The All of It

tianguis special

2012-01-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

Two gentlemen were selling these enormous radishes at the market this morning. They are about the size of plums. My eyes popped when I saw them. "Mucho fertilizante!" I said. They grinned and agreed. But probably not. They cut one open so I could see it was not woody. Beautiful.

first pick

2012-01-29T12:21:00.000-08:00

These brilliant zinnias came from our own garden, the seeds having been planted by our gardener shortly before we arrived. The new little circle garden is also alive with beautiful butterflies ~ a bright orange-red species and a stunning yellow and black striped and stippled variety. They're probably laying eggs all over the flowers which will eventually turn into worms that will eat everything in sight, but for now it's beautiful. We also planted some Mexican Sunflowers today that were started from seed when we got here. They should be blooming in a couple of weeks. Neno transplanted three big bougainvilleas from a friend's yard into ours. We'll see how they fare. It always makes me crazy to see the sorely neglected, un-pruned, un-watered bougainvilleas thriving and in full, glorious bloom along the highway. And we tend to ours so diligently and have to coax and wheedle into life every single bloom and leaf. T'ain't fair! On the other hand, the zinnias DO look lovely.

Yesterday's opera was gorgeous and ended as usual with Tosca hurling herself off the turret while the evil Scarpia lies dead in the next room. And good riddance to him, I say! Then a quick game of dominoes which I lost pitiously, but it's just a game, right?

Today we celebrated 48 years of wedded bliss with a lovely breakfast cooked by Mr. C and served on the front balcony overlooking the sparkling Pacific. Life is good.

the craft faire

2012-01-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went in to Manzanillo to a craft faire selling goods supposedly representing various parts of Mexico. Although it was a treat to be in the big city, the faire was a bit disappointing. The first thing to greet visitors was this big display of, well, stuff. The usual stuff you find on street corners or in the airport shops. Not a good start. This was the last (and only) photo I took before the battery died. Other things, however, proved to be more interesting. There were several booths selling Oaxaca molé, which I detest. Lots of beautiful blouses made in Mexico but of cloth from India. A good selection of bara clay cookware; I wouldn't dare bring another pot into the house! Some nice embroidered clothing also from Oaxaca, table linens from Patzcuaro, lots of cheap shoes, gaudy jewelry, scents, some leather from Quiroga (near Patz, in the state of Michoacan). Also some nice rugs from Urupan but if we had rugs in the house I'd just trip over them so forget that. The faire had been going on for a couple of weeks, and probably the best of what it had to offer had already been snatched up so what was left was nothing to write home (or a blog post) about. We were all sorely disappointed in what we saw. I did, however, make a couple of nice purchases.

I bought some beautiful wooden spoons to replace those that had gotten completely rotten out by the humidity over the summer here.

The three shiny ones are made of bamboo; the others are unvarnished pine. They are wonderful on the clay bara cookware I use here and on Teflon® I use at home.

Then I bought this nifty shirt made out of a cotton material you might characterize as "dishcloth" weave.

It will be perfect over turtlenecks or T-shirts in the cooler weather of Suchitlán, where we are going in late February for a week's vacation from our vacation.

Finally, I found what I had really come to see ~ beautiful aromatic baskets made out of pine needles. (This photo is not mine; my camera battery died after the first shot! Thank you, Harry Kroyer.)

This was a case where almost everything had been sold. I found two tiny baskets with lids, perfect to nestle in with my sheets to give them a nice, woodsy scent. The weaving is very intricate and tidy. I saw a few that had some color but most were open and flat. I don't think I'd store food in them because of the heavy scent. Or just have one open on a table or shelf to perfume a room. Here's what I bought:

I did not come across anything over which to mull whether or not I really, really, REALLY wanted it. Nor did I have any regrets on the way home over a treasure left behind. The only thing I might have wanted was a large woven pine needle chest to keep blankets or sweaters in, but there was no such animal.

Dago's tonight. Opera tomorrow: Tosca. Forty-eighth wedding anniversary on Sunday. Where did the time go?

news from the beach

2012-01-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

The talk over the weekend was the earthquake we all felt on Saturday afternoon; 4.6 centered just off Manzanillo, 35 miles NW of here. I was listening to the opera and felt three sharp jolts. Scared? You bet! This temblor came 9 years to the day that we had the big one, 7.4 - 7.6, in 2003. And by Mr. C's various calculations and researches, we are indeed in the time frame for another serious shake. This area has severe earthquakes every 8-12 years; we may have a 3-year grace period. He says this little shiver in Manzanillo doesn't count. Well, it counted for me!

The 49'ers lost; Newt won. The gods must be crazy.

Fernando came to the house on Saturday to dig out the well. It gets clogged with sand and we can't pump any water. It's a very messy job. He had to go down to the bottom and shovel sand into a bucket. Martin (his brother-in-law and cheerful co-painter) than hauled up the bucket, emptied it in the vacant lot, lowered it down into the well and the whole process started again. It took them about 3 hours to dig it all out. More than worth the $35 USD we paid for the work.

Tianguis yielded up another stunning pair of sofa pants. Actually, they're more like settee pants; linen/silk combo in lighter colors. Cost 75¢. I already have a couple of tank tops that will "go" perfectly.

I think a good challenge would be to come down here with only the clothes on my back and get my entire wardrobe from the stalls and stalls of new and used clothing.

They're back at the painting this morning. And they'll be at it most of the week. This is just for the exterior, west-facing walls. Then there are the interior house walls and the two big stairwells. I would say another two weeks before it's all finished, including the two downstairs bedroom, the living room and kitchen. Fernando has vowed this is his last painting job!

Here's a spot of local color. The family that lives down on the corner are a very enterprising lot. They operate the only laundry service in town - Lavanderia Mahala. They also provide baños and regaderas for a fee. This is their sign. This photo is not upside down.

I'm planning to drive down to Charlotte's tonight to watch the State of the Union. That is, as of now . . . Who knows how I'll feel about it at 8 o'clock.

the new house

2012-01-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

I am quite pleased with the outcome of the great painting project. There are still some places on the interior walls that need a new coat, but the exterior looks quite nice. And I think the door color and wall color worked out just fine. See the post below for comparison.

We're off to Fernando's for comida. Fish and beer.

Re: South Carolina. Newt, Mitt, Ron, Rick. Aren't names wonderful? What a country!

first the doors, now the walls

2012-01-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

The great door re-do is finished and they all look gorgeous. Here's a look at the front door and garage doors before painting. The original color was a deep turquoise, a fine compliment to the tan exterior. But it faded badly and was a washed-out shade and the wood needed sanding and priming.

After a thorough prep, the new paint got sprayed on. As I said in a prior post, the color I wanted was an oxblood shade or the color all ship's hulls were once painted. But that's not quite what I got, as you can see.

It's a bit more orange that I would have liked, but with the new exterior wall color I think it will be quite stunningl, muy Mexicana!

Fernando is due to start painting tomorrow. I'll keep you up with the progress.

The other door that got painted was the one on the hot water heater (known as a boiler) closet. This is the tiny heater.

This is the heater in its old, shabby closet.

Here is its shiny new housing. Of course, the boiler is still a rusting-out relic that will be replaced next year, but for now it works just fine.

Saturday's opera is a brand new one, "The Enchanted Island." Read the NYTimes review here. Last week's archive presentation of "Norma" with Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne, conducted by Richard Bonning (Sutherland's husband) was divine. Well, she is a priestess after all!

el año de las puertas

2012-01-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Every year there's something else, or so it seems. One year it was all the windows. Another it was painting. Still another it was the floors and kitchen. This year has turned out to be, so far, the year of the doors. We decided to have all the exterior doors refinished to get rid of 20 years of accumulated salt, dust, rain and sun damage, all the pleasures that our little village by the sea has to offer. This means five wooden doors will be removed, sanded, stained, resanded, varnished, rehung, with new door handles. Then the front door and garage doors will be sanded, primed and repainted. The estimate, without hardware, about $500. Time to completion? One week, mas o menos.

MONDAY, DAY 1

Ennrique, his father and his younger brother arrived this afternoon to begin work. The first priority was to get the door to the door frame on the downstairs bedroom repaired. Raul, the window guy, is coming to install a new screen door on Thursday so all the woodwork has to be finished by then. They removed the door and frame and started to work.

TUESDAY, DAY 2

Today the workmen took all the wooden door off their hinges, removed the hardware, lined them up in the back and started the great sanding effort. Fortunately, for them, they have electric sanders, but still do a great deal of the work by hand. This is what a door looked like before sanding.

And after.

WEDNESDAY, DAY 3

Seven PM and Ennrique, Horacio (his life long buddy and partner in this enterprise) and the other workmen are just about to finish up day three of the great door project. All the doors have been sanded, stained, sanded again, and varnished. They have a finish like glass. They are lined up in the back like so many one-eyed sentinels.

Tomorrow they will start early so as to finish everything, or hope to. What's left? The front door and the garage door and a small louvered door that belongs in the front street shower. Actually, it's right inside the front door and is meant for beach users to wash off the salt and sand before trekking through the house. Since the door fell off its hinges we use it as a mini-bodega for water bottles and cases of beer. With a new door we'll undoubtedly use it for the same thing but at least it will be hidden from sight.

THURSDAY, DAY 4

Unlike the 8 o'clock mentioned yesterday, the crew arrived at 9:30. Half of them started in on the sanding job of the front and garage doors. The other half got busy hanging the now silky-smooth interior doors. The biggest push is to get the small bedroom frame and door hung so the new screen door can be installed when Raul shows up, although that probably won't be until this afternoon.

In the night I had a terrible feeling I had purchased the wrong color for the front door. I want an oxblood color to compliment the new darker brown exterior color but I feared the color I had chosen was too orange. Talk about trivia that keeps one awake! So first thing this morning Mr. C opened a can of the paint and I daubed some on the door, stood back and gave it a good look. Still not sure. So I daubed on some of the new exterior color and, together, they look just fine. Because of my 10-year bout of laser treatments on my eyes I have become quite color blind. Actually, it's more of a "shade" problem; I can see blue but I'm not always sure of the shade of the blue and if asked to match two shades of blue, frequently I can't tell the difference. All of this by way of saying I think I did ok on this effort but we shall see. Ennrique said this morning that they are going to be finished by 1 PM today which means everything will have been painted by the end of their work today and I'll take some photos. You can be the judge of how close I got to the preferred color.

the Monday hustle

2012-01-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

The first item on the agenda was the tianguis of course. No loitering today as I had many other things to get done. Buy the veggies and five avocados at my usual spot, get the bananas and strawberries, four coleus plants to put in the shady part of the garden. No sofa pants today. Sped home, unloaded the car and picked up Mr. C for a trip to Tecoman for more errands. First stop was the paint store to order the paint for the doors ~ Really Rusty ~ and the exterior walls ~ Dark Oak. Next was the bank. Fortified with cheap pesos, I went to the computer store where I had dropped off my printer for repair. Well, it was almost too embarrassing to report, but this was the problem. When I changed the ink cartridge I forgot to remove the protective strip over the ink dispenser so, of course, the thing blinked its red light and refused to go anywhere. The repair guy smiled amiably, showed me what the problem was, and I paid him 30 pesos for his extremely polite explanation. Next stop was the shop that sells the delicious Mexican cheddar and the fabulous bacon, sliced to your preference. This place is among a warren of tiny food and specialty shops off the beaten track for those of us not so familiar with the neighborhood. But now we know. Then back to the paint store to pick up our formula-mixed paint. Photos when it's all done. Next, on to the market for things I didn't get earlier. And finally, home for lunch. I was hoping we would go out to one of the three or four good spots in Tecoman, but that didn't happen. Perhaps when we're not so driven to complete chores. Then a quick domino game; what would a day be without one.

Tomorrow I have to go back to Tecoman to the vivero for a couple of bags of potting soil so Neno can mulch the beds before he plants the coleus. I am also looking for a new crotan for the second floor landing.

The one we had got terribly infested with plaga and we ripped it up and threw it on the pyre. These beautiful plants grow quite well in this environment. There are many species from which to choose. Again, photos to come.

Another beautiful day here in Paradise has come to an end. Last night was a gorgeous luna llena; I got up at 2:30 AM and the house was flooded with light. I hope it was as beautiful where you are as it was here.

luncheon on the beach

2012-01-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

We strolled down to El Barcel, Fernando's puesto for a leisurely Sunday lunch. It wasn't crowded ~ bad for him, good for us ~ so we had the pick of the tables. We opted for one just on the edge of the restaurant, before you head down onto the sand and an umbrella. It was such a perfectly gorgeous day; bright sun, light breeze, the sea sparkling. Lots of people frolicking in the ocean.

We ordered a couple of beers and two platos de filete de pargo al mojo de ajo, our favorite. As long as Chuy or Grizelda (Fernando's sister) are working the grill you can be sure of a splendid meal.

First came the obligatory plate of jicama and cucumbers sprinkled with a tangy chili salt. Then the fish, fresh, tender, sweet. The apple, shredded carrot and raisin salad the perfect accompaniment. Along with some lightly spiced rice, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers and, of course, several thick slices of avocado, it was absolutely perfect! We have decided that although nobody does shrimp as well as Dago, El Barcel gets the blue ribbon for filetes.

A quick note about yesterday's opera. The most delightful thing about that performance was hearing the children squeal with joy when the wicked witch is pushed into the oven and all the other little gingerbread children are freed. Wish I had been there to see them.

a Dago-less Friday

2012-01-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

Instead of doing shrimp on the beach at Dago's, we accepted an invitation to a cocktail party held in a splendid home down in the colonia. The house sits right on the beach, has a wonderful open floor plan and is filled with comfortable, colorful places to sit and socialize. This is a little reading-cum-TV watching nook at one end of the living room.

When you get tired of any of that, just raise your head and look out the big sliding door.

An all-around fine evening.

Yesterday Ennrique, the door man, came to check out the doors we want to have repaired and refinished. All five of the exterior wooden doors have been badly beaten up by the weather and salt, so they'll be stripped, primed and varnished for what we hope will be another 20 years of fine service. He is also going to repair and repaint the front door and the garage doors. I'm switching from cobalt blue to oxblood red, and the outside of the house will be repainted a deeper brown than what we now have. The old shade has faded badly in the sun and now looks pale pink.

It's time for the opera, "Hansel and Gretel", from the Met.

sofa pants

2012-01-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

Some years ago, while undergoing serious retail therapy, I found a pair of flowered linen pants that I thought were quite fetching. I bought them, took them home, tried them on again and decided I looked like a walking sofa. Since then I have avoided anything that even vaguely resembled the dread sofa pants.

Last week at the Monday market I went through the pile of neatly folded pants at one of my favorite stalls and found a pair of flowered pants with a white background. Summer slip covers came to mind. But still fighting the sofa pants phobia, I passed them up.

Until last Monday. I found these beauties at the same stall and decided it was time to get beyond the distaste so, for $4 US I now own a pair of sofa pants. They will be for beach wear only. I can't imagine myself sporting these at home, but for here, they fit right in with the rest of the wild wardrobes. Actually I'm not really sure I'd want a sofa in that fabric, either. But for pants, it's perfect!

