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Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 0 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 0 |
| Visitors Out: 846 |
| Total Visitors Out: 2202 |
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| Househunting |
| 2008-05-16 15:40:00 |
David wakes up on his day off to find me standing over him , "This house is too big, we're moving.""Can I shower first?", he says.We have lived in a 3 bedroom house since the mid 90's. It may seem like overkill for a couple with no kids, but we have always used the space. We have had friends that lived with us for extended periods of time, for various reasons, and we also love to entertain. It seemed that everytime we hosted a party, poker game, whatever, people have always stayed the night. Granted, other than a year spent in Dallas, we have always lived, either in the country, or in a small town a little ways from a city so our friends had to drive a few miles. When we moved to Mazatlan, we automatically went for the 3 bedroom category, and along with that, good parking and some sort of ...
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| Mango Pudding |
| 2008-05-10 16:48:00 |
Mangos are showing up at the markets, this is a great way to eat some;Mango Pudding Ingredients:2 envelopes (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar1 cup (250 mL) hot water3 cups (750 mL) pureed fresh mangoes1 cup (250 mL) 2 percent evaporated milk8 ice cubeslime wedges, fresh mango slices for garnish Preparation:Add gelatin and sugar to hot water and mix until dissolved and smooth.In large bowl, mix mango puree, evaporated milk and ice cubes. Pour gelatin mixture into mango mixture and stir until ice cubes are melted. Pour mixture into jelly mould and chill until set, at least 3 hours. To serve, dip jelly mould briefly in hot water then turn pudding out onto platter. Squeeze on some lime juice, garnish with...
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| Open Letter to Teenagers |
| 2008-05-04 11:24:00 |
(I don't know who to credit this to, it was sent to me in one of those "FW:FW:FW:FW:" emails. It cracked me up, so I thought I would share it) When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking Twenty-five miles to school every morning ... Uphill BOTH ways…Yadda, yadda, yadda. And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, There was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it… and how easy they've got it! But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids ...
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| Los Monumentos |
| 2008-04-06 17:22:00 |
There seem to be alot of monuments in Mazatlan, here are a few; These top two pictures are from one of the more notable ones and is called La Continuidad de la Vida (The Continuation of Life). It depicts a couple on a huge seashell overlooking a school of dolphins. The man, who points to the horizon, offers the future to the woman, where they will search for happiness together and protect living things. The snail shell on which the couple stand is particularly important because the snail traditionally represents continuity and eternity of life in the universe.El Venadito (Little Deer) is located on the malecon in Olas Altas. This monument symbolizes Mazatlan and the city's Indian heritage. The name Mazatlan is from the Nahuatl Indian word, Mazatl, which means deer. Therefore, Mazatlan is t...
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| It's nice to have famous friends! |
| 2008-03-28 10:15:00 |
Victoria is a very good friend of mine. She was here to visit me this past fall, so we, of course, had a house party. She was kind enough to first read tarot cards for us, then led an impromptu belly dancing class. I still hear about it from the people that attended; "You throw the BEST parties!".In Marietta, Turkish dance taught with Southern flavor.By KAREN ROSENThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 03/20/08 .The aroma of Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine wafting upstairs from Efe's restaurant on Marietta Square is a temptation hard to ignore.But these women aren't here to eat.They're here to belly dance.Bodies undulate to the beat of the music as hundreds of coins jingle on hip scarves."It's very liberating," said Victoria Logan, the instructor whose "dance name" is Inara.Her st...
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| Red Light Shopping |
| 2008-03-26 09:42:00 |
Things I have spent pesos on at traffic lights:newspaperstacoschicletsentertainment (jugglers, firedancers, etc.)fruit (strawberries, mangos, watermelons, etc)little wooden, colorful animals with the bobbing heads (I like putting them on my printer)fruit juice (mango, orange, limeade.........)tamaleswindshield washing (some better than others)cheesefireworks including VERY large sparklerspeanuts (raw and roasted)beach bagMexican flag caramel popcorn ballscandied applesshrimp/scallopsfree pass to heaven (maybe not quite that, but I always have change for various charities in the cupholder)...
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| Happy Monday! |
| 2008-03-10 09:37:00 |
To ease back into Monday, give these two blogs a look-see. They both tend to make me blow whatever beverage I am drinking out of my nose!http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/http://icanhascheezburger.com/...
