Choosing Doorways...

Manipulated Mexico...

2011-10-01T18:52:00.008-05:00

It was an absolutely beautiful day in South Texas today...no humidity and temps around 80. What a wonderful relief from the 100s. I didn't feel like sitting at home, so I decided to head out to Wimberley just to get out and enjoy the weather. Even though it was Market Days in Wimberley, I passed on that because I've been there a couple times and didn't feel traipsing through all those booths. I just went to the main downtown area and went through some of the shops. I brought my camera but ended up taking only one picture because I didn't feel like taking the same ol' photos.

Two of the shops I went into were jewelry stores. I'm not really in the market for any jewelry, but I was just killing time. The first one was run by a young Mexican woman. The reason I went in was because I saw a ring in the window that was identical to mine, only smaller.

I love fire opal because it reminds me of all the different hues of the water in Mexico. I actually liked the size of the ring I saw today better than mine, so I thought I'd ask how much it was out of curiosity. $175.00. Whoa! I bought mine on Isla Mujeres several years ago and paid $100.00 from a new shop that I had never been to before. Of course, the original price the salesman there quoted me was $400.00 US dollars, but you know you're never supposed to pay the first price. I'm a terrible bargainer, but I kept saying, "That's too high" (because it wasn't in my budget), and would start walking out the door and he would pull me back and offer less. Finally, it got down to $100.00, and I caved because it fit perfectly and I really wanted a fire opal ring. Anyway, I think I got a pretty good deal on it.

So, the Mexican lady at the jewelry store and I started to chat and, of course, we talked about Mexico. She has a relative who lives on Isla Mujeres...go figure...small world. I honestly felt like I had walked into a jewelry store somewhere south of the border.

Since I was going into almost every shop, I stopped in another jewelry store that also had fire opals. I think they're becoming more popular in the states. A woman about my age showed me what they had and, again, I started talking about Mexico and she told me that she used to live in Aruba and St. Thomas, and had been to Mexico many times in her BC (before children) years. She was a single lady who pretty much raised her kids on her own...just like me. Well, we ended up chatting for about a half hour about Mexico and how the lifestyle is so different down there and how much we miss it.

So, with my intention of taking pictures of Wimberley today, I ended up feeling nostalgic for Mexico and ended up coming home and playing with Photoshop with some of my Mexico photos. Photoshop has the ability to manipulate photos to look like works of art, so I just had some fun with it. In no particular order, I will just mention the technique used to achieve the effect...they're pretty interesting. Remember that you can click on them to enlarge them and get a better look.

Accented Edges...

Crosshatch...

Cutout...

Glass...

Ink Outlines...

Mosaic Tiles... (Recognize Qubano?)

Paint Daubs...

Plastic Wrap...

Rough Pastels...

Sponge...

Stamp...

Here's the original of that one...

And Watercolor...

Kind of interesting techniques, right? It would be fun to print them off to see what they would look like as frameable pictures.

So what's that one picture I took today in Wimberley? Here it is. Just having fun in a costume store. And, of course, they yelled at me for taking pictures. *sigh* Sometimes you just can't win.

Fish Tacos

2011-09-25T17:01:00.005-05:00

I had the urge for fish tacos yesterday, so I was surfing the net trying to find a recipe that sounded good. I finally decided on Guy Fieri's "Tex Wasabi's Koi Fish Tacos" which he featured on his show Guy's Big Bite on The Food Network. Here are the ingredients...

The recipe also included making pico de gallo. It has been so long since I've made pico de gallo that I forgot how good it is...

As well as a tequila limi aioli sauce. This was kind of strange...sour cream, cilantro, tequila, cumin, garlic and lime. I had fish tacos at a place called "Chimy's" a couple months ago and they had a kind of spicy Russian dressing sauce with them which I REALLY liked. I'll have to look for a sauce like that next time I make them.

So here's the finished product. They were really good but, again, I was a little disappointed with the sauce. This is the first time I've worked with tempura, and I was really impressed. That's definitely a keeper as far as fried foods...it really made them crispy. The Panko bread crumbs help in that aspect, as well. And I always like fish tacos better with slaw as opposed to lettuce. They're kind of a lot of work for just a taco, but it was worth it. I learned a little tip when I was watching The Food Network the other day. Never use both hands to put something in a batter first, then bread crumbs. Use one for the batter and the other for the bread crumbs to avoid the lumpy mess on your fingers. It worked.

One last note. Our Mexican professor frequently drives to his home in Monterrey through the year and last time he went, he brought me this reusable bag for groceries. How cool is this? Now I be grocery shopping in style!

Guess what?

2011-09-17T18:45:00.001-05:00

It's finally raining here in South Texas. Yay!

Wildfires in Texas...

2011-09-10T19:30:00.007-05:00

I'm sure everyone has been hearing about all the wildfires in Texas these days. Yes...it is a pretty big deal down here...especially when you consider that all the land that has been consumed by these fires has been equivalent to the size of Connecticut so far. That's a lot of fire. The biggest one so far has been just outside of Bastrop, a small town about 25 miles east of Austin. I've been there several times and like it...they've had some nice little festivals that I've been to.

This fire has consumed about 34,000 acres and at least 1,400 homes so far. That's pretty incredible. It seems like the news always changes, but I think it's about 45% contained so far. I decided to head up that way today to find out if there was anything to see. See the brown grass underneath the highway sign?

That's pretty much how it looks all over Texas these days. Brown, brown and more brown...

As are the fields. Unless you've been watering your grass, it will crunch under your feet. No walking barefoot in grass these days...which is pretty much a rule in Texas, anyway, because of the fire ants.

So, this is what it looks like as I'm driving into Bastrop. (By the way, Bastrop is about 45 miles from San Marcos.) I was expecting more dark clouds, but just saw a kind of haziness above the horizon...and definitely smelled smoke.

I had expected to see skies more like this (a photo I nabbed off the net), but that was probably when it first got started.

I had to drive all the way through Bastrop to the eastern side to see what damage had been done. Lots of brown ground and stripped trees.

By the way, I took almost all these pictures as I was driving by at about 60 miles an hour, so some of them are kind of fuzzy, but you'll get the point. By looking at the pictures, you don't really know what was destroyed. Along these Texas roads, you'll pass by nice homes, then some businesses, along with some trailer homes and deserted buildings. So, I can't tell you what "used to be" in the photos.

Looks like all that's left of this place is the fireplace/chimney...

See how all the grass is burned up in the median between the two lanes? It's crazy how fire can "jump" like that. But, then again, when you think how hot it must be when there are roaring flames on the other side of the road, it would only take a spark to light a dry blade of grass.

Notice that there are pines in some of these pictures. South Central Texas doesn't have a lot of pines and I can remember that the first time I drove through this area about four years ago, I was so impressed with these pines because I could smell them...a fond reminder of the pines of the Black Hills where I used to live. There was no smell of pines today...and there probably won't be one for quite some time.

Some areas had heavy machinery that were obviously doing some kind of repair work.

There were lots of police cars out and many of them were posted at side roads preventing people from passing. I did manage to go down one, though, and saw this sad scene of home owners sifting through the burnt rubble of their house...

I panned back and took this picture which included the house next to it. It totally amazes me that one house can be burnt to the ground, and the one next to it won't even have a char mark. I guess those fire fighters really know what they're doing.

There were lots of little stations set up with free supplies for victims. I went into the grocery store to pick up a few items and passed by many people who were talking with friends and acquaintances about their experiences...very sad.

As I was driving home, I passed through Lockhart...a very small town in between Bastrop and San Marcos. The court houses in some of these little towns are so impressive. I remember seeing some when I did my Route 66 tour through Missouri back in 2004. I hope the fire doesn't consume this.

Apparently, Obama has finally agreed to give federal aid to the wildfire disasters in Texas. If we don't get rain soon (which isn't in the forecast), it's only going to get worse. At least the temperatures are slowly starting to dip. We just seriously need some rain.

The Missions of San Antonio...

2011-09-04T21:42:00.010-05:00

Well, I had a four-day weekend due to the holiday, so I decided to enjoy the pleasant temps of 100+ degrees and head out to the San Antonio Missions. There wasn't a cloud in the sky today and on top of it all, I got a late start, so where better to spend a sweltering afternoon than touring the missions which don't have any kind of shade other than the interior of the churches. What the heck...let's go!

I asked my son, Jared, if he wanted to have lunch with me first at a new Mexican place in Schertz, Texas, which was recommended by a blog that I read. It's supposed to have "authentic Mexican food," which I am always in search of having experienced the real thing in Mexico. Schertz sits between Austin and San Antonio and is a rapidly growing community, so I figured the food had to be good. Here it is in one of those ever-growing strip malls...

Industrial looking interior with the exposed ducts in the ceiling...

I've been watching a lot of "Kitchen Nightmares" with Gordon Ramsay lately, and just finished watching one of the seasons of "Master Chef." I'll have to say that even though I'm critical of most restaurants, these shows have made me even more critical. They really make you wonder what's going on back in the kitchen.

So, we got chips and salsa. Well, chips and salsa and ranch dressing. I asked the waitress what was in the white sauce and she said it was "Serrano Ranch." It was actually okay, but I definitely wouldn't consider that "authentic Mexican" since I have never once had that in any of my travels to Mexico. Okay, so it's their own twist, which is fine...

Here are Jared's enchiladas. He's only 23 and was totally unimpressed. I tasted them and the tamales were way too doughy and the taste was really bland.

I got the Chalupas. They were okay. Honestly, I felt like it was a glorified Taco Bell. Jared wanted to get the fish tacos because that's his favorite after visiting California this summer, but at a price tag of $13.95, he passed. $13.95 for fish tacos??? Really?? We got the cheapest things on the menu, and I guess you get what you pay for. Jared was upset because his beans and rice didn't come in little bowls. Ha!

On to the missions. During lunch, I told Jared that I was going to take pictures at the San Antonio Missions. He gave me this odd look and said, "Are you doing volunteer work?" Haha! Jared doesn't know anything about the Missions in San Antonio...maybe he'll come to appreciate them when he's older. But, hopefully, he'll be long gone from Texas and onto bigger and better, so it probably won't even be an issue.

I started at the southern most mission which is Espada. It's very small and not much of it is left. I like the church, though, because it reminds me of so many of the churches in Mexico.

I took pictures of these descriptions...you can probably read them if you click on them to enlarge them.

Here's the interior of the church...

Some of the statues in these old churches are very strange and not very comforting in my opinion...

Nice little courtyard on the side of the church...

This was new since I had been here the last time. A monk was selling his glass ware. These crosses were $20...and apparently monks take major credit cards...

He also had these glass pieces which were actually very nice...and very expensive. I heard him telling someone that it was a complicated process of manipulating glass in a very hot kiln.

Not a very good picture, but you can tell these are very pretty...at hundreds of dollars...

I went back outside and found this plant with some very pretty berries...

I'm so glad to see that they were able to preserve the very colorful bouncy castle from the 1700s. It definitely coincides with the history of the time...

Just an outer building from this mission...

So, now we go on to the San Juan Mission. This one is very small and there isn't a whole lot to see...especially today since they had the church fenced off due to extensive repairs.

All these missions are about the size of half a football field...just my lame guess...

Last time I was here, I took some pictures of the inside of the church that were very strange. There was a glass coffin of Christ, as well as some very unsettling statues. I can't find those pictures now...I think they were lost when my old laptop crashed a few years ago. I'm just hoping those features are still there when the mission is restored.

I kind of liked this picture that I took of the bathroom.

I'm guessing the people back in the 1700s would have appreciated the luxuries we have installed in the original furnishings.

Here is the San Juan Mission...it's definitely bigger than the other two.

Here's the history on it, as well as the way it looked in its original form...

There is still a portion of it that has the original painted facade. How cool would that be to see the whole thing like that??

Such an impressive facade...

And here is the inside...

And the altar...

This mission has a large area that is surrounded by little dorms. Notice the dried up grass in a lot of these photos. We haven't had rain in many months here...and probably won't have any in the future, so we're pretty much drying up down here in Texas.

Another area of the church...

And more...

Finally, here is Mission Concepcion. This is the first time I have visited this Mission. It is just south of San Antonio and is the most well-conserved of the missions.

