After a Long Journey......

One week ago today we arrived back in San Miguel de Allende after being gone for almost four months. We left for three weeks and ended up being gone for way too long.

On the first day we drove from Houston to Saltillo. We crossed at Bridge #2 in Laredo and had no stops at customs or immigration. The traffic was light and we had smooth driving except when we turned from the cuota road to head into Saltillo. There is a lot of construction on the road heading into Saltillo. It will be a much better road when all of the overpasses are finished. We spent the night at the Camino Real Hotel. The hotel was a good reminder of the differences in architecture between the two countries. There are stairs everywhere. Sometimes only 5 or 6 steps, sometimes winding steps, sometimes whole flights of steps but almost always no hand rails. If you are in a wheelchair or not able to navigate steps easily, the Camino Real is not for you. In fact Mexico may not be for you.

I can't begin to describe how wonderful it was to start down the hill from the Caracol and see the town spread out in front of us. First I see the Parroquia spires, the Monjas church, the Oratorio, the San Francisco but the best is when I spot the San Antonio church in the middle of our Colonia. Then I know I'm really almost home.

Everything in the house looked great but it was very quiet. The pump on the pond had gone out and the fish had been eaten by birds. Our birds were staying with friends. And of course, we were reminded of Taylor when we walked in. I still miss my doggy friend everyday.

We're back in the swing with cooking and seeing friends but I still haven't gotten all our stuff put away. Today I'm cleaning out our closet. It needed it before we left. So as leverage to get it done, I'm not going to put anything back into it until it is clean and tidy.

I've also got to figure out how to keep up with the growing "library." When we first bought the house I brought down a few books but now my obsession for books has filled up the spaces. Also when we remodeled the kitchen, I thought I had enough room but the new enameled cast iron pot and the wok are overflowing the storage space. I had sworn off buying stuff except what I really need. Well if it is a book or something for the kitchen, I always seem to be able to convince myself that I really, really need it.

It is good to be home. Home with the windows open to life on the street. Home with the fireworks and church bells. Home with the cool nights and glorious blue skies.