First Sunday Concert at the Angela Peralta...Best of Bach.

Sunday was our first Camerata Campbell concert of the season at the Angela Peralta theatre.

 Ian and Linda had decided to attend as well and funny enough we ended up on the same bus heading downtown.    Here we are walking down Constitucion towards the Plazuela Machado and the Angela Peralta.

 The A/C had been cranked on the bus so we both sat in the sun to warm up before heading into the theatre.  The A/C in the Angela Peralta is not reliable so we are always have a jacket with us in case we get chilled.

 We'll attend most of the concerts from now to the middle of March.  There are a couple of Sundays in February when Carnival is happening and they don't have the concerts due to the scheduled events that may cause a conflict and so they extend into March.  Fine by us!

Sunday's concert.  It was composed of the Camerata Campbell orchestra and the Culiacan choir along with five featured soloists.  As I am not a music aficianado I will not try to explain the concert other than to identify the soloists!  Eric is much more in tune with classical music and the instruments than I am.

 We are seated in the first balcony in seats 13 and 14 this year.  Ian and Linda didn't want to sit on the main floor either (too many big heads and big hair!) so they sat on the balcony as well.  Not much choice when they bought tickets so they are in seat 1 and 2.

 Gordon greets us and explains today's performance.  These concerts are his baby and it makes him really happy to see so many people in attendance.  It's an expensive venture to put the program together so the more people who attend, the better the revenue.   350 pesos or about $25.00 Canadian per ticket.  A bargain in our minds.

 The choir is ready.  All in all there were about 50 people on the stage including musicians and singers.

 I wonder if all those curly headed young men are related!

 There was only one bassoonist and she was relatively young.  Mitzy Joselyn Burgueno.  Our younger daughter Erika played the bassoon in Junior High.  They picked her because of her very long finger reach.  "The bassoon requires relatively large hands and dexterous fingers to play. Most younger players will struggle to learn the bassoon due to having a small hand span and being unable to cover some of the open holes."  Krista played flute.  Neither went on to become musicians!

 Baritone solo by the young Alejandro Hernandez Arrayales who made his debut on April 9th at the Culiacan Cathedral.  To Eric and I his voice lacked power but perhaps it was just that he was overpowered by the orchestra.  However that may change as he ages...I don't really know.

 Female soloists.

 The soloists take a bow.  From the left Leonardo Villeda  (tenor), Perla Azucena Orrantia Duran (Soprano), Alejandro and Zsuzsanna Szanka (mezzo soprano).  I really liked Zsuzsanna's voice.  Behind her in white is Jessica Itzel Torrero Trapero (soprano...I think!)

 All in all it was a very uplifting concert that lasted about 1 1/2 hours with no intermission.  With that many people on stage it is not feasible to have them all leave the stage while the audience takes a break!

 Lots of smiling faces and....a standing ovation.  Just a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

 And now for lunch!  We wandered down Carnival to  Chon's which is a favorite with Eric. 

I had a fried fish steak which might not suit everyone but to me it's just delicious and when I was done there was only a small pile of bones!  Behind my plate you can see Linda's seared tuna steak with rice and vegetables.  All very good. 

Ian had crab tacos goberanado.  Tacos with cheese as well as the crab.

Eric loves marlin burritos!  A few beers and some good food and we were all ready to head home.

As we left the restaurant Eric noticed this building which appears to have been painted since we were here last year.  Looks lovely now.    

We caught the bus behind the market and were home just before happy hour!  A light dinner of soup and crackers and the end to a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon.  

Saturday night dinner with Ian/Linda & Connie/Manny

On Saturday night we had Linda and Ian along with Manny and Connie for dinner at our house.  As I take all the pictures here is one that Ian took of Eric and I last week in Concordia.

 A nice relaxing start to the evening.  A glass of wine, a beer or in Manny's case water.

 Eric's got his Three River's T shirt from Pittsburgh where our daughter Krista lives along with her husband Jeff and children Shane and Ave. 

 Really, really hard to get a good picture of Connie...but I did.  As long as she doesn't see the camera it works out quite well.  Pretty lady!