By the way, the gazpacho was fabulous.

the new year so far

2012-01-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

The first thing that happened on New Year's Eve was that the Sacramento NPR station couldn't get the opera. Some sort of "technical difficulties." I probably could have searched around for another station somewhere that was up and running but I decided that was too much trouble. So I broke with tradition and played dominoes instead. In the evening I was vaguely planning on going down to watch the bonfire although when I heard it wouldn't be lit until around 1:30 I knew I wouldn't make it, even though it was just down at the end of the block. Here's what it looked like in the afternoon (that you, Neighbor Nelson, for sending this photo).

I read my blog of last year's New Year's Eve festivities and it said there was much more noise, music, party-goers. It was all pretty quiet this year. Even Fernando said there weren't as many people in town for the New Year's Eve dance on the malecón this holiday, although the puestos were doing a brisk business on Sunday. Mostly day-trippers.

Monday's tianguis yielded these treasures.

Also a fabulous pair of sofa pants. I'll tell you about them tomorrow.

Meanwhile, it's gotten hot here; it was 90º yesterday with no breeze. We were expecting the same today, although so far it's quite lovely with a nice sea breeze. Preparing for the worst, I put together a big vat of gazpacho to keep the heat at bay. Lunch in an hour.

the quiche was just OK

2011-12-31T10:55:00.000-08:00

The Thursday night dinner party was thoroughly enjoyable even though the menu fell short of my expectations. The evening was mild and still which meant we could dine out on the terrazo without being either chilled or blown off by the wind. We watched the sunset from up on the 3rd floor (still without the twinkle lights; gotta get to that today), then came downstairs to sup. I didn't think the quiche measured up to my usual standards; it wasn't as creamy and custard-y as I like. But the crust was excellent! The ice cream was, too. I'll do better next time.

The big aloe plant out on the balcony has begun its annual bloom.

The colorful kiskadee birds will be here any minute to mine the blossoms for their nectar and seeds.

We see them sitting up on the telephone wires eying the tall stalks, waiting until it's all clear, then making a mad dash for a quick sip and then darting back to their perches. They're only around for about a week and then gone for another year.

And speaking of another year, Happy New Year to all. There will be fireworks and a big open-air dance on the malecón this evening. Will we be there? If this year is like all the past New Year's Eves we've spent here, probably not. But we'll be able to hear all the festivities loud and clear! One of Neighbor Nelson's J Boys has built a huge pile of driftwood on the beach for a late night bonfire. I might be tempted to stroll down and watch.

Almost time for today's opera, a rebroadcast of a January, 1951 performance of die Fledermaus, conducted by Eugene Ormandy with Marguerite Piazza as Rosalinda. From what I can find out about her, that was the only Met role of her career. So with that little bit of history, happy listening.

easy Wednesday

2011-12-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

With the excitement of the trust issue behind us, today was much more tranquil. I finally got to one of the clothing storage boxes I had packed in May when we left. When I opened it, the smell was of damp mold. But when I took out my T-shirts and shorts, they were absolutely pristine. With a couple of hours on the line in the sun they will be good as new. I always like this process; it's sort of like Christmas. I open the box and, Look! Shorts I haven't seen in a year! Shirts I had forgotten about! A few items will need a good washing tomorrow, especially the darks. But it is all in remarkably good condition.

This afternoon I went down to play a round of dominoes with Charlotte, the absolute doyenne of the gringo community. She is a stunningly beautiful woman who is about to turn 85 years very, very young. Sharp of mind, sassy of mouth, a treasure to be around. Best Charlotte comment of the afternoon: "I was a virgin until I was 26 and nobody seemed to notice." That's a line to save for my book about this insane place.

Mr. C went up to the jardin this morning and bought shredded beef b--b-q from Pepe for our dinner. It was delicious. Finished "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight" today; I recommended it to Charlotte who lived and worked in Africa for many years. Now reading "The Street" by Ann Petry. Set in 1940's Harlen. A gem.

Dinner party tomorrow night. Serving quiche, salad, cantaloupe with Mr. C's vanilla ice cream. Can't wait.

the third time is the charm

2011-12-27T20:02:00.000-08:00

It was off to Tecoman this morning to try, once again, to pay the trust. We arrived at the bank at 9:40; it was virtually empty. We got to the window at 9:45. It took 30 minutes and five bank employees, including the branch manager, to figure out what to do. But at 10:15 we exited the bank with our receipts stamped and signed and we're good for another year. I can't figure out why nobody knows how to do this. There are dozens and dozens of non-Mexicans in this area who are bound by the trust laws. These folks ought to be able to do this in 10 minutes without consulting everybody who works in the bank. One of the persons who appeared was the young woman who did our trust last year in record time. She peered over the shoulder of the woman trying to do the job, murmured something to her, pointed out a few things on the screen, and the next thing we knew the printer was belching out our receipts. We'll definitely look for her first next year.

Tecoman chores included going to the other bank we use, checking on the fate of our CD player which is in the shop for repairs ~ they need to order a part ~ then checking to see if the computer store repairs HP printers ~ ours just doesn't want to print ~ and then on to the paint store to check on colors. We need to repaint the entire house this year because of the damage Hurricane Jova did to the exterior. It basically washed away the paint. Fernando tried to patch it but, unfortunately, used the wrong color. Then to the Bodega for some non-tiaguis shopping (incandescent light bulbs for one thing). To Armeria for fish at la tienda del suegro de Dago, a bag of the world's best chips, then home. All this shopping and choring is exhausting.

A lovely dinner, a quiet evening, an early to-bed. Tomorrow it's time to put up the lights on the third floor and, at last, finish unpacking. It's going to be time to go home before I get around to it.

holiday weekend wrap-up

2011-12-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Eve party at Luly and Ed's was one of the nicest they've hosted. There were about 30 of us seated at round tables in the back garden next to the pool. The buffet was laden with good things to eat; turkey, dressing, cranberry relish, bean salad, carrots (they were a hit), potatoes and gravy, and a big green salad (a must for me!). Mr. C made his pumpkin pie, someone else made a mocha cheesecake that I heard was divine. I brought a big baggie of leftover turkey back home with me. It has provided dinner for two nights. It was nice to see everyone out of flip-flops and into their best ironed shorts! We were home by 9 o'clock. But some surrounding folk were still hard at the holiday festivities until 2 AM. The day dawned clear, sunny, not humid, just perfect. We had Christmas music on all day. Grandson Andrew Skyped us from Milwaukee where he is spending the holidays with his girlfriend Cara and her family. Later on a fast game of dominoes with Marie. Then one of Mr. C's famous frosty margaritas to toast the season.

Tianguis this morning had several wonderful treats. First, the avocado harvest has begun and the price was half what it had been last week: $20 pesos ($1.50 kilo). Great piles of them in every stall.

The tomatoes were particularly good this week, too. $10 pesos kilo (70¢). True, they are the Roma variety, not very juicy and only vaguely tasting like a real tomato, but they make the very best sauce.

Moving down the line to the fruit vendor, these were his berries; sweet and juicy. I'm going to ask Mr. C to make some strawberry ice cream.

And way down at the far end of the market in a stall I don't patronize regularly, I saw these beauties warming their bottoms in the sun just waiting for a good home. The smell was enough to make me want to buy one but I resisted and bought a cantaloupe instead.

Tomorrow is another trip to the bank in Tecoman to pay the trust. If it fails again we will have to resort to dealing with the bank in Puerto Vallarta although I am hoping that won't be necessary. We have four more days to get this done. Let's hope somebody has had a quick lesson on how this all works.

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-24T15:05:00.000-08:00

Dinner at Dago's was a small affair last night; just three of us. But we were joined by one of Neighbor Nelson's "J" sons ~ he has four boys (men?) all of whose names begin with "J" ~ so it made a jolly foursome. My shrimp were, as usual, perfect. I saved half for my "opera salad" today. I set up the speaker system and, first thing this morning, listened to 9 Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge. Absolute heaven! Then followed the Met (it was at 11 AM instead of noon). Lawrence Brownell, the brilliant tenor singing Tonio, hit all his notes right on! Every time I hear the aria, Ah mes amis I first get astonishment, then chills, then tears. He is a fitting rival to Juan Diego Florez, another bel canto star. When he sang Tonio at the Met some years ago the ovation was so tumultuous that he sang Ah Mes Amis a second time just to get the crowd to shut up!

I have just finished cooking my to-die-for carrots for our Christmas Eve dinner party down at Luly and Ed's. Mr. C made his always-a-hit rum pumpkin pie. There will be about 30 for dinner; she's cooking two turkeys so I am taking along a big Ziploc® bag for some leftovers.

I've been listing to all my favorite Christmas music, some traditional tunes, some hymns, some random stuff I have on my iPod. But THIS ONE was my father's very favorite song every years. He used to laugh all the way through it. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Sheila

2011-12-23T09:38:00.000-08:00

Sheila and Peter are residents of our little beach community from Washington. They bought the house that's the very last one at the south end of the colonia. The house itself is not terribly large and sits tucked on one corner of a huge double lot. The rest of the space is taken up with a pool and a fabulous party space with a big b-b-q, an outdoor bar, lovely plantings, and a platform perfect for a stage.

We went down at sunset for cocktails, saw lots of folk we hadn't yet seen this season, and met the new dog in their life, Flint, a Sheltie that replaced BoBo who met with a fatal accident during the summer. The terrazo looked festive ~ lots of lights and Christmas decorations.

Peter had engaged a caterer to provide a fine Mexican menu of all sorts of goodies. I stuck to chicken flautas, carne asada tacos, refried beans and some very spicy rice. We sat at round tables set up at the end of the garden opposite the bar (above) ~ this place goes on and on!

After dinner there was good music and a great singer, dancing, more conversation. We left a bit early and were home by 10 PM.

We didn't know if we would have lights in the house when we came back since the electric company had been working on the lines all day. The juice went off around 11 this morning, after we had taken off for Armeria for our chores. I went out this afternoon to ask when we'd get electricity and was told that it would be at 6 PM. When we left for the party we still had no lights, but by the time we returned the place was it up like Las Vegas. The phone lines had been interrupted, too, but they were restored so the internet was up and running. I was hoping the new electric lines would be underground as they now are in some parts of town but, alas, no. They are still strung from pole to pole, ugly as ever.

It's Friday so that means Dago's tonight. Tomorrow is the Met at noon (our time). La Fille du Régiment by Donizetti. Listen for the tenor's nine high C's and be thrilled!

the tropical blahs

2011-12-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

I think this seasonal disorder has descended on me. I got up this morning and the only thing I could think of was how soon I could take a siesta. Mr. C went in to Tecoman this morning to pay the bank trust (second try). I, on the other hand, changed the sheets and fell back in exhaustion. It seems to me this happens every year; the heat, the change of diet (more avocado, more beer), or just the general lassitude that comes with the tropical lifestyle. He got home about noon with the following story. It took him only a few minutes to get up to the service window. That's when the trouble began. The first person he dealt with had no idea what he wanted. We go to this bank every year but there's always someone who figures out what's needed. So he was passed to a second person. He, too, had no idea what to do. After 40 minutes of discussion, consultation, research and general futzing around, the young man asked Mr. C to indeed write out the checks for the trusts. Then he had no idea what to do with them. He suggested he come back tomorrow. Meanwhile he would research how to complete this transaction. Here's what's mysterious about this. Any non-Mexican with property less than 50 km. from the sea holds a trust that has to be paid annually, before December 31. And the bank doesn't know how to do it?!?

After lunch I read for awhile, "Then We Came to the End" by Joshua Ferris, an hilarious account of an advertising agency is the era of downsizing. I'd post a pix of the cover but my mouse is dead and I can't copy stuff onto the desktop and then post. Sorry. After about an hour, I fell asleep and slept for 2 1/2 hours. I wonder what tonight will be like?

Tomorrow we have to go in to Armeria to consult with Raul, the window man, about our screen sliders. The wheels have rusted out and frozen and the doors won't slide. Plus we need a new screen door on the downstairs small bedroom. Mr. C wants to get a haircut, too. 'Tis the party season and he wants to look his best. We have a big birthday party to go to tomorrow evening at a home way down in the colonia. In fact, it's the very last house on the ocean road. Lands End, one could say. I'm taking my camers.

Meanwhile, we now have to decide how long it's going to take the bank employees to figure out how to process a trust payment. Probably until next week.

two giants are gone

2011-12-20T19:09:00.000-08:00

Our world has lost two ringing voices: Vaclav Hável and Christopher Hitchens, two powerful public intellectuals.

Have was the patriot, poet, philosopher, politician, and the voice of the Velvet Revolution.

Hitchens was the iconoclastic writer, editor, essayist and critic whose targets ranged from God and Mother Teresa to Henry Kissinger. He was a sharp-tongued polemicist who wrote for, among others, Vanity Fair. I always looked for his contributions when I got my hands on that publication.

Two loud and clear interpreters of contemporary life are stilled. RIP.

as though I'd never been gone

2011-12-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

Tianguis was as always full of good things to eat, friendly people, bargains galore for used clothing. It was as though I had been there just last week. That was the good news. The bad news was that we saw heavily armed police patrolling up and down, something we have never seen before. One of the cops, Lalo, is also the chap who grills chicken and zips around the town on his moto on the weekends selling his delicious dinners. He commented that things are, alas, not what they used to be. I have never seen any police presence at the market unless they were buying goods. Times, they have changed, and changed seriously. I am not at all happy about this. I want to preserve the innocence and peace of the last several years, but I suppose, being realistic, that it is irretrievably lost.

But what's not lost is the beautiful produce brought to marked by farmers.

This grand pile of radishes glowed in the shade of the overhang. Makes me want to make a vat of potato salad or some posole soup. This is my favorite stand, the place I go to first for whatever I might want. When I showed up this morning this charming chap smiled and waved. He knows he has a faithful customer for the next few month.

After an hour of trolling up and down the stalls Marie and I went to the Jacaranda for our traditional first-tianguis-of-the-season bean tacos and beer. We'll do it again just like this on our final visit to the market in May. Actually, the end of March; she's going home a month early this year. Boo. We got caught up on our summers (she lives in Bull Shoals, Arkansas) and our plans for our winter stay. New paint job this year? Maybe. Are we going to fire up the big oven for a fiesta? Maybe. Expecting visitors this year? For me, yes. For her, no.

Tomorrow we go back to Tecoman to go to the bank and pay the fiedecomisario (our trust agreement with the Mexican government to lease the land on which our house sits) for the two properties, do some more shopping, go to the bank (again), get a haircut for Mr. C. Out to dinner with friends tomorrow evening. Once we get here, the social whirl starts in earnest. I love it. Mr. C has a different opinion.

Tepic to Cuyutlán to Sunday

2011-12-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

This is the first chance I've had to use the internet since our arrival last Wednesday. We're here, we're safe, we're still getting settled. The entire trip was completely uneventful, just the way we planned. Now let's return to the news.

Here's the promised shot of a bit of Pyramid Lake where we lunched lo these many days ago. Much nicer than the rest stop in Lebec.

Next, here's the stormy sky on Monday morning in San Carlos. I've never seen it like that; it's usually bright and sunny when we leave. These grey clouds followed us all the way to Topolobambo.

