This would be my first attempt at staying connected consistently for an eight hour day to do my virtual job remotely, so I started the day with high anxiety. Failure would mean that I would soon be on the bus headed back to Texas, leaving Don here to soak up all the ambiance alone. I started off the day with two conference calls with India, the UK, and France, as well as a series of reports that were due. It didn’t take long to realize with a sense of great relief that thanks to my brothers diligent efforts and tireless tennacity, the set-up for work was actually WORKING! I could now relax and stay awhile!

View from the "library" where I have made my office

The office / library is an unbelievable place to work with a quiet, zen-like ambiance. I can’t remember a time when I was in a more pleasant atmosphere for working. Although I would much rather be out exploring the city, it is still enjoyable to be sitting in an office with windows that open out on a plant-filled courtyard, listening to a waterfall and a cacophony of birdsong.

The home where we are staying has a lot of open doors and alcoves, with a three story atrium covered by a glass skylight, so I was quite startled as I heard a fluttering noise overhead, and looked out the office opening overlooking the atrium to find a hummingbird inside, trying to escape through the skylight. Thankfully as I was trying to figure out a rescue solution (Can I trap him in the hammock??) he had flown back out the way he came. Hummingbirds are always so illusive; it was a unique experience to have to think about a rescue attempt!

Don and I planned to meet for lunch at 1:00pm on the corner near the Institute de Allende. I watched and waited anxiously, and when he hadn’t shown in 20 minutes, I grabbed some fruit and yogurt from the market and headed back home. Fearing heat stroke or something worse, I called his cell phone as soon as I walked in the door, only to hear him panting on the other line….his local cell phone was in the wrong time zone! We laughed at my ability to spend the morning on conference calls connecting to all points around the globe, yet we two could not connect a few blocks from each other!

La Posidita....restaurant with a view

What we missed for lunch, we more than made up for at dinner, visiting one of our very favorite spots, La Posidita, known equally for its food and movie set-like view. The outdoor restaurant at the top of two flights of stairs overlooks the cupolas of the historic Parroquia across the street. The food is excellent here, with freshly made guacamole, savory salsas, and frosted beer mugs. But the real draw is their authentic Pozole, or Mexican hominy stew, served with a round of accompaniments. Don has spent hours trying to perfect his own recipe, so La Posidita is always high on the priority list for at least one visit….more if time allows.

Don with his favorite Pozole

Fresh guacomole, made to order

La Parroquia, Neo-gothic church off the main square

No better way to walk off dinner than a stroll through the Jardin, or main square. It is off-season here in San Miguel, so the public areas have taken on a much different atmosphere than I have experienced on past visits during the holiday season when the sidewalks are overflowing with tourists. It is a quiet, sleepy setting with very few tourists, a few expats, but mostly local families milling about, socializing or enjoying an ice cream from the street vendors.

It was nice to discover the rooftop shower today. It is surrounded by a jungle of plants, so it affords at least some semblance of privacy, even in the great outdoors. There is no faster way to cool off on a 90 degree day than an outdoor shower! Even with nice, hot water, the cool breeze brings a bracing chill that is the next best thing to a siesta for us working folks!

Share on Facebook

Don reassembles office pieces wrapped in plastic

Everyone was up early for Mike and Val’s departure for Italy. Once they were out the door, Don and I took a collective deep breath, then he went to work on my “virtual office.” After stringing a few miles of cords and a maze of routers, EUREKA!! We had contact! Now it was time to enjoy the remainder of my day off by exploring and reconnecting with the city we have both come to call our “ second home.”

UNESCO World Heritage Church

It is difficult to describe the ambiance of San Miguel de Allende. It is like a little microcosm of happy locals and expats living a life dedicated to artistry and culture. UNESCO World Heritage has protected the entire town as one of the greatest examples of 18th century Mexican Baroque. Following WWII, many of the GI’s came to San Miguel to study art on the GI bill, which became the foundation for the large expat community, as well as the focus on art and cultural events. Every day, there is some type of concert, poetry reading, or class taking place.

