Mamey

On Monday, as we were heading out to the Library and Mike's Men's Lunch, we stopped for a minute to chat to our neighbour across the street. Now, you have to understand, our grasp of the Spanish language, to our chagrin, is still somewhat minimal, but we do seem to have developed a rapport with the folks in the hood, even if our 'chats' involve a lot of hand waving and gestures. (Do not ever challenge us to an evening of charades by the way, as we are becoming pros!!!)

He had just come from the market and had a bag of the usual stuff, potatoes, peppers, cheese, but he also had something we had never seen before, which of course we had to ask about. It looked sort of like a mango, with a skin, like a very serious minded kiwi with an attitude. Next thing we knew, it, whatever it was, was split in two pieces and we were invited to a sample - and it was a treat "to die for". I'm not sure how to describe the taste, but we were enthralled, and wanted more. He wanted to give his fruit to us, but we just couldn't take it from him, as much as we wanted to, as it was so good.

However, on the way home, after my shift at the Library and dinner out, we stopped off to pick up a few necessities from Alfredo, who owns the tienda on the corner and mentioned the 'mystery fruit". He knew exactly what we were talking out and said he would have some for us the next morning. And he did. And they are amazing. A very different taste, one that takes some getting used to, but very very good.

Alfredo also told us that he likes his mamey (pronounced mah-may) blended with a touch of brandy and leche (milk), which I haven't tried yet. It does sound like a pretty darned good way to get your essential nutrients! OK, the brandy isn't essential!

And now here's the lesson, for those who are interested:

The mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota) is a species of tree native to southern Mexico. Today, the tree is cultivated not only in Mexico, but also in Central America, the Caribbean, and South Florida for its fruit, which is commonly eaten in many Latin American countries. Mamey sapote is a large and highly ornamental evergreen tree that can reach a height of 15 to 45 meters (60 to 140 feet) at maturity. The fruit is about 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 inches) long and 8 to 12 cm (3 to 5 inches) wide and has orange flesh. Personally I think the fruit is closer to red in colour.

The fruit is eaten raw out of hand or made into milkshakes, smoothies, ice cream and fruit bars. They don't mention Alfredo's recipe! The fruit's flavor is variously described as a combination of pumpkin, sweet potato, and maraschino cherries with the texture of an avocado. Which could be why I was having trouble describing it. Some consider the fruit to be an aphrodisiac. No comment on this one!!

End of lesson. I wonder how we ever survived without Google?

Bon Appetit!!!

Routines

I don't think it matters where you live, after a month or so of living anywhere, it is just natural to fall into a routine. I was looking at the calendar this morning and chuckled to myself when I saw how filled it was, and how different it appears from the calendar during the summer months, when we are at home.

Our time was scheduled very differently while our son, Jeff, was here and also our friends, Ann and Jim. We played tourist and had a truly marvelous time. It is so refreshing to see your home through someone else's eyes and I'm thinking that perhaps it might be time to try it again in Winnipeg.



We are still being awakened, almost every morning, by that darned rooster who has moved in almost next door. He starts early; ignoring him is pointless as he never stops, and even if he did, the cars on the street would have us up by 6:30 am anyway. I am still wondering why we are so lucky to live on a street where every car needs either a new transmission or muffler (or in some cases, both)! However, we are not on a bus route, which is a plus, and we are learning to sometimes ignore the activity outside our front door, and bedroom window, and to roll over in the mornings and catch a few more minutes of sleep time before the day starts.

Abi however, is usually awake by this time, and when Abi decides to get up, we're all up, so the sleep in time is quite short!

She also decides when it is time to go to bed.



Which brings me back to the calendar. Somedays, most days, it's a good thing we do not sleep in. A quick review of the calendar reminds us that we have men's lunch, library, golf, Beans and Beer, girl's day out (to offset Beans and Beer), book club, dominoes ... we each do our own thing, and we write everything down, or else we'll be sure to forget something. Of course, we don't do all these things on one day, but they are repeated throughout the weeks.

Although they are not marked on the calender, every week we do the usual boring domestic things. We do the laundry, visit the market, sometimes every other day, make the run to Sam's and Mega (for the stuff we can't get at the Market - like English Muffins and wine!), and we even clean house. Esther comes every Monday, but Mazatlan is very dusty and we just can't get through the week without pulling out the mop and the dust cloth.

We meet friends for lunch, or dinner, or we make a date and go out on our own. Monday, for example, is almost always a 'dinner night out' - I have 'worked' all afternoon at the Library, after all! I love the Plazuela Machado on Saturday evenings, so we try to make that a firm night out as well. Several times a week, we stay in. We love movie nights, and thanks to our son, Jeff, we have downloaded and watched almost all of the Oscar nominees. He has shared his expertise with several of our friends here, and others are anxiously awaiting his return.

