Chacala Family Life

This morning I was lying in my hammock, tied between two palms, reading a book and thinking about how lucky I am. I was watching the little family, oldest son of my landlady, his pregnat wife, and the almost-two year old little girl.

He was weaving a fishing net, something he spends alot of time on. He runs the rope that forms the edges of the net from the palm tree my hammock it tied to, and then all around the open area around my camp, from one tree to another. The netting fabric comes pre-made, from plastic-y stuff, and he weaves into the ropes that form the edges and adds weights and floats and other stuff. The nets are about 8 feet wide and really long, maybe 1000 feet or so. The weaving is down with a sort of a knife shaped shuttle object, around which he wraps the twine he uses to weave. When he or his wife finishes loading the shuttle/knife up he cuts the twine by picking up a rock and smashing it against the strand of twine lying on another rock.

This morning his wife was wrapping the twine onto the shuttle while he was weaving, and the baby, Jasmine, was picking up rocks and trying to smask little pieces of twine. It was so nice lying there enjoying the family scene. Every once in a while Jasmine would toddle over and hand me something, or wave at me from her mom's knee. The two little two year olds that live in this area both are calling me by name now. I really like that.

The gringo tourist season continues to wind down now. For the first time in months there are no "yachties" in Chacala, and most of the motor homes and campers are just stopping for a day or two on their way north. The people who have parked here all winter are making plans for driving north.

Went to a nice little birthday dinner last night at Chico's. It was celebrating the 67th birthday of a woman from Taos, who has had a long visit here. She is taking a break from her family life to step back and think about her life, etc. The other guests were almost all older women and it was very nice for me to hear what other women are thinking about and their experiences here and in other places.

I think this is a good place for some single women who want to take a time out from their other lives and make a longer visit. It takes awhile to settle in here, I think, and to figure out the ins and outs of life in a small Mexican village. Then you can relax and give yourself time to think and read and visit and draw or meet people or help out around town, or hike, bird watch, or just swim, have hammock time, daydream, etc. My favorite activity at the moment, besides reading and eating drawing and messing with plants, is staring into space.