Agave - beautiful vistas of dusty blue, and when harvested - Tequila!

Amar - lovers share a private moment in a city park. Many people live in small houses overflowing with family... so a moment shared in public is actually quite private.

Banda - The favorite music of Sinaloa! Yes, that is a tuba there on the right of the photo, an album cover from Banda El Recodo, Mazatlán's favorite.

Blue corn tortillas - my personal favorite.

Chinampas - when you visit Mexico City's Xochimilco, you will take a ride in a chinampa. Think Mexican gondola. I promise you'll have a wonderful afternoon.

Comal - this isn't a Mexican comal - I inherited this one more than 35 years ago. A must-have in a Mexican kitchen, and used daily in mine.

Cuauhtémoc - the last emperor of the Aztecs, is venerated throughout México, even though he was defeated (by Hernan Cortéz). There's another Cuauhtémoc who is currently very popular - Cuauhtémoc Blanco - of México's World Cup football team.

Deer - Mazatlán is the Land of the Deer. Above is a picture of our Deer Monument.

Deer - the deer-corn-peyote symbols are at the heart of the Huichol religion, and the deer symbol above is from the Sinaloa state shield. (Photo swiped from Yod.ca, with thanks)

Equipale furniture - We love our equipale furniture - it's comfortable and durable for our climate. The word comes from the Nahuatl language, and it means "chair for gods." Sorry, Coco, I don't think you are royalty, exactly!

Estacionarse - or in the sign above, no estacionarse. I love this word! To park yourself, basically, as it is a reflexive verb.

Frutas - This tile mural is above my cooktop. The fruit in México is spectacular.

Frutas - more tropical fruits - aren't you intrigued?

Gaspacho - this is a fruit treat we first ate in Morelia... cut up fruit with a bit of cheese and chili on top. Mmmmmmm.

Guadalupe - The Virgen of Guadalupe is the most revered saint in México and the first brown-skinned saint ever.

Below, our Virgen of Guadalupe lighted wall art.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6w0V_8A5lE

…..to be continued

In the summertime I kind of hole up at home during the day.  Dog walks and bike rides are over by 10 am and the rest of the day I putter around with my projects.  Then in the evening we venture out again.  Recent projects… well I rearranged my office into more of an office-craft-sewing space.  I made terry cloth arm covers for our tv room chairs.  I sewed new dog bed covers.  I knitted.  I baked bread.  I read.  I have read a lot, lately.

When I was a kid I used to go to the library every week and come home with a pile of books I could barely carry.  The only time I  haven’t been an avid reader was when I was in college when there was too much required reading to do.  One of the things that I love most about this time in my life is that I can read whenever I want to and as much as I want to.

Before I had a Kindle I used to stockpile books for the possibility that I’d be stuck it the house or something and couldn’t get out and get books.  I didn’t feel right unless I had about a dozen books in the house waiting for me.  Now that I have the Kindle I can just relax – I can fill it up with books and read to my heart’s content.

I have a large library of ebooks I have accumulated.  They’re all in various formats but it is easy to convert them to Kindle formats (.mobi and .azw) using the free software Stanza or Calibre.  In addition to those, there are lots of books available through Project Gutenberg, Full Books,  Free Books,  and MobileRead.  If you’re considering or have an e-reader, check them out.  I am having the time of my life being able to read all I want anytime I want.  I keep track of my books on a Google documents spreadsheet, if you are looking for ideas of books to read, check it out.

Paul has been reading a lot, too, but most recently he has been working on learning some new web content management tools just for fun.  That’s when he isn’t working or snacking on my latest bread creation!

While we are lounging around reading and mopping our perspiration, we also have been enjoying our new puppy, Coco.  You can watch her play with Henry, below – while Lucy supervises.

So far so good for me using chia seeds to help with my hydration this summer.  I seem to have a normal amount of energy and no headaches so far. (knock on wood)  Yesterday I really tempted fate though with a bike ride from here to Valentino’s and back at 11 am!  That is a bit late for bike riding, especially without a hat.  I’ll try to go earlier, but it’s still fun – the national tourists are here in droves and they are all really enjoying the water.  It’s great to feel their enthusiasm.

The summer crankies have hit two out of three message boards in town with people criticizing each other for writing messages with capital letters or advising this and that about satellite tv.  It happens every summer when people either lock themselves in the air conditioning with their computer… or maybe it’s those who swelter and drip, I don’t know. It is tiresome, though.

