Sinaloa Arts Fair

It is already ongoing, but this is the schedule I have for the remainder of the Sinaloa Arts Fair. Go out and enjoy!!

Oct. 11

Aldoo Rodriquez (Sinaloa) electro-accoustical music

Plazuela Machado - 7 pm

Oct. 12

The Rodriquez Bros (USA) Afro-cuban jazz

Plazuela Machado - 7 pm

Oct. 16

La Pire Espece (Canada) marionettes, theatre,clowning

Antonio Haas Theatre - 6:30 pm

Oct 16

Quarteto Gelatto (Canada) Classical, tango, gyspy, etc

Mazatlan Art Museum - 8 pm

Oct. 17

Edward Gonzalez (Mexico) flautist

Angela Peralta - 8 pm

Oct. 19

Sarruga (Spain) gigantic "insects"

Streets of Centro Historico - 7 pm

Oct. 21

Joan Manuel Serrat (Spain) singer-guitarist

Angela Peralta Theatre - 8 pm

Oct. 22

Grupo Folklorio Sinaloense w/Maraguan (Cuba) outdoor exhibition

Plazuela Republica - 8 pm

Oct. 23

Delta Teatro (Sinaloa) spanish theatre

Antonio Haas Theatre - 8 pm

Oct. 24

Sinaloa Symphony of the Arts Tarab Octet w/guitarist Alfredo Sanchez

popular music

Angela Peralta Theatre - 8 pm

Oct. 25

Tatuas (Sinaloa) "The Midnight Evening" spanish theatre

Antonio Haas Theatre - 8 pm

Oct. 26

Ana Belen and Victor Manuel (Spain)

Free Gala Concert - closes the 2008 SAF

Plazuela Republica - 7 pm

Advice for the Rubber Robbers

In case you need help in how to use all those condoms;

Rubber Robbers

B.O.L.O. -- Condom-mobile stolen in D.F.

Missing in Mexico: One condom-mobile
By Maria Gallucci
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11:02 a.m. October 1, 2008

MEXICO CITY – Missing in Mexico: One truck carrying 5,000 condoms, 800 HIV tests and a 23-foot (7 meter) inflatable prophylactic.

The coordinator of an HIV/AIDS awareness tour, Polo Gomez, said Wednesday that the “Condomovil” was parked in front of a friend's house in Mexico City when it disappeared Sunday evening. He believes the truck was stolen, but he doesn't know why. Police are still investigating.

The truck should be easy to spot. It features painted images of a peeled banana, the exposed part shaped like a condom, and a shirtless man saying: “I protect myself. Do you?”

Gomez estimated US$19,000 (200,000 pesos) worth of material is missing, including the truck, its contents and sound equipment.

The United Nations AIDS program says there are some 200,000 people living with HIV in Mexico.

The Condomovil program has toured Mexico since 1998 promoting safe sex practices while distributing 1.2 million condoms to more than 700,000 people, Gomez said. The inflatable condom was used to draw attention from passers-by.

Gomez said a scheduled tour of Mexico's south would likely be canceled unless the truck is found.

The group bought the truck with a grant from Mexico's federal Health Department. The department also donated the 5,000 condoms in the truck when it went missing.

David, Oscar and I!

Just a picture from the Noroeste last Spring at the Plaza de Toros. We made the Gente section!

Old Pics

These are just some pictures I have taken previously. I thought I needed to brighten the blog up a bit.

No wonder we like it here!

Apparently we are all happy!

World "Happiest" Countries vs. Countries with the Highest Levels of "Subjective Well-Being"
The University of Michigan's World Values Surveys (WVS) has compiled data on the happiest countries in the world for over twenty years. Their results are considered the most authoritative by happiness researchers.WVS measures the happiness of individuals by two different means. The first is to simply ask them how "happy" they are. The second is to ask them how "happy" they are, and also how "satisfied" they are. The results are then combined to arrive at a measure of their "subjective well-being," a term generally considered synonymous with happiness. Because of these two different ways of measuring happiness, some confusion arises in determining which countries in the world are happiest. There is support for the the validity of both measures. For example, former president of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Martin Seligman, uses the "happiness only" measure in his book Authentic Happiness. However, Dr. Ron Inglehart, director of World Values Surveys, considers the "subjective well-being" measure a more accurate indicator of personal happiness.Therefore on this page I present the international rankings using both measures.

When individuals were asked:"Taking all things together, would you say you are: 1. Very happy, 2. Rather happy, 3. Not very happy, or 4. Not at all happy?" countries achieved the following rankings (Dr. Inglehart has not released the complete list):

Ranking of the World's Happiest Countries

1. Nigeria

2. Mexico

3. Venezuela

4. El Salvador

5. Puerto Rico

Ronald Inglehart et al. (eds.) HUMAN BELIEFS AND VALUES: A CROSS-CULTURAL SOURCEBOOK BASED ON THE 1999-2002 VALUES SURVEYS (Mexico City: Siglo XXI, 2004).

When individuals were asked the above "happiness" question and the results were combined with the following question: (On a scale of one to ten) "All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?" a ranking of "subjective well-being" for the following countries was achieved.

