Retire to Lake Chapala

2009-07-17T15:55:00.005-05:00

Prices of various stuff in Mexico

Prices of various stuff in Mexico Judy and I went out to have some breakfast and buy some things for supper. We ate at a little sidewalk café. Judy had a latte and juaves ranchero. A kind of Mexican style eggs over light with a medium hot sauce on them. I had an espresso, hotcakes and bacon. It all came to 80 pesos ($6.15) including the tip. Then we walked over to the Mercado and went to the fish stalls upstairs. We got 1 kilo, which is about 2.2 lbs., of good sized shrimp for 100 pesos ($7.70) or about $350 a lb. We walked down the street from the Mercado to a little produce store that is owned by a young couple. They are real nice and their 2 little preschool girls are usually there “helping” We bought 2 red peppers, 4 zucchini, 2 big garlic bulbs and 4 plum tomatoes for 17 pesos ($1.30). Paid our phone bill. 498 pesos (about $38.30) for one month including internet with a wi-fi modem. Paid our electric bill. 1044 pesos ($80) for 2! months. We stopped for gas on the way home and got 200 pesos worth of regular. It figures out to about $2.32 a gallon.

For supper we peeled and deveined 16 of the the shrimp. Made a salad out of a couple of the tomatoes, some of the zucchini and a little bit of onion. We had some bread dough (recipe)in the fridge and made up a couple of small loaves and lit the oven to heat up to 450 while they rose a little. When the oven was up to speed in went the bread for about 10-15 min. Put some water on for pasta. When it started to boil added the pasta. Stirred it right way. In a large frying pan went about 2 swirls of olive oil, 2-3 cloves of garlic smashed, peeled and minced, about a Tbsp. of dried basil, a big pinch of red pepper flakes (optional) and the shrimp. Med heat and tossed often. When the pasta was just a little short of al dente drained it and added it to the frying pan. Tossed right away and fairly often while the pasta finished cooking in the oil/shrimp mixture. The bread was done by now. I test it by tapping the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds hollow it’s done. We served it up!! with some cabernet from Chile (about $4.30 a bottle).

2009-07-13T15:56:00.004-05:00

Bubba

Let me tell you about Bubba. Every once in a while I go to this sidewalk cafe and get an espresso doble (double (1.25 usd)) and watch the people going by. Well one day there is this good looking big, black and white dog sitting right next to one of a small group of gringos having their morning coffee, chatting and solving the problems of the world. The guy went in to pay his bill and the dog waited outside for him wagging his tail all the while. Of course I thought it was the guys dog. He gets into his car to leave and there are 2 dogs waiting for him in the car. The big black and white just walks off, crosses the busiest intersection in town and disappears down the block. I ask the remaining dudes "was that a stray?" "yeah he's a pretty good puppy" is what I get. I go down the block after him and can't find him. 3 or 4 days later I'm back there and so is the big black and white boy except this time he snuggles up to me and I scratch his ears and tell him he's a "good boy". Well I have to go back to the office and tend to little business and as soon as I'm done I go back to the cafe and look for the big black and white boy. He's there and for the first time I notice a ring cut into his fur around his neck. The guy that Bubba liked told me there was a rope tied real tight around his neck and he cut it off. The puppy left, but he went down the street by the lake and I take off after him. After a couple of blocks and asking about the "grande perro negro y blanco?" (big black and white dog) I see him working the territory. I get him to come over and visit me, but he won't get in the car to "follow me home" so I pick him up and put him in the back seat so he can "follow me home". I get him back to the house and am scared about how, Stella, our totally spoiled little Boston terrier princess will feel about this big lug invading her territory. Well Bubba is sooo cool he sniffs and wags his tail and Stella ( the little princess) accepts him into her house. He won't drink, but a teeny bit of water and won't eat hardly anything. I take him and Stella for a walk in the morning and things are moving along OK. He won't hardly pee and definatly won't poop in the yard. Only on the walks. Judy was up north for a visit and I'm a little worried about the new dog is going to go over with her. Well she gets home and it was "love at first sight". She names him Bubba and they bond. He loves us (Judy mostly) and protects us. Stella has taught him to chase mice and lizards and that he really can do whatever he wants, like she does, but he's too good and is constantly trying to please. He barks at any man that comes near our front gate (women are ok). He's part of our gang now and we love him.

