muerto, etc

Hola,
Well, the computer really did bite the dust this time. It even gave me a message that essentially told me to forget trying to use it. So, with mama, friends and a dead computer, I´ve been neglectful with communication. I´m hauling the computer home, though, in hopes that Richard M. can save the photos, and a few stray documents. It has served Stuart, jr, and now me, well for seven years.

Our last day with mama was really fun. Salli and Doug arrived Saturday night late, and we all enjoyed a local day, at the Domingo in Merida. Salli and mama seemed to enjoy each other. Monday was too fun! We rented a car...yes, all five of us squeezed into a tiny car, with Doug driving. Mind you, Doug has never been to Mexico before, and had little introduction to Mexican driving habits. A stop sign is merely a suggestion, and lanes on a multi-lane road mean nothing. And, the car was on MY credit card! But, he´s a tall man, and it made physical sense for him to drive. So, we made our way, with a terrible map, to the puebla of Sotuta, about 45 minutes south of town. We arrived at Hacienda Sotuta de Peon in a timely fashion for the 10am tour. Yipppee, we were the only ones. Alex, an exuberant man with very good, but strongly accented English, gave us a great time, showing us the hacienda and ´splaining about the terribly uncomfortable looking furniture. I´m in love with the recliners, which are apparently French inspired. Pictures later, these are NOT inspired by Lazyboy. Perhaps Stuart will build one for me... We watched two men spin the sisal fiber, and then make a simple cord (much like spinning wool or cotton); watched the men in the machine house creating the fiber; helped the man in the bale house create a bale, and saw an antique working collection of equipment comb/card/spin/cord the sisal. Sr. Antonio, 80 years old, made all the machines work for us, and he has been at the hacienda since he was a boy. His love of the equipment has kept them running, and it was our honor to meet him. After the tour of equipment, we walked through the new orchard, picked some tangerines and hoppped on a ´truck´ on a narrow railroad track, pulled by a mule, and rode through the hennequin fields to a Mayan house, where we met another local older man, who spoke Mayan and a little Spanish. He showed us the tiny house, his hammock and the tortilla hearth. He was a flirt, and obviously loved his role for the tourists! The mule took us to the private cenote, an underground type, for a swim. The hacienda owner has built a little bath house for changing, with a shower, and a palapa for those who aren´t swimming. We climbed down the steps in the rocks, to ground level, and gasped at the beauty of the cenote. There, hidden in the dry jungle, was a hole in the ground, and the most beautiful cenote. At some point, steps had been built below ground, down to the water level, even a rope handrail was installed, low lights, and a hole drilled through the rock ceiling for a sky light. We swam in the clearest water outside of your bathtub, with good minerals and a hunk of sisal to scrub our feet with. It was so dramatically beautiful, I got one of the young men to help me get mama down the steps(she was napping at the palapa, worn out from the 2 hour tour) so she could see. We all hated to climb out of the water, and then up the steps to the daylight. It was magical.

The mule pulled us back through the fields to the hacienda, where we were the sole diners for lunch at the pretty palapa style restaurant. Full tummies, and soft skin made us want a nap, but we resisted and crowded back in our tiny car for the drive back to Merida.

Of course, since we had a car, we decided to make a grocery stop (for beer and other heavy items) at Walmart, and ended the day at the apartment on the patio for drinks and dinner. It was a perfect ending for mama´s trip.

Hacienda Teya

 
 

Mama and Stuart, and my lunch.


Friday was hacienda day. Stuart and I will take a bus to anywhere, and it's OK for us to figure things out as we go along. But, mama just can't do all the walking we can do (hey, she's not as young as we are!), so the agenda has to be a little kinder. We hired a cab to take us to Hacienda Teya, which is just a little east of the city. A bus does go by the village, but it's too far to walk from the highway to the hacienda. Besides, mama is only here a week, so a little luxury is not too bad for us, either.

The Hacienda Teya renovation began about 30 years ago, and it was quite a renovation. The machine house is now very pretty, painted pale yellow with white trim. The white tile floors, with talltalltall windows and mirrored columns make a story book wedding reception location. The former hole in the floor, for the green waste product, is now a pool. The Big House is another nice renovation, with hotel rooms downstairs, and a first class restaurant. The restaurant is filled with photos of Merida and the area from years back, including photos of the Hacienda Teya family. We wandered around the 'grounds', seeing the little church, and enjoying the quiet, before lunch. Of course, there is no henniquin growing anywhere around now.