Ranking of Countries by Level of "Subjective Well-Being"

1. Puerto Rico

2. Mexico

3. Denmark

4. Colombia

5. Ireland

6. Iceland

7. N. Ireland

8. Switzerland

9. Netherlands

10. Canada

Please note that not all of the world's countries are included in the survey.

Ronald Inglehart et al. (eds.) HUMAN BELIEFS AND VALUES: A CROSS-CULTURAL SOURCEBOOK BASED ON THE 1999-2002 VALUES SURVEYS (Mexico City: Siglo XXI, 2004).

Road Trip!!

There is nothing better, in my opinion, then hitting the open road for a trip. Flying is great, you get there fast, but I like driving, seeing the scenery, checking out the local eats, and meeting people. Last week, David and I made a REAL quick trip to Guadalajara. I mean real quick....we drove down Sunday, came back Monday. David needed to go for business reasons, and I tagged along and did a little PR for my job. We took the toll part of highway 15 and it was an effortless cruise the entire way. Of course it cost about $1000 pesos each direction, so in my opinion, it should be pretty damn smooth! We had good front doors and managed to make it in about 4 1/2 hours. About an hour out of Mazatlan, you hit the Caminero Esturary. We rolled along that for about 15 miles and wondered how many and how big the shrimp were that lived in it! I am not sure how much of that is normally there, but it was, without a doubt, rain swollen. A few miles out of Tepic, I remarked about alot of rocks in a field when we suddenly realized that we were driving through a lava field! It was from an eruption in 1879 from the Ceboruco Volcano. It was a really neat sight and I have a thing for rocks. I really wanted to stop and grab one but a couple of things held me back;

1. it is illegal, and

2. I remember the Brady Bunch episode when the boys found something in Hawaii and angered the volcano gods. I certainly did not want to do that!!

Back on the road, we drove through some of the prettiest country I have ever seen anywhere! the Sierra Madres were spectacular, we saw waterfalls, blue fields of agave, and canyons. The trees started out as mangoes and coconut trees and by the end of the trip we had also seen firs and oaks. At one point I told David that I could almost think we were in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia if I just squinted my eyes a little! A good ways after Tepic, you see a large statue of Jesus Christ with his arms spread, up on a hill overlooking a town and you think, "Wow! We must be in Rio!". Well, you are. You are in Ixtlan del Rio. Ixtlan del Rio is where the archaeological zone Precortesiana, which is considered the most important in the country, is located. In the center of this archaeological zone you can see the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec god.

Once we got to Guadalajara, we definitely knew we were in a city......like 5 million inhabitants worth!! There were shops selling anything you could imagine! I am not normally a shopper, but I was salivating and whimpering in the passenger seat the whole time. I will assume it was because the shopping here in Mazatlan is not really good. Anyways, it was busy and confusing, but we managed to get around and accomplish what we needed. Every few blocks there were these roundy-round deals that would shoot you off in any of 5-6 directions. We did the Griswald loop a few times around a couple of them until we figured out where to go.It was also pouring rain, so we had that to contend with along with our lack of Guadalajara knowledge! Usually we try to eat at local places when on a trip, but we got there on a Sunday night, it was raining hard and most places were already closed. We looked for about an hour for a Cuban place that came highly recommended, but could not find it and we were starved. Soooo.......of all places, we ended up eating at Chili's in the mall. We felt a little odd at first until we realized that we had not eaten at a Chili´s in 3 years! Somehow that made us feel a little bit better. I will admit though, it was good! When we came out, the rain had slowed and as we got into the USS Ford, we realized that we parked less than 30 yards from the Cuban place and it was open.
*sigh*

The next morning we ran the last of our errands and headed back to Mazatlan. It was pouring rain almost the entire way, but we still made it in about 5 1/2 hours. We made a quick stop in Tequila and poked around for a couple of hours, luckily the rain held off while we were there. We did not spend alot of time since we were on the road, but it is a very, very picturesque town. (as it turns out, it a "Puebla Magica", as designated by the government.) One note of special interest (at least I thought so) all the trees around the main plaza and cathedral were lime trees! You could buy your tequila in one of MANY stores on the plaza, pick a couple of limes and you are in business! How handy is that??!!

Still no camera, so still no pictures. Hopefully that will change soon!

Great Ideas, Part 1

Baghdad plans to build giant Ferris wheel
Aug 27 02:42 PM US/Eastern By SAMEER N. YACOUB Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq is calling on companies to submit designs to build a giant Ferris wheel in Baghdad—the latest in a string of lavish proposals painting the capital as a leisure friendly city.

The Ferris wheel, dubbed the Baghdad Eye, will soar more than 650 feet over the city and feature air-conditioned compartments that would each carry up to 30 passengers, Baghdad municipal spokesman Adel al-Ardawi said Wednesday.

Three possible locations in Baghdad have been selected, but officials are waiting to see what proposals are submitted before picking one, al-Ardawi said, declining to give an estimated construction cost or timeline.

"We hope to attract a great number of customers who will be able to see the whole city and enjoy the restaurants and pools on ground below," he told The Associated Press.

Tourism is a tough sell in Iraq, however, because there are still suicide attacks that kill dozens and infrastructure is weak. But since insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed have declined over the past year, Iraqis are venturing outside their homes.

Al-Ardawi said the wheel would be taller than the iconic London Eye, which sits on the banks of the River Thames and reaches a height of about 450 feet over the British capital.

