We've just returned from a blitzkrieg visit to our old stomping grounds, Los Angeles. Arriving just past midnight on Friday, we had four days in which to cram everything before leaving in the early morning hours of Tuesday. And we did!
Getting there was half the fun, as they say. The bus trip to Guadalajara Airport was an adventure, of course. The bus ride is long (5 - 6 hours) and goes by way of Guanajuato, Leon, and Lagos de Moreno to the city of Guadalajara. I think we saw three movies on the trip. Luckily, we brought turkey-bacon sandwiches to supplement the apple/cookie/water provided by the bus line.
Once there we were getting into the taxi that would take us from the bus station to the airport when Michael realized that he had left his passport on the bus. A quick run back to the bus arrival spot had to be repeated when they wanted to see his ticket before letting him in (I had the tickets), then the bus had left the arrival section.
During this time I was trying to explain to the taxi driver in my fractured Spanish just why we couldn't leave yet. When Michael eventually returned to the taxi the second time, it was with an employee from the station in tow.
We had to follow the bus! A movie began playing in my head showing us following the bus back to SMA, honking to stop it all the way!
As it turned out, we only had to follow the bus to the cleaning location, a few blocks from the Estacion, and the passport was retrieved. Once we returned the employee to the main bus station, we were on our way to the airport, which was luckily closer than we had thought it to be. We made it to the airport in a timely fashion and generous tips all around.
Once we made it to Glendora (the shuttle took some doing to summon to the airport), our Friday included a few hours of sleep and visits to our favorite barber in Hollywood and the Burbank IKEA for a few necessities before heading to Pasadena for the retirement luncheon for my Director in the Superior Court's Training Division (my penultimate assignment with the court) which was the announced purpose of the whole weekend trip.
Afterwards we visited the new Target store in Azusa (no, we did not buy any toilet-tank workings) before picking up our hostess (who had kindly lent us the use of her car for the day) and driving to Silverlake for dinner at our old Friday night favorite, Casita del Campo.
Founded by one of the Jets dancers (Rudy del Campo) in the West Side Story movie in the 60s, it has been going strong ever since. It was great to see the host, Jay, again, as well as Fernando, the bartender, and Alex, our fave waiter. Probably had too much tequilla as I can remember everything except eating the meal itself.... (The drive home was a bit hazy, too - luckily I was a passenger, not the driver.)
Saturday began by lazing around the house and visiting a friend in the community in which we earlier lived until it was time to go to Costco for our eye exams in Canoga Park and then dinner at our midweek Mexican restaurant, Los Toros, in Chatsworth. (We covered a lot of ground on this trip, as you can tell, but didn't manage to see everyone.) Great margaritas! We ordered our Margaritas by name tequillas - Casa Noble and Pertida - labels which we have not yet found here in Mexico. Pity! They're awfully good....
Sunday we were off to Disneyland for dinner at the Club with our friend. We stayed at the Disney Paradise Pier hotel for the last couple of days so we had use of the room for changing before dinner - and it's a good thing we did: it rained Sunday and we needed dry clothes and the hair dryer.
We did manage to visit a few attractions that were 1) inside (Soarin' Over California, Midway Mania, and The Haunted Mansion) and 2) had fairly short wait times. The rain had begun Saturday, but we dodged most of the wetness that day. Sunday we took our umbrellas with us and slogged around the parks. There was tremendous storming during the night, including lightning around 4 am that awakened us.
For dinner, we all three chose the Chef's Choice which was a great deal like the Vintner's Dinner except with a few more courses laid on. We did this with the appropriate wine parings, of course, and Louis as our server.
Chef's Choice Menu: An Amuse Bouche; Chicken Breast au jus on a Fried Green Tomato; Lobster Newburg on Risotto with Mascarpone (I had Salmon Newburg); Watermelon Sorbet scooped into a mini-ice cream cone; Shortribs in a red-wine reduction and Broccoli Froth with Scalloped Potatoes and Baby Green Beans; a Cheese Platter of Gorgonzola and Camembert with Apricot Chutney; Dessert was a Creme Brulee, a Chocolate-mint pot de creme, a Chocolate Mousse Bombe, and Apple Brown Betty all served with creme Anglaise and whipped cream.
But Monday dawned bright and clear and we ventured into the parks before lunch at the Club without our umbrellas. Who wants to be burdened carrying umbrellas everywhere? We should have!
While visiting with our cast member friend who manages some of the food and wine locations in California Adventure it began raining again - in earnest. Michael headed back to the hotel to fetch the umbrellas while I zipped next door to see the Blue Sky preview house showing the plans for the redesigned CAdventure so as to stay dry.
I was eventually scooted out the exit door into the downpour and found the front door to the exhibit closed to re-entry, so went wandering - looking for a drier spot in which to wait for Michael's return.
