• 30Aug

  It’s the First Latin American Blogger Awards!

  awards, blogging 16 Comments

  
  I have decided that it is high time for THE LATIN AMERICAN BLOGGER AWARDS! The winners below are only the first set of awards…no telling when the second Latin American Blogger Awards will be announced.

  So, without further ado, here we go - in no particular order:

  MOST BEAUTIFUL - I have read Heather in Paradise’s post on beauty at least a dozen times, and every time I read it I want to thank her for it. Absolutely beautiful.

  MOST AWFUL AND HEARTWARMING - Jennifer and Chuck in Mazatlán were robbed a while back, and her first post about what happened is wonderful. But the saga continued, and I marveled at their ability to stay sane throughout and how the whole thing ended up. There are five follow up posts that I recommend you read in this order - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I think you’ll agree about the awful and heartwarming award once you read them.

  MOST FRIENDLY - Wayne in Isla Mujeres comments frequently and is a good friend to so many bloggers! He knocked himself out putting together the Blogger Meetup last April. I count him as a friend even though we haven’t met - yet.

  BEST DISCONTINUED BLOG - The Road to Merida is a wonderful blog (written by mom Andrea) of two months with her family living in Merida. She is funny, irreverent, and shares so much in a very intimate and disarming way.

  MOST PERSONAL & VARIED - Jonna at Blah Blah Blah Ginger! writes about a multitude of interesting topics. From dogs & cats, to remodeling a house in Merida, to their condo on the beach in Akumal, to traveling, and RVs, painful dentistry, and much more. I couldn’t figure out how to link to individual posts on her blog so you’ll just have to go there and browse around!

  MOST HILARIOUS - You need to read Elliott in Ajijic’s post on her old life vs. her new life, especially if you used to work in an office. She is always hilarious!

  MOST GUTSY - Cynthia and Mike moved from the Pacific Northwest to Mexico City to teach English. Along the way they had a multitude of challenges and setbacks - medical issues when they visited Mexico City, to disillusionment with the teaching arrangements once they got there. Not people to cave in when the going got tough, they regrouped, and with help of blogger Brenda and others, ended up in Guyamas, in a great living situation and with a teaching gig. You guys are gutsy and strong!

  MOST INTERESTING - John lives in San Miguel de Allende. He gets around, though. Wherever he travels he posts wonderful in-depth accounting of the most interesting bits. His travels in Europe, Argentina, and around México are always - and I mean always - wonderful. I tried to pick out one post as a favorite, but I couldn’t as they are always interesting, and accompanied by exquisite pictures as well.

  MOST INTELLECTUAL, HIP & EDGY - Malcolm and Jillian of Dropped In have dropped out from blogging a little bit lately, but I am hoping they’ll be back soon. They live at the beach in the Yucatan and look at the world from a fresh perspective. Unafraid and witty, they always make me think. And laugh. And wish I was in my 30’s again. Read this post for sure, and check out the rest.

  BEST PHOTOGRAPHY - Award goes to Billie in San Miguel de Allende. Her photographs are thought provoking and challenging without being sentimental or trite. I’ve loved being introduced to the Holga and have learned quite a lot about photography from her. Oh, as well as about Mexico, cooking, friendship, growing older, and much much more.

  MOST RELIABLE - The Working Gringos at Yucatan Living have been one of my favorites for a long time. They have basically created a portal for information on Merida and the Yucatan - which sounds dry and businesslike - but oh, no, it isn’t. From interviews with people living and working in the area, to excursions into the countryside, to restaurant reviews, and the details of building a house or getting your car licensed - there is something for everyone. Even if you don’t live in the Yucatan.

  So there you have it! The winners of the FIRST LATIN AMERICAN BLOGGERS AWARDS!

  Tags: The First Latin American Blogger Awards!

• 30Aug

  Iluminemos Mazatlán

  around México, worries 3 Comments

  Mazatlán will be joining with 67 other cities around the country in a silent march this evening to show solidarity against rising crime levels.

  Everyone will gather at 5 pm at the Fisherman’s Monument to sing the national anthem. We will all be wearing white and carrying candles. The march will be silent, and will end at the Plazuela Republica.

  It is the hope that this simultaneous march will send a message that the people of México are united in their desire for the end to violence and uncertainty.

  If you’re in Mazatlán or any of the other cities participating, we encourage you to participate. If your city doesn’t have an organized walk, perhaps a candle in your front window at 6 pm Mexico City time would be a good alternative.

