Beth and I don't usually pickup hitchhikers. Actually we don't even see them very often. The other day while returning from Oaxaca we saw a surfer looking fellow hitchhiking. We picked him up with the idea of helping him get a little further down the road. Brian is an artist. He'd been to Mazatlan to paint some murals. He was hitchhiking because he'd had his wallet stolen. He'd been on the road for a few days, so we invited him to rest at our home for a while. Tonala, Chiapas was his destination. He lives in a little village on the beach and makes his living painting. Brian is forty and lives alone. His wife died three years ago and the pain he lives with shows in his lifestyle. He's a little reckless in his search for peace. He's originally from Oregon but has traveled and worked around the world.

We talked, drank, and talked while listening to music. It turns out that the anniversary of his wife was the next day. I think he enjoyed being able to talk to strangers. Our conversation went well into the evening so we invited Brian to stay for the night. A little risky because we still didn't really know him but felt compelled to help. In the morning we took him to Tlacolula and bought a bus ticket for him to Tonala. We were a little sorry when he left. A bright adventurous guy making his way in Mexico! When we go to Guatemala, we'll pass about fifteen minutes from his home. Looking forward to the visit.

This photo was taken before sunset one evening. The colors are true. They were not manipulated in any way. It was almost eerie. There is a dramatic sunset here almost every evening which is our favorite time to be outside.

We were recently invited to eat at Juan's cabin above Matalan. Beth and I were the first to arrive so we helped Juan throw together this comal of adobe, rocks, and mud. We ate memelas (a super thick tortilla) and re-fried black beans.

Juan just finished closing off the cabin. The wind really whips through here so the protection was welcomed.

The rustic cabin provides a warm atmosphere. It's a wonderful place to relax and be with friends.

Juan and Felipe in front of the magnificent view of Matatlan down below.

For Mexican Mother's Day a few friends from Tlacolula, Matatlan, and Union Zapata, came over to celebrate with us. Casto and Luis are cutting up the chivo.

Beto's kids Shela and Armando always gravitate to the computer.

Never trust a woman with a machete!!!!!

Grilled goat meat. A first for us. We even added a little barbeque sauce.

Delores in the background talked to her son in the US while we waited for our meal.

The first course was consume made from the internal parts of the goat. It looked good but turning it over with a spoon and seeing pieces rise to the top was a little much for me. I kept thinking where is Andrew Zimmern?

Beto's daughter Yesenia. She's fifteen and a half and has a wonderful personality which shows in her picture.

We ended up having to eat inside due to the rain and wind.

We went to a park with Beto's family in Tlacolula the other day. Seeing families playing together must be universally heart warming.

We are adding another septic tank to help disperse the water. Topsoil here was about a foot then pure sandstone. It took a backhoe six hours to dig the hole. The backhoe cost about thirty two dollars an hour.

Because we live so far from a supermarket Beth has started washing storage bags instead of throwing them away.

We drove to a little Zapotec village called San Marcos. Looks like they are serious about their people behaving. These cells are not for serious crimes. Wandering around drunk and being obnoxious is probably the most common offense.

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Looking inside the gate you can see that Beth is acquiring quite a green thumb.

Our first blackberries! Zazamoras are not very common here but we managed to find some plants in a Oaxacan nursery.

There is a bird's nest in the tall ficus. She can't be much more than two and a half inches tall. We've never heard birds singing like they do here. Sometimes they actually wake us up in the morning.

Our mandarine tree. We'll be eating them before long!

Our orange tree. Planting trees here is very labor intensive. In many places the topsoil is only six inches deep. We dig into the sandstone about three feet and fill it back up with natural fertlizer and soil.

One of our blackberry bushes.

We very seldom walk to the property behind the house. This view is looking towards Tlacolula. There is a red dot towards the right hand side of the photo. You can't make it out but there is an orphanage there. I believe it's ran by a church group from the States. We've donated toys there given to us by friends.

This is from the end of our property. You can see how close to the mountains our property is.

This plant is called Mala Mujer and with good reason. A brush againt it can cause discomfort for more than six months.

This cactus is also another you don't want to brush up against. The needles are released on the slightest contact and they have a barb on the end which makes extracting them painful. These plants are very common so when walking in the brush you have to be on the lookout for them.

This cactus produces a prickly pear that is much sought after. They are quite tall.

A close up showing the pricklypear.

These are the tools used to pick pricklypears.

I built a little bridge to avoid stepping on our pvc sewer line.

Beth makes tea from this lemon grass plant. It's not in the lemon family but smells and tastes exactly like lemon.

Beth and I are about to finish a book titled The Oxford History of Mexico. We've read several narratives but this one is a little different. It's a compilation of essays written by several authors who specialized in certain time periods. It's so informative we both feel like we understand the Mexican psyche a little better. Things make a little more sense now. I've always admired the way Mexicans we know deal with their country's past. The grumbling always stops short of hate. Quite a contrast to many Americans who seem to relish in it. We  don't miss those folks. Been there done that!!! Anyway we recommend the read.