On the road again....

Sorry it has taken us a while to write. For reasons familiar to many of you, we left Detroit much later this year - December 5. Bella was squeezed in a small space atop a pile of luggage.

The drive down was uneventful - we stopped at all our favorite restaurants: sushi in Terre Haute, Indiana, fried chicken and "throwed rolls" (http://www.throwedrolls.com/ – where they literally throw the rolls from carts - some get caught and others, well, hit the dust!) at Lamberts in Sikeston, Missouri.

We ate stuffed pastries (kolaches) at the Czech Stop in Texas. Kolaches are a kind of Czech jelly doughnut, which may also be filled with meat, cheese or vegetables. In Texas, not surprisingly, it may even contain hot chilis! There were delicious! Go to www.czechstop.net for more information on kolaches and the Czech Stop.

Night and day, seven days a week, this place is crowded! It's near a University of Texas campus, so students comprise much of the crowd.

Check out some of the menu items! Most were delicious. Some just weird.

Many of the signs in the shop were in Czech.

This is what happens if you eat too many kolaches.

Linda is happy and full!

We listened to tapes and just pointed the car in the right direction. We arrived after 4 1/2 long days, and 2300 miles. Luckily gas prices were only $1.50+ most of the drive, compared to over $4.00 last year at the same time.

On the second night we witnessed this lovely sunset outside of Little Rock, Arkansas.

We stopped at the Superman Museum in Metropolis, Illinois - another memorable experience (ha), and stocked up on Superman paraphanalia for a birthday party for Carlos! This is a place we have been meaning to visit for a few years, every since we learned about it. Talk about kitsch!

All of us (including Bella) enjoy showing our alter egos.





This is the actual telephone booth in which Clark Kent changed clothes!

You can't believe the amount of Superman stuff in this small museum. The building was essentially unheated, so we didn't stay as long as we would have liked.

One of the many authentic Superman costumes.

Some of the thousands of exhibit items. The museum was full of "Do not touch" signs, but the absence of guards allowed us to try on hats, enter the phone booth and generally be a part of the exhibits.

Clark Kent and Carlos have many similarities. They both look good in fedoras.

Did you know that Superman wore a wig...or many wigs?

Or that Jimmy Olson's camera was fake?

or that the real Lois Lane is still around?

I'm your puppet!


After a couple of hours in Metropolis, we bid a fond holiday goodbye to Superman!



























South of Dallas, we like to stop in Waxahatchie, Texas, where there is a lovely courthouse, nice restaurant and terrific folk art gallery.















This year a costumed choral group was singing
Christmas carols in front of the courthouse.



























The Chisholm Grill, across the street
from the courthouse, where we had a pleasant lunch.











With impeccable timing, there was even
a print show opening at the
gallery that day!

In San Antonio, we stopped at the Hungry Farmer Steak House. Our friendly waitress warned us that we were definitely not in the nicest part of San Antonio - I think she called it the "Hood". Carlos' chicken fried steak filled him up and Linda enjoyed her tilapia, on the recommendation of the waitress. Bella also enjoyed the leftover steak.

The green goddess dressing was of a color green not seen in nature!

Chicken fried steak with all the fixins.

Our waitress, Myra, was incredibly friendly. Y'all come back soon, y'hear?

Outside of the restaurant was an interesting mural. Not sure of its significance, but here it is!

Casa Bella looked great on arrival. Our housekeeper, Mari, stayed late to greet us. Opening the front gate made us smile; it was a visual treat of colorfully painted walls, art, furniture, and beautiful flowers. The best part was Linda's new studio, which we built on the roof last year. She did a trial run of the press with two printmaker friends and all worked perfectly! It has taken all this time to unpack and get re-settled in our lovely Casa Bella, but all is fine, and Linda is ready to get going in her new studio.

We were greeted by friends within an hour of arrival. They came with food and wine, and it was such a nice welcome back. The partying has been non-stop since, what with pre-holiday celebrations, a Chanukah party, etc.

The weather has been beautiful, 70s and sunny - cool in the evenings and mornings. Since the houses do not have central heating, we use our fireplaces daily to take the chill off. We are not complaining since we know what all of you are going through. All the more reason to come visit!

It is hard to believe that it is Christmas week. Our local market is filled with Christmas kitsch - tiny baby Jesus with handmade clothing and everything needed to make your own creche: spanish moss, handpainted backgrounds, little plastic animals, Christmas decorations, etc.

We love the visual effect of the whole market. Mounds of oranges, symbolically linked with the holiday, are ubiquitous.

