We had company, though – our son and daughter in law and our granddaughter came over from México City for five days.  Our son travels a lot on business and our daughter in law is busy with her Foundation so it had been hard to find a time we could get together.  Consuelo is 14 months old now and is walking and can even say a few words.  She and our dog Henry became fast friends.

She loved swimming in her inflatable pool.

She loved eating oatmeal that Nana made. (that’s me)

She enjoyed lunch at Playa Bruja.

She loved strolling over to Puerto Viejo.

It was a great visit.  Too short, as always. For family or other Consuelo fans, a video is here.

In other news, there is a lot going on in town.

• Tomorrow is an art opening at Recrea featuring the work of Kym Hoffschildt, Cecilia García, Glen Rogers, Cecilia Sànchez Duarte and Ricardo Arzola.
• This weekend is the Triatholon – as we took a long walk down the malecón today they were setting up the registration area and putting up barricades.
• The book fair is still going in the Plazuela Machado – Paul and I bought a great old book of the origin of swear words in español!
• Amigos de los Animales dog walk and costume contest is this Sunday.

If you want more information, check out the Calendar page, above.

I’ve always been very active… walking a lot every day and constantly on the go.  But somehow or other some pounds crept on since we’ve been living here in Mazatlán.  I think there are a number of reasons  that I’ve gained some weight -  I am really enjoying cooking again – and  there are some wonderful breads here in Maz – and breads are my weakness.  But I have also figured out how to make my famous pizza dough using local ingredients.  Oh, and I have probably been having a bit too much wine.

All of this would be moot if I had been exercising like I know I need to in order to maintain my weight.  Unfortunately, even though I have my fabulous Nordic Track I hadn’t been exercising regularly.

But then I went to a party and later was treated to a picture of myself from the back.  Holy Cow!  I hit the brakes right there.

So I started using the Nordic Track every day and sweating to my iTunes exercise playlist.  I am recording what I eat (again) in a program I purchased to track food, exercise, weight, and all the rest.

Then I started getting bored so I downloaded some exercise videos and have been alternating with some of them.  Yoga (which Paul does, too), Callanetics, Tae-Bo,  and pilates. Both of us know how important it is to be flexible and we are really working at it.

Paul can’t do the Nordic Track and we both thought an exercise bike would help our effort.  So we hit the stores and bought a spinning bike.  I took the little tv that wasn’t being used and we hooked it up to a DVD player and now we can watch the first season of Lost that we have on DVD and when we’re done with that I’m going to download some bicycle rides through Italy to inspire us.

I set up the floor fan so it can blow on us while we work out.  It is a pretty cool setup, if I do say so myself.  When we bought the house we didn’t understand why the former owner made the bathroom so big, but now we see the advantage!

I’ve lost 8 pounds so far and am happy with my progress.  But more important than that  is that I know I can keep this up.  We are also taking a long walk on the malecon without the dogs three times a week, and we both love that.

During the summer here it is much more challenging to exercise outdoors so turning on the floor fan and sweating away just a few steps away from a cool shower will be great.

What do you do to stay in shape and push yourself when you aren’t in the mood?  All comments are welcome, I mean it!

Most readers here at Countdown to Mexico are likely aware that there is a rich history of unique and beautiful handwoven textiles here in Mexico.  Oaxaca is the state most known for its textiles, but there are wonderful fabrics made throughout the country.  If you are interested in learning more about Mexican textiles, I recommend that you visit Mexican Indigenous Textile Project. where you can see lots of pictures and learn more about the textiles from each area of the country.

My daughter-in-law, Martha Pérez, and her associate Fernanda Hegewisch are passionate about México, and also about fashion.  A couple of years ago they decided to set up a non-profit foundation – Eliuh Kolektif -  to “help preserve and disseminate the textile culture of Mexican indigenous communities.”

Fernanda & Martha

They have worked tirelessly to promote Méxican textiles as high fashion – to bring in enough money for the creators that will enable them to continue and pass on their art. A beautiful huipil paired with tight jeans and boots can be a trendy look for today.  Or a beautiful silk rebozo can be tied around your neck (or your grandchild’s) for a very special fashion statement.

Some textiles can take many weeks to weave by hand on a backstrap loom – technology which has been in use since before 1,000 BC. The highest quality textiles are dyed by hand with natural pigments – from shellfish, insects, and flowers.  Textiles can be  cotton, wool, or silk.  (Silkworms have been cultivated  here in México since the first mulberry trees were planted in Cortés’s hacienda in Coyoacán.) The women will raise their own silkworms and spin the silk themselves.  All of this takes an extraordinary amount of time.

