Thursday, May 21, 2009

off again

I am leaving today for San Diego and a round of alumni follies at my old boarding school in La Jolla. This year's honorees, among others, will be the Gold and Purple team captains, of which I was one. Every member of the school belonged to one or the other team (Gold for me) and in my senior year, I led my stalwart classmates to a resounding rout of "That Other Team." In fact, I am staying with the Purple captain who was my adversary that year. If you don't hear from me again you'll know where to start the investigation.

BLOG ALERT: Grandson Andrew leaves tomorrow for a 7-month stay in China. He goes first to Shanghai where he has a summer internship. In September he will travel to Singapore where he will enroll in university for the first semester of his junior year. Back to the US sometime in December. He has started a blog; keep up with him at Andrew Abroad. He made the top of the masthead to your right. I can't believe his mother is letting him go off alone like this. He's only 12, isn't he? Oh, 20 you say? My, my.

More from La Jolla as the weekend passes. I just got a call asking me if I would speak tonight about what it meant to be the Gold Captain and how sports influenced my life. I'm speechless.

Monday, May 18, 2009

getting back into my other life

First I did several loads of laundry to wash out the Cuyutlán sand and grit. Clothes get a dingy shade of tan, no matter how much bleach I use. The water is just not very clean. Everything looks much better.

Next I got a massage. The cost is more than 10 times what I pay at the beach, but the reason I live at the beach is so I can afford to get massages here.

Then I had a pedicure. First in 6 months. I don't dare to let anyone not familiar with diabetic foot issues wield clippers on my feet. Brightly painted and nicely trimmed.

Then the Patient decided he just had to buy a new car. Vincent (the Van) is no longer with us. He was traded in on an as-yet-to-be-named Toyota van; Sienna again, same color, just a newer model. Good old Vincent had gotten us to Mexico and back 8 times and had 120K miles. But he was beginning to have a few aches and pains so it was decided he should be retired to be adopted by a new driver who, I hope, will love him as much as I did. I will miss him. This new guy (or gal) has waaay too many bells and whistles.

Today brought a trip to my local waxing emporium. I don't look quite so scary. It's much too hot in the valley to even contemplate garden work. It was 100º yesterday, but the weather prognosticators promise cooler weather beginning tonight. Yes, the Delta breezes are already up and it looks like better days ahead.

And tonight, my first movie in 6 months. I vaguely remember these interviews, shown on PBS, I think. I will rent the originals from the Flix®. This movie is a stunning recreation. And Frank Langella is brilliant. Next in my cue is "Milk." I believe in jumping right in to the thick of things.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

girl power


Thursday, May 14, 2009

2,318 miles later . . .

It was a long, 8-days-of-driving trip, and neither of us felt well the whole time. We both had developed jippy tummies before we left, the Patient more so that I. So the whole safari was a chore and not much fun. We made it home yesterday at noon after a mad dash up I-99 from Bakersfield. Despite all, there were some interesting things along the way.

D-day minus 1, Tuesday, May 5


We had a final dinner at Dago's so none of us departing the next day was forced to cook! He was as usual, a welcoming host with a fine hand at the grill. Fish tacos. So long until December.

Day 1, Wednesday, May 6

The house was completely packed up, fridge empty, garden got its last drink, and he headed out at 10 AM. We went only a far as Tapalpa this day so didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn. We first went to Sayula to look at/for knives. But we felt so awful, it was so hot, crowded and dusty that we decided we could do without any new cutlery and went on to Tapalpa. It is a 20-mile drive on a very windy road up into the mountains. We found our hotel, unpacked, and immediately went to sleep. About 7 o'clock we wandered out looking for a place for a light supper and ended up at some rather dingy hole-in-the-wall place where we ate what we thought wouldn't make us (too) sick. It didn't. Then back to the hotel and back to bed. I will say this about these two little towns: I definitely want to go back to both of them when I am feeling better. Sayula has a bustling downtown with two or three plazas, lots of interesting shops, two big indoor markets and a very pretty church. Likewise Tapalpa. Our hotel was down in the lower part of the town; the cathedral and central square are on the upper level. We didn't go up there at all but saw it as we were driving out of town the next morning. Both of these places are well worth a second visit, and they are only about 2 hours away from the beach.

