Here is a favorite little painting of mine. My mom painted this. Hi Mom!!!!!!!
Hills and hills, filled with bluebonnets.
Now, I am showing you this because I have hung it in the laundry room so it can help add a little warmth and decor to the room.Now, why would I want to do that?
Because Ian is coming tomorrow for a week. And he is going to have to sleep in the laundry room.
It is all good. He does not read the blog. If he did read it and saw his accommodations, he might decide to just stay home.
You can see it below. Of course, the nicest thing is the new ceiling. The second nicest is, he has a bed. What more does a twenty year old kid need than a roof and a bed.
During the last year I have had a few pangs of guilt, especially last year when Ian called one day to say he had to sleep in his car the previous night. He is very independent and I think, was actually proud to tell me that he could take care of himself, even if he was homeless.
Of course, the reason he was homeless was he decided to drop out of college in Colorado and had driven back to Washington state without really thinking about where he would be sleeping.
So, that is history and a darn good story for another day.
Now look below and you can see the bed in the laundry room, two twin beds stacked on top of each other, covered with a quilt my grandmother made.
The beautiful ceiling and new lights.
See how I have cleverly covered up some of Senor's wiring in the back. Since there is no door, I have cleverly put up sheets there as well.
Another nice touch, seashells on the little ledge above the bed.
Cute, huh? Do you think he will like it?
Well, I am in a hurry! I have to go!
Senor just returned from the mercado and he would like to read football! adios! Linda Lou
PS: Wednesday four hour bridge games are a hit!!! I love it!
The lady who asked me to help with the altar creates beautiful miniature scenes and she envisioned that this might be something Ida would have liked. It is so delicate and pretty, right down to the crystal chandelier and the photographs on the wall. 
These are copies of the covers of books she wrote while living here in Alamos.
Here is the altar created by the indigenous indian tribe, the Guarajitos.
and an altar the museum created to honor a Mexican poet.
The Palacio was filled also with altars that were created by the school children. Each was dedicated to a different person.
I wondered alot about the Wood couple. Do they have any family? Thery were a mother and father. Where is their family? Why were they in Alamos? At the top of his grave there is a brass plaque. It says T. Morgan Wood and there is a music cleft and three music notes on it. Does anyone know who these people are? They are no longer alone, their names have now been added to the History Club list.
and snake meat........................ We decide we do not really need to buy any today..................
As La Choza is across the street from the plaza, we listen well into the night to a mariachi band and young people laughing and dancing.We have arranged, for a driver to take us the the 'El Chepe' train station in the morning. 
'El Chepe' is rarely on time, but we are, and we do alot of people and burro watching. Below, Jenny waits patiently for the train to arrive.
We are going to be boarding the first class train. We think we have reservations, but we are not really sure. Several weeks ago, after deciding to not pay an agency fifteen dollars to book each of us, Jenny emailed the train company directly at 
The train is very comfortable and we find a lounge car and a dining car, but like many other people, we will spend much of this train ride, hanging out the windows between the cars, taking photographs.
There are over eighty-seven tunnels and thirty-nine bridges between the eastern departure city of Los Mochis and the final destination of Chihuahua. We have chosen Bahuichivo as our destination, partly because of time constraints, but also because the train ride between El Fuerte and Bahuichivo is reportedly, the most scenic.
We will travel through hot and lush tropical areas as we begin to climb and after several hours, we will be up in cool forested pines. We will ascend from two hundred and forty feet to six thousand during our five hour trip.
In Bahuichivo, we are met by a driver from the Paraiso del Oso Lodge, which is located in Cerocahui, about ten kilometers from the train station. The lodge gets its name, which translated means Paradise of the Bear, from the wonderful rock formations that are on the cliffs above the valley. The owner, Doug Rhodes, will be giving us a few tours while we are here for four days, but we are also planning on some sit and read time. So, if you brought your book, you can sit out in the courtyard and read and watch the hummingbirds fly by. You can take a few short walks and smell the fresh cool air or you can take a peaceful nap.
Below, you can see the bear rock formation.
Three rivers join across the road from the lodge.
Accomodations here are very comfortable, with three meals a day included in your ticket price.
You can settle into the cozy bar with Culver and Jenny, in the photo below, for a free nightly maragarita. Country music and an occasional Garrison Keilor commentary from the satelite radio will keep you pleasantly amused.
You have alot of choices. You can do some hiking up to the caves, or along the river. You can hire a driver and take a tour. We are going to saddle up for a two hour horseback ride along the river.
After a good long day, we are going have a fire cooked meal of chicken, salsa and tortillas.
Below, Culver waits patiently for his chicken. The smell from the pan is tantalizing and we sit around the fire, watching the cook stir the pan. It is chilly enough to get out your fleece.
In the morning we decide to ride with Doug, up to Cerro del Gallego. The view from here is supposed to be breathtaking. Some say it is more spectacular than the fifteen minute stop at Divisadero, on the train ride beyond our stop.I do not think we will be dissappointed.Below, we have stopped along the road to take some photos before getting to the Gallego. In the very center of the ridge below, there is a small Tarahumara house, all alone. A long trail, across the ridge, leads to the house.
An older Tarahumara brother gives a younger one a ride on the rocky ledge.
A group of riders has just come up from the Urique Canyon.
We have told Doug that we would like to buy some baskets that are woven, by the Tarahumara women, from the five-needle pine. He is going to take us to a Tarahumara family home.
We are going to buy several baskets from this woman. The baskets smell like fresh pine.
But, now we have to buy several baskets from this woman also. She is the mother in law.
Soon we are going to leave the rim and visit the town of Cerocahui.
At the small town plaza we take in a few photos.
Across the street is the Mision San Franscisco Javier.
An old organ sits, unused, in a corner of the church loft. 
Cerocahui has a small girls' school. Many of the girls live at the school, but alot of the girls are Tarahumara and some of them walk six hours each day to get to the school.
All too quickly, it is time to leave. We get to the train station in plenty of time, but again, 'El Chepe' is late. It is allright with us, it is very peaceful and quiet and we are not in a hurry to go.
Senor and Culver discuss why the train is almost always reportedly late.
We are glad we have chosen to go first class.
Finally we are off, once again, through secret dark tunnels and over creaky bridges, alongside cascading waterfalls and steep cliffs. We find ourselves hanging out of the windows and looking at the scenery as though we have not seen it before. We pass by small huts where people come out to wave and we wave back. We watch as cool pine forests become lush and tropical and below, rivers and creeks rush by.
As we travel, clouds fill the sky and soon it is dark and the rain starts. We finally decide it is too wet to continue hanging out the windows, but it is hard to stop. The smell of good 'El Chepe' food takes over and we enjoy a last Copper Canyon meal. Before we know it, the whistle is blowing in El Fuerte.