If the weavers aren’t able to sell their work for a price high enough to compensate them for the time spent making it they will have to turn to other work in order to support themselves, or start compromising in the quality of dyes, etc.  In addition, the young people who would normally apprentice to these masters won’t study the art since they don’t perceive it as a way to make a living in the future.  What Eliuh is working at is to illustrate and educate people to the value of these lovely handmade items in order to create a demand that will fairly compensate the makers.

They have worked with the State of Oaxaca and have sponsored a number of press and salon type events to showcase the work and discuss the project.  They have a Board of Advisors that is made up of influential people in fashion and textiles. They have been profiled in Elle Mexico and a number of other publications.

Recently they have had two events canceled at the last minute that left them with some beautiful silk rebozos to sell.  It was a huge disappointment since they had expected to sell them all and be able to forward the funds to the weavers.  Martha asked me if I would like one, and I jumped at the chance to buy such a lovely rebozo to wear.  Mine is dyed using  “flor de pericon” and has the most beautiful smell, kind of like chamomile.  You’ll see a few of the colors available on the first page of their website.

If you’d be interested in one of these lovely rebozos, please get in touch with Martha at martha (at) eliuh.com.  Prices are between $4,800 and $5,200 pesos.

Even if you can’t buy a rebozo, I hope that you will buy textiles that are handmade in the indigenous tradition and know that the money you spend is helping to preserve a very important part of Mexican history and a way of life for the families that make them.  I think it would be wonderful if women of power and standing in México would regularly wear these special textiles – the only one I am aware of at this time is the current Governor of the Yucatán, Ivonne Ortega Pacheco.  Her picture is below.

I hope you visit the Eliuh Kolektif website – the Spanish side is a bit more complete than the English… but you don’t need to read Spanish to understand their mission and see some wonderful pictures, too.  I am really impressed with what they are doing, and I hope you enjoyed hearing about it and maybe even learned something.

The first batch of pictures are completed paint jobs.  Aren’t they gorgeous?

One side of the Military Hospital

A gorgeous old home that has been restored top-to-bottom.

Three houses in a row have nice fresh paint.  You can order a delicious rich cake from the family in the one on the far right and take dancing lessons from the family in the one on the far left.

This house is on a very narrow street and I couldn’t back up enough to entirely capture its charm.

We were skeptical when we saw this paint color, but once they got a couple of coats on, we are fans.

This one is a beauty now.  They are working on it inside and I would love to know more!

Some are still in progress:

Once Carnaval was over they decided to spruce up the malecon.

One guy scraping, one behind him painting.  My mother would have called this  “a lick and a promise.”

We can’t believe the paint on this one!  Kind of reminds me of some of the San Francisco “Painted Ladies.”  Check out the guy walking along the ledge at the top right side…

Here’s a doorway on the other street.

This building is more modern but it is getting a makeover, too.

I read in the Pacific Pearl a couple of months ago that the plan is to make this building into a hotel and business center for people who want to take “work-ations.”  I love the tile on the far end of this one.

Here’s the other side of the one above. See the guy kneeling at the parapet?

This one is actually empty.  It has no windows but it would be an absolute show stopper if it was redone.  I’m glad it’s getting exterior paint, anyway!  The pillars in the inside courtyard are absolutely gorgeous.  Here’s a picture if you want to see…

The last picture is one that is prepped and waiting for paint.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour.  I bet there are hundreds here in Centro that are getting painted right now.  Maybe you ought to come and take a look!

We live a few blocks from the main Cathedral here in Mazatlán, and we sleep with a window open.  I love the sound of the bells and I’ve gotten so I rely on them to tell me the time since I no longer wear a watch! 

Here’s what I hear pretty much every day (and night):

2 AM:  A light wind-chime sound and then two gongs

3 AM:  A light wind-chime sound and then three gongs

4 AM:  A light wind-chime sound and then four gongs

5 AM:  A light wind-chime sound and then five gongs

6 AM: A light wind-chime sound and then nine gongs

6:15 AM:  Random number of gongs

6:30 AM:  Random number of gongs

7:00 AM:  A light wind-chime sound and then ten gongs; then a song (we call it Red River Valley)

9:00 AM: A light wind-chime sound and then some gongs, not always nine; then a song

12:00 Noon:  A light wind-chime sound and then twelve gongs; then the song Avé Maria

3 pm:  A song

6 pm:  A song

I have tried to figure out the rhyme or reason of some of the random bell ringing and have been unsuccessful.  From Wiki Answers I found some information helpful – here’s a snippet:

regarding bell ringing in Catholic Churches:

The bells are rung (i) to summons parishioners to Mass (ii) to announce the Angelus at noon and at 6pm (iii) as part of a Funeral service (iv) to celebrate the church’s Patron Saint…. and at Weddings.

