Coffee and a great Avocado Toast with Tomitillo and Feta Cheese ...so good.
It was empty except for a few people out for a walk. I returned to the Brunch, bought some drink tickets, reserved my place to sit and went up to the roof top terrace for a glass of wine and snacks. It was a chance to see some old friends and socialize with some new.
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| ALICE WILL JOIN US FOR DOMINOES AGAIN THIS YEAR |
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| MIGUEL AND HIS MOTHER DONA JOINED MY TABLE |
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| CAN'T BEAT THE ALL THE SIDE DISHES PEOPLE LABORED TO CREATE
Dona and Miguel had just sold their belongings in Oregon and were out to find a place to settle down. After a few beach towns they arrived in Oaxaca on their way to checkout Columbia . I suggested staying in Oaxaca longer to get a better feel of it but this time of year it is hard to find a place that isn't booked already. I left with them and we walked part of the way to their hotel before saying goodbye. They were very nice people and I hope they see all they are interested in but then return to Oaxaca and make a home.
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Marc was leaving shortly and today was our day for Coffee and talk of plans and travel.
They finished the packing and were leaving for a week in Pueblo before heading back to Miami and New England. We took some photos of a model on the street as we departed until next year's return.
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| Marc's GREAT PHOTO OF ME...NOW MY FACEBOOK PROFILE PHOTO |
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| MARC'S GREAT PHOTO OF MODEL |
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| MY PHOTO OF MODEL |
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| MY EXCUSE WAS ...I WAS USING MY PHONE NOT MY CAMERA |
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| FRESH FIGS,STRAWBERRIES,RASPBERRIES, BLACK RASPBERRIES, BANANA, PAPAYA,PEAR,ETC |
Now that Christmas was over it was time to do some shopping to stock the condo. I headed for Sam's Club to renew my membership and spend over $200..mostly booze.
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| NEW BEDSPREAD |
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| VISITED THE ORGANIC MARKET AGAIN..ARTIST FINISHING HIS CREATION. |
Stayed in playing with my blog and relaxing after sleeping STRAIGHT THROUGH THE NIGHT WITHOUT GETTING UP!!!!!! Must be the new bedspread I bought.
Three o'clock and a quick shower later I was out the door to pick up four pair of pantelones I had shortened for $3 each compared to $10-12 in the USA. It was a beautiful
warm and sunny day so I hailed a taxi to take me to Biznaga for my first real dinner there.
I arrived starved and only had an Jugo Verde smoothie at 8 am so I ordered a Fresh Salmon on a bed of salad with Oranges, Jicama, and a lovely Honey Vinaigrette dressing along with two nice glasses of Cabernet from Chile.
I walked to the Zocalo and stopped to listen to a band but after two announcers and continued talking...I left for the Importador and a Mezcal which I enjoyed while reading Henry Miller's story of his car breakdown in New Mexico.
As I was finishing up, I noticed an American couple next to me that had been eating something covered in Tomato sauce that they struggled to cut up. They finished and he left for the bathroom while she brought out her travel log to add an entry. There were two glasses about 1/3 full each of what I guessed to be a Tom Collins or something like that, sitting on the table when she accidentally knocked her's over, then hurriedly grabbed some napkins to wipe it up and didn't notice that half the napkins fell on the floor. The waiter came with a new tablecloth as she picked up the other napkins and finished wiping off the table. Then she took her husband's drink and poured it into her glass that she just spilled. Now either she felt he had enough or she didn't? Then her husband returned.
We started chatting. David and Peggy had been together for 55 years. He was 30 years in the Navy Air Force...flying Helicopters off from ships and out of Tan Son Nhut airbase in Saigon during his 4 tours of Vietnam. We had a wonderful conversation . They hope to maybe sell their place back in upstate NY and take 5 months a year out of their other place in San Diego to visit and live in Oaxaca. Her Spanish was way better than his or mine for that matter. We exchanged emails and I left for home.
My wife was Peggy and I am David but God knows where we would be now if we had stayed together...it would have been almost 50 years since we met.
I was back to my usual sleep habits but going to bed later and getting up later. Nine o'clock and I was up making coffee and heating up the water for a shower. I wanted to be ready when our grocery store arrived to stock up on some more Avocados. 10 am and they never showed so I played around until 3 pm then decided I needed some more veggies to make this wild rice dish into a meal, so I walked to Cherdaui and restocked my wine while there, then taxied home. Tonight was dinner with Tomas at Mexita. I hadn't seen him since my arrival a month ago. It will be nice to get caught up and see how his house is coming along.
I packed the Sisters and Brothers, the book I thought he would like as a avid reader, took my camera to do food photos and left my phone to charge in the cradle. I only stopped once to relax the pain in my legs and arrived around 7 pm our meeting time. It was one of the busiest nights of the year. Bands playing, everyone out to enjoy the perfect evening before the New Year. I checked with the cashier of the Zocalo restaurant for the Hotel Marquese and she said no one had inquired for David so I stood then sat by the Menu welcoming people to the patio dining room facing the Zocalo.