On Wednesday morning we left Tepic for Cuyutlán at daybreak. Easy drive into Guadalajara. Made a supplies stop at CostCo and Mega (a giant upscale WalMart-style market that has a good liquor section and excellent meat). Then on to the beach, the temperature rising as we went. There is a lot of road construction going on in this last stretch, widening the toll road from two lanes to four in many places, or three in other spots. It will speed up the trip by at least a half hour, and make it much safer.

Arrived at the house in the 84º afternoon about 1:30. Fernando and Chuy had opened up the doors, made the bed, put out the towels, and set up the furniture in the living room and on the terrazo. Welcome Home! First thing we did was open the fridge for a nice cold beer. But (a) no beer, (b) no electricity and (c) mold. This was not good, especially (b) and (c); (a) we could deal with eventually. Electricity was out all over town for some kind of construction. I hope it is laying those ugly lines underground but nobody seemed to be sure. The garden looks fabulous; the gardeners built me a new garden area in the back; photos to come. I am delighted by their work.

Mr. C went up town and bought beer and we started unpacking. Dinner was already prepared; Chuy made chiles picadillo and they were waiting on the stove. The electricity finally came on around 6, after I had set up candles and flashlights. But the 'fridge did not spring into life. We had this same problem last year; the freon gas had leaked out. It was too late to do anything about it; mañana I will call Tonio. We still had some ice packs left from the road, so we jammed the most important stuff into one cooler, turned out the light and hit the hay.

Thursday morning first thing I called Tonio, the fellow who repaired the fridge last year. His wife said he could come on Friday morning. Not the greatest news but OK. We put some things in a 'fridge over at Jack's and headed to Tecoman for chores. Take the CD player to the repair shop, go to the bank, go to Telmex to get our internet connection (not yet; maybe later today or tomorrow. I'm in the local cybercafe.), and hit the Bodega for dry goods. Then to Armeria on the way home for a bag of deep fried, greasy, heavenly tortilla chips and to gas up the car with $2.67 a gallon Pemex! We were invited out to dinner, a lovely treat. A nice evening with friends at their home with a fine view of the sea and the sunset.

Friday was more unpacking while waiting for Tonio. I decided it was time to do a load of laundry. Mr. C went downstairs to check things out, then called up that I should not come down yet. Why? Dead mice in the washing machine. An hour later I got the all clear. Yes, I could smell traces of their late, lamented demise. But the machine worked just fine. Let me add that this was not the first livestock issue that confronted us. When Mr. C moved the fridge to plug it in, that was a large dead critter behind it. Probably a possum. It had been there for so long that there was no stench left. Like the trooper that he is, get got right to the chore of scraping it up off the tiles, depositing it in the garbage, and cleaning up the mess. He tells the story of his childhood assignment of cleaning out the potato bins in the cellar in preparation for the new crop; if you can get through that job you can do anything!

The repair man never made it. I called several times; no answer. More unpacking. More phone calls. We finally gave up, took showers and headed down to Dago's for Friday night shrimp and conversation. Dago has lost more than 25 yards of beach front where he had tables and umbrellas, thanks to the fury of hurricane Jova. It really did a number on our beach, washing away big dunes that acted as protection from tidal surges. I don't know if he'll ever get that back. But a fine dinner and lovely evening nonetheless.

Saturday I finally reached Tonio's wife and she had no idea where he was and couldn't reach him by phone, either. So I called a different chap, Ramiro. I think I woke him up, but he said he'd come between 11 - 11:30. Fine. At 12:30 he arrived with his son. He gave the 'fridge the once-over, agreed it was the freon, went to Armeria for parts, came back and had it running just fine in an hour. For all of this: 1,500 pesos or about $130 at today's exchange rate. While he was fiddling around in the kitchen I was at Marie's playing a killer round of dominoes and catching up on local gossip. She arrived a week ago and it doesn't take long before the grapevine is up and running. Even Neighbor Nelson, still languishing up in El Norte called to check on the evening's events, a.k.a. Who was There, at Dago's!

Since it's Sunday I got my first glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, still a bit tart because the oranges aren't at their full ripeness, but so delicious. Then more cleaning; there is mold on everything from the very wet and humid summer. But it will all wash away and we'll be ready for what the winter season brings. Fernando came by this morning with a bag of fresh Dorado caught by his brother, a fisherman in Manzanillo. It's fish for dinner. I have to stop by Baby's on the way home to look over her selection of veggies. Then back home for more unpacking, rearranging, putting up the lights on the 3rd floor for the official opening of the season.

Tomorrow being Monday means tianguis. I guess we're here.

Topolobampo to Tepic

2011-12-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

Couldn't post yesterday from Topo. Monday's travel from San Carlos to Topo was completely uneventful, except for a smattering of rain now and then. Overcast skies; cool. Likewise, today's travel from Topo to Tepic was fast and easy. Left our somewhat down-at-heels hotel (the only one in town but we've come to love it and it did seem cleaner this year) at 6:25. Sped through the dread armed camp of Culiacan without looking left or right. A big part of the new "go around" for Mazatlán is finished which means we avoided the horrendous traffic (among other things) that plagues that place. It's been a long, long day and it's very nice to be in a good hotel; plenty of hot water, fluffy towels, good internet connection. There's even a TV but no channels worth watching except the "artes" channel that is broadcasting Mozart. We'll have dinner in the hotel's remodeled dining room tonight ~ something a la Mexicana. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be at the beach. No internet right away; Thursday we'll go into Tecoman to shop and stop at Telmex to sign up for our service. So I'll stop by one of the cyber cafés in town and post a quick update.

Hasta mañana!

Sunday in San Carlos

2011-12-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

What used to take about 20 minutes at the border took 2 hours this morning. New importation rules for cars. Stand in line. Did you check this car out of Mexico when you left in May? No, the new rules were not in effect and I have an FM3 that allows me to come in and out without checking with immigration. Sorry, you have to go over there and check the car out. Done. Here are my documents. No, I need more records. Get records. No, I need copies of these records. Get copies. Finally we got new permits, put the sticker on the windshield, got through the aduana without setting off the alarm, and we were on our way by 10:15. We had left Tucson at 6:45 and made the first border check on the US side by 8 AM. Fortunately I had serious caffiene this morning and stayed awake through the entire ordeal.

As we were leaving I stepped into the ladies' and came in on the middle of a tale b eiing told by a very distraught Mexican woman. She and her fellow travelers were accosted in the city of Culiacan, robbed and generally terrorized. This happened yesterday at 6 PM on the cuota (toll) route. That place has aa very bad reputation and we never even slow down. Perps were disguised as cops. Not what I wanted to hear. We don't hit Culiacan until Tuesday morning. I'll be extra vigilant.

Now in San Carlos. The hotel is showing signs of serious neglect which is really too ba d because it is in a prime location with gorgeous views. But I guess we all tend to get a little shabby over time. We hit the bar for hamburgers and the first Mexican beer of the season. Now it's time to unpack, go into town to get gas and bottled water ~ the hotel used to provide this but no longer ~ then perhaps a siesta or some reading. We'll go to the dining room this evening for some of their wonderful soup, then get a good night's sleep in preparation for the drive to Topolobambp.

Saturday afternoon in Tucson

2011-12-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

We've made it safely so far. I slept most of the way from La Jolla to here. Our hostess served decaf coffee this morning and I didn't realize how dependent I am on caffeine to get me through my life. I'm trying to listen to "The Lord of Misrule" and I kept dozing off. Not the book's fault.

Dinner with boarding school classmates tonight. Then good night's sleep so we'll be ready to face the border issues tomorrow morning. The Mexican government has changed the rules about bringing a car into the country; we have to pay a hefty bond to insure we'll take it home again and not dump it on the used car market. As if. Allegedly we get the money back when we leave.

Next stop: San Carlos. With no delays at the border we should be there by 1 PM in time for lunch.

to heck with Lebec

2011-12-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

We got away yesterday morning at 7 AM sharp. Easy drive all the way; very little traffic. While Mr. C acted as pilot, I listened to the last few chapters of a book on tape and took in the scenery. Our usual pre-lunch stopping spot at a rest stop in Lebec was closed for repairs. Now what? We have made that stop every trip down the state for as many years as I can recall. The pilot suggested we press on and try the Visitors' Center at Pyramid Lake. What a great idea that was. Not crowded, beautiful grounds, spanking clean facilities, all with a view of the sparkling lake. We pulled under a tree, ate lunch, walked through the museum-like displays and agreed to scratch Lebec from the "good places to stop" list. (I took pictures but can't use my Mac here ~ no WiFi, only cable ~ so I'll post tomorrow.

We arrived in La Jolla at 3 o'clock after another fast and easy stretch, made so partly because from the junction of I-5 and 405 it's carpool lane all the way. The sun was shining and I had to shed one of the four layers I had left home in. Time to relax and visit with our hostess, then she went off to a function in San Diego and we joined friends for dinner here in La Jolla. Lots of good conversation got us caught up. Early evening; we were home and in bed asleep by 9 PM. It was a long day.

In fact we've had long days since coming home from Bozeman, getting everything ready to leave so spending today doing mostly nothing has been a blessing. Long and lovely walk this morning with the dogs (strolled by Mitt Romney's pile on the beach), lazy morning, delicious lunch with friends at one of our new favorite restaurants here (Whisknladle), quick laundry, dining in tonight. Early morning departure for Tucson. Tomorrow's post from there.

shutting down for now

2011-12-07T15:39:00.000-08:00

This will be my last posting from the Dew Drop Inn here in the valley. The bags and the car are packed, the Flix@ and the Times have been suspended, the coffee delivery service canceled, the last few loads of laundry are dried and stowed away for the duration of our absence. The big iMac is going to be shut down and packed away. My wardrobe has gone through several additions and subtractions; dinner party in La Jolla, lunch party, another dinner in Tucson, then the gradual climate warming as we head south. I always pack too much for the road trip and end up wearing almost the same thing every day. I am breaking in a new pair of huarache sandals; I wear these shoes constantly and some years ago when some catalog was having a 50% off sale I bought several pair as a stockpile. Last night's 'fridge dinner turned out to be not too bad. I'm still here, aren't I? Tonight's will be the last of the frozen shrimp with enough leftover to take in the car for lunch on the other side of the Grapevine. Did the Trader Joe's snack run for crackers, to the bank for some traveling cash. I hugged Dorothy goodbye. I think we're ready. If not, we're going anyway.

DINING NOTE: Re: yesterday's post about Andrew's birthday celebration. He "went to a tiny sushi place in Bernal Heights that was awesome." End of review.

The LapMac is packed and ready to travel. Next post from La Jolla.

Today!

2011-12-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

The most important news for the day is that beloved grandson Andrew turns 23. He is living in San Francisco so I am hoping he and his nearest and dearest have gone to some splendid eatery/drinkery to celebrate.

As for us old folks here in the valley, to mark his day I had a glorious massage. Thanks, Andrew.

Still packing. Mr. C cleaned out the 'fridge; we're having his discoveries for dinner tonight.

getting ready

2011-12-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I don't like this "getting ready to go" business is that it reminds me what a poor housekeeper I am for the seven months I am here. We make this grand push to dust, vacuum, rearrange, purge, straighten-up, and I think, "How did everything get so dusty, messy, misfiled since I got home?" I think it's one of those "seven deadlies" that makes it happen. Sloth. Sloth is one of my personal bugaboos. Mr. C is not a sinner in this category. He is up and doing early, urging himself on while I malinger in bed, doing the NYT crossword, sipping coffee, making mental lists, contemplating the day's events. By the time I am up he has dressed, read his internet sources, had coffee, leafed through the daily paper, and is already thinking about what he wants for lunch. For me, there is no keeping up with this insane schedule. But he did comment this evening that we are ahead of schedule for our Thursday departure. The car is more than half packed, the shelves, furniture and floors are dusted and waxed, closets and drawers emptied, bathrooms scrubbed and ready for a bacterial test. There may even be time for a Flix® movie or an out-to-dinner. Or a trip to IKEA® for another package of tea lights.

getting closer

2011-12-03T19:23:00.001-08:00

If these two can't keep China in line, nobody can.

It took me all day to clean up my office and get things put away. I don't know why it all gets so messy, but it's a good thing to have a house sitter pay a call. It's amazing how much clutter meets the recycle bin.

So Herman Cain has cashed it in ~ for now. How did Bill Clinton escape the same fate in '92?

(un)controlled chaos

2011-12-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

It's that time again when we pull the house apart, clean where no one has gone in a year, all in an attempt to ready the place for our winter tenant. Yes, we leave for Mexico in 6 days and by the look of things you would never guess we'd meet that deadline. But we will! The car is already half packed, my closet is empty and the leftovers stored in Mr. C's space (the anti-clothes horse has plenty of room). The books are packed, all the can't-live-without-it food items such as peanut butter, Dijon mustard, #40 Penne, powdered buttermilk are stuffed into big plastic boxes. I bought a new, bigger duffel bag this year and it's completely full. I swear, in the spring I'm going to leave half this stuff at the beach so I won't need to do this again. Is that an echo I hear? The house sitter comes Sunday for a final tour and to meet the neighbors. I canceled my $$$haircut on Monday so I could get a $ haircut in Tecoman. Tuesday is a massage, Wednesday a manicure, Thursday it's too late if I've forgotten anything. I've heard from some of the beach dwellers that the weather is perfect. It has been foggy, windy and cold here in he valley so it's time to go!

Just a few more notes on our Bozeman Thanksgiving. Mr. C woke up with a bad sore throat so spent most of the day in bed. The rest of us bustled around preparing the feast; peeling, chopping, mixing, measuring, sampling (food and wine). Around 3 PM on Thursday we lost electricity. The TV went blank, the lights went off, and, most importantly, the thermostat in the oven went off, thus rendering the mighty Viking useless for the turkey. Always quick on the pick-up, Mike moved the turkey outside to spend its final three hours baking in the grill. Meanwhile, other preparations went ahead since the stove top (gas) was working fine. It was getting darker and darker so Mike pulled out his headlamp and continued to run his kitchen without a hitch.

We heard that a transformer on their street went out and Bozeman Electric (or whatever it's called) was on the job and it wouldn't be long. Cait lit many candles and the whole scene was absolutely beautiful.

The turkey was done to perfection, the dressing a delicious Sunset recipe with sausage, chopped squash and other vegetables, sautéd brussel sprouts with capers, a zingy carrot dish I made using cumin, red pepper flakes and paprika (a keeper), a big mound of steaming mashed potatoes.

For dessert, you could choose a rum pumpkin pie (Mr. C's world class recipe), a cranberry walnut tart (my WC recipe) or Mike's pecan pie (his WC recipe). Oh, and don't forget the refreshing tossed greens before these indulgences.

Still no electricity. With Cait's headlamp, candles and flashlights, we got the kitchen back in order when, Presto! the electricity came back on and it was time to drag out the board games (and others). We played Taboo, Bananagram, a few rounds of Mexican Train dominoes, and Scatagories. It was an all around fine day.

Friday morning Mike made these fabulous cinnamon rolls in case we had not had enough to eat the night before. The house was filled with the delicious odors of baking.