The London Eye opened in January 2000 and it took seven years to complete the project, which cost 35 million pounds—about $64.5 million in the current exchange rate. The London Eye has attracted more than 27 million visitors since it opened, according to its Web site.

Officials are also using the downturn in violence to begin promoting tourism. The Ferris wheel and other tourism projects could be built in areas where security is tight and unlikely that suicide attacks would happen. The main city park, Zawra, is adjacent to the Green Zone and home to the Baghdad Zoo.

Families are often seen relaxing at night in parks and children flock to pools. On Monday, tens of thousands of soccer fans cheered on their club in a Baghdad stadium—the largest sports crowd the city saw since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

There are risk-takers despite the possibility of violence. American businessman Robert Kelley announced plans last month to build a luxury hotel in Baghdad's Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government offices and the U.S. military and diplomatic facilities.

Iraq's Tourism Board also is seeking investors to develop a "romantic" island on the Tigris River in Baghdad that was once a popular honeymoon spot for newlywed Iraqis, the U.S. military announced this week.

The project would including a six-star hotel, spa, an 18-hole golf course and a country club, the military said in a statement.

"The city of Baghdad has a depth of history and a cultural legacy that, when applied to the development, can be a basis for attracting and fostering tourism," the statement said, not mentioning the war.

Morning Commute

We are staying out at Estrella del Mar for a few days house/animal sitting for some friends, so I find myself commuting to work, something I have not really had to do in quite a few years! The weather has been in a strange pattern because of Tropical Storm Julio over Baja, and so it has been rainy, pretty much all day, the last couple of days. This morning, on the other hand, was marvelous! When I left the gates of EDM, the sun was ablaze and there were just a few thin bands of clouds. The drive to Hwy 15 was an eruption of dense greenery from all the rain, the sides of the road dotted with cows, horses, and goats getting their breakfast buffet on! When not navigating the constant stream of bikers out of Barron pedaling towards work, I was trying to take in the Sierra Madres, the crisp morning making them very clear,with the dark green of the mountains contrasting against the white, puffy storm clouds barely clearing the tops and the deep, blue sky. I hit highway 15 and joined all the various 18 wheelers and buses heading towards the city. Before Urias, I made the hill and turn and BAM! there is Mazatlan and the port. Quick check--no cruise ships in town today.Once I arrived in Urias, I could see the evidence of people getting ready for the day. Alot were crowding the bus stop, most of the ladies with umbrellas to block the sun, tortillerias in full swing, roosters crowing and the dogs making the morning rounds. Within a few moments I am definately in the city, the traffic heavier with city buses, employee buses from diffrent resorts, trucks with the beds full of workers, bikes and, of course, the ever present mopeds and motorcycles. El Marino is already busy, filling the air with the thick smell of roasted coffee beans. The traffic light shopping this time of day mainly consists of newspapers and freshly squeezed fruit juice, the window washers not appearing until after lunch. Soon, I turned onto Rafael Buelna and was instantly surrounded by only cars and small trucks. In a few more minutes, I was on Camaron Sabalo, and due to the combination of the time of day and the fact that there are not many tourists around right now, it is virtually a ghost town. You can almost hear the snores of the few visitors that are in town, in their margarita induced slumber. I open up the office, get my morning coke from Roberto at the tienda next door and a heads-up that his wife was on the way with chilorio sandwiches. Yes!! (If you have not tried this, you should! It is a Sinaloan dish, basically a pulled pork sandwich with peppers and onions. Way Yum.) Soon as I get settled in at my desk, I look up to see a fully outfitted clown complete with a bunch of ballons walking down the sidewalk in front of the office. What a way to start the day!!

And in the , "Man, I wish I would have thought of that" news....

Gnome at last: Stolen garden elf is returned after a 7-month adventure around the world

By Beth Hale
Last updated at 10:50 AM on 12th August 2008

If only he could talk there would surely be extraordinary tales to tell.

He's been swimming with turtles off the Great Barrier Reef, scaled a glacier in New Zealand and toured the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat.

Unfortunately the gnome formerly known as Murphy is giving nothing away - save for a singularly enigmatic smile.

Sydney Harbour: Murphy in front of the world famous Opera House

The adventures of Murphy, now Barrington (of which more later), began back in September after the best part of a decade spent in 'quiet reflection' in a simple flower bed in the 'Shire'.

Owners Eve and Derrick Stuart-Kelso were stunned to discover the 10-inch high stone leprechaun they had inherited when they bought their Gloucester home, had disappeared.

The couple, both retired, assumed the gnome had fallen foul of students from a nearby college and would never be seen again.

Taking a dip: Murphy cools off in Thailand

Both keen travellers, the couple never dreamed that the humble green-hatted garden ornament was setting of an around the world jaunt taking in 12 countries and three continents.

And oblivious they would have remained if Murphy had not decided that there really is just no place like home.

The 8lb gnome appeared on the Stuart-Kelso's doorstep on Thursday last week, some 11 months after disappearing.

A little the worse for wear, the traveller was standing next to a mysterious and tightly-wrapped parcel.

Once unwrapped it revealed a leather-bound photo album containing 48 pictures of the gnome's trip around the globe along with a note putting his impromptu world tour down to 'itchy feet'.