Church interior...

This is a little hallway off the main church. See the rope at the top of the photo?

Just makes you want to pull it, doesn't it? Just to hear those bells toll. But I didn't.

Damn...I was just pulling my markers out of my purse...

The doorways are so small here...so the people must have been so small as well. I'm 5'7" tall, and I had about three inches to spare.

They saved the drawings on the wall which is pretty cool. They cleaned it up and removed the dirt and were able to salvage the original artwork.

So, now it's about 4:30 p.m. and I still have to make it to the Alamo to be able to see all five missions. I drive through downtown San Antonio and it's packed with tourists and I can't find a parking place. Screw it. I'm tired, I'm hot and I'm thirsty...so I think I'll pass on getting photos of the Alamo. Here's one I took a few years ago. You know what everyone says about the Alamo? It's a lot smaller than they thought it was going to be. Well...here you go.

Some random thoughts...

2011-08-21T16:38:00.002-05:00

I threw my back out on Saturday morning. This has happened before, but not for about four years. The first time (about ten years ago) was the worst and most painful. Back then, all I did was twist the wrong way and was in agonizing pain right at the base of my spine. While suffering through the next week, it literally took me about two minutes to go from a sitting position to standing. And getting out of bed was a real acrobatic endeavor...trying to find the least painful way to get my feet on the floor and into a vertical position...the kind of pain that takes your breath away. I went to a chiropractor back then and even though I would feel better immediately after the treatments, I really don't think it did much good. It took about two weeks to get back to normal.

So, this time, I was just putzing around in the house on Saturday morning and bent down to pick something up off the floor and BAM!!! I could feel that "ripping" in my lower back and the first thing that came to my mind was, "Shit!" I stood back up and knew that it had reared its ugly head again. It's the kind of pain where I can't bend over very far...if I need to pick up something off the floor, I need to totally bend at the knees, not over at the waist...and I can't stand up totally straight without feeling pain. Maybe I need to invest in one of these...

Anyway, this time is not nearly as bad as the first, but it still hurts. In between these bouts (which is years) I don't have any back pain whatsoever and can do just about anything...to include picking things up off the floor. Weird. I've kind of decided that it's based on stress, because the four times it's happened have been during stressful times. I think I need to unstress my life.

So yesterday I pretty much babied myself and stayed at home watching Redbox movies. I discontinued my cable a few months ago, because it was TOTALLY not worth the $100 per month. The boys hardly ever watched it and I would just watch reruns of HGTV and Food Network, so I canceled it...and haven't regretted it. Renting $1.30 Redbox movies every once in awhile is a LOT cheaper and no commercials.

I like a good scary movie, so I picked this one up...

I've always really liked Anthony Hopkins, but, boy, he sure looked older in this one. I googled it and discovered that he's 75 years old...was born in 1937!! I had no clue he was that old! Well, he still looks pretty good for that age. And I can only hope that I'm still that active at that age. (Although I don't think anyone would want to see me on the big screen.)

I also watched this movie about the surfing teenage girl who had her arm bitten off by a shark in Hawaii. Okay, so it's a totally "fluff" movie, but, that's right...I had the kleenex out. By the way, it was Carrie Underwood's debut at acting. She played the family's church activities director. (I think she should stick with singing...no offense...just saying.) Anyway, this teenage girl survives the attack and goes on to compete (and win) in surfing competitions. It totally made me feel like a woos for whining about a little back pain...at least I still have my arms.

I told you this post was random...it definitely is. I recently read this book...and loved it. I don't think I need to explain it because it's become popular due to the movie they recently made about it.

Three work friends and I went to see it last Friday and it was really good. They did a good job of casting the characters. Out of the four of us, three read the book first. All of us agreed that the book was better because it went into more detail and was easier to follow. I'll have to say, however, that one of my favorite scenes was when Minny tells Hilly about the special ingredient in her chocolate pie, upon which Sissy Spacek (Hilly's mother) bursts into laughter. I liked the character Spacek plays and can definitely see me being there someday...haha!

I was the oldest person in our group and I told them that I was about 7 or 8 years old when this book was supposedly written. I lived in St. Louis at the time and wasn't aware of people having black maids there, but I definitely remember the racial unrest going on in the country. I can also remember sitting in second grade when I heard that John F. Kennedy was shot...and sitting with my family in the living room when the astronauts landed on the moon. That was such a crazy time during the 60s and 70s and SOOOO incredibly different than the current times. Between the hippies, the drugs, the Vietnam War and racial issues, it was a turbulent era. Everyone was so different and no one hesitated to voice their opinion or dared to be different. Now, it seems that society has become generic. While there were serious problems back then, people banded together to support whatever cause. Now everyone is content to have their flat screen TVs, granite counter tops and I-phones while ignoring everything going on around them. Okay, I'll get off my soap box now.

So when I woke up this morning, I literally rolled (very slowly) out of bed and shuffled out to the coffee maker. The pain was worse than yesterday, but that's because I had been horizontal for the previous eight hours. My son took me out to breakfast and it took me about a minute to get into and out of the car. He said, "Is this what it's going to be like when you're 80?" Haha...I raised my sons to have such a great sense of humor. (I then told him I was cutting him out of the will.)

Determined to overcome the pain, I decided to head down to New Braunfels for the Gruene Market Days. It had been a long time since I had been there and I wanted to see if they had any different vendors. One shop had these HUGE wind chimes hanging from the trees. This photograph doesn't do it justice, but the poles on this thing were literally about six feet in length. The sound it was making was really cool, but if the wind was strong, that could be a real hazard! If one of those things bopped someone in the head, that could cause some serious damage! And you'd definitely need a truck to tote one of these around....not to mention the difficulty in hanging it up. "Sold! Just toss it into the back seat of my Elantra." Haha!

I think these rain catcher thingies are really cool. I saw these for the first time on HGTV. But you need to be in a state other than Texas to see them work. No rain predicted here for the rest of the year. Kind of a waste of money here.

I remember seeing this guy playing this instrument the last time I was here. He was really good...played very smooth, jazzy kind of music. When I passed by, he was playing "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers...

...which always reminds me of the love scene between Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in "Ghost"...a wonderful scene and a wonderful movie. It's hard to believe that Patrick Swayze is gone.

On that note, after ten minutes in 105 degree temps, back pain and nothing new at Market Days, I thought to myself, "What the hell am I doing here???" I got back into the car and headed to JCPenney to take advantage of the '$10 off a $25 purchase' coupon burning a hole in my purse...not to mention the air conditioning.

Like I said...a random post.

Mexico...inversed...

2011-08-17T14:14:00.009-05:00

So, I was bored the other day and started playing with Photoshop. I decided to try the inverse technique on some of my Mexico photos. This is amazingly simple with Photoshop, and definitely creates a unique effect.

Probably my favorite...

I wish it would rain...

2011-08-10T20:40:00.004-05:00

Texas weather sucks. No rain, ever...and temps over 100 degrees every single damn day. If it does rain, it lasts for about five minutes. It really makes me wonder why I moved here. Everything is scrubby brown. You walk a couple of blocks and you feel like you've walked about 100 blocks because of the heat. You walk from your house to the car...car to work...work to car...and back to the house because it's too damned hot to spend any amount of time outside. Your seat belt becomes a branding iron. Every day I wake up hoping I'll see some rain clouds...but nothing but blue skies and blazing temps. They say that people who live in climates that get a lot of rain get depressed. But I think it's equally true about people who live in climates where it never rains. I miss those midwestern thunderboomers where the crack of thunder is so loud you can feel it in your chest...or the days where it would just drizzle all day which makes you want to cuddle up with a book. I guess it's all about a little variety...and there's no variety in Texas. Every single day is exactly the same. Sometimes I think that one day Texas is just going to explode into a fireball because of the incredible heat with no rain.

I was watering my flowers tonight...which I do every single day otherwise they would die...and I noticed this beauty.

My yellow hibiscus doesn't bloom nearly as much as my red one does. So when the yellow one makes its appearance, I am always amazed by its perfection. Believe me, the water on the petals is not from rain...it's from my daily watering to keep it alive.

I watched a video recently about how the world is running out of fresh water. Places become so dry that when it does rain, the ground can't absorb the water so it just runs off back into the rivers and ocean...which negatively affects the whole ecosystem. That is definitely the case in Texas. Private individuals and companies are slowly purchasing water rights around the world which are going to affect each and every one of us some day. Water will probably eventually become as expensive as gas...if not more.

Okay...I'll get off my soap box. For now, I just wish it would rain.

Weekend Project

2011-08-08T14:49:00.005-05:00

I was bored this past weekend, so I decided to make a stained glass project using my leftover pieces of glass from prior projects. There's no real rhyme or reason to it...just wanted to duplicate some of the wonderful colors of Mexico.

Here it is with the light coming through...looks a little church-like.

Anyway, my son said I should do one of my Frida print hanging in my house. Hmmm...that would be a challenge...but really cool. Food for thought.

Beautiful Bougainvillea...

2011-08-01T19:10:00.004-05:00

When I plant flowers in the summer, I try to duplicate the ones I see in Mexico. Every time I go out or come home, I am always a little amazed by my beautiful Bougainvillea...a little reminder of my adventures south of the border. Sure, it's pretty small...

...compared to this beauty in Puerto Morelos, but I marvel at the vibrant color, especially considering the scorching rainless heat in Texas these days.

If I stood out in the sun for 12 hours every single day in 100+ temps, I guarantee I would not look this good.

I wish I was in Mexico.

Let's go to Buc-ee's!

2011-07-15T18:41:00.011-05:00

For all you non-Texas folks out there, Buc-ee's is a gas station/convenience store to the max found only in Texas. I first encountered it on my road trip to Galveston back in January of 2009 when I drove by this sign in Gonzales, Texas. I didn't go in at the time, but found the sign kind of "quirky" to say the least...especially with little Buc-ee gazing longingly towards something...well, nevermind...you probably get the picture.

(Sidebar: Look at the price of gas here...$2.18. Whoa.)

So, I've run into a few more Buc-ee's since then and I'm really wondering who comes up with these signs. No, Buc-ee, the overbite is not sexy.

And this one...really?? I'm just not getting the humor in this and think it's just kind of stupid.

"Ice...made from scratch..." Huh??

Driving through Gonzales again last week, I saw that they changed their Buc-ee sign to this. Maybe some people complained about the "Beaver Believer" sign.

So, when I was coming back from Rockport a few weeks ago, I drove through Luling, Texas, which has a brand new Buc-ees. Yay! I grabbed my camera to see what all the excitement was about.

They have about 20 gas pumps and the parking lot was full. Keep in mind that Luling is in the middle of nowhere (like most other small towns in Texas), but it's on a main highway, so that adds to its popularity.

Here we go!

In the entryway...chimineas and...whatever those other things are...

Walking in the back door...

And the other way...

Hunting clothing...

Soup pots and ladles for when you're out on the trail with the other cowpokes...

Cross and star dishware...

Crosses "made in Texas by Texans"...as opposed to ones made in Texas by New Yorkers...or others made in Rhode Island by Californians. Whatever the case, I don't think they're very attractive.

University of Texas Longhorn stuff...

Texas A&M Aggie stuff...

And Texas State University Bobcat stuff...

And your typical cowhides which you'd find in most convenience stores (or not). "Honey, I'm going to fill up the truck...why don't you go inside and pick up one of them quilted cowhides."

A cowboy prayer...

The John Wayne aisle...

And, yay!! Buc-ee clothing! For the tots...

And the grown-ups. $35.00 for this little short-sleeved item. Hmmm...I wonder. Would I rather spend $35 on a nice shirt that I could wear to work? Or maybe $35 on a bunch of tank tops that I could wear to Mexico? Or $35 on a shirt that has a stupid looking beaver on it that I would be embarrassed to wear anywhere? I think you could probably guess my answer.

Lots of Texas cookbooks...

And then we get to the food. Buc-ee sandwiches and dips...

Beaver nuggets. I'm not even going to guess where these came from.

The most expensive coolers in the free world. The day I will spend $219 to $359 on a freaking cooler is the day pigs will fly.

