Tonight I am booked on the Mexicana ojo-rojo (red-eye) to Guadalajara. I hope to post regularly from there. I'm going with no particular expectation about the area as a potential place to relocate, but looking forward to seeing some different neighborhoods in the city, and maybe getting out of town to look at some outlying areas.

The climate in Guadalajara is certainly superior to Merida - or even Northern California for that matter, with highs between the mid-seventies and mid-eighties and lows between mid-forties and mid-sixties throughought the year. There's a hot dry season, and a rainy season, and that's about it. Rarely is a place equipped with either central heat or a/c. Chimneas, or fireplaces, are common.

Before I go I wanted to post a few pictures from a visit a couple of weeks ago from my brother Phil. Mona's blog featured a post on Oct 6th (for his birthday) with some old photos, but I hadn't seen him in person for more than twenty years. Needless to say, he looked different - but good. The Coast Guard seems to have been a good way to pass the years for him, and from what I could discern from our conversation the country is lucky to have him there, doing what he does. He is based at the D.C. central command location, a few blocks from the Capitol and White House, where he is engaged in programs to help Coast Guard folks find their way to good long-term careers in service to the U.S.



We hadn't talked much over the years, with some undefined awkwardness seeming to justify the lack of communication, but we had a great visit, and I think we both were very pleased to spend the time together over a drink then dinner another night.

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