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| Housecalls are cool! |
| 2008-03-06 08:10:00 |
So one morning last week I woke up about 3 am to a very active bowel area. David found me 3 hours later on the toilet with the trashcan between my knees - everything in my lower torso was cramping up and spewing like a geyser. David was trying to find out what was going on (other than the obvious) and all I could do was moan, grunt and occasionally point. He went downstairs, made a couple of phone calls to work, then came back upstairs to tell me he was taking me to the doctor. Our doctor does not get in to his office until 10-ish and his office is in El Centro, where parking the USS Ford is a large pain in the rear, so I informed David that unless he commandeered a porta-potty and strapped it down in the back of the truck for me to ride in, there was no way I could make it. Truth be known...
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| Christmas Trees and the Legend of the Poinsettia |
| 2007-12-17 07:56:00 |
There is just something about seeing an underwear Christmas tree at the grocery store that really amused me! Since I am posting Christmas trees, here is ours this year. That, and about a dozen poinsettias was my decorating in a nutshell. Oh, and of course the nativity scene to cover my catholic guilt for a year. I did not realize until I moved here that poinsettias are native to southern Mexico/Central America. The spanish translation for poinsettias is Flores de Noche Buena. Noche Buena means Holy Night, which is what they call Christmas Eve. The legend of the poinsettia is about a poor Mexican girl named Pepita who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. As...
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| How come I didn't think of that?? |
| 2007-12-08 09:20:00 |
A friend told me this story a couple of nights ago. I really don't know if it is true or not, I tried to research it a little on the net and came up with nothing, but it is genius marketing nonetheless. Supposedly in the 1970's, Corona was looking for ways to expand their market to the vacationing gringos. What they ended up doing was making a deal with the airlines and they placed cards in all the seats on flights to Mexico with frequently used phrases or words and the spanish translation. It was like this;Good Morning--- Buenas DiasGood Afternoon ---Buenas TardesYes/No--- Si/NoThank You--- GraciasPlease ---Por Favor, And so on. The list ended with;Beer--- CoronaApparently they went to number one in no time. I really hope that person got a bonus!...
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| Ho Ho Ho! |
| 2007-12-06 12:52:00 |
Christmas Elf NameMy Christmas Elf Name isGet your Christmas Elf Name at JokesUnlimited.com...
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| 8 things about me; by Chili |
| 2007-12-04 16:55:00 |
Chili here and this is my list of "8 random facts";1. I grew up humbly on a rundown ranch in Bastrop, TX. I know, hard to tell by my regal manner, but I did leave it at 6 weeks of age.2. I used to do missionary work, at least that is what I considered it to be. I worked with cattle in south Texas. Overall they were nice creatures, but not really that bright. They had to be shown how to walk as a group!! And not just once, EVERY DAY! Amazing they have made it so many years.3. I was a fishing guide on Lake Conroe in Texas. This was done gratis as well. Some of the best fishermen currently on the lake learned from me! They would pick me up at the house and I would go help them out for the day. A few times I even had to dive in and grab the fish for them becaus...
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| Back to the real world and 8 random things about Sans |
| 2007-11-28 13:19:00 |
We just spent a few days out at Estrella del Mar. It really was a great "not really a vacation" vacation. Even for David it was a nice break even though he, of course, worked. He did have a 1 minute commute and could take a nap at lunch. It was wonderful to have miles of empty beach and the only sounds that can be heard are the waves crashing and an occasional bird chirping. The traffic and noise of Mazatlan are a world away out there! Chili and I would start the day by walking about 20 minutes down the shore to the clubhouse and then I would hit some balls on the driving range. The rest of the day was spent deciding between "times" : pool time, beach time, tee time, and nap time. It was tough, light a candle for me. We also let loose baby turtles one evening, which is quite a treat. I hi...
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| Mucho Lucha Libre |
| 2007-11-08 12:23:00 |
As we are enjoying some shrimp, fresh mango juice with a touch of hooch, and a beautiful sunset on Isla de la Piedra Sunday, Juan says to us, "Do you guys have plans Wednesday night? It's time you saw some real Mexico". Hell yes, sign us up!! So we meet up with him and Corrina last night, pile in the USS Ford together and head to the German Evers Center. It is Lucha Libre night! Talk about a colorful cornucopia of sights, sounds, and smells. Draft beer, kids in masks, fireworks, sabritos, fake blood, grandmothers screaming and shaking fists at wrestlers, it was one loud, funny evening. There was even a midget chupacabra! He certainly rounded out the lineup perfectly. The wrestler's acrobatics were very good and they worked the crowd into a frenzy by the end of the night. We had an excelle...
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| Sand dollar photos |
| 2007-10-26 09:37:00 |
I call this series of photos; "Waiting patiently for David to get off work" .(yes, I was bored)...