Michael was delayed when he found there had been difficulties with the complimentary tickets for our friends joining us for lunch, so I decided to walk back to the hotel looking for him, but missed Michael in our travels. We eventually connected in the lobby of the Grand Californian hotel and things were back on track again.
A fun lunch - it's a buffet of salads, seafood, and desserts with a wonderful cream of potato soup that day with the entree ordered from the menu - was had by all and then back out into the park - this time a bit drier than earlier. During the afternoon, Michael went to the spa and I took a nap to recover some of the missing sleep. We were both refreshed! We had dinner at the Plaza Inn (great fried chicken) and returned to the hotel to pack and wait for the arrival of the Super Shuttle to the airport - a somewhat scary ride. Why don't they get newer vans with better suspension systems? Maybe we'll try Prime Time Shuttle on our next visit.
Once back in Guadalajara, a quick taxi trip delivered us to the Central Estacion de Autobuses on time. The timing had been questionable, but we didn't need to wait for the next bus on ETN (an additional 2-hour wait) and the long ride to San Miguel via Leon and Guanajuato began. At least we didn't stop in Lagos de Moreno, though we'd seen one of the movies previously.
We did make it home in time for dinner and to be reunited with our dogs, who seemed glad to see us (though we know they enjoy their pet B&B, too).
We enjoyed sleeping with all four dogs on the bed and with the door to the terrace open so as to enjoy the cool night air (even with a dive-bombing mosquito).
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Taking Aim at a Target
Mexico takes some getting used to. Yes, I know it's a foreign country, even if it is just next door to the US. As Michael asks me when I'm complaining about something not working the way I think it should: "And what country do we live in?"
Take grocery shopping. Our kitchen is smallish so we can't always stock up on items - there's only so much storage available. And we know that shopping in Mexico is like shopping at Costco: If you see something you like, buy it now; it may be gone if you wait until your next shopping trip.
So this week I plan out a week's menus and make a grocery list for the items we need. Many bell peppers are required - mostly the red ones (more expensive than the usual green color). We drive to Mega on a Wednesday - Sale Day for fruits and vegetables. Right inside the door we walk into the produce section only to find that they have lots of bell peppers in three colors: red, orange, and green. And the red peppers are the least expensive. Bingo!
Later we walk through the canned goods aisles looking for the cans of tomatoes that are needed for the recipes. Four of the five recipes called for canned tomatoes in some incarnation: diced, diced with onions & garlic, stewed, whole, et cetera.
The aisle with the canned tomatoes has only tomato sauces and purees. You've never seen so many cans and boxes of sauces and purees. If nothing else, the grocery staff know how to fill empty shelves with what's available so that it looks plentious.
Luckily, we did have a couple of cans of diced tomatoes with garlic/onions at home so we were able to make the lentil soup, but scratch the rest of the week's menus. No curry, no chicken saute, no salsa, no Scandinavian veggie stew, no Cuban beans. Time to freeze all the chicken, I guess.
I guess that's what restaurants are for, eh?
Another thing that took some getting used to was the toilets down here. No, this isn't rural Italy in the 60s, when some hotels still had bathrooms with a hole in the floor and a roll of what passed as tissue. We have 'real' bathrooms with running water and everything. We even installed whole-house purified water so we could brush our teeth in any bathroom without worrying about catching a dreaded disease.
We live in a working class neighborhood (a colonia) but it's not in the historic center of town, so we don't have a small wastebasket next to each toilet to receive the used toilet tissue. Our drains are large enough to flush all that away.
It's the flushing that gets me. For some reason, Mexican toilets only flush when you hold the handle down. Now this seems obvious, but in the states you depress the handle and release it - walk away - the toilet follows through. Here, you depress the handle and must hold it until the toilet does its job. If you release it too soon, it stops flushing.
This took some getting used to, but it eventually became second nature. However, six months later when I was in San Diego for a while, the depress/release took me by surprise each time for the first few days. I suppose it's not the toilet itself, it's the flushing mechanism inside the tank that determines how it works, but that part of the design is missing here. Perhaps we'll buy some replacements for the innards and bring them back with us on our next visit. It will give Pedro something to do around the house.
I'm not even going to consider installing the pressurized tank toilets that our Home Depot carries. Just not sure we have the water pressure to fill them. We use tinacos and gravity for our water pressure here.
Of course, we could buy those toilet tank replacement kits at our nearby Target, if only we had one. One of my most keenly felt losses was Target. In the San Fernando Valley we lived surrounded by at least five Target stores. If one store was out of something you could find it nearby. Sunday mornings' routine involved drinking the morning cup of coffee while perusing the newest Target ad on the computer to see what the latest thing I didn't know I needed was. And while Costco, Sams Club, Sears, Home Depot, WalMart and other stores have made the transition across the border, Target remains firmly NOB. I'm hoping I live to see a Target store within 30 - 40 miles of SMA; then I could die happy.
