Category Archives: Mexico

Still hanging in there…….

I started writing this post on Friday the 20th of February. It was the day after my friend Vivian had some pretty major back surgery. 8 hours of surgery. We had dinner with her and her husband Steve the night before. She went in to the ordeal with the most positive attitude and incredible determination. I think I would have been terrified. And oh my god, so organized, she even made her own hospital gowns. This woman is crazy impressive! Fun, kind and always looks amazing. I can’t believe how much I missed being able to text or talk to her. I patiently, or actually not so patiently waited for the word that she was ready to see visitors.

It was great to finally start visiting with her and doing what I could do to help, which just didn’t feel like nearly enough. Anyway, to make a long story short, tomorrow is 5 weeks since the surgery and her recovery is nothing short of miraculous! She has worked her butt off. Today was our first outing to La Encantada, where we like to check out the J.Crew sales, and today was a spectacular one! J.Crew is always followed by a visit to North for happy hour, where we always get the Sangria, Zucca chips and cheese board. Predictable, but in a comforting way. Sometimes we mix it up and stop in at a couple of other stores or follow with a trip to Frost for some gelato.  Today we concentrated on the two important destinations. Vivian walked all the way from the car to J.Crew, up to North and back again with her cane and wearing her full body brace. I can’t begin to convey how happy this outing made me!

Between the surgery and today’s outing we managed to squeeze in a couple of little trips. Naturally. On March third, Benco sent us to Cancun for 4 days. We added on a fifth, because it sounded like a good idea…..it kind of wasn’t. But that’s a long story. The short version is this: the resort, Moon Palace, was a sprawling, beautiful resort sort of far from town, which by the way, we never saw. Not our kind of place, but I can understand how some people would love it. It’s an all-inclusive, so that’s kind of nice. So, now we can say we’ve been to Cancun, but we haven’t really-lol! The best part was spending some quality time with the Benco friends we have made over the years. Benco honored the recent retirees and we all had a very nice dinner with Larry and Sally Cohen. I think the highlight of the trip was this really fun activity where they had us all make pinatas with local children who were either handicapped in some way or disadvantaged.

After Cancun, Rick came back and worked a couple of days, I unpacked and immediately re-packed for a trip to Texas to visit Jenna. She is in the middle of decorating her home, and it was fun to be a part of it. As usual, we had a great time. We went to some wonderful restaurants, and I got to participate in Jenna’s book club. Rick and I took a side-trip to Fredericksburg in Hill Country, wandered around some antique stores, wineries and LBJ’s Texas White House. We found some great Texas wines and managed to bring some home…..I LOVE this area! We really enjoyed LBJ’s Ranch. It was 2800 acres, but the Johnson’s gave 600 acres to the State and Federal government to turn it in to a Park with all the main buildings included. What a fascinating man! After this we went to Austin for a few days where the South by Southwest music festival was in full swing. We checked out some music and went to the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library. This was my first presidential library and I loved it. No, we did not go to the Bush library. Someone asked me that…….

I just got a notice that the first year on the blog is up and I think I will keep it up for another year, although sometimes it feels like I’m really just publishing my diary……

Rocky Point in January

I have to admit my heart was not in this trip. I would have liked to have stayed in Abilene longer and been there for Jenna closing the purchase of her house. And to share the celebratory bottle of her favorite wine…..(Prisoner, yum!) Plus this trip is me, Rick and our friend Bill. It would be so much better to have another woman along. These two old guys-yikes!

The beach is totally deserted and beautiful. It is amazing that it is a 3 1/2 hour drive from Tucson. Our first stop is always a Mexican grocery store to stock up on fresh vegetables and Margarita ingredients-duh! And god, those Margaritas are always so good! Thanks to the bartender at the old J-bar for sharing the recipe. The first night always seems to include way too many….. and then we taper off.

On our second evening we went to La Curva, which, while lacking in atmosphere and ocean views, has some of the best food I have had down here. I mean, this isn’t fine dining, but still…As I was perusing the menu, and silently lamenting the fact that there was no killer seafood combination plate, the waiter came over and told us about the special of the evening. A seafood combo that included shrimp prepared 6 different ways and fish prepared two ways with a drink, steamed veggies and Spanish rice for about $14 per person. Score! I am so upset with myself for not taking a picture of that work of art. I was too busy diving in and going for it. Wow. Just wow. One of the preparations of shrimp was the drunken shrimp, which I don’t think I ever would have ordered, but I sure will in the future.

