Well, we ate our way through Christmas again this year and our tummies thanked us.
We spent Christmas Eve with our landlords family and had a lovely dinner with them. She is an excellent cook and we had stuffed pork loin, breaded fish and shrimp, mashed potatoes, pasta salad, beans, ceviche, etc.. All excellent. It was cold so she also had atole, which she told me she had made with pinole (sweetened toasted corn meal) for a change, along with other refrescos. We waddled back upstairs to sleep it off until Christmas Day.
Christmas Day we went out to San Carlos to have late lunch/early dinner with our friends there. One lady brought a flan for desert, we took the caramel sauce for the Christmas pudding and some gingersnap cookies and their company from up north helped her prepare the usual turkey dinner. Again all was delicious and we vegged out and visited.
We haven't been doing much else since then other than eating the rest of the cookies that I have been making lately. It has been chilly here so I have been baking to heat up the place. Naturally once it is baked we eat it.
It has been cold and snowing up in the mountains in Arizona so we have been getting a lot of cold air here from that. Thankfully the last few days it has begun to warm back up a bit.
I have a post to make about the despedida de soltera that I went to a few weeks ago; but have been lazy.
Happy New Year to all.
Kamis, 29 Desember 2011
Sabtu, 24 Desember 2011
Jumat, 09 Desember 2011
Bad Blogger Guilt
Yes, OK I have been missing from this blog for quite some time. Long enough that I have been getting emails wondering if we are all right. Yes, we are fine, I have just been lazy about finding things that are blog worthy, in my opinion.
My days are spent doing the same old things. Paying bills, getting groceries, running errands, taking art and Spanish class, laundry, cooking and all the usual day to day stuff. Nothing real exciting or even interesting for a blog. I guess things here seem so normal to me now that most of the time I don't take my camera with me, so don't have pictures of things other people might find odd; but are just normal to me.
I did make a couple of posts on the art blog, link to that blog is on the right hand side of this blog, I quit posting my paintings on here as I thought I was boring everyone and if you were interested you would go to the other blog.
I sent a couple of pastels paintings north to Canada hopefully they will get there before the Christmas mail rush. In fact they should be there by now I think. I haven't talked to anyone lately so am not sure.
It has been chilly and windy here for a couple of days and my aches and pains have been bad, in particular my neck and shoulders. I have Fibromyalgia so I ache worse when it is cold and windy. I skipped art class one day and the next day headed uptown and bought some wheat. I came home and sewed myself a wheat bag. If you are not sure what this is, it is very simple. It is wheat, seeds of course, sewn into a cloth bag of whatever size you want, as long as it will fit into your microwave. You then heat it up in your microwave, time depends on the size of the bag. When it is comfortably warm you take it out and put it onto your achy areas. It really seems to help and yesterday I managed to make it to art class, as I could actually turn my neck again without a lot of pain. Yay, wheat bag. You can also add some aromatic herbs to your bag if you like, lavender is one that lots of people like. I didn't as I have allergies to a lot of scents and don't tolerate scents close to my face very well. I also sewed a door snake to block the drafts coming in under our door.
The landlords sons new home is coming along. They put the roof/ceiling on for the first floor when I was in Canada in August and are now working on the walls for the second floor rooms.
My days are spent doing the same old things. Paying bills, getting groceries, running errands, taking art and Spanish class, laundry, cooking and all the usual day to day stuff. Nothing real exciting or even interesting for a blog. I guess things here seem so normal to me now that most of the time I don't take my camera with me, so don't have pictures of things other people might find odd; but are just normal to me.
I did make a couple of posts on the art blog, link to that blog is on the right hand side of this blog, I quit posting my paintings on here as I thought I was boring everyone and if you were interested you would go to the other blog.
I sent a couple of pastels paintings north to Canada hopefully they will get there before the Christmas mail rush. In fact they should be there by now I think. I haven't talked to anyone lately so am not sure.
It has been chilly and windy here for a couple of days and my aches and pains have been bad, in particular my neck and shoulders. I have Fibromyalgia so I ache worse when it is cold and windy. I skipped art class one day and the next day headed uptown and bought some wheat. I came home and sewed myself a wheat bag. If you are not sure what this is, it is very simple. It is wheat, seeds of course, sewn into a cloth bag of whatever size you want, as long as it will fit into your microwave. You then heat it up in your microwave, time depends on the size of the bag. When it is comfortably warm you take it out and put it onto your achy areas. It really seems to help and yesterday I managed to make it to art class, as I could actually turn my neck again without a lot of pain. Yay, wheat bag. You can also add some aromatic herbs to your bag if you like, lavender is one that lots of people like. I didn't as I have allergies to a lot of scents and don't tolerate scents close to my face very well. I also sewed a door snake to block the drafts coming in under our door.
The landlords sons new home is coming along. They put the roof/ceiling on for the first floor when I was in Canada in August and are now working on the walls for the second floor rooms.