And a hitch hoist for your deer kill...an item I frequently wish I could find in convenience stores.

Lots more Buc-ee snacks...

And here's ol' Buc-ee! I think the guy in the yellow shirt must have lost his wife and kids in the parking lot.

Buc-ee's happy customers waiting in line! The woman holding the child has Buc-ee donuts, another guy has a Buc-ee T-shirt on...I'm surprised the guy with the tattoos doesn't have one of Buc-ee emblazoned on his arm. I'm kind of feeling like I'm in a Buc-ee Twilight Zone.

Buc-ee fudge...

Happy Buc-ee cooks...

Buc-ee baked goods...

Buc-ee dried beef...

Buc-ee Signature Sausages...

And state-of-the-art ordering computers...

So, you can probably guess my thoughts on Buc-ees. They're overpriced and gimmicky...and hell will freeze over before I go into one again. Just my dos centavos, Buc-ee.

Rockport, TX...

2011-07-11T17:23:00.013-05:00

I took a drive down to Rockport about a month ago, and am just getting around to posting on it. Rockport is right on the coast and sits about 30 miles northeast of Corpus Christi and about 200 miles southwest of Galveston...and is about 170 miles from where I live. I've been to Galveston and Corpus...as well as South Padre Island...so I figured it was time to check out something new. Before I get to that, I passed a farm of these along the way...

(By the way, that's sorghum in the field below.) I think wind turbines are pretty cool, and will never forget the time I was visiting a friend in San Francisco, and we drove over a hill and there were literally thousands of these things blanketing the countryside. It was a pretty awesome sight. There weren't nearly as many off Highway 181 in Texas, but they were still impressive. I got outside of my car to take the above picture, and could only hear the "swoosh-swoosh" as the fins circled around in the wind. While impressive at a distance, they're pretty overwhelming when you're standing close to one. And you can appreciate their size when you see one of the fins being transported by truck like in this picture I took on a trip back from Corpus.

Okay, so on to Rockport. As I approached the coast, I saw this little area where people were stopping to fish, so I stopped to check it out.

Did you ever wonder where sea gulls would sit if there weren't posts in the water?

Here's a view of the very long bridge you have to go over to get into Rockport. Actually, you get to Fulton first...it's kind of a hyphenated Rockport-Fulton deal because the two towns are right next to each other.

So here I am looking at that sand (actually, more like coarse rock) bar out there and I'm thinking I'll walk over there through the water.

Between where I parked my car and the above picture, this is what I found along the way. Eeewww...

Double eeewwww...

Oh, wow...major eeewww! (I can't look at one of these anymore without thinking of Steve Irwin...sad.) I'm digressing.

But, you know me...I'm always ready for a little adventure and have trekked across rocky beaches in Akumal infested with flesh-eating vines (well, I'm not absolutely sure they were flesh-eating). So, here I am with my toes in the sand (coarse rock), wading out to the sand (coarse rock) bar. The whole time, I am scanning the area for jellyfish and stingrays.

Well, I didn't make it out to the sand bar because it took about a foot-and-a-half dip right at the end and I didn't want to get my pants all wet. Call me a woos, but I hadn't brought along a change of clothing.

So, here I am back on the road driving towards Rockport. They have these long piers all along this drive...obviously a big boating area.

Close-up of the above picture...

The houses were cute and of course I liked the colors...

Then you have the pricier ones that sit alongside the water...

These were some cute condos that sat right across the road from the water. One was for sale and the information sheet on the sign said it was around $250,000.

Speaking of home prices, here are some others for sale. A steal-of-a-deal at $595,000...AND it has room for my horses...

A little pricier at $2,250,000...and it's not even on the water. I'd rather be on the water than on the golf course.

And, finally...a Texas ranch with 2,747 acres. You, too, can own a little part of Texas for only $9,632,200.

So, I'm driving around and I see this sign to a little community of homes. "Bahia" is the Spanish word for "bay". So, would this be like "Bay Bay"? Kind of redundant, if you ask me.

Do you think the trees are affected by the coastal winds here? Just asking...

I was really surprised when I actually arrived in Rockport to find that it's a quaint little town without the large hotel chains and restaurants. It has more of a "New England" feeling with the fishing boats and smaller hotels. There are some places along the docks where you can get fresh shrimp and bait...

I walked out on this very lengthy pier...

Here's looking back the other way...

Whoa! I suddenly felt like I was in Mexico!

Rockport has a little downtown area that consists of the typical gift shops and galleries...

They never want you to take photographs in these places, but I always manage to take a few on the sly. Strange...not really my style.

Okay...nice colors. You'd probably find these in the $595,000 house for sale previously mentioned with the horse features.

And photography. Oh, look! They've used the "catching the sun" feature. I've never seen that before...haha! I DO like the colorful sun over the photographs, however.

One of the things I liked best about Rockport was the fact that 90% of the hotels were just little "mom and pop" places you'd find along roads like Route 66. (Sidebar: One bad thing about that is that some of them looked like probably hadn't been updated since they were built back in the 1950s.) Anyway, there was definitely a nostalgia about it, and considering that all of these places had "No Vacancy" signs out front, they were obviously still popular.

This was one of the more upscale hotels which was right on the water and runs over $200 a night.

And a pretty posh little resort. The sign says, "You Deserve Some R&R." I googled the place and couldn't find anything on it other than that it's for sale. Maybe someone is trying to turn it into a kind of spa. And even though I always think I could use some R&R, I think I'd rather spend it in Mexico.

When I'm on the coast, I always try to look for a restaurant that overlooks the water. This is not easy in Texas. Between Galveston, Corpus, South Padre Island and now Rockport, almost NO restaurants sit close enough so that you can look out on the Gulf of Mexico. To me, that is part of the charm of a coastal town. This is the only one I could find while I was in Rockport.

And here was my view. Kind of a generic canal view, but definitely better than nothing.

My Dos Equis...as I wait for my...

...shrimp. When I asked, the waitress said they were humongous (her actual words), but when they came, I wasn't impressed.

As a close-up, they look a little more humongous.

So, that was Rockport, Texas. I'd definitely go back to spend a few days in one of those cute little motels. They do have a beach area where you have to pay $4 a day, but I didn't check it out.

On my way back, I saw this sign in someone's yard. I guess whoever lives there decided nothing else needed to be said?

Sunflowers...

2011-07-09T09:26:00.001-05:00

Grown from a seed, a nice new surprise in my garden this morning...

(My shortest post...ever.)

Wimberley Market Days...Round Two...

2011-07-02T18:39:00.019-05:00

I went to the Wimberley Market Days a couple of years ago with a friend, but decided on a whim this morning that I would head up there myself to see if they had anything interesting. Mind you, the Wimberley Market Days is no small deal. Here is a map of all the booths they have there.

This is a market consisting of mostly antiques and collectibles, but there are many crafters and artisans, as well. Let's take a look.

This was the first booth I saw. Really?? Does anyone wear this kind of stuff anymore?? Maybe if you're working in the yard or in the garage, you'd throw this shirt on because you didn't care if gets stained or torn. But not for $20.

I thought these were nice. At first, I thought they were original stained glass from old houses, but they were just made to look like it. I do like the simple designs. Prices ranged from $60 to $100 which is pretty reasonable for stained glass. I can attest to the amount of time and work that goes into these...not to mention the bloody fingers from sharp edges.

Nice fountains...I always like water features. They were several hundred dollars.

These are kind of hard to see, but they're colorful glass stones that are supposed to be suspended from your roof as rain catchers. This would be fine if it ever rained here, but since it doesn't, it's kind of a moot point.

I would say that 60% of the booths consisted of junk like this, that you wouldn't even pay $1.00 for.

I kind of liked this light fixture. This would be cool hanging on a back patio at night with those yellow lights. But I'll bet you they don't work, and then you'd have to re-string all the lights to get that effect. I think I'll pass.

Some of the booth owners didn't even bother to lay out the items for sale...much less price them. It would take a true antique hunter to rummage through all this stuff to find something that's worth buying.

Wow...I remember this from when I was a kid...which is definitely showing my age.

Tie chairs. Kind of cute...and $38 isn't too bad of a price.

A Harley-Davidson coat rack. I'm thinking the $16.00 price tag didn't include the leather jacket.

Scrabble letters. I'm not going to tell you how long I had to stand there to find the letters to spell my name.

Some kick-ass used cowboy boots...well, maybe to someone.

Neon beer lights. I like the "Tiki Bar" one.

Strange...

Hi, big boy...like my boots?

So, I hadn't eaten breakfast before I left the house, and was just about ready to faint from the 385 degree temps here in south Texas, so I decided to take a break for a Diet Coke and a $1.00 hot dog.

Then trudge along for more fun. I definitely like this table and bench set. This would look WAY cool in a nicely landscaped back yard...especially with one of the fountains previously pictured. Table with the three benches: $1,799.00.

I thought the $175.00 price tag on each of these cabinets was a pretty good deal.

I don't know...is this something you really want to announce?

Guns...yes! I got the black one on the right with the big scope. Haha...yeah, right! Maybe when pigs fly.

And here's the cloven hooved cup that I bought to put my pens and pencils in...

You know I always zero in on the Mexican items at crafts fairs, but there wasn't a lot to choose from here. I did see this book. But since the copyright date is 1957, it should now read, "Mexico 54 Years Ago."

I thought this little composition on Guanajuato was kind of cute...

And I like this cross...

But these had to be the best. The perfect Mexican flip-flops with chiles and maracas.

Well, after going from booth to booth and seeing essentially the same junk at each one, I was getting a little thirsty. I'm sure the temps had gotten up to about 425 by this time, so when I saw this...

...it only made me want to head in the direction of the concession booth that sold beer that they had just announced on the loud speaker. I was on a mission. In the meantime, I came across the vendors I dislike the most...the ones who think they're really artistic...but are definitely not...

What?? Do they mean for these to be decorative suitcases that you would check in as baggage at the airport? Or do they want you to set these dusty old things in your living room as decoration? Whichever it is...it ain't gonna happen...especially at almost $40.00 a pop!

This photographer was here the last time I came to this event. I was astounded back then that he actually had the nerve to sell his photographs. But to see that he was still here today blew me away. Besides the fact that his photos are mediocre at best, his skill at matting and framing them was deplorable.

This was the only photo that I thought was halfway decent, but look at the way it's framed. There are white borders on the sides, a tiny white border at the top and no border on the bottom. And if you take a close look at the bottom right corner of the frame, you'll see that it's coming apart. Who would try to sell something like that?? Not to mention that it was the cheapest frame you could possibly find. AND he was charging about $65 per framed picture!! It boggles my mind. I wonder how much he actually sells.

Now we go on to the "weird and creepy" category...one of my favorites. Here's a life size model of a cowboy for $200.00. Is it just me, or can you picture him in a "Living Dead" movie in which he's just about to attack someone in order to eat their brains? Would you really want to set this guy on the rocker on your porch?

Huh?? Besides using the worst grammar and punctuation, it just doesn't make sense...and is weird.

If you can't see what's written beneath the picture, it says, "Saint Ima Sue Sorry...Patron Saint of Unremitting Guilt." Again...huh?? Who thinks these things up??

And, finally...the world's creepiest picture. I ask you...who would possibly want a portrait of one of the children of the corn looking over her shoulder at you? Can you imagine looking at that every day??

On that note, it was time for a beer. I finally found the beer booth. Yay. Temps had gotten to about 475 by this time.

So, walking out, I saw these plant booths. The bougainvillea was in abundance and looking very beautiful.

These hanging pots were gorgeous. But, if I had to guess, these plants are at their peak, and when you bring them home, they'll be toast within a few weeks. Well, at least in my yard.

Speaking of my yard, here's what my flowers are looking like these days. These are a treat to see on the weekend...I never see them during the week because the flowers open up around 8:30 in the morning and close up toward the middle of the afternoon. They are so pretty when they're in their glory.

Same with this one...

And my hibiscus are beautiful, as well...

What a pretty color combination...

So, did I buy anything at the market...other than the hot dog and the beer? Yep. A steal of deal on a Mexican mirror...five bucks. You can't beat that with a stick.

Chiles Rellenos...Isla Style...