Take grocery shopping. Our kitchen is smallish so we can't always stock up on items - there's only so much storage available. And we know that shopping in Mexico is like shopping at Costco: If you see something you like, buy it now; it may be gone if you wait until your next shopping trip.
So this week I plan out a week's menus and make a grocery list for the items we need. Many bell peppers are required - mostly the red ones (more expensive than the usual green color). We drive to Mega on a Wednesday - Sale Day for fruits and vegetables. Right inside the door we walk into the produce section only to find that they have lots of bell peppers in three colors: red, orange, and green. And the red peppers are the least expensive. Bingo!
Later we walk through the canned goods aisles looking for the cans of tomatoes that are needed for the recipes. Four of the five recipes called for canned tomatoes in some incarnation: diced, diced with onions & garlic, stewed, whole, et cetera.
The aisle with the canned tomatoes has only tomato sauces and purees. You've never seen so many cans and boxes of sauces and purees. If nothing else, the grocery staff know how to fill empty shelves with what's available so that it looks plentious.
Luckily, we did have a couple of cans of diced tomatoes with garlic/onions at home so we were able to make the lentil soup, but scratch the rest of the week's menus. No curry, no chicken saute, no salsa, no Scandinavian veggie stew, no Cuban beans. Time to freeze all the chicken, I guess.
I guess that's what restaurants are for, eh?
Another thing that took some getting used to was the toilets down here. No, this isn't rural Italy in the 60s, when some hotels still had bathrooms with a hole in the floor and a roll of what passed as tissue. We have 'real' bathrooms with running water and everything. We even installed whole-house purified water so we could brush our teeth in any bathroom without worrying about catching a dreaded disease.
We live in a working class neighborhood (a colonia) but it's not in the historic center of town, so we don't have a small wastebasket next to each toilet to receive the used toilet tissue. Our drains are large enough to flush all that away.
It's the flushing that gets me. For some reason, Mexican toilets only flush when you hold the handle down. Now this seems obvious, but in the states you depress the handle and release it - walk away - the toilet follows through. Here, you depress the handle and must hold it until the toilet does its job. If you release it too soon, it stops flushing.
This took some getting used to, but it eventually became second nature. However, six months later when I was in San Diego for a while, the depress/release took me by surprise each time for the first few days. I suppose it's not the toilet itself, it's the flushing mechanism inside the tank that determines how it works, but that part of the design is missing here. Perhaps we'll buy some replacements for the innards and bring them back with us on our next visit. It will give Pedro something to do around the house.
I'm not even going to consider installing the pressurized tank toilets that our Home Depot carries. Just not sure we have the water pressure to fill them. We use tinacos and gravity for our water pressure here.
Of course, we could buy those toilet tank replacement kits at our nearby Target, if only we had one. One of my most keenly felt losses was Target. In the San Fernando Valley we lived surrounded by at least five Target stores. If one store was out of something you could find it nearby. Sunday mornings' routine involved drinking the morning cup of coffee while perusing the newest Target ad on the computer to see what the latest thing I didn't know I needed was. And while Costco, Sams Club, Sears, Home Depot, WalMart and other stores have made the transition across the border, Target remains firmly NOB. I'm hoping I live to see a Target store within 30 - 40 miles of SMA; then I could die happy.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Whee - ooo!
So following the family drama engendered by a passing in San Diego, we were soon off to Cabo San Lucas. The plane ride from Mexico City was uneventful except for the lovey-dovey couple in the row behind me - which Michael could see from his seat across the aisle. They opened the overhead compartment without being careful for "items that may have shifted during the flight" so both Michael and I received glancing blows from our laptop which catapulted from the bin and eventually landed in the aisle with a loud 'thunk' of which they were oblivious. Luckily the computer seemed to have sustained no injury once we got to Cabo and plugged it in. You would think two grown men would be aware of traveling by air procedures, but I guess they were too enthralled with each other!
Cabo is a delight! The sky has been the most amazing cloud-free blue. It has been pretty windy the last two days. Here in the third floor penthouse we're at palm tree height, so the blowing, tossing fronds provide both a visual and audible gauge of the wind - as does the overhang of the thatched roof. The force of the wind is also shown on the water surface of the bay. While one expects the incoming waves, the off-shore wind tempers the waves and makes the surface very 'busy'. I think this morning's visit to a palapa on the beach will require long pants instead of a swim suit. Because wifi isn't available throughout the resort, I'm writing this entry from the back bar of our terrace - where I can aim my computer at the sales room's wireless antennae - so I have a front-row seat for the weather.
