Lake Chapala Society Newsletter – November 2026

November Community Highlights

The Lake Chapala Society (LCS)

November at LCS: Learn, Explore & Have Fun!

November brings classes in Mexican culture, Spanish, drawing, dancing and more.

Mexican Manners

Wednesday November 4, 10 a.m.–noon

Instructor: Victor Camarena

Members $532 | General $760

Understand Mexican culture, social customs, body language, communication styles and expectations of newcomers.

Introduction to Spanish

Thursdays November 5, 12, 19, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

Instructor: Inez Dayer

Members $553 | General $790

For beginners, covering pronunciation, the alphabet, sounds and basic communication.

Get Your Jalisco Driver’s License Without Losing Your Mind

Wednesdays November 11 & 18, 10 a.m.–noon

Instructor: Victor Camarena

Members $602 | General $860

Learn required documents and procedures, then accompany the instructor to the Chapala license office for testing.

Geometric Drawing

Friday November 13, 1–3 p.m.

Instructor: Juliane DeArraya

Members $420 | General $600

Use compass and straightedge to create and color geometric and mandala designs. Materials included.

Spanish Verbs

Tuesdays November 17, 24 & December 1, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Instructor: Gareth Collingwood

Members $602 | General $860

Explore the imperfect, subjunctive, haber, and how tense, mood and context shape meaning.

Gringo Dancing to Gringo Music!

Tuesdays November 24; Dec. 1, 8 & 15, noon–1:30 p.m.

Instructor: Jay Holman

Members $1,050 | General $1,500

Learn simple rhythms, steps, moves and turns for dancing confidently to live Lakeside music.

Drawing with Perspective

Monday November 30, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Instructor: Ricardo Sánchez

Members $1,050 | General $1,500

Learn freehand sketching and perspective to create 3D scenes in 2D. Architect Ricardo Sánchez teaches pencil sketching as a foundation for developing artistic ideas.

Health, Meditation & Everyday Mindfulness

*All activities are free for members only.

• Everyday Mindfulness
  Every Monday, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm, in the Ken Gosh Pavilion.
• Needle Pushers
  Every Tuesday 10:00am-11:45am, in the South Patio
• Intermediate Hatha Yoga with Meditation
  Every Tuesday, 2:00 – 3:30 pm, in the Gazebo.
• Raise Your Spiritual IQ – Spiritual discussion series
  Every Tuesday, 2:00 – 3:15 pm.
• Gentle Yoga & Body Awareness
  Every Wednesday, 10:00 – 11:00 am, in the Blue Umbrella Patio.
• “NIA” Fitness / Joy of Movement
  Every Friday, 10:00 – 11:00 am, in the Gazebo
• Iyengar Yoga
  Every Friday, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, in the Gazebo.

For more information about classes and activities please email education@lcsac.org or visit the Education and Culture Department at LCS main campus.

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OPEN CIRCLE November 2026

Sundays, 10:15–11:30 a.m. Lake Chapala Society Campus, Ajijic

The schedule is subject to change. All are welcome. There is no cost to attend but donations are appreciated.

Sunday November 1st

Richard Thiele

A New Case for Environmental Optimism

For fifty years, the environmental message was: use less, want less, accept a smaller life. But clean energy is now the cheapest way to make power, changing the conversation. Richard traces the environmental movement from the first Earth Day in 1970 to today and asks what happens when the offer becomes cheaper power, cleaner air and energy no one can hoard.

Richard Thiele (Eco-Rico) taught in American international schools on five continents for 25 years. Now living at Lake Chapala, he hosts The Green Elephant in the Room podcast and maintains A Call to Act, a database of environmental solutions.

Sunday, November 8

Steven Nousen

A More Perfect Union and the Untold Story of the 28th Amendment

Article V allows the U.S. Constitution to be amended, something that has happened 27 times, most recently in 1992. Steven tells the story of Congress’s failed push for a Balanced Budget Amendment and Senator Mark Hatfield’s role in stopping it.

Steven Nousen (best known to Open Circle as his alter ego Benjamin Franklin) is an award-winning teacher and former lobbyist from Oregon. As Hatfield’s Chief of Staff from 1991–96, he witnessed the senator’s 1995 stand against Republican colleagues, including Majority Leader Bob Dole. Steven and his wife KC have called Ajijic home for eight years.

Sunday, November 15^th

Steve B. Howell

The Hidden Star Beside Betelgeuse: A NASA Scientist’s Journey

NASA scientist Steve B. Howell discusses his discovery of a binary star companion to the supergiant Betelgeuse. A senior research scientist at NASA Ames, Steve led the Space Science and Astrobiology Division and served as project scientist for Kepler and K2, where his photometry techniques helped discover more than 2,600 exoplanets.

Steve Howell is University of Amsterdam PhD astrophysicist and pioneer in astronomical CCD technology, he has authored more than 800 publications and ten books, including two science-fiction novels. In 2026, he received the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal, one of astronomy’s highest honors.

Sunday, November 22^nd

“QUAKE BY THE LAKE” Do We Have Free Will?

A spirited debate by Phil Rylett and Rick Birkett

Rick argues that free will exists. We are free to pursue the goals we choose. Phil contends that free will is an illusion, like a magician’s trick that works because we don’t see how it is done.

Rick Birkett, a Michigan native and pro-freedom activist, has won three First Amendment lawsuits, authored the successful Ann Arbor Medical Marijuana Initiative, co-founded Lakeside Freethinkers and hosts the YouTube channel Free Skeptic. Philip Rylett notes that he chose neither his parents, birthplace, religion, politics, gender, circumstances nor life experiences—raising the question of how freely any of us arrived where we are.

Sunday November 29th

Welcoming Gratitude: A Path to Resiliency, Joy and a Good Night’s Sleep

Sonia Byrne

Gratitude is more than a polite “thank you.” Sonia explores how cultivating gratitude can strengthen resiliency, foster joy and improve sleep. Drawing on science-based insights and practical strategies, she examines how small shifts in perspective can reduce stress, deepen relationships and create greater calm. Participants will learn tools for bringing gratitude into daily life to support emotional balance and well-being.

Sonia Byrne is a professor of International Business Communication and HR Law at Centennial College and a CHRL-certified HR leader. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto and Holmes Institute and is certified in five workplace personality assessment tools.