“Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.” Marcus Tullius Cicero

An unforGOATtable experience . . . a few weeks ago at the after party of a concert, I started talking with a very pleasant man who happened to be an artisanal goat cheese maker. He conducts tours of his farm in Mezcala, situated about 30 minutes from Ajijic. So last Sunday, along with 8 of our new friends, we shared a wonderful experience at his hillside farm, Galo de Allende, overlooking Lake Chapala.

The day started with a breakfast spread of fresh fruit, granola, and his goat cheese yogurt sitting under decades-old trees with a spectacular view of the lake. After eating came the main event – feeding the kids; baby goats, that is. Let’s just say that all the adults became kids. Once the feeding was complete we herded the goats around the property where they gorge on natural grasses.

I felt for a few minutes that I was in a scene from The Sound of Music ..

          High on a hill was a lonely goatherd

          Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo

          Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd

          Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

After herding the goats back to their pens, we shared wine, bread, and three types of goat cheese: ash, chipotle, and fresco; accompanied by a selection of jams. A wonderful finish to a marvelous day out in the country.

The cheesemaker, Juan Diego, and his lovely wife, Laura, are a very energetic, passionate young couple working to fulfill a dream to turn their farm into a learning, eco-friendly destination. We will be supporting them by buying their delicious products directly at their weekly farmer’s market stand in town and sharing this unforGOATtable experience with visiting friends in the future.

This week we ventured into Guadalajara in search of the holy grail ~ Costco (there are 3 of them). They use the same layout as NOB stores including pizza and hotdogs. This was an exploratory mission and found about 80% of the items that I always purchase -👍 NICE 👏 . We also stopped at Home Depot and got some supplies for a project I already have lined up at our new home upon returning on October 1st. We also wandered through the Gallerias Mall’s 3 stories filled with familiar stores including Dairy Queen! The biggest anchor tenant was the national chain of Liverpool department stores which I describe as between a Macy’s and Bloomingdales – it reminds me of the old Broadway or Robinson’s.

For the 4th several lakeside organizations contracted with local restaurants to serve hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs and potato salad. David and I opted to try a restaurant on our wish list that was offering 30% off to all US citizens. We were not disappointed by the food or the service. On the menu: agua fresca de papaya, gazpacho, onion soup and French crepes filled with veggies for me and prosciutto for David.