2009-07-05T11:52:00.002-05:00

Pop pop and Gammy's take on Quince años

We were invited to a girls quince anos party. A lady that we know has a daughter who was having her 15th birthday party and it is a very big deal for the Mexican folks. First we went to their church where there was a mass said just for her, Karen Anais Castellanos Bobadilla, or just Karen to us that knew her. It was sorta long, but very interesting and beautiful. Of course there were lots of cute, and very well behaved kids. Then on to a place called Las Palmas which is big outdoor place to have an "evento". It also is a farm where they grow palm trees. It is right on the shore of Lake Chapala and BIG. There were 45 tables with 10 chairs each and they were all full. Yes 450 people! There was a dance floor and all the tables were covered with an elaborate tent. Each chair was covered with a white slip cover and a blue sash tied in a bow. When we sat down at a table of people we knew there were bottles of coke, sprite, mineral water and a dish of peanuts. Then the waiters brought ice and a bottle of tequila to each table. They kept the ice bowls full as the people showed up. There was a band of about 15 with brass, drums and guitars. When the time was right the Quinceañera (birthday girl) danced with young men from her age group then, all the men in her family, starting with her godfather took turns cutting in 'til they all had danced with the Quinceañera. Then everybody could dance and just about all of them did! In the meantime the waiters were serving the meal. It was Birria which is a spicy Mexican stew made from just about any kind of meat, usually lamb. It was served with refried beans, the best we ever had, and rice accompanied of course with hot salsa. It was a great affair. Bigger and more elaborate than most weddings we had been too. Pop Pop had had more than his share of the tequila and we thought we had better leave while I could still remember the way home. Who knows how late the party went on. We had a great day. We're really enjoying living here.

2009-07-03T10:18:00.002-05:00

Well, I have to apologize. I have been telling everyone that it doesn’t rain during the day here. I should remember it does happen occasionally, because Jack fusses every time. He says that it isn’t supposed to do the here. Well it has. For two days in a row it has been raining till almost ten in the morning.

This morning I was on my way to the office, remember it is still raining, and the new dog got out of the yard as I was leaving. He was having such a good time looking for something to chase. He would not come back to me. I decided to just let him stay out in the rain. When I started up the car it got his attention. Then he wanted to follow me where ever I was going. I didn’t want him to follow me to the highway, so I went back to the house. He still would not come to me. He wanted to play!!!!! He would run past me then up the street. I would give up and get back in the car. He would then come back to follow me. We played this game for a while. It probably seemed much longer to me than it did to him. He finally did come to me and I put him back in the yard. I should have been really mad at him, but he was just out playing in the rain. Maybe we should all learn from his example. I remember having a great time as a kid playing in the rain.

2009-06-29T19:31:00.002-05:00

Emergency situation

I was walking out of the local Mexican super market (Soriana Mercado) and noticed a friend of Judy's that we know from the American Legion sitting on the bench near the door. She was obviously having some kind of problem breathing. I then remembered she has emphysema and the closer I got the more I realized she was in trouble. One of my bags was a pair of jeans that I had bought and it made a good pillow for her to lay down. As soon as she was lying down we came to the attention of the security guard. He immediately called the police and the cruz roja (red cross).The cruz roja provides ambulance and emergency service for free and is funded only by donations. Everybody was great. The ambulance crew immediately gave her oxygen and loaded her up and took off for their emergency room. I had called Judy and she and the lady's friend showed up at the same time. The friend went to the cruz roja and everything worked out fine. The oxygen did the trick. They kept her there, hydrated her, scolded her for not drinking enough water and let her go home. She called us later that night to thank us. Thank goodness for the good emergency care we have here.

2009-04-05T11:17:00.001-05:00

Well, this has been a busy week again. Jack worked in the real estate office several times this week and showed property a couple of days. He also spent one day looking at new property that has come available for sale. Of course he had to cook dinner for me and who ever else showed up in time.