Paul and I have been crossing things off our to-do list, too.  We finally got a fan hooked up over our cooktop – the fan is attached to the chimney at the roof.  The curved hood over the cooktop is actually a chimney so this is how we had to do it.  You should see our roof, it looks like we have a restaurant or something with all fancy metalwork.  This was important to me since Paul and I cook left-and-right and I am a vegetarian.  Now all odors go up and out!

We’ve made arrangements with a local carpenter to build an island in the kitchen.  We’ve had a metal work table there but some of the stainless steel is already rusting and it just isn’t big enough.  I’m really looking forward to this, especially since I have been baking so much.

Projects around town are proceeding slowly.  If at all!  Here are a few updates:

Zaragoza Park - They have been working on this for about six months. It is still a big mess.

Pino Suarez Mercado - The fire in February brought about a gigantic renovation that includes all the adjacent streets and sidewalks, undergrounding utilities, and other work including as you see above, window replacement or repair.

Plaza Hidalgo, also known as Plaza de Los Leones or Library Plaza because there is a library in the center. More than a month ago some of the walkway was removed without proper permits, and INAH shut the work down. About two weeks ago they started jackhammering and removed all of the walkway surfaces. It has been sitting there with just dirt for at least two weeks. It is rainy season, and I am wondering what kind of mess we will have when it really starts raining? This park, like all in México, is well used. Where did all those old timers go who sat there every day?

The Hotel La Siesta on the malecón has been upgrading its look. They are adding molding above the windows and the balconies have been structurally improved with steel and the railings changed. This will give it a look more in keeping with Centro Historico. I wonder what colors they will paint it?

Well sometimes it is too warm to bake, but that isn’t stopping me.  Before my trip to San Francisco in April I shopped online for some things I needed for baking, primarily sourdough starter and vital wheat gluten flour. Little did I know, though, that when I returned I’d take a bread baking class from Hector Peniche of Molika Bakery and Restaurant and find myself more absorbed with baking than I had ever expected.

Several dozen loaves later I was lucky enough to take a general baking class from him and enjoy learning about making sweet pastry (pâte sucrée), crumbly pastry (pâte brisée) and puff pastry.  The class was wonderful and I loved being around a group of people who really care about good food.  The ideas that bounced around the room kept me energized for days.

Knowing that I’ve been baking a lot lately several people have asked me what I’ve learned.  Well, quite a lot.  I have read most of three books:

Nancy Silverton’s Breads from the La Brea Bakery

Baking Illustrated by the editors of Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Ultimate Bread by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno

I bought the Silverton on Hector’s recommendation and the other two were gifts from a wonderful friend who is moving soon.  I don’t think I could have put together a more compatible collection.  There is just so much to know, and I am working hard at learning.

So I thought I’d put together some information that might help a person wanting to take up bread baking, especially in México.

• One of the main issues breadbakers face is that the flour available here is soft wheat flour.  Hard wheats come from areas with cold winters and soft from everywhere else.  It’s the hardness that gives you more gluten, and gluten is what gives the dough its elasticity.  You need elasticity so the bread will rise, so it’s pretty important.  You can compensate for the low gluten flours by adding a bit of vital wheat gluten or malt syrup/extract to your dough.  Unfortunately I haven’t found either of these here or in México City, so have your friends bring them to you or get them when you visit NOB. You’d add about 20 grams of vital wheat gluten per a 1 kg recipe, so a couple of bags will last a long time.

• The act of kneading the dough is what develops the gluten.  If you (or your machine) is tired and the gluten still hasn’t developed, let the dough rest for 40 minutes and then continue to knead.

• If you want a nice crust on your bread, use a baking stone.  I have read that you can use unglazed terra cotta tiles, too, but I happen to have two pizza stones and I use those.  You want to heat your oven thoroughly, and it should be hot – 450 F.  Leave the pizza stones in the oven while it’s heating and slide the bread onto the stone from a peel. I don’t have one so I just put tin foil on a cutting board and when it’s floured the boule (shaped dough) will slide right in.  The thing the stone does for you is because it is very hot it encourages the bread to rise quickly – before the heat in the over fixes the outer crust.  I love the term “oven spring” for what happens when your dough goes into a hot oven.
  

• For a nice crust again, you need steam.  Before the bread goes into the oven, spray-spray-spray.  Then spray once or twice in the first five minutes of baking.  After that, leave the door shut so the steam stays in!  The purpose of the steam is to again allow the crust to stay moist until the bread has lifted as much as it can.  Don’t spray the bread, spray the sides of the oven.

• Before your bread goes in the oven you’ll want to spray it with a bit of water and sieve a bit of flour on it so it will brown nicely.  Then give it a signature – slice the top so that it can grow in the oven.  Some breads may need to be sliced all the way around to allow them to grow, too.

