"What do you do all day?"

        "What do you DO all day?"

I've heard that question often recently, when I decline invitations or mention our plans to travel to Oaxaca soon.  My first visit to Oaxaca lasted 2 days, during a back-packing trip through southern Mexico.  It felt like a good area to explore further, with a reputation for good food and good art, so the next stop in Oaxaca last 2 weeks.  The next trip was open-ended!  We found a hotel, hit the streets to knock on doors, we found an apartment, the one we have been lucky enough to return to.  So, what do I do all day?!?



Eat.  The food here is awesome!  The street food is good and there are many "nice" restaurants.  I love the comida corrida places; those little restaurants that have a fixed lunch menu every day.  Add to the mix the puestos in the daily markets and weekly markets, and the dude who pedals through the streets most mornings selling hot tamales from his pedicart.


All that eating makes me want to cook, to try the methods Oaxacans have been using for centuries.  Much of Oaxacan-style cooking begins with roasting the tomatoes and onions, and finding the specific peppers to deliver the flavor the cook is looking for.  There are dozens of chilies, not necessarily spicy.  Of course, corn is a major component of Oaxacan cooking  .Last winter, I was delighted to be included in the tamale making class at my spanish school, Oaxaca Spanish Magic (OSM).  Of course, it was taught in spanish, making it a very good language lesson, too.



Hiking (finding places that are not closed is easy!) and exploring the beautiful mountains around the Central Valley are on the weekly calendar.  There are plants and animals that only grow or live in this part of the world, including those famous mushrooms!  One morning birding hike netted more than 30 birds to add to my List.



I'm working on my spanish language skills, which takes lots of listening, reading, writing and speaking practice.  After a few years at OSM in a classroom situation, learning the rules and basics, I was ready for a one-on-one tutor.  Friends convinced a very busy teacher, Laura, to find time for me, and I'm making good progress (I think!).




Sewing and drawing takes some time, almost daily, too.  Last year, I bought a used sewing machine at pawn shop.  There are five fabric shops close by, and while I'm NOT building a stash, I do wander through the shops looking for fabrics to stitch into clothes.

I keep a list of books I've read, and I daily spend time with at least one book. Like most of our snowbird friends, we bring books  to pass around, then donate them to the library.  The Oaxaca Lending Library, the english language library, is very well stocked, and we're delighted to buy our annual membership within a couple of days of arriving.  Last year, I discovered the spanish language book collection there, and the Judy Blume books. Love me some spanish-language Fudge!

A lot of time is spent with friends.  We gather in our rooftop garden daily for sunset cocktails; we have lunch; we hike; we explore the wonderful small villages and weekly markets; visit the very good museums in Oaxaca and close by; go the weekly tianguis, those markets that pop-up weekly.  A calendar is a must, to keep up with all the plans!  This picture was taken last winter a the wedding anniversary celebration, held at Gio.