Sabtu, 29 Oktober 2011
Festival de las Calacas 2011
This afternoon we went downtown to the Festival de las Calacas which they have every year on the weekend closest to the Dia de los Muertos. It was again held at La Plaza de la Pistola, which is a block north of Serdan at around 21 st. Street.
It was supposed to have started last night; but this afternoon there were still people setting up their altars. Every year they have a competition for the schools and choose which school has the best altar.
I was kind of disappointed with it this year, it seemed like there was a lot less stuff going on than other years, unless things start to hop later this evening. Too bad if this festival fades out, it is a lot of work for the people involved; but is also a nice event for the spectators to view.
Here are some photos of the Calacas and some of the altars. As usual you can click on the photos to make them larger.
Shoe shine anyone?
How romantic !
Another part of the festival is an art exhibition. The class I am in at the Casa de la Cultura, has our paintings on display that we have finished so far in this class, (September and October). Some of the paintings are in oils and some are pastels. There are other paintings also from other classes and others that I am not sure where or whom they are from. They are displayed in one of the buildings at the Plaza de la Pistola.
Here is a sampling of the art displayed.
It was supposed to have started last night; but this afternoon there were still people setting up their altars. Every year they have a competition for the schools and choose which school has the best altar.
I was kind of disappointed with it this year, it seemed like there was a lot less stuff going on than other years, unless things start to hop later this evening. Too bad if this festival fades out, it is a lot of work for the people involved; but is also a nice event for the spectators to view.
Here are some photos of the Calacas and some of the altars. As usual you can click on the photos to make them larger.
Shoe shine anyone?
How romantic !
Another part of the festival is an art exhibition. The class I am in at the Casa de la Cultura, has our paintings on display that we have finished so far in this class, (September and October). Some of the paintings are in oils and some are pastels. There are other paintings also from other classes and others that I am not sure where or whom they are from. They are displayed in one of the buildings at the Plaza de la Pistola.
Here is a sampling of the art displayed.
Selasa, 20 September 2011
Michells Birthday Party
Thursday evening I skipped art class and Roy and I went to one of the landlords grand daughters 9 th birthday party, (turned out class was cancelled anyway because of the holiday). The party was held at the Salon de Eventos Titanico where they have pools and water slides. With the heat here the kids were just loving being in the water.
Snacks, corn on the cob, fresh fruit and drinks were enjoyed by all, followed by a meal of Pastel Sorpresa, salad and beans. Cake of course followed, along with goody bags for all. We gave our goody bags to some of the kids and received big smiles in return.
(Pastel Sorpresa is basically a huge sandwich with various filling, covered with yellow cheese and decorated with some chilis and eaten with a fork. I kind of remember something similar to this being served at showers, etc. in Canada; but don't remember what it was called.)
A fun evening as usual.
Three pools and 2 water slides.
Snacks, corn on the cob, fresh fruit and drinks were enjoyed by all, followed by a meal of Pastel Sorpresa, salad and beans. Cake of course followed, along with goody bags for all. We gave our goody bags to some of the kids and received big smiles in return.
(Pastel Sorpresa is basically a huge sandwich with various filling, covered with yellow cheese and decorated with some chilis and eaten with a fork. I kind of remember something similar to this being served at showers, etc. in Canada; but don't remember what it was called.)
A fun evening as usual.
Three pools and 2 water slides.
The birthday girl with her cake and gifts.
Grandma holding the newest grand child who was making a very funny face.
Senin, 12 September 2011
Shopping North Of The Border
Naturally, while I was in Canada I did have to do a bit of shopping. I didn't have much of a list of things to buy as I hadn't had time to think about it and didn't really have a lot of room for many purchases anyway, as I was already bringing some things home of sentimental value.
I always have a sort of general list of things such as: Twizzlers licorice (red, of course), Werthers original candies and some art supplies. Where I was staying in small town Saskatchewan and Alberta there wasn't much in the way of art stores; but I did manage to get to one in Edmonton the day before I left and found a few things that I wanted. The sweet tooth items of course were easy to find. I never realized that I didn't even eat one chocolate bar or bag of Ketchup chips while in Canada, until I was home and talking about the trip with Roy. I guess some things have really gone off of my radar.
One day while wandering around a store with my daughter in law I did, (casually), stroll by the camera counter and saw a camera that interested me. I don't like to spend a lot of money on cameras as I am always afraid of either: losing them, breaking them, having the humidity kill them or just plain wanting a new one, so it was initially, the price on this one that drew me in. I wrote down the name and model number and when we got back to the house I did some checking online. It seemed to have fairly good reviews for what I wanted it for.
The camera I have now I bought in Albuquerque, New Mexico when we were there doing a house sit in September of 2006 and it was around $200.00. It is a Nikon Coolpix and only has 6.2 megapixels and a 5X optical zoom. This camera was bought just before the anti shake feature came out on the cheaper models and it also takes really poor low light shots. My hands tend to shake and also a lot of the events we go to are in the evening, so I was getting very frustrated by the poor quality of pictures that I could take and had almost totally quit taking my camera with me to events. I know, not a good practice for a blogger.