2011-06-29T19:32:00.004-05:00

I got a craving for some good Mexican food the other day. Living in Texas, there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants. In fact, you'll find numerous "mom and pop" places all over the place down here. I mean that literally...there's at least one on every block. But after you've been to a few, you find out that they're all pretty much the same. Once you've been to one...you've been to them all. Maybe there's a special one out there, but I haven't found it yet. They all have the soupy refried beans...the Velveeta cheese on top of the enchiladas...etc., etc. Then you have places like Mamacita's which is more of a higher-priced TexMex kind of restaurant with generic dishes like fajitas and Spanish rice with, again, the soupy refried beans. They do nothing for me.

So, I pulled out my copy of recipes from restaurants on Isla Mujeres which I downloaded from the Isla Chatter Board a few months ago, and decided to make the Chiles Rellenos recipe from La Lomita. Here are some of my ingredients.

And here's the recipe...

And here's La Lomita on Isla. Strangely enough, I have never eaten here. It's either been closed when I've gone by, or I just haven't been hungry enough to eat there. Maybe one of these days.

So, onto the recipe. Saute some onions, garlic and tomatoes...

Char some poblano peppers on the stove so that you can take off the skins. (Having a gas stove really comes in handy for this.)

This isn't in the recipe, but I've read that you should put the peppers inside a sealed plastic bag for awhile after charring them...it makes peeling them easier.

Here's Jared peeling the peppers...

Puree the tomato/onion/garlic mixture and heat again...

I forgot to get pictures of the flour and egg part of the recipe. Mix flour, salt and pepper in one dish and combine a frothy mixture of egg yolks and whites together. After stuffing the peppers with the Mexican cheese, dip the pepper in the egg mixture, then the flour, then the egg mixture again...and the flour again...then place in hot oil.

And here's the result...muy bueno! Poblano peppers are very mild, so there was no spiciness to this dish at all. I think next time I make it, I will put some jalapeno peppers into the tomato sauce for a little kick.

It's a pretty time-consuming dish and my kitchen was a mess at the end, but it was well worth it. Would I make them again? Definitely! They were better than any chiles rellenos I've ever gotten in the states.

Editing an earlier post...

2011-06-26T18:57:00.002-05:00

About a year ago, I did a post on this...

...a photography exhibit in the art building on campus. Just a few days ago, I received an e-mail from someone who had seen my post and commented on some of the photographs. I edited the post and added this person's comments which make it much more interesting as his knowledge of Mexican history is obviously very extensive. You can see it here: Mexico in the early 1900s...

Gracias, Senor Orozco.

Sol de Mexico

2011-06-25T19:37:00.015-05:00

I was taking the back roads from New Braunfels to San Marcos and passed by this place...which I've passed by many times before. I've always wanted to stop in...and did just that today.

It's literally out in the middle of nowhere. But then again, so many places in Texas are out in the middle of nowhere. It's the Sol de Mexico...a little place that offers some wares that have a Mexican flavor. Well, you know my love for that Mexican flavor, so here we are.

They had some pretty large iron works out in front.

I wonder how my landlord would feel if I put some of these in my front yard?

I kind of like the roosters, but are you really going to find someone who wants these in their yard? Maybe there's a specific niche for them somewhere...like a chicken farm?

This guy was a little smaller. I like his sandals.

Nice little double swing, but it was so rusty, it probably would have broken if two people sat in it.

Metal "art"...I do like the one with the bird.

Frog planter...

I actually like these tiny little benches. They're certainly not built for comfort, but if you make a nice little cushion for the seat, these would be really cute.

So, now we're inside. Some Talavera-like pottery...

I do like the suns...

And some sinks...

They also had copper sinks. These were really cool, but I wonder how they would hold up as sinks. Doesn't copper get blue when it ages? Maybe they're treated with something. I wonder how they'd look after a few years.

Tile numbers...

This was a very eclectic place with everything from Jesus pictures to candles to furniture.

These urns were pretty neat..and only about $30. They would be a lot more at Pier 1.

I like the metal Mexican mirrors, but I'm not crazy about these. I get a little tired of the over-use of the Texas star down here in the Lone Star State.

As is evident here...

And here...

Call me crazy, but I kind of like these colorful lamp bases. I know...you definitely need a "theme" to use these, but what the hell.

I thought this was cute, too, but I didn't want to pay $25 for it.

It reminded me of the Mayan huipils that the women wear in the Yucatan...

A bucket of bobble-heads...

And vanilla. I don't know about you, but I had second thoughts about buying one of these when the temperature in this place was about 100 degrees and all of them had condensation inside. Maybe it's okay, but I'm just saying...

And a pencil drawing of Robert Duvall. (Huh??)

So, did I buy anything? Yeah...they had some clearance items for next to nothing.

And the frog spoke to me. I couldn't say "no".

On another note, when I walked into the store, the owner introduced herself and asked if I had any questions. I told her I lived nearby and just wanted to stop by because I love anything having to do with Mexico. She said, "Well, my store is a lot safer than actually going to Mexico." I'm thinking, "Really?? She sells Mexican stuff and she actually said that??"

**sigh** I just rolled my eyes and walked away. American people are really clueless about Mexico. But maybe that's a good thing, because when I go to Mexico, I really don't enjoy being around the obnoxious gringo Bubbas (or gringa Bubbettes). So, if they're afraid of going to Mexico, I'm all for it.

I was reading some Mexico blogs the other day and came across a couple that made an impression on me. I hope they don't mind my sharing their posts. One is Countdown to Mexico. She made the following comments about why she and her husband love living in Mexico:

Family love: Moms and teen daughters arm in arm. Large family groups laughing at restaurant tables.

People in love: Couples on benches sitting close together, talking and kissing oblivious of their surroundings.

Kids: But no sullen kids with hand held video games. Laughing kids chasing each other around the kiosko or walking arm in arm with their families, or painting ceramics with a group of other kids.

Dancing: Several couples danced in the street in front of the stage, people smiled their direction. Across from us, a couple walking by friends spun together for an impromptu dance on the sidewalk. She passed her purse to her friend and danced several songs, clearly loving the music and each other.

People sitting on benches: Like us, all the benches were occupied by people relaxing after a meal or a stroll. If you are on a budget and can't afford to eat out, you can still enjoy the music and the social environment and never spend a cent.

The air: Last night was so perfect. We sat there in our sleeveless dresses and bare legs enjoying the perfection. A bit of humidity to make the air feel smooth, the temperature absolutely perfect. A nice breeze rippled through now and then.

Smiles: I'll end this one, people smiled and smiled. And not just us, although I did my share. People here are happy, really know how to be happy. And usually all it takes is to be sharing a meal or a conversation with friends and family outdoors while enjoying some excellent music. It's contagious.

And the other one is from Viva Veracruz. This couple lives in Mexico and this is what they reported on a recent trip back to the states:

"It seems as if there is a pall over the U.S. There is an almost oppressive atmosphere that covers like a black cloud. We suppose it is the economy and the several wars that are bringing people down here in the U.S. Those issues are certainly downers.

The odd thing is here in the U.S. we are still first asked about the dangers and drug war in Mexico. Those problems have not surfaced in any way affecting our lives in Mexico. We continue to believe that bad press about Mexico is emanated here in the U.S. to keep from hearing that whooshing sound - the one that would be made from the mass exodus if people knew how much better life is in Mexico.

Sure, like everywhere, Mexico has its problems. But the difference in ambiance or spirit if you live in Mexico as compared to the United States is dramatic. Mexico is a benign and neutral republic. Its mellow and satisfied mood is not rubbing off or being affected by the very different almost panicky mood of Estados Unidos. Doom and gloom are not looming large over the head of Mexicanos.

Surely being the watchdog over the entire world has its drawbacks. Mexico's laissez-faire approach to foreign affairs seems to suit them just fine. And yes they do have their own drug war going on - but it seems to be almost solely confined to the participants of both sides of that issues - it si far removed from everyday life in Mexico."

So, there you have it...some of the reasons I love Mexico.

The battle of the cameras...

2011-05-14T22:38:00.017-05:00

One of the professors in my department asked me to recommend a camera to buy for the program he's in charge of. I love my Canon G12, but wanted to find something different since I frequently use my camera to take pictures for functions in our department. I did some research and came up with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. I used to have a Lumix, but it was stolen when I was robbed last December. It was my first "step up" from a very basic Kodak and I loved it. The images were very sharp, most likely from the Leica lens.

Here's a comparison in body styles. The G12 is bulkier and heavier and has an automatic lens cover.

The Lumix is slimmer and much lighter. One of the features I don't like about it is the lens cover. My old Lumix used to have a string attached to the lens so I never had to worry about losing it. This one doesn't and I know a student is going to use it to take pictures of concrete experiments and that lens is going to disappear.

So I took both cameras to Zilker Botanical Gardens in Austin and just started shooting. I took pictures in the auto mode, shutter priority and aperture priority. All the auto pics turned out mediocre at best, so I haven't posted any of those. All the photos are take in either shutter speed or aperture priority and none have been edited in Photoshop...other than resizing them because I always take very large pictures. In each of the sets of photos, the Canon shot is always first.

I was able to get closer long-distance shot with the Canon, but I actually like the Lumix shot better.

Same thing with this one.

These are pretty much the same, but I like the background better on the Lumix shot.

The Lumix photo definitely looks greener...I think the Canon pic looks more realistic. But that could have been because of the setting I had it on.

Pretty much the same, but I like the Lumix one better because of the vivid green lily pads.

I think the Canon did a better job on this one...

Almost identical...

I like the darker Lumix shot better, but again...that's just because of the setting I had it on.

I think I like the Lumix better on this one...

I think I like the Canon better here...

The Lumix shot is a little darker, but they're similar...

The Canon is a little sharper on this one...

The Canon wins on this one...

And again on this one...

These almost look like the exact same shot. (By the way, these daisies are kind of nasty looking, right? They need to be rated 'R'.)

Another tie on this one...

And on this...

This was a long distance shot and the Canon definitely wins on clarity...

On this photo, I was trying to accomplish the "satiny" look of the waterfall rather than crystal clarity. I achieved it on both, but I think the Canon did a better job.

I was a little disappointed in the garden. It was pretty and peaceful, but it didn't have nearly the variety of tropical plants like the one in San Antonio. I did a post on that a couple of years ago which you can see here. I took those pictures with my old Lumix which made for quite a colorful display.

There were a couple of weddings taking place while I was there. It IS a pretty area for an outside wedding and this weekend has been absolutely beautiful with lower temps and no humidity.

The group from "behind". Haha! In know...I'm terrible! I do like the color of the groom's vest!

Here was the other party's bridesmaids...

Well, the day involved a lot of walking so I was glad my ride was waiting when I got back to the main gate. Haha! I asked the driver if there was a pool inside.

So...back to the cameras. At right around the same price of $500, I would say they're pretty much identical in quality. I think the G12 is a little easier to change aperture and shutter settings...the Lumix is a bit more confusing in that regard. But I just know that lens cover is going to disappear one of these days.

Fredericksburg, Texas...

2011-05-01T18:08:00.014-05:00

Okay, so this is the second half of my day trip to Fredericksburg. I stopped at the Blanco River to take a picture of the wildflowers which are in bloom here in Texas...

A close-up...

So, here's Fredericksburg. It's not a real impressive town and looks a lot like just about every other town in Texas. But their shops are much better. There is definitely an artistic community in Fredericksburg, which is evident in the many shops that line the downtown main street. This town is packed during the summer with tourists.

She looks like she's posing for my photo, doesn't she?

They have several home decorating shops which have a real variety of items. I love this little sitting area...especially the little bench in front of the couch. Wouldn't this look great in a bright little sun room?

Some interesting door stops...

And they had some chandeliers that were absolutely gorgeous (with a gorgeous price, as well)...

A lot of the shops used these realistic looking fake desserts to enhance their dishware...

I thought these fish pictures were pretty cool...

Nice bedroom. You would definitely need a little stool to tastefully get up on this bed. Otherwise, you'd be hiking your knee over the side or hopping up backwards on your butt.

I saw some fire opals in one of the jewelry shops. I personally prefer silver to gold...especially with fire opals...but it's a pretty little pendant.

