Springtime in the Garden of my Mexican House
March may come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, but April came in with full-on hot weather. March highs 70’s to low 80’s, so far in April it is ALL 90’s! It could be worse… I’m enjoying everything blooming. Tony is lurking about much more, mostly tanning and teasing. The garden in our rental is AMAZING! Mature plantings for us to enjoy, and the landlord INSISTS that they pay to have a gardener come once per…
Sourdough – The second round (really a boule)
My first (two) attempts at sourdough were … pretty good. They both used a very simple recipe (4-Ingredient Gluten Free Sourdough) that was clear and gave a timeline for the two day process. The bread was beautiful to look at, however the crust was so tough that it was nearly impossible to cut, and the bread itself was on the gummy side. I understand that GF breads are often gummy, but this stuck to the knife, once you got through…
Trash Tony
Earlier this week, you met Tony and many other critters that have become part of our lives in Mexico. Tony is exceedingly camera shy, so the introduction photo was notoriously bad. Today, Tony visited again – LOUDLY. And I had the opportunity to get much closer and take a better (although still not a great) photo. Tony did not make the transition from our tile roof to the pergola as “gracefully” as usual. This time Tony slid off the tiles,…
Interesting (and creepy) Critters
We have discovered many new and interesting critters here. These are not the things I had in my backyard or neighborhood as a child. Some I want to know better, others I want to never encounter again. You make the call… MEET TONY Tony visits occasionally on our terrace. Frequently crawling across the 50% shade cover to sun him/herself, or gain access to the flowering bush next door. Although it is a terrible pic, I posted it to the hive…
Lovely Loreto
Not really a post so much as some photos from the “Pueblo Magico” (Magic Town) of Loreto, BCS. Located on the Sea of Cortez this small town boasts being the original capital of ALL the Californias – including much of what is now in the United States. The town is small and friendly, loaded with places to get great seafood and Mexican art (I found my new coffee mug and some small ceramics for the house!). It is very relaxed…
(Mostly) GREAT Road Food in Baja
I don’t just mean taco stands and Oxxo! This is a very short list of some REALLY GREAT places for food in Baja (Baja California and Baja California Sur). This is by no means all inclusive. I also have very few pictures of the amazing food we’ve discovered, usually because we eat it so fast that it is gone before I remember that I should take a pic. NOTE: Everyplace mentioned has at least some items that are celiac-safe and…
Road Adventures: Cows, dolphins, roadrunners, and more…
Today we embarked on our first BIG ADVENTURE since we arrived – over a YEAR ago! The purpose of the adventure is less than exciting. I need to get some official paperwork done, and the local consulate is closed – so, we are driving 3 days to get to the next closest consulate. Yippee!! Many years of driving in the US and seeing “Caution – Livestock” signs and I have probably only ever seen a dozen cows, sheep, goats etc.…
Late to the Sourdough craze
2020 was the year that everyone rediscovered baking, and especially sourdough baking. Thousands of pictures of bread flooded my feeds. They looked good, but there was a lot of other stuff going on in my life during 2020. Like becoming an accidental Mexpat. For me, 2021 has become the “Year of the Sourdough”. Why now? Well, the motivation was initially a suggestion/request from the Basha. Then it was the excitement of getting back to baking bread – which I did…
Carnivale in Mexico – Party in the Streets
Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Carnivale. They all mean the same thing – a week-long (or more) party in the streets. In 2020 this occurred not long after the Basha and I arrived. February 2020 was sunny and mild, but with north winds that could be brutal and cold. For the revelers on the floats for the nightly parades, Carnivale 2020 was challenging – head-dresses, wings, elaborate costumes and floats all buffeted by the Norte winds. Not surprisingly, however, everyone had…
“Can we use your meter for a minute?”
This is the question from a group of workers this morning. They were here to fix the electric gate for our neighborhood. It has been broken for a couple of weeks. One of the residents of the neighborhood clipped it with his trailer and torqued it beyond usability. We’ve been waiting for the planets to align so that it would get fixed. Today seems to be the day. They have a portable welding rig, but, apparently, had no power for…