The painstakingly compiled album, complete with index, showed their gnome - renamed Barrington by his travel companions - abseiling down a mountain, standing in a shark's mouth, swimming in the sea, and riding a motorbike.

On top of the world: The gnome takes a cable car ride in Singapore

Also with him were immigration stamps for all the shores he had been taken to visit - South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong and Laos.

A witty note, purporting to be from Barrington, referred to his 'travelling companion' only as The Bear, and told the couple how he attracted unwanted attention from customs officials and took up 25 per cent of the party's luggage allocation.

The only clue, however, to the identity of those companions was a photograph of a group of grinning young men.

As for the letter it began:

'Hello! First of all I feel I should explain my prolonged absence. A gnome's life is full of time for reflection, and whilst surveying your garden one summer morning, I began to get itchy feet.

'I came to the conclusion that the world is a big place and there is more to life than watching the daily commuter traffic, and allowing passing cats to urinate on you.

'So I decided to free myself from the doldrums of the Shire and seek adventure. My travels have taken me across three continents, 12 countries and more time zones than I can possibly remember.

New Zealand: Murphy joins some ice-climbers

'There have been high points, low points, and positively terrifying points. But I have survived - small thanks to the companion with whom I have shared all these moments.'

The bizarre crime echoes the French film 'Amelie' starring Audrey Tatou in which a gnome belonging to her father is taken around the world and photographed to show him how much he is missing out on in life.

Last night grandmother-of-three Mrs Stuart-Kelso said: 'The leprechaun went missing many, many months ago and I had forgotten about it.

'Then I opened the door on Thursday and saw he was back. It was such a shock.

'Murphy was quite badly damaged and there was a tightly wrapped parcel next to him. My curiosity eventually overcame my alarm, because I did wonder if it might explode.

'Then I saw it was a beautifully bound photo album and opened it up.

His feet were missing, but that's no real surprise given that he was sent abseiling down a mountain.'

Stunned: Grandmother Eve Stuart-Kelso found her gnome on her doorstep, with a letter and photo album of his travels

She said while strange, the gift had sent the family into fits of laughter.

She said her grandchildren, Sophie, 14, Ellie, 13, and Piers, 13, would be thrilled to hear of the gnome's adventures. The trio give the green-hatted gnome a fresh coat of paint every year.

Gloucestershire police took a less amused view of the adventure.

A spokesman said: 'Any theft of a person's property, even if it is carried out as a joke, will be treated as a crime by police.'

As for Murphy, his wanderlust satisfied he is now back in the flower bed where he belongs - only this time he's out of temptation's way in the back garden.

Future Events

I thought I would post about a couple of events coming up in Mazatlan worth mentioning. First, on Saturday, August 30 2008, the city is planning a memorial to Angela Peralta, the "Mexican Nightingale", on the 125th anniversary her death. The morning of Aug. 30, 2008, the mayor will place a wreath at the graveyard where Peralta was buried, and another wreath at theatre. He will then inaugurate an exposition of Peralta memorabilia in the upstairs gallery of the theater. In the evening at 8:00 p.m., the story of the life of this famous diva will be presented at the theater, with a prize-winning soprano and a Cuban pianist performing and some readings from a book on Peralta's life by the author.

Then for all you bird watchers, the first Mazatlan Bird Festival is happening January 16-19 2009. They are having birding tours, exhibits, speakers, all kinds of stuff:
http://www.mazatlanbirdfestival.com/

You may have heard about it, but in the last two days in the U.S., a body of a bigfoot in was found in Georgia AND a live chupacabra was taped in Texas. Not to be outdone, I got a picture of the Loch Ness monster, apparently it was vacationing here in Mazatlan!!

jus' 'cause

Something reminded me of this today and I am posting it solely for me and a couple of my friend's amusement......I apologize to anyone else who might stumble across this......

"We don't got no rocks......." .....bartender, Conroe,Texas, June 2004, name unknown
(I keep saying this is worthy of a t-shirt)

No se.

I am posting, well, just because I have not posted in a long time. I really don't have too much to say! My summer started with some really close friends from Galveston that were in town for 6 weeks. Shout out to the Pappous Family!! They own a condo at EDM where David works, so we spent ALOT of that period staying out there and just hanging with them. It was a nice, lazy time! David and I then had a "quick" trip to Baja ( it was supposed to be 2 nights, ended up being a week, and an overall nightmare ) The ferry was actually a surprisingly, cool adventure! I was expecting the chicken bus version, and it was really nice! I very much recommend spending the extra pesos and getting a cabin, it is worth it solely for the bathroom factor! To sum it up, compare it to using your own toilet, to one on the malecon about 5:30 am during Carnaval. Yea. Ick. Anyway, quite frankly, I have never really liked anywhere I had been in Baja previously, and this trip did not change my mind *EXCEPT* for La Paz. We both really enjoyed that place alot. It was almost a Mini-Mazatlan, plus more heat, minus the rain and waves. Beautiful malecon with alot of statues, excellent food, friendly people, interesting history, nice arts/music community for such a small town...... One BIG difference was, in La Paz, when you try to cross the street, traffic comes to a grinding halt on both sides! Apparently, pedestrians are king there! Here, in Mazatlan....the best way I can think of describing how to try and cross the street is a human version of the video-game, "Frogger". (And my parents thought all those hours I spent playing video games would do me no good! Ha!) After that, I had a last minute trip to Virginia that got extended for a few days. I did manage to load up on bras and books! Then, I arrived home to start working full-time, baby-sitting a puppy, and begining to think about packing for our move to El Centro ( I hate moving - I would rather lick a bathroom floor). I would elaborate on the work thing a bit more, but I think that I better see if I make an ass of myself before I start to really put it out there! Anyway, once I get settled into some sort of a routine, I'll ramble on a bit more. Until then, to quote a good friend of mine, Cindy;
"Peace and chicken grease!"