Day 2, Thursday, May 7

We had a very short conversation early this morning about just how far we thought we could drive. We decided we couldn't make it all the way to Mazatlán, despite the new road, so opted to stop at our favorite hotel in Tepic, Las Palomas. We got there early, slept most of the afternoon, had an early dinner and went to bed. (Not very exciting reading, is it?) We have stayed in this particular hotel several times; it has large, comfortable rooms, a nice pool area, and two good restaurants, which were wasted on us as all we could think of eating wa soup.

Day 3, Friday, May 8

We left Tepic early and got into Mazatlán by 10 AM. What a great change from the slow, truck-clogged 2-lane old road. We saved almost 2 hours of driving time. If we had felt better on Thursday we could have made it to Mazatlán easily. It's a long drive but it stays light late and there isn't much traffic on the autopista. These Mexican toll roads are really terrific; they are well-maintained, not heavily traveled ~ there is a parallel 2-lane free road for drivers who don't want to pay the tolls ~ with frequent gas stations and rest stops. After coming from the interior, you come around a wide bend in the road and there's the sparkling blue Pacific that we left just 2 days ago. We blew on through Mazatlán and headed for Topolobampo, a bit west of Los Moches. Topolobampo is probably the most down-at-heel Mexican town I've ever been in. It makes Cuyutlán look like Montecito! But it does have a beautiful bay that flows into the Gulf of California.


If you want to take the ferry to La Paz on the Baja, this is your embarcation point. We hoved into the only hotel in town, La Marina, every bit as seedy as the town itself. Again, after a nap, we headed downtown to the only restaurant, Chicho's. We sat upstairs (where the red life rings are hanging) with a view out to the bay. It was a full moon but we were too tired to stick around to watch the moonrise.

I was feeling a bit better and ordered a big bowl of fish soup.

And it was absolutely delicious. Since I hadn't eaten much for three days, I dug right in and worked my way through the various sea creatures the chef had tossed in. White fish, shrimp, squid and lots of pulpo - octopus.

The broth was rich and warming and very flavorful. The little octopus tentacles were sweet and chewy. Or at least I thought so! The Patient thought it was like trying to eat rubber bands.

One thing this little town has done is to clean up its waterfront. The last time I was there, in 2007, the west end of the bay was a total mess, with falling down houses, a road so rutted and pot-holed it was impossible to drive it. Lo and behold! They have tarted up the place beautifully, built a waterfront malecon with lovely lights, a new street, nice benches. Now all they need is another restaurant and a new hotel. Nothing fancy, but a view of the bay would be terrific. One thing at a time . . .

One other thing about the name of the town. This is Yaqui Indian territory, and for some reason they were enamored of the "suffix" of "bampo." There must be 50 towns around this area whose names all end in "bampo."

Day 4, Saturday, May 9


We left Topo early and headed east to Alamos. We wanted to get to the cafe at Solipaso for breakfast. This was the first real meal the Patient had eaten since dinner at Dago's. We decided to stay at the hotel. Ther are only 3 rooms but one was available, a big, cool high-ceiling'd hide-away with a big, comfortable bed. Right outside the room wa this lovely patio, cool and inviting in the midst of really searing heat.

After breakfast we made the mistake of going out for a walk. As they say, only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun. It was a real wilter of a day and I finally had to beg for mercy and go back to the hotel and take a nap. But I did manage to see the indoor market ~ bustling with Saturday shoppers ~ and the beautiful church on the main plaza.

While I napped, the Patient did his internet reading. The late afternoon heat beat down in the patio but the walls of the room were so thick that it stayed cool and pleasant inside. Finally we decided to go out for a light supper (again) of soup and salad. Hit the spot.

