4th of July/Canada Day Party

Each year the Merida Men's Club, and the IWC (International Women's Club) host a fundraising event,  They've had the 4th of July party for sometime but this is the second year as a joint venture with Canada, U.S. and Mexico. An international picnic...everyone welcome.  

The proceeds go to several charities.  It's always a rip roaring good time! 

Here are a few details!

• Tickets will be available at the door, but be sure to get yours ahead of time. 
• Hamburgers and hotdogs are free with the admission ticket...all you can eat.
• Drinks tickets will be sold at the gate for sodas, beer and wine. Last year many bought bottles of wine for their table and this will be possible again this year. 

 Lovely setting...beach, pool, music, good food, friends, etc

      LA CASA DEL MALECÓN, is a beach hotel right on the boardwalk in Progreso (close to the house known as “El Pastel” and the “Restaurant Capitan Pirata.”)

 

The proceeds will benefit:

The IWC Scholarship Program

EducaTe Yucatan

Chicxulub Food Bank

restaurant review - maiz, canela, y cilantro; aka casa azul

Went to a new restaurant today.

 calle 70 x 55 y 55A, #464, Centro

heading South on 70 it is on the left, just as you pass 55

The Owner/Cook Analia Machuco (sorry I didn't get the correct spelling so this is it phoenetically, at least to my ear) is a teeny tiny little thing that simultaneously floats and bounces about.  She is from Central Mexico, so this will be food with a chilango twist.  She appears quite content and profecient as she goes about greeting, taking orders,  pouring drinks, cooking, serving, and asking how you are doing, etc, etc.

This is a one woman operation.  Thank goodness there are only a few tables, there was one table (of 2) seated and finished eating when we got there, then as we (2) were about done another table (of 6) came in.  So overall it worked out well. if 2 or 3 tables came in about the same time it could get blocked up.

They open at 8 with breakfast service, and offer comida starting mid day till 4.

This is a cute house, fresh and clean, neat and tidy, no ceiling fans but there are two floor fans that get moved around to keep the customers cool and comfortable.

Analia prepares 2 or 3 options per day, everything is prepared fresh with the exception of the beans, soup, and the rice,  they are made that morning or perhaps the night before.  Meals cost from 50 peso to 70 depending on the item.  You get a frijoles with chips starter, a tasty cilantro chilito salsa, soup, rice, your plato fuerte, and a fresh drink or agua de sabor; jamaica, limonada, etc.

Today, the soup was a carrot cream which Tom said was very good (being lactose intolerant I didn't have any soup)  The meal options were a pescado empanizado, or an eggplant escalope which is sort of a scalloped eggplant.  Tom and I both got the fish.  

This is a substantial quantity of food - and very tasty simple food, no fancy smancy fusion reduction stuff, just good quality freshly prepared food.  On the plate with the fish fillet was a generous salad of two types of lettuce, cuke, tomato, beet and carrot shreds, as well as an arrangement of steamed chayote, carrot, green bean, and brocolli.

There are a variety of fresh drinks, Tom had jamaica, and I got a chia with lemon and orange juices.  it was very refreshing and tasty.

This is an exciting discovery. 

Really nicely prepared, fresh, and non greasy food, with some nice vegetarian options.  

On Saturdays she does a bit more complicated, or was it more yucafriendly options, echhiladas and such, both vegetarian and non-veg options.

You should go!  Let's keep this one alive!

I'll have to go back, soon, as I neglected to ask about the Thursday coffe and lecture series!

Sundays are for eating!

Yesterday was Tom's birthday, and it was a Sunday!  For whatever reason we always use Sunday as our do nothing day, which is a shame because there is always something to do and on Sunday, and it is soooo much easier because most people stay home or visit with family.  That makes driving, biking, walking way easier.   That's a different blog post, and it veers from this story!

Yesterday was Tom's birthday, and it was a Sunday!  I made banana pankakes for breakfast. Then we just putzed around.  We, well Tom had been invited out to a hacienda for lunch to celebrate his birthday.  Now don't misunderstand, I was invited as well, but his was being paid for by the group. Whatever,  I was happy to go along.   

So, the group was coming here, here being our house, at 1pm, our reservation was for 2pm.  Then we'd split in to 2 vehicles as none of our vehicles can hold 6 comfortably for more than a short drive. So the guys all went together in one car, and I drove the girls.

Lunch was fabulous, the food was great, and the hcda guys did a great job of accomodating my not eating anything with feet and made me a vegg stuffed poblano, the company was the best.  Uber Fun!  We drank, ate, laughed and chatted the afternoon away.  As we were leaving we were shocked to discover it was 6:30pm...we had  lingered over lunch for 4 1/2 hours!

The drive home went well, no issues - got home just as dusk and a light rain were occuring!   Saw some gorgeous rainbows, another fine present for Tom.

Once home we quickly changed clothes so we could greet and feed the thundering herd.  

Just look at these adorable faces!  So sweet!

Just look at  these innocent faces - 

which one of these monsters caught, killed and nearly completely consumed a rather substantial iguana!

Blech, nothing but about 3 inches of mangled and mauled tail section left when we found it.   

And oddly, everyone dove right in to their dinner bowls!

Nuptials in the night

Living in the tropics is full of adventure. Having come here from the high desert of Colorado it has been and still is an incredible learning and growing experience.

Todays topic is ants, we have here in the tropics an amazing array and quantity of ants.  I can't say I really appreciate them, but I do understand their purpose.  They are cleaners, sort of like the Sweepers on a spy show.  They swoop in and clean up the mess.

This morning, as happens most morning, my first order of business is to take a stroll about the garden.  Our 2 dogs, Tech and Ceniza don't come with me, they prefer to stay in bed with Tom, heck they sometimes even stay in bed after he gets up.  The fosters however, Lili and Rubi, are always more than happy to accompany me.

We had another BIG rain last night.  Thursday night was nearly 2 1/2 inches, last night was nearly 3.

After a rain, a substantial rain, when conditions are hot and humid,  and the wind is minimal, swarms  of winged  ants  will leave their nest and take flight. These ants that depart the nest are sexually active - according to wiki "This mating flights occur simultaneously in all ant nests of the particular species. The female "queen" ants will fly a long distance, during which they will mate with at least one winged male from another nest. He transfers sperm to the seminal receptacle of the queen and then dies. Once mated, the "queen" will attempt to find a suitable area to start a colony ..."

Thursday night we had friends over.  Normally we do our entertaining outside, it is waaaaay cooler outside.   Luckily Thursday night we were 7 total so being inside wasn't too bad.  The rain was relentless.  So as we were sitting around the table the small flying ants would drop around us. They were attracted during the night to the lights shining from inside.  My screens are covered in the ant wings which detach once they land.  I am still cleaning up ant wings from Thursdays swarm.

This morning, Saturday, as I was standing  out on the pergola admiring the jungle that my back garden has once again become, it sounded like rain drops hitting the leaves.  I looked  up, farther up than the tops of the quite tall trees, and there was a monstrous swarm of the large red black ants. It was a seriously huge swarm, and the ants were just dropping, like rain drops.  It's now over an hour since I first saw them and they are still out there, swarming and dropping.

Great, a queen wants to set up housekeeping in my back garden.  Where are the bats, the birds??????  why aren't they there feasting?????