, why?" It turns out that their bassett hound is in residence but the house staff will take care of everything to do with him and the only thing we'd have to do was pet him if he asks. I guess the house is extremely nice (with a pool) and usually rents out for three times the price per week of the one we were going to stay in. 

So, we don't know exactly where we'll be staying and I guess wherever the driver takes us is where we belong! Nothing like a little shake-up right before departure. At first I was very upset but now I've come around to the idea of a house that is fully staffed and I don't have to lift a finger that  comes complete with a dog to pet when I am missing my own. As my sweet husband tells me, just go with the flow.

Photo: Doesn't the above photo look like a face to you? the windows are the eyes, the tree with the hole is its mouth and nose, some moss that serves as a toupee and it even has a hat on!

We picked up our T@B (which we have now named Lady Bug) on Thursday, April 10th. There is a new entry on the T@B site about our first backyard "camp-out" that is now up and ready for reading. My sister was visiting and got to go with us to pick her up, so she got a little bit attached to her cute personality and suggested the name Lady Bug. She also sent us a card and included this sketch that she drew of her. I just love it! She's so talented -- I can't draw at all. I need to buy some archival tape of some kind so I can affix the sketch to her travel log book.

At first we had Lady Bug parked in front of the house in the driveway for loading her up with things we had purchased for her and things that we took from the house. Friday we hooked her up to Johnny (yes, she is that light!) and towed her down in the backyard and parked her on the gravel pad. She's safe and secure back there and we think it's the perfect place to park her when she's not in use. Plus, we get to play in her easily. The awning arrived late Friday afternoon after we had already set up the dog area. It really extends the living space.

Come and take a look! Welcome!

One week from today, we'll be here: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. We've rented a rather large casita near the center of town, somewhere close to that big pink cathedral (the Parroquia) you can see in the photo. Rick's mom is joining us. Can't wait! If you remember, we were scheduled for this trip last October when Alex got sick and we had to cancel. Thankfully the owners of the house let us keep the half of the deposit we had already paid and the airline extended our frequent flyer miles so we didn't lose any money. 

When I tell people we are going to Mexico they always assume we are going somewhere with water. When I tell them that we are nowhere near any water, they frown. Why go to Mexico if not for the beach? Because. Because San Miguel is magical. Because San Miguel is historical. Because San Miguel is one mile high. Because the food is wonderful since many top chefs choose to live here. 

Below is my favorite photo that I took when I was last there. Rick doesn't like it as much as I do because he wishes I had used a deeper depth of field. I like it the way it is because it focuses on the woman with her orange bucket. To tell you truth, I didn't even know that gentleman was across the street when I took the photo because I was so focused on her. So, how about you? Do you like the shallow depth of field or would you have preferred to see the gentleman in full focus as well?

Gee, it's been a while since I posted last. I'm not sure where the time goes! I am boring with no photos to show you and I really do need to replace that wintry header. BRRR! It doesn't look like that here anymore, although we did have a little snow overnight with 26 degrees. Hopefully that is the last of it!

Rick had a business trip to Miami and one of the days they took an excursion to the Everglades. He got some wonderful photos! Here is the link to his site (or click on Rick's tab above) where he has four of his favorites up with a link for the full gallery. Be sure to leave him a comment -- he'd love that.

In other news my sister's visit came and went by very quickly. She was excited that while she was here our little T@B trailer came in and she went with us to Pennsylvania to pick it up. She suggested the name Lady Bug and we liked it so much we are going to keep it! Thanks, sis! More on Lady Bug to follow very soon!