Tuesday, April 3, 2018

LA CRUZ DE HUANACAXTLE – SAILING, BEACHES, MUSIC


March 26, 2018

Lobo, Andrea, and Latcho at Octopus' Garden
Having lost my glasses the week before, I took the first opportunity after Nancy and Shoshana left to go to Bucerias and order another pair from Dr.  Alma.  While the prescription on the pair I lost was the best I ever had, I didn’t really like the way they looked when I saw pictures of myself, so I selected something a little less conspicuous.  I went to the bank and returned home to spend a rare free afternoon.

Don and I had tickets to see Lobo and Latcho at the Octopus’ Garden.  I had not been aware that Lobo and Latcho had gone to Spain together forty years before to learn flamenco from the gypsies.  They played music from that time and talked about their experiences.  Andrea joined them for the second set.  It was a very good show and we encouraged them to play together more often.  It was our last opportunity to see music with Karen, John, and Janice because they were all leaving later in the week, Karen to travel to China and John and Janice to return to Canada.

March 27-29, 2018

Dancing at the Brittania
I spent much of Tuesday writing and practicing the guitar.  Our friend, John, arrived that afternoon and we took him to the Britannia to introduce him to La Cruz nightlife.  He danced a bit with Cherie and we all enjoyed the band.

Cherie at the Helm of Scout
                                                                                            Wednesday morning, Cherie and I had gone to Comet to borrow Don’s drill when I heard Scout on the radio.  I hailed them to say goodbye and they invited us to go sailing.  Don and John still needed to shower and eat, but Cherie and I made a quick change of plans and tagged along.  Greg needed to go to the fuel dock before leaving for La Paz and took the opportunity to go out and sail for a few hours.  We filled up with fuel and then sailed about the bay.  Cherie got a chance to practice driving, as she was trying to learn to sail.  Greg was a good teacher and made her feel comfortable and welcome.  It was nice to spend a bit more time with my friends from Scout.

Destiladeras Crowded for Semana Santa
I had time to go home and cook a late lunch of liver and onions before meeting John and Don at Ana Banana’s.  The crew from Scout was there, too, and we eventually consolidated tables and got everyone introduced.  It was a fun evening and John enjoyed dancing with Sally and me.  

John, Don, and I went out for tacos at a stand on the street when the bar closed.  La Cruz was hopping with visitors for Semana Santa and a carnival was set up around the square.

John, Don, and Me at Destiladeras
I was quite behind on my blog due to all the guests we had been entertaining, so I spent nearly all day on Thursday writing.  In the late afternoon, Cherie took John, Don, our housemate John, and me to Destiladeras for the sunset.  The beach was packed with Semana Santa vacationers.  We had to walk quite a way down the beach before we could find a clear spot.  Cherie and housemate John swam, Don lounged, and we played Frisbee and took pictures until the sun set.
Sunset at Destiladeras

We split up upon our return to La Cruz so that Cherie and I could go home and shower away the sand, but we met up later at Octopus’ Garden to hear what was billed as the Shuffle Band, but was actually just an amalgamation of whomever was left in town.  Joachim got a little carried away with his guitar solos and Alejandra was nursing an injured arm and couldn’t play the drums.  She played one bongo and looked bored.  Still, they were much better than the usual Shuffle Band lineup.  We danced to the few numbers that were danceable and John and Don ate dinner.








March 30, 2018

Mexican Drivers Can Really Load a Vehicle
Friday, I worked on my blog and then spent much of the day rehearsing for the open mic at Rhythm and Blues in Bucerias.  Cherie drove Don, John, and me over there where we planned to have dinner while I was playing.  This was John’s first experience of Bucerias and he remarked that Mexicans really knew how to get the maximum usage out of their vehicles.

We had to park several blocks away and had some trouble locating the bar, even though we knew where it was.  It turned out to be closed for the Easter holiday and, without all the tables on the street, was quite inconspicuous.

Don, Me, and John at Karen's Place in Bucerias
Our plans for the evening dashed, we decided to take advantage of being in Bucerias and go to dinner at Karen’s Place.  Cherie drove us to the other side of the arroyo and then we walked down towards the beach, where chickens boldly perched on parked cars.

