Solar Savings

With our CFE bill wavering close to the red zone, and with the annual 12% increase across the board for electricity at Lakeside, we chose eSun Energy in Ajijic. eSun has the highest quality installations in Mexico and their sevice is excellent! We look forward to paying CFE about $7.00 USD every two months!!! WARNING to home-owners and renters.  Once your CFE bill hits the RED ZONE, your bi-monthly bill triples. So if your CFE bill goes from 800 pesos to  2400 pesos, it never reduces.  Those who do rent at Lakeside, call the office and make an appointment to discuss how you can reduce your CFE bill.  Owner maintenance responsibility is simply to toss a bucket of water across each panel during the dry season.  WARNING: Do NOT use soap, do NOT use a squeegee.  Removing dust with a splash of water is sufficient to maximize efficiency.  To remove bird droppings"  1 cup white cider vinegar mixed into a 5 gallon bucket.  Toss the mixture across the panel, then toss a clean bucket of water across the panel. Professional annual cleaning is available by eSun for 30 pesos per panel.  Check out their website.  They are professionals!!! eSun Energy

An English speaking salesman came to our casa, went up on the roof to inspect location and get the data on our two air conditioners on Tuesday. We provided eSun with a CFE bill and on Wednesday a written quote was delivered based on our personal two year consumption. Our capital investment will pay for itself in 4 years, but the BEST NEWS is that we can crank up our air conditioners for four hours per day, during the four hottest months at Lakeside. Since we live at Lakeside full time, we have now increased our travel budget by reducing our cost to run the air conditioner!  Hallelujah! 

Unleashed, NOT bored

Unleashed without boundaries, without a limit of fresh air to breathe, without an edit of any emotion, we embark upon unknown trails. Without a compass, but in complete FAITH, with a destination, and great expectations, we explore wide eyed and exuberant! Without the need for a life jacket,  we stretch to utilize our gifts and bless others. With FREEDOM to roam about the planet and witness great NEWS, we remain resolved to be tested and proved! Our spirits are refreshed by legions of others who have gone before us! In a CLEAR COLORFUL VISION ~~~ Imagine yourselves laughing with the locals of Chapala as they attempt to comprehend your Spanglish.   With excitement the Mexican people embrace all who habla um poco Espanol.  Walking along the Malecons of Chapala and Ajijic and down the stony streets,  you will thrill as locals greet you with huge smiles!  Flowers and people seem to bloom and emerge easily inside unkempt, imperfect, unexpected places. WOW, a humongous tree with an enlarged trunk and vivid orange blossoms grows next to a poinsettia that towers like an aged California oak.  Our mind fills up with lavish images, beyond any of our past, and there we stand riveted by God's absolute BEST!  We left behind what was known along highway 99 and highway 88 to Silver Lake and we marvel at the green hills surrounding Lakeside. Our ears hear His voice whispering "Well done My good and faithful servants"  Our spirits are lifted as we put our hands to good use among several great organizations. We tred with grand delight, feeling unleashed, but not unprotected as we walk the streets of

Ajijic, La Floresta and Chapala. The picture above is of the lush garden at the Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic. LINKS on the right of this blog will take you on a vivid tour of Lakeside. Uncharted walks makes my soul respond with giddyness to the bromide elixir that the lake emits. A cobbled street runs thru La Floresta to connect Chapala and Ajijic. This stroll allows your eyes to witness horses and children at play without an ordinance! A spot where artesians yearn to stay and participate in the MAGIC of artsy AJIJIC.

Our weekly calendar is full of fun activity and local invites. We have met folks from around the globe! Daily walks to lakeside include hugs and chats. Much to do as grateful volunteers. Each March we raise money for Love in Action at the Annual Chili cook off.  FUN times galore!  Monday we attend a Spanish class in Ajijic.  Tuesday morning after our malecon walk with Donna, Dan, LC, Lucinda and a bevy of others, Mike attends

