Feliz Año 2020

Posted on January 4, 2020 by dave

Noche Vieja brought to a close a good year for us, and we anticipate 2020 with optimism. The year started at midnight with fireworks in Plaza de la Paz here in Guanajuato, followed by a good night´s sleep and dinner with Aimeé´s family later on the 1st.

The weather in December was much better than last year with only a few cold, rainy days around the solstice. Our new apartment is much warmer and I’ve avoided the general discontent that I experienced last year. If January weather stays fine then there will be no need to go to the beach.

I started last year with some serious reading. I am currently reading Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams and feel this is an important book for everyone because getting sufficient quality sleep is essential for both mental and physical health. Really, read the book!

We will return to Garden Bay on March 9, just a little over two months from now, and I am looking forward to resuming my productive life there.

Life in Guanajuato

Posted on November 24, 2019 by dave

We arrived in Guanajuato on October 15 and have been busy every day since. We moved into the same apartment as last year and resumed our lifestyle here that is completely different from Garden Bay.

The Cervantino festival was in full swing. Blair and Jennifer arrived a week later. The four of us attended many musical performances together and ate out every night. Another couple then arrived from Montreal, friends of B&J, and our group of six were mostly inseparable for another four weeks of eating out and attending cultural events. Now that the Canadian friends have left, Aimeé and I will eat out less but still frequently.

Most important for me is the weather: warmer temperatures, longer days, lots of sun, and little rain. I compare this daily to Garden Bay to fully appreciate where I am. It has been warmer than usual but surely cold days are coming in December, lasting through January. I take advantage of the weather to run almost every day.

After the first month we moved into a different apartment right next door. The new place has an independent entrance and constant hot water, both big improvements. It is also larger and warmer. I really hope we will be able to rent it again next winter. We are a five-minute walk to El Jardín.

In Guanajuato I am on vacation and it’s really great (but not HOME). We mostly walk everywhere, or take a bus or taxi when necessary. Every week there are numerous cultural activities up until around mid-December. Unfortunately there is hiatus in January that can make the month with its weather dreary. Maybe we’ll go to the beach for relief.

Plumbing Project

Posted on October 1, 2019 by dave

My house has a single bathroom and at times that is inconvenient, especially when there are visitors. The utility room is the only space available for another toilet but it is already packed with washer, dryer, and hot water heater. In order to create space I had been thinking about stacking the washer and dryer, and one day this summer I started moving things around.

After convincing myself that stacking was a good idea and fairly easy, I dove right in without a plan, although I did think it through but one step at a time. The project suffered from classic scope creep which was kind of stressful but it all worked out well.

I then started thinking about the next step, i.e., adding a sink and toilet. I do not have a lot of plumbing experience and this is out of my comfort zone. I contacted three plumbers to obtain a quote; two did not respond and one said no thanks. I was reminded of how difficult it is to engage tradespeople here in Garden Bay.

I was also worried about whether I’d have to make other changes to satisfy the building inspector so I called him and he visited to review my situation. He was encouraging and so I decided to take on this renovation project in 2020. Since the building inspector’s visit, I have been researching and planning.

The more I educate myself, the more confident I become and the plan gets better. I had another meeting with the building inspector to find out what’s required for a permit and he has corrected my course as required. I’ve started buying things: a plumbing book, a laundry sink unit, a toilet, Pex installation tools and supplies, etc. Although we leave for Mexico soon, I like the feeling of making progress and being well prepared to continue when I return in March.

Summer Waning

Posted on September 2, 2019 by dave

We’ve had a great summer with moderate temperatures and the right amount of rain. The time flew by while doing projects, some travel, and general recreation. We return to Guanajuato on October 14 and I am saddened by the thought of leaving my home in Garden Bay. However, we will arrive to summer weather and in the midst of the Cervantino festival which we will enjoy along with Blair and Jennifer, friends from Vancouver.

I celebrated my 65th birthday last month. We were on on way home from a camping trip to Texada Island and I got to ride the ferry for free! Later this month I am expecting to receive my first CPP/OAS monthly cheque which will be extra spending money and I am determined to learn how to spend. I think we will travel more, in particular, we have talked about going to Madrid, let’s say in September 2020.

Another challenge I have, and it is worse in Guanajuato, is how to enjoy my time when I don’t have some project on the go. I hate it when I fall into the habit of doing sudokus! Part of the answer for me is jogging regularly and in the last week I feel like I have regained the habit. I also tuned my piano and decided to play a bit. It’s amazing how much I enjoy the struggle to play and I’m learning to practice with Aimeé around.