Unusual wine bottle cork...

Hand-painted shoes. You would definitely need a specific wardrobe to wear these with. Fun, though!

Where you go to get your baby hunting clothes. That would be babies who go hunting...not clothes to hunt babies in...just to get that straight.

I'd rather have money.

"Home is where your Mom is"...haha!

A fake spilled coffee cup. I don't know when you'd ever have a need for this kind of thing, but if you ever do, now you know where to get it...

Huh?? I don't get it.

They had a shop with dozens of free samples of sauces, dips and marinades. You could definitely have lunch here without spending a dime.

Here are some real estate samplings I saw in a couple windows. The pictures didn't turn out real well because of the reflection, but if you click on them to enlarge, they'll be more clear. This $749,000 deal is a bit beyond my budget, but I do like log homes.

I thought this place was kind of cute, but I mainly posted it because of the ingenious way they've spelled "idyllic". Really??? You're a professional real estate person and you can't check the spelling of "idyllic" before posting this for thousands of people to see? So, when you're typing out "ideallyc" on this advertisement, it wouldn't even occur to you that maybe that's not the right spelling and to perhaps check it before you publish it??? I know, I know...I'm anal about spelling and grammar, but that just seems like a no-brainer to me....not to mention unprofessional. Just saying.

Okay, I'm over it.

This is the place I want...perfect size and really cute. And a good price. I would paint it turquoise. You think they can move it to Mexico?

Okay, so next on the tour is this wannabe cowboy place. You all know how I feel about the whole cowboy deal in Texas, so I had to go in. Yep...it started out great with the classy wine bottle holder. A must in every cowboy household.

John Wayne toilet paper. "It's ROUGH and TOUGH. And it won't take the crap off anyone!" Does that mean it doesn't work since it won't take the crap off? Unpleasant thought no matter how you look at it. I think I'll pass.

They did have a sign for my favorite philosophy, though...

Is this inferring that it's okay to mess with New Hampshire or Illinois or Maine women?? Just asking.

So, I was taking a picture of this elegant piece of furniture when a woman came bustling over and tried to move it out of my line of sight, saying, "We DON'T allow photographs in here...there's a sign in the front window!!" (Keep in mind that NONE of the many other higher end stores had signs forbidding photographs.) She was obviously VERY distraught and I gave her my "you've got to be shitting me" look and said, "I didn't see it." She said, "It's there!! You're not allowed to take pictures!!" Holy crap. I was THIS close to telling her, "That's okay...I'm just taking photographs of this ridiculous stuff in order to make fun of it on my blog." But I held my tongue...and walked right out of the store. Yep...I was going to buy that wine bottle holder but she blew that sale. (Or not.)

This was my favorite store...love the colors. And no one said anything about me taking pictures.

It's hard to see in the photograph but I liked how the zebra head is 3-dimensional and comes off the side of the bowl. Cute.

I absolutely loved this set of plates and bowls. They were hand made and very pricey. A very small bowl (like a cereal bowl) was $35.00. If (when) I win the lottery, I will be buying the whole set.

They had some Frida stuff, too.

And here's a place that had a sign for absolutely everything.

This was my favorite. As a single mom who raised three boys, I thought this many times. Haha!

Oil cloth tablecloths! Yea!! I love these because they remind me of Mexico. There were pretty pricey, though...between $50 and $70. They were double-sided, though, so it was like getting two tablecloths in one. Although that still seems pricey to me. I'm thinking the ladies in the Isla Mujeres loncherias didn't pay that for theirs.

Unusual little fellow...

So, on my way home, I had to take a picture of this sign. Okay, everyone raise their hand who is glad they don't have to spell this out all the time when asked for their address! Me! Me! "Schmidtzinsky"...who comes up with a name like that? It has to be the name of the guy who owns property there. If I had to guess, the only person who lives on the road is Mr. Schmidtzinsky. (Sidebar: I normally type about 100 words per minute, but when I type out "Schmidtzinsky" it seriously slows down to about 20.)

One last item on this lengthy post. A friend sent me an e-mail about lavender fields in Texas which had absolutely beautiful photos of purple lavender fields. When I was driving back from Fredericksburg, I passed by a winery (there are a LOT in this area) which had a sign out stating that their lavender fields were in bloom. Whoa...photo op!! (Sound of Deb's tires squealing as she pulls a hard right into the Becker Winery.) I was expecting to see this:

So, here's the winery tucked back in a beautiful huge farm...

I go around back to see the lavender fields "in bloom." What the French toast??

So, I'm thinking maybe the fields that are "in bloom" are somewhere else, so I go inside to ask someone where the lavender fields are. She says, "Oh, they're just out back behind the house! There are five acres...you can't miss them!" So I take a walk out back again...through the wine bar complete with Texas wine snobs...

And outside with more wine snobs. Give me a box any day. Haha...I kid! They all looked like they were having a great time. And I'm sure they were! Haha!

I was right. Here was one of the "colorful" lavender bushes. Definitely not worth the detour.

So now I'm on my way back home. Did I tell you about my new place??

Welcome to "Deb's Castle." Haha! I have no idea what this place was...could have been another winery, I suppose. Or maybe a home or B&B. I'd want the room at the top.

Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas...

2011-04-24T09:23:00.018-05:00

I haven't posted nearly as much during the past year for various reasons. I used to take little day trips here and there, but got kind of burned out because you have to drive so dang far (that's right...I said "dang") to get anywhere, I just stopped doing it. Well, last weekend, I decided to take a little ride to Fredericksburg just because it's been a couple of years since I've been there and I felt like giving my camera a little workout. And that I did. When I got home, I was shocked to see that I had taken 222 photos in about five hours. I don't think I've even done that on Isla! (Well, maybe.) Anyway, that's why the warning. This post is a tad photo-heavy for reasons I will explain in a bit. So, I guess I'm making up for a lack in posting all at once...haha!

I always like to try new places to eat on my little trips. I haven't had pizza in a long time, so I stopped here at a place just outside of Wimberley.

And here's the pizza. It was okay...nothing outstanding. Anyway, I was checking out my map while I was eating and decided to stop by Luckenbach on the way to Fredericksburg since it was on the way.

I've been to Luckenbach a couple times before, but thought I'd swing by since it had been awhile. Apparently, a lot of other people thought the same thing because it was pretty crowded and the bikers were plentiful. Keep in mind that Luckenbach is a tiny little place out in the middle of nowhere off a rural highway. The first time I went there, I drove by the place three times before I found it.

Behind the little general store is a little stage for entertainment. These ladies were actually pretty good.

Kind of an earthy, country sound (whatever that means)...

Hats for sale...

They had several of these pretty chickens running around...

Feed lot...

You can buy pavement bricks. If you click on this picture to enlarge it, you can see that some of these are happy and some are sad...

I'm going to bite my tongue on this one...

Sidebar: The department at the university where I work has a transportation section in which a motorcycle safety course is offered. Since the beginning of the year, I have been in charge of registering people in this course. A few years ago, Texas started enforcing a new law in which everyone owning a motorcycle HAD to have a motorcycle endorsement on their driver's license to be street-legal...and to get this endorsement, you HAD to take this course. So we have a lot of people who are in their 50s and 60s who have been riding for 30-40 years and aren't real happy about having to take this basic course...especially to the tune of $171.00. But since I took the course last summer, I tell them it's fun and easy...and most people end up having a good time, anyway.

So now I deal with all kinds of bikers on an almost daily basis...which isn't always a good thing because I have found that some of them can be a couple french fries short of a Happy Meal...but most of them are pretty nice.

So, Luckenbach is all about bikers.

I always like to check out the bikes. There weren't too many unusual ones here. I think these "Beamer" bikes are really weird. They look more like tiny cars than a motorcycle...or like some space-age thing that could fly. Just weird.

Nice fringe on the footrests...

The "loner" bike...no passengers on this baby...

And the "ape hanger" bike. For the life of me, I don't know why anyone would want to ride one of these. Talk about uncomfortable after about ten minutes.

Here's mine. Hahaha...I kid. But this would be the size I would want...

Always fun to see where people are from...or where they've been...

Okay, so now we get to the part why this post is so long. I've been in the general store before, but never really paid attention to what they sold. This time I did, and was amazed at how many different items they had promoting Luckenbach. Keep in mind that this little store is about the size of an average living room with hundreds of people milling around through it. Meanwhile, this crazy woman is taking pictures of everything and getting in everyone's way. (Haha! That would be me!)

So, here we go.

Wine bottle corks...

Money holders...

Ornaments...

Doo-rags...

Stationery...

Thimbles...

Spoons...

Leather beer koozies...

Regular koozies...

Pocket knives...

Lighters...

Keychains...

Bottle openers key chains...

Dominoes...

Picture frames...

Beer glasses...

Iced tea set...

Mugs...

(Hmmm...an "oriental" version of Luckenbach. I think they need to stick to cowboy/Texas/western look.)

Canteens...

Metal wall "art"...

Leather pouches...

Coffee...

Coasters...

Rain measurers (which is totally ridiculous because it never rains here)...

Golf balls...

Match box holders...

Kids t-shirts...

Bibs...

Toy trucks...

Tiny guitars...

Trailer hitch covers...

Tiny ceramic boots (I don't know what you'd use these for...maybe toothpick holders?)...

Wine...

Aprons...

Tank tops...

Wine glasses...

Denim vests and jackets...

Gloves...

Seasoning and sauces...

Playing cards...

And signs...

They also had some non-Luckenbach items worth mentioning.

Texas back scratcher...

Interesting drain covers...

I thought these wine bottle corks were kind of interesting...

And a "Bubba Stik". Only in Texas...

So...pretty amazing, huh? All that stuff crammed in a very small area. I didn't buy anything, by the way.

I also decided against getting on "Ol' Bue" for a photo op...

Everything you'd ever need...right in Luckenbach, Texas. Fredericksburg will be next, so stay tuned.

Things I'm glad the robbers didn't take...

2011-03-05T17:50:00.006-06:00

So, it's been about three months since we got robbed. It was an inconvenience and a hassle to go through the fingerprinting, police report and submitting receipts and information to Allstate, but it was all worth it. Allstate came through like I couldn't believe and reimbursed us for everything, including items that didn't work and/or we didn't have receipts for. When I went through the insurance fiasco a couple years ago when my youngest son had a car accident that wasn't his fault, I was fully expecting to have to put up a fight. Not so. They didn't question anything, and sent a check within a week. Considering I paid $208 for the year for renter's insurance, even with the $500 deductible, we were very, very lucky when mayhem hit. By the way, I love those commercials...

It would have been pretty devastating if we hadn't had insurance or if they didn't reimburse us, and I'm sure I would be feeling pretty differently about everything now. But since we did, I can now look back and say I'm glad there were things the robbers didn't take. Electronic things are expensive and important in this day and age, but they don't have an emotional value. Most of the things I'm glad the robbers didn't take have very little monetary value (which is why they weren't stolen), but they mean a lot to me, and it really would have pissed me off if they HAD taken them.

My Frida wall hanging. This is actually a pareo I bought in May of 2007 and just bought some stretcher frames and stapled it on them. Now I can enjoy it every day. (My sons think Frida is a little creepy with the unibrow, but to each his own.)

My tiny little beaded purse (it's only about 2" x 3") that I bought at La Bruja when I had the fish soup. The bead work the women do on the island is just beautiful.

My braided colorful belts...

One of several sand, sea glass and shell collections from the Isla beaches...

My batiks...

...and Mexican mirror given to me by a friend...

And here is Sergio...the sweet, talented guy who makes those batiks...

One of my many wall decorations...

The Mayan calendar leather painting I got at Chichen Itza and my little Mexican purses that I always use when I go to Mexico.

Juan, the skeleton...a favorite of my son, Jeffrey (not)...

The little doll from the Mayan ladies on Isla...and the cloth I purchased from the sweet lady who got on the bus at Chemax on my way to Valladolid...

