LA CRUISIN’

March 5-7, 2018

I got up early to run on Monday and then spent most of the day working on my blog.  It felt like I hadn’t done much the week before, but it added up to quite a bit when I was writing about it.

Running on the Breakwater at Dawn

I had dinner with Betty at the La Cruz Inn and then we went to Ana Banana’s to hear Soul Trip.  They were good, as always, and played some nice blues.  They drew a big crowd and the bar had set up extra tables in the dirt off to the side.  We stayed for a couple of sets and then headed home.

Tuesday, I had intended to go to Walmart to purchases ingredients to make a cake for Cherie’s birthday.  It turned out that Bobby, Cherie and Eddie were headed that way in Eddie’s minivan, so I caught a ride with them.  We stopped at the cellular hospital in Bucerias to pick up Eddie’s wife’s computer and then drive to Mezcales to deliver some of Bobby’s artwork to his sister who has a house there.

Ben and Carol's Pool in Mezcales

Bobby’s sister, Carol, and her husband, Ben, own a fourplex in Mezcales.  They rent three of the units to other Canadians during the season.  They had a nice, saltwater pool and a great outdoor kitchen.  The whole place was decorated with lots of local artwork.  Cherie, Bobby, and I took a swim.  It was fun to see their place.  I didn’t usually have a reason to visit a residential neighborhood in Mezcales, so that was interesting.

The Walmart in Nuevo Vallarta

From Ben and Carol’s, we took the back way to Walmart and did a little shopping.  I ran around and tried to disguise the fact that I was buying cake ingredients from Cherie.  I wanted the cake to be a surprise.  Between the side trips and the visiting, my trip to Walmart took all day and I didn’t even get to go to the music store.  It was past 5:00 by the time we got back.  I fried up some potatoes with leftover arrachera and stayed in for the evening.

I was awake half the night, so didn’t get up in time to run on Wednesday morning.  I puttered around the house and then left about noon to go to the stationery store and print out some song sheets on my way to the marina for my music circle.  I also stopped at the Octopus’s Garden to buy tickets for a couple of upcoming concerts.

Part of our music group had sailed away, but Jane from Chantey joined us with her accordion.  It was almost too windy to play, but we had a good time, anyway.  Rick and Marilyn were due to head north on Friday, but Jane and I agreed to carry on the following week.

I had a hot walk back up to the house and then spent the rest of the afternoon writing and lounging.

March 8, 2018

Improvised Birthday Cake

Cherie went sailing on Thursday, so I stayed home and baked her a birthday cake.  I couldn’t find real cake pans anywhere, so used a glass baking dish.  The dish was too small and the batter overflowed and made a mess in the oven.  The oven had temperature measured in Celsius and probably wasn’t accurate anyway.  It took forever to get done and then was gooey on top and burned on the bottom.  At least it didn’t stick to the pan.  I turned it out, trimmed off the burned bits, cut it in half, and made a square layer cake.  It wasn’t the most beautiful cake I ever produced, but it tasted good and I somehow managed to keep it a secret from Cherie.

Don and I went out for dinner at the Ballena Blanca and then went to see Paris Can Wait at the free movie night in the marina.

March 9, 2018

Friday was Cherie’s birthday and she went to spend the day with friends at a local beach club.  I stayed home to practice the guitar, since she and our friend, Bobby, were urging me to play at the open mic at Rhythm and Blues, a bar in Bucerias.

Mexican Train Dominoes

I went to my Friday evening domino game at the marina.  We had a large and boisterous crowd and it was much wilder than usual.  The marina was full and everyone was there.  I avoided the margaritas they were serving, as they were made with scary blue tequila and I had drinking to do later.  I left at 7:00 and walked home to meet my housemates as the sun was setting.

Me Playing at Rhythm & Blues

We got to Bucerias just as the music was starting and I signed up to play.  Bobby was already there and was slated to play second.  I went third.  I was nervous, as I wasn’t used to playing and singing into microphones, but I relaxed after the first song.  The noisy crowd got very quiet when I launched into Bob Dylan’s 2018 version of The Times They Are A’ Changing. I had them after that.  The owner and the sound guy were very helpful, complimentary, and encouraging.  They even comped my (non-alcoholic) drink.  I felt guilty about singing and running, but it was getting late and Cherie wanted to go out for a crepe dinner.  I made my apologies and promised to stay longer the next time.

Cherie and I went to Casa Triskell in Bucerias for dinner.  The restaurant was very French and we sat outside at a little bistro table on a terrace overlooking the street.  I had a fabulous crepe with two kinds of cheese, bacon, honey, and walnuts.  It came with a nice green salad served in a bowl made from a baked crepe.  It was a very enjoyable meal.

Cherie Making a Wish

There were two bands battling for supremacy across the street and a third one started up towards the end of the meal.  It was cacophonous.  In the middle of that crazy noise, a Mexican band started up down the street and blew all three of them away with their tuba.  It was hilarious.  I was just glad they had waited until after I had played.  I made a mental note not to try to play in Bucerias after 9:00 pm.  I had never been in that part of Bucerias at night before and it was pretty wild.  The Canadians were partying.