We began the meal with papadzules, which I like and mama had not tried yet. Lunch was great! I ordered very well: pescado in pibil, and it was delicious. Mama had turkey relleno negro, and Stuart had pollo escabeche. The tortillas were hand-made, and delicious. We shared a flan (my fav!) and a bread pudding of sorts. Very good.

After lunch, we walked in the garden, which was inaccessible before because of sprinklers, and our cab driver sent his son back to pick us up. It was a very good day!

identify this?

 
I love color! When I saw this display a few days ago, it was a sure photo opportunity. I drew some snickers from the locals when I snapped this photo. But, when I pointed out how pretty the colors are, they understood. Sometimes, we need to be a tourist in our own backyard, to see how pretty things are.

I just re-read some previous blogs, and it's pretty obvious that I don't proof before I post! But, I'm really keep this blog for me, so if I have inappropriate words, it's because I can't type as fast as I think.

water haul and big catch

 
 

My daddy loved to fish, and when he had given up farming, he could go a little more often. He had a homemade, wooden boat. The sturdy, flat-bottomed kind you need to fish the coast of NC, with an outboard motor you had to pull to start. When he came home empty handed, he called it a water haul. Well, Tuesday was a water haul for mama. She spent most of the day napping, and recovering from her fall that morning. And, yes, that is tequlia in her hand in the photo. Truth: she was not drinking it (I was, medicinal you know), but the swelling is all hers. I got some knitting done. But, Wednesday, we 'caught some fish'!

The Merida English Language Library has a house tour every Wednesday, and for a very reasonable fee, they show three houses and the pretty library/house. Mama didn't want to miss this tour. Our guide, Keith, was very informative, and we learned about the beautiful tiles we've seen on the floors all around town. Tiles unlike any we've seen anywhere else. They are commonly called pasta tiles, because they are made in layers, of colored cement. Originally, according to Keith, they were used as ballast on ships coming to Merida from Europe. Of course, the Spaniards were hauling sisal, cochineal (not from Merida), and other products back from the New World. Pretty quickly, people began salvaging the pretty tiles and using them for flooring. The tiles are now made here, but many renovation jobs save and re-use the old tiles, mixed with the new ones. Hard to tell the difference. Well, mama walked the entire 20-some blocks, and didn't miss a room! She sat when she could at the three houses, and was pretty well used up for the rest of the day, but we all had a loved seeing inside the walls of some houses, and learned much from Keith. The first house is a mansion, larger than anything I could have imagined, a secret behind those walls. It has not been touched since it was built more than 100 years ago, but when the owner finishes it....wow! Two courtyards, a pool, and casita at the far back, maaannny rooms. And, the place for the carriage and horse in the front rooms. The second house was smaller, very beautifully renovated, I could have moved in today. It even had a studio space, with good light. The third house was another amazing renovation, judging from the photos the owner showed us. It included a bed&breakfast, behind a separate wall, so private and peaceful. The tour shows different tours each week, so we may do it again. The small fee goes to the Library, for it's many projects. The second photo shows one of the houses, complete with an outdoor living room right beside the pretty pool. The hammock was hung over the pool, such a perfect location. Mama and I spent some time in the pool at her hotel in the afternoon, cooling off, before joining friends down the street for cocktails. They bought a house here last year, and it is fabulous! oh, my! Two pretty little courtyards, a beautiful kitchen and master bedroom area, just a picture book house.

Thursday, after a late breakfast, we caught a bus down to the big Mercado, and did a little touristing. A young man gave her a taste of some fried fish, and we bought some for tomorrow. And, we hit a couple of fabric shops close by. Mama and I are both sewers, and I have to go into every Telas Parisina I see! Stuart met us for lunch in the Mercado, which gave us a break, and afterwards the three of us toured the City Museum...one of the prettiest buildings in town, imho. The pasta tile floors are in great shape, waxed apparently, and that was the highlight of the tour. By now, I've walked mama into the pavement two days in a row, so we headed back for a short siesta before joining our downstairs neighbors for cocktails in our little back garden. Our neighbors are here for three months, from Canada, and we've enjoyed living close to them.