 Eric and Manny really like each other and always have a good chat.  Manny is a very personable guy and he can chat with pretty well anyone.  Ian and Linda really enjoyed him.

 Time to eat!  Skol!  Spagetti with garlic toast and salad.

 I never serve appetizers so every one is really hungry by the time I feed them!

Good friends, good company, good fun and good food ....what more could you ask for. 

When dinner was done I served Magnum ice cream bars for dessert.  Yum!

A really nice evening. 

Ladies Lunch at Hector's

I didn't do a post about ladies lunch last week because....there wasn't one.  It was just at the end of the Christmas break and Hectors was booked so we just skipped it.  Ladies lunch was moved to Friday again this week because some of the ladies like to play cards at friends on Wednesdays.  

Linda and I decided to go downtown before lunch and do some shopping.  We started out in Coppel's which is a local department store but I didn't find any furniture that would suit there either.  However we did find Linda a nice new top.  Cheap at 125pesos or just over $10.  From there we were off to the kitchen shops where you can buy anything for a home kitchen or a commercial one.  I bought a spatula!  Onward to an art shop called Nida just off the plazuela on Carnival.  I'd like to get a couple of the hand made leather masks and there were lots for sale here.  

Many different styles and colours.  Around 700 pesos or $49. Canadian.  We have one in the RV and now I'd like a couple for the house.

Like this one a lot and I'll probably go back and buy it this week.

This leather art has a sea horse in the middle.

At this point we needed to head back towards Hectors to meet the ladies for lunch.  On the way as we walked along Carnival we noticed a small shop that was selling hand made wool rugs and wall hangings.  I didn't have time to browse and no time for pictures but we did have time for a quick look see and the shop warrants another visit.   Next time!

At Hector's we were seated in one of the rooms that hold a group and today there were 13 of us.  It actually worked out great because we could talk across the table.  Jeannette and Sandi are perusing the menu.

As are Susie and her friend Jan.

Pam and Claudette who have become friends and met in Marina Gardens where they are both renting for the winter.  Pam's from Colorado and Claudette is from Montreal, Canada.

Chatting and deciding what to order.

The very efficient waitress taking Pam's order.  Hector's is known for it's excellent food and service. 

This is Pam's drink and I knew I wouldn't remember what it was but I think it was a splash with vodka in it.  I tasted and it was delicious. 

Marion and I sat next to each other.  We were neighbors in the RV park for many years.  A great ladyand she and her husband Fred are here in Mazatlan for a month. 

The food arrives and Marion, Linda and I all the have the ricotta, spinach and basil tortellini.  
A rigatoni dish that both Jeannette and Sandi had for lunch.

Claudette's swordfish.  All that was left when she was done was a couple of small potatoes.  Delicious.

Tortellini in a tomato sauce.  It doesn't look like much food but it is very filling and very good.

Diane's friend (sorry I forget her name) had a pork chop.  Tender and good.

 Tagliatelle that may have had duck in it as duck is a popular item at Hector's.

The group happily eating.  The consensus today was a double thumbs up for the food.  The only thing we noticed was that as we were not in the main part of the restaurant the waiters were not as diligent at serving us.  A small thing!

Smile Ruth.

Susie's pate and sausage which I was surprised by but she said it was delicious except for an odd spice in the pate.  Susie always orders something out of the ordinary.  Very adventurous!

And now for dessert.  Everyone was too full except for....Marion, Linda and I.  We just had to have a chocomania with three spoons.  To die for good!  Chocolate brownies with chocolate ice cream.  A molten lava cake loaded with a hot fudge sauce and a flourless chocolate cake slice.  It was as good as it looks.  I think the rest of the ladies were sad they didn't order dessert!!

Linda says....yum!

Just about gone.  There was a small bite left and Diane took it.  She couldn't believe how good it was.

The dessert menu. 

So it was a double thumbs up for Hector's.  We ladies always like to come here once in the season and we have never been disappointed.   Delicious food and desserts at higher but reasonable prices.  Also, it's always nice to have something to eat that you wouldn't make at home.    Sorry for my lack of info on the different dishes but while I'm taking pictures my lunch is getting cold!  All good.