the great tile hunt

It is time for the downstairs guest bath to get a facelift.  We  have lived here for almost 20 years without refreshing it and it's looking pretty shabby.   It needs some repairs to the ceiling, a new sink, new shower floor, and just a general spiffing-up.

But first, I need tile.  Lots and lots of colorful Mexican bara (clay) tile.  And where better to shop than in the tile mecca of San Miguel de Allende and Dolores Hidalgo.  And so we packed up and made our way to the beautiful state of Guanajuato, about 350 miles to the southeast of us.  Fortunately, daughter Alex was here to act as my design eyes.  It's a long drive but there is a new and VERY welcome road that skirts Guadalajara and knocks off probably a good 30-45 minutes from the trip.  I rented a house in SMA via VRBO  and off we went.

The house was big, airy, lots of light, 3B/3/BA, comfortable and convenient.  (I have learned subsequent to our visit that the owners are selling it.  Too bad for future stays!)  The gardens, although small, were meticulously cared for by the genius gardener, Fernando, to whom I offered a job at the beach at our house, but he declined politel.

We made two trips to Dolores, bought 5 boxes of tiles, new TP/soap holder/towel rack holders. spree random decorative tiles just for fun, and decided that was enough.  Actually, I don't think it is but I will rely on my contractor, Everado, to make it work.  He can do ANYTHING with tile.  You will have to wait to see what I bought.

We also celebrated Alex's birthday at our favorite restaurant, Hecho in Mexico.  A delicious lunch with her annual Birthday Margarita.

And I found a project for next year!  The house down the street had a really fun and charming tile border around the front and sides.

When in Mexico, you can never have too much tile!

We went to the lovely library, sat in the courtyard and enjoyed the peace and quiet in the midst of the city..  Alex found some English language books for Fernanda (age 5) who is learning English.  Then we ambled on to lunch at a tiny hole in the wall called Juan's Cafe.

Passed this house with a great roof garden.

I have this in mind for our 3rd floor.  Mr. C groaned when I mentioned it.

And of course, no trip would be complete without a look at the iconic pink cathedral in the town square.

This is a lousy photo but you get the idea.

And then  it was time to head back to the beach with all our treasures.  Eve is supposed to start the demo of the bathroom this week but as of now, Tuesday noon, not a word.  Maybe manaña.