Where's Sarah?

    We just had a wonderful two week visit from my brother, JC.  We took him to yet another rodeo, this one in a mountain village called Desmontes way out in the boonies.  The setting was outstanding.  The stone ring crowded with cowboys and horses overlooked a lovely valley with a large lake reflecting the dramatic mountains beyond.  We're acquainted with a surprising number of the cowboys, now, since we've been to several rodeos in the same area, and they all stopped to visit with us.  We'd buy each other beers, and introduce JC around - it's like being suddenly enfolded in a bigger-than-life cheerful version of an old western.  One fellow named Hugo, with handlebar mustache happened to be astride his horse in the ring with bulls and about 6 other cowboys when he came by to chat.  We handed him a beer, and he pulled a two foot machete from a scabbard on his saddle to pop the top off.

Click here for photos from the rodeo:
http://www.songseek.com/picturenet/photos/DesMontes/ 

    Another day we went on a four hour hike in the mountains above Villa Morelos with our friend Adrian.  We were accompanied by 5 or 6 dogs, and many of his children, ranging from a married daughter and her husband to six year old Victoria.  The hills are scored with ancient stone roads, built and used for traffic by burro, horse or foot only.  We read that in the 1930s, 97% of the roads in Mexico were like this, and I suspect the number is still substantially over half, at least in this area.  Stone walls surround old corn fields and pastures, many of which are no longer used, attesting to Adrian's statement that the area relies less on subsistence farming these days than previously.   We stopped for a cookout under some trees bordering an old field about two hours above the village.  Adrian told how he used to work herding cows here, driving them down to water every day.  He talked about the hardships, and not having enough to eat, but also seemed to remember the peace of that solitary lifestyle fondly.  We cooked tortillas with cheese on the open fire, and roasted onions and hot peppers in the coals.  The quesadillas were completed with fresh avocado and tomatoes - a fabulous feast!

Click here for photos of the hike:
http://www.songseek.com/picturenet/photos/Villa_Morelos_hike/

   As our time here wanes, we have begun tentatively planning for our return.  Right now, we expect to leave around April 22, when the lease on our little casa ends.  We'll go north to the Mexican state of Durango to search for my long lost relatives, and then maybe up to Texas for a couple days hiking at Big Bend.  We hope to be back in Maple Corner by around May 10.  Since our house is still rented, we are eternally grateful to Chris and Josie for their camp on Curtis Pond!  We will arrive BROKE, so Steve will try to scare up some work right away.  Isaac is going to finish out the year at Calais Elementary.  I have decided not to return to my job at SRS, so I will be looking around for some sort of gainful employment. Of course, all this will have to be squeezed in around visits with all of you!