I did go back to the store the next day and buy the camera. It is a FujiFilm FinePix S2900 and has 14 megapixels and a 18 X Optical zoom. It also has the anti shake feature and takes pretty good low light pictures. I looked at the pictures on my sisters and also on my sons, 52 " screen TV's and they were very clear at that size, nice.
I haven't had much time to play with it yet and discover all the features; but so far I am happy with it. It is bigger than my other one which is not the greatest thing, it is not something that you just shove into your pocket or purse; but the bag I bought has enough pockets for me to put stuff in that it will eliminate the need for taking a purse. I need to figure out the settings as some of the pictures I took were on the wrong setting until I realized it and changed that. Lots to learn; but so far so good.
Some examples:
Taken in my sisters back yard in total darkness, with flash.
Without the zoom.
With 18 X Optical zoom.
No zoom.
Again 18 X Optical zoom.
I always have a sort of general list of things such as: Twizzlers licorice (red, of course), Werthers original candies and some art supplies. Where I was staying in small town Saskatchewan and Alberta there wasn't much in the way of art stores; but I did manage to get to one in Edmonton the day before I left and found a few things that I wanted. The sweet tooth items of course were easy to find. I never realized that I didn't even eat one chocolate bar or bag of Ketchup chips while in Canada, until I was home and talking about the trip with Roy. I guess some things have really gone off of my radar.
One day while wandering around a store with my daughter in law I did, (casually), stroll by the camera counter and saw a camera that interested me. I don't like to spend a lot of money on cameras as I am always afraid of either: losing them, breaking them, having the humidity kill them or just plain wanting a new one, so it was initially, the price on this one that drew me in. I wrote down the name and model number and when we got back to the house I did some checking online. It seemed to have fairly good reviews for what I wanted it for.
The camera I have now I bought in Albuquerque, New Mexico when we were there doing a house sit in September of 2006 and it was around $200.00. It is a Nikon Coolpix and only has 6.2 megapixels and a 5X optical zoom. This camera was bought just before the anti shake feature came out on the cheaper models and it also takes really poor low light shots. My hands tend to shake and also a lot of the events we go to are in the evening, so I was getting very frustrated by the poor quality of pictures that I could take and had almost totally quit taking my camera with me to events. I know, not a good practice for a blogger.
I did go back to the store the next day and buy the camera. It is a FujiFilm FinePix S2900 and has 14 megapixels and a 18 X Optical zoom. It also has the anti shake feature and takes pretty good low light pictures. I looked at the pictures on my sisters and also on my sons, 52 " screen TV's and they were very clear at that size, nice.
I haven't had much time to play with it yet and discover all the features; but so far I am happy with it. It is bigger than my other one which is not the greatest thing, it is not something that you just shove into your pocket or purse; but the bag I bought has enough pockets for me to put stuff in that it will eliminate the need for taking a purse. I need to figure out the settings as some of the pictures I took were on the wrong setting until I realized it and changed that. Lots to learn; but so far so good.
Some examples:
Taken in my sisters back yard in total darkness, with flash.
Without the zoom.
With 18 X Optical zoom.
No zoom.
Again 18 X Optical zoom.
Kamis, 08 September 2011
Where Do I Start?
It has been over a month since I actually blogged, not because I have been lazy; but because life intervened.
I flew to Canada on the 1 st of August and arrived at the hospital my mom had been sent to, on the morning of August 2 nd., after travelling for 22 hours. I can now say I have spent the night in the Calgary airport, something that was not on my bucket list, by the way.
Moms husband, my siblings and their spouses had been sitting with mom for a couple of days by this point and we all continued to sit with her until she passed away on August 4.
Then ensued the usual funeral planning and so on. A very sad time for all the family. Mom will be greatly missed by all her family and friends.
While I was in Canada I was told that one of our favourite dogs, (some friends of our belonged to him), Geordie passed away. Another sad thing, and we will miss him a lot as I know our friends are. RIP Geordie, you were the best of the best. I still have ice cubes in the freezer for you, can't seem to bring myself to throw them away yet.
There were some bright spots during the month I was away. I got to visit with some of my aunts and uncle and cousins that I haven't seen very much of in the last many years.
I got to spend a lot of time with my new grand daughter, she is a joy at 7 months. I stayed with them for a week or so in their new,(to me), home. We went camping for a weekend and I got to go out on their fishing boat.
I also got to visit the acreage that my sister and husband have just purchased and finally met some of the girlfriends of my nephews.
I got to spend a bit of time with some of my step-grandchildren, which was lovely, as the last flying trip I made there I didn't get to see them. They are growing up so fast it is amazing, they are fantastic kids.
I have many pictures to share of the new grand daughter another day.
Since I have been home I have signed up for and started another art class, it should be interesting. More on that later also.
Then there is the usual laundry, grocery shopping, etc..
Roy got his top plate while I was gone and it didn't fit well, so I went with him to the dentist on Monday to discuss that, hopefully that was resolved Wednesday morning.
