Improvising and Thanksgiving

Living in various "fully furnished" apartments the last couple of years, every now and then we wish we had a this or a that kitchen gadget. Usually, we just do with out, improvise or just MAKE what we "need".

Well we were invited our neighbors home for Thanksgiving. Chris happens to be an AWESOME professional chef. Being grateful, we volunteered to make some pies, homemade eggnog and roasted fall root vegetables.

After I volunteered, it dawned on me that I don't have my favorite pastry cloth or my marble rolling pin let alone have my dough recipes etc. Well Randall to the rescue as always! He quickly made a star shape cookie cutter out of a tin can so I could make the crust look decadent. We used "French" butter and what looked like the best flour I could find. Quality ingredients makes a huge difference! I was able to roll the dough out with lots of flour on our granite counter in the cool morning hours which worked perfect. All pies turned out fantastic!

As for the fall roasted root vegetable dish, my usual root veggies were not all found after searching several grocery stores. But, I did discovered some new root veggies that we tried. We're still not really sure if the new ones were a different version of a turnip or a parsnip but the dish was delicious!

As for the eggnog, it was almost perfect. I did have a little trouble figuring out the right name for cream and where to find the best fresh cream as opposed to the boxed cream that's not fresh or refrigerated.

Wonderful time meeting some locals along with other expats. Really it was overwhelming the amount of food Chris made! From sushi, crab stuffed mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, pumpkin soup to all the regular menu items and then some we all were indulging and overwhelming our appetites!

Plus, it was an extra special day for Randall and I celebrating 21 years of marriage!
:)

Where to go for a cut?

A little stroll on the Malecon and then some shopping with Randi and Austin. All the time we were in search of a barber or salon to get hair cuts for the two of them.

It's always a gamble finding the right place and then trying to communicate in Spanish how exactly you want it to look. Well half way through Randi's cut I told the lady to STOP! No more! Let's wait for the owner to come back and finish.

Austin's cut was great because it was exactly what he requested. However the owner you see below left and had the lady above do Randi's hair. And well that didn't work. So we waited for the owner to return and FIX Randi's hair.

As it turned out, both were done with a combined cost of $12 US ! :)

Wide Open + No Screens = Wildlife Indoors

From dragon flies to geckos, from beetles to cats, from birds to bats, we've had them ALL in our home. With no screens and smoldering heat, we open our doors and windows for fresh air in hopes of a breeze. In they all come and go as they please!

Sayulita Beach

I was wondering what in the world was the purpose of this big tire in the sand. Well at first I was caught off guard with a run, flip, twist, and pounce right next to me. Quickly out came the camera with low batteries again. Finally a shot that worked.

On the beach everyone is working hard selling what ever they have from food to clothes to pirated movies. But this little one? Yeah, they send their children out to work.

Well the guys, Austin and Randall, rode their bicycles to Sayulita beach all the way from Puerto Vallarta old town. Randi and I had a leisurely drive and met them there. Our drive was one hour and their ride was 2 hours! We took the bikes apart and all drove home together. Another great day in paradise.

Seize the opportunity! Pay attention! Go for it!

One evening while on the treadmill at Golds Gym I spotted this women signing up with 2 teenagers appearing to be the same ages of Austin and Randi. So, I didn't even stop to ponder, I just took off to meet them. So happy I did. Darci, the mom, has a daughter 13 and a son 15 both close to the ages of Austin and Randi.

Anyway, we were invited for a birthday celebration at their home which is located in Gringo Gulch directly in the middle of old town Vallarta. Their traditional style Mexican rented home was spectacular sitting right next to the Cathedral we over look from our condo. It's what I would describe as indoor outdoor living on the roof top. Wonderful evening making new friends who are all happen to be from Canada.

I discovered Darci is an inventor with a cool story! She loves to bake and one day her grandmother told her how she used to take a piece of broken clay pottery and put in her brown sugar to keep it moist. Darci was making pottery one day. She rolled out some clay, took a cookie cutter, and made some discs. And well that was just the beginning of a budding business! Now these little guys are sold worldwide and found in magazines, gift shops and such. Check them out here, Brown Sugar Discs. That's what I call inspiration, paying attention and making things happen!

Sunset at the beach

Not being able to see the sun disappear into the ocean at our new condo, every now and then we'll head directly down the mountain to Playa Conchas Chinas to view the spectacular ocean sunset.

One evening with camera in hand along with the extra batteries, Randall and I took off for the beach. Well, just as I started shooting of course the batteries needed changed. And wouldn't you know the extra set needed recharged. Quickly we phoned Austin who promptly hopped on his bicycle and made a bee line to the beach. Well, he got there FAST, but the sun just disappeared. Luckily the colors left behind were breathtaking as you see above.

Conchas Chinas beach day

Austin went with our neighbors to a different section of Conchas Chinas Beach the other day and loved the sand and depth of the beach better than where we used to go. So, this past weekend Randi and I decided to check it out. I just loved this spot with the rock formation.

So, we set up here next to it, tucked in our own little spot.

This was our view of the ocean. A typical Mexican family out at the beach to feast and play on Sunday. Most work Monday through Saturday. I just love watching them set up their stuff for the day. The whole family comes to the beach with at least one table, a cooler, an umbrella, some chairs and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Everything is chopped and prepared on the table by the mom. Many times I've noticed them preparing fresh salsa.

We just love eating the fresh pescada and camorones(fish and shrimp) on the stick. A little lime, some salt, and spicy salsa is just finger licking great!

Usually it's our family day at the beach also on Sundays. However, the guys wanted to do other things so, Randi and I enjoyed the quite time spent together.