San Carlos: January 2016

January in San Carlos was a little colder and windier than normal because it is an El Nino year.  Most of the United States had atypical weather patterns that were much more severe, so we were pretty happy with our high 60s and low 70s days.  In the early mornings and evenings we found that we needed our mini split on.  A mini split is a nifty little device that looks like an air-conditioning unit but actually can either heat or cool the air.

The cooler temperatures make going to the outdoor markets much more pleasant.  We drove out to Empalme which is a little south of Guaymas to attend their local Tianguis.  They block off several streets, like they do for our farmers' markets in the states, and sell everything from food to clothes and furniture.  It is great for people watching and for enjoying the local outdoor taquerias.

I'm not sure what you call these but they are quite popular in Mexico.  They
are a pretty healthy looking Mexican snack made of all kinds of fruits and
veggies and then it seems that you can pour a hot sauce over it, or just a squeeze
of lime and some hot seasoning called Tagin.  Next time I'm going to try it.

All kinds of nuts, dried fruits and candy

I couldn't tell what all of this was but
some of it was honey.  The honey in
Sonora is excellent.

A trip to Empalme is not complete without a walk on the beach at Cochorit and a stop by the fish stands and taquerias by the bay.

It always amazes us that this beach is virtually deserted-
even on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

The beach is littered with shells.  It is hard to walk without crushing some
of them, which breaks my heart.  I always come back with new ones to add
to the collection. 

That's Jim way down on the beach.  We didn't drive the whole
way down.  Good thing - it looks a little soft.

The local fish stands:

And taquerias for mariscos:

Boo has escaped grooming since late October, so it was time to visit wonderful Alberto.  He charges about $12 (including tip) and does a beautiful job, as you can see.  Alberto is very gentle and kind and I love that I can drop him off and pick him back up in an hour's time.  No hanging out in a cage for Boo!

Two cute guys

 Next stop that day was to drop by the fishing camp where we saw this guy loading yellowtail amberjack into a cooler in the back of his truck.

Jim bought a whole fish, had it filleted (see below), with the skin on so he could try to smoke it on the grill with some mesquite chips.  We made a great smoked fish spread!

Lynne and Dave Anderson invited us over to their delightful house to learn how to play Mexican Train-very fun!

One of the highlights of sunset at the Andersons is the view of the Playa Blanca hotel turning golden in the setting sun.

What a location they have-right on the water where you
can watch the diving pelicans and the fun loving humans
come and go.

It's still a little chilly for the beach but that certainly doesn't keep us away.  Here is my winter beach look in black and white.  Pretty funny!

We love walking down to the Posada Playa nearby.  On this day, we ran into two very interesting women, Carol and Kathy who called us over to warn us to keep Boo away from their dog, Princess, a cute little poodle.  They told us a horrifying story of Princess getting out of the car at a Pemex station after crossing the border and being attacked by a Mexican wild dog who bit poor Princess' leg off.  She, since then, gets really upset around other dogs.

Interestingly enough, these ladies are from Vancouver Island
so, we picked their brains about how to do the Island this
coming summer.  This is Carol drawing me a map.

This is Kathy and Princess.  They are devoted dog owners.
They are also fascinating women.  They live on their sailboat
in the marina,  They sailed down here from Vancouver and
now leave the boat here and drive back and forth.  They take
jaunts around this area in their boat.  Wow, some people are
extraordinary adventurers.

Our friend, Susan King, invited us over to the Pilar Condos for a jam session with some new local musicians.  We couldn't say no, of course.  This kind of thing brings back Cellar Door memories for Jimbo.

There were several guitars, a mandolin, a ukulele, a dobro, bongos and a cajon.

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon

I even played the bongos while Susan played the cajon.

The sunsets from here do take your breath away.

And a Thursday night would not be complete without a stop at the Captains' Club to catch Omar and the Gypsy Fish.   That's Omar on the left.  We had a wild and raucous time dancing.

The next night was Cheryl's 59th birthday.  We celebrated at Delfine's with a nice steak dinner and entertainment by Lorena, Leslie and Tana.

Drinks first at Cheryl and Bill's

Lorena, Leslie and Tana - Blue Bayou

We learned the toast to use when drinking shots:  

Arriba (glass up)
Abajo (glass down)
Al Centro (glass in middle)
Pa'Dentro (Chug)

A morning walk to Creston Beach......

And, Jim and Bill have been on a weekly hunt for inexpensive but good little taquerias.  This one is Dona Linda's and it was fabulous.  We had 4 beef enchiladas, covered in lettuce and radishes and pickled onions and an orange aqua minerale and the bill came to a grand total of 80 pesos.  We left a 20 peso tip and the grand total was about $4.80, or $6 with tip.

Love the colorful oilcloth tablecloths

And I'll round out this post with a shot of Boo sunbathing by the pool!

It's warming up!