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Wednesday, January 15, 2025

25 - 1 BEGINING OF THE END

  January hosts the start of a precarious future for the United States and the world.  The Trump regime and Climate Change.

 President go make me a sandwich!  you have to click on these two and then go to You tube to watch but can return after. The End!

I intend to continue my Blog with only positive things. I take a Transatlantic Cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Rotterdam, Netherlands in April and will visit the Tulips and as much as I can of Europe in 2-3 months before returning to visit my Cousins and finally get back to my lovely Casa David in Oaxaca. 

Before ending 2024 I realized I hadn't visited Santa since I was a child...so 





It had been a while since I visited Tres Bistro. Ate a bit before Photo...so good


I vowed to be more active in various events to get out of my comfort zone and enjoy more variety.  The library talks is another venue so signed up for first of the New Year. I only post this to give you an example of what is available through the library....Climate Change interest me.

This talk looks at Mexico’s growing role in the UN-led effort to mitigate climate change. The 13th largest emitter of greenhouse gases, Mexico pledged at COP29 (in November, in Azerbaijan) to have a net zero economy by 2050 - to balance its emissions with reductions. The pledge is seen as a road map for other high-emitting developing nations, including China. At COP29, Mexico also teamed with the EU and ten other countries to benchmark accelerated decarbonization efforts. Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s new president, was a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize co-winner for her work as a climate scientist. Her climate initiatives as Mexico City’s mayor included green-space expansion, waste reduction, transit innovation, watershed conservation, air-quality improvement, and municipal solar.


Locally, the Metropolitan Area of Oaxaca (including 17 municipalities), in partnership with the World Bank, is creating a model Climate Action Plan to increase climate resilience and achieve low-carbon development. And, just before COP29, Oaxaca was the site of a Global Meeting for Climate and Life, attended by 200 activists from 40 countries and dubbed the progressive and indigenous “anti-COP.”


Presenter: Larry D Gussin was a co-founder of Google Nest, which in 2011 brought scale energy efficiency to the built environment with the Nest Thermostat. Since 2013 he has worked as a climate activist, donor and educator. Now focused on climate and food systems, which account for 1/3 of global greenhouse gas emissions, he is an advisor and donor to the Plant-Based Treaty. This is Larry’s sixth OLL climate solutions talk, dating back to 2013.
Today I visited YUKU, the japanese sushi neighborhood place I enjoy. I had a Fish and Rice Bowl.




Dawn then lunch at Aquacate where I tried a Tropical Mezcal Cocktail and had Buddha Lentil Bowl...no photo. On to the packed Market for some fruit and vegetables. Later I stopped at Ayuk for Memolita snack this evening.




    
Awoke to another great Sunrise with a late afternoon Comida at Santa Sabor. Great place with consistently good selection of Comidas, (complete meal).



Mixed Fruit/Vegetable Salad with Fresh Bread and bottomless fresh fruit flavored drink. Delicious Saute Pork with Pinneapple Sauce and Rice with Corn. Crepe with Chocolate Sauce dessert...under $5.

Today's lunch at Aquacate: Quinoa Buddha Bowl and Fruit Agua de Dia.



New Year's Day I discovered most businesses including Restaurants were closed. I had to settle for a Tourist Roof Top Restaurant for a Wine and Hamburg with tip $40.
                              
                              Sign says "Feliz Ano Nuevo"


Specialty Hamburg had a Shrimpburg (shrimp pattie) with it...double burger Surf/Turf...roll a little dry but tasty between the buns. Wine was the best in a long time!
A lot has happened since New Years Day.  Mostly with me...I got a slight fever and have been taking Meds for last 5 days and staying in.My phone went black and had to delete everything and reset all the apps manually.  I took it to a Samsung Rep near by. It took him 4 hours and when it was returned it took me 4 days to put it all back...but except for an additional Mexican phone number I had added, it was now streamlined and in great working order.  I returned to Telcel and had them add the Mexican number back to it. My US number is my primary number and if someone calls on the Mx number it automatically forwards it to my US number. Amazing and it works great. I have a Samsung Galaxy 24 Ultra because of the camera.  My Canon camera now collects dust.      I visited Ayuk for my last meal. When the bill came, one of the owners explained the landlord sold the building and this was the last day. Their family that lived upstair and the restaurant would be gone.My favorite eating place.  I gave them my contact in case they found another place but in the season that didn't seem possible. I left saddened.