• If your bread is a boule shape (round, artisanal shape) don’t try to make big old long slices (like I had been.) Cut the whole loaf in half, then set the cut end of one half on the cutting board and cut slices off that.  Boy did I feel dumb when I heard that!

• If you want your bread to last longer, add a little fat.  My most recent success was a loaf of olive oil – kalamata olive – sundried
  tomato – rosemary sourdough bread.  That’s it, above.  It is wonderful, and I made it!  I didn’t even follow a recipe, just adjusted the sourdough one until the dough just “felt right.”  When I cut into that bread and took a taste – well, that was a pretty big moment for me.  I’m already thinking about what I´ll make next!

I am keeping a “web journal” of my baking here – and if you ever want to come back and see what I’m up to, I’ve put a link just below all the blogs listed on the left side of the page.

It’s now the 4th and it’s still overcast!  Four days without much sun!  This is crazy!  It is nice, though, since the rain freshened up the city, washed things off, and cooled off the concrete.

I took the opportunity to freshen up my links pages, too.  There used to be just one links page in the top menu bar – now you’ll see two.

@Maz – is a page with lots of Mazatlán-only links and @Mex is for México in general links.  If you have a suggestion for a link, please write me a note using the Contact page.

Tomorrow we get together for lunch with Bliss and the Capt’n as they are waiting out the weather for their sail back to San Carlos.

Hasta pronto!

She waited by the door for almost an hour for Jan to come back…

Our dogs stay with Jan whenever we go out of town so they got to know Coco a bit when we went on our birthday getaway.

Lucy, Henry, and Coco.

One thing led to another and we decided to ask Coco to join our pack.  It is wonderful to have a little one in the house again, and Henry especially loves having someone to play with.  Lucy seems a bit indifferent, but she is starting to show her age and is most interested in napping somewhere near to either Paul or me.

Coco is a very sweet puppy… she really wants to please, and her only fault so far is that she jumps up on you when you come in the door.  She knows “sit” and “down” already.  I am working with her on “stay.” She and Henry are almost the same height, but Henry is a bit stockier.  We think they’ll probably be pretty close in size when she is full grown.

When we had our farm it was called “Black Dog Farm” and all our dogs were always black, so we are bucking tradition here, but it just feels right.

Paul’s birthday is in June and each year we have been taking advantage of low season summer specials for hotel rooms in Mazatlán to have a bit of a getaway.  Last year we spent only one night at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay, and this year decided to spend two nights at the Inn at Mazatlán.  It is great to lounge by the pool and let someone else do the cooking and cleaning!

The Inn at Mazatlán’s staff seems very friendly and competent.  They do sell time shares there but once they heard we live here they asked for our room number so they wouldn’t bother us.  We had a Junior suite that was nice and clean, and the furnishings were comfortable and  modern.   The view from our room is at the top of the post.

The hotel doesn’t have free wi-fi – you have to go to their business office during  office hours, and (I believe) pay for internet access. We didn’t bother with that, just took our laptop over to Rico’s Coffee across the street for a nice coffee and breakfast. We loved their waffles and french toast! 

We changed into swimsuits and headed straight to one of the two pools.  Happy Hour starts at 1 pm and of course I received two margaritas at once.  We swam, and read, and then swam and read some more.  The picture below is where we could be found for most of two days.

We had lackluster food most of the time we were in the Golden Zone – at the hotel’s restaurant, Papagayo, at the Italian restaurant Villa Italia, and at a Spanish tapas restaurant named El Parador.  I am wondering if the head chefs around town take the summer off and leave their underlings in charge.  A picture of El Parador is below – we love the Miró inspired art and furniture.  They did make a mean Spanish coffee and a terrific Roquefort salad, though, that are worth going back for!

Paul is still working part time so it was nice for him to get away from work for a bit.  Both of us enjoyed being away from day to day chores and relaxing and reading as much as we wanted. But -  we are both homebodies and were ready to head home after a couple of days.

I know Paul had a happy birthday, and next year we’ll try another spot!

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If you’re interested in learning a little more about the shrimp boats here in Mazatlan, blogger MazReal did a great post on his visit to the fleet by land here.

So, without further delay, here goes!

This lovely building is the lavanderia (laundry) business and home of the folks we used before we bought our own machines.  The house used to be a faded pink.  I love the dark color scheme.

This one is in the “what were they thinking” category.  This poor little house has seen better days, I’m sure.  The grass growing where the roof should be and the decayed wall – I don’t know, it seems to me it needed a bit of repair before it deserved paint.

