Spent the heat of the day sitting on the the beach front doing some watecolor studies and listening to Michelle sing some wonderful songs in french, spanish and english. These are four of the studies. I'll post the others in my next post.

The sun is setting over the mountain as I write this - just so pleasant to hear the surf crash, to feel the air cool down, to smell the salt air and to see the boats coming in to the harbor after being out all day long with the sun setting behind that mountain across the bay. What I wish I had was a really good margarita to top it off (one of those really good margaritas that they make at Rogorios in San Miguel de Allende).

The cruise ship anchored out in the bay is shuttling those last few passangers who still are onshore. When all are onboard, it will weigh anchor and head back north in a few hours, leaving us back to normal, until it returns with a new load of tourists on Friday for a day stop. That ship is a monstrosity. With all those decks - it looks top heavy and just ugly, particularly with all it's lights aglow. Give me a good sailing ship any day.

Over on the beach front today where I was painting, the local fishermen are loading up thier pangas and pushing them on logs to launch them into the surf for a night of handlining for whatever they can catch, and bring that bushel or two of small fish, with maybe a couple of bonita or a dozen mackeral back to the beach front fish market for the morning sale. You can see their little lights bobbing up and down out at the head of the bay and beyond, into the Pacific. There is usually 2 or 3 men in each boat and by morning they will still be there trying to get that last few fish before heading in.

Last night, while I was talking to Steph on Skype, I had my door open to the outside porch, and a bat flew just into the door and out. Kathie, who is renting a large house up on the mountain in back of me, said that they get bats in that place every night (the living area that is not closed in). I can see them in the failing light right now flitting around trying to find a few morsels. I have also seen a number of squirrels, but don't have a field guide to identify them (will go to the library in SMA and find out what they are). No other mammals have I seen. I think that I just found out where there is a small colony of bats in an old building next to this hotel. That is where thy arepouring out of. I'll check it out tomorrow.

Oh, I did find a freshly killed (by car) vine snake, a rear fanged snake, slightly poisonous, that I had to examine to find the fangs way back in it's mouth, They are a long, very thin green snake, with a long head, adept at climbing trees and vines in search of small lizards, birds, and insects. Cool find. Just wish it had been unhurt, :(

Zihuatanejo, Mexico

The Bahia (Bay) of Zihuantanejo is one of the best anchorages along the Mexican Pacific coast. It is a beautiful bay, not huge by any means, but large enough for cruise ships to call on the port. The Sierra Occidental drops right into the Pacific, and by nature's work this bay was created

Away for Thanksgiving

I have been enjoying my stay in Mexico. San Miguel de Allende is a town for the arts: dance, theater, visual art, music, etc. There is always something going on at the plaza, or Jardin, in front of the Parroquia, or parish church, in the center of town. I have been doing a lot of artwork, making contacts with galleries, writing, and networking. I have also been able to do some virtual consulting work. Have not had a lit of free time to just have fun, but what the heck, my work is fun.

I am currently in Zihuatanejo, Mexico for the week of Thanksgiving. A woman in San Miguel was driving over to Zihua for the holiday and put a note on the local chatline for anyone wanting to come along. I responded, and it turns out that I was the only one that could travel on her dates. Kathie and I drove here on the 19th. Seven hours on the road, sharing the driving and talking alot, it seemed to pass rather quickly. It was a beautiful drive through the Mexican countryside and mountains to the Pacific coast. We stopped in Patzuaro for a quick sandwich and chips. Outside of Morelia was a great birding wetland associated with a large lake. I think that I will try to organize a birding trip there out of San Miguel in a few weeks.

So what about Zihua? Well, it is an old fishing village on the Pacific Coast southwest of Mexico City. About 30 years ago, the Mexican government built a resort area about five miles up the coast and called it Ixtapa. Today Ixtapa is large resort area with lots of big hotels, restaurants, and golf courses. I was over there today and found the general atmosphere rather not to my great liking. I much prefer the atmosphere of Zihua (except for when the cruise ships port for the day and all the people come ashore to shop and look at the sights.) So today I went into the cneter of town (Zihua), across the little slough that is the main harbor for most of the panga fleet (little 26' open fiberglass craft that are seen all over the world.). I went there to gather sketches for possible paintings. Wow, was there a lot of stuff to work with. It would sure be a lot easier to capture all this with a camera, but where is the challenge. When I was in architecture we were not allowed to use a camera for the city centers project and that's what I am doing now en pleine aire work.