Coping with the heat

I would first like to thank Nancy and Jennifer for making me feel like a poor blogger since I have not posted in quite a while. It did work, and got me off my world wide web rear! (say that fast 5 times in a row) While I do have my excuses for the last few weeks, quite frankly, I am (obviously) not exactly one of the more reliable bloggers and can be a bit lazy.
It is getting warmer and a common subject, both around town and Latin American bloggers is how to deal with the heat. There are all kinds of ways to do it; lots of fans, wear only cotton clothing, use umbrellas, etc. I thought I would enlighten everyone on the "Sans Method". To put it simply, I have embraced the siesta idea with total abandon and I nap. Usually, I tend to wake up about sunrise or a little afterwards. During the winter, I'll lay around most of the morning drinking tea, watching the news, and surfing the net and then do my "out of house chores" in the afternoon. Summer is different. I get up, and run what ever errands I have in the morning. It is cooler, and I have also found that most Mexicans wait until early afternoon to hit the grocery stores and such, so it is also more quiet. If I have no errands, I'll just don a bathing suit and lay around the pool listening to both the wisdom and dysfunctionality ( is that a word??) of Howard Stern via my wonderful Sirius boom box all morning. From either scenario, I hit lunch early afternoon. The key here for me is wine. I am not a natural napper, so I need a little something to push me over that edge. Enter stage right - Senor Vino Tinto. How much I drink depends on what I consume. If I eat something heavy, like, I don't know, a steak, I need only one glass. If I eat a salad, more is definitely required. By the time I eat lunch, it is usually 2-3 in the afternoon, at its warmest, most humid and officially nap time. I'll turn the AC on in the bedroom, take a cool shower and then nap for a couple of hours. By the time I wake up, the breeze has generally picked up, it is getting more pleasant and David is on his way home. It works perfectly for me! After that, add a couple week stint at the Betty Ford Center in late fall for "asthma" or "exhaustion" and I am well rested by the winter season! ( that's a joke, Mom!)

Househunting

David wakes up on his day off to find me standing over him , "This house is too big, we're moving."

"Can I shower first?", he says.

We have lived in a 3 bedroom house since the mid 90's. It may seem like overkill for a couple with no kids, but we have always used the space. We have had friends that lived with us for extended periods of time, for various reasons, and we also love to entertain. It seemed that everytime we hosted a party, poker game, whatever, people have always stayed the night. Granted, other than a year spent in Dallas, we have always lived, either in the country, or in a small town a little ways from a city so our friends had to drive a few miles. When we moved to Mazatlan, we automatically went for the 3 bedroom category, and along with that, good parking and some sort of a yard were our priorities. We lived in a wonderful little house in El Centro for a couple of months while we looked for a permanent place to live, located 2 blocks from Plazuela Machado. We loved the place, and we loved living there, but it was a 1 bedroom, no parking, 5 blocks from the beach. Now, Chili the Wonder Dog is very, very active. She requires, at minimum, an hour of ball chasing a day, otherwise she is a hyperactive mess. Just taking a walk, no matter how far, does not even warm her up. She will also not do her 'business' on concrete, she requires something natural; grass, dirt, sand. Now, 5 blocks to the beach may seem pretty close, and I thought it was, until one morning came around that was very stormy and I was really sick. Five blocks in the pouring rain seemed like miles, and I had to hop a cab to get back so I could make the bathroom in time. Luckily, we found a great house in El Cid. It has a small yard, pool (which made me happy--this was to be the first time since I was 16 years old where I did not have a car or a job-I was worried about getting bored), 3 bedrooms, and right out our back gate is a par 5 hole. Now, normally, we are not your gated community type of people, so this was kind of a stretch. But then, this is Mexico, so it's not your average gated community. Case in point- there was a letter distributed about a month ago - " dogs are forbidden on the golf course, but if you do have a dog on the course, please pick up after it". It does have advantages, for one,we rarely lock the house, except at night or if we leave for a day or more. The guards are great, very observant and helpful. We came in one night with a pickup load of stuff from our storage in Nogales. Within 5 minutes of us pulling in, there were 4 guards to help us unload. What would have taken David and I, a couple of hours to do, they got done in about 10 minutes and they would not take a tip. I did make a big batch of cookies the next day and took them to the guardhouses. Another thing we love about it, is the golf course behind us. After 5 pm or so in the evenings, it becomes a park. Juan and his friends next door set up goals and play soccer. Maybe 3 houses further is more kids and a trampoline they pull out onto the fairway. There is also a gentleman that comes out with his two boys to hit golfballs up on the green. Add to this, several kids and dogs from other houses that come over to play with one or both groups. It is fun! There are lots of dogs that Chili plays with, but probably her best buddy is a big, brindle boxer named Tiger. If we are not out on the golf course as soon as he is, he will come to our back gate, flop those long, uncoordinated legs over it and bark until I let Chili out. We are also located on a cul-de-sac, so it is a very quiet spot, with little traffic of any kind. So, you ask, why do I want to move? First off, we have yet to use the third bedroom at all. Second bedroom, yes, but the third, no. Also, it would be one thing if we were renting a house full of our stuff. Well, we have no stuff. We sold all of our stuff when we moved to Mazatlan, so I have a 3 bedroom house full of someone elses stuff. That's no fun. Another thing is, most of the time I have the USS Ford, but when I don't, I have to walk 15 minutes to the front of El Cid just to catch a cab or bus, or find any type of store or resturant. I know that is not too far, but somedays it is just irritating. So, I am on the hunt for some new digs. This time a 2 bedroom, but we have to stick with the secured parking and a yard of any size and/or within 1, maybe 2 blocks of a park, beach, or any type of green (or brown) area. We are really not picky about the neighborhood, to a point, of course, although we would LOVE to be back in El Centro. Of course, parking and green areas are hard to come by there. Wish me luck, it seems I will need it. It is weird this year, usually by now, rentals are flooding the market, with the snowbirds flying the coop, but for some reason it is not happening yet. I have had a realtor friend helping me look and she is even shocked at the lack of rentals available for this time of year. Luckily for us, we are in no hurry, so I will keep plugging along until the perfect place appears!!

