Off to the U.S. and updates

I wish we could give you a sound recording sometimes. Lying out in the hammock, listening to trucks go by blaring music or playing it softly, roosters crowing (yes, at any time, day or night), the sounds of Spanish, dogs barking, children laughing. If I have a stressful work day, the first thing I do is go to the Old Port, look at the ocean, and submerge myself in the sounds and sights.

Sunday morning we got to the beach and the almost full moon was hanging out above the water. This photo can't do it justice.

Lots of tents on the beach now, this weekend was the lead up to Independence Day, the biggest holiday in Mexico. A little history:

The Grito de Dolores ("Cry of Dolores") was the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence, uttered on September 16, 1810 by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest from the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato. Hidalgo and several educated criollos were involved in a planned revolt against the Spanish colonial government, and when the plotters were betrayed, he declared that war should be waged against the Spaniards. Just before the dawn of September 16, 1810, Hidalgo ordered the church bells to be rung and gathered his congregation. He addressed the people in front of his church, encouraging them to revolt. The exact words of the speech are lost; however, a variety of "reconstructed versions" have been published. Hidalgo is believed to have cried: "Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe [a symbol of the Amerindians' faith], death to bad government, and death to the Spaniards!" The resulting Battle of Dolores, the first engagement of the insurgency, occurred 12 days later with the massacre of the entire colonial garrison of the town, more than 500 Spanish and Criollo loyalist soldiers. The insurgents suffered more than 2000 casualties. Mexico's independence would finally be recognized by the Spanish crown on September 27, 1821, after a decade of war.

Each year on the night of September 15, the President of Mexico re-enacts the event by ringing the bells of the National Palace in Mexico City. He repeats a cry of patriotism based upon the "Grito de Dolores" from the balcony of the palace to the assembled crowd in the Plaza de la Constitución, or Zócalo, one of the largest public plazas in the world. This event draws up to half a million spectators. On the dawn of September 16, or Independence Day, the national military parade starts in the Zócalo, passes the Hidalgo Memorial and ends on the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City’s main boulevard. Independence Day is considered a patriotic holiday, or fiesta patria (literally, fatherland holiday).

The whole weekend was one big party, and every store we went to, there were lots of Mexicans loading up on food, there with their relatives; it looks like Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one. Last night there was a big celebration at the municipal centre with fireworks, and a parade this morning. Unfortunately we missed both; one was too late, and the other was too early (we were working).

Here are the promised pictures of the other store we think is amazing:





The birds are coming south, and for once we're on the receiving end! I saw what I'm sure was a little yellow finch perched on a palm tree yesterday, and suddenly there are sparrows where there were none. There are bigger birds as well, lots of them. I will find out what they are as winter moves along.

The marketing plan and website proposal went well yesterday, everything was accepted. Driving back, we had a low orange harvest moon in our sights as soon as we got into town. a lovely effect against palm trees.

We think we found another butcher to go to. The one Oswaldo recommended seems good, and the steaks we bought were great, but they were packaged and frozen. The rest of the meat was in a glass case in rather large pieces, and we're going to need a little more Spanish to buy that. The new butcher has signs in English AND Spanish, what a perfect way to learn!

I bought dried pinto beans at the market last week, soaked them overnight, then realized thatI had to cook them for a few hours, on a 40 degree day. So Carl ended up taking the thunder range (our butane cooker) outside and simmering them for about three hours, using three cans of butane. As a result, we're having a bean salad tonight, but I believe I'll buy canned beans until the weather changes.

We're off to Phoenix tomorrow afternoon, and will be picking up a few necessities- BBQ, vacuum, pickles, good pasta, cheese, and polysporin among other items. Then up before the crack of dawn on Thursday to inventory the Macy's overstock in that un-airconditioned warehouse. Then back to Puerto Peñasco, because we don't want to leave here in the first place!!