Dog on a Hot Tin Roof

This is Samurai. Like most dogs in Oaxaca, he lives on the roof, Snoopy-style, and seems fairly content to do so. We met Samurai yesterday when we received our house assignments and met our host families. I'm in a house with Jackie just a few blocks from the school. We have a host mother as well as two host siblings who live in the house. They have three brothers, two of whom live in town and occasionally stop by.

I can't even begin to express how much Jackie and I love our host family, and not just because they ply us with delicious food at regular intervals. Our room looks out over the rooftop garden. Beyond that is Samurai's turf, and beyond that is the city and then the mountains.

A lot of families in Oaxaca have dogs and, as I said before, a lot of them live on the roof, where there's more space for them to move around. My favorite is the golden retriever down the block, whom I call "El Rey" because he is downright regal. I tried tosnap a picture this morning as he surveyed his realm, but the lighting was pretty poor. Nonetheless, I think the picture below captures some of his majesty. You can tell by the way he holds that tennis ball that he rules the neighborhood with an iron paw.
I'm not entirely sure why I love this dog, but there's something about his face that appeals to me. He disappears from time to time, so I suspect he may have access to the indoors as well--another indication of his privileged position. I hope Rey's exercising it now, as the afternoon rains have just picked up and it's pouring buckets. But all is warm and dry indoors and it looks like another relaxed afternoon.