Happy Monday!

This is another website that makes me laugh;

see more dog pictures

Mango Pudding

Mangos are showing up at the markets, this is a great way to eat some;

Mango Pudding

Ingredients:

2 envelopes (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin

3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar

1 cup (250 mL) hot water

3 cups (750 mL) pureed fresh mangoes

1 cup (250 mL) 2 percent evaporated milk

8 ice cubes

lime wedges, fresh mango slices for garnish

Preparation:

Add gelatin and sugar to hot water and mix until dissolved and smooth.In large bowl, mix mango puree, evaporated milk and ice cubes. Pour gelatin mixture into mango mixture and stir until ice cubes are melted. Pour mixture into jelly mould and chill until set, at least 3 hours. To serve, dip jelly mould briefly in hot water then turn pudding out onto platter. Squeeze on some lime juice, garnish with mango slices if desired and serve. (Best eaten within a day). Serves 8.

Muchas Gracias!!!

They said it couldn't be done. "It's too late in the season, too many people have already left town".

Ha! We proved them wrong! The benefit went great. Better than great. We were expecting 100, hoping for 150 people. There was over 200 stuffed in the Purple Onion and alot of money (and awareness) was raised! Thank you!! Because of all of this Conrehabit has some breathing room and the parritos will get some much needed supplies.

The "Gringo Workday" did not go exactly as planned since it was so packed. Instead it was "Gringos Just Trying To Help the Staff And Not Get In Their Way Too Much Day". A big thanks to the businesses and individuals that contributed prizes for the raffle; The Purple Onion, Mr Aces, Olas Altas Steakhouse, Soul and Spirit Ventures, Casa de Leyendes, Estrella del Mar, Carlos and Lucias, Tom and Cathy Coonce, Autumn Brown (massage therapist), the Patricia Belle, Unico Gift Shop, Brentster, Dick Damron....I think that's it. Jennifer Swarts of Deadeye Design was wonderful in helping me with flyers. Dick Damron, the Brentster, and the rest of the musicians were great and there was alot of diffrent genres played. It was some kind of fun! There were jello shots, raffles, and dance contests. Alot of new friendships were made that afternoon as well-----or so I was told-----I was way too busy behind the bar to mingle! I did meet one couple who were ending their 'Mexico Tour '08', that they had been on to see where they were going to retire. They told me that after all the other places they had visited, they were pretty much set on Mazatlan, but they had so much fun and met so many friendly people at the benefit, they now have no doubts! Welcome to Mazatlan, Robert & Sandie!

Before I close, I want to send a big 'shout-out' to Howard, the staff of the Purple Onion, and also to my fellow "Onion-Heads" that were dragged into helping with this deal. You guys rule!!

For anyone still wanting to help out, here is the Conrehabit link once again:

http://www.conrehabit.org/view.php?id=2.

Here is a collection of pictures from several people around town of the parrots being fed;

http://picasaweb.google.com/maximphoto/CONREHABITRESCUEPARROTS?pli=1

One more link, this is an article about Conrehabit and a previous rescue:

http://massarticle.com/articles18758-tourists-be-aware-the-dark-side-of-wildlife-trafficking.html

Mazatlan is going to the birds!!

There was an incident in Culican two weeks ago that involved 2 guys, a pickup, telephone booth and 476 illegal birds. Here is the article; http://www.noroeste.com.mx/publicaciones.php?id=364634&id_seccion=10 .

Flash forward to today and because of this there are almost 300 baby parrots , estimated to be about four weeks old, being hand fed three times a day by alot of volunteers around Mazatlan with baby cereal embedded under their nails. The above picture is one I found on the web of a half moon conure which is the breed they are said to be. Right now they look kinda like that, but alot smaller and no feathers! For pictures and video of some of the actual orphaned birds see; http://countdowntomexico.blogspot.com/.

