A quest for GOOD authentic Mexican food...

While I was on my after-work walk on Tuesday, I passed by a little Mexican restaurant with these tablecloths:

Then it hit me. There are LOTS of little "Mom & Pop" Mexican restaurants in south Texas...most of which I have never tried. I'll have to confess that I've usually just gone to the chain restaurants and popular places...which I'm becoming very bored with. They charge very high prices for average food so that when you leave, you think to yourself, "Why the hell did I spend $20 on that??" Since I've been an Isla Mujeres lover for the past two years, I've come to appreciate the little places...the holes in the wall...the off-the-beaten-path diners and cafes that just feature your down home fresh family cooking...without a slab of Velveeta dripping over everything.

On that note, I've decided to start a quest for GOOD authentic Mexican cooking in little out-of-the way places. I'm actually going to start a whole new blog on this, but wanted to post this here to start. I'll work on the new blog over the weekend.

Those colorful tablecloths were the clincher to start this new quest, so I had to begin here...Nopalitos. Now, my first thought was, "Nopalito sounds more Italian than Mexican." And I was right. The owner is Italian. It's in a very non-descript building and I honestly would have walked right on buy if it hadn't been for those Isla-like tablecloths.

Here's their menu.

You can't beat the prices (click on the photo to enlarge). No Huevos Motulenos on their breakfast menu, though. You think I'll ever find that in the states??

I liked several things about the place. First of all, I walked in and they were playing a Mexican radio station...nice Mexican music and no English spoken. If there had been a white beach and beautiful turquoise water out the front window, I would have felt like I was on Isla.

Secondly, I liked the vivid colors and artwork on the walls...especially these photographs.

And a haunting painting.

Finally, the food. I had the Arroz con Pollo plate. It was VERY good. Just the right amount of spice and very flavorful...and only $5.50.

But one of the nicest things about these kinds of places is this...

...you actually get human interaction. I will definitely be going back to Nopalitos.

To be continued...

Wish I was on Isla...

I'm feeling a little nostalgic about Isla today for some reason. Maybe it's because Jamqueen posted some sunrise pictures from the malecon.

Before I get more into that, I thought I'd post these pictures of the model condo at Ixchel. Definitely a comfortable little place. I think it was about $250,000...something like that. (You'd think they could do something a little bit more attractive with the water cooler.)

You can buy it furnished.

One of the two bedrooms.

And the view from the balcony. It would be pretty tough waking up to this every morning.

So, yeah, I'm missing Isla a little bit today. The sunrise photos reminded me of how I like to walk the malecon in the morning.

And my view from Jax while working on my blog.

I checked through my folder from photos I took last May and found some I hadn't done anything with for some reason or another. I'm posting some here with few comments...more of a self-therapy than anything else.

I could go for one of these about now.

Until next time...adios, Isla.

Look around you!

I was reading photographer Scott Bulger's blog last week on how we really don't notice the things we walk by every day. How true. Like he says, we all get caught up with our cell phones, schedules, etc. So this past week, I took my camera on a few of my walks and looked for those little things I'd normally miss on my way from point A to point B.

This little girl was inside a beauty salon and just happened to look my way as I passed by. I couldn't pass up the shot, because...

...she reminded me so much of this little cutie on Isla.

This is an antique store in San Marcos. I've never been a Marilyn Monroe fan, but I've always loved Audrey Hepburn.

This shoe repair shop was closed, so I took this through the window. It's like taking a step back in time. A sign on the outside of the shop said they started business in 1918. Whoa...that's a long time to be repairing shoes. Some of the shoes on this rack look like they're pretty old themselves. Do people really still get their shoes repaired?? I pretty much live in flip-flops down here in south Texas.

Kind of a strange sign to having hanging in front of your store. The colors looked kind of neat against the darkening sky, though.

I almost never take pictures in the sepia mode. Don't know why I did on this one, but I thought it turned out kind of neat.

I loved the warm colors of these urns.

