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Monday, December 25, 2017

Christma Dinner in the park

Even though we did not participate in the big park dinner this year I asked Hal if he would be kind enough to email me some pictures so I could post them for you.   Thanks Hal!

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This is my picture that I shot at 2:30 on our way out of the park for dinner at Connie and Manny’s.  Looks like everything is set up.

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Here you can see park owner Felipe sitting with his family and some of Raphael’s girls. (Heis our park worker and an all around nice guy!).  Raphael has four daughters!

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Dinner is served and there is quite a crowd this year.  Over 50 people I think. 

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Jeannette is welcoming everyone and following this her husband Bill said a short grace.  Helene is standing on her right.

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The park has more people in it than previous years and people were spilling out the sides!

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A really nice array of food.  No one ever goes hungry at one of these dinners although it was noted later that there wasn’t much left, especially turkey!

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That’s Sam and Rita in front and Eddy and Sandy sitting next to Rita.

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A nice picture of Hal’s wife Helene with Randall and Pam. 

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You can see Jeannette’s husband Bill on the left talking to one of Raphael’s daughters.  As usual Raphael’s youngest is in his arms.  She is a real little daddy’s girl. 

Christmas Day at home in Terrace

This morning we had a nice chat with our daughter Erika who is at home in Terrace with her family.  She had a tiny family Christmas dinner yesterday with her husband Wade and daughters Holly (20) and Abby(17).  We reminisced a little about when she and our other daughter Krista were children and we spent our family Christmases together on the farm.  Later in the day she and our grand daughter Holly drove out to the farm with the dogs (Chloe & Maple.) and probably Wade who took the pictures. 

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Our gate is a long way from the house and the road isn’t plowed in the winter.  Since it’s really cold Holly and Erika had no trouble walking up to the house on top of the snow.

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Coming towards the house and it’s a Christmas card picture.

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Maple, Holly, Erika and Chloe out in the field. 

Makes me nostalgic for home ….but only if I could beam myself there for a quick visit and beam myself back. 

The really good news of the day is that Erika and Holly are coming to Mazatlan at the end of February for a 1 week stay.  Holly is on reading break at UBC, but Abby is in grade 12 and can’t spare the time away from school.  Son-in-law Wade will stay home with Abby and Erika and Holly will come here.  This will be the first time that any of our immediate family has come to visit us. 

I’m just so excited!  

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Pat and Reg’s Vagabond Christmas Eve Party

 

Once again I was out of the loop.  This afternoon Robyn asked what time we were going and I said 2:30 since I thought she meant Christmas dinner tomorrow.   She said “ I thought it started at 4” and I was confused.  She actually meant Pat and Reg’s Christmas eve party with appies which I didn’t know about.  It was on the notice board (which I never look at) and no one had mentioned it so I was unprepared.  In the end I took a few beers, my chair and camera and went for a quick visit.  Eric is going out tomorrow for Christmas and that’s good enough for him.  The only one who was ever successful in getting him to park get togethers was Geri and she and John aren’t here this year.  She would knock on our door and invite us and ….Eric would go!  Miss you Geri! 

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There was a huge circle of chairs around Pat and Reg’s site.  The last time we were all here was last winter’s Canada Day 150th when Marion and Pat put on a potluck party.  Miss you and Fred a whole bunch Marion! 

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A few people that I do know and …..

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lots that I don’t.  The park is the fullest its been since we’ve been coming and there were over 50 people at this gathering.

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That’s one big gathering of people. 

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Pat is welcoming us all and talking about she and Reg’s years of travel to Mazatlan.

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Following Pat’s welcome she asked us all to stand up and say our name and where we are from.  This was because most of us don’t know eachother!  Times are changing in the park and many of our old friends are not here this year and some have gone home for Christmas.  Miss you all…..Dick/Val, John/Geri, Fred/Marion and Ron/Diane who aren’t here this winter.    Those who’ve gone home for Christmas include Carol/Richard, Frank/Sandi, Doug/Cathy and Dennis and Marilyn.  Have a great Christmas with family all of you.  Do I seem a bit nostalgic….well I am!

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Rocky, Roger, Sandy, Amy, Robyn, Jeannette and Stu. 

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There was a huge array of food but since I was unprepared and had dinner prepped I didn’t eat. 

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Pat had the whole thing set up and it looked lovely. 

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                    Time to eat!

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This is Anita’s plate of food……looks yummy!

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No one will need dinner after this. 

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This is Pam coming to tell us where her husband Randall is.   Well he was busy trying to get his jalepeno poppers cooked and things weren’t going as planned.  When they showed up I tried one and it was delicious.  Good job Randall!   You have to admire a man who can cook.  I admire Eric because he is a good eater who doesn’t complain and….does the dishes every night.

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I only stayed for an hour and then headed back to the rig.  I hadn’t had a good look at the clearing over on the north side of the park and it’s all quite different now.  Many of our friends who aren’t here this year parked over here so they can now see the new look.

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Looking to the back of the park.

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This is the old Escondido RV park where lots of people stayed in years past.  Maybe that was an office or clubhouse.

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I think that’s the swimming pool with a derelict fence around it.

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Huge salt cedar on the other side of the fence.

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Out back it’s a wide open look right now.

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Almost home….that’s us back in the corner.  

