Only on the streets of San Miguel... (2011 - March 19)

Rick standing in the background on the left

This afternoon I was studying my Spanish, and Rick was watching a movie with Spanish subtitles when suddenly - our buzzer buzzed. Now I've been told to never open the door unless I know who is on the other side. And so I nuzzled up close to our thick wooden door and said..."Who is it?" Since I didn't understand the muffled male response,  I said "Lo siento, no entiendo" (I'm sorry, I don't understand), and stepped back from the door.  But Rick was curious and opened the door to find a man and 2 burros - 1 white, and the other black - with packs on their backs. It turned out that this dear man was just trying to earn his living by selling the bags of garden soil he had placed on his burros' backs.


We tried to explain in our halting Spanish that we were just renting the casa, and that the gardener would be in on Tuesday. Even though we didn't buy anything, the man was gracious enough to allow me to take a picture of him and his burros. You can see Rick in the background, to the left, standing in front of our door. Only on the streets of San Miguel...


The range of experiences we've had while here have been incredible. We live among the locals, and like to shop at the small stores they tend, and eat in the restaurants they operate and enjoy. Just yesterday (a meatless Friday) we had a wonderful dinner, complete with seafood tostada appetizers (provided as a courtesy by the house), huge shrimp cocktails, grilled red snapper cooked in garlic butter, yummy rice, bread and salad at a simple neighborhood restaurant run by a family out of the front of their home. The grandma and grandpa were in the back cooking, the son was waiting tables, and the daughter-in-law was tending to their beautiful little 15 month old daughter, Arlena (who flirted with us throughout our meal). This dining delight, including 2 beers, a lemonade and a nice tip, cost 300 pesos, or $25. Only in San Miguel...


Contrast that with a concert we're attending this evening at the Angela Peralta Theater downtown.  The name of the group is "Swingshift", and their eclectic background includes backup, touring and recording with the likes of Van Morrison, Maria Muldaur, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Brown, Boz Scaggs, Lyle Lovett, the Carpenters, Tom Jones, Marilyn McCool, Billy Davis, the Pointer Sisters, Art Garfunkel, Bette Midler, James Taylor, Rod Stewart, Cher, Linda Ronstadt, Lionel Richie, Chuck Berry...and the list goes on.  Tonight's concert will focus on songs from the Great American Songbook (Nat King Cole, Louis Prima, Ray Charles) and samplings of lesser-known tunes from the postwar era. We have no doubt that this will be an evening of musical enjoyment and fun. And it's just one of the many cultural events offered here on an ongoing basis.


It seems to me that there's something for almost everyone on the streets of San Miguel. Charming scenes complete with burros, tasty and inexpensive seafood dinners, flirting playfully with beautiful Mexican children and going to concerts performed by seasoned musicians are only the tip of the iceberg of experiences available. Needless to say, I love being here. Just the other evening I said to Rick "I want us to come here every year until we die". And I meant it. Hopefully my blogs are helping you to understand why. 


Adiós, mis amigos.  Time to get ready for yet another San Miguel experience.   j