We had planned to go to Ana Bananas to dance after dinner, but people had been buying Cherie drinks all day and night and she was ready to go home.  Having consumed a single glass of wine, I drove home.  It was the first time I had driven in Bucerias, but I managed to negotiate the narrow, one way, often blocked streets and get us home in one piece.  I was proud of myself.  It had been a very full day.

Once we got home, we lit the birthday candle and enjoyed sour cream chocolate cake.

March 10, 2018

The New Outside Seating at Las Palapas

I was sitting at the kitchen table on Saturday morning, when a strange woman walked in.  She turned out to be Cherie’s friend, Kundra, who had stopped by for a visit on her way back to Yelapa from San Miguel.  I had already eaten, but we decided to go to Las Palapas for breakfast.  I went along for coffee and the view, as Las Palapas is at La Manzanilla Beach and it was a beautiful morning.  The restaurant had made improvements to their outside seating area.  Cherie and Kundra enjoyed the buffet and I had a cup of rather miserable coffee.  After breakfast, we took a nice walk on the beach.

Geo and Lobo at the Octopus' Garden

I did little other than pick up a few items from the grocery store for the rest of the afternoon.  Don and I joined some other friends at the Octopus’ Garden, that evening, to see Geo and Lobo play.  I had a fabulous bowl of etouffee for dinner.  The music was great and the surroundings magical but, unfortunately, the next door neighbors started playing banda music about half way through the show and it was a battle after that.  One flamenco guitar and one violin had a hard time competing against the horns and drums next door.  It was a shame.  Still, we managed to enjoy the music and Geo and Lobo got two standing ovations.  It was the first time I had seen Geo play that season and I was glad to see him without the electronic gadgetry that he favored.  Lobo brought

him back to basics and we could enjoy his skill and passion without distraction.

March 11, 2018

Break Dancer at the Market

I got up late on Sunday morning because there were people in the kitchen and I wasn’t feeling social.  Eventually, I got up and visited with Cherie and Bobby while I did a load of laundry.  By the time I hung it out to dry, it was time to walk down to the market.  Cherie and I got juice and something to eat and sat and listened to the band for a bit. Three break dancers were spinning around on a mat spread over the sand.  One of them even had a break dancing dog.  I bought some porchetta and a loaf of sourdough bread and then we walked over to the Green Tomate to listen to the Crazy Boys for a bit.  We stayed for one drink and then went home.  The Green Tomate is a great location, but the music is just too loud.

Colorful Wares at the Sunday Market

I spent the afternoon practicing the guitar and then made Spanish rice and chicken with guajillo sauce for dinner.  I was home alone for most of the evening and it was very peaceful.  I got a chance to catch up on my blog and watch a little Netflix.

LIVING IN LA CRUZ

February 25, 2018

Huevos Divorciados

I was sick of the touristy crowds at the La Cruz farmers' market and needed to go to the bank, so I decided to go the the Sunday market in Bucerias instead.  I took a combi to my bank, but the ATMs were out of order.  Businesses on the frontage roads in Bucerias place their signs up high where they can be seen from the highway.  Consequently, it is often hard to see them from below.  I tried to walk back to the next nearest bank, but somehow managed to walk right past it.  When I got to the pedestrian overcrossing and realized I had gone too far, I crossed over the highway and walked back up the frontage road on the other side.  All that walking made me hungry, so I stopped into a neighborhood hole in the wall café for breakfast.  The proprietor was very friendly and I got a lovely breakfast of huevos divorciados (two fried eggs, one with red salsa and one with green), toast, and coffee with warm milk for 55 pesos or about $3.00.  I took my time and enjoyed my coffee and the excellent service.

Colorful Houses in Bucerias

Having located the bank from the opposite side of the street, I crossed back over to the HSBC branch and got some cash.  It was surprising how much lower the exchange rate was at HSBC than at Santander, but I needed cash, so couldn’t be picky.  After I got my money, I walked down the hill to Lazaro Cardenas, the main street through Bucerias south of the arroyo, and browsed through the shops, looking for a new dress.  The ones I had bought on my first trip to La Cruz in 2013 were falling apart.  Close to the arroyo, I found a shop with a good selection of dresses in sizes appropriate for North Americans.  I tried on several before settling on an orange floral print.  I found some pretty beaded earrings to match and bargained with the owner, finally reaching an agreement whereby I got the earrings for free.

Bucerias Sunday Market

My dress shopping completed, I walked up the arroyo to the Sunday market.  It was much larger than I expected and stretched far back up the arroyo and well down a side street.  Vendors were selling produce, clothing, and household items.  I bought a chef’s knife for our house and a big bag of strawberries, some limes, and a pineapple for what a smaller bag of strawberries would have cost me at the La Cruz market.  I also got some homemade cheese with jalapenos.

