Rooftop

A neighbor knocked on our door last week, saying she is doing a major rehab of her house, and she hoped we wouldn't be disturbed.  She is from Houston, and is going to retire here.   We can see into her space from our rooftop - it is large with an ample patio open space plus two terraces.  This will be grand.

A neighbors terrace to the south

To the east

Some Chicago "acquaintances" of Suse came by and oohed and awed about our rooftop, saying how lucky we were, which shamed us..tho we had reasons, rationales, excuses... into  climbing 2 steep flights of stairs  for sunset yesterday evening 

To the west

En Temporada

We so wanted this to be a good meal - on an organic farm - beautiful veggie bed, lots and lots of chickens, a farm store.  Trip advisor reviewers loved it.  Alas

Rustic charm

I think we should have ordered the pork belly...which looked good

The sandwiches whizzing by looked good, too

A funky place  - with new age and jazz music

Beautiful beet salad... but hard to eat, as the lardons were mostly large - so like eating carrot sticks and there was very little dressing to flavor it.

 Looks good, right?  Gnocchi with veg - very disappointing - they had been cooked to a pasty mush - with flavorless, unseasoned cream and rawish bit of veg.  If only there had been salt and pepper on the table

But the desserts were wonderful - Jm had a maple/ginger ice cream

Panna Cotta with fresh strawberry puree

We've seen several of these flamboyant birds

The Loo

Guest Blogger - Susan

Betty Sees All

Goings On

The Pocket Theater - 24 seats - for the screening of La Grande Bellezza - the guys in the back row didn't last long

On rooftop bar of a fancy hotel - rooms $500 a night - there for the view, and some of us discussed the movie

You don't see too many cats - this one finding some sun for a snooze

Our Lady

This area has many ranches and cowboys

On the highway, near new building construction, are the brick-sellers - many of them

Nopales - favorite gordito and taco filling .  It grows everywhere - but there is labor involved to prepare it.  

Universal graffiti

Queretaro

A pleasant colonial city - larger than expected at 1.5 million in population.  Seemed to be a business center but the  pretty historic center still intact.  It was here that the Spanish established their first FIDE institution to convert the natives

A Guadalupe shrine at the entrance to the gates

A Luxury Class bus - with Comfy wide and reclining seats with footrest - drink holders and snack.  The trip was about 50 minutes (km ?)  and cost under $10

Mott scrolled thru the terror selections - wifi available as well 

Bus snack - I hadn't had breakfast and found this lowly ham and cheese sandwich on mushy wheat bread comforting

Bus station amenity

The main plaza - with the typical trimmed laurel trees - the trunks painted white to discourage disease 

I don't think I've ever seen dogs as fountain statuary.  A guide told us that dogs were very important to the native populations - also the Spanish - and often were buried with owners to provide companionship in the afterlife....as in ancient Egypt.

We happened upon a gordita lady sitting in a doorway - lots of people standing in line.  We were gauging the sanitation standards, when a young guy came along and heard us speaking English - "best in town" he said - from Detroit - I  think he was probably Mexican and returns here often.  He translated everything for us then told us  about his recent trip to a resort on the Golf - and showed us all his photos - 7-hour bus ride - stay in hotel booked locally. ... all-inclusive and very cheap it seemed.  He said everyone was from Minnesota and Canada.

There are a lot  fillings - tripe - other innards among them

These are deep-fried and different from the grilled San Miguel variety -
still of masa and filled

Chorizo and potato - nopales, cheese and tomato

At a university art student show

Icicles of painted glass in a 3-D frame

This one is 3-dimensional and of cut paper

Another mural depicting the history of Mexico.  There is a strong tradition of murals here - Diego Rivera being one of the lauded artists

I really wanted to get one of these for someone -  couldn't decide who - nor could I decide if it was cheesy or resourceful - I decided it was kitsch.... not a derogative term. You see a lot of crocheted items in shops - vests, scarfs.

Someone has a business going -  a branded bag

In a simple local shop - not geared for foreigners

A touch of  Mexican gentility - a stand to hang your purse and hat on

Spaghetti Bolognese - interesting

Huevos Rancheros - a  complex red chili sauce - similar to the best of New Mexico

Chili Relleno Mexican style - a reconstituted dried red chile  - mild chili sauce

Misogyny?

Ceretero Visit

Univ. exhibition off main square

Appeal to Republican party on immigration policy

Mano a mano at street corners

women recognizing supremacy of men even in indigenous people

whatever

whatever 2

whatever 3

nice old doorway

glass

weekend activities

i want a bird in albuquerque to sing to me when i sit in backyard

corn must used in cooking by Mark Bitman

mural of revolution in governors palace