It also is time for us to re-new our FM3's, I hemmed and hawed about changing to an FM2 again this year; but in the end went the easy way and just continued on with the FM3. I just didn't feel like dealing with new requirements right now.
I went to the immigration office on Monday to see what they were requiring this year, as with the new laws I wasn't sure what was happening. It seems that they are still doing the same as they did last year and required the same documents, which are as follows, (remember this is for a renewal, not a first time):
1. photos: 3 front shots, 3 side shots, infantil size, white background, colour photo, no glasses, etc..
2. recent bank statements, we had bank statements from both Canada and Mexico so I was told I didn't need to get translations of our Canadian statements, (according to the lady I spoke with anyway, your mileage may vary on this one).
3. copy of our passport photo and information page.
4. The paper you get printed out after you fill in the form online.
5. A letter asking for your FM3 to be renewed (more or less).
We returned Tuesday morning to the office and gave the guy all our papers and he printed us out the papers with the numbers and passwords to check the progress online and told us the cards would be ready in about a week.
Pretty simple again this year, as it was last year; but then we don't have our cards yet lol. I will let you know when we get them or if there are any glitches to be ironed out. So far when I put our numbers in their site I am getting a pop up saying they can't be found. We shall see.
When we returned home from immigration Tuesday morning we were sitting and cooling off when suddenly the air conditioner in the living room quit. Roy had had a problem with it when I was away and the landlord got someone to come in and apparently he glued the one part back on; but a little crooked. It is now very noisy and Roy was sure when it stopped that it had burnt the motor out. I went and checked on the bedroom one and it was also off along with the bedroom light. I went downstairs and talked to the landlord who explained that a brother in law had done some work awhile back and switched out a 70 Amp breaker for 2 - 30 Amp breakers, (not good), so basically the breaker had flipped. He reset it and everything was working fine again.
I then tried to get a hold of a fellow to come and look at this noisy one and order the part and fix it, I couldn't get his number to work for some reason and ended up having someone else call him for me. They couldn't get him on the phone and left a message. He never showed up or called before I went to art class and when I returned home he had not appeared either. I will tried again on Wednesday and still couldn't get him, so called someone else. The other fellow showed up around 6 PM or so and took away the fan to go and order/buy a replacement today. Still haven't heard anything from him this morning. We are without an air conditioner in the living room so we are a bit warm, we have the bedroom one going with a fan directed out to the living room and it is OK.
I had spoken to my Spanish teacher and she told me that our lesson has been changed to Wed. mornings as Bliss is taking a guitar lesson on Tuesdays. This works out better for me as well, as my art classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so will be easier to go to Spanish class on Wednesday mornings. A good change for both of us.
I finally finished a pastel painting of a cat that I had started before I headed to Canada and am still working on the oil painting of the Bird of Paradise that I started during the 4 week summer session class. I have had very little time or energy to do much with those as I had to get my drawing ready for the painting I am going to be doing in class this session.
Tuesday evening while I was at art class we had a short, heavy rainstorm, so the hills should stay green for a while now. I was amazed to see how green they were when I arrived back home a week ago, there had been a few showers while I was gone and everything looked so fresh and green in comparison to how it was when I left. Wednesday because of the humidity from the rain the "feels like" temperature at 11 AM when I went to Spanish class was 46 Celcius. A bit warm even for me.
The landlords grandchildren seem like they all grew a foot in the month I was away, hard to believe they can change so fast in a month.
I have been home for a week now and feel like I have been running ever since I stepped out of the airplane. It is good to see family; but it is even better to be home.
More later.
I flew to Canada on the 1 st of August and arrived at the hospital my mom had been sent to, on the morning of August 2 nd., after travelling for 22 hours. I can now say I have spent the night in the Calgary airport, something that was not on my bucket list, by the way.
Moms husband, my siblings and their spouses had been sitting with mom for a couple of days by this point and we all continued to sit with her until she passed away on August 4.
Then ensued the usual funeral planning and so on. A very sad time for all the family. Mom will be greatly missed by all her family and friends.
While I was in Canada I was told that one of our favourite dogs, (some friends of our belonged to him), Geordie passed away. Another sad thing, and we will miss him a lot as I know our friends are. RIP Geordie, you were the best of the best. I still have ice cubes in the freezer for you, can't seem to bring myself to throw them away yet.
There were some bright spots during the month I was away. I got to visit with some of my aunts and uncle and cousins that I haven't seen very much of in the last many years.
I got to spend a lot of time with my new grand daughter, she is a joy at 7 months. I stayed with them for a week or so in their new,(to me), home. We went camping for a weekend and I got to go out on their fishing boat.
I also got to visit the acreage that my sister and husband have just purchased and finally met some of the girlfriends of my nephews.
I got to spend a bit of time with some of my step-grandchildren, which was lovely, as the last flying trip I made there I didn't get to see them. They are growing up so fast it is amazing, they are fantastic kids.
I have many pictures to share of the new grand daughter another day.
Since I have been home I have signed up for and started another art class, it should be interesting. More on that later also.
Then there is the usual laundry, grocery shopping, etc..