The Cheese I Bought at the Bucerias Market

It was about 1:00 by the time I returned to La Cruz.  I had just enough time to practice the guitar before it was time to walk down the hill and meet my friend, Karen, who was giving me a ride to the San Pancho Music Festival.

Soul Trip at the San Pancho Music Festival

We arrived just as the festival began at 5:00 and the square was much emptier than it had been the day before.  We got chairs and set them up in the shade.  The first band to play was Soul Trip, a group of young Mexican men who played mostly 60's music.  The bands on the second stage played jazz on Sunday.  They were actually very good.  Members rotated in and out for each set.

La Patrona played the second set on the main stage.  Her husband, the guitarist, was in fine form and entertained us with his antics.  I had never seen him so animated.  Ojo de Agua came on next and played traditional music with a very strong beat.  They were very well received and people got up and danced.

Ojo de Agua at the San Pancho Music Festival

La Grim Factory was an international group of young people.  They had a very talented singer who was an excellent mimic.  They mostly sang classic rock songs, but were so enthusiastic that they carried the crowd along with them.  The final act was Caravane, another international group of musicians who played music from around the world.  They were good, but the crowd was losing steam and didn’t receive them as enthusiastically as they had in the past.  We stayed until the end and didn’t get back to La Cruz until well after midnight.

February 26-27, 2018

Our Back Patio

I was tired on Monday morning and didn’t get up in time to run.  I swept the patio and did laundry.  I spent the afternoon catching up on my blog and practicing the guitar.  I had been out every night the week before, so was glad to spend a quiet night at home.

When we got up in the morning on Monday, there were tufts of black and orange fur all over the living room floor and it was clear that cats had been fighting.  Cherie decided that, if having the mother cat and kitten living in our couch was attracting other cats, it was time for them to move out.  John and I waited until the mother cat went out and then moved the couch so I could scoop up the tiny kitten and put her in a box.  We put the box back in the bodega and left a can of octopus out to attract the mother.

The Tiny Kitten in Her Box

We heard the mother yowling at our door when she found it closed, but she ran off when John opened the door.  She crouched under a car across the street for awhile and then disappeared by mid-afternoon.  The poor little kitten remained alone in the bodega.  I checked on her all afternoon and evening, but the mother never returned.  Finally, about midnight, I brought her inside for the night because I didn’t want to leave her, undefended and cold, in the bodega.

About 2:30 in the morning, I heard some animal crashing around on the back patio.  Shortly thereafter, I saw the silhouette of a cat trying to climb through my window.  I got up and put the kitten outside.  After a bit, I saw the mother standing guard over the kitten.  I figured everything would be fine now that they were reunited, so I went back to sleep.

Tuesday morning, the kitten and mother were gone.  We were relieved that we wouldn’t have to worry about finding a home for them.  I spent a leisurely morning and practiced the guitar in anticipation of playing at the Octopus’ Garden later that day.

Fundraiser at the Octopus' Garden

My Felting Project

  

Mama and Baby Under the Sink

One of the owners of the Octopus’ Garden had fallen off the roof several years before and become paralyzed.  His medical bills continued to be substantial and the community supported them in whatever ways they could.  On Tuesday, they were holding a fundraiser.  There was an open mic for musicians to play and artists were painting and drawing and dancing and felting.  Incredible musicians turned up from as far away as San Pancho and there was wonderful music all afternoon.  Even I played a couple of songs.  The place was packed and there was a wonderful sense of love and community.  Wayland sat in his wheelchair in the middle of it all, observing the magic of the sanctuary for artists that he had created.  It was probably the finest day I had ever spent in La Cruz.  People stayed for five hours.  I even had time to execute my first attempt at felting.  What started out to be abstract eventually morphed into a bird and I was pleased with the result, since I had been slacking on the art front.

I was home alone for the evening and had time to get organized for the following day’s music circle by typing up some song sheets to share.  The day was satisfying all around.  Late that evening, I heard a cat yowling on the back patio and looked out to see the black cat streaking away.  I figured he wouldn’t have been there if the cat and kitten weren’t around somewhere, so I went out to investigate.  I found them snuggled up under the utility sink.  I was glad to see they were alright and had found a protected den.  At least they were outside where they couldn’t do any harm.

February 28, 2018

The La Cruz Anchorage at Dawn

I got up early on Wednesday and went running.  The days were getting longer and, though I got up at the same hour, I almost missed the sunrise.  I would have to get up earlier to see the dawn show.  Unfortunately, my window faced north and the sun did not wake me.  I piddled around the kitchen and then swept the front and back patios.  About noon, I ran out to a local papeleria (stationery store) to print and copy the songs for my music circle.  The young man behind the counter was very helpful and the whole process cost me about 60 cents.  Then it was time to walk the mile back down to the Poolside Deli to meet my music circle.

We had three guitars, a violin, and a mandolin there to play.  After three weeks of playing together, we were starting to get pretty good and attracted a small audience.  At one point, when we were playing Wagon Wheel a group of people arrived, singing the chorus, and stayed to finish the song.  They were on the way to the restaurant upstairs and continued to listen and shout requests.

