Why Mexico, Los Barriles, East Cape…Why does my heart lead me there again and again?

Wolfy plays flamenco on my Jose Rameriz at Otra Vez

Well, I thought that I’d get another blog written about all the music that happened between Kansas and Mexico, last month.  But, I never found the time!  I did do a fun show at Otra Vez in Los Barriles mid November and I’ll try to attach a picture of some of the people who cheered me on that night.  We ALL had a great time.  A talented flamenco guitarist named Wolfy, who was justifiably drooling over my Jose Rameriz, sat in a wowed us with a few wonderful tunes.  The attendance was JUST perfect, big enough to feel like a successful evening and small enough that I felt like I was partying TOO.  I’ll be playing there again when I go down for my monthly trip to see patients.  That will be on December 9th.  If you’re out there, please come to listen and smile.

Someone recently asked me why on earth we went to Mexico so much and what was it that draws us there for several months this winter.  So, I took her question to heart and though it through pretty thoroughly.  Answering it confirmed my feelings and gave me a new excitement about the up-coming trip.  Here’s what I wrote…

Hi Marilyn!

You asked a loaded question.   What draws us to Los Barriles, Hmmm…such a sleepy little place…with little external entertainment…a place where it seems that everything you need to find, to purchase, to repair is like playing a game of scavenger hunt?   Bouncing down dusty roads to find the ONE fellow who could repair the wiring in my car, passing cows and asking for directions from old men with big smiles and no teeth, and then to let one of them actually ride in the car with me to be sure I could find the way…I HAVE had moments that I wondered what in the heck I was doing there!!!  But, there ARE sound reasons as I thought further about the question.

I like being able to *sigh* to breathe…My face to the sky with the breeze blowing through my hair, like the song I wrote, “The Cabo Song”.  The sounds of the roosters that make us laugh, as they join in with my singing at all times night and day.  The dogs on the beach that have befriended us and protected us.  And the donkeys….Momma and her baby being bossy with her mate when HE wants to nudge in to eat the sweet oatmeal that we bring to share.  Craig may think I’m learning something from these animals.  **chuckle**  What else…   The birds, the fish, The sea lion who barks when I stop singing on the terrace at midnight, the whales, the handful of people on the beach that we feel a kindred spirit to…Each one of these could be a blog in themselves.  For now, I’ll focus on ME and my family and what I think is actually motivating us.

The peace and the way that my family relates to each other while we’re there, I expect, is the main draw to Mexico for me.  It’s the simplicity that calls to me, I suppose.  I have patients to care for in Baja which makes me feel part of a whole and also satiates my love of caring for people and my need to be needed.  There are lots of warm feelings and smiles from the people I put my hands on and sing my songs to.  The money isn’t great, but the rewards are.   As much as I love my home in the US, my life is too packed in Colorado.  Is it just MY life or could it be that EVERYRONE’s life may be so often out of control in the states?!  Our values have us so busy that we have little time for friends and most people have their days packed with community or school activities from the time they get up until they fall into bed, exhausted.  Even with our chosen lifestyle and home school freedoms, it can feel like my life runs away unbridled with something else running the race.  There’s very little time to do my music or to pray in Colorado.  During family prayers at night, everyone is so tired that the prayers are short and not as thoughtful as they could be.  Good thing that God is kind and understanding.

I still  hug my daughters and insist on at least a couple of meals each day as a family.  But it requires a more conscious effort in the states, it seems.  I like our little place in in Los Barriles.  700 Square feet for 4 people means you live efficiently and work together.  You can’t leave the dishes.  There no DISH WASHER !  There’s just not as much to keep up with, not as many schedules or floors to mop and vacuum.  I can USUALLY find everything and if it’s lost, it won’t be lost for long.  The small quarters gives another meaning to a close family.  If we want some privacy, there’s always the beach or my office to escape to.

Some partiers at Otra Vez during my show

We count on each other in a very kind way, there, it seems.  It’s necessary to stay connected when in a place you’re not so familiar with.  Laughter and hugs are closer to the surface and because we’re at sea level, I bake lots of cakes and make home-made caramels.

Creative thought comes naturally in Mexico.  We do more art projects,video reports for school and music.  And of COURSE that appeals to me and my right brain yearnings.  Imagine Craig’s bass, Niki’s guitar, MY two guitars, banjo and dulcimer and STEFI’s piano all hanging on the walls or spread out in the living room.  It’s hard to ignore them calling to you when they are so close by.

We tend to actually HAVE a social live in Mexico, dinner and munchies with friends…my music at Otra Vez, hikes on Flat Top.  It’s so common to run into someone on the beach or in the store and say, “Wanna come over in an hour to watch the sunset over a sip of something?”  And people usually say “Sure!”  In Colorado it seems that people may not have a life that fits in with the time it takes to be really being a good friend.  I remember from my childhood that there were families and friends who were there during hard times.  Does that happen as easily, now?  If it doesn’t involve their kids in a sport or their business, it’s not going to fit into their lives.  I have friends that I have hours of visiting with in Mexico.  One person I consider a best friend in Colorado has had lunch with me possibly twice in the past year.

Ok, so I must have been needing to write about this, Marilyn!  Thanks for giving me the opportunity to confirm my thoughts on our trip.  Who knows what our winter adventure will bring us.  We’ve never been down more than 4 weeks.  So we’ll see.  Maybe we’ll change our minds and come back early, touring the states a bit before having to be home.  We’ve never been in a position to have this kind of freedom to roam.  When we start feeling like buffalo, we’ll probably head back to Colorado.  **chuckle**

Hugs,