Bible study with a groovy group of gringo men. Tuesday night Barb hosts a women's CR group in our home while Mike enjoys a boys night out. Wednesday Barb serves at UPSCALE RESALE a second hand store much like Superior Thrift in Stockton.  All proceeds help fund HOPE HOUSE. Thursday we attend Spanish class again, followed by a Spanish practice session every Thursday evening at 5:00 pm with at least 15 local people from Lakeside.  Friday Mike works for a few hours at HOPE HOUSE, a boys orphanage, then we generally catch up with Villa Santa Paula resident neighbors Jack & Albert, Gary & Mila, Dan & Lynette, Amy, or Virgina.   We have booked passage around Lake Chapala on several Sunday afternoons with a group from Church.
There is also a Kayaking and Sailing Club in La Floresta which offers sails around Lake Chapala on Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings. Adventures await as the surrounding forested places give oxygen to the villages within the state of Jalisco. As we abide in Him where EVER we travel, we rest in His hands as He opens the doors for our safe passage. My hopes, dreams and best plans have always been surpassed when it comes to swallowing fully that which has been made possible for my senses to intake. With our anchors pulled up in California, we float freely among English speaking people that blend with a variety of snow birds seeking paradise -- We mix it up within the small town of Chapala (population 20,000) and the colorful culture in Ajijic (population 10,000) along the shores of Lakeside! A fishing community feel of GLEE abounds. A local Hotel on Hidalgo offers all day swimming in an olympic pool that faces the lake for only 50 pesos! The Hotel, the cafe, and the pool are kept very clean. Hotel Villa Monte Carlo is a great place to cool off on those hot days! LINK on sidebar.

 An awesome gander of what "is"allows any person to be struck with wonder at this simple truth --- that regardless of language, color, education or the economy - we are united by our reverence for untamed, natural beauty. Trusting God, we remain surrendered to the AWE inspiring grandeur of His Spirit that is resplendent! Our path is filled with His GLORY to behold! Men and Women of truth, grace and spirit. Mothers, daughters, fathers and sons, globe trotters, and California giddy gurls shop and adorn themselves with color. We were born into being with a body that responds to color, music, food and the fantastic elements of nature -- people discover their unique best in Mexico in the midst of poverty and the riches, we have mucho to be thankful for. We are here to experience God's love as we marvel in all that He has so abundantly provided. COME to Chapala and expect to be astounded!  Focus on what delights your soul and come and explore!  Watch, listen and be ever AMAZED! We all are the "BE" in being unleashed. Go with courage and become the Columbus of your imaginings. Pack light, wear that LOVE that cannot be worn out! "He has commanded His angels concerning you." Therefore confidently "Cast all anxiety on Him" and travel in faith that Jesus has gone before you! Buen Provecho! Enjoy LIFE to the fullest!

Love it, or Leave it!

Living in Mexico is not for everybody, but it is for me, a retired woman from California.  I hear some ex-pats complaining about the traffic, or the humidity, or the length of time it takes to get served a meal.  C’mon, really….the traffic is slower

because around lakeside we wobble along on cobblestones, and it is highly effective as it slows down the rat race pace! The humidity part? Get an air conditioner installed for $600 USA, or go walk around in Walmart or the Casino to cool down. Humidity should be adored for how moist it keeps a woman’s skin.  Ever notice the beautiful complexion of Mexican women?  Patience? The time spent in a cafe waiting for your food to arrive is called

dining!  When the food arrives it is freshly made, not something slammed on your plate with a waiter watching the time clock eager to bus the table and replace you with another tipper.  One must choose to NOT compare what was, to what is.  One must embrace the culture of Mexico and look for the

positive in it, or one must sensibly just go back to what feels at home.  It is best to NOT expect the rich Mexico culture to change to accommodate our comfort levels, but to go with the flow, which means that you cannot expect that CFE, Telmex or Telecable will arrive on time to fix your problem.  If one misses having their street cleaned by

the City, in exchange for higher taxes, then one should just visit Mexico on vacation instead of moving here.  What I came to love about the culture of Mexico is the people, and their determination to take care of their own.  Here in Mexico a woman or man aged 65-85 do not look for food stamps, or government aid to sustain their life here.  They get up every morning and sweep the sidewalk in front of their

home/business with a smile and a hope that today they will earn adequate funds to feast on the staples and/or maybe serve meat a few times a week.  Frida had polio, Frida had sever back injuries and Frida did not seek social security disability income!  Frida learned to paint in her bed because most of the time she was in severe pain.  You gotta love Mexico, or not…and if you do not…then just go back to where life suits your personal expectations with minimum complaints.