Friends at the Street Party

Wednesday evening, there was a street party put on by the Britannia and the Octopus’ Garden as a fund raiser to help pay medical expenses for members of the community.  Tables were set up in the street under canopies.  Bands played from 3 to 11 and people could purchase food and drinks.  Having spent the previous afternoon at the Octupus’ Garden, I elected to go home to write and practice the guitar for the remainder of the afternoon.  Shortly after 7:00, I went down and met Don and some other friends at the party.

The music was unexpectedly great.  Oscar Fuentes was playing solo when I arrived and I found him much more compelling without the Shuffle Band who, in my opinion, murder every song they play.  He then played another set with the band and my friend Victor’s band, the Piratas Verdes, played next.  Victor plays original, jazz tinged songs that not everyone appreciates.  I enjoy listening to his band precisely because they don’t play classic rock covers like everyone else.

Soul Trip appeared next and they blew everyone away, just as they had at the San Pancho music festival.  Their lead singer, who is a great vocalist, plays an equally mean harmonica and they performed some classic blues numbers as well as familiar rock songs.  They were so good that I didn’t mind the repertoire.  I was even considering going to Ana Banana’s to see them again.

I was tired and thinking of going home when the Britannia’s house band, the Carajos, came on.  Don was really enjoying himself, though, so I stayed until they finished playing their set of country, rock, and latin songs well after 11:00.  They would have kept on playing, but the staff started picking up the chairs.  The party was unquestionably a success.

March 1, 2018

I didn’t have any plans for Thursday, so decided to go along to Bucerias with Cherie and John who were planning a run to Costco.  We picked up our friend, Paul, and his friend, George, and headed toward’s Karen’s for lunch.  Various people needed money, so we made the rounds of banks in Bucerias and I stopped at Toka Music, near the HSBC, to buy a guitar strap.  I had hoped to find a book of Mexican songs to learn, but they didn’t have anything like that.

Karen's Place (Towards the Rear)

Karen’s is a beautiful restaurant and bar located on the grounds of a luxury condo complex on the beach in Bucerias.  They had excellent food in a wonderful environment for quite average prices.  I had a chicken Caesar burrito that was fresh and packed with chicken.

We parted ways after lunch.  John and Cherie went to Costco.  Paul and George (With John, Paul, and George, all we needed was a Ringo.) walked down the beach to secure a table for the afternoon music at Mar y Sol and I hiked back up the hill to see my opthamologist, Dr. Alma.  I had bought a pair of glasses from her the previous summer after losing mine while white water rafting.  I had paid $1000 for the original pair, but managed to replace them with identical ones for the equivalent of about $215.  The ones I got from Dr. Alma were actually the best prescription I had ever had and I wanted to purchase another pair for evening.  I selected some rhinestone accented black wire rims and ordered another pair for approximately the same price.

The Malecon in Bucerias

The Beach in Bucerias

My errands for the day completed, I walked back down the beach to look for Paul and George, taking photos along the way.  I couldn’t find them at first because I was looking for two men at a table,  When I finally found them, they were surrounded by five women.  I recognized the very loud band as one that had formerly played at the Gecko Rojo.  They weren’t fabulous, but they played good music for dancing and Paul liked them for that reason.  We sat and struggled to converse over the blasting music until 4:30 when John and Cherie arrived.  At that point, the others left to go back to Karen’s for happy hour and, not being big drinkers, John, Cherie, and I moved to a quieter table and ordered lemonade.

The trouble with going to tourist restaurants is that you get assaulted by a constant stream of vendors.  Not only that, but the waiter attempted to overcharge us for the lemonades.  We didn’t leave a tip.  We stayed until the band packed up at 5:00 and then headed home.  I spent a quiet evening at home, practicing playing the guitar standing up (with my new strap) and watching Netflix.

                                                                                       March 2, 2018

Sunrise Over the La Cruz Marina

Friday morning, I got up extra early to run during the sunrise.  It was overcast and rather dull at first, but got prettier as the sun cleared the mountains.  I spent the day writing and practicing the guitar. 

Me on the Beach at Destiladeras

In the late afternoon, John, Cherie, and I went to the beach at Destiladeras to swim and watch the sunset. I had been hearing about that beach from surfers for years, but had never been there.  The beach is not far past the turnoff for La Manzanilla.  The parking lot can be identified by the skeleton of a large building on the left as you head west.  Security guards will hit you up for tips as you enter the parking lot.  We fended them off and only tipped them as we exited.  The buses that go to Punta de Mita will stop at Destiladeras.

John with His Silly Orange Lounger

The beach was wide and sandy and stretched for over a mile.  There was a restaurant where one could get food and drinks.  Vendors were selling fruit.  We staked out a spot for our chairs and John attempted to use a sort of inflatable device that was supposed to scoop up air and then function like a bean bag chair.  He didn’t have much luck with it, though.  It kept deflating.  It didn’t work any better as a floaty toy.  It just got wet and sandy.