Avocados, strawberries, papaya, and tomatoes are ripe, in season and of course, delicious. Linda went out to an organic farm with a friend and bought for 22 pesos (about $1.75) a bunch of lettuce, a head of beautiful chard, 3 avocados, basil, broccoli, and a bag of spinach. The vegetables had just been brought in from the field, and the women were washing them in large concrete vats filled with water. So fresh and inexpensive! As you can imagine, we are cooking up a storm. It's hard to resist with all this fabulous fresh food.

Our family is holding on - Lisa and Tracey are due at the end of February so we will return to help them. David and Jen are busy planning their wedding. Our life the last six months has been very stressful, as you know. Your friendship and kindness have been such a great support that it was difficult to leave. Even coming here has been an adjustment. It will be a while until things settle down. We have many good things to look forward to, but the stress still hangs over like a dark cloud. And of course the news of the economy is quite frightening. We try to think positive, and Linda made a promise to make a New Year's resolution of a "room of one's own" (to quote Virginia Woolf), to take time to just be, to make art, to write and to laugh and enjoy the blessings we all have. Carlos vows to be more like Superman!

A happy healthy holiday season to all of you. We miss you and think of you often. Please write and let us know what is new in your life!

Keep in touch

Much love and abrazos (hugs),

Linda y Carlos

Back in the Saddle Again

I apologize to my reader(s) for the lack of posts since arriving in Detroit in the spring. Let me be perfectly honest - less is happening in Detroit that I think is blogworthy.

We have spent time with our family, friends, even made new friends.

Our son David got engaged to a wonderful young woman, Jen Seader. Then he promptly lost his job, and is working hard to find a new one.

Our daughter Tracey, living in Boulder, Colorado, is pregnant with her first child, and is due at the end of February.

Our other daughter, Lisa, is expecting her second child at the end of February. Two children - an infant and a two year old will certainly keep her busy!

Linda has surgery in August and had a long, difficult recovery. However, she is doing well now and is looking forward to returning to San Miguel.

In October, after a difficult year, Linda's mother, Helen Sherman, died. Helen was a wonderful woman and great mother-in-law. She always had a smile on her face.

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving at our home with 18 family members and friends. I was (as usual) responsible for the turkeys. I roasted one turkey, and barbecued two turkey breasts, which had been marinated in my famous (and highly secret) sauce. The marinade is achiote based, and includes orange juice, soy sauce, cider vinegar, peppers, and lots more. The table was lovely and the food superb. If I do say so myself, this year's variation on the barbecued turkey was the best yet.

Due to some or all of the above, our return to San Miguel has been delayed. We expect (hope) to leave tomorrow, December 5, meaning that I will celebrate my 60th birthday (December 6) on the road. Perfectly appropriate and acceptable, as far as I am concerned.

I am looking forward to seeing our San Miguel friends, riding my motorcycle and writing more blog entries. Stay tuned!

PHOTOS TO BE ADDED SHORTLY

Go Figure

Driving along Drake Road, near 14 Mile Road, I happened upon this topiary VW.


At first I thought it was greenery attached to a real VW...it was that realistic.


Then I noticed that I was in front of Planterra, a commercial greenhouse (which I had rented for Linda's 60th birthday party).


Amazing, isn't it?

Flowers & Food...or is it Food & Flowers...a Weekend to Remember

This weekend we spent a lot of time cooking, eating, visiting the Farmers' Market and a stupendous private garden.



On Saturday morning, in anticipation of a tapas party that night, we went to the Pontiac Farmers' Market to acquire supplies!


July is a wonderful time at the Market. Ripe, luscious fruits and vegetables...colorful flowers...big plants...a friendly, mellow crowd.














After Mexico, US prices for fruits, vegetables and flowers are still a shock. I'm sure my Mexican friends will recoil in shock. Anyone who says that inflation isn't a reality needs to spend a morning with me at the market.














That afternoon I cooked a Spanish Tortilla (potato omelet) and marinated beets. We took them to the party that night, and most were consumed. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the beautiful tapas at the party.































































































































































































































The Jenuwine family's booth!





















































At the tapas party we met an interesting couple, Paul and Mary Sue Ewing, who have an unusual passion for gardening. They live in an 1890 era farmhouse near us, on almost 5 acres. They have flowers, vegetables, herbs, trees, sculpture, pizza ovens, a pond, a playhouse, greenhouses, and more flowers. They are passionate about their gardens - they know the names of all the plants and have made choices - sometimes unusual ones - about where things should be placed. It's a magical place - pictures can't do it justice.







































































Finally (a busy, busy weekend), we took a cooking class in....what else ....Mexican cooking....Rick Bayless recipes. Not as good as being in San Miguel, but not bad. See some photos below of the class and the results.