Over in the pueblo last night the party continued…..

A big structure called a castillo (castle) is built and covered in fireworks arranged to make parts of it become spinning areas of color. It is pretty impressive, and they had the big go up an the sky and explode in color! That is the very first time I have seen that in the Lake region!

They also had two toritos

A guy runs around with a fake bull with fireworks on it and runs at the crowd as people scream and scatter. While it may not be “safe”, it sure it a bunch of fun. The last guy running the toritos went very wild. (with skill not to hit anyone with the structure he was carrying)

It was all quite impressive and I enjoyed the show!

More photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianfey/tags/castillo/

Today was a pretty good day.

LOG PLANTERS: The crew made 8 planters from logs. I am calculating what my costs would be for the labor… and if I fill them with plants in the rainy season and sell them at the end then I could make a profit. I would like to continue employing my crew so we need to figure out how to make things which make money. Log planters filled with good plants would be a good product. Not a big bucks product, but it might sustain some things.

VISITORS:
Some folks came today to get some free oak trees and pine trees.
Two gringos and the mexican husband of one. All nice folks and I enjoyed chatting with them. We like some similar things.

BASKETBALL:
I went to town and saw the basketball game. Basketball is very popular. I really like that it is a community sport here. Though I don’t really basketball. I don’t care if the ball goes in the hoop or not. But… I prefer these community sports to those which are far removed from the people and held in stadiums paid for with money forcably taken from people. Industrial sports, ick. These games had a wide age range of players… maybe from 14-40. That is good. Teams represent different towns.
The vibe was friendly and good.

I ate 6 tacos and found out that those folks sell them in the nearby town on Saturdays and Sundays at 7 pm.

My friends showed up and we chatted and I felt kinda good. People are used to me know and greet me nicely. It is really a very nice town and they treat me like I am part of it though I live in the woods kinda a ways away.

I didn’t stay late because I didn’t bring my headlamp to get home with. It is just as well since people keep giving me beers and I think I have drank enough beers these days. Even when I have a beer in my hand people try to give me more. It is nice… but if I do that for 6 hours I end up kinda drunk.

I do feel very pleased with their friendliness though. In the last year or so I have found myself increasingly invited to stuff. Weddings and christenings (?) etc.

The Party continues tommorrow at 8 am in the morning with Atole (a kinda yummy corn based drink) at the cross. I get the impression that it is an event I should go to since the guy I know the most seems to think it is a very good thing for me to go to.

Yah. The medicinal garden is still a good project. I have some seeds which I haven’t used. (From seeds of change.) and there are some plants here already with medicinal uses. I don’t know much about them. Locals come here and say “that is a plant good for this.” I just write it down and take a photo of the plant. A guy from a Michoacan plant research place wants to come visit. I hope to let them put whatever they like here or put in whatever sounds cool.
A lot of my plant work right now is in plant propogation. Not too sexy, but today I made about 50 rosemary cuttings direct in ground. (It is the rainy season right now) and I played with a bunch of Maguey sprouts I made. Very happy about that. I have about 20 timber bamboo starts and many many other plants in progress. 4 test gardens now.

I just id-ed a bolete which is good to eat. I forget the name but they are al over right now so I eat them for breakfast. I tested them two days ago and had no ill effects. there are three other edible mushrooms coming soon. I need to build a solar dryer to dry them.

Right now the second house is ready except a plumbing problem I am fixing. I and a friend were muraling in there yesterday. Two cabanas are ready for habitation too. No water in them yet though. Need to build composting toilet up here on the “mesa”.

I have no other residents yet though visitors come though. I had 4 people here last week, though now I am down to 2. My mom just arrived and will stay 2 months. Most people come for a week right now.
I know many locals (morelia) and will start carefully inviting those who won’t litter on the place. (literally and metaphorically)

I have dirt to put under your nails. Lots of ways to play here.

I have done some basic cob tests on my soil. I want ongoing cob and strawbale projects here.

Last visitor built a cool bench thing and a second stage composter. He tricked my into getting painting again. Good boy.
The recent visitors have helped get the place into a more confortable space. Cleaner and more organized. Things where pretty chaotic when Gustavo was here. I was alone for a while which as good though hard for my head.

I got a kitten. My first experience in the cat world. I named him Nimbus.

Packing frenzy. I shut down the utilities starting soon.

Hot and sweaty day. Scrouging guy is taking the last of the free stuff. He has an eco-farm out on the peninsula and builds everything out of recycled stuff. Over the last weeks many dozens of people have come to take plants, objects etc. It has been very fun.

Art is all in storage. One guy wanted to buy one of the works on paper, but I don’t feel like unpacking them. Only a 5×3 foot painting of me is left. I think I might burn it before I go. This move will kill me and many of my ways. It will be a good thing.

I have been able to meet with so many people in the last two months. So many people I have affected. It has been a wonderful thing. I feel happy about the life I have had till now. And happy for the new one.

Packing gets harder towards the end. Deciding what goes where.
I expect to finish tonight.

All I can hope for it the the trip be safe. It will be a hard one. More difficult than I was expecting or wanting. But I guess I will roll with it and do the good things.
I have no doubts about the goodness of the move. This is the right thing to do now. It will spur great new personal developments for me and others.

Zoomachaka-zoom!

Well that was real nice.
My mom came by and visited. For many hours. She is very good.
We said many things. She talk ed abut current struggles. And also about things from long ago.
She talked about the things which made the things be…
From her view.
I didn’t understand such things.
She talked about my brother, the pastor who influenced my father in some hard ways.
I was to short to understand such things. She talked about the parenting ways she thought were tough.. some of which I am far over now.
And I said about the hard things she knows, but I am far over now… sortof… not really every… but they are me. Heh.
Odd. interesting. I liked the conversation. I painted during some of it and she mused me some.
Uncomfortable but ok.
My mom is so good.
We talked some about community things. She knows much as I do from personal experience.
My view on her and on myself is changed from this intense and honest experience of talking.
I am not family oriented….
I am so focused on serving the family I intend to have someday.
Future family. Choosen family.