Children Playing at Sunset

I went for a short swim.  It was quite windy and the water felt chilly at first.  I was about to chicken out when a wave caught me and knocked me over.  The water felt fine once I was in.  It was choppy and somewhat hard to swim because waves were coming from different directions, but there wasn’t a strong current.  When I got out, the air felt warmer. 

Sunset at Destiladeras

Cherie and I went for a walk and then we sat, drying off and reading, until the sun began to set.  The sunset was pretty, but it was still windy and started to get cold.  We enjoyed the sunset while packing up our gear and walking backwards to the car, so as not to have to stay any longer than necessary.  I was quite content to stay in for the evening, after that.

March 3-4, 2018

Christy Making Us Breakfast

Cherie and I went to the cruisers’ swap meet on Saturday morning and then to Christy’s for breakfast.  I made a nail appointment for later on the way.  After breakfast, Cherie had an appointment and went home.  I stopped to visit with Bobby, Jen, and Gregg at Casa Mango until it was time for my nail appointment.

Gabriela did my nails for 190 pesos (about $11) and I was very satisfied.  By the time I got home, the laundry I had started in the morning was fairly wet, since our washing machine leaks.  I hung it out to dry, but had missed the morning sun and eventually had to use the dryer for most of it.  I hung around the house, working on this and that and then cooked up some arrachera for Cherie and I to have tostadas for dinner.

The Piratas Verdes at the Fish Market

Sunday morning started off slowly.  We made it to the market by 11:00 to see our friends’ band, the Piratas Verdes, play at the fish market.  We wandered about a bit and got empanadas for breakfast, but mostly hung around and caught their show.  Piratas Verdes play original music and it was nice to hear them in a venue where the music wasn’t so loud that the words were too distorted to hear.

View from the Green Tomate

From the market, we adjourned to the Green Tomate where we had a drink with friends and listened to the very loud band.  The Green Tomate is upstairs and has a lovely view and a nice breeze.  It would be a perfect hangout if the music weren’t so loud, but was still a nice place to pass a lazy Sunday afternoon.  When Falconi’s opened at 3:00, we moved down there where it was quieter.  We ordered pizza and played pool.  Cherie and I were especially pleased that they didn’t allow smoking inside, so our smoking companions had to go outside.  I had a second drink, which was enough to send me home to take a nap.  All of us were sleepy and it was very quiet at our house on Sunday evening.  I watched a few episodes of Narcos on Netflix and went to bed early.

LA CRUZ – MY HAPPY PLACE

February 18, 2018

Bobby Lemon with Some of His Art

My friend, Bobby, was having an art show at Ana Banana’s on Sunday morning, so I walked down and met some friends for breakfast there.  Bobby has a lot of friends and they had all shown up at 10:00.  The place was packed and the restaurant had not scheduled enough staff to handle the onslaught.  It took us 45 minutes to get drinks and the food and, when it came, it was mostly wrong.  They were out of many items.  Our poor waitress was new, didn’t speak English, and had no idea how things were supposed to be.  It took us two hours to eat and get our bill.  Bobby did well and sold a lot of art.  The crowd was getting restless from the poor service, so he and I each played a few songs.

It was a nice morning and I enjoyed the company of my friends, but I had been supposed to meet Don for the Sunday market and was much later than anticipated.  Fortunately, Don was running late, also.  I met him near the band and he and I spent an hour or so listening to the Huanacaxtle Sound Machine, yet another wonderful band from La Cruz.

My afternoon was spent practicing the guitar and programming my computer to play the second part of the Bach duets I was learning.  I was too lazy to make dinner, so settled for chips and guacamole with a few pieces of chicharron (crispy, fried pork belly) from the local butcher.

February 19 - 20, 2018

Our Front Patio

Running at Dawn

Monday was another running day and I managed about 2.5 miles and a shower before the net at 8:30.  I drank a cup of coffee while listening to the net and then lounged in a hammock in the shady front patio, playing solitaire and texting friends on my phone.  I did practice the guitar and read, but I was sleepy all day and napped on and off.  I couldn’t have been more relaxed.

Don and I met for dinner.  Many restaurants are closed on Mondays, so the choices were limited.  Our favorite street taco vendor was opening that night, but they were late getting started.  We opted to go to Enrique’s instead.  I had heard that Enrique’s made excellent (and affordable) fish tacos, although they were not on the menu.  This turned out to be true.  Fish tacos were 25 pesos apiece and shrimp ones 30.  Both of us ordered one of each.  The tacos were large and came with two tortillas each, so the two fish tacos rapidly became four.  Fifty-five pesos ($3) bought us a satisfying dinner.

Tuesday Night at the Britannia

After dinner, we repaired to the Octopus’ Garden for Acoustic Night.  People played everything from Roy Orbison to Neil Diamond.  Towards the end of the evening, a band got up and played some blues.  Various friends stopped by our table for a drink.  I discovered that Corona makes a non-alcoholic beer called Cero.  Since I limit my drinking to two alcoholic drinks a day, this came in handy.  It wasn’t any worse than a Bud Light and would have been fine with lime over ice.