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| Ficus tree art |
| 2007-10-19 14:09:00 |
Trees are not simply trimmed around here, they are formed into works of art! ...
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| The times they are a-changin' |
| 2007-10-18 12:56:00 |
Monday night, David and I were discussing the weather, how there seemed to be no wind all weekend, but then it appeared again Monday in a different direction. Tuesday we awoke to a crisp morning and the windows have been open every since. Could it be rainy season is over? It is a little early and there is Tropical Storm Kiko churning off the coast keeping my hopes alive for another good squall (although it does not, at this time, look like it will impact us) We have had no rain for a couple of weeks, so I have been back to topping off the pool and watering plants. I did not realize how many more plants I had accumulated the last couple of months until I had to start hosing them down again! Anyways, I really hope summer is not coming to a close, it is my favorite season here. I love watchin...
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| Neighbors having a picnic |
| 2007-10-13 10:11:00 |
Luckily I have had no problems with iguanas eating plants in my yard yet, but how would you iguana-proof? We did have leaf cutter ants ambush us one night this past summer. I walked out the back door, hot mug of tea in my hand, ready to enjoy a lovely morning only to find all my plants with no leaves and a path that looked like a herd of buffalo created where everything was perfectly normal the evening before. ...
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| A bad day fishing is better than (fill in blank) |
| 2007-10-04 02:02:00 |
So it wasn't the best day catch-wise, but nothing beats good friends, sunny skies, and an excellent meal to round off the day. We went out fishing with Juan and Corinna, caught dorado and had Ken at Olas Altas Steakhouse cook it up for us. His resturant has become a favorite haunt for us - some of the best food we have had ANYWHERE, and trust me, we like to eat. We usually hold the bar up- look for us in there. ...
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| Festival Cultural Mazatlan 2007 |
| 2007-09-04 11:39:00 |
I thought I would post the schedule of events for the Cultural Festival this year. Keep in mind, the schedule can change! Check here for updates;http://www.culturamazatlan.com/index_en.phpOctubre18 Banda de Jazz Col. Flores Magon 20:00 hrs 19 Escuela de Ballet Clasico CMA Col. Flores Magon 20:00 hrs 23 Ballet Folklorio CMA La Noria 19:00 hrs24 Angelique Kidjo Angela Peralta Theatre 20:00 hrs25 Ensambles de Percusiones CMA Col Flores Magon 20:00 hrs26 Escuela de Ballet Clasico CMA Col. Flores Magon 20:00 hrs 27 Danza Contemporanea CMA Col. Juarez 20:oo hrs 29 Banda de Jazz CMA Infonavit Playas 20:00 hrs30 Escuela de Ballet Clasico CMA Infonavit Playas 20:00 hrs31 Orquesta Sinfonica Ju...
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| Another day in paradise... |
| 2007-08-30 18:22:00 |
So, we have now been living in Mazatlan for about a year and a half. We are definately still loving it and have not regretted this decision for a moment. The people here are warm and gracious and we genuinely feel part of the community. Things are diffrent, for sure, in some ways good, some ways bad, but David and I both feel the quality of our lives have overall improved. There is a slower pace, for example, I am currently on Day Three of Satellite Hookup Watch. Things like that do not really bother me, though. We have lived the last 15 years in a place where the 'request for service call' always ended with, "There will be a technician in your part of the county the end of next week, will someone be home between Wednesday 9 am and Saturday 3 pm?". In other ways, service is exemplary. We ...
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| Happy Independence Day! |
| 2007-07-04 09:26:00 |
Happy Fourth of July to our fellow NOB'ers! Since one of the key elements to the 4th of July is hot dogs, I thought I would include this picture of a stand we saw while at the Plaza de Toros a couple of nights ago for a bullriding. (sorry-no pictures from that- it was a torrential downpour from start to finish-we were soaked but it made for interesting bull riding!) Because of all the jokes as to what is REALLY in hot dogs, the name of this particular stand gave us a good chuckle. ...
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| Bienvenidos! |
| 2007-07-02 17:36:00 |
Meet Putt! Also known as Putt-Putt or Putter. We found her at the local animal shelter, Amigos de los Animales. (http://www.herseydawg.com/) For 100 pesos, you get a warm, fuzzy furball and it also includes all vaccinations and neutering. What a deal! She is fitting in with no problems, spending her time either playing with Chili or watching with obvious frustration as the geckos scurry out of her short kitten reach. You can see her thinking, "Have your fun now, gecko, but one day ......". Maybe it comes from starting out as a Mexico street kitty, but she is cool as a cucumber and takes everything in stride. ...
