As usual, it was the last possible minute when we left Akumal for Mérida. Mimi was pushing it a little and the road was bumpy.

Tita decided the best spot was snugged up tight on Chica's butt between her and Hombre. I tried to get a focused picture but this is the best one. It's so cute, the bumps were not working with me though.

We got to the RV park, unhooked the jeep, showered, dressed, fed the dogs and made it to a wonderful dinner party on time! It was a great group, we met Leslie and Richard at an art auction last month. They are old friends of Henry, our architect, and he and Terrance were there along with another couple who also have a house Henry did. I loved seeing another house of his, done years ago but showing the same skill at design and the use of light. Great food, wine and conversation until late that night.

The next day, we were moving the RV to a better spot and met a couple who had just arrived. They had emailed me last week about the park and routes.

Paula and Stephen are considering living here and are looking at houses on the coast. We hit it off with them right away, really fun people. They have two extremely well behaved border collies and a wonderful big grey cat, Barney.
Tita got to meet a CAT! I think she considers herself a dog so this was an olfactory treat for her. She was leery but fascinated. Barney was more blase about it all, he's incredible. They put a plank to the wind wing of their RV and leave it open for him. He walks around the park like he owns it.

We've spent a couple days looking at colors and trying different ones. It's coming together and it is amazing to see the walls with color on them. I've gotten used to the gray concrete look and the difference is kind of shocking.

The blue is a keeper, I wasn't sure when I first saw it at night but seeing it in the daylight convinced me. It will continue on down the wall behind the pond and will also be on the roof supports.

I like the off white as well, I wasn't sure I would be happy with that. I have had an aversion to white walls in the past but... I'm recovering.

The yellow is too pale. We drove over to Terrance's old house with Henry, it is the color we wanted, and we took a piece of cardboard with the paint they used in our hall. Not the same! Mimi found a tiny piece that had chipped off of Terrance's and Henry took that for them to make a new formula for the yellow.

These were the 3 colors we had narrowed down to for this wall in the kitchen and the long wall behind the stairs outside.

I didn't like the brownish one on the left so it was down to the more orange one on top right and the deeper one at the bottom.

We decided on the deeper one on the bottom. I like them both but particularly like the darker color with the blue which will be on the roof beams.

The hood will stay the marbled white cement but it will be sanded, polished and sealed. We're also having a stencil put on it, made to look faded and incomplete and old.

One of the things I so love about Mérida, is the prevalence of music and the enjoyment that the whole city takes in listening and dancing to music in the parks.

Tuesday nights they have a band in Santiago square so Stephen, Paula, Mimi and I went to have panuchos and watch. It was jammed, most of the dancers were not spring chickens but, as Paula said "they still have the hip action" and the couples were clearly having a great time with each other. The food was excellent, the company fun and the warm night and wonderful music a joy. Have I mentioned how much I love this city?