Tuesday morning was quiet.  I made coffee and listened to the net while I ate breakfast.  Then I worked on my blog for a couple of hours and practiced the guitar.  I didn’t really mean to go out in the evening, but somehow ended up at the Britannia listening to an eclectic band that managed to get George Strait and the Talking Heads into the same set.

February 21, 2018

Cruisers Practicing Suturing

Wednesday was a busy day.  I got up late, so barely had time to get it together in time to get down to the marina to attend a class on suturing.  A local doctor was showing us how to stitch up wounds.  He had brought a haunch of pork and we took turns stitching up stab wounds.  We used cat gut (disolving, artificial) to stitch the muscle and fat layers and then nylon for the skin.  It had been forty years since the last time I had practiced, so it was good experience that I hoped I would never need in real life.

After the class, I wandered around the building to the Poolside Deli to meet with my music circle.  We had a big group that included four guitars, two mandolins, and a keyboard.  Simple songs without too many different chords worked best for people to follow and I found that my repertoire was rather low on such numbers.  It was always a challenge to come up with a good song when it came to be my turn.  Having to be physically able to carry all of my belongings at once, I had left my big binder of songs at home.  I missed it.  We played for over two hours and, this week, my fingers didn’t feel like hamburger when we finished.  I was adapting to the steel string guitar, at last.

Lobo at the Black Forest

After a few hours of downtime, I took myself to the Black Forest Restaurant to hear Lobo play flamenco.  It had become clear that I suffered from a flamenco addiction that was not shared by the majority of my friends.  Since I was unable to entice anyone to accompany me, I went by myself. I actually had a lovely evening.  They seated me right next to Lobo and, as people finished eating and left, I practically had a private concert.  I enjoyed my meal and apfelstrudel ala mode with two cups of decaf coffee.  After the concert, I had a chance to talk to Lobo about learning to play flamenco (a fantasy of mine), but he really wasn’t able to offer me much advice, although he was very encouraging.  I went home and discovered that there were some very good lessons on YouTube.  I would have lots to work with.  What did we ever do before YouTube?  People had also mentioned watching videos on suturing earlier in the day.

February 22-23, 2018

Sunset on the Breakwater

Thursday was productive.  I got up and swept the front yard.  The tree in front was dropping loads of blossoms and leaves, so leaving it for more than two days left the house looking uninhabited.  I spent most of the day writing, playing the guitar, and working up songs to play in the music circle.  In the evening, Don and I met at the free movie night on the breakwater where they were playing Split, a well- acted thriller about a character with multiple personalities.  It was another lovely evening that started out with a pretty sunset.

Roasting Chiles

Friday, I got up and ran.  In the afternoon, I made chiles rellenos, a time-consuming process.  The first step is to burn the chiles, which causes the skin to char and bubble, making it possible (although not easy) to remove it.  This renders the chiles softer and easier to deseed and, ultimately, eat.  I was so busy with cooking that I almost forgot my Friday night domino game at the marina.  I practically ran down there and was still a half an hour late.  Fortunately, they were teaching a new person the ropes, so hadn’t really started yet.  It was fun to see my domino friends.  I had been playing dominoes with them, whenever I was in La Cruz, for several years.

Later in the evening, Cherie and I went to Bucerias to see some music at La Postal.  There were two groups playing, both of whom were good.  The first group was a young couple playing guitar and melodica and singing.  The second act was a fellow named Alejandro, whom I had seen before.  He was versatile, but seemed to specialize in Paul McCartney numbers which he performed very well.  The venue was outdoors and it got strangely cold, forcing us to leave once Cherie had finished her dinner.  Having had a chile relleno about 4:00, I just snacked on appetizers.  They made killer virgin mojitos, which we both enjoyed.

February 24, 2018

Christy's Breakfast Joint

Saturday, I got up and walked to the far side of town to eat breakfast at Christy’s, a breakfast place on the corner of Coral and Huachinango that I had been trying to visit for years, without success.  Finally, I found her open and had a tasty and economical bagel breakfast sandwich with coffee and a banana smoothie, or licuado as they are called here.

Upon returning home, I swept the front and back yards again and practiced the guitar.  A feral cat had given birth to one tiny, black kitten in our bodega.  One night, I was sitting at the kitchen table when I saw something orange flit out through the bars of the security

Cat & Kitten Inside Our Couch

gate.  The mother cat had moved her kitten into the house and taken up residence inside our couch.  She hissed at us when we peeked inside, but showed no inclination to move.  We gave her water and tried to remember not to lock her inside.  It was a provisional arrangement, since none of us were in a position to adopt a cat.  She was allowed to remain as long as she kept things clean and did no damage.  Tile floors are forgiving.  With carpeting, it would have been a disaster.

Jenna Mammina & Rolf Sturm

Saturday evening, five of us packed into Cherie’s car and drove to San Pancho for the music festival.  I was especially eager to see Tatewari, a flamenco inspired group that I had enjoyed since the first time I came to La Cruz.  Unfortunately, they never arrived.  Their drummer Sonny, who also plays guitar and sings, did a few numbers before he was replaced by an unscheduled mariachi band.  Jenna Mammina and Rolf Sturm played next.  She has a nice voice and they have an amazing ability to make up songs on the spot from notes and words provided by the audience.