Last night's dinner with friends was at a very small Italian restaurant in town, Alcaravea (Caraway in ingles). Attentive service and wonderful food: shared appetizers of calamari frito and sauteed mushrooms with entrees which included lasagna; pasta in a creamy white cheese sauce prepared with our own rice pasta and fresh cheese for my sister-in-law, Jane; sea bass with a Mediterranean-style sauce of spinach and sun-dried tomatoes; sea bass in a delicious Puttanesca sauce; and a seafood-rich paella. Each was served with sides of rice, pasta or sauteed vegetables and a choice of two soups (I chose the cream of vegetable) or a mixed salad. We barely had room to share a dessert of a Bananas Foster creation between the six of us!
No cruise ships in the bay today, but there were five yesterday: The Disney Wonder (we'll be on this, our favorite ship, later this year for back-to-back cruises from Vancouver south to Los Angeles and then the first Mexican Riviera cruise of the new season), the Carnival Splendor and Spirit, Holland America's Verdaam, and the Princess Sapphire. It's always exciting to wake up to see cruise ships in the bay directly in front of our villa. They look like they're trying to tie up to our balcony railing!
We trust that our four dogs are enjoying themselves at Wendy's Pet B&B in our absence. We know that they'll enjoy all the space in which they can run around, though sometimes Miyake doesn't enjoy it as much as the other three.
Speaking of space in which to run around, we're looking at properties with more garden/yard space for the aforementioned dogs. Having dogs limits our choices so we've started early in our search. We hope our agent has a few more options by the time we return to San Miguel at the end of the week.
We've looked at a house nearby our present location that has only two bedrooms (both furnished) but has a really large patio/garden for the dogs which will be available in August. There's also a larger home with multiple terraces (and three bedrooms plus a studio) in the hills on the east side of town near the nature preserve; it's up a steep hill and if the dogs were to get out they'd be lost in the preserve, I'm sure. We just noticed a post for a three bedroom plus studio on 5,000 square meters in the countryside 'near' San Miguel. Not sure how 'near' town it is, nor could we tell from the exterior pictures whether it's fenced or not. That house is available in July. We had earlier looked at a two bedroom home with a patio the width of the house into which three arched French doors open from the living room/dining room plus a terrace on the second floor as well as a roof-top terrace accessible from the bedroom's balcony. We still need to book a tour of the inside of this 'light and bright' house. It's not far from our current home.
We do like our current home so we're not in a hurry to relocate. If we find a new house that has the space to accommodate our houseful of furniture, space for the dogs, less than our present three floors (one day the ole knees will give out, we know), and a reasonable location - all at an affordable price, we'll jump on it!
Yesterday's visit to the Super WalMart here in Cabo bolstered the pantry for our visit but after arriving home we remembered everything we forgot. So another stroll to the shopping center is called for today - wind or no wind!
Cabo is a delight! The sky has been the most amazing cloud-free blue. It has been pretty windy the last two days. Here in the third floor penthouse we're at palm tree height, so the blowing, tossing fronds provide both a visual and audible gauge of the wind - as does the overhang of the thatched roof. The force of the wind is also shown on the water surface of the bay. While one expects the incoming waves, the off-shore wind tempers the waves and makes the surface very 'busy'. I think this morning's visit to a palapa on the beach will require long pants instead of a swim suit. Because wifi isn't available throughout the resort, I'm writing this entry from the back bar of our terrace - where I can aim my computer at the sales room's wireless antennae - so I have a front-row seat for the weather.
Last night's dinner with friends was at a very small Italian restaurant in town, Alcaravea (Caraway in ingles). Attentive service and wonderful food: shared appetizers of calamari frito and sauteed mushrooms with entrees which included lasagna; pasta in a creamy white cheese sauce prepared with our own rice pasta and fresh cheese for my sister-in-law, Jane; sea bass with a Mediterranean-style sauce of spinach and sun-dried tomatoes; sea bass in a delicious Puttanesca sauce; and a seafood-rich paella. Each was served with sides of rice, pasta or sauteed vegetables and a choice of two soups (I chose the cream of vegetable) or a mixed salad. We barely had room to share a dessert of a Bananas Foster creation between the six of us!
No cruise ships in the bay today, but there were five yesterday: The Disney Wonder (we'll be on this, our favorite ship, later this year for back-to-back cruises from Vancouver south to Los Angeles and then the first Mexican Riviera cruise of the new season), the Carnival Splendor and Spirit, Holland America's Verdaam, and the Princess Sapphire. It's always exciting to wake up to see cruise ships in the bay directly in front of our villa. They look like they're trying to tie up to our balcony railing!
We trust that our four dogs are enjoying themselves at Wendy's Pet B&B in our absence. We know that they'll enjoy all the space in which they can run around, though sometimes Miyake doesn't enjoy it as much as the other three.
Speaking of space in which to run around, we're looking at properties with more garden/yard space for the aforementioned dogs. Having dogs limits our choices so we've started early in our search. We hope our agent has a few more options by the time we return to San Miguel at the end of the week.