When I looked outside I saw that it was beginning to snow. Everything that had lost its white dusting over the past couple of mild (40ºs) was once again covered in snow.

This is the front decking after a few minutes.

For a Californian who spends winters in the tropics, this was quite magical. However, for those who live with it for months, the novelty wears off fast. Mr. C was still very much under the weather and again spent the entire day in bed, sipping soup and dozing. He wanted to be as well as possible for the next day's flight home. While others went in to town or up to Big Sky, I babysat and watched a terrific movie, "Paris was a Woman", a documentary about women artists and writers in Paris between the world wars. Narrated by Juliet Stevenson, one of my favorite actresses. It's on the Flix® instant play.

Once again, our thanks to Cait and Mike, Zeke and Huck, for a memorable Thanksgiving celebration. I don't know about everybody else but I'm planning to go again next year!

We flew home Saturday faced with the prospect of getting ourselves out of town in 12 days. Little by little. Bit by bit. We're almost there. Mr. C is still coughing and snorting but I think by next week he'll be well. So far, so good for me.

all together now

2011-11-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

It is so wonderful to have everyone together for this holiday. Yes, again, I am very thankful.

The Jordan contingent arrived at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, then Cara (Andrew's lovely girlfriend) landed about 5:00, so by 6:00 we were gathered together in the kitchen, getting caught up.

Mr. C served up steaming bowls of onion soup with cheese toasts, all made by his own hand. After dinner came the dog walk, out into the cold, clear night. Beneath all of this fur is our sweet Emily.
This morning, Mr. C is still abed with a bad sore throat and Cait has a tummy upset. Nonetheless there is much bustling about in the kitchen. The turkey will go into the oven in an hour, Alex and Andrew are putting together the dressing using Mike's cornbread, Em is still asleep, Cara is reading her Kindle, Peter is "supervising" in the kitchen, Zeke and Huck are Hoovering the kitchen floor for any dropped goodies. The sun is out, the meadow is sparkling in its white mantle. It's time for me to stir around and get the carrots and brussel sprouts ready. The big Viking oven is getting quite a workout.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

from beautiful Bozeman

2011-11-23T08:09:00.000-08:00

We arrived on Monday night to be greeted by a beautiful snow-covered city. This is what the back meadow looked like when I got up on Tuesday morning.

It's not as cold as it has been; in fact, this morning it's hovering around 45º. We could have stayed home for that kind of weather. So perhaps a picnic is in order?

Perhaps not. No more snow is expected until perhaps tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day.

We spent most of yesterday shopping, laying in the stores for our Thanksgiving feast. Cait had already bought a turkey from the Hutterite community nearby. It is now sitting in the kitchen defrosting. Everything else we gathered from one store or another. We actually made pretty good time; got the whole thing done in about 2 hours. After lunch Cait brought out a jigsaw puzzle she bought for our group enjoyment. 2000 pieces. Devilish. After three people worked for two hours, this is what we had to show for our efforts.

Jigsaws were a traditional part of our Thanksgiving gatherings so it's nice to be reminded once again of those bygone celebrations. We even talked about not going out to Ted's for dinner last night. Instead, we'd just stay in, eat leftovers and work on the puzzle. But the thought of bison short ribs (Mike and I), bison pot roast (Cait), and bison meatloaf (Mr. C) won out.

Today begins the great pre-feast cook off. Mr. C's pumpkin pie is in the oven as I write this. Next will be my cranberry walnut tart and Mike's bourbon pecan pie. Then Mr. C will start on his onion soup to be served for dinner tonight. We want to get as much done before the rest of the crowd arrives this afternoon: Alex, Peter, Emily, Andrew, and Cara. It will be a full house with all my loved ones around the table. I couldn't possibly be more thankful.

The granddogs are thankful, too. More walks, more ear scratching, more laps to try to climb into. Each of these dogs now tips the scales at 80 lbs. This is Zeke, the more "Golden Retriever" of the two; calm, sweet natured, long haired. He has the most soulful eyes and beautiful facial markings.

His brother, Huck, is more Blue Heeler; a bit less sociable, shorter hair, more wiry body, with a true herding instinct.

The beautiful new kitchen is a-bustle with cooks and dogs. I think I'll go join in the fun. I wish all of you a beautiful Thanksgiving celebration.

the verdict is in

2011-11-18T11:01:00.000-08:00

The jury reached its verdict late Thursday afternoon. Even though I was not in the jury room and could not add to the deliberations, my fellow jurors did the right thing.

THE FACTS (as we know them)
In the early morning hours of a February morning in 2008, a bus carrying passengers from the Cache Creek Casino to Woodland went off the road, struck a telephone pole, and came to rest in a ditch. The driver, shortly before the accident, had screamed in pain and clutched his head, taking his hands off the wheel. When the bus came to a stop he was ejected out of the driver's front window and landed on the ground in front of the bus. He was not wearing a seat belt. No one on the bus was injured as he was traveling at only about 10 MPH. It took awhile for the passengers to get out of the bus ~ maybe 10 minutes ~ because of the angle at which the bus came to rest. One of the passengers, who knew the driver, went to check on him. He was "lying on his back" alive but groaning. She spoke to him told him not to move, that emergency assistance was on its way. She went to the rear of the bus to check on the rest of the passengers. When she return to the driver he had somehow re-situated himself, had done a 180º flip and was now on his face with his head under the front bumper of the bus. Firemen were the first emergency team on the scene. Soon came an ambulance with EMT personnel. A life-flight had been called to airlift the injured man to UCDMC trauma center. Several people worked on the driver, trying to get a definite airway, checking on his vitals, etc. In about 15 minutes the flight nurses arrived by helicopter. They also worked over the driver, trying to intubate him so get his breathing stabilized. Nothing worked so they decided to perform a cricothyrotomy to get an airway. They felt an obstruction and were unable to establish an airway. So they all jumped into the ambulance and took the driver to Woodland Memorial Hospital, not a trauma center but the closest medical facility. He was seen by the ER doc, by other docs, but they were unable to help him and he died. The family ~ common law wife, daughter, step-son, were seeking damages against the flight nurses and their company. The job for the jury? To decide if the flight nurse caused his death because of negligence.

THE TESTIMONY
There was a lot of conflicting testimony that the jury had to sort through. The forensic pathologist testifying for the plaintiffs said that the flight nurse had made an incision for the crico that was too deep. An anatomist testifying for the defendant said that when the driver was ejected he suffered probably fatal injuries when he hit the ground FACE DOWN. Hey, wait a minute. The first witness said he was on his back when she found him. The defense theory: the trajectory when he left the bus was such that he landed on his face. The torque was such that he would have rolled over almost immediately, not the least because it's a natural response to get your face out of the mud so you can breathe. My own theory is that's probably what happened, then he tried to get up and fell over. There were witnesses on both sides who were plausible, but more on the defense side than on the plaintiff's. The defendant was an excellent witness; calm, deliberate, knowledgeable . The opposing counsel was unable to rattle or shake him, and believe me, he tried. I now know more about the larynx, esophagus, venus plexis, and could probably perform a crico if I had to. After 15 days of testimony, countless gory pictures, especially of the autopsy (I think I'll skip this class when I go to medical school; too messy), charts and graphs, the defense's and the plaintiff's attorneys rested. Tuesday morning we heard final arguments. I didn't think either one of them did a good job; the plaintiff's attorney was insulting to the defendant and just plain mad. The defense attorney struggled to pin the death on one of the other responders. The jury got the case on Tuesday afternoon at about 2:30. I was excused and went home to wait. The jury went to work.

THE VERDICT
The jury was tasked with finding whether it was negligence on the part of the flight nurses that caused the driver's death. In a civil case there only needs to be nine jurors in agreement, one way or the other. On Thursday I got a call from the clerk that the jury had reached a verdict and would I please come back. So I tore over to Woodland and sat in the courtroom until all the various players were present. The jury came in, I took my place in the alternate's chair and waited. The foreman gave the results to the judge who read them, then passed the paper to the clerk. She read the verdict: "Question: Did Mr. Thomas Zoltansky, a flight nurse for CalStar, contribute to the death of Mr. XX through his negligence of care? Answer: No." The jury was polled; 10 - 2. I would have voted "no" also.

THE UPSHOT
The first thing that happened was the plaintiffs erupted in screaming and swearing. The judge looked utterly appalled, as did the defense and most of the jurors. The judge banged his gavel, the bailiff was up in a flash, muttering into the little microphone on his shoulder, moving toward the family. He got them out of the courtroom with the help of two other sheriff deputies who came from down the hall. The jury was kept in the courtroom until the family was out of the building and out of the parking lot. We were then taken back to the jury room while the building was secured. The defendant and his lawyer came in to talk to us. It was then that we learned that the defendant had already gone through this ordeal twice; once by his company's insurance carrier, once by the state licensing bureau. Both times he had been completely exonerated. So for him, it's finally completely over.

It became increasingly clear that all the family was after was money. I wouldn't really call this a frivolous suit, but the family knew the flight nurse had been cleared, TWICE, of any culpability in the driver's death. Perhaps they though the third time would be a charm and they'd strike gold. Alas, it didn't happened.

After about half an hour the jurors were escorted out of the building by the sheriffs, seen to their cars, and directed out of the parking lot. I met with a couple of them later on to talk about how the deliberations had gone. Slowly but steadily. I think they came to the right conclusion.

So there you have it. Now it's on to Bozeman tomorrow for a week of family, food, dogs, snow and whatever else is in store for us. The rest of the group arrives on Wednesday. Then the fun will really get started. Until then, it will be getting to know the new kitchen (Jim) and playing with the dogs (that would be me!).

Here's a little taste of our gorgeous fall foliage here in the valley.

I'm taking the LapMac with me, and the camera. Next shots will be of, I would guess, snow.

gut(ter) reaction

2011-11-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

At 7:30 Monday morning, this big truck pulled up in front of the house bringing our new gutters. Five beefy guys got out and immediately started ripping the old gutters off the house. It sounded like they were ripping off the roof and tearing into the walls. But not, it was only the old, rusted gutters and drainpipes that came off.

Meanwhile, I was bustling around getting ready for another day in court. Court finished at noon due to other judicial business so I was home by 12:30. By then, the workmen had installed these beautiful gutters and snazzy downspouts, cleaned up their mess, and gone on to the next job. So I took myself off to CostCo to begin the Great Shopping Expedition in preparation for the Mexico trip. I took with me one of my Mexican Freida bags, put it in the cart, and began my methodical up-and-down the aisles. Wouldn't you know it that while my back was turned, someone unseen by me helped him/herself to my wonderful bag. It will cost all of $3 to replace but it could have been the Hope Diamond I was so angry. Fortunately I had thought twice about putting my wallet into the bag so all that was safe. But the very idea! At CostCo, no less. I don't know why I think that institution, and its shoppers, should not have to suffer such invasions. I reported it to the Membership desk, assuring them that neither they nor I could do anything about it. I just wanted them to know. And what really made me mad was that we had done the gutters through CostCo.

Tuesday's court business was the last witness, the instructions to the jury, and the recess of the jury to begin deliberations. Where was I? Sent home. Since I'm the alternate I get locked out. They will call me back when the verdict is rendered. No matter which way it goes I'll be interested to learn how they got there.

Today was spent pawing through sweaters and other warm garments anticipating the cold in Bozeman (it was 20º today). I found the silk underwear I wore during our winter sojourn in Europe in 2004-05. It will come in mighty handy. Cait has said they have all kinds of wool, cashmere, fleece, down, etc. so not to worry. The weather pattern looks pretty good, though. Clear and cold M-W, then rain and snow on Thanksgiving Day and Friday. We come home on Saturday. Then we have the heat of Mexico to contemplate as we pack shorts and T-shirts. I like that better.

germ warfare

2011-11-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

We have on our jury a gentleman who has been sick almost the entire time. Coughing, blowing, etc. Well, guess who is now coughing and blowing? Just what I need as we wrap up this trial and I get ready for Bozeman. So I am taking it very easy this weekend, except for the Indian dinner tonight, to try to ward off any further germs. I am determined to be well for the Thanksgiving festivities. I'll stick close to the chicken broth, the Kleenex®, some old New Yorkers that need to be read, probably take a nap. I should be fit and ready for some nice hot curry by evening.

he got a job!

2011-11-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

The answer to every Mother's prayer: "My son has a job!" Yes, grandson Andrew, a proud graduate of Claremont McKenna, landed a job at Twillo in San Francisco. I have no idea what he is going to be doing; something with internet and computers and communications and who know what else. But as of November 28 he will be gainfully employed. He has said that over the Thanksgiving holiday, when we are all together in Bozeman, he will give his assembled family clanspersons a tutorial on what his work is all about. Meanwhile, if you want to check it out, this is what I'm talking about.

Today was the last jury day for the week. We have completed week three and are released until Monday. The judge has said we are right on track, time-wise. So perhaps the case will go to the jury early next week. Despite the fact that I am an alternate, I think I have to be in the court room every day until the "real" jury reaches a verdict. I'll bring a good book while I wait for my fellow jurors to do the right thing. I can't tell you what I think that is just yet. I doubt if I'll get to deliberate; everyone seems pretty healthy as of now.

The weekend will be spent doing some preliminary packing for the beach, some CostCo shopping for "must haves" and yet more list-making. Tomorrow night I am meeting women friends for dinner at a local Thai restaurant. Saturday night Mr. C and I are joining a group for an Indian dinner that is a fund-raiser for a local non-profit. Sunday will be spent with more packing and getting the exterior ready for the installation of new gutters on Monday, compliments of Leaf Guard. There is no rest, is there?

another day in court

2011-11-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

This was a rather difficult day in court with some testimony that was not easy to listen to. But the jury is a group of really great people; I think we all felt the same. More tomorrow, then a day off on Friday for Veteran's Day, and a nice long weekend that will give us all a breather. I can't tell if it's about to wrap up, testimony-wise, but I think so.

I get home from court, kick off my shoes, check email, have a spot of dinner and fall into bed. It's like having a job, for heaven's sake! I am distracting myself with two books; "Lucky Jim" by Kingsley Amis, which I've already read a couple of times but nonetheless am enjoying, and "The Debt to Pleasure" by John Lanchester. It is a wonderfully evil little cookbook and a wickedly funny account of the life of a loquacious Englishman named Tarquin Winot, revealed through his thoughts on cuisine as he undertakes a mysterious journey around France. The revelations become more and more shocking as the truth about the narrator becomes apparent. He is a monster, and yet an appealing and erudite villain. I sit in the courthouse parking lot during the noon break listening with total delight to this hilarious book. It elevates my mood for an afternoon of depressing revelations before the bar.

the wheels of justice

2011-11-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

Day one of week three. Characters in court today sent from Central Casting. Wish I could tell you more but it will have to wait. Let it be said that it was a great day. I don't know who finds these people but he/she did a great job! I have been mulling over a question I needed to have answered by a witness in order to clarify something that's been keeping me up at night. I was hoping for someone to show up who could set my mind at ease. Today that happened. A good night's sleep is in order.

it's been a long week

2011-11-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

Week two of my jury service is over; week three begins tomorrow. At the rate things are going I'm not sure it will be over before I leave for Bozeman. I can only remind the judge that, ab initio I let him know that the 18th is my last possible date of service. Well, let's see what this coming week brings, and it's only four days since the 11th is a holiday.