We have started to schedule a beach day, which is almost always a Sunday. Sunday seems like a good day to reflect on life, and how lucky we are, and what better place to do that than Stone Island. We actually write this one on the calendar - because once it's written down, it's a firm date that we try not to break..... Unless it's cold, or cloudy..... Or some silly person organizes a Library Benefit on a Sunday (I might have been one of those people!) But we do try, and most Sundays we make it to the beach.



We were told last trip that we needed to wear a life jacket - not sure why, but rules are rules!

We've talked to friends and it seems like our crowded calendar is the norm.

I now know the real reason why we go home in the summer. Mike says it's because he needs to golf with the boys at Bell Acres. I know the real reason - we need to get some rest!

But always, every day, we stop to admire the view, wherever we are.



Even the fish!!

To offset the fish, there is always the cathedral ..



and other things ...






Carnaval, by the way, starts in two weeks and the city is already winding up. More on that later!

Coup d'etat

Yes there has been a temporary coup on this blog. For one week anyway.
Mike and Sandie have generously allowed us to come down from the land of ice and snow to stay with them for a week.


We started off the week with a lovely breakfast at Macaws. Then later that evening we attended a small "Wine tasting of Mazatlan" event here in the Centro.
Monday we had beautiful weather for a day trip out to Stone Island. Which turned out to be the best day of the week for the beach. The sun was warm, the ocean was cool, but it was still alot better then anything in Winnipeg.


Tuesday was an easy day with a trip into the Gold Zone for a little shopping and drinks.


Wednesday the boys went to "Beans and Bear", that 50+ year tradition for ex patroits here in Maz. The girls were off to more shopping, and some sun by the pool in Villa Marina.
Thursday we loaded up the car and went for an overnight trip to Barras de Piaxtla. We stayed in a wonderful beach house right on the ocean.




Friday we returned to Maz in time to hit the Mardi Gras party. The band was amazing and the food was excellent for such a large crowd.
Sadly we have to spend Saturday preparing to head home, but we can at least take the comfort that we know that we'll be back.
Thank-you Mike & Sandie.

The Bullfight

Years ago, I swore I would never attend a bullfight. I find the whole idea of tormenting an animal until it dies absolutely barbaric and quite disgusting. Hope I have not offended any bullfighting fans out there, that's just the way I feel.

However, when the Midget Bullfighters came to town, we were told that the animals were not harmed in the least and we just couldn't resist. I was still a bit hesitant, not because of the animals, but was a bit worried for the Bullfighters themselves. As the major draw for this event was the fact that the performers were little people, I thought perhaps the whole spectacle would be degrading but we were reassured that this was not the case, so off we went.

And we are so glad we did - it was a highly entertaining afternoon to say the least.



We realized as soon as we arrived at the ring that this was definitely a family affair. A first, there was no acohol served, but there was lots and lots of cotton candy! By the way, this being Mexico, if anyone wanted a beer, all they had to do was go outside, buy one, and bring it back in!

The troupe has travelled together for years and have their routines down pat.





As well as the actual bullfighters, all midgets, there are 4 'full-size' clowns on the team.




And, oh, can these girls dance!





Everyone in the troupe was very funny, and very very talented!

As for the animals - they were priceless. The "bull" was a calf, one of the mangiest I have ever seen, who often had to be chased by the bullfighter as he just wasn't interested in the cape. They did, at one point, bring out one slightly older 'teenage' calf who had started to sprout horns, but he was no more intimidating than his predecessor, and was equally less involved in the proceedings! The horses were adorable, a herd of Shetland ponies who raced around and around the track and then knew exactly which exit to take to head back to the stables.





It has been a long time since we have laughed that much, and I will definitely go back the next time the itty-bitty bullfighters are in town.

Day to Day

I don't think it matters where you live, after a month or so of living anywhere, it is just natural to fall into a routine. I was looking at the calendar this morning and chuckled to myself when I saw how filled it was, and how different it appears from the calendar during the summer months, when we are at home.

Our time was scheduled very differently while our son, Jeff, was here and also our friends, Ann and Jim. We played tourist and had a truly marvelous time. It is so refreshing to see your home through someone else's eyes and I'm thinking that perhaps it might be time to try it again in Winnipeg.



We are still being awakened, almost every morning, by that darned rooster who has moved in almost next door. He starts early; ignoring him is pointless as he never stops, and even if he did, the cars on the street would have us up by 6:30 am anyway. I am still wondering why we are so lucky to live on a street where every car needs either a new transmission or muffler (or in some cases, both)! However, we are not on a bus route, which is a plus, and we are learning to sometimes ignore the activity outside our front door, and bedroom window, and to roll over in the mornings and catch a few more minutes of sleep time before the day starts.

Abi however, is usually awake by this time, and when Abi decides to get up, we're all up, so the sleep in time is quite short!

She also decides when it is time to go to bed.



Which brings me back to the calendar. Somedays, most days, it's a good thing we do not sleep in. A quick review of the calendar reminds us that we have men's lunch, library, golf, Beans and Beer, girl's day out (to offset Beans and Beer), book club, dominoes ... we each do our own thing, and we write everything down, or else we'll be sure to forget something. Of course, we don't do all these things on one day, but they are repeated throughout the weeks.