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| Help?! |
| 2007-06-20 14:31:00 |
Anybody know what type of tree this is?...
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| Pies and Politicians |
| 2007-06-14 15:20:00 |
This is the Banana Creme Pie recipe made famous by Daniel's Resturant in Copala. Apparently it was a favorite of Bill Clinton. I don't think we should hold grudges about politcs with desserts, in my opinion, so here it is! This is the recipe as it was given to me, so it is a little awkward in places. Enjoy!Copala Banana Coconut Creme PiePie Crust:2 cups flour4 tbsp sugar1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup lard or Crisco3 to 4 tbsps cold waterStir together flour, salt and sugar. Cut lard or Crisco into flour mixture. Sprinkle 1 tbsp water over the mixture. Gently toss with a fork. Push to side of bowl until all is moistened. Form dough with hands. Roll dough out and place in a 9" pie plate. Bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.Filling:1 cup of evaporated milk1 cup of Sugar1 cup water1/4...
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| Wow. |
| 2007-06-13 08:12:00 |
Nineteenth-Century Harpoon Found in Live WhaleWednesday, June 13, 2007BOSTON — A 50-ton bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month had a weapon fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt — more than a century ago.Embedded deep under its blubber was a 3½-inch arrow-shaped projectile that has given researchers insight into the whale's age, estimated between 115 and 130 years old."No other finding has been this precise," said John Bockstoce, an adjunct curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.Calculating a whale's age can be difficult, and is usually gauged by amino acids in the eye lenses. It's rare to find one that has lived more than a century, but experts say the oldest were close to 200 years old.The bomb lance fragment, lodged in a bone between...
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| Sunset over Deer and Bird Islands |
| 2007-06-12 14:03:00 |
I don't know if it is because I am still in the honeymoon stage of living here, but I swear the sunsets are spectacular every night. I do think that for whatever reason(s) the summertime ones are the best. ...
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| Banda Music |
| 2007-03-25 11:10:00 |
Nothing says "Welcome to Mexico" quite like moving into a neighborhood where two banda groups practice and throw parties. Banda is a type of music that originated here in the state of Sinaloa during the late 1930's, and exploded in popularity during the 1990's. The groups usually consist of 12-20 members. There are generally 2 singers and the rest are brass, percussion and woodwinds. Let me assure you, they play with alot of heart, soul and most importantly, lungs! Me, being the former band geek that I was, can really appreciate this music. It is most definately lively! We have one group on the same side of the street, two doors down and another across the street and catty corner from us. Trust me, when they get wound up, they may as well be playing at the ...
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| Poll #1 |
| 2007-03-25 10:46:00 |
PollPub.com VoteWhere are you? USACanadaMexico/CarribeanEuropeAsiaMiddle EastNew Zealand/AustraliaSouth America/Central AmericaSome place I was dumb enough to leave off this listView ResultsPoll powered by PollPub.com Free Polls...
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| The "Colonial Pearl" |
| 2007-03-24 11:19:00 |
David, Mom and I made another road trip to a neighboring village. This time we chose El Quelite (founded in 1564) about 40 minutes north of Mazatlan on highway 15. It was a pueblita consisiting of brightly colored houses, rolling cobblestone streets and flowers so vibrant it almost hurt to look at them. There is a famous song called “Que bonito es El Quelite” (How beautiful is El Quelite), this song is very well known in all of Latin American. Anyways, for a small place there seems to be alot of activity; the largest game cock farm in Northern Mexico, charrerias and ulama games are held often, there are 17th century paintings in the church, cheese factory, a very good bakery, couple of inns, etc. We had a good lunch at El Meson de Los Laurenos. This place is a resturant and hotel and i...
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| Jalapeno Chicken |
| 2007-03-22 17:25:00 |
Here's another popular request for my peeps:Jalapeno Chicken6 chicken breasts1/2 cup lime juice1/4 cup honey2 TB cilantro3 jalapeno peppers (diced)2 TB soy sauce3 cloves garlic (chopped)1/4 tsp salt1/4 tsp pepperCombine all ingredients(except chicken of course) and process until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade and pour remaining over chicken breasts. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours. Drain chicken and grill, turn and brush with marinade as needed. Buen Provencho!...
