Hittin the Hillsides: Life is Nice on the Periphery

I do some of my best dreaming in the middle of the day. It is a treat and a joy to spend so much time, thinking about what is going to be--and I feel I am still doing a good job of being here and now.

Point in case, yesterday I got up early and went to the dog park. I read a chapter in Slaughterhouse-five, and I enjoyed the early morning light. I made a phone call about a hypothetical plan, which had been hatched earlier last week. After grocery shopping, I got the call that it was a go--dogs included. I hauled the pooches over to Condesa, picked up Them Crooked Spaniards, and we hit the road.

We headed through the fray of DF's traffic. We were en route to Xochimilco (So-chi-milk-oh)--well actually, the mountains above the town. The town is about an hour away from DF proper, and it is still within city limits. In some respects this is a kin to LA living--everything is encompassed within the city.

We took some very circuitous winding roads, and eventually wound up atop a mountain. We made our way down an unpaved road, and found ourselves at a grand old colonial styled ranch. The place was huge. The brick work was phenomenal. There were all sorts of little courtyards and patios. There was a chicken coop filled with prize winning fighting cocks--when released, Flow took a moment to investigate that area.

Horses, hens, dogs, cats, goats, and sheep--it was all there. I was apprehensive to let the pooches loose. They are not privy to the ways of the farm. One time, on a road trip not too long ago, we stopped at a rest stop in New Mexico. Aside from it being the nicest rest stop of my life, there were also a ton of cows, and well the dogs spent the better part of 15mins, chasing cows along a fence. This time around, Chops, did his typical piss-ant tactic, and he barked loudly at the animals he did not understand.

Eventually, Julia saddled up, and we took the dogs out to the hills for a hike and stroll. I let the dogs off, after being urged by Julia to relax and let it happen. Chops and Flow, followed Lucio along side the horse, and we were at peace with the world. The dogs literally walked on the heels of Martin the Great, and did not get the slightest inclination to take a piss at the caballo. We walked along the rural hillside. We came across two burros tied up in a field, and Chops took off. He got right up the mix, and barked his head off. He chased them in circles; Lucio joined in. Chops, thank the lord, does not have any balls left--I think he would be an utter nightmare if he did. Finally the asshole got over his antics--well, Pablo grabbed him by the collar, and hauled him off; Pablo and Ana, were nice enough to untangle the Burros which had been tangled in their own ropes. Watching all of this, were a horde of young hill dwellers. A rag tag group of precocious little Mexicanos and their two bloody dogs--literally bloody. Their pitbull had definitely been commissioned to fight earlier that day. The bitches mockingly said good bye in English--I am getting use to the poor youth trying to grab a little power by mocking the white boys.

We walked back. I climbed a wall to check the scene over yonder. An amazing castle like house lay atop a beautiful piece of land. I then hopped back on my faithful steed, and rode him on into the coral--Chops is my caballito.

We killed the rest of daylight with beers and chips. Near dusk, we laoded up the dogs and headed out of the ranch. We made our way to a little hillside shanty known as Don Pancho's. The Don is known for their Barbacoa--sheep/lamb that is cooked/smoked underground. Well we started the meal with a sweet cup of their home style soup, made from the broth of the pit cooked meat. The soup included spices, garlic, onion, and tomatoes--in all honesty, it was better than the barabacoa itself. I was so freaking excited about the food and the experience--I was giddy. The restaurant was outfitted with pottery, that had to have been made in the hillside community. Everything was a burnt umber red, and it was all pretty. We ate, laughed, drank, and left.

The long road back was just that--long, but not too long. We rocked out to the beauty of the ipod. Everything from Neil Young to Fiona Apple, made the lineup. It was a nice conclusion to a weekend of present moment living.







(Pictures provided by El Zeta and his camera)