The plumber came on Monday to inspect the faucet problem we were having. The culprit turned out to be the lining of the flexible hose; it had come loose and jammed the head so no water was coming out. Mr. C exercised his discriminating taste and managed to buy the most expensive set-up the plumber had to offer. That, plus the hourly charge for his services totaled a tidy sum. But the water is once again gushing into the sink.

It has turned cold here, down into the 50ºs. Even a smattering of rain. Morning walks are ultra invigorating, but I need it to keep me alert in the court room. Heard from Cait that it was 19º and "snowing like crazy" so I mustn't complain. I've been working my way through my sweater drawer and coat closet trying to find enough warm clothing for the Thanksgiving trip. I don't own enough layers for such weather.

Halloween is for dogs!

2011-10-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Toby (across the street) and Zeke (Bozeman resident) are dressing up for Trick or Treat. Toby put on his bumble bee costume this morning and posed for me. Does he look like he's having fun? I think not.

Zeke looks a bit like Brenda Starr, Girl Reporter, except I don't remember her nose being so big or her face so hirsute. But the red hair is a dead give-away. Zeke is the more placid, easy-going of the pair. Huck was having none of it.

I believe I have commented in these pages that Halloween is my very least favorite celebration in the year. I never have liked it, even as a child. I was not allowed to eat anything I brought home so saw no point in the whole effort. I didn't like dressing up, didn't like going door-to-door. What a drip. Our neighborhood is almost empty of children now; they've all grown up and moved away but the parents have stayed here. It will be quiet tomorrow night. I think we had one trick-or-treater last year.

Meanwhile, we are without water in the kitchen. We think the faucet has failed. I don't think it's the piping in the house as the dishwasher gets water. Mr. C tried taking it apart, got only so far and without the investment of several hundred dollars in plumber's tools, is stymied. The plumber comes tomorrow. If it can be fixed, fine. If not, we'll have to buy a whole new faucet set-up and then get the plumber back to install it. I, of course, will be wiling away my time in court during all of this. One week down, three to go.

bears in the neighborhood

2011-10-28T19:48:00.001-07:00

Living in a city we all are plagued by pests. You know, ants, mosquitoes, sometimes pesky cucaraches and even mice. How's this for an annoyance:

Due to a recent bear sighting by our neighbor (on her front porch!), Mike took it upon himself to clear our apple tree of any "bear temptations." We have had a bumper crop of apples this year--very juicy and sweet! We've already made a giant vat of apple sauce, and I made an apple cake last night for my Book Group. On the menu for breakfast this morning is oatmeal with diced apples. And today is coring/peeling/slicing/ziploc bagging for freezing. If any of our Thanksgiving recipes call for apples, rest assured!

This is from Cait in the wilds of Bozeman. No more whining about bugs, hear?

the long arm of the law

2011-10-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

I can tell you this; jury duty, especially in this case, is not a restful duty. I came home from today's session absolutely exhausted. Although the actual time in the courtroom is not long, it is very intense. One has to pay close attention to every question, every statement, every nuance, every inflection of both question and answer. We are now through day four of a possible 18 ~ two days off because of the holiday on the 11th and the judge's conflict on the 4th. I'm going to try to get a massage on both of those days. I'll need it.

I remember (barely) when Mr. C was still practicing and how intense it was around here when he was in trial. Early to bed, early to rise, no socializing as long as it all lasted, little conversation. Total immersion. Now I truly understand the stress and the concentration. And I'm just an alternate who will, in the end, have no say about anything.

other people's lives

2011-10-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

Since I can't tell you anything about what's going on with me, except that I'm in a room with 13 other jurors, a judge, a couple of attorneys, some witnesses, and a charming bailiff named Jason, for several hours a day, I'll give you a taste of how others are living.

These are photos sent by daughter Caitlin from Bozeman, MT. Fall has definitely arrived and, with it, all the gorgeous tricks Mother Nature has. These are pictures Cait took on her walk yesterday. Enjoy!

This is the meadow behind Cait and Mike's house.

There is a big barn across the road from their house with these golden aspen trees.

At the end of their street there are some houses around a lovely little pond.

We'll be there in a month to celebrate Thanksgiving with them and the rest of the family. By then there will most likely be snow on the ground and in the mountains. Can't wait!

meet alternate juror #2

2011-10-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

I was unable to dodge. The bullet hit me dead on. For the next four weeks I will be in a civil trial in Yolo County Superior Court. Not many girls can be that lucky. I'll tell you all about it when it's over. Meanwhile, my lips are sealed.

A day of complete rest, lots of tea and chicken broth, and a couple of books returned me to perfect health yesterday. My neighbor, her sister and their two dogs and I went out for a beautiful long walk in the early morning sun. The leaves are falling, the chrysanthemums are blooming in all the gardens. There are clusters of brilliant pink and ruby cyclamen that light up winter gardens. When we were living in Italy in 2004 we bought many pots of them to put out on our balcony to brighten up the dreary, gray winter days.

Early walk tomorrow morning to stir up the blood and get me ready for several hours of legalese. I have a zillion things to do before leaving for Mexico, but duty calls.

Saturday blahs

2011-10-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

Woke up with sore throat and stuffy head. Don't know where this germ may have come from. But I have to report for jury duty on Monday. That may have something to do with it. Fall cold? Hope not. Had to cancel both my walk and my massage. Bummer. Spent the day mostly in bed reading; Russell Hoban's Ridley Walker. One of the most clever, inventive, imaginative books ever. Post-apocalypse society and our hero, Ridley's account of it.

Gorgeous weather holding as I could see from my sick bed. Maybe better tomorrow so I can get outside for a nice morning walk.

Go Cardinals. Given tonight's score, are they playing football?

to cable or not to cable . . .

2011-10-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Let me state right from the start that we do not have cable TV delivery in our home. Or I should say, for complete disclosure, we do not PAY for cable delivery. It's a long story but one year when we returned from the beach, the person who had been house sitting for us had installed cable for her use. She was here for only two months, moved out and, presumably, canceled cable service. However, the company did not discontinue its service so when we returned we had this fantastic buffet of TV choices. This went on for three years until one morning, we couldn't get half of the cable channels but still got what might be called low-down-basic channels. This technological delivery did not come with any bill. We were sucking off cablevision without paying for it.

Last evening I ambled out to the den and turned on the TV for the news. Nothing but one of those rainbow test patterns. All the stations were dead with a message to contact the cable provider for its latest translation boxes if I wanted to continue to receive the signal. What? All I wanted was KQED or KVIE for the News Hour. I called immediately but was told it might be several hours before I got a Service Representative since the call load was very heavy. I bet it was!

So I logged on to my computer0 and watched the news. But this would not work for long. This morning I decided to go to the cable provider's local office and find out what the problem was. However, I needed to be very careful here. I was getting cable but was not paying for it. Who was? I had no idea. I didn't want to be slapped with a bill for 5 years of unpaid cable use to the tune of several thousands of dollars.

No problem. Yes, the provider had changed its requirements in the middle of the night and no problem that you are not a subscriber. Take this little magic box, follow the instructions, pay $10 for a month and you'll get what you want. Very basic. Network, PBS, a few extras. Sounds good. I returned home clutching the magic box, the instructions and a list of channels we would get for the rock-bottom, no-frills cable membership. Mr. C wrestled with it for a time, couldn't get it to work. I called the help line for advice. Another example of fantastic and patient help. Do you have the box plugged in with the power cord? Ooops. Once we did that and waited for the operator to send the signal we were in the land of cable watchers.

All of this for one month's service. We'll probably actually get cable legitimately when we get back from the beach. Right now we have what 's called "Limited Basic." For next year I'm eying Starter; it has MSNBC. That means Rachel. It's an election year. Essential!

another unintelligible mystery

2011-10-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Last night's presentation of Kate Atkinson's Case Histories was a big disappointment. I very much liked the book, the way she set up three incidents from the past (including one from our hero's own life that's never fully explained) and then brought it all together in the present. Jason Isaacs is the perfect Jackson Brodie, the ex-policeman with the messy life who can out-think everyone and solve any case.

That said, if I hadn't read the book I would have been completely baffled by what I saw on the screen. Too many threads to keep neatly woven, and no chance to flip back a few pages to double check on a name or a fact. And way too much mumbling. I think the English must hear differently than I do. Half the dialogue was lost. That's the same complaint I had about Ken Branaugh and the Kurt Wallender mysteries. This group needs a better sound editor.

Will I tune in for One Good Turn, the next episode, on October 23? Of course.

it might as well be spring

2011-10-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

The weather is so gorgeous right now it's hard to remember that we've been in autumn for almost a month. Balmy is what it is.

Meanwhile, down at the beach folks are still cleaning up after a good dousing. Dago lost about half his beach and restaurant seating area.

The side fence and the seaside cooking and prep areas are gone, although the beach shower is still standing.

You can see it just at the tip of the umbrella. It used to be surrounded by the grill area. I'm sure he'll have it all put back together by the time we get there.

Looking southeast on the malecón on the seaside are great piles of what were once puestos. I don't think Fernando's place got ruined; at least, I haven't heard anything about that. Most of the rubble and sand have been swept away but there's obviously still a lot of work to be done.

My run-ins with the DMV and AT&T took several hours out of three days. I have to renew my driver's license before we leave for the beach since it expires in April and driving in Mexico without a license is probably not a good idea. Over the course of three days I managed to fill in the paperwork, present medical certificates (for eyes), take a driving test and pass it. Now I wait for the new (and apparently newly designed) license. As for AT&T, what I wanted to do was, it seemed to me, very simple: arrange to have my bills paid automatically. Oh, easy! Alas, not so. Several years ago, the woman who stayed in our house did that very thing and although she certainly no longer pays the bill, her name is on the account and there can be ONLY one name. An hour and a quarter at the store here, with three people working on it, did not solve the problem. The next day I tried getting it done by phone. The delightful and very competent Paula and I wrestled with the issue for another hour. We finally got rid of the other person's name on the account and, if Paula is to be believed, the account is now straightened out. It will either get paid monthly, or I will have a huge bill when I return, or the whole thing will be cut off. I must add, too, that Paula was actually in the USA; in Tucson. No linguistic gymnastics required.

By the way, when I was at the AT&T store I asked if they had any phones that plugged into the wall. They looked at me in amazement as if I were asking if they sold dinosaur kibble. I actually need one for the beach; the one I took down a few years ago is about shot. They suggested the drug store as a good place to find one.

adios Jova

2011-10-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

I heard from Jack this morning that Jova has moved northeast, leaving a trail of dealth and destruction, but not in our village. Gale-force winds, 12" of rain, some downed palm trees, some flooding, but no structural damage to our house. Yes, the palapa is still there. I don't know whether those neighbors who left for higher ground have been able to return. We are mighty thankful that it wasn't any worse. Barra de Navidad and Puerto Vallerta were badly damaged; terrible structural damage, many dead.

Now it's time to move on and write about something else. Tomorrow, all the grim details about dealing with two of our favorite bureaucracies: AT&T and the DMV.

latest from the storm zone

2011-10-12T14:28:00.001-07:00

This is a photo taken in Barra de Navidad on Monday. I think I know where this is; the big building in the back is a hotel, the destroyed building in the foreground was a seaside restaurant.

This was taken on the outskirts of Manzanillo, about 35 miles north of us. I have heard via the internet that many people evacuated our village and now can't get back in because of flooding. No electricity or phone contact. I'll try to call Jack tomorrow but I'm not optimistic that I can reach him. I am sure that if our house had sustained any serious damage Fernando would have called us so I am operating on the "no news is good news" theory. There are only a few real treasures in the house, things that could not be replaced. Everything else is just stuff. As long as all of our friends are safe, that's what is the most important thing.

who is Jova?

2011-10-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

I hate to tell you but Jova is the Category 3 hurricane headed for the Mexican Pacific coast. From the northern end of the state of Michoacan to the southern end of the state of Jalisco, and the entire coast of the state of Colima betweem there is a hurricane watch. That swath is in Jova's path. She is expected to make landfall in Barra de Navidad sometime tomorrow morning. The port of Manzanillo is closed, the airport is on watch due to high winds. Puerto Vallerta is buttoning up. Tourists in both Barra and nearby Melaque have to decide whether to stick it out or flee. I talked to Jack this afternoon to check on how things are in our village. No rain yet but it's getting progressively more windy with light rain. I heard via email from others in town that they are either leaving or hunkering down to ride it out. I am only really concerned about two things in our house; the palapa roof on the third floor and the big glass sliding doors on the second. But Fernando will keep an eye on things. Jack said he'd let us know as things progress. I'm not sure he'll be able to do that since the first thing to go in even the wimpiest storm is the electricity. Next are the telephone lines. Stay tuned.

getting into the sauce

2011-10-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

During one of his early-morning trolls of the internet Mr. C found a recipe for The World's Best Meatballs. It calls for 12 cups of rich tomato sauce. Admittedly, the recipe makes enough for 12 people, but I needed to replenish my store of sauce anyway, so Saturday was the day.

I started with a trip up to the Saturday Farmer's Market for all the fresh ingredients.

I particularly like these end-of-season tomatoes; big and juicy and very acidic. Red and green peppers in abundance. A big jalapeño for a little snap. Piles of yellow onions. A head of garlic. Half a bunch of basil. Olive oil, salt, pepper, a few red pepper flakes, some dried Italian herbs.

Next I found the big pot I always use, even though this batch is not going to be as big as my usual 30 quart endeavor.

I used to make enough to last us two or three years, pouring the sauce into jars, putting them into a water bath for half an hour, then vacuum sealing them. Not this time. Maybe the extra will go into the freezer.

Then I got out my favorite tools.

These are a sturdy chopping block, three good, sharp knives, and my food processor. Makes it all so easy. All the chopped veggies go into the pot, simmer for three house, and I'm ready for the meatballs. But first the sauce has to sit a couple of days to "ferment" and meld the flavors. The meatballs will come when the rain does.

Well, the rain came and so did the meatballs. Four meats (beef, pork, turkey, bacon), herbs, onions, garlic, parsley, cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Mush it all together, let it sit for a few hours, then make the meatballs. Half a cup each, more or less. Brown them first, then put them into a casserole dish, cover with the (now nicely seasoned) tomato sauce, bake an hour and a half.

Then it's time to serve them up with crisp veggies and a hunk sourdough bread to sop up the ambrosial sauce. Pour a little Zin. A meal sure to keep the cold and wet at bay.

After dinner I watched the first couple of episodes of The State Within, a chilling BBC political thriller with a fine cast that includes Jason Issacs as the British Ambassador to Washington and Sharon Gless as the Secretary of Defense. There are enough twists and turns in this series to satisfy the pickiest of conspiracy theorists. Several thumbs up.

I just caught sight of the announcement that Steve Jobs has died. I have never owned anything except an Apple. Never will. RIP, you amazing genius.

and the rains came

2011-10-04T09:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon it got overcast and cool and then the rains came. They're still here. That means an indoor day with books, hot tea, a nap, perhaps a movie. Hard farings, I know.

bring it on!