The group that is spearheading the effort is Conrehabit, which is a local organization that rescues and rehabilitates wildlife. It has been a huge job for all involved and once they are able to eat and survive on their own they will be released into the wild at the Conrehabit ranch. I do not have any parrots to feed, although I did receive a call yesterday that there were a couple that were not doing so well and I may be caring for them. I am helping to organize a benefit, however! For anyone in town this week, we are having a "Gringo Workday" at the Purple Onion, this Sunday April 20 from 3-6 pm. Howard from the Onion and Major from Mister A's will be manning the grill for a 'build your own' hamburger and hot dog bar. Myself and Italiano Joe will be handling the bar with happy hour prices and there will be a jam session with several musicians including Dick Damron. We will be running a raffle and the prizes include a golf/dinner/condo package at Estrella del Mar, wines, jewelry, art, two at home massages, gift certificates to various restaurants and more. It will definitely be alot of fun! For those of you that are not here, don't worry, you can still help! Just go to the Conrehabit website and click on the PayPal button. http://www.conrehabit.org/view.php?id=2 .

Also, next time you are in Mazatlan, swing by the Conamigos Bazaar to either shop or drop off that knick knack that you are tired of looking at! It is located in Centro, Calle Luis Zuniga #505 and all the proceeds help both Conrehabit and Amigos de los Animales. That is all for now, I am off to run around town and beg for more raffle prizes!

Los Monumentos

There seem to be alot of monuments in Mazatlan, here are a few;

These top two pictures are from one of the more notable ones and is called La Continuidad de la Vida (The Continuation of Life). It depicts a couple on a huge seashell overlooking a school of dolphins. The man, who points to the horizon, offers the future to the woman, where they will search for happiness together and protect living things. The snail shell on which the couple stand is particularly important because the snail traditionally represents continuity and eternity of life in the universe.

El Venadito (Little Deer) is located on the malecon in Olas Altas. This monument symbolizes Mazatlan and the city's Indian heritage. The name Mazatlan is from the Nahuatl Indian word, Mazatl, which means deer. Therefore, Mazatlan is the "Land of the Deer". The monument itself was designed by Yucatan artist Rolando Arjona Amabilies and was dedicated by a Masonic Lodge member sometime between 1975 and 1977. A few months ago a group of cowboys from Culiacan roped him from the back of a pickup and dragged him down the malecon. I am sure copius amouts of alcohol had a little something to do with that incident. Since then a new deer was smelt and mounted and the perpetrators are doing some hard time!

La Sirena (The Siren) sits on the rocks, overlooking the ocean, near the clavadistas (cliff divers). You cannot see him from this angle, but sitting on her other side is a cupid like character. I do not know anything about her history.

Also on the malecon in Olas Altas, and across from the Devil's Cave, sits La Mujer Mazatleca (The Mazatleco Woman)and she represents the women of Mazatlan, who are said to be among the most beautiful women in the world. This monument, which was created in Mexico City, was unveiled by Jalisco composer Gabriel Ruiz on November 23, 1983. Ruiz is well-known in Mazatlan for composing the music for such songs as "Mazatlan," "Nights of Mazatlan" and "Secret from Mazatlan."

This is a mermaid that gazes over the ocean. Again, on the malecon in Olas Altas, and above the saltwater pool. I have no more information about her, either!

It's nice to have famous friends!

Victoria is a very good friend of mine. She was here to visit me this past fall, so we, of course, had a house party. She was kind enough to first read tarot cards for us, then led an impromptu belly dancing class. I still hear about it from the people that attended; "You throw the BEST parties!"

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In Marietta, Turkish dance taught with Southern flavor

