• 30Nov

  Random Observations

  maz odds + ends, our new home, our new life 11 Comments

  There are tons of things I love about Mazatlan. Some of them are probably unique to Mazatlan and some are similar throughout Mexico. Here are a few:

  • Bike Cops – Mazatlan has a ton of them. They wear t-shirts and shorts with a gun clipped to their belt. They ride all over, not just on the malecon, and they are friendly to everyone. I don’t know why, but they just make the city feel more approachable and friendly.

  • Mosquitoes – I have only been aware of a couple of mosquitoes in Mazatlan, ever! That’s a really surprising thing, really, given the heat and humidity here. But there is a good reason for the lack of mosquitoes, and that is the city’s program to reduce mosquito populations. They have trucks that go around the city spraying at night. They also go door to door pretty frequently and come inside and to your patios to check for standing water. If you have a fountain they will test it and put a treatment in it if necessary. A chalk mark goes next to your front door when they’ve checked your house. This is obviously a very successful program.
  • Tortillas – they are just so good! Need I say more? Those plastic bags full of tortillas in supermarkets in the US are a pale imitation of the real thing. Talk about flavor, and texture – and versatility. Yum.
  • The Malecon – We are just in love with the malecon, or the sidewalk beside the ocean that in Mazatlan is 6 1/2 miles long. Every day when we walk the dogs we marvel at how great it is to have this nearby. People walk, jog, do sit-ups, chat, rollerblade, bike, and a lot more every day there. It has been extra busy the last few days because the marathon is here this Sunday and people are already starting to arrive. Part of the marathon route is along the malecon (but in the street) and we will crowd in with the rest of the city to cheer them along.
  • Food – The baked potato guy on Zaragosa. The yummy handmade gumdrops. Tortillas. Salsa. Aguachile. Roasted zuchinni. Raspados. Bread from the health food store.
  • English Library – It isn’t large, but it is good. Real fiction, not just paperback vacation reads. It’s a wonderful resource – one I have already enjoyed and where I hope to volunteer soon.
  • The beach – This should be obvious, but needs to be included. It is so wonderful to live in a place where when you have a couple hours free you can spend it in the ocean. Put your swimsuit under your shorts, throw a book, a towel and some sunscreen in a bag – grab your boogie board and off you go. Drive down the malecon until around the Pacifico Brewery monument….park, and walk down the beach until you see a beach restaurant you like. Sit down, buy a beer, swim. Repeat as many times as you desire.

  Can you tell that we are enjoying ourselves? Isn’t that what retirement is supposed to be?

  
• 28Nov

  Democrats in México, join and be heard!

  politics, resources 1 Comment

  

  Things are different this election, and Democrats Abroad worldwide will be represented as the “51st State” with 22 voting delegates. If you live in México and are a Democrat, I would urge you to go online at Democrats Abroad and register. Here is a press release that explains how it works.

  There is a newsletter that is put out by Democrats Abroad México, and I’d recommend that you read it.

  It is very exciting to me to actually have a chance to have my voice heard even though I live in México. The Global Primary is February 5, and once you are registered you’ll receive email information about how to vote when it gets closer to February 5. You’ll be able to vote online, by fax or mail within México or in certain voting centers.

  Actual voting in the November 2008 presidential election will be done by absentee ballot through your home state. They are working on ways to make absentee voting easier – such as making arrangements for simpler delivery of the ballots to the US Mail.

  Any readers who hold dual citizenship are eligible to vote in the US and are also encouraged to register as a Democrat Abroad and vote in the primary.

  Both Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta have started chapters of Democrats Abroad, but if the your area doesn’t have one, don’t worry….you can register and vote no problem.

  
• 25Nov

  What’s for Dinner?

  maz house, our new home 10 Comments

  I promise to write a post soon that isn’t an update on a construction project. But we are pretty excited about the transformation of our kitchen that just was completed yesterday…

  Below is a picture of our kitchen from the marketing website before we bought the place. As you can see there are appliances and granite countertops, all of which is a part of the concrete structure. The concrete part is typical of Mexican kitchen construction, although most Mexican kitchens are probably tiled.

  

  We asked our carpenter to construct cabinets out of cedar and to match the stain to the existing woodwork. We discussed the layout of drawers and cabinets and he told us he’d have them ready in 10 days. Well, three weeks later here they were on day one of the installation:

  

  

  The installation crew was very talented and one of them, James, is pictured above from the rear. (sorry, James) James has a bit of English and was quite a comic. He is convinced that I am an artist that he saw on television. Anyway, they use many electric tools but the huge curls of wood on the floor are from all the hand planing they did in order to make everything fit just right.

  The next three pictures are the cabinets complete, and we have put everything away! What a great feeling! The only remaining thing is to paint the kitchen, replace the fan, and paint the concrete base that still shows under the cabinets. Oh, and install the tile mural above the stove, too.

  

  

  

  We think it is so beautiful! And the doors are probably an inch thick! It even smells more Mexican – something about the finish they use, I think.

  Sundays are wonderful here because no one is working on the courtyard. It is quiet, we can clean up a bit, play music, and be more relaxed. Now that we have our new cabinets though I will be even more anxious for the courtyard work to be done….because of the amount of dust that it generates. And with the kitchen open to the sala fresca, there’s nothing we can do about it.

  Below is a picture shot from the kitchen into the sala fresca with the courtyard on the right. So I can predict our kitchen will be all dusty and need cleaning next week and on and on until the courtyard is finished, sometime before Christmas.

  

  

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