The San Pancho Music Festival has two stages and lesser bands play on the second stage while the main stage is being readied for the next act.  The previous year, we had been subjected to the same awful bands between every act, but this year they had a greater variety.  Unfortunately, Saturday night’s lineup subjected us to sets by the aforementioned awful bands.  Still, people were more forgiving when only forced to tolerate twenty minutes or so of musical torture.

Everybody Danced to the Orchestra San Francisco

After Jenna Mammina, Jeff Oster, Michael Manring, Chas Eller and Celso Alberti played some very nice jazz.  Jeff Oster blows a mean trumpet and Michael Manring somehow managed to elevate the electric bass to a solo instrument.  At times, it even seemed as if he were playing slide bass.  His performance was literally amazing.

The last act was a group of musicians from all over the world assembled under the name of Orchestra San Francisco (the official name of San Pancho.)  They played Cuban inspired beats that had the whole crowd up on their feet and dancing.  It was a nice way to end the festival for the night.  It was after midnight by the time we got home.

LA CRUZ DE HUANACAXTLE – MUSIC OVERLOAD

February 11, 2018

Band at the Sunday Market in La Cruz

It was so good to sleep in a real bed that I slept late on Sunday morning.  I didn’t have anything to eat, so I decided to go to the Sunday market. The farmers’ market in La Cruz is a wonderful collection of vendors offering every type of food imaginable, but it is so popular that it gets to be a mob scene.  Having seen it all many times, I often avoid it.  I do, however, usually enjoy the many musical acts that play there.  This week, there was a band playing Cuban music and another one playing jazz inside the fish market.  I bought strawberries, sourdough bread, and some porchetta (wonderful Italian roast pork with garlic) and had a Colombian arepa and a glass

My House for the Season

of cucumber lime juice for breakfast.  It was hot and crowded so, although I was enjoying the music, I left and took a stroll through town to see what might have changed.  Music was pouring out of Ana Banana’s and the Green Tomate.  The La Cruz high season was in full swing.

I went back to the cool of my new house and spent the afternoon catching up on internet related activities.  My time in La Cruz might seem dull to outsiders, but it is relaxing and creatively productive.  There are very few things I “have to” do, so it is easy to concentrate on projects that slip to the bottom of the priority list at home.

February 12, 2018

Not a Good Way to Start the Day

I intended to go out for breakfast and then go to Bucerias to buy groceries before meeting up with my friend, Betty, at 1:00.  Just as I was headed out the door, my landlady offered me a ride to Bucerias, so I decided to rearrange my schedule.  We didn’t get three blocks from home before we realized a tire was flat.  We pulled off the highway to assess the damage.

The tire was flat as a pancake.  Cherie had a spare, but the jack was back at the house.  A Mexican fellow offered to change the tire, but we had no jack.  Cherie called a friend, who happened to be walking our way.  Another friend drove up and stopped to help.  The two of them went back to the house to fetch the jack.  Cherie’s friend, Bruce, made short work of changing the tire and then we went to the Pemex station to put air in the spare, which was also fairly flat.  By the time that was accomplished, it was too late for Cherie to make her appointment in Bucerias, so we turned around and went home.

What to Do with a Sunken Boat

I decided to return to Plan A and walked down to Café Shule’t and had a spinach, goat cheese, and bacon omelet for breakfast.  Their omelets are one of my favorite things about La Cruz.  After breakfast, I stopped by Comet to return the coffee cone I had carried off thinking it was mine.  (I left mine in Indio on the way down.)  I chatted with Don for a few minutes and then headed over to Agave Azul to collect the box I had left there the previous summer.  Before I left, I visited my friend, Karen, who lives in the penthouse apartment there.  We chatted for half an hour and made plans to go see Lobo play on Valentine’s Day.

Laden with my box, I trudged home.  It was fun to see what goodies I had left for myself.  That turned out to be quite a lot, since I had been sick for most of my last visit and not eaten or drunk much.  When all that was stowed away, I turned around and headed down to the marina to see Betty.  I was quite late because I kept stopping to greet friends I had not seen for most of a year.

Betty and I had contemplated going sailing that afternoon, but she was feeling overwhelmed by boat projects, so we just hung out and talked.  I offered what advice I could regarding some of her new boat woes.  About 5:00, I headed home and relaxed with my roommates until they convinced me to go to the Octopus’ Garden for Acoustic Night. 

Acoustic Night at the Octopus’ Garden is an open mic and our friend, Bobby, was slated to play.  The music was surprisingly good and I enjoyed myself.  I came away inspired to play there myself within a week or two.

