Every Adventure Needs Someone to Live It

It recently occurred to me that as someone who does not have a car or access to a good public transportation system, I really get to go a lot of places.  That’s partly because there are lots of opportunities to visit the countryside for work, and partly because people here are just really welcoming.  Take this weekend, for example.  I headed out to a local mushroom festival with my coworker and his family for a leisurely stroll in the woods to find fungi.  I’m not a fan of eating mushrooms – not because it’s against my “morels” (hey oh!) – but I’m always game for a walk in the woods and I love the artistry of a good mushroom.    

 Spongy mushrooms. 

  Red mushrooms. 

  Basket full of mushrooms. 

  Mushrooms everywhere.

There was a huge table of mushrooms on display at the festival and a lovely photo exhibit for our project that highlighted the beauty of places, people and traditions in the region.  After a torrential downpour that turned the streets into rivers and made me cold for only the second time in 5 months, two of the best tostadas I’ve ever eaten, and a meet and greet with a craft brewer, I hitched a ride home with my friend Maria and a new group of people.   

 

 Table full of mushrooms. 

 Photo exhibit. 

 Celebration of mushrooms. 

 

Sunday my coworker and his family took me on another adventure, this time to a small pueblo in the mountains for a fiesta with dancing horses, a ride-up bar for horses and people, lots of happy people and a mariachi band.  There were many beautiful horses which everyone wanted me to pet.  I did the best I could but I know those horses can smell my fear and I believe that we are in mutual agreement that we’re better off as distant acquaintances.  Another storm rolled in as the mariachi band started playing and I headed out early in yet another person’s car. 

  Dancing horses. 

  Doing my best to pet a horse (photo by Cindy). 

  More horses outside the ride-up bar. 

 So many horses. 

  Storm rolling in. 

 Waterfall on the soggy drive home. 

This weekend I ate tostadas with some kind of meat, and rice and cabbage with some kind of meat.  I’m pretty sure the meat was pork both times, but to be honest, people often ask me what I had to eat and I have no idea.  If it looks good and it’s not picante, I’m game.  For dinner this week, Alicia presented me with four different types of tamales: sweet tamales, tamales with meat (let’s just assume it was pork), tamales with chicken and tamales with chiles and cheese (my new favorite food).  I keep thinking that I’m going to keep a log of all the amazing food that I’ve had to eat here and provide photos, but a) I usually remember that when I’m done eating, and b) I don’t like it when people post photos of their food.  That said, please enjoy some photos of food.

  My favorite thing that my host mom makes; I'm pretty sure this is a breaded zucchini soup.

 

  Tamales! 

  Salad (ok, this is not special for Mexico but you can find great salads here). 

 Fruit at a community event. 

All the recent rain has reminded me of Seattle and made me long just a tiny bit for a good hike in the Olympic or the Cascade Mountains.  Facebook keeps sending me my “memories” from the past and yesterday I got one of a camping trip I took to Mt. Rainier this time last year.  It was on that trip that I decided that a) I was happiest when camping, hiking and spending time in nature, b) I was tired of camping alone, and c) that I wasn’t ready to wait to have a full life until it was time to retire.  Shortly after I returned from that trip, I applied for my current position with Peace Corps.  Although I would totally be up for a camping trip to Mt. Rainier right now, it’s good to see how much has changed in a year because I took a leap.  In the wise words of Ms. India Arie, “every adventure needs someone to live it”  J  

  My view out on the trail this time last year. 

 The mountains are always a good place for reflection.