In Full Swing

Posted on June 5, 2019 by dave

We’ve been home over two months now and they have been busy.

the vegetable garden is planted and growing well
the flower gardens are very colourful and the roses are doing well
Aimeé became a permanent resident in May
Aimeé just completed 10 weeks of swimming lessons
we play drop-in soccer once a week in Gibsons
I’ve installed drip irrigation lines throughout the garden
my partners and I just completed installing the panels on the back roof of the cabin; the ridge vent is next

We go back to Guanajuato mid-October so lots more to come.

Summer to Spring

Posted on March 26, 2019 by dave

March in Guanajuato this year was very warm, summer temperatures for Garden Bay. The leafless Jacaranda tree in full bloom shows that the season is spring. Although this tree is considered native, it originally came from Japan.

We returned to Garden Bay on March 22. The weather is cool and mixed as expected. I love the crocus in the garden and all the other signs of spring. I now have lots to do!

Joy of Reading

Posted on February 2, 2019 by dave

I like to be busy and productive, and I read at night to prepare to sleep. For the past I don´t remember how many years, I have been reading almost exclusively fiction in Spanish. Before this phase I used to read almost exclusivley non-fiction, and I have just rediscovered that interest due to not being busy nor productive here in Guanajuato.

First book read this year was Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating and I am now an avid healthy eater! My dietary sin was saturated fats and basically they have been minized in my diet. For example, no more butter BUT I still put a measured amount of cream in my coffee. I found a great website for daily nutrition tracking that for me makes eating goal-based rather than just filling the hole. Since I enjoyed reading this book so much, I searched for another stimulating read.

The third book read this year was The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself. This is a mixture of current science and philosophy that I found very interesting, true, and relevant for the sexagenarian that I am. My favourite quote:

“That´s us. Ephemeral patterns of complexity, riding a wave of increasing entropy from simple beginnings to a simple end. We should enjoy the ride.” – Sean Carroll

In between the non-fiction I read Mariposa Intersections: a novel written by a friend of mine. It´s an interesting story set in Mexico with an underlying theme of nuclear power and climate change. Ideas beget ideas, and I think this book led me to the current book that I am reading.

Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know I admit that until now I´ve been a casual observer of the changes occurring in world due to, and in response to, climate change. It finally dawned on me that climate change could “be the defining issue of our time” so I better prepare myself and participate responsibly.

Happy New Year

Posted on January 2, 2019 by dave

“Discontent is the first necessity of progress” – Thomas Edison (b. 1847)

I like to start the new year with thinking about where I’m at, what I would like to accomplish in the coming year, and making plans. In December I suffered from discontent due to idleness and a cold apartment, causing me to yearn to be home where at least I have lots to do and a warm house.

My thinking led me to read: Philosophies of Innovation, History´s Innovators, and Their Teaching On the Character of Innovation by Michael Tirado. It is a compilation of quotes from over 50 “of the most notable creators and innovators in history”. While filled with wisdom, what follows are the quotes I find most personally guiding for the new year.

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand” – Confucius (b. 551 BC)

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” – Benjamin Franklin (b. 1706)

“A well spent day brings happy sleep” – Leonardo da Vinci (b. 1452)

“Things won are done; joy´s soul lies in the doing” – William Shakespeare (b. 1564)

“We must cultivate our own garden. When man was put in the garden of Eden he was put there so that he should work, which proves that was not born to rest” – Voltaire (b. 1694)

“It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man” – Benjamin Franklin (b. 1706)

“To be is to do” – Immanuel Kant (b. 1724)

“The busier we are, the more acutely we feel that we live, the more conscious we are of life” – Immanuel Kant (b. 1724)

“He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace at home” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (b. 1749)

¨Learning ballroom dancing is great for your brain. But it only works for three to six months. After that, you’ve got all the benefit you can get, and so you have to move on to yoga, and then Tai Chi, and then bridge, always keeping on the steep part of the learning curve” – Nolan Bushnell (b. 1943)

“Get busy living, or get busy dying” – Stephen king (b. 1947)

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Posted on December 21, 2018 by dave

On the day of the winter solstice this seemed an appropriate title. We woke up to a temperature of 1C. Actually it’s colder inside our apartment most of the day due to no heat and a large leaky window, which is kind of ironic because the house in Garden Bay has wonderful new windows and a gas fireplace.

For the first time they set up an outdoor skating rink in Guanajuato. Pretty amazing given that the daily high is usually above 20C. To enter you must provide a donation of food or clothing, and skates are provided.

This is our little balcony, decorated by the owners with poinsettias for Christmas. To enter our apartment we pass through the main house which is festively decorated including a live tree. We’ll be spending Christmas with Aimeé’s family.

Día de los Muertos

Posted on November 4, 2018 by dave

This year there was a great deal of activity surrounding Día de los Muertos, and the streets were packed. Below is a sampling of images from around el centro.