For those who don’t know what “Hogmanay” means, it is the Scottish name for New Year’s Eve. To celebrate this Hogmanay 2012 and tomorrow’s New Year’s Day 2013, we want to interrupt our posting of the next installment of our children’s book, “Jake, Little Jimmy and Big Louie” to post an excerpt from our emails sent to friends in which we related the latest happenings during our extended stay in Mexico November 2004 to March 2007. (Who knows – maybe we’ll even find time some day to publish our Mexican accounts in book form.) This account is from early January 2005 when we were still living in our motorhome at a wonderful water park near Villa Corona, about an hour’s drive east of Guadalajara.  My remarks are in plain type, Gayle’s are in italics.( Our emails were usually a joint effort.)

“We were thrilled to be invited to a New Year’s Eve party at Bill and Eva’s home in Ajijic (just hiccup while you say it and you’ll probably get the pronunciation right). To recap: Bill and Eva are the lovely couple I met on the Internet before we left Winnipeg. We met them in person shortly after our arrival in the area. On our second visit to the “hiccup town”, we popped in again to see them. When we were leaving they told us they were having a New Year’s Eve (Hogmanay, to us Scots) party and that if we wished to attend we’d be very welcome.

“On the way home, after making a reservation for lodging that night at a local bed and breakfast, (We didn’t want to dodge cows, burros and various and sundry drunks whom we might meet on the dark country roads on New Year’s Eve.) Gayle and I talked about the invitation and I decided that, since it was Hogmanay, the biggest Scottish holiday except for perhaps Robbie Burns’ Day, I would wear my kilt, sporran, Argyll jacket and the whole kit and caboodle. Gayle had her tartan cape and formal kilt skirt along so decided to wear hers also.

“So, we got there around seven, started meeting the few that had arrived and then I met Greta! Greta is really a lovely lady but, when she met ‘your’s truly’, she couldn’t believe it. I THINK SHE WANTED TO TAKE ME HOME! I’m sure she’d never before seen a Scotsman in full Highland dress or heard first hand the Scottish burr.  ‘Does he REALLY talk like this all the time?’ she wanted to know. ‘What a wonderful accent,’ and ‘Oh, you’re so cute,’ she cooed. Then, kiss, kiss, kiss!

“(Obviously, Ian thought it was wonderful; I had a hard time keeping my cool!) I don’t know if it was Greta’s husband’s doing (a very nice guy) but they soon left as they were heading for another two parties.

“Then there was another interesting (?) couple – his name was Dan and his name was Tom! Tom was also interested in ‘your’s truly’. Specifically, he said, he was very interested in what I had under my kilt!!!!! (Actually I get this question from someone every time I wear it!) Gayle said later that I should have told him that I have a bumper sticker on the front of our motorhome that reads, ‘Happiness is under my kilt!’ – although I wouldn’t be the least bit interested in proving it to him! He was also interested in the ‘furry thing’ in front. I had to tell him it was my sporran and that he definitely was not getting it!!!!!

“It was a great evening where we were able to meet quite a few gringo friends of Bill and Eva’s, either snowbirds or permanent residents, who we know we’ll want to see more of in days to come. Eva had a wonderful spread of food and we enjoyed Bill’s bartending, the fire in their outdoor fireplace and the great evening air of around 60 (15C) degrees. Just before midnight we walked upstairs to their rooftop terrace perched halfway up the mountain and watched the fireworks being set off down in the town along the lakeside. Of course, we also participated in a good rendition of “Auld Lang Syne.”

“When the party was finally over in the wee hours of the morning, we left Bill and Eva’s to return to the Bed’n’Breakfast we’d booked into. The street was packed and we had to park about two blocks away. Almost next door to the B n’ B we encountered a full-blown Mexican street party. There must have been around two hundred souls, adults and kids all in an elongated circle, taking up the whole street and sidewalks on either side. A big bonfire was going just to the side a little bit and a rope was suspended over the street to hoist piñatas,  hollow containers made of paper maché or clay. Some looked like horses, some like stars and various other shapes. All, of course, were filled with candies for the kids.

“Gayle and I were winding our way through the party to get ‘home’, when I noticed a vacant chair off to the side. Calling Gayle, who was just ahead of me, I motioned  to her to come back and sit. She did, and immediately a chair was provided for me also. The folks were really having a good time and soon the Mexicans accepted us as visitors, everyone smiling and waving to us. We were each offered a glass of hot ‘Ponch’ and then a man with a tequila bottle came by and offered to top up the Ponch. And it was very welcome, I must admit, (not as good as Scotch, but not bad, to tell the truth – well, it was free! Anything alcoholic and free isn’t that bad, is it?) So, I’m thoroughly enjoying the tequila and watching the kids whacking at the piñata. After all the kids had had a turn, many of the adults volunteered or were coerced into taking a whack. Then, silly me, always ready for a “carry-on”, volunteered to try to whack the evasive piñata! This ‘thing’ was on a rope, raised and lowered indiscriminately, making it difficult for a (get this) blindfolded person to hit it.

“Okay, I’m there, Casey at the bat. I had volunteered to beat the piñata to death. It must have been the first time in history (well, in this century) that a Scot, in full Highland dress, was blindfolded and was attempting to destroy the candy container that was swinging from a rope. He did manage to glance a blow off it, but not good enough to break it. After a few minutes I gave up. The crowd then gave me a cheer (more in compassion, I think, than for his competence at being able to hit the target) and I went back to my seat and a wee drop more tequila. Not much later, Gayle and I went to our abode. This was in the wee hours of the morning of the first day of the year.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

copyright © 2005