Dinner Tuesday night was not great...can't even remember what I served. Wednesday night we had a fish in tomatilla sauce. But, last night was the best so far. I marinated some chicken in sour orange for several hours, then cooked it gently in a little olive oil. The extra orange sauce went in the pan for just a few mintues, to reduce. The beans were perfectly cooked, and the radishes, avocado and two salsas were perfect sides!

I'd saw we caught a big catch of fish in the past couple of days!

Mama

Mama arrived last night, after an uneventful trip. She made up for it this morning, by tripping on an uneven piece of sidewalk, about four blocks after we left my apartment. She went down with the speed of light, smashing face first into the pavement, and bleeding from the mouth and nose. A guardian angel, a local man who speaks English, appeared out of thin air, called a paramedic, who was there with the speed of sound. The paramedic was thorough, checking her before even allowing her to roll over or sit up. He cleaned up her lip and nose, checked her blood pressure, which was fine. People gathered, out of concern not curiosity, many squeezing my shoulder or arm, expressing their good wishes. Our angel flagged down a cab ('not that street, they cost too much; this street, they are cheaper'), and rode home with mama and me, helping to get her up the steps to our apartment. George, I can not thank you enough for being so kind! You are an angel!

So, mama is asleep now, with an Angeline Jolie lip and serious drunkard's nose. The bleeding is slowing down, and will stop soon. Bienvenidos a Merida, mama! I think I need that tequila now, please...

Queen of Excuses

 
 

I've neglected my blog for the past few days, with no excuses. That I say that is a surprise, because I can be the Queen of Excuses. If you ever need one, call me. But, right now, I thought I'd do a little catching up..

A couple of days ago, Stuart and I spent a totally delightful morning at the MACAY, the art museum at the zocalo. According to Yucatan Living, the building dates to the mid-1500's, and was once the city armory. It is a huge building, with a most tranquil central courtyard. And oasis in the center of the city, with artwork, shade, benches, a breeze and nobody to ask me if I'm 'shopping today?' And, the best gift is that it is free! I can spend many days, seeing this museum, there is much to study.

There are several permanent exhibits, one is the work of Fernando Garcia Ponce. What a diverse group of work. During sis teenage years, he painted lovely portraits and landscapes, then moved to cubism for a few years, then moved to enormous collaged works, which I loved the most. But, his very early work is equally intriguing. We also saw work from Jorge Cherriz Siera (sculpture), Sara Millet, Francisco Barajas, Fernando Castro Pacheco, Antonio Serna and Barbara McClatchie.

The photos here are a sculpture by an unknown (to me) artist, in the courtyard. The other photo is a painting by Antonio Serna. His exhibit hall showed 32 paintings, all with equally startling light and texture. The photo is NOT out of focus!

Some of the galleries allow non-flash photos, others, like the galleries with the Orozcos, Riveras and others did not.

Lovely visit.

The Three Kings

 
 
 
 
Today is the eve of the historic arrival of the three Kings...you know, the ones who reportedly showed up at the manger in Bethlehem, after following The Star? Bearing gifts of gold, frankinscence and myrhh. Well, dear reader, you might not celebrate this event at your house, but let me tell you, the city of Merida celebrates it in a big way. There is cake for everyone! The big hotels, who are clustered in the same area in town, all bake these pretty fruit cakes you see pictured here. We all buy a ticket for 25 pesos, which entitles us to a pretty big chunk of this cake. The money raised is given to those in need, in some of the villages close by. So, bearing gifts is the entire theme, and people get to have some fun at the same time.

Turns out that a good portion of the city showed up for the party. The cakes were spread out over a long city block (think cross-town Manhatten), and around the corner. One two sides! Politicians made speeches (mercifully short), people were thanked, and the music was loud. Stuart and I got there early enough to beat the crowd, so we walked the entire length of the cake, both sides, and I chose the portion that looked the best to me. Then, we waited until they started cutting, and jumped in. The kids cutting, the families eating and dancing, meeting and laughing, everyone was having fun! Aren't the pictures great?!? The Fiesta Americana also had some amazing carved watermelons decorating their section of the tables.

