Mexico

So once we recovered from the excitement of Jesse presenting at the War and Peace: A Mormon Perspective conference we started to plan the trip and a big black cloud settled over Jesse and I as we contemplated a few days to a week in LA doing really not much else but shopping.  (We are not good shoppers - we keep trying - but we're just not that good.)

Then - I discovered that Mexico was right next to California - who knew!  And so began my search for cheap flights to somewhere cool in Mexico.  Mission accomplished - cheap flights were available to Merida which is right near ancient Mayan ruins.

So that meant the choice was shopping in LA or climbing ancient ruins in Mexico - now that's a no-brainer.

So much fun - Merida is a delightful town - it's a big tourist centre for Mexicans but very few western tourists - which means it's totally set up for tourists but still exotic and fascinating.

We found a great hotel right on the main square which cost us all of $25 a night and included a great breakfast of crepes, fruit, yogurt and wholemeal bread rolls.

The main square was the centre of everything - and every night from Thursday to Monday there is Salsa dancing in the street - families turn out with their littlies and grandparents alike - all salsa-ing away the night.  Traditional Mayan dancing - which turns out to involve trays of tequila balanced on heads - and a boy band to finish the night.

Jesse salsa-ed with one of the locals boys about town - that means she has danced on tables in Nepal, in a cafe in Greece and in the street in Mexico. (How do I keep her down on the farm!)

We spent a day admiring the architecture - well.. admiring and pondering what it all meant to the Mayans - and sampling the chocolate - and loving the markets.

Then a day at Chichin Itza - it's one of the wonders of the ancient world for a reason.  It's also gruesome - all about human sacrifice - but incredible and beautiful.  We took a tour which was a mistake - a long lunch at a big tourist place and not enough time to wander.  

So the next day we took the bus to Uxmal by ourselves.  We bought 2nd class tickets - which turned out to mean no seat belts.  Chichin Itza was great and we both thought it was worth the trip but Uxmal was one of the great days in life.  It is just as beautiful as Chichin Itza though not as big - the big difference is that at Uxmal you can climb anywhere - even inside a little bit.

The buildings are massive and quieting - and there was no human sacrifice at Uxmal.  We spent the whole day wandering, listening in to the English speaking guides, sitting and wondering, and climbing.  Jesse is not a fan of heights but did the climb to the top of this tower anyway - and gingerly made it down to the applause and congratulations of a group of German tourists.

We made it back to Merida after dark and walked home along little narrow streets where people smiled and where we both felt completely safe.  The whole day felt like a dream really.

Then it was on to California for the conference.

At the Mexico City airport we amused ourselves by people watching - our favourites were the flock of long haired suave Latino boys heading to Miami who swanned around the departure lounge striking a new pose every few minutes.

Mexico City is high on both our lists of places to visit -' sprawling' doesn't even come close to describing the view from the air.

Autumn

Louisa woke up on Sunday morning and said "what does that smell like to you - that's right it smells like summer is over."

And she was right - there was a definite cool scent in the air.

Lee & Joan's house

It's almost finished and it's looking good. 

 Peet takes arty photos but once the scaffolding comes down I am sure we'll get a full photo.

Storm

We do love a good storm - and this one happened while Roger and I were in New Zealand.

Lightening struck Roger's shed and just outside the Fulcher's house too.

Moustaches

Because according to Jesse you 'really need to break loose when your parents are away' - all the kids spent one night cutting out moustaches and sticking them on everything with a face in the house.

All except the pictures of Jesus - because that would be disrespectful - and also he already has one!

SS

Max asked if I had some embroidery thread - and some stiff fabric - and a safety pin.  We settled on laminated denim.

He worked away and embroidered a badge that says SS.  He won't tell me why.

Of course, he was listening to The Secret Seven on CD before bed last night.

Cedar Creek

After an Australia Day morning of breakfast and swimming at Anne's we cleaned the girls room then left Peet, Louisa and Tom to get ready for the temple that night while Lee, Joan, Jesse, Max and I went to have a look at Dayboro. (Max came under considerable duress - there was sulking in the back seat!)

While Max slept we spotted flood high water marks and smiled at North Pine Dam.

Then we went to Cedar Creek - that was a good idea. The floods meant that it glistened - no moss on the rocks, running water - babbling in fact. It reminded Lee of a Canadian creek. All the undergrowth on the side of the creek was gone. There were no bugs anywhere. The water was about the cleanest, crispest water I had ever dipped my feet into.

Max conceded that he was glad I made him come. He and and Jesse swam then wrapped up in the picnic tablecloths I had in the boot for the drive home.

Jesse says that Australia Day is always good if you stay away from the beach - this one certainly was. But Roger had to work and bounty like that should be shared so the next afternoon we all went out for a swim.

Jesse & Louisa couldn't resist the cool mountain water and drank it (they are still alive and kicking).