December 2023

December 30, 2023

December 2023

Sunset at Tunki Rooftop Bar @bethbcullen

This month has been a mixture of highs and lows. After we got back from Thanksgiving in Louisiana we learned that one of our friends passed away unexpectedly. Chad was one of Scott’s law school buddies and was one of the nicest, smartest, most honorable people we know. His wife and two boys are also amazing, salt of the earth, nice people. We flew down to New Orleans for the funeral and every time I thought there couldn’t be any more tears left in my body, I discovered there were more, so many more. It reminded me of my dad who died a few days after my birthday on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 58. Gone way too soon. Holidays will never be the same for Chad’s family and it broke my heart. It really did. We met up with a bunch of Scott’s law school buddies for dinner the night before the funeral and laughed (and cried) while reminiscing about all of the crazy, fun stories from over the years. We talked on the flight home about spending more time in Louisiana with that crew. Such good people. It was a reminder to spend quality time with people you love and people who love you back.

While we were in New Orleans, our friends asked us what we were doing for the holidays and we told them about our upcoming trip to San Miguel de Allende. It was exactly what we needed to pull us out of our sadness.

We heard from many artist friends that San Miguel would be right up our alley, and it was. Architecture, art, cocktails, food, wine and wineries, music, weather, and warm, friendly people. We stayed with a couple that we met thru Instagram. She’s purchased art from me and loves making craft cocktails at home. They live just outside the center of town and run an AirBnB. Their home is absolutely gorgeous with two rooftop terraces and exquisite gardens. We stayed in one of their suites which had three fireplaces as well as a full kitchen. Every morning we woke up, turned on the fireplace and sipped coffee. So, so nice.

Getting to SMA was not easy, but that’ll be changing soon when Delta begins direct flights to León. We flew into Mexico City then hopped on an AeroMexico Connect to Querétaro. From there we used a car service to get us to SMA, which was about an hour and 15 minutes. On the way back we had a car service take us back to Querétaro, then flew to Monterrey, then back to ATL.

I entertain myself in airports by sketching the people around me

On Christmas Day our friends invited two other couples to join us for a Christmas dinner feast. We worked all day in the kitchen, making prime rib, veggies, polenta, popovers, a Yule log and other tasty treats.

One of the best parts of the day was meeting Sally and Herb, a couple from Atlanta (Brookhaven) that moved to SMA about six years ago. I asked Sally if she ever misses Atlanta and without hesitation she said, “No!” They LOVE retirement in SMA. The other couple is in the process of transitioning from Palm Springs to SMA.

We enjoyed spending time with our friends’ dogs: Merlin, Shelby, Dilligaf and Brutus. They’re all so affectionate, except for Dillygaf who is your typical Chihuahua. She was named Dilligaf for a specific reason :) But not my little Brutus Maximus! this 4.5 pound furball is THE MOST adorable, friendly, cutest dog I’ve ever met in my life. And as you can see below, Merlin loved Scott.

My little Bruté

We learned so much about life in SMA, healthcare in Mexico, a booming winery/wine scene, pace of life and living peacefully. I understand why so many choose to retire in San Miguel.

You can easily research hotels and things to do in SMA, so I won’t bore you with all of those details. I’ll just share photos from our trip with brief explanations. If you would like more information about San Miguel, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

We purchased this painting from Danny Rueffert, who is a long time friend of our friends. He’s lived in San Miguel since 1970 and was one of the many artists who came to SMA as a result of the GI Bill. He told us that in the early days he painted portraits in Jackson Square in New Orleans. He also paints en plein air and paints figuratively using photographs he’s taken over the years of living in Mexico. Such a nice man, his paintings are gorgeous and his prices are very reasonable.

We visited a beautiful jewelry store and found this amazing collection inspired by Maria Felix, “La Doña” of Mexico. Turns out La Doña was fascinated with cocodrilos, just like me! Check her out … is she a badass or what? Any woman that will walk into Cartier with a live baby crocodile is MY KINDA WOMAN.

We wandered through the Mercado de Artesanias to see some of the local art and artists. There are tons of shops in the area in addition to this spot. If you see a flower garland or decoration above the door, just walk in and see what they have to offer - clothes, shoes, jewelry, accessories, furniture, you name it, they have it.

Fabrica la Aurora is another hot spot in San Miguel, and if you’re a shopper, this is a spot you don’t want to miss. Dozens and dozens of shops in one spot - again, everything and anything you could possibly want, including a beloved burger joint, Grandpa & Son’s. Our friends love the smash burger and they were right!

Speaking of food … the restaurants and bars of SMA are outstanding. With approximately 600 restaurants in this small city, it’s impossible to cover it all, so I recommend starting here. San Miguel is notorious for its rooftop spots and we hit a few that were stellar. Quince is in the heart of Centro. We sat up on the roof and tried some of their tequila cocktails. Reservations recommended.

But the crème de la crème is Tunki at Casa de Sierra Nevada.

My understanding is that Tunki is reserved for Casa de Sierra Nevada guests only, but because our friends are so tied into SMA, they called in a favor so we could enjoy sunset cocktails on our last day in town. It was breathtaking. No rooftop bar will ever compare. If you click on the photo you’ll see we had the best seat in the house. That’s Scott at the very end of the terrace. The ceviche is the best I’ve ever had and the cocktails were incredible. We were even treated to three custom Sotol cocktails by Alain, the head bartender. I’m telling you … the service in SMA is without a doubt second to none.

On a food related note, we also went to City Market, which is easily the nicest grocery store I’ve ever seen. You’ll find staff decked out in jackets and ties. Gelato bar, chocolate bar, coffee bar, bakery, seafood, liquor, wine, prepared foods and restaurants all in one place. Can we please get one of these in Atlanta pronto???

I brought my pastels along but the streets of SMA are not great for plein air painting. You could easily paint in one of the pedestrian area plazas near the Jardin, but otherwise, it would be very, very difficult because of the narrow sidewalks. It was much easier to paint back at our apartment.

10 out of 10 vacay! Hasta luego, San Miguel!

ART

I continue to teach drawing via private lessons and I’m looking forward to teaching my first drawing fundamentals class at Acworth Arts Alliance beginning in January. My focus right now is on fine tuning my lesson plans and exercises, so I haven’t painted very much lately (besides a few pastels in SMA).

My plein air group is on hiatus until the end of February or whenever temperatures get above 50 degrees, whichever comes first.

READING

I’m a little more than halfway through the J. Edgar Hoover biography, “G-Man.” It’s a great book, but I’m a slow reader and it’s about 700 pages. I’ve also ordered several books about Mexican history because we’re so curious to learn more.

JANUARY

Scott gave me a Christmas gift for a new 8-week class starting in January! I can hardly wait! We also have an upcoming very special trip to NYC - details next month.

WORD FOR 2024

Last year’s word was “instinct,” and that worked out really well. There were many instances where I had to trust my gut. My experience with pastels was a part of that, for sure. This year my word is going to be “simplify.” I’m not going to overplan things and hopefully not overpaint things. SIMPLIFY. Less is more. Back to the basics. Edit out the BS. Purge a bunch of junk around the house. SIMPLIFY. Wish me luck :)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US

We are celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary today and a total of 16 years together. Never in a million years could I have ever imagined the fun we would have. We’ve worked together, run ultramarathons and trail races, painted together, shared one car for years, taken Spanish classes, French classes, been to countless museums, a Dukes of Hazzard Festival, Croatia, Montenegro, Jordan, Israel, France, Denmark, Amsterdam, Italy, Mexico, Bermuda, Colombia, Cajun Country and everywhere in between. Here’s to 16 more!