The computer seems to be not having a good day, and I'm not sure from one minute to the next if it is going to work. There is an internet cafe around the corner, but it sure isn't the same as sitting down at my own kitchen table.

out of control

Well, the computer has died, and this time it appears to be permanent. No more miraculous resurrections, I´m afraid. So, the posts will now dribble down to nothing, my dears, just because having the option of sitting down at the kitchen table anytime the mood struck was just too good. And, walking the distance of about 1 minute to the internet cafe is too much trouble! How spoiled I have become.

But, before I disappear for a few days, I want to tell you that the MACAY (the city art museum) is fabulous! We went yesterday, and I could go every day, to see the same exhibits! The paintings, sculpures and collages are great, and in such a beautiful building.

So, for a few days, I´ll be away, entertaining mama, and missing having my laptop at the kitchen table.

Mama arrives tonight

 
This is the clock my friend at the ceviche counter gave me last week. What a great gift! Eat at El Campeon, mi amigos!


Mama arrives tonight. Stuart and I are eager to show off our adopted town and it's environs to her. For a woman of her age, she's in pretty good shape. She can walk pretty far, is gregarious and still has her own teeth. Translation: we can tour the markets and do the MELL house tour, she is easily entertained, and will eat anything! She has done a little travelling in the past few years, all tours with a church group, and she likes the people portion of those trips. She's never been to Mexico, and has never travelled alone, so I'm a little anxious about her maneuvering through the one flight change she has to get here, and customs when she arrives here...silly me. We have a list of suggested activities, and will let her tell us what she wants to do. If we did not much more than walk over to the Santa Ana and people watch, she'd probably be happy!

Speaking of Santa Ana, I'd better get my shopping list together, she's gonna love the fresh fruits!

short panic

Last night we were going to watch a movie on our laptop...a first, and we were excited about such a simple thing! But, the computer was having a temper tantrum and refused to turn on. In the night, I began to panic about the potential lose of my pictures if this thing really does die...I can use another computer to communicate, but the ideas of my pictures being permanently gone makes me very sad. This morning, all is well, but I'm taking steps to save the photos. more later, the papaya and mango are almost ready for my breakfast!

fud

 


Stuart and I found ourselves in a bit of a panic this week. We were almost out of tonic, for his gin and my rum (I know, I've been drinking tequila, but I like variety!), and after looking in several stores, we were still looking at a dry spell. So, Friday we hopped a bus, and went to the Mega store north of here, but not as far as Gran Plaza. To make a long story short: bingo! We left with a case of 6-pack bottles, the last case in the store. There is much packaging waste in this country, seems that everything is sold for single unit comsumption. While we were at this big, mega store, I did a little more shopping. Cheese, for my queso rellenos, was on the list, (scored) along with Stuart's other eternal quest for decent bread, where we failed.

The meat department at my fav store in NC is against the back wall, with the display coolers and walk-in coolers adjascent to each other. This Mega store had the meat department set out in the middle of the store. The meat hombres were slicing away, surrounded by the display coolers. Hey, there is refrigeration here, unlike the meat section at the mercados. The photo above is from the deli area of the meat department. This 'ham' is turkey (pavo), and Fud is prounounced 'food'. So, for those of us who were unaware that turkeys are now being grown cubularly, this is living proof. hehehe! I also bought some green chorizos, sausages. For about $2 US, I'll find out just what is in this. The meat hombre told me the color is from the vegetables, and he assured me that they are 'sabrosa'. We'll cook them our our grillito soon.





 

Now, in my opinion, THIS is fud! I went to the Santa Ana, after our Mega trip, to buy the real stuff, and found mangos. It's very early for them, so I was surprised to see them. My sweet fruit man gave me an extra, I seem to be getting a gift a day. He told me they came from Tehuantepec, in the Isthmus of Mexico. Of course, I also bought a papaya, and I found those delicate little squash crillo that I love from Oaxaca. It is a good food day, and it's not even 10am!