We've looked at a house nearby our present location that has only two bedrooms (both furnished) but has a really large patio/garden for the dogs which will be available in August. There's also a larger home with multiple terraces (and three bedrooms plus a studio) in the hills on the east side of town near the nature preserve; it's up a steep hill and if the dogs were to get out they'd be lost in the preserve, I'm sure. We just noticed a post for a three bedroom plus studio on 5,000 square meters in the countryside 'near' San Miguel. Not sure how 'near' town it is, nor could we tell from the exterior pictures whether it's fenced or not. That house is available in July. We had earlier looked at a two bedroom home with a patio the width of the house into which three arched French doors open from the living room/dining room plus a terrace on the second floor as well as a roof-top terrace accessible from the bedroom's balcony. We still need to book a tour of the inside of this 'light and bright' house. It's not far from our current home.
We do like our current home so we're not in a hurry to relocate. If we find a new house that has the space to accommodate our houseful of furniture, space for the dogs, less than our present three floors (one day the ole knees will give out, we know), and a reasonable location - all at an affordable price, we'll jump on it!
Yesterday's visit to the Super WalMart here in Cabo bolstered the pantry for our visit but after arriving home we remembered everything we forgot. So another stroll to the shopping center is called for today - wind or no wind!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
La Nieve
En el MidWest, hay mucha nieve y hace frio, pero en San Miguel hay muchas nubes en el cielo azul y hace calor con a poco de viento.
Yes, while much of the US is beneath snow, life is still balmy here in SMA. We watched the news this morning (in Spanish, of course) and while we still don't understand everything that is said (or even most of what is said), the video said it all: driving snow from Nevada to Kansas and more that wasn't covered in the newscast.
We belong to a DisBoards group of folks who will be sailing together next year, and many of them live in the midwest. Morning greetings on the board include whether it is currently snowing, whether it is expected to snow, and how much snow they received the day before! Only two of us (one person in Southern California plus Michael and I) are in snow-free areas. We try not to rub their noses in it (pun intended), but both places are a lot warmer than most of the US.
The closest we got to bad weather was a few days of gusty winds. We like to think they came from the storms moving across the plains so we can complain, too, but weather maps show a southwest (from here) source for the winds which then join winds from the northwest. And lately the cold front from the plains is making its way into northern Mexico. Chihuahua, in particular, is suffering a strong cold spell. Remember, most homes in Mexico have neither heating nor cooling.
If one is lucky, you may have propane heaters in some rooms. If you're not lucky, you may have an electric heater or two (unlucky because electricity is more expensive than gas). Or you may have a working fireplace.
Meanwhile in SMA, it's still getting into the high 70s and low 80s during the day - even if it is cool at night. Since we only brought leather jackets and insulated Disney/Princess jackets, we're about to go shopping for something lightweight. We brought only two sweaters with us - which made sense at the time!
If you're from that neck of the woods, bundle up and stay warm! Don't lick any metal pipes!!
We're off to Cabo San Lucas at the end of the month.
Yes, while much of the US is beneath snow, life is still balmy here in SMA. We watched the news this morning (in Spanish, of course) and while we still don't understand everything that is said (or even most of what is said), the video said it all: driving snow from Nevada to Kansas and more that wasn't covered in the newscast.
We belong to a DisBoards group of folks who will be sailing together next year, and many of them live in the midwest. Morning greetings on the board include whether it is currently snowing, whether it is expected to snow, and how much snow they received the day before! Only two of us (one person in Southern California plus Michael and I) are in snow-free areas. We try not to rub their noses in it (pun intended), but both places are a lot warmer than most of the US.
The closest we got to bad weather was a few days of gusty winds. We like to think they came from the storms moving across the plains so we can complain, too, but weather maps show a southwest (from here) source for the winds which then join winds from the northwest. And lately the cold front from the plains is making its way into northern Mexico. Chihuahua, in particular, is suffering a strong cold spell. Remember, most homes in Mexico have neither heating nor cooling.
If one is lucky, you may have propane heaters in some rooms. If you're not lucky, you may have an electric heater or two (unlucky because electricity is more expensive than gas). Or you may have a working fireplace.
Meanwhile in SMA, it's still getting into the high 70s and low 80s during the day - even if it is cool at night. Since we only brought leather jackets and insulated Disney/Princess jackets, we're about to go shopping for something lightweight. We brought only two sweaters with us - which made sense at the time!
If you're from that neck of the woods, bundle up and stay warm! Don't lick any metal pipes!!
We're off to Cabo San Lucas at the end of the month.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Chili and Charity
Yesterday was the big Chili & Charros 5th Annual International Chili Cook-Off benefiting El Centro de Crecimiento on the grounds of the Hotel Real de Minas. There was a big turnout, as might be expected. There are lots of Texans here (they avoid both the cold winters and the blistering summers) and lots of interpretations of what chili should be.
