as though I'd never been gone

Tianguis was as always full of good things to eat, friendly people, bargains galore for used clothing. It was as though I had been there just last week. That was the good news. The bad news was that we saw heavily armed police patrolling up and down, something we have never seen before. One of the cops, Lalo, is also the chap who grills chicken and zips around the town on his moto on the weekends selling his delicious dinners. He commented that things are, alas, not what they used to be. I have never seen any police presence at the market unless they were buying goods. Times, they have changed, and changed seriously. I am not at all happy about this. I want to preserve the innocence and peace of the last several years, but I suppose, being realistic, that it is irretrievably lost.

But what's not lost is the beautiful produce brought to marked by farmers.


This grand pile of radishes glowed in the shade of the overhang. Makes me want to make a vat of potato salad or some posole soup. This is my favorite stand, the place I go to first for whatever I might want. When I showed up this morning this charming chap smiled and waved. He knows he has a faithful customer for the next few month.


After an hour of trolling up and down the stalls Marie and I went to the Jacaranda for our traditional first-tianguis-of-the-season bean tacos and beer. We'll do it again in May. Actually, the end of March; she's going home a month early this year. Boo. We got caught up on our summers (she lives in Bull Shoals, Arkansas) and our plans for our winter stay. New paint job this year? Maybe. Are we going to fire up the big oven for a fiesta? Maybe. Expecting visitors this year? For me, yes. For her, no.

Tomorrow we go back to Tecoman to go to the bank and pay the fiedecomisario (our trust agreement with the Mexican government to lease the land on which our house sits) for the two properties, do some more shopping, go to the bank (again), get a haircut for Mr. C. Out to dinner with friends tomorrow evening. Once we get here, the social whirl starts in earnest. I love it. Mr. C has a different opinion.