Then I noticed my Nut Candy seller with the magnificent smile approach a table from the Zocalo . Then took the load of homemade nut brittle candy off her head and did her smiling presentation to the man at the end of the table of 8. He rudely told her they were already dining and why should he care about her food...they already ordered theirs? She was persistent and offered him samples of her caramelized gold but then the lady across felt something and looked at the offerings but he insisted she should reject this pauper/beggar. I felt like going to the table and buying a lot from her and scolding the man for being so ignorant and impolite. I felt so bad for her. I've known her for 3 years...her son used to help her but he is off to college I suspect. I see her everyday and all day every where I go. She must work 7 days 18 hours a day.
So where is Tomas? Not having my phone and just knowing he is never late/never early I think he might be in the Hotel lobby ...so I ask the cashier for the time and she says it's 7 pm. So I was a little early. I walked around to the lobby then back through the hotel to the patio dining room again and waited some more. Finally , since I haven't eaten more than an Avocado Toast at breakfast in anticipation of this fabulous meal I was going to have...I went to Tres Bistro, another place we have eaten at. Saul said it was 7:20 and there was a wait. I returned thinking MAYBE he was stuck or ????
Dying of hunger I just went to Importador and ordered the Salmon ...medium. I knew that was a mistake. It is not noted for it's cuisine but for it's drinks. The whole Zocalo was bursting with energy but everyone seemed anxious, in a rush, and rude to beggars, waiters, each other. This was not the Zocalo I was hoping to feel better at. It was the first time since I arrived I was feeling downcast. I noticed a man my age struggling to walk. He was in worse shape then me and would pause if there was anyone obstructing his passage. He was afraid of falling and took calculated steps. Being disabled I recognize others with similar affections. It makes me more determined to walk instead of take a cab.
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| LOST HIS TOY IN THE TREE |
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| NOT INTERESTED IN SANTA'S WARES |
Alex brought me my wine and I requested the Salmon be "medium"...not well done. It was not his fault when it arrived dried out under portioned. I ordered another wine in between taking occasional photos of things I might be able to edit into a meaningful moment. I finished my meal, my wine, and was ready to walk home when the party next to me was leaving. The man sitting closest to me showed me his Canon see through the lens camera having seen me using my point and shoot camera. He wanted his girlfriend to take a photo of us together. I smiled and gave him my card in hopes he would send the photo to me. I was so anxious and not feeling my happy self, I just wanted to be home...BUT his smile and his recognition made me feel good again...the reason we go to the Zocalo. It isn't always an immediate "feel good" sensation, but given time it does happen.
So now I can check my phone and see what happened to Tomas. I ate a "Cookie" as soon as I arrived home so now feel like I can wait until tomorrow and find out. I just got the 3 rd season of Black Mirror on Netflix so think I'll watch what the future will bring. Tomorrow is another day.
The next day Tomas told me he had been so busy with the furniture delivery, etc that he forgot about out getting together and wanted to go out tonight but I had made some more Soup that day and had a big bowl of Italian Bean Soup so passed. Watched some Netflix.
Adelina was ready to clean my room this morning so I headed for the Laundry and dropped off some clothes then took a taxi to Home Depot where I bought a couple of chairs for the house a blackout shade for my bedroom. I stopped at Sam's Club and added Frozen Salmon to my bag then took the taxi back home. I watched some more Netflix, packed for my trip to the new casita I was renting for the year and retired early on New's Year's Eve.
Today I headed out the door, with my backpack on and set to spend the night in Teotitlan de Valle when I noticed there was no one around. I didn't see any buses only a few taxi's and it was a long walk to where the collectivo MIGHT be. I returned and called my new landlord to tell them I would be out tomorrow just for the day to see the place and pay the rent.
I went to El Popular Restaurante that afternoon where I tried the shrimp dish that everyone else had the last time I visited.
I did take a collectivo the next day to Teotitlan crossroads and then a taxi to the center then a Moto Taxi to my newly shared Casita. It turned out to be in the Casa Tolentina compound which I had visited a couple years ago. A nice quiet place with a short 1/2 mile walk to the village. It was good size living space with garden outside and rooftop to sun and enjoy happy hour in the evening with the other guests at the B and B. Everyone there was pleasant. The owners Bob and Jose were happy to get their money and very gracious. Bob gave me a ride back to the crossroads so I could catch a bus back to the center of Oaxaca.
Thursday I booked a tour to Huitzo to visit artist Enrique Flores and his studio.
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| GUIDE ON LEFT...ENRIQUE ON RIGHT |
Then to visit a Church
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| PHOTOS OF INTERIOR OF TOMBS AT TEMPLE MONTE ALBAN |
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| MONASTERY WITH ZAPATISTA'S DURING THE REVOLUTION |
I arrived back in Oaxaca in time for dinner at Biznaga then home.
Friday I never left the house.
Today our mobile Mercado showed up this morning and I was so excited to see fresh organic Spinach when an elderly lady came out and bought it all before me! More avocados, eggs and tomatoes. She said next week!