Even the silly little bobble-heads. The little coin purse was a gift from the Mexican professor in our department who is from Monterrey who knows I love Mexico. As for the little turtle in the middle, I went to a new opal shop on Isla last time I was there and was the only person there. (I can't remember the name, but I had never seen it before.) The owner talked to me for a long time about fire opals and what's legitimate and what's not. His stuff was very expensive, so I didn't buy anything, but on my way out, he gave me the little turtle which was marked at $10 USD. I'm sure it was way overpriced, but I thought it was a nice gesture. Just another reason I love Isla.

The little wooden thingy is a back-roller given to me by the woman who gave me a massage while I was staying at the Hotel Plaza Almendros (can't remember her name, but it was a wonderful massage). The little foosball guy doesn't have anything to do with Mexico, but it brings back good memories of long nights playing foosball in my dorm at the University of Minnesota (when I wasn't studying, of course). I've held on to this little guy for 35 years. The little embroidered cloth was a free gift when I bought some jewelry at Alejandro's right next to the zocalo.

I love shopping at this place. Alejandro is very sweet and doesn't pressure you at all when you're in his shop.

I bought the sun and the fire opal necklace charms there...and the blue inlaid necklace. The other items are just things I bought from beach vendors. I love them all.

And, last but not least, I'm glad the robbers didn't take my virtual seashore scene that my sons gave me a few years ago. Living in land-locked southcentral Texas, I switch it on now and then to remind me of the waves against the shore. Having three boys has given me a "few" gray hairs, but every once in awhile, they do exactly the right thing.

Snow day!!!

2011-02-04T09:42:00.002-06:00

This is what it looks like in south Texas today...

We got a snow day from school today....YAY!!!! Very icy roads...they even closed I-35 for awhile. These Texans do NOT know how to drive on slippery roads, so beware if you live down this way!

It's cold here in Texas...well, cold for Texas...

2011-02-03T20:52:00.003-06:00

I've lived in St. Louis, Washington DC, Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota...so I know what cold is. Cold is when you breathe through your nose and crystals form on your nose hairs. Cold is when you walk on compacted snow and ice and it creaks underneath your footsteps (you never forget that sound...or feeling...it still gives me chills when I think about it). Cold is when your toes are so cold you don't think you can stand it anymore and it's hard to walk. Cold is when your hands get so cold, it's excrutiatingly painful when they begin to thaw out.

So, it's been cold in south Texas this past week. I moved here in the summer of 2004 and this has been the coldest it's ever been since then. Temperatures have been in the teens. These Texans are not used to this cold. And since I've been here for six years, neither am I. I don't even have a winter coat anymore to protect me from the cold. That's okay, because next week it'll be back in the 50's. No big deal.

But I did worry about this guy...

Mr. Asshole did put a heat light out for him, so I guess that's something. The only reason he looks perky out here is because I went out on the back patio to take his picture and he got excited. Then he came bounding across the yard to me and I felt guilty about him getting out from under the light. When I'm not outside, he just huddles there on his bed. Why in God's name couldn't Mr. Asshole just bring the damn dog in for a couple of nights?? I just don't get it. I know...I'm on my soapbox again, but why do people have pets when they want absolutely nothing to do with them? All my friends at work are ready to steal Gringo. We're going to put on black clothing and masks and whisk him away some night. The shame is...it would probably take Mr. Asshole at least a week to figure out he was gone. Some people just suck.

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-01-17T18:27:00.003-06:00

I haven't had much to post about on the home front lately. I will say, however, that the robbery deal is over with and Allstate Insurance came through with flying colors. I couldn't believe it. After going through my son's accident a couple years ago in which it took the insurance company a whole month to figure out it wasn't his fault, I was prepared for another fight. Not so. I sent them an itemized list of what was stolen and I had a check covering everything within one week. Jeffrey didn't have anything proving that he had a laptop and yet they didn't question it. After many disappointments with State Farm Insurance, I'm glad I switched to Allstate. (And, no...they didn't pay me to say that.)

So, it was my birthday today. Don't even ask how old...I don't want to think about it. The day was pretty uneventful. My brother took me out to lunch at Panera and then I stopped by the grocery store on my way home. Oh, I did buy a pair of pants at Ross, as well...they were on sale. Pretty exciting, huh? Haha!

Actually, it wasn't all that bad. Sarah and Bronwen, my work buddies, took me out for beers after work on Friday which was sorely needed after an EXTREMELY stressful afternoon trying to meet a 5:00 deadline on a project. They made up for the stress with their awesome fun gifts.

A Mexican Peck Paper Animation Kit. I cannot wait to put this together. I will sit it on my desk at work. In fact, I will put it together at work to make up for the stress on Friday. "No Cutting Required." Thank goodness I won't have to worry about cutting myself with scissors...or running with them.

I actually considered getting a tattoo last time I was on Isla. I'll put one of these bad boys on and see what everyone thinks at work. Haha!

Guatamalan "Worry Dolls". Before you go to bed at night, you're supposed to tell each doll your worry (no more than six per night), and he/she will resolve it by morning. I will put these guys to good use. In fact, they will probably go into hiding and I will find them in various parts of the house trying to escape because of the stress.

A "chanchito". I've never heard of these before, but I'm all for anything that can possibly bring me good luck. Besides that, it's just cute.

And last, but not least, a kick-ass pair of margarita glass sunglasses. Cool, right?? Now I will be all prepared for my next trip to Mexico...whenever that will be. (There was even a sticker on them noting the UV rating...haha!)

Thank you, Sarah and Bronwen, for a very fun birthday. You guys are the best.

Spring semester starts tomorrow...back to the grind. Ugh.

We were robbed...

2010-12-13T15:06:00.007-06:00

Yep...you never think it's going to happen to you. Then, BAM! Reality slaps you in the face and you become yet another victim.

Since I live with two of my sons, there's usually someone at the house at almost all times. Not this last Saturday. They both had to work and I decided to go to the Outlet Mall. The $14.95 sandals I bought actually ended up costing around $5,000. I would have taken a picture of my new sandals, but the assholes took both my cameras in their brief raid through the house. I was gone no more than an hour, which makes us think that they were staking the place out...waiting for a time when all three of us were gone. When I returned, I immediately saw that all the doors were open in the house, the blinds on my bedroom window were messed up and the decorative glass ornament I had hanging on the latch was in pieces on the floor. After a quick run-through, I discovered they took my new Macbook Pro (which I had gotten on September 11th), my old laptop, my two cameras, both of my son's laptops, a Wii, Playstation 3, some games, and an old cell phone. I called the police and they dusted for fingerprints, but I don't foresee getting anything back. I also filed a claim with my insurance company, so I hope that works out.

So, what have I learned from this experience?

1) Fingerprinting dust is EXTREMELY messy and hard to clean up because once you get it wet, it turns into a liquid black mess.

2) You know how on CSI, the cops run back to the lab to run the fingerprints through the system to find the bad guy? Not so. They file the fingerprints and wait until someone is arrested, then check to see if their fingerprints match the ones they took at our house.

3) Keep your receipts for years for everything you buy, because you never know what can happen. I had them for my stuff, but my sons didn't keep theirs. Hopefully, insurance will accept credit card records.

4) Make notes of serial numbers as soon as you buy something.

5) I need to come up with a better job of organizing rather than just throwing things on top of a growing pile of records. (But, at least after some rifling around, I found everything I needed.)

This is the first time I've been robbed...and hopefully the last. It's a very violated feeling...and a helpless one. The thought of someone going through my stuff pisses me off. My son put it on his Facebook and got some responses from friends who have had it happen to them, too. The shame of it is that it changes the way you feel about your home. I've always been the kind of person to keep blinds open (not at night, of course) because I love the sunlight coming in. Now I keep them partially closed so that no one can see inside. And see how my back door has those little windows but no curtain?

My son hammered in two nails in the woodwork above the door and now we hang a towel over it in the evenings. It sucks.

The only good thing is that they did not take my external hard drive which was sitting right next to my laptop. About a month ago, I transferred ALL my photos to this drive so that I wouldn't lose any of my pictures if my computer crashed. Yay!

So, my son and I were talking about it later that night and he said, "Mom, I think we should get a gun." He was 'halfway' kidding. God, I don't even want to think about that.

Christmas in Mexico...

2010-11-30T21:04:00.005-06:00

I was asked today how Mexico decorates for Christmas. That was a tough one to answer. It's kind of different. And I'm sure it varies throughout the different areas of Mexico. I've only been in Mexico twice over Christmas. The first time was on Isla Mujeres in 2007 and the second was in Playa del Carmen and various places I bused through during my trip in 2009.

These are photos from my 2007 trip on Isla. Isla has its own Christmas flavor regarding its decorations...kind of a "kitschy" look, for lack of a better term. They all do their own thing so it's kind of a mish-mash of various decorations.

Pooh.

Combining Santa Claus and Jesus..

This is a private home on Medina around the area of Justicia Social. I love the wooden doors.

Snowman on the beach...

Santa in a window.

A nativity display at the Posada del Mar...

Nativity scene in the church on the zocalo...

Putting away the decorations afterward at Justicia Social from my view at the Bahia Chac Chi...

The swordfish at Picus...

Here's one from Playa del Carmen...

And another. Playa is too glitzy and glamorous for me. I don't like all the high-priced shops you can find in the outlet malls NOB.

This was a shot I took in Coba from the bus on my way to Valladolid. I loved the pretend snow on the balcony rails...especially when it was about 90 degrees outside...haha!

So, in my search for Christmas photos, I came across this one of Cochinita Pibil that I got in Valladolid. MMMmmmm...I could go for that about now. Let's see...how many times have I ordered that in a restaurant around here? Oh, yeah...that would be zero. Kind of like Huevos Motulenos. If you want those kind of dishes, you're going to have to make them yourself...which I have.

Then I found this one. I'm thinking this little lady would make a nice match for the little guy who lives behind my house. Ya' think? Gringo and Gringa...has a nice ring to it, right? Gringo could get back to his roots in Mexico. I bet he would be a happy little guy.

Back to the Christmas decorations in Mexico. This is back on Isla in 2007 on the zocalo. Pretty plain Jane stuff back then.

They really jazzed it up in 2009. I think they had to come up with a blue theme to match the color of the pillars they painted in front of the Palacio.

But my favorite picture is the one I took in 2007, only because of the incredible reflections I got in the windows which I didn't even notice until I looked at the photo afterwards. Kind of amazing that you can see a perfect palm tree, La Luna, and the Virgin Mary on top of the church.

Won't be going to Mexico this Christmas, but I'll be dreaming about it.

On a final note, I saw a link to a little video on the danger of vacationing in Mexico today which had me laughing out loud. Check it out here.

A Gringo Thanksgiving...

2010-11-26T11:04:00.004-06:00

Just a relaxed Thanksgiving dinner at the house this year. This was one of our guests. You remember Nutter, right? She lives with Jonathan now, but he brought her by to visit. It's like she's been living here all along and felt right at home. I miss having her around.

But our happiest guest by far was this little guy. We felt sorry for Gringo. Mr. Asshole wasn't home, of course (not that it would matter anyway because he never pays any attention to him), and it got really cold here yesterday afternoon, so we brought him on over. Doesn't he look happy?

Gringo bonding with Jared...

...and Jeffrey...

Yep, he was a happy little camper yesterday just part of the crew. (I don't have a dining room table in this house because there's no room, so we brought in the table from the patio. Haha...kind of small but it worked.) The turkey was great, the company was great...it was a good day.

And here's me doing the dishes.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Taking a break...

2010-11-07T20:42:00.004-06:00

Just a note to my readers that I will be taking a sabbatical from my blog for awhile. Just don't have much to report and need to do some rethinking to come up with new ideas while I sort some things out. I will try to keep in touch with my favorite bloggers out there. Until then, I will keep Mexico in my heart. Keep those doorways open and take care...

IslaDeb

Just some random thoughts...

2010-10-23T20:47:00.009-05:00

I haven't posted for awhile and I've gotten a few e-mails from readers wanting to know if I'm still alive. I very much appreciate that. I've been going through a personal issue which I'm not going to post about, but will admit that it has taken some of the wind out of my...

Some time on Isla would probably cure some of those anxieties.

Anyway, I'll do kind of miscellaneous post to let you know that I am still around. I'll start out with the St. Louis Bread Company. I was born and raised in St. Louis and when they started the St. Louis Bread Company, it was a HUGE success.