Time to finish up my shrimp fettucine for dinner and then bed.  I don’t think Santa will come this year!

Merry Christmas all!

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

La Fabula for Ladies’ Lunch

Today’s venue was a new one for us.  The idea behind the whole ladies lunch venture was to try new restaurants in Mazatlan but it’s easy just to drift back to the tried and true.  Today….something new!

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We needed a couple of red trucks to take us downtown so…we waited on the street and hailed one down who….calls a second one.  Note the “water” at the edge of the road.  Well…it’s actually sewage that is bubbling out of a manhole beside the Kiosko store. Disgusting and smells awful.  Maybe someone will get around to fixing it and …maybe they won’t.  Ahhhh Mexico!

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The malecon reconstruction is moving right along. 

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All sorts of artsy additions.  This has a purpose….shade!

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Down into Olas Altas area and nothing going on here.

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Up Constitucion to the Plazuela Machado where we will get off the trucks. 

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Lots of these small streets have been redone and the sidewalks made wider.

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The Spanish architecture of the Plazuela.

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We unloaded in the Plazuela because the truck drivers didn’t actually know where La Fabula was.  We had passed it about 2 blocks back but not a problem….we all have legs and can walk!

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A beautiful side street as we walk to the restaurant.

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I can never resist taking pictures as we walk along.

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It’s cruise ship day and the tourist buses are busy.  The ladies wave.

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La Fabula up ahead.

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Another colorful building.  The restaurant also has outside seating.

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We seated ourselves at a number of small tables and ours was looking out the door. 

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La Fabula has books everywhere you look.  You can eat, drink and read all at the same time.  It’s ad says “ Food, books and beer!”

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Pam and Eddie take a small table by the window and peruse the menu.

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Six of us at this table.

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Pat with her back to us, Anita on the left and Connie on the right.

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Down that hallway is the bar and another dining room.  We pretty much filled up the front of the restaurant.

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This is Connie’s picture so you can see me sitting with Maureen and Ruth in the front.

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A Mexican gentleman and his lady standing out on the street. 

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While we wait for lunch this man outside the window is selling his wares.  He is holding a sign that says he is mute.  True…who knows but it really doesn’t matter anyway.  He did sell a few candy type items.  The vendors are rarely allowed in restaurants but he knew how to get our attention.

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Lunch is served.  Eddie is having fish tacos which she has had here before.  They were so good she ordered them again. 

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They definitely look tasty!

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I ordered Tacos Caribbean which the waiter said were fairly hot.  The yellow chili is called Chili Carib hence the name of the dish.

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Ruth had tacos chicken mole.  They were sloppy and delicious.

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Maureen’s shrimp burger. 

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This table ordered last and ate….last!  No problem…they just drank!

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Anita had s burger of some sort and I just got a picture before she started eating.  Anita is always hungry!

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Robyn had the tacos Caribbean as well.  I’d already started eating and she asked how spicy they were.  Well….pretty spicy!  Rats was her comment… she thought she’d need milk!  In the end she scooped out the filling which had cheese and bacon etc. and Sue ate the chiles.   She likes her food really hot!  I got a bit of a burn but it wasn’t too much.

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Connie’s tacos.  Looks like a pretty decent plate.

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Down the hatch! 

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The menu listed a couple of salads and this one is called Linda or ….pretty in spanish. 

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I didn’t get the name of this chicken salad but it looks delicious…and it was!

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Enchiladas mole.  The restaurant makes it’s own in house mole and it’s very good.

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Robyn prepares to “gut!” her chiles. 

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Shrimp in a pepper sauce ….yum!

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A couple of “ Cachorros….or puppies!” sitting at the bar and having a beer!  There were lots of tourists off the cruise ship roaming the streets and I think these young guys were probably two of them.  The young guys always remind me of puppies.  Funny.

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The back part of the restaurant was full people as well and the food was coming out fast.

So….all in all a really “Fabula” restaurant.  Good food, good prices, good atmosphere, good staff (a bit slow but in their defense it was really busy)  and an all around thumbs up.  The only criticism was there was no running water in the bathroom to wash your hands.  Not good. 

At this point some of us including me left on foot to pick up this and that.  I walked a few blocks back to the mercado and then one more to the Dulceria or candy store.  Time to stock up!  Most of what I bought was available in the mercado but it’s cheaper in the Dulceria’s.  I didn’t take pictures as I walked because the streets were just packed with Christmas shoppers.  Next time.  Back to the mercado for some poblano peppers and a mango.  Mangos aren’t in season here yet and the one I bought came from Equador.  Pricey at 38 pesos or about $2.70.  

And now for the bus.   Would it actually show up behind the market or would I have to walk two streets east to catch it.  In the end I only waited about 10 minutes for a Sabalo Centro and I was on my way home. 

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This very Mayan looking young woman and her adorable baby were sitting across from me on the bus.  The baby was trying to eat her shoe and at one point looked right at me but I didn’t want to be too obvious with my camera.   A real sweety!

A good lunch and a nice outing.   All is well!

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Just so you know that we are still inundated with machinery and noise here are a couple of pictures.  A dozer, track hoe, loader and ….

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lots of trucks moving brush.  This picture is right behind us.  Just look at the black exhuast from the loader…it’s really burning fuel.