Roy got his top plate while I was gone and it didn't fit well, so I went with him to the dentist on Monday to discuss that, hopefully that was resolved Wednesday morning.
It also is time for us to re-new our FM3's, I hemmed and hawed about changing to an FM2 again this year; but in the end went the easy way and just continued on with the FM3. I just didn't feel like dealing with new requirements right now.
I went to the immigration office on Monday to see what they were requiring this year, as with the new laws I wasn't sure what was happening. It seems that they are still doing the same as they did last year and required the same documents, which are as follows, (remember this is for a renewal, not a first time):
1. photos: 3 front shots, 3 side shots, infantil size, white background, colour photo, no glasses, etc..
2. recent bank statements, we had bank statements from both Canada and Mexico so I was told I didn't need to get translations of our Canadian statements, (according to the lady I spoke with anyway, your mileage may vary on this one).
3. copy of our passport photo and information page.
4. The paper you get printed out after you fill in the form online.
5. A letter asking for your FM3 to be renewed (more or less).
We returned Tuesday morning to the office and gave the guy all our papers and he printed us out the papers with the numbers and passwords to check the progress online and told us the cards would be ready in about a week.
Pretty simple again this year, as it was last year; but then we don't have our cards yet lol. I will let you know when we get them or if there are any glitches to be ironed out. So far when I put our numbers in their site I am getting a pop up saying they can't be found. We shall see.
When we returned home from immigration Tuesday morning we were sitting and cooling off when suddenly the air conditioner in the living room quit. Roy had had a problem with it when I was away and the landlord got someone to come in and apparently he glued the one part back on; but a little crooked. It is now very noisy and Roy was sure when it stopped that it had burnt the motor out. I went and checked on the bedroom one and it was also off along with the bedroom light. I went downstairs and talked to the landlord who explained that a brother in law had done some work awhile back and switched out a 70 Amp breaker for 2 - 30 Amp breakers, (not good), so basically the breaker had flipped. He reset it and everything was working fine again.
I then tried to get a hold of a fellow to come and look at this noisy one and order the part and fix it, I couldn't get his number to work for some reason and ended up having someone else call him for me. They couldn't get him on the phone and left a message. He never showed up or called before I went to art class and when I returned home he had not appeared either. I will tried again on Wednesday and still couldn't get him, so called someone else. The other fellow showed up around 6 PM or so and took away the fan to go and order/buy a replacement today. Still haven't heard anything from him this morning. We are without an air conditioner in the living room so we are a bit warm, we have the bedroom one going with a fan directed out to the living room and it is OK.
I had spoken to my Spanish teacher and she told me that our lesson has been changed to Wed. mornings as Bliss is taking a guitar lesson on Tuesdays. This works out better for me as well, as my art classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so will be easier to go to Spanish class on Wednesday mornings. A good change for both of us.
I finally finished a pastel painting of a cat that I had started before I headed to Canada and am still working on the oil painting of the Bird of Paradise that I started during the 4 week summer session class. I have had very little time or energy to do much with those as I had to get my drawing ready for the painting I am going to be doing in class this session.
Tuesday evening while I was at art class we had a short, heavy rainstorm, so the hills should stay green for a while now. I was amazed to see how green they were when I arrived back home a week ago, there had been a few showers while I was gone and everything looked so fresh and green in comparison to how it was when I left. Wednesday because of the humidity from the rain the "feels like" temperature at 11 AM when I went to Spanish class was 46 Celcius. A bit warm even for me.
The landlords grandchildren seem like they all grew a foot in the month I was away, hard to believe they can change so fast in a month.
I have been home for a week now and feel like I have been running ever since I stepped out of the airplane. It is good to see family; but it is even better to be home.
More later.
Selasa, 06 September 2011
Jumat, 29 Juli 2011
End Of Summer Class
Thursday was the last day of classes for the summer session at the local Casa de la Cultura. Friday night there was a concert at the Auditorium for the dance, music, pantomime, and other students. It was well attended which was nice to see.
The first act was this young trio who did a recitation. I was impressed that they all remembered their lines so well. They were definitely cute.
I got a few pictures of some of the dancers.
Some of the stuff I just plain forgot to take pictures of. The pantomime had people laughing as it was pretty funny and well done.
Considering that the class was only 4 weeks long the performers did well.
This is supposed to be a traditional dance of the Yucatan.
The first act was this young trio who did a recitation. I was impressed that they all remembered their lines so well. They were definitely cute.
I got a few pictures of some of the dancers.
Some of the stuff I just plain forgot to take pictures of. The pantomime had people laughing as it was pretty funny and well done.
Considering that the class was only 4 weeks long the performers did well.
This is supposed to be a traditional dance of the Yucatan.
Rabu, 13 Juli 2011
An Evening Out
Yesterday was Roys birthday and also our anniversary so we decided to head out for dinner. The place we like to eat overlooking the bay wasn't answering their phone when I tried them to see if they were open. On to Plan B, we decided to try a restaurant that we have heard good things about; but have never tried. The restaurant Oeste in the Armida Hotel.
