My family and I had been enjoying vacations in Mexico for some years before I retired. I spent many years teaching high school English, speech and drama and raising three children. We fell in love with Alamos, enchanted by the friendliness of both the Mexican residents and the ex-pat community. We kept returning to visit, especially to enjoy the week long Ortiz Tirado Music Festival held in late January. Before we knew it, I had purchased a small, dilapidated house on a beautiful view lot, and spent the next few years remodeling the casita, building the pool, planting flower and vegetable gardens and finally building and decorating the two story Casa Grande. I have an apartment on the second floor of the Casa Grande and rent out a two bedroom unit on the first floor as well as the lovingly restored one bedroom, two bath Casita.

My family and I have made many friends in this gracious community and have sponsored Fe y Esperanza, a group of local women who came together to form a non-profit which supports cancer prevention programs for the community and gives assistance to locals who have been diagnosed with cancer.

A number of our ex-pat friends had years ago started philanthropic groups. One, Amigos, benefits many children in Alamos by providing resources to buy uniforms and books for families who could not otherwise afford to send their children to school. Another, Comadres, provides help for people who can't afford to buy food or medicine. Many of us also especially enjoy going to the History Club which meets on Thursday from October through May and discusses highlights of the history of Alamos, of the state of Sonora, and of the country of Mexico.

Elizabeth Packard purchased this estate in 2002

I had no intention of buying a property in Alamos. I have a condo in Tucson (our home base), and a condo on the beach in San Carlos, Sonora. But I was seduced by the beauty of the views from the property and could see the potential it had. Also, my family and I loved the fact that it was just a 10 minute walk to the center of town, the Plaza de

Armas. So, within a few days of seeing it, I made a deal with the owner, who was now living in Florida, and within a few months had begun renovating the original little home.

Sitting on the patio of the original casita, in one direction one can see the beautiful dome of the historic church, the crenelated top of the Palacio (18th century government building), and the mountains of the Sierra Madres unfolding in the distance. A quarter turn and the peak of 6,000 foot Mt Alamos dominates that view. The property has several very large mesquite trees that attracted birds, and I envisioned flower and vegetable gardens, a large fountain, and a pool to complete the view. A few years later I embarked on building and decorating a second house, and settling in on the second floor while renting out the first floor and the lovingly rehabilitated Casita. Our guests now love sitting by the pool or on one of the patios, gazing out on the same vistas that enchanted us almost ten years ago. We never tire of watching the ever changing seasonal colors of the hills and mountains, and trying to identify the birds drawn by the fountain, the foliage, the infinity edge pool and splash pool. Tired of relaxing at home? Walk a five minutes down the hill and enjoy a meal at Dona Lola's, our favorite 'neighborhood' Mexican restaurant or go to the five star Hacienda de ls Santos resort and restaurant for a fine meal and free musical entertainment.