“The minute you walked in the joint …” from Sweet Charity

And this week we walked into two joints … each offering a different, enjoyable entertainment experience.

“Ballet Folclórico Ixtlahuacan,” a local dance troupe, celebrating 32 years of representing their Mexican roots in the tradition of folkloric arts. They took us through a varied 💃 journey. You felt their dedication and passion the minute they hit the stage at the Auditorio with their colorful presence. Each dance brought a vivid change of costumes and song style.

The eclectic program consisted of several, exuberant sets featuring the culture and traditions from Michoacán, Veracruz, and Chihuahua states. It ended with a bring-the-house-down rendition of the best of Jalisco state, complete with Mariachis … the enthusiastic Tapatios (what Guadalajarans call themselves) in the audience went wild, including this newly adopted son. The joint was jumping! It was a standout performance and a bargain-priced 250 pesos.

Sunday morning I went into Florence Nightingale mode as David sliced off 😱 the tip of his middle 🖕 on the mandoline slicer. He was slicing onions for our traditional 🥯 and lox Sunday brunch…….I made a quick trip to the farmacia to acquire some additional first aid, including a finger protector……….he has been 🥛’ing it all week, the pobrecito 😢 . . . A vestige of his massage past when such an occurrence would have been devastating.

Update on our ongoing outdoor jacuzzi situation … they got the recycling pump to work, filled it up to test, and found out we have a leak. So far two people have stopped by to take a look with no solution yet…. with the H🥵T season a’comin’ shortly, it’s becoming an issue … stay tuned.

Saturday, after dinner at La Paceña (a top-five for us), we attended a local musical production of “Sweet Charity,” staged by Lakeside Little Theatre. They’re a volunteer organization composed of energetic, dedicated townsfolk … though somewhat geriatric in nature, they’re having fun and providing entertainment to the ex-pat community. Plus, we’re beginning to take notice of some “usual suspects,” folks seen around town … “Hey! Isn’t that so and so?”

And here, the “joint” is a small, intimate theatre where every seat is a good seat. We sat in front row center, which although not my preferred seat at any theatre, proved an asset for this production. The lead actress’s voice didn’t project much past the first three rows; both David and I wondered if she was even heard in the last rows. So, ya just gotta suspend belief, relax and enjoy the show.

A night out in Ajijic is always an enjoyable time.

On the menu this week, sauté Wild Alaskan Salmon (Costco) over a bed of buttery mashed potatoes accompanied by a stir fry of shaved Brussels sprouts, brócoli and spinach drizzled with balsamic ( had only a handful of each ingredients so why not combined them………..yummy