In addition to judged placements of chili and charros, there was the popular People's Choice winner which is determined by popular vote of those attending. Anyone can join as a contestant (there is a minimum number to qualify as part of the International Chili Cook-Off organization) and there were individuals, restaurants, hotels, et cetera who sponsored entries - about 40 of them altogether.
Besides a small pot of their particular chili for the judges, most entries also furnished tastes for the multitudes to enjoy. Upon entry to the grounds each individual was presented with a small bag containing a small styrofoam cup, a plastic spoon, and a napkin (there was also a coupon for a 2-for-1 drink/beer at a downtown restaurant, and some other leaflets) with which to taste as many chilis as you felt capable of consuming. There were nearly 40 to choose from, and we did our best to try them all. We did arrive about halfway through the festivities and some were out of chili already, but we still tasted about 15 and voted for the Winner's choice. Just as we arrived a bit late, we also left a bit early so we're still in suspense over whether our choice won the contest.
In addition to the chili and charros there were drinks to be had and a good-sized silent auction offering services, paintings, silver and tin works, objets arte, et cetera to the highest bidder. We should hear in a few days how much money was raised for charity. And the top three winners may proceed to the Grand Finale to be held in Houston soon.
Charities are a big deal in SMA. There is so much need and many of the expats who live here are involved in one or more charities to raise money for everything from building and staffing school kitchens to provide hot meals, building simple homes for the folks on the campos who live in shanties if they're lucky, to educating young children with libraries, additional classes, providing computers and training to kids, and scholarships for high school and college, cleaning up the local reservoir, providing a no-kill alternative to the local animal pound - you name it!
And in honor of the Chili Cook-Off, we're preparing a Chipotle Chili in the crockpot downstairs. The aroma drifting upwards to our office are quite tempting - maybe lunch?
In addition to judged placements of chili and charros, there was the popular People's Choice winner which is determined by popular vote of those attending. Anyone can join as a contestant (there is a minimum number to qualify as part of the International Chili Cook-Off organization) and there were individuals, restaurants, hotels, et cetera who sponsored entries - about 40 of them altogether.
Besides a small pot of their particular chili for the judges, most entries also furnished tastes for the multitudes to enjoy. Upon entry to the grounds each individual was presented with a small bag containing a small styrofoam cup, a plastic spoon, and a napkin (there was also a coupon for a 2-for-1 drink/beer at a downtown restaurant, and some other leaflets) with which to taste as many chilis as you felt capable of consuming. There were nearly 40 to choose from, and we did our best to try them all. We did arrive about halfway through the festivities and some were out of chili already, but we still tasted about 15 and voted for the Winner's choice. Just as we arrived a bit late, we also left a bit early so we're still in suspense over whether our choice won the contest.
In addition to the chili and charros there were drinks to be had and a good-sized silent auction offering services, paintings, silver and tin works, objets arte, et cetera to the highest bidder. We should hear in a few days how much money was raised for charity. And the top three winners may proceed to the Grand Finale to be held in Houston soon.
Charities are a big deal in SMA. There is so much need and many of the expats who live here are involved in one or more charities to raise money for everything from building and staffing school kitchens to provide hot meals, building simple homes for the folks on the campos who live in shanties if they're lucky, to educating young children with libraries, additional classes, providing computers and training to kids, and scholarships for high school and college, cleaning up the local reservoir, providing a no-kill alternative to the local animal pound - you name it!
The Chili & Charros benefited El Centro de Crecimiento (Center for Children with Disabilities), an organization which offers opportunities for children with disabilities to improve their physical condition, eduction, and self-esteem so that they can become contributing member of our community. The Chili Cook-Off isn't the only fundraising event of the year, but a very popular one!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
No Hay Nieve en San Miguel
There is no snow in San Miguel, though it's occasionally a bit nippy (hace poquito frio). We read the weather forecasts posted automaitcally on our internet home pages and see daily temperatures for Reseda, CA; Santa Fe, NM; and Houghton, MI (Michael's hometown).
While Reseda is noted for summertime temps into the 110's, Houghton gets quite cold up der in the UP (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) this time of year, with a forecast for today of a low of 4F and a high of 5F! There is snow in the UP!
Santa Fe's weather tends to be closer to ours though it has snow that we don't. Last year there was a sprinkling of snow on some nearby mountain tops and everyone was agog. Although the longitude and latitude differ, Santa Fe and San Miguel are both hill towns at about the same altitude (6500 - 7000 ft range).
We're hoping that we're past the cooler weather here. Although temps now dip into the 40s at night, once the sun rises things start to warm up, usually into the high 70s or low 80s. Our homes, though, are made of concrete and brick and take some time to warm from the sunshine. Some rooms in our house (like the entire first floor) stay remarkably cool at this time of year. Well, they stay cool in the summer, too; it's just more noticeable at this time of year.