We went in to town for a few odds and ends on Tuesday morning. Rick absolutely hates walking around being hounded by the shopkeepers. The only kind of shopping he is up for is of the grocery variety. Our third evening was a seafood and carb-free delight cooked at home, followed by the viewing of the State of the Union Address. God, I love this President. It feels so good to not only love what he is saying, but how he is saying it. No shame, only pride. I remember during the last Presidency, cringing with embarrassment every time that man opened his mouth. Feeling great hope at this point!

Wednesday morning found the beach obliterated by a thick fog, or probably more accurately, a marine layer. It was both eerie and beautiful. It was also much chillier than usual. It turned in to a pretty lazy day followed by an amazing dinner out at a place we have never tried before. It is called Chef Mickey’s and it was rated as the number one restaurant in Rocky Point on Tripadvisor. It certainly deserved that ranking. The atmosphere was stylish and immaculate, the service was excellent, and the food better than any food I have ever had anywhere in Mexico! I had a macadamia nut crusted fish and Rick had a dish called chicken New Mexico which was stuffed with some creamy chile laden concoction in a creamy sauce that also had mushrooms in it. It was all perfect. So happy to try it.
The way home was interesting. As we were coming in to Sonoyta, we got stopped by a Polizia who stopped us for speeding. We were going approximately 35 and the speed limit was apparently 25. No matter that it wasn’t posted anywhere. Details, details. Luckily for us the ticket cost $80. Cash. No paperwork. Payable to the same guy who stopped us……. Hmmmmm. Sounds fishy to me. Dinner on us A-hole! And you wonder why some people don’t want to go to Mexico. Sitting in the backseat of the car with the boys in the front seat. Way too much talking for my taste…..There is nothing wrong with peace and quiet! Every now and then, just shhhhh!  I’m ready to throw myself from the moving vehicle. Wish me luck.

Made it!

 

 

 

Margaritaville

While we aren’t wastin’ away here, we are consuming our share of that frozen concoction! And I do make a pretty great one, if the truth be told. On Friday morning we headed to Rocky Point with our friend Bill, who has a terrific house on the beach in Las Conchas. After 24 for days doing the Advocare Challenge, I felt I could easily come down here and eat healthy and not drink much and do a great job staying the course. Bwahahahaha! What was I thinking?

The first clue that this might not work was stopping in Lukeville for a 3 beef taco platter. Oops. I only ate 2, but still….Then upon our arrival at the house with my freshly purchased tequila, controy and fresh limes, it was time to start making margaritas! And I’ve been making them quite a bit since then….

On Monday afternoon we planned to go fishing on a boat called Margaritaville. Thinking it was a good sign, off we went to the port. We walked up to the marina and I said “There is no way that thing is 27 feet long.” As we got closer I realized the only seats on the boat were of the plastic stacking chair variety…..What???? Luckily the wind started to blow really hard as we walked towards the boat. The “captain” suggested we come back in the morning around 8 a.m. and try again. And seriously, no way was that happening. Literally saved by the wind! As much as I love to go deep sea fishing, I do not want to get on a boat that looks older than me. Soooo that happened.

We went to a couple of restaurants in Rocky Point. Casa del Capitan sits high on a cliff with spectacular views of the sunset. It’s a place we go to every time we are in Rocky Point. I just wish the food, Margaritas and service were better. All they need is a few tweaks here and there and they could have a great place. I am always amazed that the Margaritas down here aren’t that great. The tequila is cheap. The Controy is cheap. Limes are cheap. And they charge American prices for the cocktails. So why not make good ones? We stopped by Al Capones for a Margarita and some wings to kind of check it out since we thought we might have dinner there. Awful drinks and wings-we did not return for dinner….The other place we went to for dinner was La Curva, which has been in business for over 30 years. Great food, great service, great prices. No views, but who cares? We have great views from the house. I’d rather have good food. I didn’t have the guts to try a Margarita, so I have no idea how they are.

We enjoyed our time there and are looking forward to the next time. We ate in quite a bit and ate quite healthy for the most part-but we did go through some tequila…….