Janie and I make it to exercise each day and Spanish classes on Tuesday and Thursday.
Tuesday was a house warming party for a friend of ours. She has been here twenty years, but recently moved to a different home. Thursday late afternoon we went to the Legion to get stuff ready for the yard sale on Friday. There is a yard sale at the American Legion every first Friday of the month. A family member of an American Legion Auxiliary member that past away, donated some of her stuff to the Auxiliary to sell. I got volunteered to work. So, I had to be at the Legion by 7:30 on Friday morning. We had a good day of people watching, good conversation and oh yeah we made a little money for the auxiliary.

Saturday was game day at the Legion. We just started having this every other Saturday. So far we don’t have many people coming. There was one group playing Mexican Train and one group playing Yahtzee. We had a good time. I even won one set. But, hopefully we will get more people coming.

We have another busy week planned for this upcoming week.

2009-04-01T17:38:00.003-06:00

I didn't need to be at the office for about an hour so I went around the corner to the plaza in Chapala. Let me tell you about the Plaza. It is a place where the local people gather to meet, catch a bus, do some shopping have an espresso, get a bite, shoe shine etc., etc. There are shops and stalls where you can get meat, fish, chicken, produce, flowers, bolillos (bread), restaurants, furniture, hats, boots, clothes, pizza, anything! There is a small stall run by a lady and her 2 daughters that sells rotissarie chicken with salads and tortillas. I got a plate of a chicken breast, cucumber salad, corn tortillas and a coke. You sit at tables outside. The weather is always perfect, really. I ate while I people watched. There was a mom and her 'bout 5 year old daughter waiting in line. The little girl was making faces at me and giggling. Of course I had to make some faces back. She really thought that was funny. There are 2 stray dogs that rule the plaza, dog wise. One of them always comes over while I'm eating and I give him the bones and skin while I eat the pollo (chicken). The lady who owns the business usually runs them off so they don't bother the customers, but, she's given up on me and just rolls her eyes when I feed the old guy. The price for the meal and tip totaled 25 pesos. About $1.80 US money at today's exchange rate. On my way back I saw a 3 piece armature mariachis band playing, kids laughing and screaming in a little arcade, some teenagers walking hand and hand. Nice place.

2009-03-20T07:40:00.002-06:00

Now is a good time to buy here in the Lake Chapala area. The real estate prices have bottemed. Yes, there are some listings where the owners just won't lower the prices to get with the market, but for the most part, reality has set in and prices are down. Owning real estate here is a very good, safe place for your money right now. You will not suffer the losses that the markets and mutual funds have and very likly are still going to have. The real estate values are going to go up from where they are now. And, you will have a great place to hibernate in the winter or just move to and start your new life. There are many homes where the owner must sell and move back up North for whatever reason and can't because of the slow market. These are your typical "motivated sellers" and these homes can be had at great prices.

Jack and Judy Kelly
Coldwell Banker
Chapala Realty
512-275-6621 Vonage
376-765-4710 home
045-331-312-0030 Jack’s cell
045-331-312-0048 Judy’s cell
376-275-3676 office
jack0440@hotmail.com

2009-02-13T13:21:00.002-06:00

LET US INTRODUCE OURSELVES
We’re Judy and Jack Kelly, transplanted here from Austin, Texas. We have, between us, more than 60 years customer service, management and real estate experience as real estate agents and investors both in the U.S. and Mexico. We have grown children and fantastic grandchildren who are growing bigger every time we turn around.
We have many long-time friends at Lakeside who often told us how much they enjoy the area and when we first visited in 1999, we understood why.
We moved here in 2001. We worked in real estate for Coldwell Banker Chapala Realty for two years, and then returned to Texas for a time. In early 2008, we came back here for good, ready to begin our new lives in this place we love so much.
All the same, we did our “homework,” researching the area carefully before we made our move. We will help you do this. We’ve also seen that those who research things first, and visit before making a final decision, have a much better chance of success both in buying the right property and in making the adjustment to living here.
We are almost exclusively buyer’s agents, focusing totally on the interests of the buyer. We do list properties for sale for repeat or referral customers, but we don’t actively solicit listings. Our primary focus is helping the newcomer learn about living in Mexico, choosing which local area to settle and then thru the steps of finding and closing on a property that best suits their needs and wants.