Although we have heaters, they are electrical - and electricity is a bit pricey SoB. So we've been shopping for gas heaters. So many choices (not really): portable, portable with a fan, or wall mounted, but that's about it unless you want to consider portable with a tank or one that connects to the household gas supply. [Like most homes in Mexico, we do not have central heat/AC nor do we have any fireplaces in our current home, with or without gas logs.]
And since we didn't pick up a gas heater earlier in the year when the choices and prices were better, they are now fewer. We may just bundle up and wait until next year - who knows, we may be in a different house that has gas heaters!
Our next event should be the rainy season: Hay lluvia en San Miguel!
While Reseda is noted for summertime temps into the 110's, Houghton gets quite cold up der in the UP (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) this time of year, with a forecast for today of a low of 4F and a high of 5F! There is snow in the UP!
Santa Fe's weather tends to be closer to ours though it has snow that we don't. Last year there was a sprinkling of snow on some nearby mountain tops and everyone was agog. Although the longitude and latitude differ, Santa Fe and San Miguel are both hill towns at about the same altitude (6500 - 7000 ft range).
We're hoping that we're past the cooler weather here. Although temps now dip into the 40s at night, once the sun rises things start to warm up, usually into the high 70s or low 80s. Our homes, though, are made of concrete and brick and take some time to warm from the sunshine. Some rooms in our house (like the entire first floor) stay remarkably cool at this time of year. Well, they stay cool in the summer, too; it's just more noticeable at this time of year.
Although we have heaters, they are electrical - and electricity is a bit pricey SoB. So we've been shopping for gas heaters. So many choices (not really): portable, portable with a fan, or wall mounted, but that's about it unless you want to consider portable with a tank or one that connects to the household gas supply. [Like most homes in Mexico, we do not have central heat/AC nor do we have any fireplaces in our current home, with or without gas logs.]
And since we didn't pick up a gas heater earlier in the year when the choices and prices were better, they are now fewer. We may just bundle up and wait until next year - who knows, we may be in a different house that has gas heaters!
Our next event should be the rainy season: Hay lluvia en San Miguel!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Survival
Well, here we are on January 1st, 2011. We've survived six months in San Miguel, our first calendar year in SMA, our very own power outage, and the end-of-year holidays. Not bad, if I do say so myself.
You've read about our first six months earlier, so I'll skip to the more recent happenings.
The power outage began the day before New Year's Eve day. It had been pretty windy with gusts in the 30-mile-per-hour range when our lights began flickering. If we're running too many appliances throughout the house we sometimes suffer from a dimming of all lights, but this was worse.
The TV in the living room simply turned itself off and then eventually back on. The kitchen lights were dimmed even when no other kitchen appliances were being used. The exhaust fan wouldn't exhaust. The light next to my computer took several tries to turn it on. The bathroom heater would only put out mildly warm air. And to add insult to injury, the microwave's turntable would revolve, but it wouldn't cook anything!
Then we couldn't reach our Pedro by telephone and the electric company (CFE) wasn't answering their phones, either. Michael later walked into Centro and found the office was closed. [The observation of holidays in Mexico is a whole other subject.]
Luckily we located a number for an electrician who had been recommended to us by friends (husband of our friends' maid) who was available to come take a look at things. He brought two helpers and they called a service emergency number for CFE, so we had four people and a CFE truck here who discovered that the tree growing in our entry garden (it's now tall enough to reach above the second floor terrace) had a branch that pushed against the electric wiring that feeds the house and had broken the cable that supports the wire. The wire then stretched without the supporting cable and broke the grounding connection. I suppose we're lucky the house didn't go up in flames or something, but they fixed the problem, advised us to replace the connections for the meter (that's another story), and we promised to trim the tree - or at least to tell our landlord of the need.
That left us free to enjoy our NYE dinner at a local restaurant. The menu was quite tasty; we chose mushrooms with garlic, cream of poblano soup (which was outstanding), and the rib-eye steak with roquefort sauce and sides. The steak came out on a sizzling platter that would put Ruth's Chris to shame. Even the veggies were sizzling hot. And the roquefort sauce (which was served on the side and looked more like gravy) was excellent, too. The meal was accompanied by as much wine as you cared to drink, so over the three hours we were there (had to wait for the ball to drop, right?) we managed to drink quite a few glasses.
At one other table was a group of three chelangos (folks who live in Mexico City) who were a bit rowdy, but one of the three spoke fine Spanish, French, and English and we not only kibbitzed between tables, we ended up joining them after dessert for a few more glasses of wine! We all had a great time!! [There was something about meeting up at four o'clock this afternoon at another restaurant downtown, but I'm not sure we're going to make that!]
