La Esquina - Museo del Juguete

I wanted to see the new La Esquina Mexican Toy Museum that opened last week.  It was advertised around town on the city buses.

 

The Museum, located in an beautiful old home in the center of town, contains a collection of over 1000 toys on display including hand made dolls,

  wooden and metal trucks,

 animals, (Sorry about the reflections but the were too sweet not to include.)

Definitely worth a visit.

The Old Cotton Factory

One of our favorite places to wander is the Fabrica La Aurora, a short walk from the center of town.   Here is how it looked when it really was a cotton factory in 1920.

 and here it is today, reincarnated into artisan's galleries.

  Some of the original machinery is still in place, like this bobbin winder,

and this impressive something.

The galleries are upscale and inviting

 and the interior courtyards and outbuildings are nicely preserved.

The galleries regularly host art walks and open houses.  My favorite is the wine and chocolate night, of course.

Viva Mexico - Day 2

Most of the next day was dedicated to recreation of the events of 200 years ago.  At the appointed time, Ignacio Allende (2nd from the left) came galloping into town with the other heroes of the independence movement, Father Miguel Hidalgo and the Aldama brothers.  The gallop was so spirited and the crowd so appreciative that they ended up making several circuits of the route.

 

Here is Allende with the banner of the Virgin of Guadelupe.  The original banner, which was recently returned from Spain, can be seen in Mexico City.

 

Following the riders were the insurgents from the countryside carrying torches, machetes and pitchforks.

 I loved this guy with the nasty pitchfork in the lower right of the picture.

 

 and this sweet little boy being carried in his father's arms.

There were more horses and more parades and lots of torch carrying runners between the major cities of the region..

 As the sun set, we wandered around trying to find a better vantage point than last night.

We got really lucky and found a rooftop bar with a clear view of the crowds below, the rebuilt castillo, the light show on the Paroquia and the fireworks overhead.  Viva Mexico!

Viva Mexico - Day 1

We arrived in town to Red Green and White everything; there were flags for sale on every corner.  Even our little casa got with the celebration.

The actual 200th anniversary of Independence took place on the night of Sept 15 and the day of the 16th.  Wednesday night the Jardin was packed, really packed, with everyone in a mood for celebration.

Here I am with a few close friends  The only one I really knew was Yoli, but a fun time was had. You can see Allende himself on the banner behind us.  He doesn't have a mustache so I admit I am a bit confused about the dress code.

At exactly 11pm we were able to see Mayor Lucy call out the famous Grito, or cry for Independence, from the balcony of Allende's home. 

Immediately afterward the castillo, or fireworks construction, was lit.  Here is what it looked like in the daytime.

And here is my view with three of the circles lit.

It was the biggest castillo I have ever seen and I admit I was unnerved when I saw that this one required a man to climb up and light the fireworks.

Next, the celebration of Mexican Independence in earnest.

A Facelift

Ha ha.  Gotcha.  Not going to happen, except to our house.

Here are Juan and his cousin repainting the front of our house.  It is still the original color, Mescal, but with a sealer and two more coats. 

They painted the new construction on the rooftop as well.  Such a lovely, buttery color in the sunset light.

And finally, we added the beautiful hammock we bought this last trip to 

Zihuatanejo.

Perfect!  Come visit us sometime.

Hidden Economy

Our neighborhood is quite self-sufficient although you wouldn't always notice it.   Sometime each afternoon a door opens and folding tables are set out with hot food and snacks to carry out.  This one is just a few steps from our front door.

A few houses up the street, the kitchen window slides open and the windowsill is loaded with orange cheeto-like snacks which seem to qualify as a food group by themselves, and, as the sign above mutely signals, a Coca-Cola.

A little farther down the hill there is a papeleria, with an official sign, where you can find office and school supplies. My Spanish dictionary tells me a merceria is a notions or dry-goods store, which might explain the colorful rubber balls in the doorway.

And finally, the pride of the street.

 

Adela's doesn't look like much from the outside.  In fact, the door is often closed and you have to knock to be be let in, but once inside you can find any grocery item you might need including eggs by the each, beer, and fresh veggies. You never have to be at a loss for an onion you forgot to pick up earlier.

The large white door on the left opens at night for hot meals and a great seating area to while away the night chatting and watching your neighbors stroll by.

Our new fireplace

The recent cold weather made us realize wanted a fireplace in our living room so we called in Edgar and his assistant, Jose Louis.  We decided to put it on the end wall where the light well is.

Edgar carefully sketched out the arc of the fireplace opening and then started on the brick and cement hearth.  My favorite part was when we come home and heard them laughing; they had managed to knock a brick in the back wall into the empty lot next door.

 

I thanked them for the new "window" and they patched it up with another brick and a firebrick lining.

Once the fireplace was done, we needed a mantle to complete it so we drove to Dolores Hildago, about 40 minutes away, where there are several shops that specialize in reclaimed wood.  This is where doors and other scraps and rusty things come to find a new life.

We selected the piece of wood that was aged just right and they cut it to our mantle specifications and delivered it. 

 And now we have a welcome new gas log fireplace.

The light above the fireplace is made of backlit handmade paper with cutout designs. We bought it in a suburb of Guadajalara called Tonola on our last trip there.  The ladder was made so we can light the water heater which is hidden above it in the lightwell.

Chili and Charros

Today we competed in an international chili competition, led by our friend and world famous chili cook, Jim Parker, owner of the Hard Times Cafe in Alexandria, Virginia.  This annual competition in San Miguel was a great excuse for Jim to come on down to visit.

Besides the chili cooking contest there was a margarita contest with fifty percent of the judging for presentation. That made for some nice looking drinks.

 

The chili rules require that the chili be cooked completely on site. Jim was prepared with bottles of premeasured spices and he brought his ground beef with him from the US.

While the cooking was proceeding the entertainment included a great band, roping and riding displays and horseback rides.

 

Most people got in the mood by dressing in traditional Mexican dress, or at least cowboy boots and and sombreros. 

  

This was cutest little donkey.  I want to take it home.

  

Well, the prize for the first through third place was automatic entry in the international Terlingua Texas chili cookoff finals.  Here is Jim with his place card.

 

Oh well, we are going to do this next year and get it right.