Karen’s was packed with Easter beach goers and they had added extra tables on the sand.  They found us a table quickly, but it was quite a while before anyone got around to taking our orders.  Still, the view was fabulous and the company good.  We chatted and enjoyed the ambiance.  Eventually, we were served and had a nice meal.  Karen’s dinner menu is a little pricier than most restaurants, but the quality of the food is commensurate with the prices and the surroundings are divine.  We had paused to take photos on the way in because the setting sun made such a lovely backdrop.  Their breakfast and lunch prices are comparable to other, lesser locations and they have a nice happy hour from 3 to 5.

After dinner, we strolled down Lazaro Cardenas to La Postal.  Bobby had asked us to check if they were still having an open mic on Saturday night.  We were able to confirm that information, but they were closing as we arrived, so we had to be satisfied with getting cups of gelato at their street side stand and wandering back to the car, pausing to listen to music from a bar along the way where Cherie knew some of the patrons.

March 31, 2018

Saturday night was the last full moon concert at the marina amphitheater.  Cantus Eterna was playing.  They had a new singer and two lead guitarists, as Hugo, the old one, was leaving and being replaced.  The new singer spoke good English and had good diction but didn’t have the voice of the old one.  Both of the guitarists were very good and it was fun to watch the two of them dueling.  They played a lot of Pink Floyd, including some pretty deep cuts.  There was a group of Mexican youths dancing in the front row who were very appreciative of the music and I got a kick out of these kids who were so enjoying the same music I had enjoyed forty years before when I was their age.  Pink Floyd was huge in Mexico for some reason.

Every gringo in town was at the concert, as well as some of the townspeople.  It was a beautiful night and a great location to observe the full moon.  The band had stopped playing when the sun went down because they couldn't see until lights could be rigged.  While a full moon should rise when the sun sets, the mountains blocked the moonrise for an additional hour.

Don and John were hungry when the concert was over, so we perused the food stands in the plaza, but nothing appealed to them.  We walked up to the glorieta and they ate quesadillas at our favorite taco stand.  We sat there until they closed at 11:00.  The temperature was perfect.

April 1, 2018

Tatewari at the Sunday Market
John and I had been entrusted with the mission of obtaining a Frida Kahlo dog collar for Shoshana, so we had to go to the Sunday market.  Shoshana had sent me her dog’s measurements and I was to purchase the collar and send it home with John.  We met at the marina gate and walked along the malecon to the market.  John went through the market much faster than Nancy and Shoshana had.  I bought the collar and then we headed for the food stalls at the end of the breakwater.  John and I had empanadas for breakfast, while Don got a sausage sandwich.  I stocked up on sourdough bread, porchetta, and raspberries.  Don and I got juices and John picked up a coffee.  Tatewari was playing, so we ate and listened to the music.  I bought a CD that I hadn’t seen before.  Then we went our separate ways to rest until the evening.

Cherie and I had been startled by a two-inch cockroach the night before, so Don gave me some boric acid powder and I stopped at the grocery store on the way home to buy bacon.  After I napped, I concocted roach “cookies” from boric acid, flour, bacon grease and maple syrup and stuffed balls of dough into the dark corners of our cupboards.  I hoped this would kill our “pet” before he or she raised a family.

Leon Playing Washboard at Ana Banana's
Don and John wanted to go to Ana Banana’s for ribs that evening.  I ate at home and then walked down to join them. The Rhythm Roosters were playing country and classic rock.  Local character, Leon, played a number on the washboard.  Leon was 87 years old and played with many bands in town.  He was so well known that La Cruz T-shirts featured his image.  The band was entertaining and there were some very good dancers to watch.  Cherie and her friend, Luz, joined us for the second set.  Cherie and I danced with John.  

John was really enjoying La Cruz and starting to talk about coming down for the 2019 season.  La Cruz was working its magic on him.  We stayed until the music ended and then finished our drinks while the band packed up their equipment.  Cherie, Luz, and I walked home the long way so that we could walk Luz home.  We were all a bit more security conscious during Semana Santa with all the strangers in town.  It was a perfect evening and we paused frequently to view the full moon.

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