Festival Atotonilco

Festival at Atotonilco
The 300th birthday
Padre Luis Felipe Neri de Alfaro
Founder of the shrine
Of Jesus de Nazareth, Atotonilco
A spiritual retreat
Visited by 2 million pilgrims annually.

With days of celebrations,
Culminating in today's festival
With Purepecha dancers,
Orations and prayers
Huapango music
Food and traditional dress
A gathering to give thanks.

Brunch, Hotel Villa Santa Monica

During the tourist season
You can have Sunday brunch
At the Hotel Antigua Villa Santa Monica

[caption id="attachment_2006" align="alignnone" width="280" caption="Quesadillas, eggs and cafe de la olla from the chefs on the outside patio"][/caption]

Whose entrance is at the back end of Parque Juarez.
They serve a combination of fruits and cereals,
Pancakes, bacon, queso fundido with goat cheese,
Refried beans, chilaquiles, enchiladas, chicarron.
If that isn't enough you can walk outside
Where two chefs are making eggs to order,
Quesadillas filled with a selection of traditional fillings
Which includes rajas de poblano chilis, nopales,
Papas con chorizo, huitlacoche, flor de calabasa con rez
You get the idea.

IMSS: 2 Hrs. 42 Mins. Done

We are officially insured
By the Mexican Social Security system IMSS.
It took 2 hours and 42 minutes.
Plus a bus ride back and forth from San Miguel to Guanajuato,
Then a nice lunch and wandering around.

Before going into the process,
I want to say that if you are wondering
How difficult this is to do yourself -
If you are just a little adventurous
And don't mind a little discomfort
Plus a little time, there is no reason
Not do this yourself.
You also apply in downtown Guanajuato
A beautiful place to be if it takes a little time.

We arrived at the IMSS office, Guanajuato City 9am.
It is in the building right downtown next to the Teatro Juarez.
You sign in at the door and are guided to the office.
There's a young woman at a table to greet you.

Baby Bird

Ok, this is one you kind of had to be there for -
We have a tile roof that houses
Three to four nests of baby finches each year .
Last month, you could see the parents
Crawling in and out of the downspout,
Going to and from their hidden nest.


One morning at about 6, I was walking across the patio.
I stepped on something squishy in my bare feet
I thought it was a snail,
But in my sleepiness, didn't recall
That we don't have snails here.
Nevertheless, I scraped my foot on the iron work,
Walked across the patio, coffee in hand,
To crawl back in bed and read a while.

Flip Video Ultra HD - the new toy

I'm up in the states again
The land of shopping for things
That you can't find in Mexico.
Usually, for me, this means things like
Yogi licorice tea,
Costco photo paper, 150 sheets in a box
For about the price of 25 sheets in Mexico.
Shoes, clothes, books,
And little electronic things.
Yesterday, I bought a flip video Ultra HD.


It's a fit in your hand video camera