Although they are not marked on the calender, every week we do the usual boring domestic things. We do the laundry, visit the market, sometimes every other day, make the run to Sam's and Mega (for the stuff we can't get at the Market - like English Muffins and wine!), and we even clean house. Esther comes every Monday, but Mazatlan is very dusty and we just can't get through the week without pulling out the mop and the dust cloth.

We meet friends for lunch, or dinner, or we make a date and go out on our own. Monday, for example, is almost always a 'dinner night out' - I have 'worked' all afternoon at the Library, after all! I love the Plazuela Machado on Saturday evenings, so we try to make that a firm night out as well. Several times a week, we stay in. We love movie nights, and thanks to our son, Jeff, we have downloaded and watched almost all of the Oscar nominees. He has shared his expertise with several of our friends here, and others are anxiously awaiting his return.

We have started to schedule a beach day, which is almost always a Sunday. Sunday seems like a good day to reflect on life, and how lucky we are, and what better place to do that than Stone Island. We actually write this one on the calendar - because once it's written down, it's a firm date that we try not to break..... Unless it's cold, or cloudy..... Or some silly person organizes a Library Benefit on a Sunday (I might have been one of those people!) But we do try, and most Sundays we make it to the beach.

We've talked to friends and it seems like our crowded calendar is the norm.

I now know the real reason why we go home in the summer. Mike says it's because he needs to golf with the boys at Bell Acres. I know the real reason - we need to get some rest!

But always, every day, we stop to admire the view, wherever we are.



Even the fish!!







Carnaval, by the way, starts in two weeks and the city is already winding up. More on that later!

Write on Maz

I have just realized how long it has been since I last posted anything here. The days have flown by since Jeff left, and although I have written endless 'stories' in my head, I just haven't had a chance to sit down and actually commit my thoughts to 'paper'.

I lead such a quiet life at home, I am still astonished at how busy I am here!




I am a member of the Library Committee and recently many hours have been devoted to the organization the second annual 'Write on Maz' benefit. It was a lot of work, and very time consuming, but well worth it in the end.

As the benefit is on behalf of a Library, we have decided to make an attempt to keep the event as educational as possible. Last year we featured local authors, who spoke about their experiences with research, dealing with editors and publishers, etc. This year we recruited a very informative speaker, Richard Rhoda, an American who currently lives in Guadalahara and is the co-author of the book 'Geo Mexico: The Geography and Dynamics of Modern Mexico'.

As this was a fundraiser, much time was spent pounding the pavement, soliciting items for our raffle and silent auction. We did very well. We had 42 items which were raffled, and 9 items on the Silent Auction table, including 2 paintings by Loretta, the very talented manager/director of the Library.



I was amazed by the generosity of the local business people. I visited close to 25 businesses and was rejected by only one (and that I think simply because he was having a really bad day!).

We had thought at first we would be able to rent palm trees to decorate the courtyard of the Museo de Arte, where the event was being held, but at the last minute, that fell through. So, a fellow volunteer and I visited several of the local flower shops on Saturday and bought armloads of blooms to fill the courtyard. We bought so many, we had to take a pulmonia home as they were too heavy to carry. Price, by the way, was less than $40.00. You've got to love Mexico!

'Write on Maz' was held on Sunday, from 2 p.m. til 4 p.m. and the day of the benefit was a marathon.

We had previously moved everything we needed into the Library - the prizes for the raffles and auction, wine, glasses, plates, flower vases, the list went on and on.

At noon on Sunday, the earliest we could gain access to the courtyard at the Museum, we were at the library, lugging things across the street and frantically arranging the blossoms in vases, piling books everywhere we could find an empty space, and setting up the tables for the silent auction and the raffle. Oh, and then there was the food - all of the volunteers at the Library, as well as a few other wonderfully generous people, provided appetizers, which were accompanied by generously poured glasses of wine. Which meant that the food and wine tables needed to be set up, and decorated ..... and then the whole thing needed to be dismantled afterwards as we only had the use of the space til 5!

It was exhausting but so much fun! We have received a great deal of positive feedback from those attending. Our speaker very generously offered to donate 50 pesos of each book sold to "Write on Maz" and 15 were purchased the day of the benefit. He has left us with an inventory at the Library, and the books are continuing to sell. The only derogatory comment heard was from one gentleman who complained that the food was so good it was all eaten before he had a chance to come back for seconds. His wife reminded him it was more like fourths!!!

All that's left to do now is to complete the delivery of the Thank You cards to all who contributed - I plan to set aside a day to retrace my steps and drop them off. And then I will sit back, relax and read the books I have been neglecting!

I am also going to take a minute to look at the sky, as it has been stunning lately.




And also to shop for my dog. We really have to get her a mat as apparently she is finding the floors near her breakfast dish just a bit slippery.