Day 5, Sunday, May 10

Sunday morning the hotel put on a wonderful Mother's Day Brunch for hotel guests and locals. The hotel's cafe is a popular meeting spot for breakfast or lunch, and it's easy to see why. Cool, comfortable dining areas, really good coffee, and a menu offering both Mexican and gringo dishes. (By the way, there is a very big gringo ex-pat community here who are busy buying up old houses and vacant land to use as retirement and snow-bird residences.) Frittata, blueberry pancakes, orange muffins, Canadian bacon, dark, rich coffee . . . a lovely send-off. This year the celebrations of Mother's Day for both the US and Mexico are on the same day. The Mexican day is always May 10, no matter what day of the week. In the early afternoon we left Alamos, baking in the hot sun, for the cooler climes of San Carlos. This is my last glimpse of the Pacific ocean ~ except if I take a trip to So Cal, which I am doing next weekend ~ so I don't want to miss it. We could have made it from Alamos across the border to Tucson, but a night in San Carlos is not to be missed. Back on Mex 15, the toll road, for another few hours of driving through the Sonora desert. It actually looks the same as what's on the US side; cactus, wide expanses of a whole lot of nothing. Flat, dusty, empty. But finally we got to San Carlos, found a room at our traditional hotel, and settled in for a 16-hr stay. The view is as I remember it.

This hotel, the Fiesta Real, has 30 rooms, each one facing on the sea with a great view, a good dining room, a very nice beach, decent pool, and reasonable rates. What's not to love about it? That's why we've been coming here for 9 years. San Carlos is growing by inches, not by leaps and bounds. It was originally the overflow from Guaymas, the coastal town about 30 miles to the west. Then it became its own up-scale retreat. Now it has a few hi-rise condos where both Mexicans and gringos have vacation retreats. There are a couple of very old neighborhoods; the new stuff is up in the hills and nobody pays any attention to that. It's still very quiet and laid back; a sailor's paradise. After another soup dinner, an early night. We want to make Gila Bend by mid-afternoon tomorrow.

Day 6, Monday, May 11

Up and out by 6 PM. Very light. Varying reports on what' happening at the border these days. Health inspections for everyone? Extensive inspections? Nothing much happens at all. Well, here's what did happen. No health inspections; no questions, no masks, no nothing. But we were asked to pull the car into the inspection area and were escorted into a waiting room off-site. Probably because we have been in country for 5 months. They searched the car thoroughly but they didn't find anything, didn't confiscate any of the "overage" booze (tequilla), and didn't question my syringes. It was a mere slow-down but nothing more. We arrived at the border at 10:30 and were on our way to Gila Bend by 11:30. A straight shot up AZ 19 to I-10 to Gila Bend and, again, our favorite stopping spot, the Satellite Motel. It's a funky space-age joint that pays homage to the 60's and the space program that went on out in the desert near-by. But it has refrigerators, air conditioning, a zillion TV channels, comfortable beds, and easy access to I-8 (our usual route into San Diego). Dinner thanks to Burger King and lights out at 8:30. Medical reports: tummies doing better.

Day 7, Tuesday, May 12

Destination for today is Bakersfield, via San Bernadino and I-395. This was not, I repeat, NOT my idea of the fastest way to get home, but since we were not going to visit my sister in San Diego, this is the alternate route that the pilot chose. As the navigator I had no say. (Vic is still in CT, in a rehab facility, and doing well, from all reports.) It was another long day's drive with heavy traffic and boring landscape. We arrived at our hotel at 3, took naps, ate a light supper in a really grim motel restaurant, and called it a day by 8, when it was still light. It's amazing how dispiriting highway off-ramp motels can be, isn't it? They're all the same, the rooms differ only in the color of bedspreads or size and make of TVs. This one at least had sliding doors onto a nice patio that offered a garden view and a breath of fresh air.

Day 8, Wednesday May 13

Like the horse that can scent home, I knew we were getting close. We got shut of the Bakersfield hotel early and started the great trek up I-99. It took 5 hours. Lots of truck traffic, but the road is good and there are places to stop along the way. We pulled into the driveway at noon and believe me, I was happy to be here. There's really no place like home.

There were the usual sights along the way: the dusty blue tequilla fields that go on forever; the rich, fertile valley in Sinaloa with beautiful irrigated crops of tomatoes, pepper, flowers, berries; the Sonora desert blooming like crazy this year, all the cacti with blossoms of pink and white on the tips of the up-stretched arms. We had only one military inspection point the whole trip and that one was so perfunctory it was laughable. I could have been carrying all sorts of contraband and who would know (or care)? Two agricultural stops for fruit and veggies; again, laughable. We were carrying avocados and limes (fruits) and nobody even looked. We must look honest.

