Wow! We just experienced our very first earthquake!!! It was while we were sleeping. The first hint that something was off was that our dogs started whining and then barking, the neighborhood dogs, too, before we felt anything. Suddenly, our house shook, stuff rattled, the dogs freaked.

And then it was over.

We assumed it was an earthquake, but wouldn’t know for sure until morning. Today we’ve had a few aftershocks. Also weird. The news says it was magnitude 8.2 and dozens of people died as a result. We’ve been watching the impending doom with the hurricanes in the Caribbean and US, people prepping, leaving their homes, chaos. And out of the blue, with no warning, an earthquake, and a big one.  You just never know. Keep safe out there, y’all!

Our introduction to Oaxaca (pronounced “Wa-Ha-Kah”) was kind of a repeat of our arrival in Puebla. First off, we got a little lost (is that a thing?) coming into San Felipe del Agua, the suburb where our Airbnb was located. Siri sent us through the “less scenic” areas, up and down pot-holed streets and eventually down a steep mud path to a chicken coop. Once again, I got out of the car to check it out on foot, but couldn’t find any sort of habitable buildings.

As I was hiking back up the hill, a handsome young Mexican hombre (Mario, Jr.) walked toward me, and asked if I was Julie. (Pronounced Hoolia).  He led us to an ornate solid wooden gate and opened it for us to drive in to what was to be our private paradise for the next three weeks. The pictures on the website didn’t do this place justice!

Oaxaca is a very cool city, but I had a difficult time finding a place to rent in town for three weeks that was dog-friendly, had off-street parking for our rental car, and wasn’t too noisy. When I found this listing, I was torn. Did we want to be 20 minutes from the action in town? The house is on the bus route, and we wouldn’t have to worry about driving or parking in the city, which is very chaotic, I might add. The casita offered privacy, serenity and more opportunities to walk in nature, as well as parking and a completely enclosed (huge) yard and property. I decided to go with serenity, and I’m so glad I did. (As an after-thought, this structure is built like a brick shit house, better for protecting us during last night’s earthquake!)

In fact,  “Jardin La Morada” is so stunning, I am devoting this  entire blog post to the natural beauty that surrounds us. I will post a different blog highlighting the Oaxaca area.

The owner of the property is Mario. He has owned it for 30 years, but is continuously adding to it. A caretaker and his family live on the grounds, but removed from the casita. Umberto works long and hard to keep the grounds in pristine condition.

Until  recently, Mario rented the space out for weddings and other special events. There are detached out-buildings containing very nice bathrooms for party-goers. There is a wine cellar and pond, and a rushing creek behind the house, offering up more sounds of nature. The donkeys down the hill also add to nature’s music.

If you have followed my blog from way back, you know that I have this thing for phallic art. (Here is that post)

I’ll post again soon with more info on Oaxaca and the excursions we took.  For now, I’m gonna go outside and bask in this beauty, give thanks for our safety, and send good Qi to the world.  Hasta Pronto!