MY LAST AYUK MEAL


I returned home and watched my screen saver flash pictures of the past to cheer me up.  It didn't.  So I later that afternoon I took a walk to Norte y Sur for dinner and a friendly face...Roberto, the manager. I took some photos from the roof and returned home content but still saddened.






Nice shrimp Tacos...and a new menu coming in a week...the view is also great for these photos.











     Lots of weddings and dance groups out...but forboding skys.

Today was a walk to Tasty Vin for Saturday Fresh Grilled Tuna Special. Forgot the photo...but caught a 15th Birthday Celebration and more photos. 
The God of Wine. Tasty Vin's wines are $2.50 a glass and up. Decent wine and the Fresh Grilled Tuna dinner was $8.00 with salad! The Wine God...I always thought was painted on the wall...is a Metal Creation of an excellent Welder and covers over 4 feet.



Fifteen and you get a Tiara, Dress, Bouquet ,Parade and a Dad that Happily paid for it all.









    I ran out of water a couple of times at the house.  Ran out of gas once. I have been running a space heater to keep warm in the evenings and my electric bill tripled to $50 every two months. I have been having second thoughts about staying in Mexico.  I booked a Transatlantic trip from Ft Lauderdale to Rotterdam April 5th and will be gone for 2 or 3 months traveling Europe.  I have spent untold frustration hours on the computer trying to get into my Holland America app with back and forth calls to their rep.  I did the same for my Galaxy phone with Google because I couldn't get their authenticate app loaded on the phone and as a result could not do a thing because I couldn't convince them I was me. They charged me $60 for the app but it never installed on the phone... even though I downloaded it. Hours of frustration on my part and they would not refund my money.  Finally after 3 weeks...they sent me the app again and now my phone was reset and I think it installed the app.  Our lives are changing due to AI and not for the good. I was getting depressed over that!!! 
       A beautiful Sunday Morning Sunrise...hard to be sad in Oaxaca
A couple days passed while I stayed in and read more of Yuri Harari's Nexus.  Then enjoyed a great walk and breakfast at ONO with my friend Chris.  Eggs, Salad, BackBacon, Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Avocado and with Fruit drink!
Santa Sabor's Breakfast Buffet...so tempting for $4.50 and the food is good.  But ONO is Special.


I sure enjoyed seeing and talking to Chris...fun morning...today another nice Sunrise and a walk to take photos of the Blooming Trees...stop at Belanc Bakery for a treat of Cold brewed Coffee and a Fruit Tart.






Friday is a good day for Comida (lunch) at Terranova, where they feature Seafood.  Well I liked the Soup they served with the Pork Comida so got that instead of the Seafood Soup and Fried Fish lunch.  The Roast Pork with served with a Mustard Sauce that was excellent, as was fresh Veggies and a nice dessert...cheesecake/pineapple and jello?

$8 not counting the Wine....
      It is Saturday, my day of errands, walking or do nothing.  I choose do nothing and attempted to get a flight to Ft Lauderdale and catch up on little projects when I got a call from my daughter in L.A.      They were put on alert to evacuate their home in Woodland Hills and were close to another new fire while Pacific Palisades was burned to the ground. Both their businesses were gone. Alan's commissary where he prepared the Granola he sold had no power for days and the spaces he rented there were now unoccupied. Smoke was everywhere. Heather's clients were cancelling their memberships.  All farmer's markets where Alan sold his products were closed and in short...they lost their income. Alan's ex-wife's home in Topanga Canyon burned to the ground and she was staying at their home with Alan's son and my Grandson Chase and his brother Ellis who were attending school and college. I wired them some money in case they did have to evacuate the house and travel...which was problematic. The road were bumper to bumper with snarled traffic trying to get out of LA. 
Blue Dot
      An egg sandwich for breakfast and finally got water so I could take a shower, wash dishes, and go the bathroom.  I got some funds out to the family, then decided to get out of the house.   It was already 4 pm.      It was warm and people were out everywhere, dancing and parades.  It felt good. I stopped at Yuku for a Maki Roll snack. When I left for Casa Celia to treat myself to dinner, I was photographing a Wedding Parade when a couple approached me and inquired about the Restaurant on the corner...was it open? What happened to it.  They had visited Oaxaca last year and ate there but now it seemed boarded up. We introduced ourselves and got talking about life in Lee. Lee, Massachusetts where they were from. They have been coming to Mexico for years and knew it well but kept there home in Lee.     Wonderful people...I gave them my card with the blog to email me and we parted after a welcomed wonderful conversation! 











