Bug love

Last week we stumbled upon a "car show". Apparently there is a classic car club in the same town of the Wednesday market is, can you believe it? Anyway we were having breakfast there, and Uri wanted to look around, so I took some pics...

 Some of the cars were not so bad, and there were looooots of ugly dudes, he he.

The Virgin of course made an appearance. 

Below you will see our ride for the day (what I really wanted to show you) . It might not be the best looking car but I love it because Uri built it! One day he came to me, excited like a little boy with a new bike, and he told me he had found the best engine ever for his bug and it was dirt cheap. He said it was $150, I said "dollars? that's nothing!", but it was 150 pesos... And I could not believe it, an engine for $15 dollars, what?... And then he showed it to me. Let me tell y'all (ha ha) it was a big, ugly and rotten piece of grease. There was no evidence whatsoever that one could find any metal underneath. But Uri took it to our neighbors garage and he cleaned it with a little steel toothbrush-looking kinda tool, and he collected here and there any parts that were missing. He even fabricated some of the screws! In about 2 years he put our Baja Bug together, and he is very proud of it. It is definitely not my preferred ride, it is still dusty inside and it doesn't have much, but it sure can take the dirt road like no other car. Uri insists on taking it out, so I agree once in a while. I know what you are thinking... it does not accommodate a car seat for Adiel, but do not worry, we only take it to places that are very very close to home (nothing farther that 5 minutes), and I take her in the Ergo (still I panic).

This baby is a 1964 machine and I am SO proud of my man for building it from scratch!!

We are getting ready for our trip to Israel. I am nervous about the 17 hour flight. Any tips?

Adiel has been specially fussy lately. No idea if it's got to do with teething or if she is just testing our limits and tries to get more attention by crying her lungs out... Still very smiley though and melts my heart every time. 

Until soon,
Mercedes

A celebration of life...

Last weekend we celebrated the patriarch of the mountain! Our beloved neighbor Aris turned 90!

I have mentioned before that our neighbors are like family to us. Most of them come and go for a few months out of a year, some come for the weekends, but until very recently, and for a long time, we were only 4 people living full time in the mountain: Mike, Aris, Uri and me (now we added Adiel and a wonderful couple).

Mike is an amazing artist and a very colorful character, it's such fun to have him around. Mike and Aris came first to this place and it is because of them that we all came to find our own piece of heaven in the mountain. Most of the neighbors know each other for a veeeery long time, some even went to high school together or were at some point related to each other, so I get to hear pretty funny stories of their youth.

Aris  was born on March 10th, 1921, in Uruguay. He is an art teacher, critic and curator, acclaimed theater director, unstoppable and strong builder, devoted reader, sharp political analyst, amazing cook, fearless environmental activist, friendly translator, epic adventurer, crazy driver, animal lover, skillful researcher, gifted gardener, pizza oven guru and legendary pizza maker, mountain trail keeper, and a tremendous source of wisdom and inspiration to us all. Among his numerous anecdotes he met Botero, Igor Stravinsky and he frequented Manly P. Hall in San Francisco. He did so many things for art and culture in South America, including starting the Plastic Arts Movement of Colombia. The man is healthy as can be and he insists he owns it to never drinking water and eating no greens, haha... but that comes from a time when he lived in the Amazone where there were very unsanitary conditions. There is just so much to say about him... We love Aris.

So here is our mountain family (there is an extended mountain family that could not make it for the party) and Aris' celebration!

They all are art people in a way or another... below you see Aris, Mike, Adiel and Uri in the sangria pre-party and above are Mike's shoes, he always wears something funny like those. I like having these older close friends, gives me a different perspective on life (and they all looooove Adiel).

The view from Eddie's house on our way to the dinner party...

I decorated the place... you can't really see the decoration from the pics, but everyone liked it and I think Aris was happy. We ordered paella!! (Tough to make paella for such a great cook, Aris knows his way with saffron, but it was good)

After the dinner party we moved location again for cake and presents. Lots of love and signs of appreciation came through. There were poems to him, many toasts, thoughtful and creative presents and even a proclamation of a day in his honor! Aris was touched...

I think I always tell everyone else that our mountain neighbors are like family to us, but I guess I never told him before how lucky I feel to be a part of his family, so I told him that day...

It was nice to celebrate life after all those devastating images in the news... I am grateful we are safe, healthy and calm!

Until soon, 

Mercedes

Adieli's heart

I found this cute application for photo collages. It makes a nice grandparent gift. I might get it...

Have a great weekend!
Mercedes

Wednesday Market

Every Wednesday there is a market in a town close to us. I am not particularly fond of this town, but markets are always great, so I finally decided to take my new lens for a walk!

This week the market was exceptionally good featuring big red juicy yummy strawberries (a box for 2 bucks!).  You can always also find toys, vegetables, piñatas, shoes, underwear, corn on a stick, dried or fresh fish, sandals made from tires, candy, watches, homemade yellow, appliances, junk food, hair cuts, bicycles, pet fishes, pizzas, sombreros, tools, clothes, boots, furniture, suitcases, jewelry, cotton candy, fried pig skin, peanuts, beautiful fruits, corn or wheat tortillas, plants, cars, birds, tacos, homemade “wine”, computers, stickers and a few neighbors...

This is the Wednesday market, eccentric even for Mexico...

Muddy, mud, mud... 

While you are shopping there people approach you, they talk to you, they want to show you things, let you try their stuff. Uri and I usually stand out in the crowd, but me + Adiel in the Ergo + camera were a magnet to friendly strangers.

Here is a home-made-wheat-tortilla-selling family. The father advertises out loud 13 tortillas for 10 pesos. Also Uri and our neighbor Jan buying some veggies next to a pile of bras, and the enthusiastic  case of not gold rings.

 

 Mrs. Gossip cleaning nopales (those lovely cactus we like to eat).

For some reason people here loooooove the soldier haircut.

We usually have "aguas frescas" and fruits on a plastic glass.

And my favorite...

After de market we went to our beloved ceviche stand to get breakfast!

I enjoyed taking those pics, but I am sure I can do much better with that lens... I was very self conscious and was feeling a little awkward. I saw some funky looking people, but I could not take their picture. I am still just learning and experimenting. Which pic do you like the best?  

That was my morning in here!

Until soon,

Mercedes