Trying to drum up a fishing trip. Can't seem to find anyone to split the cost. Darn-it. Also don't know about a dive trip. The visibility isn'r but about 5 meters. might just do some snorkrling and free diving around some of the nearshore rocks. There is some coral and a lot of small fish, but nothing like then Red Sea or Belize.

Consulting work: ups and downs

Last week I was told that I will not be returning to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to work on the Aramco UPDC project. That is two of us learning designers who are not returning and I am sure there will be more. I am convinced that it is a business decision, based on the meager output of the team this past year due to uncertainties around SME input and availabilities, organizational structure, management, and leadership. I believe that upper management expectations were not met, so the thing to do was to reduce manpower and reorganize and alter expectations for the coming year. Perhaps there will an opportunity to return when they get their act together, but in the meantime, I have clients to find and service. There are opportunities out there and I will find them. Networking and research are the two most important activities right now, and I have been doing a lot of that since I was told that I was not coming back. Here in San Miguel I am also tempted to complete the illustrations that I started when I first arrived, but I need to focus. There will be time to do art again. I am confident that income producing work will result if I continue to expand my network. This is the life of a consultant - up and down :)

Exciting sunsets on the rooftop terrace.

I find the rooftop terrace of Maricela's Guest House such a great place to work on my artwork. From the terrace I have a wonderful view of San Miguel de Allende. I am in a place very close to the center of town on the fourth floor, so the panorama is 360 degrees. The Parroquia (main church in town) is about two blocks north. East is up and over a small mountain covered with centuries old homes of Spanish architecture. South looks over a similar array of structures. Finally, west is the view out into the valley and in the distance are two mountain ranges. That is where the most beautiful sunsets occur (obviously). Last night was one of those special times. Maybe it was because it was the Dia de los Muertos, and all the deceased were kicking up dust into the clouds as they came to the dinners placed out for them in almost every household and business in town. Whatever, the sky evolved into absolutely the best sunset that I have experienced here. As if the sunset itself was not enough, the birds, all kinds of them, I think, realized that it was the Day of the Dead and they needed to hurry home to greet their dead relatives, for out of the grey of the high sky finches dropped almost directly at me in quick flitty flight to land inches and feet away from me in the big hackberry tree in the yard nextdoor (realize that I am positioned almost in the canopy of that tree - not ground level). I would spot a tiny image in the grey sky and it would quickly grow in size and appear to be headed right for me and at the very last minute it would seem to dodge me to land in the dark understory of the leaves of that hackberry - dozens and dozens of them - all talking to each other, excited to chat with their bedmates about the great times they had that day in the grass fields of the hillsides and valleys around SMA. There was flight after flight of egrets (mostly cattle egrets) heading from the day of feeding in the farmlands to their roost on the large presa, or lake, just out of view from the terrace. Then too, were the 5 varieties of flycatchers active in this immediate couple of blocks that flitted around chasing each other and claiming the best spot to perch and scan the darkening sky for the influx of small flying insects that began to emerge as the day was closing down. Thier characteristic flight up into the apparent empty sky a few yards from their perch would surely yield them the rewards of some small morsel - I could never see the small morsels that they were after. Then there was the quick smooth flight of a bat falcon right in front of me a few yards away as he headed for the bluffs and the bats that hang around there feasting on the beatles that use the thermals rolling up the bluffs of the mountain carry them into the valley to feast on the crops there.

As the sun was gliding behind those distant moiuntains flight after flight of white-winged doves coming in from all directions headed, bullet-like, to a group of trees in Parque Juarez a few blocks from my perch, and over to the north was a flight of white-faced ibis headed, I am sure, for the same roost as the egrets out someplace on the Presa.

Cowbirds and grackles, swallows and hummingbirds, feral pigeons and house sparrows - so many birds were, for some reason, more evident to me those few precious moments then any evening that I have spent in that wonderful place that I call my retreat - the rooftop terrace of Maricela's Guest House - was it the physical manifestation of the many souls coming home for their annual return home to the feasts that have been placed for them by their living loved ones. It was the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) all over Mexico.

How I wish that I could have shared that wonderful experince with my birding compadres - my loved ones - my family - God has been truely good to me!

Good night and love to each and everyone who reads this post!