February 13, 2018

Our Street

Tuesday, I actually did make it to Bucerias.  I took a combi to the Mega, went to the bank, and did my shopping.  I took the bus back, laden with the absolute maximum amount of groceries I could physically carry.  Getting on and off a packed bus with that many bags was a challenge, but I managed it without breaking a bottle of wine.  Fortunately, the crowd had thinned by the time I needed to get off in La Cruz.  Our house was only a block or two from the bus stop, so I made it home easily.  I spent the afternoon putting my groceries away and doing laundry.

My favorite artist, Cheko Ruiz, was playing at Oso’s that night and Betty and I had agreed to go.  She brought a new friend from the marina and we had dinner and drinks and enjoyed the show.  My shrimp and spinach enchiladas were mouthwatering and the music was fabulous, as always.  Betty’s new friend was impressed.  Unfortunately, the turnout was light.  I hoped Cheko would build a following there as the season progressed.

February 14, 2018

Wednesday morning, I got up in time to go running before it got hot.  I didn’t want to miss the net, so I took my radio with me.  I hadn’t run for a couple of months, so took it easy and only ran a mile or so.  Then I walked another mile and a half while listening to the net.  I had forgotten to bring my usual handheld radio and had obtained one from a friend along the way.  I wasn’t sure how well it would work, but it seemed to work fine.

I spent the rest of the morning working on a long blog post and then headed up to the Poolside Deli for a musicians’ circle at 1:00.  It was time for me to come out of the closet as musician, but I was a bit apprehensive, not knowing what to expect.  I need not have worried.  There were three of us playing guitar and one woman with a violin.  Towards the end, we were joined by someone with a ukulele.  We took turns choosing songs to play and we all managed to follow pretty well.  We played for two hours until my fingers were quite sore.

Lobo at the Octopus' Garden

We dispersed at 3:00 because there was a slideshow going on in the VIP Lounge about S/V SuAn’s voyage around the circumference of the Pacific.  Their talk was very interesting because it is not often that cruisers visit places such as Japan and Alaska.  The pictures of Alaska were gorgeous, but I remained firm in my belief that I would prefer to visit the area on a cruise ship.  It looked very cold.

Some friends of mine and I had tickets to go see Lobo play flamenco guitar at the Octopus’ Garden that evening.  The proprietor, Alfredo, had decorated everything very nicely for Valentine’s Day and prepared a special menu.  We, however, stuck to the always delectable ribs.  The music was fantastic and Alfredo presented each of the ladies with a red rose.  The tickets featured a photo of Lobo, wearing a fedora and looking very Leonard Cohen-esque, with a rose between his teeth.  It was a truly delightful evening.

February 15 - 17, 2018

Sunset in La Cruz

My days in La Cruz, while quite pleasant for me, are not terribly exciting to relate to others.  The highlight of Thursday was a concert on the breakwater by Cantus Eterna.  There was a beautiful sunset as the concert began.  It was exceptionally clear and even the band commented on it.  Cantus Eterna plays classic rock with a heavy emphasis on the progressive rock from the seventies.  They are quite good if you like that sort of music.  There was a large crowd and it was fun to greet old friends.

The band was very loud, but apparently frigate birds like rock and roll, too, because there were two of them perched right above the band during the entire concert.

Frigate Birds Listening to Cantus Eterna

Fishing Pangas at Sunrise

Friday, I went for a longer run, this time before the net.  I was able to catch the wonderful sunrise, one of my favorite things about La Cruz.  I visited friends in the afternoon and then went to see Latcho and Andrea play modern flamenco at the Black Forest Inn.  Don joined us and we had a tasty German dinner.  The Black Forest makes a tasty Tom Collins which, in Mexico, is just a gin margarita.  I was pleased to see that the Black Forest served their drinks with reusable straws.

Latcho and Andrea always put on a good show.  They played a different set of songs than I had heard before, which was fun and interesting.  Flamenco reaches right into my soul and grabs me.  I always find it thrilling.  I have recordings to listen to at home but, as Lobo had said on Wednesday, “Live music is just better.”

Gabriela's Salon

Saturday, Don and I had plans to get our hair cut.  I had been going to Gabriela Saavedra’s salon on Calle Huachinango for years and was going to introduce Don to the place, since he needed a haircut.  We arrived there about 11:30, but it was very busy.  We made appointments to come back later.  Don had to go back to the boat because he had a load of water being delivered, but I went to a café around the corner and nursed a frappe for a couple of hours.  A little boy came by and sold me some homemade corn cookies.  Then I chatted with a couple from Canada who were also sailors.  The time passed quickly.

Party on Huachinango Street

At 1:30, I went back to the salon to get a much-needed haircut.  There was a young lady ahead of me getting her hair done for her quinceanera.  Outside, in the street, children were cavorting on a bouncy slide with a pool of water at the bottom while the adults prepared food for a party under tents set up in the street.  It was a festive scene.

Gabriela cut my hair and also did my nails. She did a meticulous job.  Haircut and nails cost me a total of 250 pesos (about $13.50.)  Don arrived at 2:30 and I stuck around to translate while he got his hair cut.  Then I headed home to catch up on my blog and spend a quiet evening at home for a change.