This is on the university campus. The bird/duck/whatever looks kind of like a skinny swan. It must be a heron or something...I know nothing about birds.

I circled around and took a head-on shot. His little head is so skinny, it doesn't even look like he has one.

That's it...kind of a short post for me today.

Porch Hunting

I decided this week that since I'm not helping out at the local newspaper in the evenings anymore that I would start walking for an hour after work. I had been walking pretty regularly for the past few years, but it went to the wayside when I got laid off. Now I want to get back into it, and have decided to take my camera along as a walking buddy to make it more interesting.

When I got the job at Texas State University, my brother asked me if I was going to move to San Marcos. The jury's out on that one. Being a university town, rents and housing costs are kind of high, so I'll look around before I make any decisions.

One thing I've noticed in all of the new housing they're building here in Texas is that none of them have front porches. What has happened to front porches??? I know it gets hot in Texas and that everyone goes inside where it's air conditioned, but there are days when it can be enjoyable to sit outside. I guess the day is gone where you sit out on your front porch and read the paper or a good book while you're having a cup of coffee or a beer. Porches are history now. I love old houses. They have so much more character than houses today. I know they have their downsides, but I guess I'm just a romantic when it comes to housing. So my "walking quest" tonight was finding porches.

Here's a nice one. You could have multiple seating or dining areas on this porch.


Another great one. The leaded glass windows and Corinthian columns are definitely an added bonus.

This one was for sale and uninhabited. The drive-thru area is definitely a historical feature. Since it was vacant, I looked through the windows. Very nice front rooms with fireplaces and hardwood floors. The kitchen looked like it may have been renovated once back in the 70's. I can just imagine what it would cost to renovate this size of a place with a new kitchen, bathrooms, roof, plumbing, electricity, etc. And I would venture a guess that the closets in the bedrooms are about two feet square. Still, it has a damn nice front porch.

A little sidebar here... As I was walking down this street, a memory of "To Kill a Mockingbird" came to mind. I haven't thought of that movie (or book) in years. It was a fall day here...kind of windy and cloudy. And I guess walking by all these old houses in south Texas made me think of it. These are the kinds of porches that you picture Atticus (Gregory Peck) and Scout sitting on, talking about what happened that day. ("Hey, Boo.") What a wonderful book and movie...and I'll always remember the haunting theme song...either you know it or you don't.

Okay, on to more houses. This one is on the historical register and is very well taken care of.

I am definitely a fan of mid-century craftsmen bungalows. These were the places with the built-in bookcases and cupboards...not to mention the nice front porches. This one is very simple, but I think it's cute. And don't those orange pumpkins pop against that blue background??

This one's bigger and definitely has a porch to die for.

Oh, my gosh! This one's for sale! A bit of a "fixer-upper." Would definitely have to work on a front porch theme on this one. Keep in mind that ALL of the photos on this blog post are of houses within a two-block radius. A VERY eclectic neighborhood.

So now we get into the "Belvin Street" area...a historical area of San Marcos. Not only are the homes old, but look at the trees!

I love this little place...looks so warm and inviting. An elderly woman was sitting at a desk in the far left window when I took this picture. I'm guessing she's lived in this house forever.

Then we come to this place. Hmmm...very different. A little bit of the "castle motif."

Then I turned the corner and came on to this place.

A mansion in the middle of the city. Apparently, it was built by a banker's wife, then became a hotel, and now it's privately owned...and on the historial register. (Another sidebar - I'm glad I don't have to mow that lawn.)

San Marcos' version of the White House.

An example of some beautiful gingerbread work.

But you find examples of this in between all the beautiful homes in this area. Delapidated and deserted houses that will probably end up just being torn down. What a shame. Look at this place with its turret and stained glass windows. There goes history. No big deal. How sad.

This was one of my favorites. I know, I know...no big front porch...but how sweet. A kind of place you'd love to come home to. Hopefully, they have a nice back patio. Home Sweet Home.