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By KAREN ROSEN

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 03/20/08

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The aroma of Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine wafting upstairs from Efe's restaurant on Marietta Square is a temptation hard to ignore.
But these women aren't here to eat.
They're here to belly dance.
Bodies undulate to the beat of the music as hundreds of coins jingle on hip scarves.
"It's very liberating," said Victoria Logan, the instructor whose "dance name" is Inara.
Her students have explored more than freedom of expression since she opened the studio, Belly Dance Oasis, late last year.
One is learning how to move a body that's free of disease, but feels different. Others are pursuing independence. And others simply wanted a release from the gym.
Sharon Shillinger had reconstructive surgery in July 2006 following breast cancer.
Her body, she said, was rearranged.
"Instead of having the muscle down here, it's moved over here," said Shillinger, 52, of Marietta.
She found it difficult to exercise, but belly dancing eases her stiffness. Her daughter, Abigail House, 21, often takes classes with her and they've set up a mirror in their basement.
"I don't look so good doing it, but it feels good stretching," Shillinger said. "After you've been chopped up, you don't feel sexy. This is bringing that back again."
She's even belly dancing with a new belly button.
"The old one was better," Shillinger said, "but this one I'm getting used to."
Felicia Head, 35, Katie Lax, 27, and Maria Marrotta, 19, are residents of Just People, an independent living program in Roswell for adults with developmental disabilities.
Taking classes is part of their community integration program.
Head, who insists on being called "Amirah Princess, belly dancer," practices all the time and takes private lessons with Stacy Abston.
"I like snake arms," Head said, referring to a specific move.
How does belly dancing make her feel?
"I feel perfect," she said.
Leigh Hale, her case manager with Just People, said the dancing has boosted Head's self-esteem.
"It gives her more of a purpose," Hale said.
Elizabeth Trask's doctors made her take up belly dancing. Well, sort of.
"I was told by at least three doctors that I should exercise —not just more, but in general," said Trask, 29, of Austell. "This is as close as it gets."
Belly dancing isn't the only exercise Isabel Green does, but she said, "it sure beats doing sit-ups."
Belly dancing also has helped her get over some insecurities.
"It's changed my entire self-image," said Green, 30, of Kennesaw. "I'm very klutzy outside, and it's helped with my grace and coordination.
"It makes me feel kind of sexy," she said. "My husband likes it."
Trask hasn't bought into the seductive aspects of belly dancing.
"I don't know what I'm seducing since I have cats and a dog and no man," she said, "so I just find it fun."
Does she dance for her pets? "Absolutely," Trask said.
"And they think I'm nuts, and the dogs jump all over me while I'm doing it because they think I'm playing. And I qualify that as exercise of the week."
Susan Coward has performed in a couple of recitals since she began taking lessons a couple of years ago.
"I thought I would never do that," said Coward, 45, of Marietta. "I thought, 'There is no way I'm wearing essentially a bra and going out there with my stomach hanging out.'
"But it was so much fun, and all of us were thrilled."
Now Coward would like to solo.
"I'd like to feel good enough to not even have a routine," she said, "but just have the music come on and be able to dance."
Inara, who performs in shows at Efe's restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights, teaches a style that mimics Turkish dance, but with American fusion and a Southern flavor.
When she tells her students to "scootch," they know how to move across the floor.
Although belly dancing has become part of a new workout trend, Inara said there's still a bit of a stigma attached.
The 39-year-old mother of two said she has fielded phone calls from drunk men asking for a private dance. Some have even gotten her husband on the phone — and still asked for her.
"People automatically assume that it's about sex and stripping," Inara said. "Part of it is just a celebratory dance."
"Women are so self-conscious about their bodies," she added. "They're scared they'll get laughed at, or they won't do it right. I get all shapes, sizes, ages and levels of experience. Belly dancing is very accommodating."
Inara said older dancers have had more life experiences, which helps them portray the music.
"You know true happiness," she said, "because you've known true sadness."

Amigos

This picture just makes me giggle.

Red Light Shopping

Things I have spent pesos on at traffic lights:

newspapers

tacos

chiclets

entertainment (jugglers, firedancers, etc.)

fruit (strawberries, mangos, watermelons, etc)

little wooden, colorful animals with the bobbing heads (I like putting them on my printer)

fruit juice (mango, orange, limeade.........)

tamales

windshield washing (some better than others)

cheese

fireworks including VERY large sparklers

peanuts (raw and roasted)

beach bag

Mexican flag

caramel popcorn balls

candied apples
shrimp/scallops

free pass to heaven (maybe not quite that, but I always have change for various charities in the cupholder)

Happy Monday!

To ease back into Monday, give these two blogs a look-see. They both tend to make me blow whatever beverage I am drinking out of my nose!

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Housecalls are cool!

So one morning last week I woke up about 3 am to a very active bowel area. David found me 3 hours later on the toilet with the trashcan between my knees - everything in my lower torso was cramping up and spewing like a geyser. David was trying to find out what was going on (other than the obvious) and all I could do was moan, grunt and occasionally point. He went downstairs, made a couple of phone calls to work, then came back upstairs to tell me he was taking me to the doctor. Our doctor does not get in to his office until 10-ish and his office is in El Centro, where parking the USS Ford is a large pain in the rear, so I informed David that unless he commandeered a porta-potty and strapped it down in the back of the truck for me to ride in, there was no way I could make it. Truth be known, I think I actually only managed to blurt out the word "can't", but he managed to translate. Luckily, we have Dr Torres' cell phone number and as it turns out he lives very near us, so he popped in here at the house on his way to the clinic. He gave me an exam, wrote out some prescriptions and informed me he was going to give me a shot. Now, I was raised around the farming/ranching business and worked as a veterinary technician for 15 years, so I have utilized countless needles, both with animals and people. The problem is, when one is pointed in my direction, I become a quivering mass that can only blurt out "no, no, no, no, no, no". I'll blame that on my brother, he ruined Santa for me at an early age, used to put a beanbag on top of me, sit on it and make me listen to KISS for hours, so I am sure he probably made me watch some torture movie that involved needles and dentist drills at an impressionable age. Anyways, to David's complete shock, Dr Torres had barely finished the sentence and I was already flopped over with a buttock exposed. I just wanted everything to STOP! Within a couple of hours of his visit, the cramping had ceased, but I was still throwing up every 15-20 minutes and that continued all day. Dr Torres had called to check on me early afternoon, and said he would be by on his way home around 6 or so. It turned out, he had an emergency surgery so he called David with an electrolyte solution (1 liter of water, 1/2 tsp of salt, 8 tablespoons of sugar) for me to sip on and he would call after he got out of surgery. As it turned out, during that time period, everything calmed and there was no need for a return visit or more shots. Dr Torres coming to the house to treat me was the best 400 pesos I think I have ever spent! It really took me about a week to get straight, but I am back in the saddle now! Thanks Dr Torres!!!