So great a time that the owner of the restaurant discreetly sent his son on his motorcycle to follow us as we walked home to make sure we made it safely. Guess he felt that we needed to cross a sketchy part of the colonia to reach our home - which we did, safely. Of course folks were out on the streets (not really well lit in some areas), and it was reassuring to have company!
And by only ten-thirty this morning I somewhat resembled a human being again. It reminded me of a recent time when we met a couple at a party where the wine flowed freely (one of our friends is a sommelier) and then we stopped at La Azotea for a few rounds of margaritas on the way home. One of the guys did not survive the night unscathed. [We did see them a couple of days later in Centro and were invited over to see their home, so all is forgiven, I guess.]
Thus we made it through the holidays in one piece. Unless they're very anglicized, most Mexican families give gifts to their children on January 6th, the traditional date the three magi arrived in Bethlehem and presented their gifts to the Christ child. I'mguessing hoping that should be a fairly quiet occasion.
And speaking of quiet, last night was pretty quiet compared to Christmas Eve, when the dogs were really bothered by the fireworks. We were able to sleep through the night with no barking, so it's just as well that we cancelled our plan to send them out to the kennel in the country.
Here's to more frivolity in the new year! Feliz ano nuevo, amigos!!!
You've read about our first six months earlier, so I'll skip to the more recent happenings.
The power outage began the day before New Year's Eve day. It had been pretty windy with gusts in the 30-mile-per-hour range when our lights began flickering. If we're running too many appliances throughout the house we sometimes suffer from a dimming of all lights, but this was worse.
The TV in the living room simply turned itself off and then eventually back on. The kitchen lights were dimmed even when no other kitchen appliances were being used. The exhaust fan wouldn't exhaust. The light next to my computer took several tries to turn it on. The bathroom heater would only put out mildly warm air. And to add insult to injury, the microwave's turntable would revolve, but it wouldn't cook anything!
Then we couldn't reach our Pedro by telephone and the electric company (CFE) wasn't answering their phones, either. Michael later walked into Centro and found the office was closed. [The observation of holidays in Mexico is a whole other subject.]
Luckily we located a number for an electrician who had been recommended to us by friends (husband of our friends' maid) who was available to come take a look at things. He brought two helpers and they called a service emergency number for CFE, so we had four people and a CFE truck here who discovered that the tree growing in our entry garden (it's now tall enough to reach above the second floor terrace) had a branch that pushed against the electric wiring that feeds the house and had broken the cable that supports the wire. The wire then stretched without the supporting cable and broke the grounding connection. I suppose we're lucky the house didn't go up in flames or something, but they fixed the problem, advised us to replace the connections for the meter (that's another story), and we promised to trim the tree - or at least to tell our landlord of the need.
That left us free to enjoy our NYE dinner at a local restaurant. The menu was quite tasty; we chose mushrooms with garlic, cream of poblano soup (which was outstanding), and the rib-eye steak with roquefort sauce and sides. The steak came out on a sizzling platter that would put Ruth's Chris to shame. Even the veggies were sizzling hot. And the roquefort sauce (which was served on the side and looked more like gravy) was excellent, too. The meal was accompanied by as much wine as you cared to drink, so over the three hours we were there (had to wait for the ball to drop, right?) we managed to drink quite a few glasses.
At one other table was a group of three chelangos (folks who live in Mexico City) who were a bit rowdy, but one of the three spoke fine Spanish, French, and English and we not only kibbitzed between tables, we ended up joining them after dessert for a few more glasses of wine! We all had a great time!! [There was something about meeting up at four o'clock this afternoon at another restaurant downtown, but I'm not sure we're going to make that!]
So great a time that the owner of the restaurant discreetly sent his son on his motorcycle to follow us as we walked home to make sure we made it safely. Guess he felt that we needed to cross a sketchy part of the colonia to reach our home - which we did, safely. Of course folks were out on the streets (not really well lit in some areas), and it was reassuring to have company!
And by only ten-thirty this morning I somewhat resembled a human being again. It reminded me of a recent time when we met a couple at a party where the wine flowed freely (one of our friends is a sommelier) and then we stopped at La Azotea for a few rounds of margaritas on the way home. One of the guys did not survive the night unscathed. [We did see them a couple of days later in Centro and were invited over to see their home, so all is forgiven, I guess.]
Thus we made it through the holidays in one piece. Unless they're very anglicized, most Mexican families give gifts to their children on January 6th, the traditional date the three magi arrived in Bethlehem and presented their gifts to the Christ child. I'm
And speaking of quiet, last night was pretty quiet compared to Christmas Eve, when the dogs were really bothered by the fireworks. We were able to sleep through the night with no barking, so it's just as well that we cancelled our plan to send them out to the kennel in the country.
Here's to more frivolity in the new year! Feliz ano nuevo, amigos!!!
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