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| Carnaval! |
| 2007-02-18 14:36:00 |
There has been a very obvious tingle in the air the last couple of weeks as Mazatlan has been preparing for Carnaval. Also traffic snags, and people, herds and herds of people. So far we have only attended two events, the first being a concert a couple of weeks ago at the Angela Peralta Theatre. It featured the Mazatlan Orchestra and three female opera singers singing various arias by Puccini. Please fogive me for I cannot remember the names of the ladies that sang. Regardless, it was excellent. Last night we watched the Ship to Shore Fireworks display. This is a show that comemmerates the successful defense of Mazatlán from the attacking French warship "La Cordeliere" in 1864 during the French-Mexican war. We chose to take the harbor cruise with Yates ...
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| Corn Casserole |
| 2007-02-13 10:49:00 |
Okay, I am posting this after numerous requests from my culinary fan base. Buen Provencho!Corn Casserole1 c. dry elbow macaroni1 can whole corn1 can creamed corn1/2 c. butter1/2 c. chopped onion1 can RoTel (diced tomatoes and chilies)salt and pepper to taste1/2 c. velveeta We have lived in very warm climates, so there is nothing I try to avoid more than to use the stove. Heats the house up way too much. What I usually do is throw it all in a crock pot on high for a couple of hours and give it a stir every once in a while. You can also pour it into a casserole dish, then bake uncovered at 350 degrees for for 30 minutes, give it a good stir, then bake covered for another 30 minutes. ...
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| Whale Tale |
| 2007-02-06 11:10:00 |
Ok, so David and I decided to go bottom fishing yesterday (panga boat, maybe 26-28 foot - fishing for red snapper, grouper, etc) By the way, we highly reccomend Pepe's Fishing for both deep sea and bottom fishing. Great guys and we have ALWAYS caught fish with them -(www.pepesfleet.com) Back to the story, it was an absolutlely beautiful day to be out on the water! The sun was shining, about 80 degrees, seas were nice and calm. Suddenly, we hear what sounded kind of like a muffled gunshot in the distance. We look around, then two whale tails appear splashing the water about 200 yards away. Really awesome! We watched them spew water out of their blowholes (hence the muffled sound we heard) and saw the tails splash for about a minute then they disappeared. The...
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| El Faro |
| 2006-12-29 11:14:00 |
Chili and I have been hiking up to El Faro light house a couple of times a week lately. Overall, it's a great hike, all 505 feet of it. It starts out as a rough trail then halfway up it is concrete stairs. The downside is right at the head of the trail is a waste water treatment plant, but within 5 minutes of the onset of the hike, you are on the other side of the hill from it. You get some great views throughout the entire hike! El Faro is the second naturally highest lighthouse in the world and the highest WORKING lighthouse (Gibraltor is the highest, but it's now a bed and breakfast) It was completed in 1879. The lamp had been handcrafted in Paris, France, and it was a big oil lamp with mirrors to enhance the light. Supposedly, since the light was static, in the distance it was often mi...
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| Pescadores |
| 2006-11-08 17:24:00 |
Fishing with our good friends, Bobby and Melinda McKissack of New Braunfels! We went after marlin, but we only caught mahi-mahi. (Not like that's a bad thing, that's our favorite fish!) It was a beautiful day, and we saw a pod of dolphins that numbered in the hundreds. They put on quite a show for us!...
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| Dia de los Muertos |
| 2006-11-02 17:48:00 |
We had a rather cool look at some local culture last night. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated here October 31 through November 2. The deal is, the spirits of the dead come back to earth once a year to spend time with their family. Normally, November 1 is set aside for remembrance of deceased infants and children, often referred to as angelitos (little angels), and those who have died as adults are honored November 2. Altars are placed with pictures of the deceased and also the four elements of nature are involved; earth, wind, water, and fire. Earth is represented by food, usually something the deceased liked, wind by a moving object, like tissue paper, water by a liquid, which can be water itself, although we also saw wine, beer, and tequila. The last is fire shown with c...
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| Mexico-in-English: Veracruz |
| 2006-09-27 18:39:00 |
I thought I would add this link, she has listed on her site several blogs about Mexico written in english. There is some really interesting reading!Mexico-in-English: Veracruz...
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| Viva Mazatlan!! |
| 2006-09-18 02:34:00 |
Overall, Mazatlan weathered Lane very well. The reports that I am hearing, thus far, say the eye passed about 10 miles north of the city. The infrastructure held up great, utilities were good. We even saw buses running at the height of the storm. Personally, we never lost electricity. We have heard from all parts of the city, some lost power, some had flickers, some never lost. There is water damage in places, wind damage, etc, but in other parts, almost nothing. There are exceptions, for example, the little town of Barron was completely overtaken by the Presidio River. There is certainly alot to cleanup and we will be busy over the next few days! ...
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