To summons parishioners to Mass, the bell is normally rung 15 minutes prior to the time of the Mass. The amount of times the bell is sounded is of personal choice of the bell ringer or with the advice of the parish priest. Normally around 15 times. However, a lot depends on the location of any neighbors. Not everybody likes the ringing of church bells at 7 am on a Sunday morning!

The Angelus bell is rung at 12 midday and at 6pm. It has 18 rings> one two three:- short pause;- one two three;- short pause;- one two three:- short pause and then nine times.

The bell at a funeral is again as normal for summonsing the faithful : and also at the end of the funeral mass, as the coffin is carried down the church : and it is customary for the bell maintain ringing until the hearse has departed from the church (or if the cemetary is alongside the church – until the pall bearers reach the grave. This bell is rung slowly, not at the pace of a ‘’summonsing to church bell”. So, when at the end of the funeral mass, the pall bearers lift the coffin onto their shoulders ( or the coffin is wheeled down the aisle) the bell should be rung slowly : ring count to 15 ring and so on…….

That explained why sometimes the church bells bang on and on for minutes on end – that a funeral was departing from the church.

I enjoy listening to the bells throughout the day, and even in the middle of the night I like to hear that gentle  – gong – gong – and know that I have lots of sleeping time left.

Ever since the panic at the Tuesday Carnaval parade I have been thinking about the illegal drug business and how I feel about my personal security and our home in Mazatlán.

Those of you that keep up on the Mazatlán news will know that there has been a very real change around here recently.  A person was shot at point blank in broad daylight a few weeks ago.  Not way off in a remote colonia, either.  It was on Rafael Buelna just East of Valentino’s.  The Mega supermarket is a block away.  Paul and I were at the intersection and saw the police scream by – and of course the thing that we thought about was “what if our errands had us turning right on Buelna instead of continuing straight?”  This was a targeted hit and no bystanders were injured.  The sicarios responsible were not apprehended.

A couple of weeks ago was the biggie.  Sicarios brought a handcuffed informant to a local nightclub, as he had said he could identify someone they wanted.  They entered, shot the people they’d been looking for, the informant, and a waiter, taxi driver, and a security guard.  All in all, six people were killed.  The sicarios responsible were not apprehended.

Other things happen here and there around town.  Six months or so ago sicarios broke into the Chevy dealership and stole a bunch of new cars.  They brought gasoline and drivers.  The cars have shown up here and there, left behind after criminal activity.  Cars get hijacked on the highways occasionally, especially new model SUV’s.  Of course, the people responsible are not apprehended.

I don’t want to go into too much detail about these crimes, and I didn’t even take the time to look up the actual dates that they occurred.  But there is no way that you can live here in the city and not be aware that there is criminal activity here.

I still believe that if you don’t hang out with people involved in the drug trade, visit night clubs, or walk or drive in unfamiliar places late at night that you are just as safe as you always have been.  The panic at the parade, though, illustrates just how jumpy people are, and how quick they are to assume that the worst might come their way.

Last Friday there was a peace march to unite people after the panic at the parade, and to send a message that Mazatlecos love their city and abhor violence.  I wish I could have marched with them, but the pictures included with this post tell the story.

I love my home here.  I love the city and the people.  I am not afraid.  So now you know.

By the way, the paper said there is a proposal to run the parade again during Semana Santa.  I think that’s a great idea.

I love the picture below of the stage with a group playing.  Below you’ll see that there is a beer stand!  Way to multi-task, I should say!  This is one of 8 or 9 stages, and they all are playing full blast.  See the huge speakers?

Last night was a gorgeous night.  Below is a picture of one of the most lovely sunsets we’ve seen in a while.  We were chatting with friends a few minutes after the sun went down and it turned out he had seen the green flash tonight!  I keep waiting, but I haven’t seen one yet.

We waited with a subdued crowd for the parade to reach Centro.  There are two parades each year – one on Sunday that goes from the Fisherman’s Monument North to Valentino’s, and the Tuesday one that goes from the Aquarium, South to Olas Altas.  They have the same floats and people.  The one on Tuesday is usually a bit lower energy as everyone has partied all week, but there is usually a big jolt of enthusiasm as they enter Olas Altas.  The picture below shows the scene last night.

The first part of the parade is the sponsor (Pacifico) and commercial vendors.  Sabritas, Señor Frogs, Ford, some radio stations, Coca Cola, Bimbo, and others bring their floats through and pretty girls toss goodies to the crowd. I can’t remember how many of the regular floats came through before there was a flood of people running our way.  It was most surely a panic situation – we asked someone what happened and they said that shots had been fired.