2011-10-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Steve Sims and his merry men delivered our wood yesterday. Two-year old seasoned almond; burns hot, has little smoke. Doesn't look like much but it will last us 3 years at our rate of burning. Next week is forecast to bring us rain, wind and cold, starting either Monday night or Tuesday. We're ready.

back in shorts

2011-09-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

The weather has warmed up again, as was predicted. High blue skies, warm sunshine, no wind. Some of the trees in town are beginning to turn, not to gold or red but to a dead brown color. Our birch trees are losing their leaves. Ditto the wisteria vines. And there is some species of tree I parked under yesterday that drips a very sticky sap. Dorothy got hit with it but I cleaned her off. It was all over the streets, too, and I brought some of it home on my shoes and tracked it into the house. A mess.

I have three movies from the Flix® waiting for my attention: Volver, The Cooler and For Love of Country. But I'm in the middle of The Fifth Woman by Henning Mankell ~ a Kurt Wallender mystery. Too many choices. I think the book will win; too nice to stay indoors and watch a movie when I could be sitting on the deck reading. I have put it on my Flix® list, too; it was one of the Masterpiece Mystery presentations. Kenneth Branaugh as Kurt. Brilliant casting.

We ordered our firewood for the coming winter. Even though we're not here for most of it, we get enough cold days and nights in late October and November to allow for a few nice fires. A half a cord will last us about 3 years at our rate of burning!

rain!

2011-09-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

The temperature has gone from 95º yesterday to 70º today, and now it's raining. If this weren't the valley I am speaking of I would say that summer is over, fall has begun, and the cooler weather is a welcome change. And it's good for the gardens. Tomorrow everything will be fresh and clean and the accumulated dust will be wash off the trees and shrubs. But since it is the valley, you know the heat will return in a couple of days and the thermometer will climb back into the 90's for another week or two. Yet as of this moment, it's long-pants and sweaters for the day.

going gentle

2011-09-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Dylan Thomas

On Thursday afternoon, a dear friend slipped into that good night, but gently. He was a mentor while I was in graduate school, and we stayed friends for all these years. Being present when a soul leaves its home is a profoundly moving experience of breathtaking power. He was here. Then he wasn't. But his going was quiet and peaceful. Eighty-five years young. He will be deeply missed.

Then yesterday, when I returned from having a lovely lunch with another dear friend ~ do our friends become more dear to us as we age? ~ only to learn that the funny, rambunctious dog who lived across the street had been bitten by a black widow spider and had died. He was a Cock-a-poo mix named Nemo, so named because he was missing a paw. Here he is, rooting around in his toy basket, looking for a bone.

It has not been a good week for God's creatures, great and small.

they're back!

2011-09-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's that time of year again when the students surge back into our quiet little town. Classes actually start on Thursday but most returned over this past weekend. That means more (and faster) cars on the streets, heedless bicyclists, no parking anywhere, lines everywhere, no tables at local restaurants. Grumble, grumble, grumble. But they do bring life to the old town and cash into the local coffers so I should not complain. Passing observation: they seem to get younger every year. Conversely . . . no, I'm not going to go there.

down and out, but not for long

2011-09-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I asked Mr. C if he would do the post office run so I could keep on with the housecleaning. He agreed, and as I was getting a stamp to put on a letter I heard a loud thud. I turned around and he was flat on his back, arms outstretched, out cold. Yikes! With the self-stick stamp still on my finger, I ran into the room, got down on my knees and called his name several times. He was ashen-faced and absoutely still. He finally opened his eyes and looked at me as if he'd never seen me before. But after about 10 seconds he said, "What happened?" "You fainted!" We decided he got up too fast from where he was sitting and all the blood drained out of his brain. And for those of you who know him, he has a very busy brain and it needs LOTS of blood. Needless to say he did not go to the PO. Instead, he lay down for awhile but soon felt ok. Not low blood pressure; just blood pooling. Very dramatic! It happened again this morning without the fall. He got up too fast and felt woozy. Easy does it is the new mantra around here.

As for the visit with Patty, it was splendid. We drove to St. Helena; we took the Silverado Trail instead of the straight shot of 121 to 24 to Tra Vigne. She grew up in Napa so knows all the byways. Gorgeous drive. After lunch we drove to Sonoma so she could take care of some long-overdue banking business. Then back here for another fine dinner and more talk. Friday morning she was off to visit more friends in Placerville. I am hoping we'll get to see her once more during her 2-week California tour. She and I have known each other for over 50 years. Old friends are the very best, the treasures of our lives.

nothing like guests . . .

2011-09-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

. . . to put you in a frenzy of house-and-garden cleaning! My best college pal Patty, who lives on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake, is due to arrive this afternoon. She'll stay the night (change the sheets and towels, scour the guest bath, find flowers, put something good to read on the night table, etc.) and tomorrow she and I will drive up to St. Helena for lunch at Tra Vigne. We haven't seen her since our trip to Nova Scotia last year where she and her spouse have a summer house in Lunenberg. Mr. C has cleaned and treated the Saltillos in the front (an annual chore; they look gorgeous) and is now sweeping the leaves off the back deck. The menu is decided, the proseco is chilling. Now for a quick mop in the kitchen and we're ready for anything.

I made our reservations for the trip to Bozeman for Thanksgiving. We'll all be together for what I'm hoping will be a snowy celebration. Cait and Mike have remodeled their kitchen, bought a big Viking range (Mr. C can hardly wait to try it out), and foolishly mentioned how terrific it would be for us to all come for the holiday, never dreaming we'd take them up on it. Looking forward to seeing the granddogs, too.

I have just finished Part 1 of this remarkable book. It's long and complicated but absolutely fascinating. The author started on the road to this book when he began advanced training in cancer medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston in the summer of 2003. During his first week, a colleague who’d just completed the program took him aside. “It’s called an immersive training program. But by immersive, they really mean drowning,” he said. “Have a life outside the hospital,” the doctor warned him. “You’ll need it, or you’ll get swallowed.” The writing of this book is what kept him from drowning.

on 9/11

2011-09-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Like everyone else on the planet I have been watching, reading, listening to and thinking about our national disaster of 9/11. Unlike many, however, I was getting full-up on it all. I would rather have seen or read or heard one or two really good thoughts or essays or Op Eds; the endless ink and celluloid were getting to me. Nonetheless, I watched some of the ceremony to commemorate the opening of the New York memorial, which I happen to think is stunningly gorgeous. Here's what really moved me to tears. A young man, now 21, talked about what he missed about his father. "I miss having you teach me how to catch a football, how to drive, and how to ask a girl out on a date." That young man's poignant and sweet longing for his father's love and wisdom turned on the waterworks big time.

there was a change of plans

2011-09-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

The trip to the Crocker last Tuesday was canceled after Alex received a phone call from Pete telling her that g-daughter Emily had been injured while on a school-sponsored camping trip. I'm still not sure how it happened but it involved her knee and the faculty counselor thought it was serious. So Tuesday morning was spent calling around to find a good orthopedic surgeon who could check out the problem. Of course the camping site was in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. How to get her out of there and to the ranger station where she could be picked up? She was going to have to hike out ~ or limp out. Meanwhile, Alex decided she had to go home that day instead of Wednesday as originally planned. Much cell phoning back and forth. Before she left we learned that Em had gotten off the mountain to the station and her father was there to pick her up.

On Wednesday Alex called to say that the damage was not as bad as had been feared. More of a sprained ligament, not a tear. She was actually able to walk down the trail. No surgery necessary. She was seen by a doc in Santa Barbara ~ she goes to school in Ojai so it's a good idea to have a doc relatively close by for follow-up. Front and back motion; no lateral motion. That's OK for walking but not OK for volleyball playing. And she's on the girls' volleyball team. No sports for four weeks. She's now at home recuperating under her mother's loving attention. She'll return to school over the weekend.

Even though the visit was cut short, it was wonderful to have her here. We'll to the Crocker next time.

a labor-free Labor Day

2011-09-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

The only thing I labored over yesterday was this absolutely delicious fresh peach and blueberry pie that we enjoyed with a big dollop of Hägen Daz vanilla ice cream for our dessert last night. I bought the peaches at the Farmers' Market on Saturday. Four pounds of them, all sliced up into Mr. C's perfect-every-time crust.

(Author's note: I am a terrible food photographer. I'm either going to have to learn how to do this well or quit altogether.)

Otherwise, the day was spent having a massage, then finishing "Gilead." What a rich, thought-provoking and challenging book. Robinson's Pulitzer Prize winner is filled with incisive thought and careful and elegant prose. I've already put it on my list to read again next year.

Alex has gone into town to meet an old friend for a morning visit. Then she and I are going to the Crocker Museum of Art for a stroll through its treasures. Perhaps a smart lunch someplace nearby. She heads back home tomorrow. It has been a wonderful visit. I wish she lived closer so we could do this Mother-Daughter thing more often.

"The Help"

2011-09-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

I liked the book. I liked the movie. Producer and director did a good job of translating the story from the page to the big screen. My only fear was that the stereotypes would be larded on. Not so. The South was (and still is) a complicated place. Excellent performances, esp. Viola Davis. A two-tissue flick.

rememnbrance and thanks

2011-09-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

At the end of my sophomore year in high school I begged and pleaded with my parents to let me come home from boarding school and finish up at the local school. I had been away from home for three years, coming home only three or four times during the school term and for summer.

This is as far as I got writing a post for July 27, 2011. I had just come home from a trip to La Jolla to visit boarding school friends. Photo above was taken in the lovely white garden of my hostess. I was thinking about how much I like and admire these women I saw, how precious their friendship is, and what I would be missing without them. This got me to remembering that summer when I was so unhappy about being away from home. I could see houses in the town from my dorm window and thought about the family life going on behind lighted windows and longed for that for myself. But my parents were not moved by my entreaties, and so in September I was duly packed up and sent back. It's true, it was only to La Jolla, about 40 miles away, but it might as well have been Bangor, Maine to my unhappy heart. At that time I realized that I was going to be there for two more years so I'd better make the best of it.

As I sat at dinner on Monday night at the lovely home of one of my classmates and looked around the table at the collection of friends I was struck by how fortunately it all turned out. Had I left school as I wanted I wouldn't know these people and I wouldn't have been at that table. Even though it's been 50 years and we have moved in various and several directions we experienced our growing up together, sharing the same experiences at the same time. That's very powerful glue.

I'm not really sure why my parents sent me to boarding school. When I asked my mother she would wave away my question with some lame thing about getting a "good education." I have my own explanations but, at this late date, they don't matter. Whatever the reason was, I am, at this ripe age, profoundly grateful.

So now I'll move on to other things, filling in the long, silent gap between July 27th and today. Not only was I not writing here, I wasn't reading others' blogs, either. I completely missed the gorgeous re-do over at No More Commas Period. My friend Deborah, she of Thinking Too Much has started a new blog, Thinking for Myself. My niece and her family weathered (!) Irene back in Connecticut. Daughter Alex went to visit daughter Caitlin in Montana.

From all accounts, it was a great visit. Grandson Andrew and his main squeeze came up for a visit. Vegged out by the pool for two days. Mr. C took his annual leave to Ohio; I stayed home and vegged out by the pool. My friend Robin is about to take off for a 2 1/2 year stint as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco. Read all about it in her blog, Tourist in Morocco. I went to the wedding of my neighbor's daughter. I've know the bride since she was 3 years old. Photo of B & G won't upload. I'll fiddle with it and see if I can make it work. Now Alex is here for a few days of, well, vegging out by the pool. I did quite a bit of reading during my hiatus, a bit of movie watching, most of it unremarkable. Oh, except for Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, a moving and rich novel that I know I will read again. Alex and I are going to see "The Help" this afternoon. Review to come.

I've probably left out some things that transpired around here. Nothing too important, I'm sure. It's good to be back.

two years gone

2011-08-31T06:01:00.000-07:00

Tu me manque tous les jours.

gone fishin'

2011-08-23T12:29:00.001-07:00

But I'll be back soon.

today's fortune

2011-07-17T16:37:00.001-07:00

Who are these cute kids?

They are the Sanchez children, Antonio and Adelina. Why are they on my blog? Because granddaughter Emily left for Spain on Thursday and she will be living with the Sanchez family for a month. Did I forget to mention she was going to do that? I AM out of practice.

Last night we went to a new (to us) Chinese eatery in town. I would give it about a "B". The spicy tofu wasn't good (or spicy), the Mongolian beef was tender and hot, the steamed veggies were perfect. Here's my fortune: Great works are performed not by strength, but my perseverance. I have not idea what that means.

Off tomorrow morning for a few days with boarding school gal pals in La Jolla. Not taking the LapMac; traveling light. Taking camera, tho. Hostess has computer so I can post, if so inclined. Obviously I have not been so inclined these last few weeks. Maybe a little trip will wake me up.

Weather here cool and lovely. Same in SoCal, I think. Even cooler, perhaps. Looking forward to beach walking, avenue strolling, getting caught up with friends. And I love being in La Jolla.

dueling oyster (photos)

2011-07-12T14:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's trip to San Francisco was nothing short of spectacular. I love going into that city. I am energized by everything I see; the hustle and bustle of buses, trolley's, people rushing up and down the streets, intent on business or mischief. I think often about living in a big city, about all it's treasures and pleasures but I may have lived in a small town too long to make the adjustment to such excitement! I checked the weather; cold. So I exchanged my Valley-appropriate linens for wool pants, two sweaters, a jacket and scarf. I needed it all. I got on the train at 8:45, got my coffee and a seat and settled in for a nice ride. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the fields were abloom with sunflowers taking their early morning hit. Whoa! What happened here, around Suisun?

And Vallejo?

Oh yes, I forgot. It's mid-summer in coastal Northern California. The train rolled into the gloom and fog, leaving the sunshine behind. In Emeryville I transferred to the Amtrak bus that took me into the city and right to the Ferry Building where I was to meet up with Mary Ann and Ginger. I was a bit early so I checked out the designer food shops and various cafes. Such choices! Pretty soon the other two arrived and we adjourned to The Slanted Door, a Vietnamese restaurant, for lunch. We got a front row booth with a great view of the water and the Bay Bridge. Around noon a bit of blue sky appeared; a good omen.

First course for MA and me was raw oysters. Heaven.

This is NOT a good photo.

She took some that are much better. (I have it on my list to buy a new camera; this one is five years old and was probably out of date when I bought it.) Next dishes were a tasty, crunchy shredded cabbage and jicama salad and a platter of sweet corn, off the cob. Big kernels. Very tender. Lastly came a puffy crepe filled with tiny shrimp and something crunchy, too. Maybe bean sprouts. The three of us polished off every bite. Lots of catching up, sharing news of folks we knew back when. After a couple of hours of doing this we strolled around the Marketplace a bit and then the two of them left, via Bart, MA to her Casa Verde in Bernal Heights and Ginger back to Pleasanton. My bus wasn't due for awhile ~ you have to get back on the return bus at the same spot you got off ~ so I did a bit of shopping. Bought two gorgeous loaves of bread at the Acme Bakery, some goodies at Sur La Table, and then, while browsing, stumbled on this Mother Lode of oilcloth bags. If I can find some heavy webbing to use for handles, one or two will join my collection of shopping bags.

