As we left for an appointment with our banker this morning, I took this picture of the art work on the house across the street from us.  An American woman who is an artist  lives there and she painted this mural on her wall.



Trying to get our banking straight has been a little frustrating.  We thought it would be simple since we already had an account established in Mexico and had gone to our bank in the states, Wells Fargo, and filled out all the necessary paperwork to be able to do online transfers of  money from our savings or checking to the bank in Mexico.  Come to find out we needed to make an initial transfer from Wells Fargo to Mexico for the first time while we were in the states but were not advised of that step.  So we are working through the process of how to correct the problem.  We are so very grateful to be with Bob's sister who is already established here and can cash our checks into pesos. We learned the exchange rate today was $13.12 to 1 peso.
Everyday is a new learning curve!

Our bank in Mexico is actually pretty modern and a nice looking building.

 



Today was market day again in Ajijic.  We buy our fruits and vegetables from the market each week. The market was not as crowded as last week, maybe because we did not arrive until about 12:30.
We decided to walk the length of the market about a mile looking for a jewelry vendor I  had seen last week to inquire about a fire opal necklace.  She was not there this week so we began checking out the different vegetable stands.

               The first row is many varieties of nuts. the second and third row is different candies

and "unknown items".

 

Speaking of "unknown items", I don t' recognize any of these spices.

 

If you need electrical supplies, they are here in (sort of) orderly boxes.

 

There are often beggars in the market and Bob  usually gives them some pesos.

 

 

The shopping done, we return home with our groceries.  You need to wash each item, including the ones you would peel, like cantaloupe, cucumber, watermelons, etc. and then soak them in a hot water bath with this special iodine solution. Food is more expensive here than  I had originally thought it would be.  It is less that the US, but like everywhere has gone up since our last visit (2009).  The items below cost about $10.

 

 

Soaking in the iodine solution. 6 gala apples, 6 potatoes, 5 cucumbers, lb string beans and a new addition to our usual diet, Jicama (it tastes like a raw potato)

 

 

Blueberries

 

Our dog has settled in nicely and is beginning to feel "at home". 

 

Playing with Pat's dog, Tec.

 

She sleeps on the love seat in our bedroom with her own pillow and blanket, that is if I don't get up during the night, then she quickly jumps into bed beside Bob and takes my place!