I’ve never witnessed a panic like that – people running, some acting quite distraught.  We stayed and watched, ready to leave but reluctant to join those leaving without having some real information.  After a few minutes the parade started up again, but I noticed how sparsely the floats were populated.  Usually they are full of handsome young people waving to the crowd.

The floats that came by were all but deserted.

It felt sad.  We’d read in the paper just that morning that Carnaval had brought in 50% of the expected revenue for all the vendors.

We left and went to eat dinner in the Plazuela Machado since they complained about sales being down, also.  When we got home we checked the news and found out that quite a ways North of where we were – somewhere around Hotel Aquamarina – rocks had hit a metal door or someone shot off some fireworks.  Someone said that it was gunfire and panic ensued.  People ran and hid.  People jumped off the floats and some tractor drivers left, too.

It took a few minutes for everyone to discover there were no shots and reassemble the parade and get going again.  But the domino effect kept up and the panic carried itself all the way to Olas Altas.  The Carnaval participant below has become separated from the rest of his tribe…

We’ve had several serious incidents in the last few months here that involve the drug cartels, and people are jumpy.  It is believed that this has kept a lot of people away from Carnaval this year, and it is really too bad.  This was a case of someone sounding an alarm that basically ruined the last Carnaval parade and gave a very sad note to the end of the celebration. 

But I can’t end on that note.  I love the boy on the horse below, don’t you?

Sorry about the last few pictures having spots on them, I think the dial on my camera got moved by accident.

I plan on getting back in the blogging zone tomorrow, but I thought you might like to check out my video of the parade on Sunday.  The theme this year  is “Patriotic Fervor” as Mexico celebrates both the 200th anniversary of its Independence and 100th anniversary of its Revolution. The entire year has been proclaimed as “Año de la Patria,” or “Year of the Nation.”

See you soon!

The city is busy with preparations for Carnaval… it starts Thursday, and if the artwork around Centro is any indication, it is going to be an especially good time this year!  Here is a link to my Carnaval 2010 gallery - I will keep adding photos as I take them so come back here or go to the menu bar at the top and click on Photos to see what’s new.

In order to be in the loop with regard to expat goings-on around town such as fund raisers, community events, garage sales, death notices, and things for sale you need to keep an eye on the forums. I have found information on good doctors, veterinarians, restaurants, etc. – but that information comes at a cost to me!

Reading the forums does gives a glimpse into the way others perceive the world.  And I have pretty much decided that a lot of people that participate the most on these forums are defensive, argumentative, close-minded, angry, childish, and rude. Most of the reasonable people don’t even participate for fear of being jumped on.

Here’s a recent sampling from MazInfo and What’s up Maz:

Someone asked what are the taxi rates from the airport and whether there was a cash machine in the airport. Easy to answer, right?  NO!  The responses were all over the place, including outdated information from someone’s visit six months ago that then degenerated into a ridiculous message thread about cash machine charges that was totally pointless.  How anyone could glean anything helpful out of that mess would be beyond me.

Someone asked whether anyone had a rental for a specific period. A few people replied, but one of them owns a B & B so the discussion degraded into whether this is considered “advertising” (which is not allowed) or not.

People participate on the board that have businesses in town.  There has been ongoing chatter and many many messages flying around forever about what constitutes advertising and whether they can even have their business signature at the bottom of the message.  Sheesh!

Oh, and don’t even think about sharing information about someone performing music or giving Spanish lessons or something without a huge brouhaha about whether they have the proper work permits.

Even a simple newbie question about what TV service is best is answered with possibly one or two reasonable answers and a sheaf of angry missives by people who think they’ve been done wrong or that their system is best.

People are blissfully ignorant and cheap, too.  They don’t seem to understand how uninformed it makes them seem if they ask where the Art Museum is or complain when one of the stores rounds up the centavos at the cash register.  Sometimes I just want to scream,  just Google it, damn it!

People will bitch about anything.  How many pelicans are in Mazatlán.  If horseradish is available here.  What is the meaning of the word “monsoon.”  Whatever.

People also can’t spell.  I have had it up to here (I am gesturing at my neck) with people  misspelling malecón, tinaco, Plazuela Machado, Puerto Viejo, and others.  Place names especially are just that, names.  Look it up if you don’t know, people!  It is like a New Yorker writing Cintril Park instead of Central Park… you should just know place names in your community.

People seem to forget it’s a forum for Mazatlán people or people interested in Mazatlán.  Frequently when people post about a storm or quantity of rain or level of humidity, people chime in from all over the US and Canada about how hot or cold or stormy or humid it is where they are and how they can’t wait for some length of time for their next trip to Mazatlán.  Yawn.

So I feel a little better now, getting that off my chest.  I still will hang around to find out about the occasional lemon sighting at Wal-Mart or restaurant closure information, at least for the time being.  Who knows what will happen in the future?