Greetings From San Miguel de Allende

Ola from not so sunny Mexico.  The temperatures were in the 80s F. when I arrived but suddenly San Miguel became winter, with torrential rains and lows in the 40s F.  I can only guess that those snowy weather patterns plaguing New England and the Northeast decided to take, like me, a Mexican vacation.  Normally the hottest and driest part of the year in this, Mexico's Colonial Heartland, the desert instead will soon be unexpectedly  smiling with yellow and pink cactus blooms.

Just my luck, on the day I am leaving, this upcoming Wednesday, the good weather will be  returning.  Still I have been enjoying my days here. Daily we take a local bus to the natural mineral springs that is La Gruta.  For just over nine dollars you can soak all day in wonderfully hot water.  If you are a rookie Mexico traveller, San Miguel is great for beginners.  The place is filled, for better or worse, with gringo Americans.

My intention today was to write a defining report concerning the current state of Seattle's taxi industry but a difficult computer means it will have to wait for another day.  One thing I can assure you is that we are in serious trouble, just as I of course predicted months ago.  All the so called trade- offs theoretically gained during the Mayor Murray negotiations were ultimately suicidal, giving us nothing worth noting other than the leased licenses becoming permanent medallions but any fool should have realized that the change to actual legal property was in the near future, preordained regardless of anything else.  Sell your soul for the inevitable?  How is that sensible?  In a "taxi nutshell" it says exactly what has been occurring here in Seattle, namely, the nonsensical, and should I say it, complete idiocy?

One year ago drivers at Yellow were fighting for available taxis.  Now the situation is so bad that Yellow is actually mothballing part of its fleet to save money.  I knew we had no alternative but to legally fight what the City was cramming down our throats.  I have unhappily been proved correct.  Another question I have, and its a serious one, was why didn't "the powers that be" listen to me when I spelled out the crisis for them?  They knew what I had gained with L&I, saving the industry millions of dollars.  Why, and I repeat, why weren't my warnings deemed sane and reasonable?   Given the outcome, does anyone wonder why I am frustrated?  It drives me crazy though I am sitting over two thousand miles away.

Tomorrow we are visiting the archaeological site known as Canada da la Virgen.  A few days ago we visited the church in the village of Atotonilco.  It is a world heritage site.  The walls and ceilings are covered with painted figures.  It rivals Saint Mark's in Venice, Italy.  If you are ever in this area, you must go and find yourself both astounded and amazed.  And if you are a devout Roman Catholic, like Saint Peter's in Rome, the Santuario de Jesus Nazareno de Atotonilco should be on your list of must-sees.