This restaurant is known for its steaks and its decor is very interesting. The walls are covered with mounted animal heads, not something I really care for and definitely not the usual restaurant decor here. I prefer my wildlife hunted with a camera; but it was different to see here. I guess if you are trying to beat the heat this is the place to go, the air conditioner was set to sub-zero in the frigid zone and I just about froze to death. I would take a sweater if we went again in the summertime. I am pretty sensitive to the cold now though, so for others it would probably be fine.
We took a look at the menu and decided on Chateaubriand for 2, which included salad bar, baked potato and some veggies. We ordered our beverages and snacked on the usual totopos and salsa, while checking out the decor. Hmmm, I felt kind of guilty ordering meat in such an atmosphere with all those eyes staring at me from the walls.
The meal came and it was very good. There was probably more meat on my plate than I have had in many years. I am not much of a red meat eater, when my kids were young they used to laugh at me and call me a vegetarian, which I have never been even close to. Roy managed to eat his portion by skipping a trip to the salad bar. I couldn't resist a bit of salad and managed to eat about 1/2 of my portion of meat.
The meat was flavourful and tender, very good. The baked potato was good and I really enjoyed it. I don't use the oven in the summertime so miss having baked potatoes. Veggies were a cauliflower/broccoli combo and were also OK. Salad bar was lettuce with adds on of veggies, nothing exceptional; but all was fresh and crispy and there were a couple of dressings. I chose a cream dressing, kind of a ranch type and it tasted nice, not like a bottled one here which I don't care for.
Overall, I would say the meal was very good. Baked potato is something that very, very few restaurants in Guaymas serve so it was nice to have that.
Service was prompt without being a nuisance, no loud annoying music, the washrooms were well equipped with the necessities and clean.
This was the most costly restaurant we have encountered so far in Guaymas, the cost for the Chateaubriand for 2 was 460.00 pesos about $ 37.63 CAD and our total bill came to 508.00 pesos, which is about $ 41.56 CAD.. High for here; but it was a good meal on a special day and we enjoyed it. I don't mind paying more as long as the food is good and this was.
So if you are a meat eater I would recommend trying this place.
They seem to cater to the business clientele that stay in the hotel by the look of the other patrons there while we were.
The camera was left at home so no pictures of the decor.
This restaurant is known for its steaks and its decor is very interesting. The walls are covered with mounted animal heads, not something I really care for and definitely not the usual restaurant decor here. I prefer my wildlife hunted with a camera; but it was different to see here. I guess if you are trying to beat the heat this is the place to go, the air conditioner was set to sub-zero in the frigid zone and I just about froze to death. I would take a sweater if we went again in the summertime. I am pretty sensitive to the cold now though, so for others it would probably be fine.
We took a look at the menu and decided on Chateaubriand for 2, which included salad bar, baked potato and some veggies. We ordered our beverages and snacked on the usual totopos and salsa, while checking out the decor. Hmmm, I felt kind of guilty ordering meat in such an atmosphere with all those eyes staring at me from the walls.
The meal came and it was very good. There was probably more meat on my plate than I have had in many years. I am not much of a red meat eater, when my kids were young they used to laugh at me and call me a vegetarian, which I have never been even close to. Roy managed to eat his portion by skipping a trip to the salad bar. I couldn't resist a bit of salad and managed to eat about 1/2 of my portion of meat.
The meat was flavourful and tender, very good. The baked potato was good and I really enjoyed it. I don't use the oven in the summertime so miss having baked potatoes. Veggies were a cauliflower/broccoli combo and were also OK. Salad bar was lettuce with adds on of veggies, nothing exceptional; but all was fresh and crispy and there were a couple of dressings. I chose a cream dressing, kind of a ranch type and it tasted nice, not like a bottled one here which I don't care for.
Overall, I would say the meal was very good. Baked potato is something that very, very few restaurants in Guaymas serve so it was nice to have that.
Service was prompt without being a nuisance, no loud annoying music, the washrooms were well equipped with the necessities and clean.
This was the most costly restaurant we have encountered so far in Guaymas, the cost for the Chateaubriand for 2 was 460.00 pesos about $ 37.63 CAD and our total bill came to 508.00 pesos, which is about $ 41.56 CAD.. High for here; but it was a good meal on a special day and we enjoyed it. I don't mind paying more as long as the food is good and this was.
So if you are a meat eater I would recommend trying this place.
They seem to cater to the business clientele that stay in the hotel by the look of the other patrons there while we were.
The camera was left at home so no pictures of the decor.
Sabtu, 09 Juli 2011
Opening Of The Art Walk For The Festival Mar Bermejo
Friday night was the opening ceremonies for both the Mar Bermejo Festival and the Art Walk that is showing during the festival.
The openings were held in several venues with the first one being at the Casa de la Cultura at 6 PM.