  Tags: Iluminemos Mazatlan, Living in Mexico

• 29Aug

  The Dog Days of Summer

  dogs, family, maz house 6 Comments

  Last night’s sunset was so beautiful! The rainy season really brings out a whole different look to the sky at night, and I like it.

  Life has been quiet lately, both of us have felt a bit out of sorts. We’re just so used to bopping around town alot and it is just too hot and steamy to do much walking during the day. Paul has been working a fair bit, too.

  On top of that, the dogs got a touch of something and Lucy’s ears got goopy again. More medicine and worries. If her ears aren’t better this afternoon I will call the vet and get the stronger medicine for her. Floppy ear dogs have problems in the humidity here!

  We’ve also had to cancel our planned week driving trip to Guadalajara, Morelia, and Patzcuaro. Our dogsitter had to cancel at the last minute and we just weren’t able to fix things up with a substitute…especially with Lucy not being 100% well. We hope to reschedule it soon.

  But the good news is that Monday they are going to start on the remodeling of the back yard. We have gone back and forth on what we want to do to the back yard - for a while we were thinking about a pool - but then we got a bid and had to rethink the plan. We are going to have a long roof put over the house side wall - constructed with salvaged ebony posts and salvaged vigas. We’re going to use cement tile on the floor. The balance of the backyard will be grass and plants - our seriously pruned hibiscus and bouganvillia are thriving, and they, along with the palm and bamboo should provide a nice foundation for the rest of the plants. I know the dogs will welcome the grass and the cover from the roof will keep the house cool and give us a nice place to sit and rock in the shade.

  Another great bit of news is that it seems pretty likely that we’ll see our son and his family from Washington in November. I miss them all a lot so hearing that they’re coming really made my day! Here’s a picture of them taken at their other grandma’s house this summer.

  

• 25Aug

  Some more blogs to check out…

  blogging, decisionmaking 7 Comments

  I’ve been on a roll lately (hmmm…a blogroll) finding people blogging about their lives in Mexico. Check them out:

  Family moves to Merida - their ¡Vamanos! blog is about their life in Mérida. The whole family moved for Dad’s work, and they expect to stay in Mexico until 2010.

  Larry & Indra in Progreso write Yucatan Rebirth. They are almost done building their house, and their most recent post gives a nice tour of Progreso.

  David Lida in Mexico City - Very interesting writer (of several books) His posts are always relevant and I have added one of his books to my Amazon wish list.

  Mexico Bob lives and works in Irapuato. He seems like a very nice, genuine, intelligent person - and his posts are well written and interesting.

  Our final link is to a page on Mexico Guru with a quiz that will help you decide where to retire in Mexico. Fun and harmless.

• 24Aug

  Creative solutions?

  weather 7 Comments

  I told you all in a previous post that my career was in property management. One of the main things property managers do is to make sure the structure stays sound….protect the roof, keep water out, etc. But my work life was in the Pacific Northwest where wood is used for everything! It will rot if it gets wet! My new life with cement and tile is taking a bit of getting used to.

  I get aggravated by bad planning. They do this a lot around here…the patio needed to have a lip at the doorway so the water will flow towards the drain - I get that part. But why not install the door so all the water that hits the door doesn’t flow down and into the house?

  I’m not satisfied piling towels where there are problems, so I had to figure out a work around. I took two of the metal seed guards from our bird cage and they keep 95% of the water outside where it belongs.

  Our kitchen window is another case of bad planning somewhere in the last century. See the scupper (downspout thing) that dumps its water right on top of the window? Grrrr. So I took one of the plexiglass inserts to the seed guards and taped up the bottom of the window. As part of our backyard renovation we are going to have a long roof for this side of the house that will keep all three windows on this side nice and dry.

  Here’s another funny solution. Above our office, upstairs, there is a long wide window that I just love because it turns the stairwell into a chimney and evacuates the hot air nicely. But if it gets to raining hard the water will bounce up and in. I needed a way to be able to close them - fast - without running to the garage for the ladder. So, if you look carefully you’ll see that each window has a piece of cord tied around the handle which are hanging down in the center of the doorway right now, since the windows are closed. Kind of dumb looking but it works! (It kind of reminds me of a contraption I built as a kid so I could turn the light switch off from my bed when I heard my mom coming…)

  It has been raining a lot the last few days. We’re ready for it to stop and give us a couple days to dry out, but really, we’re not complaining. Everything is green, the streets are clean, and the dams are filling up. That’s good.

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