Monday, March 17, 2008

Some images from our daily life in Bucerias..






(1) The fruteria where we like to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables; (2) One of my favorite places, The Gringo Bookstore, run by our friends JoAnne and Patricia; (3) I am learning to cook authentic Mexican food - this is pollo con salsa roja y chorizo; (4) The reason why we sold our washer and dryer. This is where we take our laundry; and (5) our favorite little restaurant, Tacos Itzel - yummy and CHEAP!!

Our daily lives here in Bucerias are filled with color, flavor and serenity. Here are a few images that help to convey what it is like to live here. At the fruteria, I can buy 3-4 large bags of fresh fruits and vegetables for less than $100 pesos (about ten dollars). I love to buy fresh papayas, mangoes, chayote, potatoes, brocolli, chiles, peppers, pineapple, limes, oranges, bananas, onions, garlic, tomatoes, tomates verde, cilantro, zucchini and more. All fresh, all naturally ripened. So good.

The Gringo Bookstore is about the only place in town to buy English language books, so it is a favorite place as well. Among our friends, we do a pretty good job of exchanging books, however, and I am never at a loss for something to read.

I am having a great time learning to cook authentic Mexican food - the sauce for this dish is made of dried chiles (guajillo and ancho), garlic, tomatoes, onions and chicken broth. This chicken is so good it just falls off the bone into a warm, fresh tortilla. I've been posting some of my recipes on Ehow.com under "MexicoKaren" if you want to take a look.

The lavanderia is owned by our neighbors Karl and Rosa. Karl is from Houston and is married to Rosa, whose family is from Bucerias. They run a great business - 12 pesos a kilo for our laundry all clean and folded, just like it has been ironed! We sold our washer and dryer before we ever hooked it up....one of life's greatest annoyances has been taken care of.

Tacos Itzel is just up the street from us and is owned by a family who started serving wonderful tacos in their yard. Chickens, dogs and children (with or without diapers) run around underfoot. I know it looks a little rustic, but you will never find fresher, better tasting food. Tacos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, even empanadas made with fresh shrimp. A typical meal here of chicken enchiladas (huge chunks of chicken in a monstrous homemade tortilla, fresh salad) and a large glass of agua fresca (fresh fruit drink, made with pineapple, mango, rice, other good things) for BOTH of us is less than $5.00!!! It is crowded every night, with Mexicans and gringos alike.


These are just a few of the things that make our lives sweet every day. Come and visit, and we'll take you to dinner - our treat!!



Wednesday, March 05, 2008

A Dog Named Bob



Top picture: Bob in closeup
Bottom picture: Bob enjoying daughter Justine's company


Every now and then, something really nice happens - in our lives, it actually happens pretty often, and we are grateful for that. While I was visiting daughter Justine in Portland, a little dog showed up at our front gate here in Mexico. It camped outside for a few days, and Jerry has a tender heart, so he began to feed him. The dog had a splendid long tail, which dragged rather strangely on the ground.

When I returned home, accompanied by Justine, the dog was very happy to meet us. But on the second day, something peculiar happened: his tail fell off. We could not find it; it was just gone. What was left did not look healthy, so Jerry took him to our veterinario marvilloso, Wenceslao.

Apparently, he had been hit by a car. Wenceslao removed what was left of his tail because it was gangrenous, fortified him with antibiotics and sent him back home with Jerry the next day. A name became necessary: "Bob" seemed to fit him just right, given the condition of his tail (or non-tail).

Bob has turned out to be a good-natured and affectionate little dog, who gets along well with Blondie and Dagwood. He'll be staying with us for awhile...long enough for his tail to heal and to be neutered. Then, we will try to find him a permanent, loving home. In the meantime, a dog named Bob is apparently just what we needed. Who knew?