The Prologue
In 1999, having been inspired by several books about adventures in rural Tuscany, Italy, a young(ish) Madison Avenue, New York City, couple dreamt of owning a house there. Discovering that the publicity for Tuscany had driven their dream beyond their financial capability, they were disheartened and saddened. Soon thereafter, they were invited to a wedding in the small colonial town of San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico. The wedding ceremony was to be held at the United Nations World Heritage Site known as the Atotonilco Sanctuary, which is often called the Sistine Chapel of Mexico. After receiving the wedding invitation, they researched the San Miguel de Allende (SMA) area and found that it is similar to Tuscany in some ways, so they decided to attend the wedding in SMA, then remain there for a few days to explore the area. If indeed this would be their Mexican “Tuscany Experience,” they hoped to find a suitable property where they could live their dream. They eventually purchased a small ranch in SMA comprised of approximately ten acres of land, a small house, a caretaker's quarters, no phone lines, stalls and a rope corral for horses. Their saga of fifteen years is the subject of this book.
1999: The First Retirement
One sunny morning in the spring of 1999, while getting dressed for work at our apartment in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, I shouted out to Susan, “Have you ever thought about retirement?” “Sure, all the time,” she replied. I asked whether she would like to retire. “Yes, when?” “How about today?” She walked into our dressing area, smiled at me and said, “Why not? We have done crazier things and managed to survive.” Giving me a big hug and a kiss, she added, “Let’s chuck work.” We finished dressing and departed for our offices on Madison Avenue, where we worked for the same global advertising agency...... and 25 years later we are still here! read our story
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