There are two different areas of art work at the Casa de la Cultura. In the patio there are large works of a size specified by the committee for the display, quite a large size. I have no artwork in this exhibition as I have no where to place a work of this size after the exhibition and therefore didn't want to do one. The second display is in the gallery at the Casa de la Cultura by an artist by the name of Zacarias Paez Casanova according to the banner on the outside of the building. With the opening ceremonies out of the way refreshments were served and people viewed the works, mingled and chatted.
All the pictures in this post are from the Casa de la Cultura, my camera didn't like the lighting at the PincelArte gallery so none of the photos from there turned out..
The second or third opening was to be either at the Civic Auditorium or the PincelArte Gallery, due to a bit of a mix up they were both scheduled for 7 PM.
We decided to head to the PincelArte gallery as that is where my classes paintings are displayed. I was asked if I could put the name tags on the paintings done by my class, as it hadn't gotten done in the shuffle of activity. That done Roy and I viewed the displays and chatted with people until the heat in the old building drove us to find some cooler air.
The building that houses the PincelArte gallery is around 200 years old with the old style ceiling used here at one time and there is no air conditioning in the gallery.
Roy and I headed outdoors and walked over to the malecon and sat on the sea wall to drink a nice cold coke, we could have had drinks inside the gallery; but opted to get outside and try to cool off. We decided that we weren't going to bother going back in there to see the opening ceremony and just sat and relaxed.
I am not sure when or if the mayor and others ended up there as they were also doing an opening ceremony at the Civic Auditorium where there is more artwork displayed in the lobby. The state governor was in town and was supposed to be at that part of the opening and then there was an opera there afterwards.
We never did head over there, as we were hot and decided just to go home.
I enjoyed the evening despite the heat, Roy I think was somewhat bored as I ended up chatting with quite a few people about our class and the art displayed by our class, not too riveting for him as he has heard it all before.
There are many activities going on everyday until the 13 th, and as far as I know it is all free so if you are from this area come on downtown and enjoy yourself.
This is the banner for the summer courses at the Casa de la Cultura, it has nothing to do with Mar Bermejo, I just thought it was cute.
This seashell painting is my favorite one of the whole exhibition it is lovely.
One of the paintings by the artist in the gallery, Zacarias Paez Casanova.
The openings were held in several venues with the first one being at the Casa de la Cultura at 6 PM.
There are two different areas of art work at the Casa de la Cultura. In the patio there are large works of a size specified by the committee for the display, quite a large size. I have no artwork in this exhibition as I have no where to place a work of this size after the exhibition and therefore didn't want to do one. The second display is in the gallery at the Casa de la Cultura by an artist by the name of Zacarias Paez Casanova according to the banner on the outside of the building. With the opening ceremonies out of the way refreshments were served and people viewed the works, mingled and chatted.
All the pictures in this post are from the Casa de la Cultura, my camera didn't like the lighting at the PincelArte gallery so none of the photos from there turned out..
The second or third opening was to be either at the Civic Auditorium or the PincelArte Gallery, due to a bit of a mix up they were both scheduled for 7 PM.
We decided to head to the PincelArte gallery as that is where my classes paintings are displayed. I was asked if I could put the name tags on the paintings done by my class, as it hadn't gotten done in the shuffle of activity. That done Roy and I viewed the displays and chatted with people until the heat in the old building drove us to find some cooler air.
The building that houses the PincelArte gallery is around 200 years old with the old style ceiling used here at one time and there is no air conditioning in the gallery.
Roy and I headed outdoors and walked over to the malecon and sat on the sea wall to drink a nice cold coke, we could have had drinks inside the gallery; but opted to get outside and try to cool off. We decided that we weren't going to bother going back in there to see the opening ceremony and just sat and relaxed.
I am not sure when or if the mayor and others ended up there as they were also doing an opening ceremony at the Civic Auditorium where there is more artwork displayed in the lobby. The state governor was in town and was supposed to be at that part of the opening and then there was an opera there afterwards.
We never did head over there, as we were hot and decided just to go home.
I enjoyed the evening despite the heat, Roy I think was somewhat bored as I ended up chatting with quite a few people about our class and the art displayed by our class, not too riveting for him as he has heard it all before.
There are many activities going on everyday until the 13 th, and as far as I know it is all free so if you are from this area come on downtown and enjoy yourself.
This is the banner for the summer courses at the Casa de la Cultura, it has nothing to do with Mar Bermejo, I just thought it was cute.
This seashell painting is my favorite one of the whole exhibition it is lovely.
One of the paintings by the artist in the gallery, Zacarias Paez Casanova.
Selasa, 05 Juli 2011
Art Route During Festival Mar Bermejo
The inauguration of the Art Route for the Festival Mar Bermejo is going to be on Friday the 8 th of July at 6 PM at the Casa de la Cultura.
This year there will be exhibits set up at various places including: the lobby of the Civic Auditorium - open from 9:00 to 20:00 hrs., in the central patio and also in the gallery room at the Casa de la Cultura - open from 9:00 to 19:00 hrs., the gallery PincelARTE - open from 17:00 to 20:00 hrs. and you can also view the photos from all the past Carnivals in the usual room in the back of the Civic Auditorium which will be open from 9:00 to 20:00 hrs..