                                My new Lee, Ma. Friends
 
        I arrived at Casa Celia's while Adrian, the Chef Owner and his wife were having a chat and greeted me.  We talked a bit before they left and I choose some Tapa's to start with. Then some Soup followed by Breaded Beef with Mashed Potatoes and a glass of Wine. Great meal and evening.





              Groups still dancing into the night....

       I watched a new Tommy Lee Jones uplifting movie, Burial, but half way through I decided to read and bed early.       This was the first night since I moved from my old apartment that I slept through the entire night soundly without waking once.  I awoke at 6 am and felt great. Jumped out of bed and noted it was still dark so grabbed my phone/camera and went up on the roof to take advantage of the sunrise. UNBELIEVABLE...I HAVE NEVER SAW THE ENTIRE SKY TRANSFORM LIKE THIS EVER IN MY LIFE.   It starts just before dawn with red sky, then fades as clouds hide the sun....then in the end in returns.












        
             Sun has finally risen but obscured by the Clouds









I left for Breakfast at the local market.




Big Father helping Toddler learn to walk....


My good friend Jimmy from Chicago out for his morning Coffee. 

Huevos Rancheros...so good with Avocado, Beans, Tomato Sauce and Eggs on a Tortilla. 
    I greeted my friends Will and Theo when I arrived and said I saw them on the Zoom talk about Fredrick Douglass last night. He looked over and said...meet John the Lecturer. John and Will were conversing so I just shook his hand and thanked him for and outstanding lecture and the after "open talk" were also special. John is I think 84, Retired Historian Emeritus something, from NYC that moved here with his husband.  It was my first exceptional event of 2025 at the library, even though I viewed it at home where I can hear clearer without disruption.  These are the events and occasions that I so enjoy Oaxaca for. 
Will. On the right.

I returned then mid afternoon I left to get a light lunch before attending a Jazz Concert at Jane Robeson's Casa Historical.  Sur y Norte had a party last night to introduce the recent change of menu. I stopped to try the Shrimp Pesto and Pasta.Perfect to carry me over to the 4 pm Jazz.




           Not much to look at but very tasty and flavorful.







 I arrived to a full house with Beto playing guitar and a drummer and singer I did not know but enjoyed.  It was the first concert of her Sunday afternoon venues and a chance for all the returnees and locals to socialize over awesome Mezcalritas.  Hamburg's and Hotdogs were available with a full bar. Elizabeth, the lady that took my old apartment was there.  She lived there before moving to my place. Jane had her Santa hat on and was greeting guests and collecting a $10 charge.  Casa Historical is an incredibly beautiful overgrown paradise. It is well maintained and full occupancy for the season and most of the year.

                            
                                                Elizabeth


Bill, another 84 yo...I think, was making his entrance when I arrived.

I didn't get to make my wishes with Santa Jane, she has so many friends. 


The "Boys" were there.  They don't miss much. Musicians themselves I know they were prepared to sing and play if asked.   People were there to see Beto. It was their first time so I gave them a tour. 





We just walked around the beautiful grounds where cabanas and rows of room rentals were available...public areas, library, patios, Koi pool, guest dining area, all full of statues, and art work. 









I chatted with friends and listened to music but after one Mezcalrita and a glass of wine...I was buzzed to started home.





 





       I walked most of the way then grabbed a bus.















My neighbors Ian and Carolyn were hosting friends from Cape town South Africa, while the children played in the yard.  They are wonderful and still had there Christmas Tree up! Love it.
    I watched the last of "Burial" with Tommy Lee Jones and recommend it.    Feeling a bit under the weather, I went to a new place not far hoping to replace my breakfast fix I had with Ayuk.  I tried one of the items I used to love. Enchilada's Souza. Not the same nor were the other items.  




    Had Vegetarian Ramen the Ramen Republic that evening.




The next day I attended a lecture at the library given by Renata, a polish urban archeologist who was my neighbor 13 years ago when I lived in La Noria at Los Nogales.  She took stole the condo, I paid advance rent on for the following year, so I moved out and found another place before I got stuck with leftovers.  She was a year round tenant and I was storing stuff and returning annually so I don't blame the landlord or Renata but it was short notice and left me in the air.  Fortunately for me, the place I moved to was great and I lived there for 7 years. Her lecture was good on gentrification of Oaxaca, lots of interesting things that she had privy to and we knew nothing about.  Today I paid the rent and finished this blog in celebration of the full moon.

She is a very interesting a traveled person.  I had a chance to talk a bit with her one lunch we had after a long library hike we had completed.
                  See you at the end of the month.