So adios for another six months. We don't know where we will cross next year, El Paso-Cuidad Juarez or Tucson-Nogales. It depends on where the worst fighting is. For now, we are very glad to be home, sleeping in our own bed (the Patient had a lot of back issues with the various beds along the way) and cooking in our own kitchen. To say nothing of speaking our own language, or a facsimile of same.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

home . . .

but much too tired to write. Tomorrow. With pictures. I promise. Now it's off to bed. It's very good to be back.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

bakersfield?

bakersfield.

home tomorrow.

Monday, May 11, 2009

gila bend, arizona

we crossed the border this morning at nogales. mostly uneventful. no stop in long beach. heading north tomorrow. home wednesday. more then.

Saturday, May 09, 2009

from Alamos, Sonora, MX

No time to write now.  Will do so later, with pix.  This is the 4th stop on our journey home and so far, the best.  What a delightful old town.  It's east of Navajoa ~ you are looking at your map of Mexico, aren't you? ~ about 30 miles.  Old colonial town that fell on hard times, was "discovered" by gringos looking for an out of the way haven.  Now it's getting quite gentrified.  We're off to explore the town and take pictures.  It's hot here, really hot.  My thermostat needs resetting.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

how did we get from here . . .

to here?

I don't know but it all went by far too quickly. Marie and I were talking about it this morning. Neither of us had enough hammock time, beach walking, reading, or gazing out to sea, lost in thought. Or dominoes. Next season . . .

We will disconnect from the internet late this afternoon, hauling down all the equipment from up in the rafters of Neighbor Nelson's palapa. No more postings until we reach the next hot spot, perhaps from the charming mountain village of Tapalpa. If not there, Mazatlán for sure.

Tonight is a quiet dinner at Dago's, then the last of the stuffing and cramming and shoving to get everything away from the salt and the light and the dust. Only 7 months until we're back again! Then everything we did up we get to undo. Fun!

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all you Norteños.

Monday, May 04, 2009

the last tiagues of the season

It was a very strange experience to go to the usual sight of the weekly open market and find virtually no vendors in sight. The President of Mexico asked people to stay away from public gatherings over this long (5-day) holiday weekend. And they took him seriously. Whereas there is usually a market 5 blocks long with vendors on both sides of the closed-off street, this morning all the vendors could have fit in 1/2 block. I didn't need much since we are leaving on Wednesday, but I did want to take one last stroll up and down to check out the produce, clothes, tools, music, electronics, handicrafts (mostly yarns for embroidery) and plants. Nada. The chicken man was there, the banana/papaya man, and four vegetable and fruit vendors. That was it. So I bid them all adios until next December.

These are the chaps who run my usual vegetable stop. They grow the delicious round zucchini that I love. When they see me in December they know it's time to get those seeds in the ground. By February those sweet little nuggets are ready! And by April they have some grandes good for stuffing. Always cheerful, always helpful. Especially the little gentleman.

Down the way there are two beautiful stalls, one for fruits, one for vegetables. Since I am loyal to my Michoacan guys (above), it is the fruit vendor I patronize. Great place for berries, mangoes, melons, pineapples and, best of all, oranges. This morning he had a wonderful display of apples and plums.

What I really wanted to photograph was the newest selection of bras on sale this year. Many bright patterns and colors. But since they are all the same size as those I photographed a couple of years ago, who would know this not the current stock?

The manufacturer much think that all Mexican women (a) want padded bras and/or (b) that they all wear the same size. These are cookie-cutter bras, all the exact same size.

On the way home I stopped in the Pemex to tank up the van for the start of the ride home. The blazing Primaveras are now in full bloom along the road between here and Armeria. What a show. They usually appear in February but this year they decided to hold off, to make us wait in eager anticipation of this beautiful show of color. We feared we had missed it. Not so.


I also had to tell the beer delivery guy, the gas delivery guy, and the bread delivery guy that we would no longer be buying things this year. El año próximo . . .

Saturday, May 02, 2009

the birria party

This is the oven.

This is the birria pot going into the oven.

This is the birria, done to a turn after 4 hours @ 500ºF +/-.

These are the veggies roasted in the oven.

This is my plato of birria, papas, verduras y frijoles.

These are little sugar cookies baked in the oven. ¡Postre!

Cheers to all.