eggnog by the beach

Welcome to 2009! Today the Mexicans serve the traditional Tamales de Dulce, a tamale filled with sweet meats, raisins and nuts. I, for one, am not a fan of this particular dish, but in our village it is readily available at most of the food stalls in town (not so much in the puestos that stick mainly to fish).

But down in the colonia we attended a lovely New Year's Day party that featured eggnog and lots of delicious "pick up" food. Everyone who had survived last night's festivities seemed in good spirits; not too hung over. The party was held in a house belonging to a couple who have moved down here from Ajijic, a gringo bastion near Guadalajara. Their home was built last year by Jaime and his crew of merry men (the chaps who did our floors and kitchen). This is a shot of the front of the house; all of those little windows are open to the breeze that comes from the mountainside, keeping the house cool.



For some reason it reminds me of the front of the Peter J. Shields Library

on the UC Davis campus. I love this library; it is filled with light AND great books.

I asked the hostess if rain poured through those openings during the wet season; yes, a little bit but nothing they couldn't live with. The breezes coming from the mountains to the east keep the house nice and cool at night. Then the day breeze off the ocean passes right through the open house and out the back. Nature's air conditioning.

On the sea side of the house is a large covered patio and the pool. The fence you see is right on the beach. Beyond it is the sea.


The house is modern, decorated in black, white and tan. Furnishing are very comfortable; overstuffed cushions, a nice swing on the patio, plenty of room to spread out. The host and hostess are delightful people, a wonderful addition to life at the beach.

Tomorrow we will go into Tecoman to buy some more paint in anticipation of our big paint job next week. I am still testing out colors. I have almost decided on a two-tone house with some "interior exterior" walls painted a different color. I'll put the different shades up and take a good look. I checked out a local house today that used different shades on the exterior and it looks pretty good.

20 days until 1/20/2009: End of an Error