I had a perfect day today.  This is what I made - a bold crocheted bag made with plastic raffia and lined with a Chanel scarf I never wear.  

I was planning to be on a bus heading north to visit my mom, but strong wind broke a large window in the kitchen... can't be without a window in the rainy season.  The break was on the mountain side of the house where the prevailing wind and rain give us a pounding this time of year.

Wally will get the window fixed in the capital but because this is Sunday nothing will be open so the earliest chance is tomorrow.  No sense in making two trips two hours away two days in a row, so I got this gift of a free day. 
 
What made the day perfect is not so much the satisfaction of finishing a project but the process of creating, the joy of getting lost in time and thought, vision...it all comes together and this is the memorial.  It looks as happy as I feel.

Padrino and madrina of many...

This week was full of summer activities.  We attended two graduations for neighborhood kids.  We are godparents to several children from different families.  That equates to a lifetime of honors and responsibilities including first communions, quincenaras, weddings, new babies, graduations, sicknesses and funerals. The custom of padrinos and madrinas is very strong here.  It is the way people share their milestones, people their parties and pay  the cost of their celebrations.  If there were threads of different colors that mapped the connections between people in this system it would be a tight and colorful weave.  It is why connections here are both far-reaching and intimate.

Mexicans celebrate with gusto.  Everything is over-the top compared to the US. We atteThis was a kindergarten graduation with exotic dancing, deafening music (louder is happier) handmade decorations on top of decorations, children in snow-white ironed uniforms with elaborate hair and their guests dressed in their best - women in high-styling heels and lots of cleavage, men in their best boots and cowboy hats.

Every family brings an abundance of food and beer to feed their padrinos and madrinas and family.  And we bring brightly wrapped presents with giant bows - packages too pretty to open -
it's present-ation more important than what is inside.

A joyous time was had by all - lots of good food, laughter and people-watching.

My neighbor asked me about graduation ceremonies in Japan.  I described something more solemn and she was disappointed.  She said Mexicans never do anything without music and dancing - I think it's true.

Secondary school graduation celebration

Enjoying the fruit of dreams come true...

With well over 100 varieties of fruit trees there is always fruit for the picking.  Today's pick was guanabana, avocados, and a pineapple.  I also picked passion fruit, juanitos and guava after I took this photo.  In the evening I browse and munch while I walk with the dogs.  They browse and munch too.

As a boy, Wally dreamed of never worrying about having enough food.  His solution was to grow up and plant every type of fruit tree he could.

The big green spiky fruit is a guanabana.  It is from the same family as pawpaw for those of you who know that fruit.  Inside the flesh is white and it's seeds are shiny-black.  it makes the most delicious sorbets.  How can I describe its taste?  It is a fruity flavor combination of pineapple, guava and banana - sweetly sour.  It smells like a fruit smoothie.

The pineapple is a small, very sweet variety - the perfect size for the 2.  We have a pineapple plot under the shade of a breadfruit tree.

There are so many tropical tastes unique to our part of the world and with every season they change.  I never dreamed that the beauty of fruit would become such a delight and joy!