Then I sat for awhile and watched the passing parade. These two young women in their Eiffel Tower heels stood around chatting. Just looking at their feet made mine cramp up. As I contemplated my comfy Fisherman sandals I reminded myself that, at one time in my life, I, too, risked lethal foot problems by wearing spike heels.

Soon it was time to get back on the bus to the East Bay, then onto the train for the ride home. By now the sun was shining but it was still quite cold; I think it got up to 59º in SF yeterday. Easy ride home, reading all the way. Mr. C was at the station to pick me up. It was a lovely day. I hope we can do it again.

lunch in another city

2011-07-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love going off for a lovely lunch somewhere new? That's what I am doing tomorrow when I take the train to San Francisco to have a get-together with two women I worked with at Capwell's in Oakland. That was a very long time ago. In fact, I haven't seen one of them in probably 25 years. Last time was at a birthday party for the other woman's husband. It's too late for a lift or a tuck but most of us cherish antiques so not to worry.

One of my most treasured "lunch somewhere" was with my parents in San Remo, Italy. They were living in Nice, France for awhile and I was living in Paris. I took the train down to stay with them for a couple of weeks. One day my father ~ a fearless and curious traveler ~ rented a car and we drove to San Remo for lunch. We spent a couple of hours eating a wonderful lunch and drinking and laughing and having a fine time. When the bill came we tried to figure out just how much money we had spent; translating from lira (this was before the euro) into dollars but we had no idea what the lira was worth. Or we had just had too much vino de la casa. It seemed awfully funny to us but not to anyone else. We finally stepped out of the restaurant and my mother snapped this photo of us as we discussed where in the world we had parked the car. Was it off to the north? To the south? In back of the restaurant? Anywhere near where we are?

Eventually we found it parked by the edge of the flower market; nobody remembered a flower market when we had arrived. We then had a discussion about who should drive home and it was decided that I seemed to be the most sober so Daddy handed me the keys, got in the front seat and promptly fell asleep. It was Mother and I, as pilot and back-seat pilot, who finally got us back to Nice and to the Hertz car rental. I remember it was a fabulously beautiful drive home along the Haute Cornish overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. I remember this and I was driving!

I love this old and faded picture. I have it in a little frame by my bedside. The edges have turned dark and both of us are fading fast. But looking at it reminds me of that wonderful time when we went to lunch, not only to another town but to another country.

remember chairs?

2011-07-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

Back in January, while still at the beach, I somehow got on the subject of chairs. I had taken some equipale chairs up to Colima for refresh and repair. "No More Commas Period" over in the left column then posted a note about her new chair. Next came the photo of the no-legged chair I saw at the tiangues. Finally, the announcement of daughter Alex's new job and, of course, a big executive swivel chair.

Are you ready for more chairs?

These little Italian beauties are for the beach, up on the 3rd floor. Very sturdy plastic, very comfortable. Ordered six of them on line from Crate and Barrel; bought the cushions at our local CostPlus. I think they'll look quite stunning under the palapa around the table when we gather to sip margaritas and watch the sunset.

On a non-chair note, I watched two movies yesterday; it's way too hot to be outside before 4 PM. First was The Draughtsman's Contract directed by Peter Greenaway. The second was Taken directed by Pierre Morel. Neither is worth the time. The Draughtsman is just Greenaway being naughty but with great costumes. Taken is a lot more fun. In my opinion it's a complete spoof on spy/thriller/suspense movies. Our hero, played by Liam Neeson's is on a rescue mission for his daughter who has been kidnapped in Paris. He takes on everyone (and every cliché) from every movie made in this genre. By the end of the film he has gotten the job done without a scratch and has left about 35 corpses in his wake. Right.

Next two movie projects are Louis Malle's Phantom India (7 hours), and Portrait of a Marriage (2 discs), the story of Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicholson, both members of the Bloomsbury literary and artistic coterie in London before and during WWI. I read the book many years ago, written by their son. It was a BBC production about 25 years ago. It will be interesting to see if it holds up.

it's a grand old flag

2011-07-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

I was up and out early this morning before the valley heats up to "Broil." Along the way I admired the various 4th of July decorations on the houses in the various neighborhoods on my route. The first one I saw belongs to my neighbor and fellow morning walker.

At the end of our street was this flag fluttering in the cool (for the moment) breeze.

It was actually quite a bit cooler this morning than it was yesterday even though it is supposed to hit triple digits later today and tomorrow.

At the end of the next street were these two decorations, one a bright bunting-style show, one a tiny flag in a flower pot.

We walked along the greenbelt, keeping the dogs (and ourselves) out of the sun. It was cool and lovely, and we were not the only ones with the same idea. Lots of joggers, including a "mob jog" of about a dozen women, bouncing and chatting and having a fine time. Lots of other dogs, too, enjoying the shade and freshness of the early hour.

Our route turned brought us to the bike path that runs along Putah Creek, now a murky, sluggish green that looks more like a drainage ditch than a creek. We usually avoid this part of the bike path because (a) it's a mosquito breeding ground at this time of year and (b) it stinks. This morning, however, it offered a tunnel of cool shade for man and beast. Back out into the sunshine, this was the last show of patriotism we saw. It is in a yard that is filled to overflowing with pots and beds of flowers. These folks also collect old Mercedes; there are at least six of them parked in the driveway and on the street. They are covered in leaves and webs and a couple of them have no tires. Don't know how many are in the garage.

The schedule for the day revolves around staying cool. Morning swim, late afternoon swim, b-b-q for dinner. It's too hot to be outside between about noon and 4 PM. We've been invited out for dinner but I think we'll stay home instead. Too hot to socialize.

Happy 4th of July to all. If you're nuts enough to be on the road, stay safe.

I'll never buy retail again

2011-07-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I went down to the DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park to see two marvelous exhibits. The first was "Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris. The painting above is of Dora Marr, one of Picasso's lovers and muses. The Picasso collection is from "his" museum in Paris which is currently closed for renovations. Paintings, drawings, sculpture ~ more than 100 pieces. That's a lot of Picasso to digest in one viewing. It was a bit of a disappointment that there were no ceramics. His playful, imaginative plates and pitchers are a real delight.

I saw a large collection of them at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman during one of our visits with Cait.

The second (and main attraction for me) was "Balenciaga and Spain." His clothes defy description and any superlative I can think of doesn't do them justice. What's so stunning, though, is the idea that not only did he design and make these dresses, women actually wore them. Of course such women were countesses and duchesses and queens and all, but still. I tried to imagine myself stepping out in this brilliant red evening coat . . .

. . . but my imagination failed me. There were only one or two things among the 60 or so pieces that I decided would just not do. One was a mustard color suit, the other a pea-green evening gown. Not my colors. Otherwise, perfect. I am forever wrecked for Gap.

happy the bride (to-be)

2011-06-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I attended a bridal shower for my neighbor's daughter who is to be married in August. It was a brunch at a local restaurant, served out on the lovely shaded deck.

The only caveat on the invitation was that guests had to wear a hat. And everyone did.

Two generations mingled and chatted over mimosas, quiche,

scones and a big spice cake for dessert, the bride's favorite.

The party was hosted by the sister (l) and cousin(r) of the bride.

Here is the mother of the bride, flanked by her two delightful daughters. I've known the bride since she was 4 years old. In the twinkling of an eye she's grown and ready to embark on this great adventure. Tempus fugit, no?

remember Tristan?

2011-06-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

I don't want to think about how many years ago it was that I sat enchanted before the TV watching this wonderful BBC production. All about James Herriot and his (mis)adventures as a veterinarian in Yorkshire. One of the actors was Peter Davison who played the younger, ne'er-do-well brother, Tristan Farnon, of the head vet, Seigfried, where Herriot eventually practiced. Siegfried was played by Robert Hardy, a wonderful British character actor.
Tristan is now back, or at least Peter Davison is, in a delightful BBC series called "The Last Detective." Davison plays "Dangerous Davies", the so-called Last Detective because he is the very last person anyone would ever send on an investigation. He is mistreated by everyone he comes in contact with; his boss, his associates, his ex-wife, even the suspects. But he always solves the case and never complains. I get very vexed by him; he won't stand up for himself! But it's great fun.

the water's great

2011-06-22T17:22:00.001-07:00

Summer has officially begun here with temperatures hovering around 100º. I took my first swim this afternoon. The pool temp finally cracked 80º ~ it was actually 83º ~ so it was safe to dive in. Mighty refreshing. Heat is supposed to hold for the next week, down a bit but still hot enough to keep the pool warm.

i told you i was watching movies

2011-06-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

This is a delicious little movie, especially if you love Italy. Not much meat but lots of rich sauce. The scenery is worth the rental cost and the time spent wading through the treacle. And Maggie Smith is, as always, well . . . Maggie Smith.

a father's day valentine

2011-06-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

To mark Father's Day I took my resident dad (Mr. C) to this marvelous, marvelous movie. Woody Allen is as besotted by Paris as I am. Seeing her in all her considerable glory made me want to go back ASAP. I encourage everyone to go see it and lose yourself in Allen's remarkable imagination and Daris Khondji's luminous photography. And you won't want to miss Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein. I'll see it again when it comes to the Flix™ and swoon anew.

a sweet little film

2011-06-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of Bill Nighy who stars in this quirky film, a tale of a politically-charged May-December romance that moves from England to Iceland where Nighy, a high ranking member of the Exchequer's staff, is attending a G8 meeting. I first saw Nighy in the BBC production "State of Play" in which he plays the editor of a newspaper. Then he showed up in "Notes on a Scandal" and "Pirate Radio." Each of these rolls is different and watching him move from comedy to drama and back is a real pleasure. Put it on your list.

welcome to Whitecaps

2011-06-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

The sun is out, the sky is blue, cloudless and fogless. And this is Carmel we're talking about! We are happily tucked up in a gorgeous home on Scenic Road. Across the street, the beach and the endless sea. This is what I saw when I stepped out on the front porch this morning.

The house is full of light from big windows, sky lights and an atrium garden. The kitchen looks out to the sea so you can do dishes while watching the surfers. Yesterday afternoon we took a walk on the beach, watched the dogs frolic and play, and throught about our Mexican beach. If the sand and sea were this beautiful in Cuyutlan the place would be a tourist mecca; as it is, since it's not very pretty it hasn't been overrun, and I don't think it ever will be. Around 6 PM last evening I looked out to the sea and it was dotted with wetsuit-clad surfers; it looked like a flock of pelicans floating just off shore. I guessed these are the 9-to-5'ers who hurried down to get in a couple of hours of surf time.

Later today our hostess and I are going to "do" Ocean Avenue, Carmel's main street. It's crammed with little shops and cafes and bookstores. A great strolling street. This place reminds me of La Jolla before big development razed Prospect Street and built high rise office buildings. It's also a little like Del Mar with sidewalk-less streets, hidden lanes with interesting houses, and wild, colorful gardens.

This bright little pocket garden is along the fence in our interior patio. In the back of the house, near the above-posted sign is another tiny garden spot bright with flowers. They love this climate.

don't miss this one

2011-06-13T19:06:00.002-07:00

I watched this wonderful DVD today about the remarkable architect Maya Lin, she of the Vietnam War Memorial, the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery and the Women's Table Fountain at Yale, among other projects. Don't miss it. Keep your Kleenex® handy. Very moving, maddening, surprising and, in the end satisfying and uplifting.

New masseuse promising. It will take time but I think she is trainable.

Off to Carmel tomorrow, camera and LapMac in tow.

no movie today, so . . .

2011-06-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

. . . instead I spent the afternoon reading old issues of The New Yorker, always a rewarding effort. I keep my subscription current when we are gone so that when we return I have a big stack of magazines awaiting my attention. I do read them online, but there's nothing like holding a real paper issue, thumbing through the contents, enjoying the cartoons and wonderful esoteric column ads. What a great idea for a magazine! I have been reading the New Yorker since I was probably 10 years old; my parents subscribed their entire lives. The also got the National Geographic and either The Atlantic Monthly or Harpers, I can't remember which. My mother also subscribed to the Ladies' Home Journal. We always had plenty to read in our household. Likewise in my own. Movie next weekend if it's still in town.

Yesterday's Belmont provided an exciting upset; Ruler on Ice was the long shot. Wish I had placed a big bet on him. I am always moved to tears by the beauty of these magnificent animals, their muscular flanks rippling as they walk to the starting gate, their massive bodies hurtling down the track kicking up the clods of dirt as they do what they were bred for. It's amazing that those delicate legs and fragile ankles can support such big, powerful bodies without snapping in the gallop. I was hoping the gorgeous Animal Kingdom could repeat his Derby win but, alas, he was foiled at the very beginning.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with a new massage therapist. My long-time practitioner has closed her practice so now I have to begin the great hunt for a compatible replacement. I don't like having to do this; it's like interviewing someone for the position of new husband. I don't want to have to tell it all over again, to "train" someone, as it were. But it's imperative that I find someone to continue this vital service for my sorely compromised feet and legs. I've been having massage for 26 years and I know it has kept me off the surgical table. I'm determined to keep it that way. I'm hoping for the best.

girls just wanna have fun

2011-06-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Put together two long-time friends who have a whole year to catch up on, a full tank of gas, and enough cash to get into a bit of trouble, and you have the scene on Thursday morning when gal pal Jackie came to town for a sleep-over. We headed out for serious talk and some retail sleuthing. I was looking for a shirt of just the right color. I trhought it would take all day to find it. I actually found it almost at once but we didn't let that triumph slow us down. We walked, we talked, we looked at stuff ~ I had forgotten how much "stuff" there is and rediscovered how little of it I want or need. I managed to find a nice bridal shower gift, and Jackie found a bottle of Mr. C's favorite b-b-q sauce for him. We had lunch, talked some more (actually, non-stop for hours), headed home in the late afternoon. I cooked up a mess of mussels in cream for dinner, and went to bed exhausted but very content.

Jackie and I have known each other for 45 years, since Berkeley days and law school for our respective spouses. Her oldest son and my younger daughter were crib mates and are still good friends. Both families were part of the Thanksgiving group who spent the holiday together for 35 years. We go way, way back! Whenever we get together, which isn't nearly often enough these days, we just take up where we left off at the last visit. She is as comfortable, familiar and warm as a long-cherished sweater. (I could have said "old shoe" but I like sweater better.) She went back home to Concord on Friday after we met a mutual "old sweater" friend for brunch and yet more talk. I was actually hoarse when she left.

Quiet and peaceful here today. Cool again after a couple of very nice warm days. Mr. C went up to the Farmers' Market this morning; I stayed in bed reading. Belmont Stakes in a couple of hours, Tony Awards tonight, then to see "Midnight in Paris" at the local bijoux tomorrow.

Go, Anthony Weiner. Just go.

notes to myself

2011-06-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

1. Write on blog. It's been too long. So long, in fact, that I had to ID myself before I could get on my page. Find something to say even if it's boring.

2. Post malecón "before and after" photos. Someone might be interested in how the village has changed.

This was taken probably in the 60's. Three or four puestos, no sheltering palms, no houses along the east side, only a couple of hotels, no crowds. Thanks for sending it, Deborah.

