Historians disagree on who is responsible for starting the custom of honoring our fathers on a special day. Some claim it was Sonora Louise Smart Dodd who convinced the city leaders of Spokane, Washington to proclaim the third Sunday in June 1909 as Father’s Day. Others state that it had its origin in West Virginia. […]
Continue ReadingMay is a dry month in Mexico. In fact, some folks may call it the drought month before the rainy season begins. This is the time of year when farmers begin to prepare their fields for planting. The actual planting is done after a couple of good soaking rains. This preparation of the fields is […]
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Wedding traditions vary all over the world and Mexico is no exception. Canada and the United States are such international melting pots that we may see Asian, African or English customs demonstrated in the same ceremony. The same is true in Mexico. April and June have been designated as Bride’s Months in many countries. Add […]
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Autumn is a very special time in the mountains of Jalisco. The summer rains have washed clean the faces of every leaf and blade of grass in the countryside. Imagine yourself taking a walk along a country road, portable easel, paints and brushes in hand. You might have a water bottle slung over one shoulder […]
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Many of you know August is the month when Talpa de Allende’s image of the Virgin begins walking the back roads, visiting and blessing the ranches, cattle, crops, ponds and creeks along the way. She is accompanied by her devotees for six weeks on this summer trek. Her approach to the ranches is announced by […]
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In the 1860s, Mexico was the world’s most important producer of silver. El Bramador doesn’t appear on most Mexican road maps, but it exists in the western Sierra Madre Mountain range in Jalisco. There is an unpaved road from Talpa de Allende, and the drive is about five hours long. We were in Puerto Vallarta, […]
Continue ReadingMexico enjoys temperate climes throughout the year. It gets a bit warm on the coast in the summertime and a bit chilly in some of our mountains in the wintertime. But generally, we don’t suffer the debilitating hot, humid summers our northern neighbors do, nor do we skate around on frozen lakes in the wintertime. […]
Continue ReadingIn 1985, there were four Americans living in Talpa. Guy Lawlor and Bill Worth had almost finished their ranch house, or so I thought. Twenty-three years have passed and it is still almost finished. Bill never allows his measuring tape or draftsman’s pencil to lie idle for long. The great open hall upstairs, with four […]
Continue ReadingNovember is a busy month in Talpa de Allende. The corn has been harvested and the stalks stand in stacks in the open fields. The sun will soon dry them out enough so that they can be ground into fodder for the livestock. We’ve celebrated The Day of the Dead, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, The Day […]
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There was an Indian mound near my home when I was growing up. We knew we were not supposed to play near the mound, and we knew it was an ancient burial spot, but we didn’t know it might have been a “power place.” My older brothers had shoeboxes full of flint arrowheads collected from […]
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