After a very long six months of dealing with family medical issues, I have escaped to my favorite home-away-from-home, the Quinta Quetzalcoatl Bed & Breakfast in Chapala Mexico. I’m meeting up with some of the wonderful artists I met here last spring, and hoping to shake off the fatigue that set in this summer.
This place is an oasis, even in the dry winter months. But, after a long rainy season topped off with a dousing from hurricane Patricia, the garden is lush, vibrant, and a riot of color. Coming in from the street can be a bit confusing for new guests. Which path to follow?
Having stayed here four times in the past, I know my way around, so I head off on the path to the left, toward the pool courtyard.
The recent rains have left the cobblestones fresh and clean, and the gardeners have clearly been busy trimming the arched trees.
The pool look very inviting, but I’ll stick my toe in before I decide to take a plunge. If my memory serves me right, it’s not heated.
I took a stroll through the gardens without my camera, just feasting in the colors – and simply amazed at the details I never noticed before I had my cataracts fixed this summer. Having worn glasses all my life, I am quite astonished to SEE the little things that have escaped my notice without having my nose right next to something!
This is my first trip here in November, and quite naturally, different plants are blooming. The huge amaryllis pots are resting, but the hibiscus and roses are bursting out all over the gardens. The hedge of deep pink hibiscus was the first to grab my attention.
The color combination are quite stunning. It’s no wonder these flowers are a favorite subject for painters, photographers and quilters. And the hummingbirds? They simply love this place!
Now here’s a treat! Perfect white blossoms in the midst of this riot of color. Even the gardeners know that we need a quiet place to rest our eyes.
It has been quite a contrast to come here directly from Quilt Festival in Houston. The quilt show and the vendor hall are surely a Riot of Color, but the calm that permeates the gardens here is working it’s magic, helping me to slow down. It will take a few days before I am truly On Mexican Time, but I’m getting there.
Your Turn
Where do you go when you need to Get Out Of Dodge? Do share! I love comparing notes about our favorite escapes.
It was such a treat seeing you in Houston next to your beautiful award winning quilt. My sister an I were first timers to the venue and we considered the show to be the best ever made even better by meeting you in person. I hope you get some well deserved rest and that someday we will meet again. Thank you for your continued contributions to the art world and for your wonderful tutelage that has helped me to follow my dreams in quilting and art.
Thank you, Kae. I so appreciate your warm words. Meeting you and your friends from our community was the highlight of my trip. I’m so glad I was able to make the trip – and to come to Chapala for some quiet time. It will be good to unwind.
White flowers are MORE than a visual resting place… plant an area of white flowers and behold them on a moon-lit night! They GLOW in the moonlight. Maybe a moonlit walk at at QQ Gardens will give you the same effect.
http://www.post-gazette.com/life/garden/2013/05/11/White-gardens-shine-at-night-under-moon-s-glow/stories/201305110094
http://www.hgtvgardens.com/flowering-plants/create-a-moon-garden
You are so right, Gina. Now I’ll have to plan to walk around the garden at night. As long as I don’t stumble on the cobblestones or take an accidental dip in the pool, it should be lovely! 😉
I have a fondness for Grand Marais, but any lake that’s not heavily populated will do. I have stayed at a small resort on Lake Superior several time before, and that was so relaxing. It’s wonderful to be able to look out over the lake and enjoy so much of Mother Nature’s work.
The north shore of Superior is fantastic, Marlyn. Jack and I have spent a number of holidays at the Split Rock Cabins. Old fashioned, no cell service, no internet, no TV. Just hours and hours of watching and listening to the lake.
I so resonate with your comments about missing details because of compromised vision. I have so enjoyed macro photography because it reveals the details I miss. It is also amazing how often there is an insect on the flowers that I totally missed seeing.
I hope your husband is recovered and doing well. Enjoy your creative respite in that lovely, inspiring setting.
You are so right about the insects, Ann. They are everywhere if we can 1) slow down enough to notice and 2) have the ability to actually see them. My brother-in-law has a camera/lens combination that allows him to take photos of hummingbirds. He captured one this summer of a hummer hovering over a flower — with his beak open. It appeared that the hummer was squawking at the bee that was already on the flower. Just amazing.