On our first “walkabout,” we went in search of the local newspaper, “Atencion!” and wandered through the square to check out what was new. It was comforting to see all the old favorites still there. The preservationists have done a really great job in concealing progress and preserving the ambiance of the city. There is a new Starbucks on the main square, but you really have to look to see the signage.

El Correro, near the Post Office

El Correro, a long-established restaurant across from the Post Office, translated into what I believed to be “The Letter,” however I wasn’t sure so I decided to Google it. I guess it is a sign of the times when the translator comes back with “The e-mail” instead! Regardless, it happens to be one of Don’s favorites because of their special side dish of fire roasted chipotle peppers. This was my first time visiting this restaurant, and I can see why it has long been a family favorite. Cute, quaint, and eyes-roll-back-in-the-head good food! We both had the Enchiladas Suisas, which tasted even better accompanied by the smoke flavor from the chipotles.

Enchiladas Suisas "before"....

.......and "After"

With no luck finding the local newspaper on the street, we made our way over to La Biblioteca, a well stocked library arranged in a fabulous old Spanish courtyard. This quaint library also contains a café, a theatre, and a large English section with travel guides, biographies, best sellers, and even a DVD rental. As I wandered the aisles enjoying one of my favorite smells, that of old books, I heard faint piano music wafting through the windows so I followed the sound, and came upon a young man wearing a fedora, practicing for his upcoming concert. I sat at a table covered in books filled with the art of Mexico while listening to him play, surrounded by beautiful books and murals on the walls. It was one of those serendipitous moments that seems to happen often in San Miguel.

Flowers in the local market

If you want to "eat from the earth," this is the place!

After a tour through the local market, it was time for happy hour, so I joined “Donaldo” (as Valarie calls him) on the rooftop. Mike and Val just finished a gorgeous seating area up on the roof where you can now lounge on cushions while watching the sun go down and the lights come up over San Miguel, so it was the perfect place to enjoy some of our “smuggled contraband” of red wine and French Papillion cheese with sourdough bread, along with some fresh artichokes that Michael had steamed for us before he left.

Don enjoys a little "imported" vino on the rooftop

It’s good to be alive in what feels like the Sultan’s Palace of San Miguel!

San Miguel Skyline from Rooftop

[

Share on Facebook

Loaded in a taxi to maximum capacity, we arrived at Mike and Val’s front gate to open arms and the red carpet treatment.    After warm greetings and a few minutes to catch up, they announced they were throwing a party in our honor!    Although the last thing I wanted to do was be social after 22 hours on a crowded bus, in hindsight it was the best plan, otherwise we would have headed straight for the bed and crashed.

Michael's incredible "teaching kitchen"

They wanted us to have some local contacts while they were away, so they invited two of their closest friends, Michael, a writer from LA, and Holly, who moved to San Miguel 22 years ago to start a catering business.  Both self-proclaimed “foodies,” along with Michael’s penchant for out-of-this world cooking in his state-of-the art “teaching kitchen,” we knew we were in for a culinary delight!

Leftovers don’t look like this!

Indescribably delicious!

Michael claimed the reason for the dinner party was to “clean out his refrigerator,” yet the ingredients seemed perfectly paired as one by one, the scrumptious dishes appeared; citrus grilled chicken, braised Napa cabbage with black sesame seeds, roasted red and yellow peppers with caramelized onions, sautéed bok choy with cob-shaved sweet corn, roasted cauliflower with slivered almonds, and an arugula salad with bleu cheese and roasted beets.    Dessert was a warm brownie with pistachio ice cream, sprinkled with grated orange rind.  No other words to say but “Simply sublime!!”

It's all about the presentation...

The List of Lists

Gotta write it down or it's GONE!

We spent the remainder of the evening going over the many lists of “how to’s,” which include landscape love for about 100 tropical patio plants, the care and feeding of Oliver the Cat, and all the new “not to be missed” restaurants, gourmet shops, and hot spots in town.

After dinner, the kitchen now cleaned and quiet, Michael decides he has too much nervous energy before his trip to Italy the next day, so he whips up some petite tarts filled with homemade Moroccan tomato jam and cream cheese.  The man doesn’t stop!   But there was no staying awake any longer, as Don and I both crashed for a good 10 hours sleep.

What a welcome!

Share on Facebook