The queso relleno turned out vveerrry good, if I do say so myself. I didn't have flour, for the kol, so I made rice flour, which worked ok. The freezer here is getting full of stocks of various kinds, I feel so rich, to be able to pull out a bag of stock to make a soup or stew. My Lyman Morton 'Oaxaca to Yuacatan' cookbook is a great food companion, many thanks to Lyman. And, the queso relleno is something I can easily reproduce at home.

Later, Friday, we met friends from VT for lunch. They spend 6 months here, and 6 months there. Jeanne has a great haircut, and called her hairdresser while we were at the restaurant. Eddie, a cuban/american, said to come this afternoon. Great haircut! And, he's just as cute as he can be!
Eduasrdo Romero
Calle 38, No. 243, 71 y 43
cel. 999-162 2809

Jeanne had a pedicure while I was getting coiffed, and it looked so good, I made an appointment for Stuart and me for Saturday morning. Time for pampering! Jeanne and Charles are renting a huge house on the north side of town, and we got the tour. A lovely, open, air-moving type of new house, with lots of windows and tile work. A pool in the back garden, tall fence all the way around, umpteen bedrooms and bathrooms (which they share), it is a beautiful place to spend the winter. Our lovely little apartment will fit in kitchen/dining room of their house. Oh, and they have a 2 car garage, with no car, and a maid's room. Jeanne has a place for her watercolor painting, and has begun a small herb garden out back.

Another beautiful day here, time for cocktails on the patio...

Happy New Year

 

WARNING: this post is boring, so if you skip it, you haven't missed anything!


Negrita. She has worked her way into a daily routine...as soon as we open the downstairs door, to get a breeze through here, she comes yowling up the stairs. We are NOT feeding her, but she seems to thrive on the attention. You know she has moved into Stuart's heart when he took his early afternoon nap, not on the sofa because the cat was stretched out there, but on the bed. Too early for the hammock to be in the shade yet.

We had a most lovely day. First, I got a kiss and a big smile from the old man who helped bag my groceries, in my bags, at the Soriana. Then, I walked down to the big mercado, just to poke around. I enjoyed just wandering, not on a mission to buy anything. I saw places that tourists probably don't get to, like the chicken sales area, and the shoe repair area, and the hardware area. On the way out, I stopped at El Campeon, in the fish section, to buy some ceviche para llevar, and Sr. Fernando Sosa gave me a gift...a clock, with the name of his establishment on it! You could have knocked me over with a tortilla! And, his ceviche mixto was delicious, you can bet we'll be back there for more than one meal. While at the mercado, I remembered a few things that I didn't pick up at the Santa Ana (cilantro and lechuga), and listend to conversations around me. Everything I bought was exactly what the locals paid. Hey, I don't always know when they see gringodollars in me. On the walk home, no street people tried to get me to go 'chopping' in their stores.

The ceviche was really good, lots of lime and squid and shrimp, we've found our local ceviche source, that's for sure. Even without thinking about the gift! I got some great recommendations from Theresa in Merida about fabric shops and food in the afternoon, and lots of notes from my amigas back home, wishing me a happy new year. Stuart and I had pork chops in adobo cooked on our little grill, with a great mixed salad for dinner, after having a nap in the hammock and reading on the patio. Then, we played cards, and he soundly beat me before I quit. It truly was a most lovely day!

The firworks started about 9pm, across the street. A couple of small kids squealed with every BANG, and soon went in to bed. We both fell asleep, only to wake up to hear the Big Event begin. I watched the fireworks from our patio, and decided that the big display must have been coming from the park at the beginning of the Paseo Montejo. Folks here don't care so much for the visual, but LOVE the big boom, and they boomed until after 1am. It's very quiet today, they're all recovering from last night.

Here are a few things I learned last year:
1. Never leave the house without my camera and a water bottle.
2. Always paint the risers on steps a dark color, to hide the inevitable scuffs.
3. My gardens need regular watering.
4. My friends really do love me.
5. If it's going to happen, I have to schedule it. I'm talking about the conversation that begins with, 'one day, I'd like to.....".
6. The water from hydrating chile seco is good flavor for most anything.
7. Sitting around encourages sitting around. Doing things encourages doing things.

Happy New Year, my friends!
k