The paintings from our last class are supposed to be exhibited in the PincelARTE gallery or this is what I have been told.
So Alan and I went to our classes yesterday, me to art and him to guitar. He seemed to enjoy it; but we will see how the 4 day a week thing goes as the month progresses. He is used to going to school everyday so he should be fine.
We had a nice rain in the night again last night with lots of thunder and lightning. This morning is cooler and we have the door and windows open which is nice. At around 9 AM it was only 28 C. with 74 % humidity which made it feel like 31 C. so cooler than it has been, well for us anyway. It all depends on what you are used to.
Spanish class this morning and some errands and then art class this afternoon.
This year there will be exhibits set up at various places including: the lobby of the Civic Auditorium - open from 9:00 to 20:00 hrs., in the central patio and also in the gallery room at the Casa de la Cultura - open from 9:00 to 19:00 hrs., the gallery PincelARTE - open from 17:00 to 20:00 hrs. and you can also view the photos from all the past Carnivals in the usual room in the back of the Civic Auditorium which will be open from 9:00 to 20:00 hrs..
The paintings from our last class are supposed to be exhibited in the PincelARTE gallery or this is what I have been told.
So Alan and I went to our classes yesterday, me to art and him to guitar. He seemed to enjoy it; but we will see how the 4 day a week thing goes as the month progresses. He is used to going to school everyday so he should be fine.
We had a nice rain in the night again last night with lots of thunder and lightning. This morning is cooler and we have the door and windows open which is nice. At around 9 AM it was only 28 C. with 74 % humidity which made it feel like 31 C. so cooler than it has been, well for us anyway. It all depends on what you are used to.
Spanish class this morning and some errands and then art class this afternoon.
Senin, 04 Juli 2011
Rain
We had a nice little shower at some point during the night. I have no idea how much as a rain gauge is not something we have here, not really a necessary thing usually. It was enough to settle the dust anyway. It is cloudy this morning and a bit cooler so we have the windows and door open. The temperature at 8 AM was 27 C. with 84% humidity and the "feels like" temperature was 31 C. so it feels great. Nicer weather than Saturday afternoon when we had a big dust storm, my allergies did not like that so I was really plugged up yesterday. Great to have a bit of rain to get all the dust off of everything.
No rain pictures as I slept through it all.
Summer session art class starts today so I will be busy for the next month as I think class is 4 days a week. We also will be taking our paintings from the last class over to the gallery sometime in the next week for the Mar Bermejo Festival.
No rain pictures as I slept through it all.
Summer session art class starts today so I will be busy for the next month as I think class is 4 days a week. We also will be taking our paintings from the last class over to the gallery sometime in the next week for the Mar Bermejo Festival.
Selasa, 28 Juni 2011
Exhibition At The Casa De La Cultura
Tonight was the wrap up exhibition for the classes at the Casa de la Cultura. The paintings were all displayed and the musicians all set to play and show off what they have learned.
Roy and I took one of the landlords grandsons with us to the exhibition as he is thinking that he might take a summer class at the Casa de la Cultura and I thought it would be nice for him to see what had been done during the past classes. He seemed to enjoy it and still seems interested in taking a class so we will see if his mom goes and signs him up. I told her I could take him with me on the bus to the class and bring him home with me also.
Here are photos of some of the art displayed and a few of the performers also. We were sitting near the back and I couldn't see over heads to take pictures of the smaller children, I didn't want to stand up and block other peoples views so less pictures. No big deal. The people taking classes range in age from about 6 or 7 yrs. old and up to older than me. A very diverse group to teach and my hat is off to all the teachers for the job they do.
The summer class starts on the 4 th of July so I will have a busy month as I think we can attend class 4 times a week. We also will have our paintings displayed during the Ruta de Arte for the festival Mar Bermejo. The paintings will be displayed at the new art gallery close to the City Hall.
Looks like a hot, busy month coming up.
Singing group.
Rock group.
Guitar class.
Older group of guitar players and singers.
Roy and I took one of the landlords grandsons with us to the exhibition as he is thinking that he might take a summer class at the Casa de la Cultura and I thought it would be nice for him to see what had been done during the past classes. He seemed to enjoy it and still seems interested in taking a class so we will see if his mom goes and signs him up. I told her I could take him with me on the bus to the class and bring him home with me also.
Here are photos of some of the art displayed and a few of the performers also. We were sitting near the back and I couldn't see over heads to take pictures of the smaller children, I didn't want to stand up and block other peoples views so less pictures. No big deal. The people taking classes range in age from about 6 or 7 yrs. old and up to older than me. A very diverse group to teach and my hat is off to all the teachers for the job they do.
The summer class starts on the 4 th of July so I will have a busy month as I think we can attend class 4 times a week. We also will have our paintings displayed during the Ruta de Arte for the festival Mar Bermejo. The paintings will be displayed at the new art gallery close to the City Hall.
Looks like a hot, busy month coming up.
Singing group.
Rock group.
Guitar class.
Older group of guitar players and singers.
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