Oh well...I have to drop off an odd pair of pants I found in my finished laundry when unpacked it and return the shade I bought at Home Depot as it was 3 inches too wide. Got a nice one for cheap that fits and easy to install.
This morning I took a bus to catch the Huayapam House tour which was a fund raiser for Libros para Pueblos that supports libraries all over the State of Oaxaca.
We stopped at the home of Linda Hanna first. She had been living there for over 10 years and is now a Mexican Citizen as well as a US Citizen. What a beautiful piece of property with terraces, a Casita for overnight guests, a office, Meditation, Music, one room pyramid structure,and then there is the magnificent house! Linda gave a wonderful talk about buying a home in a Village vs Public land in the city, that included year long battles with village officials and stories of life in Mexico. It was pretty much all a positive and rewarding experience.
Next we stopped at the home of artist Andrew Osta. He and his wife and child moved to Oaxaca from years of living in San Miguel de Allende as a professional artist. His wife greeted us with her son, then proceeded to give us a tour of the house explaining all the paintings and different works of art by fellow artists. Andrew was traveling. It was another beautiful home with lots of light and very attractive.
We loaded the van and took off a back side road to a smaller and also very attractive home with a spectacular view. Marirose Lecher, the occupant, had just moved in a few months ago with her two dogs. One whole side of the house opens to a walled in patio, cactus garden, and lounge area with the view of the mountains. We had a nice buffet of assorted meats, cheeses,olives, fruits, crackers and bread. All while enjoying the view and each other. A real treasure in that it is the perfect size and doesn't require any improvements or serious maintenance. Private at the end of the road and a real paradise.
We finished the tour at Joanie and Doug Harmon's wonderful home they have lived in for 11 years. Another home with a view. They have a Casita that a Mexican lady has been staying in since they met her shortly after they moved in. Since then she has married with a child and her parents moved to the village to be close with her. The grounds are well maintained lawns, trees and plants everywhere.
They had Tecjate just made waiting for us along the the "King Kake" I call it. Today is the day the Three Kings visit the homes and bring a gift for the child. No
big extravaganza under the tree on Christmas day. The only gifts given are the ones today...the 6th of January. The kitchen was a highlight of the home...or at least one section of it that opened onto a patio on one side and a large living room on the other. The whole house was filled with art works they had collected. Many ceramic piece by Manuel Reyes the artist where I recently had lunch at his home and studio in Yanhuitcan when we visited a Monastery.
The van dropped me off near the Alacala so I witnessed the festivities of the King's giving a present to the children...the only day during Christmas season a present is given.
Biznaga was closed so I had a Pizza at Belanc.
Today was a do nothing day. I did get a haircut. My last barber didn't cut it short the way I like. He was good for the last 4 years but not so much now. I decided to try one in my neighborhood. I told him I wanted it to last one month before I needed another. He put me in the chair then cranked up Johnny Be Good on the stereo with Rock Around the Clock next. They he shaved my head. Not short but ultra short...! Too late now.
I noticed an empty beer bottle on the bottom shelve of a storage unit he had. Then I saw a cockroach trying to crawl out of it. A little bigger and he could reached to opening! I wondered if that was his pet or it climbed in to have some beer and couldn't get out.
The barber charged me double what my other barber charged and now I'm really bald. Oh well the weather is heating up and I don't need another hair cut until I return home in April.
I was excited today. I'm off to meet Annalisa and another of her "foodie" adventures for late lunch at Magula in San Augustine Yarterini, my old neighborhood over 5 years ago. I never heard of this place but it came with a high rating for Annalisa...and that is something. She invited a friend , Katie who I think is from Ukraine but lives in California with her Indian husband. They are in town for a week to get a feel of the neighborhoods to decide where they want to live when he quits his job and they move to Oaxaca in 2020.
We met at the Zocalo, had a beer and peanuts while Annalisa surprised me with some requested cookies, but in the form of a dough/paste and I surprised her with my kindle paper white so she could read 21 Lessons for the 21 st Century. I great book. We walked to the bus stop, boarded the bus and all headed out for Magula.
Katie is a "foodie" also and traveled all over the world, as does her husband.
She works with sanitation requirements for food service operations as an inspector and consultant. A very interesting person, as is most of Annalisa's friends. We were all three a big fan of Anthony Bourdain. It's like he really isn't dead...he is still alive ...in us. It would be great to travel to different locations far away for a weekend, just to try the restaurants.
We walked a short distance after getting off the bus and we were there sitting on their covered terrace outdoors , sipping Suarez beer (beer poured over ice into fresh squeezed lime juice) and perusing the menu. We got Shrimp, Arrache Steak, Octopus, and Guacamole. It was all great. I got an Arrache Burrito to take home with my cookie dough and we left. Katrina and I took the bus back and got off then walked to Llano park where I took the bus home and she lived across the way in an Airbnb.
I am signing off this blog and start another. I start Dominoes this week, go to a lecture at the library on folk music, and greet my lovely neighbor at the airport and welcome her to Oaxaca as my guest this week!
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