Some of the color combinations we see are a bit shocking, but this little guy looks great with such a bright color scheme!

Now here’s one that’s quite soft and muted.  I love this house.

Here’s a series, first one is before: (Notice what I call (thanks to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) the Tree of Heaven at the roof line?)

Then, after:

But maybe you want to see a closeup of that roof line?  Funny!

Here’s another beauty:

But want to see what it looked like before?  I mourn the loss of this lovely bougainvillia.

Here’s another before & after… Before:

and After:  (I think these might be perfect canvases for new art works…)

Another cool beauty:

This is another “what were they thinking” one.  This ruin consists of only exterior walls.  Inside, there is a parking lot.  But it is entirely crumbling and the top of the facade is just raw brick! (It is garbage night, the bags will be picked up in an hour or so…)

The Medrano building is a very special building in Mazatlán.  I think it’s looking beautiful.  Now if only its owners would find a new use for it!

Here’s another one I that I teased you about earlier.  The first is a before picture of the Genaro Estrada house:

They did some concrete repairs but little cleaning on the exterior before the paint went on.

Here’s the finished product.  It’s too bad that they don’t do anything to the woodwork, makes it look a bit like a pretty lady with runs in her stockings!

I hope you’ve enjoyed a tour of the new paint in Centro Historico!  If you’d like to see all the pictures of new paint, please click on the Photos page in the top menu bar.

To start with, the good news.  The Mansion of the Garcias, that I have written about before  – most recently here and before that here. The picture below is a picture of the building before work began:

The picture below is now.

We walked by about a week ago when a crane was delivering some huge steel roof beams.  They are installed now. There has been a curb cut installed on Mariano Escobedo that opens into a very large parking area.  All of the exterior cement work has been redone.  The “remuddled” patio off the back has been removed.  It is just gorgeous!  A couple of guys working on the project told me that it was going to be a restaurant, and just the other day I heard that it’s actually going to be two restaurants.  There is still a lot of work to be done inside, but so far it is fantastic.

This building is on the other end of the block from a number of excellent restaurants – Lorna, La Mona, and others.  So there will be quite the restaurant row on Niños Heroes between Constitución and Mariano Escobedo.

I reported a while back that the Haas house on Heriberto Frias had been donated by the family to the city to be used as a Carnaval museum.  Construction began about 9 months ago (I think) and INAH, the historic preservation society that polices work in Centro Historico shut them down when they opened a doorway on a side wall without authorization.  All the historic buildings must adhere to INAH’s rules, one of which – and the most important one – is DO NOT CHANGE THE LOOK FROM THE STREET.

So what do you think I see when walking on the adjacent street the other day?  These terrible, hideous beams that change the whole look of the place.  (Picture below)  They have also closed off the historic main door and are intending to use the new side door as the main entrance.  The newspaper wrote a piece the other day about what an terrible impact this will have in Centro.

These beams are on both sides of the building and just make no sense to me whatsoever.

INAH has also shut down another project – this time at the Lion Park on Angel Flores.  It appears that the city started removing the paved surface, and INAH objected.  Seems strange to me that they would leave this large heap of tiles in the way for several weeks now.  There is about a one foot cleared area so you can get by.

The Zaragoza park project is ongoing still.  Our understanding from newspaper reports is that the local architecture society donated plans for the remodel of the park that included a kiosko designed to be compatible with Centro Historico.  When the contractors (from Culiacán) were brought in, they weren’t given the plans and just created their own.  The kiosko that has been partially erected seems of a fairly modern style, and the work is proceeding quite slowly.  There have been articles in the paper discussing the missed opportunity on this one.  Once the work is done I’ll do a photo essay.

The main mercado in Mazatlán is undergoing a renovation, also.  There have been lots of issues that have to be dealt with – old wiring, bad drainage, too many gas tanks, and the need to reveal the beautiful ironwork structure.  Most of the mercado is still open and functioning but there is major work being done on all the surrounding streets that has been creating a lot of congestion for the last couple of months.  I’ll take you on a tour once the work there is complete, too, which is expected to be mid-August.

Last Saturday night was a really wonderful night here in Mazatlán.  It was Dia de La Musica, and there were five stages set up all around Centro Historico, each with a different musical genre.  Each stage had a variety of performers who played around an hour each so all in all there were about 30 groups represented.  It was a fantastic night, enjoyed by many thousand year-round Mazatlán residents. There even was a student public art exhibit – photos are here.

The performance schedule has three pages – here, here and here, if you would like to see what terrific performers we saw that night.  Mazatlán is a really amazing city with a very vibrant cultural life, and I feel very lucky to live here.