In fact, it became such a huge success, that they branched off into other parts of the country, but changed the name to...

It's still called the St. Louis Bread Company in St. Louis, but called Panera Bread in all other locations. It's a wonderful restaurant full of freshly baked breads and pastries...as well as offering a great lunch of fresh salads, soups and sandwiches. My brother called and told me that they had just opened a new one in north San Antonio, so I was SOOOOO excited to try it out. It was kind of like going home again. Here are their pastries...

And what I had for lunch...French onion soup and an Asiago roast beef sandwich...

On a totally different note, it was Homecoming weekend at Texas State, so I went to take some pictures.

Here's our new professor in electrical engineering. When his daughter greeted me, she bowed. How sweet! They're from Korea.

Here's me and Dr. You...he's also from Korea.

And Dr. Kim...also from Korea...

A couple of co-workers...

Here's our departmental student worker, Sara. I LOVE this picture! This is SOOO Sara. She's a hoot...and sends me text messages at all hours of the night letting me know she's gotten a good grade on a test. Haha!

Walking refrigerators...

Ass-taking pictures...

Washer tournaments...

And boots. I remember last year, I posted pictures of girls wearing cowboy boots with their shorts. It seemed like that number doubled this year. What's up with that???? I don't get it...but, then again, I'm not a native Texan...

This one also had heart-shaped white sunglasses on. Quite a fashion statement.

So, I went off on my own to take some random pictures, and found this opportunity...

Interesting, right??

Hmmm...guy or girl? Looks more like a guy to me. What do you think? Either way, it's weird!

Walking back to the car, we passed by lots of band members. I think these guys must be told that if they see someone taking their picture, they should smile. Last year, I passed by a group of cheerleaders who looked pretty somber. When they saw I was taking their picture, they suddenly cheered up. Just like this gal...

Adios, Texas State Homecoming.

On a final note, you all remember Gringo and his prison behind our back yard...

Well, now the next door neighbors must have gotten a dog because now this sweet thing is craving attention from us as well. We've never seen a dog in this yard, so it's been a surprise. She's a total sweetheart...jumps up on the fence and nibbles your arm and is so gentle. I have yet to see the neighbors pay any attention to her. Geez, what is with these people????

More fun with Photoshop...

2010-09-23T18:40:00.006-05:00

Haven't had much to post about lately, so I've decided to try to teach myself something new about Photoshop every day or so. I'll probably learn everything by the time I'm about 70 years old. Today I learned about a zooming technique. It looked best with photos in which someone was walking or riding on a vehicle to help show motion. But I thought it was kind of fun with some still shots.

My favorite...

That's it...not much of a post today.

What I love about Mexico...

2010-09-06T20:10:00.018-05:00

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to see a movie called "The Namesake."

It's about a newly married couple from India (I think back in the 50's) who move to New York to start a new life. It's a very long movie and spans from the beginning of their married life to the young adulthood of their two children. It mainly centers around the young son, Gogol, who becomes very "Americanized" and doesn't want anything to do with his Indian heritage. After his father's death, however, he returns to his roots and learns to respect and value his ancestry. It was a very moving film, and you learn quite a bit about the culture of the Indian people. The main feeling I came away with was how much history so many countries have while America doesn't even come close. Many of these cultures have been around for thousands and thousands of years and we're only a couple hundred years old. Mexico is another one...just look at the Mayan civilizations, just to name one. Yet, Americans are one of the most arrogant and bigoted people in the world...thinking we know everything and no one can tell us anything.

I took my first solo trip to Isla Mujeres in May of 2008. I always visit Romi at the Posada del Mar for his wonderful Margaritas.

I stopped by one evening and there was a group of very loud people sitting at the bar. Some of them were being totally obnoxious and I felt bad for Romi because he had to put up with them. (I hope they tipped him well, but were probably too drunk to think about it.) I know people are going to party and have fun on their vacations, but I bet the poor natives get pretty tired of dealing with the really obnoxious tourists. Anyway, those are the kinds of times that I can be embarrassed for my fellow Americans and think there are a LOT of them who could use a few lessons on respect and maybe a little bit of class. (By the way, I'm sure there are people from other countries, as well, who can be just as obnoxious.)

Whoa...I've digressed here. What made me bring all this up is that I recently read a blog post from Countdown to Mexico...about an ex-pat couple living in Mazatlan. I hope Nancy doesn't mind my quoting some of her thoughts, but even though I don't live in Mexico, I love it enough to share her feelings about some differences between the two countries when she recently spent some time back in the United States.

Countdown to Mexico: People are too freaking polite! Good grief, people! Quit waving each other access to the intersection and just GO! I didn't even rent a car this trip so I barely drove at all -- but I still found myself flabbergasted at how SLOW people drive - and how SLOW they turn (ever hear of hand over hand?) and how LONG they stop at a stop sign. Especially if there is a car ANYWHERE within view. Sheesh!

Me: OMG, TELL ME ABOUT IT!!! Driving in Texas is one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had. (Keep in mind that I have lived on the east coast where you have to learn to drive like a maniac to survive, which I frankly prefer, because there are probably fewer accidents there than in Texas where everyone drives slow and polite.) I've already mentioned in a previous post that they drive slow in the fast lane on the highway. But if four cars come to a four-stop intersection, you might as well set up your tent and wait awhile. "You go first." No, by all means, YOU go." "Not at all...be my guest." You could sit there for hours. Then, when someone actually DOES start to go, it's at a snail's pace because they're not sure whether they're supposed to be going or letting another person go first. I live by the "three-second rule" now. If I come to an intersection and no one moves in three seconds...I'm outta there, even if I was the last one to pull up. And sometimes I will look in my rear view mirror and still see them all sitting there waiting! Unbelievable. And you could say they're just being safe, but I've had several times since moving to San Marcos this past year in which drivers (probably students on cell phones) who have pulled out of side streets without looking right into my path when my street didn't have a stop sign. I've been lucky enough that either the parking lane or the oncoming traffic lane wasn't occupied so that I could veer out of the way...otherwise I would have gotten whacked. I honestly feel safer riding with these guys than on the streets of Texas...

Countdown to Mexico: Everyone is solo! Most cars are occupied by one person. Certainly most motorcycles. And NEVER. EVER. do you see two MEN on a motorcycle. And nothing fun like people on bicycles or motorcycles carrying surfboards or extension ladders. and NO MOTOS of course with the little juice stand or coco stand or hotdog stand on the front buzzing along at 15 mph.

Me: That is definitely true. Parking is a nightmare on campus and around the town of San Marcos. Yet, all these young students are driving huge pick-up trucks and SUVs all by themselves (while taking on their cell phones). I would rather see these:

Countdown to Mexico: Friendly greetings everywhere? Or nowhere? Mazatlan has a population of about 400,000 but it mostly feels like a small town. People smile a lot. Say hello a lot. Are friendly in general. I did have some friendly stranger interactions while I was NOB but mostly people pass on by without looking at you or greeting you.

Me: Very true...and sad. When you walk around campus, everything is either talking on their cell phones or looking straight ahead with a very serious look. Almost no one smiles. I usually walk to the student center at lunch time so I can sit outside and read. There are some groups who sit together, but for the most part, everyone sits by themselves. Another example is getting on an elevator in my building. Unless you're familiar with the other person who gets on with you, NO ONE says a word and don't even THINK of having eye contact! I usually take the stairs. I can't think of a single time when a young person has given me a smile like this in the States.

Countdown to Mexico: Lots of rules, and lots of people obeying them! Bikes this lane! Use these bags to pick up after your dog and put it here! No dogs here. No parking there. No entrance. You know what I mean. We probably have as many rules here in Mazatlan bu the signs are missing or the lane marker is worn or whatever! NOB everyone is wearing a helmet, and biking or skating in the lane provide and obeying the rules and making sure everyone else obeys the rules, too. I think I am becoming a bit of an anarchist in my old age -- I really don't want to be told what to do as long as I don't hurt anyone else!

Me: Haha...I like her last statement...AND I can totally relate. When I temporarily moved into the apartment complex after I sold my house, I got a complaint from the office that was filed by the girl living below me, who was about 23 years old, that I was making too much noise when I moved in. WHAT?!?!? I was moving in for cryin' out Pete's sake! It was all downhill after that. That place was a freaking prison of rules and regulations...and everyone looked like zombies. When I stayed in a little apartment in the Colonias on Isla in 2008, the guy who lived in the house next to me played music one night at full blast till all hours of the night. It didn't even bother me...and I'm old!! I turned up the TV and the air conditioning muffled the sound, as well. Who am I to tell him to turn his music down? It's his home and no one else was complaining. To tell you the truth, I enjoyed the noise and the hustle and bustle of the street below my apartment.

Countdown to Mexico: What about a relaxing meal? My family laughed at my surprise during one meal in a restaurant where the waiter interrupted our animated conversation twice for no reason and then brought the check before we had half finished!

Me: Tell me about it...again!! Going out to eat in the States is a whole different deal than it is in Mexico. I think you could actually sit in a restaurant the whole day in Mexico without the waiter bringing you your bill. And that's just fine with me...especially when you have these views...

...and are eating this...

Who the heck wants to rush through a meal when your toes are in the sand and you're looking at that beautiful blue sea?? Besides that, when I'm there, it's just impossible not to get into the relaxing mode. When I was sitting at Picus one night by myself, this friendly waiter...

...sat down with me and helped me practice my Spanish for a long time. That ain't gonna happen at P.F. Chang's.

Well, this post is ending up to be longer than I planned. I'll get off my soap box soon, but I will bring up two more items that weren't mentioned by Countdown to Mexico that make me love Mexico.

The color, warmth and personality...

And the genuinely warm feelings you get from the people...their ability to relax and enjoy life no matter what, and the family closeness which is evident everywhere you go.

Americans could learn a LOT from Mexico. Oh, but that's right...we already know everything.

More photo fun...

2010-09-01T21:34:00.006-05:00

I went to a little photo class on campus today which made me really interested in learning what capabilities my Canon G10 has. One of its features is "stitching" photos. You take one photo, turn a little bit, take another, etc., etc. Then you load them into the program that comes with the camera and it automatically stitches them together to make one photograph. This is a combination of five photos taken in front of my house. The one thing I didn't like about the program is that it kind of turns the photos into a concave (I think that's the right word) deal which kind of distorts everything. But it DOES do an incredible job of stitching the photos.
(Remember that you can click on the photos to enlarge them.) Looking at this photo, you'd think I lived on a curved road, but I don't...it's straight.

I started this little project out when I left work today and took some pictures of the area in front of my building. This panoramic has four photos. I stitched it with the Canon program and it curved it so much that I lost a lot of the bottom part of the photos when I cropped it, so I wasn't very happy with it. By the way, my son met up with me while I was taking the photos and I was explaining what I was doing. While I was taking the last picture, he popped his head into view.

So, I decided to see what I could do in Photoshop to get back the original photographs. Well, it's a LOT more work in Photoshop and it's definitely not an instantaneous kind of deal, but it was worth it. I like this one a LOT better. Doesn't it look like something that would be on a Texas State University advertisement? Maybe Jeffrey could become famous. Haha!

Dressing up my front porch...

2010-08-30T19:50:00.005-05:00

I've posted what the front of my house looks like before. The front porch is just a couple slabs of concrete which I tried to dress up with an outdoor rug, some plants and a couple of chairs. On Saturday morning, I was working in my office and heard a bunch of noise out front. So I went outside and found all this stonework sitting next to my porch.

My landlord decided he wanted to dress up the front porch, so who was I to say "no"? Here it is in progress. The two Mexican guys doing the work didn't want their picture taken, so they moved to the side when I came out with my camera. They did a great job...and were very fast.

Here's half of it finished...

And the rest of it when I got home tonight. Sweet. I love it...looks so much better than a cement slab.

So, maybe now I'll have to look for some better porch furniture...

Like this...

Or this...

Or this...

How about this?

Or maybe this??

I can see me lounging in this and having my sons feed me grapes and fanning me when it's hot here in Texas...

Or not. Haha! Anyway...I like my new front porch.

Poor Gringo...