Here it is in the 90's. I took this photo the first time we went there. Still pretty bare. Only a few more puestos. Every evening after dinner we walked up and down, greeting other strollers. This was the social heart of the town. Now that heart beats around the TV and internet Alas.

And here it is this year, in April. Trees all grown up, really ugly lighting that replaced the old-fashioned Colonial style street lamps (see top photo), all east-side beach lots built on.

3. Report on LapMac's health. Much better now, thank you, since trip to Apple Doc for check-up. No warts or tumors discovered. The tropics really do a job on that nice shiny case, but it's all polished and ready for another year of hard work. First trip away will be next week; two days in Carmel with sailing pals from DC (not the Nova Scotia pair).

4. Go shopping. Both Mr. C and I decided we needed a bit of retail therapy. Some new duds, shoes, etc. And ditch the hat. You can see why.

5. See doctors for annual checks. All well. One more 6-month check and Mr. C will be on the once-a-year rotation. Good news.

6. Watch movies. I've seen probably a dozen movies, mostly unmemorable, since I've been home ~ 4 weeks now ~ and the Flix® list is long so I have to keep at it. On hand: Winter's Bone, The Company Men, and Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision.

7. Read books. Currently reading The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. It's going to take me awhile. Next up: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Another long one. Not light summer reading but essential.

So there you have it. A post for the ages, no?

he did it!

2011-05-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend went by so fast and there was so much going on that I decided not to even try to record it moment-by-moment. Now I've been back home for a couple of days and it's time to sort it all out.

Thursday evening we had dinner with Andrew; Mr. C, Cait, Andrew and I sat down to a delicious dinner of Indian fare; lamb curry, creamed spinach, chicken tandoori, rice, and big bottles of Indian beer. They definitely have a knack for brewing and bottling!

Friday afternoon was the Claremont Colleges baccalaureate honoring the graduates of all six of the colleges: Pomona, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, Claremont McKenna, and the Claremont Graduate School. Beautiful music, inspiring words. We walked from the Garrison Theater on the Scripps campus over to a lavish buffet reception at the Claremont dining complex.

I took this photo only because my sister graduated from Scripps. She loved the place. It's a lovely, serene campus with beautiful old buildings, lots of shade trees and quiet walkways. But so is Pomona, my mother's alma mater. I'm hoping Emily chooses to go to one of the Claremonts. Keep it in the family, you know.

We went back to the hotel for some reading and relaxing before heading out to a dinner party hosted by the parents of one of Andrew's roommates, Alex Bargmann from Pelham, New York. The dinner was held at Rosa's in Ontario. A lovely Italian place with superb food, efficient service, handsome setting.

The place was jumping with a joyous mob of soon-to-be-grads, their parents, grandparents (that would be us), aunts (Cait), brothers and sisters (Em). Great looking young men and women, eager to get on with it. Along with us at our table was this absolutely adorable classmate of Andrew's, Reed Hogan from Milwaukee. He actually looked like Prince Harry, red hair and all.

And I finally have a very nice photo of granddaughter Emily. Next commencement in the family will be hers, next June, from Thacher School in Ojai. We're making hotel reservations NOW.

Andrew's girlfriend Cara wasn't there that evening. We would have to wait and meet her on Saturday at commencement or at the reception her parents were throwing at yet another delightful restaurant, Walter's in Claremont.

But before that we had commencement. It was held under a big tent on a playing field. Unfortunately it was cold and windy Saturday afternoon, with occasional flashes of sunshine. I do not have the full load of the photos that were taken; they are scattered around among the various camera-toting family members, but Alex did send me this one, taken after the ceremony at the college's reception. I still find it remarkable that the tiny little boy I first met and fell madly in love with when he was just four days old is now a tall, charming college graduate. I must have blinked somewhere along the way.

Can you find the proud grandmother?

Then it was on to the reception hosted by Cara's parents. Again, lots of good-looking kids, ready to take on the world. Cara will do it in Mt. View, working for Google. Andrew will do it in San Francisco, looking for a job! But before that the two of them will drive from Claremont to Chicago for a family visit, then fly off to Berlin for two or three weeks of travel; also going to Amsterdam and Prague. Nice. Then it will be home to start what's known as real life.

Home on Sunday to rain and cold. I'm not used to this. I actually put flannel sheets on our bed this morning. Expecting more rain and cold tonight with some clearing tomorrow and some sunshine later in the week. Right now the Heavenly Bamboo is scratching against the windows as the north wind rips through.

you'll have to wait

2011-05-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

It has been such a marvelous three days that I haven't had time or the inclination to write about it. But there are many photos and many things to write about. But you'll just have to wait. We head home tomorrow and I will give this weekend it's due. What a wonderful celebration for these gifted and talented men and women! So photos and text tomorrow.

in Claremont

2011-05-13T22:39:00.000-07:00

I have much to tell you about this wonderful weekend so far but it is too late tonight to do much writing. Tomorrow, for sure. Let me just say that Andrew is in fine shape, as are all the other members of the immediate family. Tomorrow is the actual graduation. The past day or two have just been leading up to the big extravaganza. I'll write in the morning. I am exhausted because the room in our hotel is about 200 yds. from the I-10 freeway and we hear traffic all night long. But tomorrow is another day and we'll see how it goes.

on the road again

2011-05-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we fly down to Ontario, CA for Andrew's graduation from Claremont McKenna College. Good grief! He went from diapers to a cap and gown in the twinkling of an eye. My beautiful little grandson is now all grown up into, of course, a beautiful man. Post-bac plans may include relocating to the Bay Area. Wouldn't that be a treat! We'll all be there; daughter Cait is flying to Sact'o today to have a visit with old friends. Then she and we will all fly together down to SoCal for the weekend's festivities. Home on Sunday. I'll take pictures, of course.

catching up

2011-05-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

I've been away from TV for 5 months and, except for the President's State of the Union speech, have had total blackout. But now I'm back and what to do but turn on the TV at 5:30 for the news. Oy! What a mistake. However, I did watch "60 Minutes" last night and was very impressed by the interview with Obama. A measured, thoughtful assessment of the l'affaire Osama. No cowboy tactics.

But I also don't get to see movies while in Mexico. So I am catching up. First one was "The King's Speech." Superb. Next was "The Kids Are Alright." It, too, was good. Frankly, I prefer Colin Firth to either Julianne Moore or Annette Benning, but so it goes. Next up, thanks to the Flix® will be Season 2 of "In Treatment." I think Deborah Winger appears in these.

No tiangues today. I hardly knew what to do with myself. While up town doing errands I ran into Stan Singleton, the owner of the Casa de las Flores, our favorite B & B in Tlaquepaque. His parents live here and he is visiting for a few weeks. His father, Vern Singleton, is an esteemed emeritus member of the UC Davis department of viticulture and oenology. It was sort of strange to see Stan "out of place" here; he belongs in Mexico.

Bought a tank of gas for the adorable Dorothy. $40! What's going on here?

from the mother's day bunny

2011-05-08T17:48:00.001-07:00

This beautiful bouquet of roses was a gift from Mr. C in honor of my Mother's Day achievements. I am deeply grateful for the gift of my two daughters, both of whom acknowledged this day by cards and calls. I hope that all of my readers ~ mothers, steps, or in any other "mothering" capacity ~ had a fine celebration today.

home again, home again

2011-05-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

We left Long Beach at 6:30 AM, got thought LA and onto the Grapevine in easy time, crossed the Sacramento County line at 12:30 PM and pulled into our driveway by 1:10 PM. Los Angelenos drive like crazy people, and there are a lot of them. Our favorite Rest Stop was closed ~ we always stop there for a breakfast break and short rest ~ so we had to press on. Not too much traffic until, I would say, Fresno. Then it was 2-lanes and a bit slower. But all together, easy.

It's good to be here. House was left tidy and clean. Two big bins of mail to deal with, a few phone messages. A huge bunch of flowers on the dining table; what a lovely welcome. So tonight it will be a grilled steak ~ haven't had any really good beef for 5 months ~ and a good night's sleep in my own bed. Tomorrow it's unpacking, laundry, the Davis Farmers' Market, and a restocking of the larder. So it goes.

day five

2011-05-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

In Long Beach tonight. First stop was Trader Joe's for dinner goodies, crackers, wine. It's good to be back. Easy drive from Gila Bend. You know you're not in Mexico anymore; everything is so neat and clean. Home by tomorrow afternoon. A few photos and some travel notes when I have time to think about it.

day four

2011-05-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

What, you may ask, happened to day three? No internet is what happened. And wouldn't you kn ow it! It was the only day (so far) with an "occurrence." When we arrived in Topo, Mr. C decided he wanted to keep some of our food cold so he left the cold chest that uses auto 120-volt power plugged in jjust a bit longer. End result? Dead battery. Problem? No jumper cables. We had already decided we were not going to go to Chicho's for dinner so had no plans to go out. We'd figure it out in the morning. When the hotel office opened I went over and explained what had happened and asked if they knew a mechanic who might be able to jump-start the car. They had no idea what I was talking about, and one of them was the night-watchman-handy-man. Things did not look good. As I was contemplating another day in this lands-end place, three young Mexican men came out into the parking lot to get into their truck. I sprang! My battery is dead. Do they have jumper cables. Like all good Mexican young men who drive trucks, they did! We hooked up the car, it gave a tremendous squealing whine and roared to life! Cheers all around. So instead of staying at the hotel for breakfast as we had planned, we packed up the car and took off. The next potential problem was that we had to stop for gas and cut the engine. So in 20 miles we pulled into a Pemex station and, hoping for a bright future cut the engine. Mexican gas stations aren 't like US stations; they don't have any services other than gas and windshield wipes. No mechanics. But not to fear. Vincent had made his point; don't drain my battery by keeping your beer cold! Car started and we were on our way to San Carlos.

The weather all along the route has been hot and muggy and overcast. San Carlos was no different. It was too humid to sit out on the balcony until early evening. No splendid party going on this visit. Finally went down to the dining room for a bowl of soup and called it an early night.

We were on the road by 6 AM this morning, through Hermasillo in a flash, and at the border by 11:15. There were no long lines as usual, and we were throuh with all questions, searches, etc., in about 15 minutes. Fastest time ever. Then on to our favorite Burger King for lunch and finally here, in Gila Bend at the Space Age Motel. The place has been up-graded and refurbished since we were here in December; quite spiffy. It's hot and dusty outside; cooled by AC inside. I am very relieved to be here, even though there was nothing at all that caused concern, except the battery. I do believe that if you exercise caution and good judgment you'll probably be OK. That and wear a boat-load of talisman necklaces!

Tomorrow morning we will drive to Long Beach for the night. Thought we would be able to see Alex and Pete but they are both very busy so we have opted for a hotel so we can be up and out in a hurry on Friday morning. We are eager to get home.

day two

2011-05-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

In Topolobampo. Left Tewpic at 6:30 this morning. Easy drive to Mazatlán where we encountered mega traffic snarls. The entire go-through is being ripped up and rebuilt, presumanbly to make it much easier to by-pass the town if you are so lucky as to be avoiding this terrible place. Then on to Guaves and into Los Moches and Topo. Same hotel ~ the only one in town ~ and the same room ~ #209 ~ for the night. We're not going in to dinner at Chichos; we'll snack ourselves into satiattion and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow morning we'll have breakfast in the hotel's dining room before headint on to San Carlos for our last night in Mexico. Mojo still holding.

day one

2011-05-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

Got away at 9 AM this morning after farewells from Chuy and Fernando and a brief visit with Jack. Drive to Tepic completely uneventful; safe, no hassle, very little traffic. We gain an hour's time here so it was only 1:30 when we arrived. Checked in to our usual hotel but not in our usual room. That wing is undergoing renovations. We can rough it for one night. Early night tonight. Off at dawn tomorrow for a long day's drive to Topolobampo. Many thanks to all who sent good mojo for the trip. It's working so far.

the last of the last

2011-04-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last night was the last dinner at Dago's. A good turn out to say farewell to this 2010-11 season. Today was the last opera enjoyed while eating a "left over shrimp from Dago's" salad. Yesterday afternoon was my last domino game and I am now is serious withdrawal. Tonight is the last margarita at sunset from our mirador up on the 3rd floor. It is also the last night we bed down in our lovely house with the sound of the surf lulling us to sleep. I must add to all of this, of course, "until next season."

The town is still hopping with weekend visitors; the streets are clogged with parked cars. But most of them are up in the north end and will be gone tomorrow as the tw-week Easter holiday ends. It's quiet down here where we are. This chap in front of our house is the lone hold-out from Semana Santa.

He has shut down his taco business but he and his family are still camping. He'll probably leave tomorrow.

We are cooking the last of a lovely pork loin tonight, and will take the left-overs on the road with us to nosh on along the way. Did you know that you can smuggle arms, drugs, and people across the US border but the INS is death on bringing pork into the US from Mexico? Go figure.

what was she thinking?

2011-04-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is someone's idea of a very bad joke. Isn't it? No? Oh dear. The hat looks like it's topped by some sort of arthritic antlers.

he seems like a nice boy

2011-04-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

I didn't get up in the middle of the night to watch THE WEDDING. I fell asleep after the musical offrerings last night; they turned everything off at 2:30 AM. In spite of my absence I read this morning that the show did go on.These two actually talk to one another, look each other in the eye and seem to like what they see. Blessings on them.

Tonight was the last shrimp dinner at Dago's. Good crowd was there to say adios. Seven months and we'll be back to do it all over again. Tomorrow is the last big packing push, then an early dinner, a good night's sleep, and we're off. Both of us are ready. We can take just so much of this laid-back tropical paradise life. It's time to get back to paved streets and high gas prices.

just when you thought it was safe . . .

2011-04-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

. . . to think that the Easter crazies over and done with comes the Festival de Cana (Old Folks Night) on the malecón. Marie and I went down to El Barcel for a cocktail (she had a martini, I had a [not very good] margarita) to toast the end of the season. All the puestos, especially the ones at the southern end nearest our house are set up for tonight's celebration ~ wbite or colored tablecloths, flowers on tables, set-ups dragged out onto the pavement. Very festive. What else is there? A huge stage with 40 ~ I counted them ~ speakers to blast dance music all over town. Up on the stage, lots of drums and other percussion instruments, 12 guitars, various brass pieces. Since it is for "seniors" I am hoping that it will be lovely old ranchero music. It's due to start in about half an hour so I'll know soon enough. I'm hoping Fernanco and his fellow negocios make a bundle tonight. It's really their last chance. Yes, people do come here over the summer, and he will stay open, probably only on the weekends or on puentes (3 or 4 day weekends). I wish them good luck.

The house is almost dismantled. Fans are down, pillows and cushions bagged, closets enptied out, garden and outdoor furniture packed away.

I think we're way ahead this year; there probably won't be a big cleaning spasm at 3 AM just before we leave on Sunday morning for Tepic and the long journey home. I have one more domino game with Marie tomorrow, then we have one more dinner at Dago's, one more Saturday opera ~ Il Trovatore ~ one more night of listening to the music of the surf, and then we're gone. But we'll be back.