This Past Month & a Half: Florida, Cleveland, Chicago, San Luis Potosi..

A few people have asked after my blog.  I've gone tramping again, as is my wont, and had promised I would write about it all for those who might care to keep tabs on my peregrinations.

First,  I did in fact finish my grand tour of Florida that I was blogging earlier here.  Because I am a veteran, the State of Florida issued me a free entrance pass to all state parks.  I decided that I wanted to see the state, and used the parks as waypoints along that way.  My parents visited all 120 parks in three years, and I decided that I would do the same feat in two months.  I actually made it to 119 parks in seven weeks.  I saved the last, Silver River SP in Ocala for last, because it is 45 minutes from Lady Lake, my home base.   I thought I would jump up the last week, and do a quick drive by.  But I never did..  Until week nine.    Two months and one week after I began, I finally garnered my last stamp in my nifty Florida State Park Passport, which I can now send of to Tallahassee to get a free Florida State Parks license plate for the front of my car.

Which I am selling.  Emma and I have had some good times together, but I've decided that I want to simplify my life, and that she has to go.  Anyone interested in buying a 2010 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen can email me.

Anyhow, I was going to write a post on how much I've learnt about, and grown to like Florida (it's really a very interesting place)  but I never got the inspiration.  

I've felt rather listless, depressed this last month.  

Even before Geoff killed himself.  

An old Army friend of mine, who used to comment frequently on my old Swiss blog, committed suicide two weeks ago by overdosing on sleeping pills.  There's a story behind that act, one that belongs to him, and that I won't tell here.  Nothing lurid, just pain and a faithless woman.  

I was shocked and devastated by that news, and decided that I was going to alter my previous plan of heading to Chicago last week to visit my brother, so I could attend the wake and funeral of my friend and be with his family in Cleveland.  

Geoff's was an Irish wake.  Stories, jokes, a few beers, barbecue and a gluttonous repast of sushi.   I hadn't been able to eat for two days before I got there, I was so upset.  Being with them was catharsis.

This is a picture of Geoff's dad feeding beer to their dog.  

In true Brachvogel style.   Geoff always made me laugh.  


I then went to Chicago to spend the week with my brother's family.  These are my nieces, Shunie and Skaya:

I then left for Mexico.   I took the train to San Antonio, and then threw a metaphorical dart at the map of Mexico.   I needed out, no matter where.

That's how I serendipitously ended up here:

 

San Luis Potosi.  The very heart of Mexico.  Over one mile high in the Sierra Madres.   Settled by Franciscan missionaries in 1593, it has a storied history.

Lots of baroque churches and verdant plazas.  A very pretty place.  

I've been here a week, just being a gringo in Mexico.  My heart is becoming calm.  I like it here. 

That last image is what you see when you lean out the window of my (very cheap and quite fine) hotel

room.   La Plaza de Armas and the city's cathedral.   There is singing in the streets every afternoon and night, and the food is great.  

I accidentally left my camera's battery re-charger in my hotel back in San Antonio.  I have to buy a new one, and nobody sells Nikon accessories here.  This means I probably need to go to Guadalajara to replace it..

Pictures will likely be scarce until I resolve that issue..

There.  There's a lame post for you all.   I'll try to get back into the swing of this thing.  No promises, though.

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