2010-08-21T19:21:00.002-05:00

You remember Gringo...the dog that lives in the yard behind mine. He's still around and his owner, otherwise known as Mr. Asshole, still does not pay a lick of attention to the poor little guy. Never...EVER...does he even remotely acknowledge the fact that he has a dog other than putting his food out on the back step without so much as a "Here you go, Gringo!" It seems like the only highlight in poor Gringo's life is when we come outside and go over to pet him and give him a dog treat...but only if Mr. Asshole isn't home. This is what he looks like every time one of us goes outside...

Well, it's been REALLY hot here in South Texas lately (like over 100 degrees), so we haven't spent much time outside. I've noticed that Gringo spends most of his time in a crawl space beneath Mr. Asshole's house to get out of the sun because he NEVER lets him inside the house.

One evening, Jeffrey, Erica and I were sitting on the back patio and Gringo was at the fence, as usual. Mr. Asshole wasn't home, so Jeffrey went over and plucked little Gringo from his prison to come and play with us for a little bit. Oh, my God, it was like he was in seventh heaven. I know that's not right and you shouldn't "borrow" a dog just because you feel sorry for him, but what can I say? My heart goes out to the little guy every time I see him. So, he got some loving attention for a short while and then we put him back, unbeknownst to Mr. Asshole.

So, tonight, Jared and I barbecued some ribs and were sitting outside when we noticed that Gringo hadn't come up to the fence. We whistled for him and about a minute later, we saw him standing by the side of his house, but he wasn't running up to the fence like he normally does. We called to him and he VERY slowly starting walking towards the fence. When he got about halfway, he started yelping very loudly as if he was in pain. Jared was standing at the fence and he noticed that there was a fishing lure lodged in one of Gringo's legs. Because Mr. Asshole wasn't at home, Jared jumped the fence to help him. He got one of the barbs out of his leg and I had to get a pliers so that he could get the other barb out of his collar that had gone all the way through. Here's the culprit, with rusty barbs, no less...

So, Jared surmised that Mr. Asshole purposely put the barb in his collar because he's been gone all weekend and this was a way to keep Gringo from possibly escaping the yard. Personally, I don't think it's possible that a barb could have gotten all the way through his collar just by him finding the lure under the house and playing around with it. Maybe we're jumping to conclusions, but any way you look at it, the whole scenario is just wrong. Jared and I talked about calling the Humane Society, but the biggest thing we'd have going against us is that he doesn't look like he's being abused. He's a very healthy looking dog. We also talked about how he would make such a wonderful pet for someone who cared about him after living with someone who could care less about him. Why do people have pets if they want nothing to do with them?

Nuevo Progreso...again...

2010-08-15T15:53:00.018-05:00

Since it's been a whole five months since I've been to Mexico, I got the urge to drive down to Nuevo Progreso (NP) this weekend. I was there last September and even though it's not on the Caribbean with that beautiful blue water, I figured it would give me a little Mexican fix in the meantime. However, when I told people I was planning on doing this, they said, "WHAT?!?! ARE YOU CRAZY!?!? IT'S DANGEROUS DOWN THERE...ESPECIALLY ON A BORDER TOWN!!!" That didn't sway me.

Here's the usual Texas scenery on the way to just about anywhere in the state.

Somewhere around 50 miles north of the border on your way down, you hit a checkpoint where the border patrol checks cars in the northbound lane for various items they think you possibly shouldn't have. You don't get checked on the way down, but they do have about ten cameras set up on the right and left side of the highway taking pictures as you drive by.

Sidebar: I don't remember the cotton fields last year, but maybe I just wasn't paying attention. There were a lot of them.

Strange little plants.

So, it's about a 350 mile drive to the bridge. It takes just about as long to drive here as it does to fly to Cancun with a layover in Houston or Mexico City.

Here's the bridge where you can either drive over, or park in the lot off to the right for $2.00 and walk over.

I don't know what this sign is all about on this little grassy spot. Motorcycles maybe??

Last time when I was standing in about this same place, I got yelled at for trying to take a picture of a bunch of Homeland Security guys standing around. This year, I didn't even see anyone outside.

They have this nice little area on the U.S. side just before you cross...

Here's walking over the bridge looking back at the U.S. side...

And the Rio Grande River. It's a lot higher than it was last year. In fact, when I was thinking of coming down again, I e-mailed someone who works at the nearby Weslaco Chamber of Commerce to ask about the danger issue. She replied that the only problem was the recent flooding and they had to temporarily close the bridge for awhile because of that.

This is looking back at the U.S. side where the fence runs alongside.

As you drive down the highway, you can see it behind private homes...

Last year when I walked over the bridge, I could just see hats poking through the slits. These girls were getting a little bolder...but they looked like they were having fun.

So, here we are in Mexico...

Security was MUCH lighter this year. Last year, there was a tank sitting on the other side of this drive-through. No tanks this time.

Armed guards were still present, though, but they looked more bored (and hot) than anything.

Especially this guy, who was obviously on a little break. I don't know what this machine was...something about karaoke...but it seemed kind of ironic considering the fully loaded machine gun casually draped across his back.

Here's a view as soon as you go through the drive-through area...

And some other town shots...

Do you think they intentionally made the U.S.A. guy larger than the Mexican guy?

I did not try out the mechanical bull...

Shot to prove I actually was there...

I'm a big fan of suns and liked this ceiling painting...

Quite a few vendors. When I was stateside, I passed a bank with a sign noting that the temperature was 104 degrees. I think it had to be even hotter than that in NP with all the people, cement and vendors heating food.

Lots of colorful wares in the stores and on the streets. It was nice to be able to go into some of the shops to cool off.

Hammocks are very popular...

I'm not a cowboy boot expert, but these seemed very reasonably priced...

I'm guessing these were pinatas in the making...or maybe the poor man's pinatas. Haha!

There are four services that are advertised aggressively...

...and dermatology procedures which I didn't get a photo of.

Here's lunch. You had no idea how good that Dos Equis tasted after walking around for a couple hours in that heat. I drank it so fast, I didn't even bother to get a picture. The Enchiladas Tamaulipecas was very good.

But it's an easy spot for "little" vendors to come along and try to sell their wares. That didn't bother me, though. These little guys are very serious and it's hard to get them to smile. Even though they're brave enough to come up to you, they're very shy...but they always say "thank you" if you buy something from them. Who could resist these faces?

Or these? Haha! They came walking up and started singing. "No, no no!" I insist...but not before I got a picture.

Saw these guys a little later down the street. At least their outfits coordinate...ha!

People of all ages sell their wares...

This was a guy selling vegetable "curlers" and I stopped to see how it worked.

This little guy tried to sell me one of these candies for a dollar. I said, "A dollar!?!" like that was way out of my price range and the guy standing next to him laughed and said, "I think he means two for twenty-five cents." He smiled and I gave him a dollar for two. I'm a sucker for a cute face.

Some people, however, didn't want their picture taken. (Or I could have said he was just giving me a high five.)

They still have the elderly women sitting on the street for money like I saw last time.

So, after about four hours, I had had enough of the heat and headed back north. I took a different way back, but still had to go through a checkpoint. The guy in the car in front of me was an African-American driving a Volvo. The officers were looking at his driver's license and must have asked him to pop the trunk because one of them was standing behind the car with a drug sniffing dog. He raised the trunk and the dog looked very bored. Green light to the guy in the Volvo.

When I pulled up, they just asked if I was an American citizen. I held up my driver's license and said, "yes." They didn't even look at it and told me to go on. Geez...I must look totally boring. When I told my friend, Paul, he said, "Yeah, you don't look like a pot mule." Haha!

So, what did I score while I was there?

These are from the children...

I bought some of these last time I was in NP and love them. They are a perfect size for sauces and stuff you don't want to mix in with the rest of the food on your plate. My son broke the ones I had so I have looked all over for something similar, but haven't found anything I like. Well, I guess I had to come back to Mexico to find them. These probably would have sold for about $8.00 at the Mexican Market in San Antonio. Score for $2.95. Oh, yeah.

Some fire opal earrings to match my ring...

And...last but not least...the vegetable curler thingy. WAY cool. I love this thing. I don't know what I'll ever use it for, but when the time comes, I'll have one!

Adios, Nuevo Progreso. After 710 miles on my car, I don't think I'll be going back again soon...but it was fun.

Miscellaneous stuff...

2010-08-10T22:11:00.014-05:00

I was looking through some of my older blog posts last night which made me realize that I haven't been posting nearly as often lately. I used to take my camera with me all the time and would take pictures wherever I went. I just don't do that anymore...maybe because I've become somewhat bored with the area where I am and don't think there's anything to take pictures of that I haven't already taken. A few weeks ago, I DID take my camera along when I went down to New Braunfels to have lunch with my son. When I got back home, I looked at the photos I took while I was there and thought, "boring," so I never posted them. I looked at them again last night, and decided to post them anyway, so here they are.

A couple pictures of the Guadalupe River...one of the prettier areas of Texas Hill Country...

I was experimenting with different settings on the camera on this one trying to get a softer effect on the waterfall, but couldn't figure it out. I'll have to work on that one...

I had to stop and wait for a train and took this one across the street. For being so scraggly looking, these cacti sure have beautiful flowers. This one is going to be incredible when all those buds open up. I'll have to swing by there when they start to bloom.

Unless I'm in a hurry, I never mind watching trains go by. I think there is a real art to graffiti, although some of it is hard to read. I wonder if there is a graffiti school somewhere...I would like to take a class.

So, Jonathan and I had lunch at Schobels...a German restaurant in New Braunfels that opened about a year or so ago. Really nice building...

Nice bar area...

Great fireplace, but it would look nicer if they had a fire going. When the outside temp is over 100 degrees, though, I guess I can understand why they don't.

Here's the main dining room. Uh-oh...I see lots of old people. Even though I'm an "old person" myself, I always worry a little when I see that the majority of a restaurant's customers are of the elderly persuasion.

Buffet...

Liver and onions (that is definitely an old people thing...yuck)...

Here's the menu. Kind of on the pricey side if you ask me. While I was doing this post, I checked online for reviews and a LOT of them were not good. Bad service and bland food.

Here's what I had...a chicken salad sandwich. I love chicken salad sandwiches...but not this one. Look closely...what do you see?

That's right...MUSTARD!! WTF is up with that?? Who on God's green earth puts mustard in chicken salad?? I ate half of it, but I'd certainly never order it again. The fries were pretty good, though. Jonathan had a caesar salad which was average. Would I go back? Only if someone else was paying for it. Haha!

So, while I was in New Braunfels, I decided to run by the old homestead and see what they had done to my "yard from hell." Remember how it looked when I moved in six years ago?

And what it looked like when I sold it a year ago?

Here's what it looks like today. Kind of boring if you ask me...

And remember when I did the post on Bad Times in Texas? This is a picture I took in February of 2009 of a nearby shopping center they had built I think sometime around the Summer of 2008 that was still vacant.

This is it a few weeks ago. Only one business has moved in. I guess times are still not so good in Texas.

And kids are still using the sign for target practice.

So there you go. Another fascinating post from South Texas. I need to go somewhere exciting.

A quick weekend project...

2010-08-08T20:48:00.003-05:00

I decided to tackle a stained glass project this weekend...pretty much because I was just bored. I found a pattern on-line and tried it out...

It has been awhile since I worked with stained glass, so I had forgotten how dangerous this craft is. This is when I was doing some glass cutting and a piece dropped onto my ankle. I was concentrating on what I was doing that I didn't notice that the blood was pooling into my flip flop. (Way too much information, I know.)

I made a lot of use of these things over the past two days and have about five cuts on my fingers. I'm guessing that if you do this on a regular basis, your fingers develop callouses.

Glass cuts like these are a lot of fun. (Not.) You start out with the most difficult cut first so that if you screw up, you haven't wasted time with the easier cuts.

Then you have to put foil around every single piece which enables you to solder everything.

Here's what it looked like on the table...

And when I put it in the window...

And a long-distance shot in the room. I'm so-so on how it turned out. I wanted a less yellow look on top but didn't have much of a selection at Hobby Lobby, so you take what you get.

This one is still my favorite...but probably because it has more meaning for me...