A Sad End...

 

It really was a great week at the beach. Restful...peaceful...

 Great family time, yummy food, Everything you could ask for in a family vacation.

 

 

 

After a very, very long drive home... we arrived in our "neck of the woods..."

So relieved to be so near our home, we stopped for dinner.

 The whole family stopped together. It was a quick stop...at a well known chain restaurant.

We ate a quick dinner...and headed for our cars.

 

 

It only took a minute to realize that anything of any value, had been taken from our car.

 Purse...all electronics...you name it, It was all gone!

As we were assessing our loss, another family member also realized that they too had been robbed.

 It was late, we were all so tired, it seemed pretty impossible that this had happened to us!

All we were left with from our trip, are these few pictures that other family took during the week. I am grateful, however, that no one was hurt,

 "Things" can be replaced. Sad as it was...it sure could have been worse.

And now... We piece our lives back together...a little at a time!;)

 

 

Papitas y Pepinos....

Our arrival to Chihuahua City was pretty uneventful...except of course for all of

the toll booths that we were required to "visit" along the way! The only good thing

about those toll booths are the extremely clean bathrooms that are close by.  Make a little

mental note about that if you are planning any kind of travel in Mexico. Clean bathrooms

are very hard to find.  Early Thursday morning, after a breakfast meeting....The Farmer guided

us with precision to the heart of Chihuahua City.  The streets are far from straight and people

drive fast.  If you are not on your driving game you will be eaten for lunch!

"Honk if you love Jesus!!"

That is a little note from me to The Farmer...he knows just what that means;)

Anyway, so again, we were headed to another "Farmer Meeting" so The Farmer parked the

car and we began to walk the streets of Chihuahua.  He said...

"I am going to get you something that tastes really good...and you are going to like it!"

And next thing I knew we were standing in front of a potato chip cart.  I can really appreciate

the street chips of Mexico.  The are homemade, and they are YUM!

This cart is a favorite stop of The Farmer when he is in Chihuahua,

and this is why...

It is not just a regular cup of chips..in fact there is nothing regular about them!

Here's how it works...you walk up to the cart...the people who work at the cart are often visiting

with each other..or a customer....so you have to wait until the conversation breaks...then

you place your order...."A cup of chips...please...." in Spanish of course;)

And then the process begins....the cup is selected, either large or small...fresh lemon is squeezed

onto the chips, and then a large scoop of freshly chopped cucumbers is placed on top.

And then this is when it gets good....

 In the front of the chip cart a special metal rack has been constructed to hold

different bottles of chile.  And any type of chile that your heart desires...is included

in the collection of bottles.  The is also a few bottles of a liquid seasoning called

Magi...it is like a Worcestershire sauce and a soy sauce combined... it is commonly used

on chips, on popcorn..and just about everything else in Northern Mexico.

The Farmer has this down to a science...he asks for extra lemon, (which is really lime) juice

on his chips, then he adds a few shakes of Magi... and an extra dose of Valentina, which

is a favorite chile sauce similar to a Tabasco sauce which is very loved in our neck of the woods.

The construction of Papita y Pepino....is an art!

They were really tasty!  I quite enjoyed the chips and cucumbers.

Street food in Mexico is an interesting thing, and a constant adventure.

Thank you to The Farmer for taking me to his favorite chip cart...

on the streets of Chihuahua!
Life is certainly not boring when The Farmer is around!

Traveling South...Instead of...North...

It seems we are on the road most every week...usually heading North, which is a good thing for

me...that means I get to shop a little in stores I am familiar with.... and enjoy, it means I

get to savor a meal that tastes entirely different from the food found in my "neighborhood,"

A trip North is usually a pretty good thing.

So, last week as I was preparing for the weekly trip "North"...I usually have quite an agenda

prepared before the trip and a long list of "needs"....In the midst of gathering my "plan"....

The Farmer announced that along with traveling "North" we would also be traveling....

"South."  I quickly said never mind...I didn't want to go...to which he replied..

"come on...it will be fun....Chihuahua is a fun city!"  I said..."hummmmm....."

to which he said...."you never go with me to Chihuahua...it will be fun...I promise..."

And that is when the guilt set in...so I agreed.  I think the reason I don't enjoy traveling

"South" is really because I couldn't find my way around Chihuahua City if my life

depended on it...and usually The Farmer is tied up in meetings so that leaves me....

tied up in meetings right along with him.  I knew that it would be the case this time too...but

The Farmer assured me that there would be great photography opportunities....and he would

take me to see some interesting "stuff."  So off we went....headed North for a very quick trip

to El Paso....after a couple of meetings we crossed the border once again...(twice in one day!)...

and headed to Chihuahua.  It is about a 3 hour drive from El Paso, but the highway is

really nice...unusual for Mexico;)  We soon came to a little town...and as we were entering

The Farmer began to explain that this little town was famous for it's Quesadillas....

How could you be famous for a Quesadialla, you ask???  I asked the same question too!

"It's all about the cheese...." he says.

The cheese is called Asadero, and it is made in that same town, which is also the home

to many very large dairies.  Which by the way was very obvious due to the sent wafting through

the air on a cold winter night;)  It was also around this time that The Farmer began to recount

many fond childhood memories of passing through this town...the Quesadillas he had eaten there...

and another fairly recent memory of he and The Missionary Boy...sharing a Quesadilla

moment together.  Now that one touched my heart!  In Mexico it is common for little

towns to specialize in one thing...and become famous for whatever their specialty is.  It actually

is one of the things that endears me to this country.  As we entered the "Quesadilla Town"...

also known as Villa Ahumada...I noticed that the highway was lined with roadside stands...

and there were many.....that were willing to make us a Quesidilla.

The Farmer selected the "stand" and we parked the car.  No need to get out of your car...

they come to you!  How many Quesadillas would you like????  Would you like to take some

Asadero Cheese home with you???  Would you like to try a Chile Relleno Burrito too???

(they are also famous for those too!)  And last but not least....Would you like your

car washed while you wait???  These are all questions that we were asked...having never left

our car!  How's that for service?  The Farmer ordered...one Quesadilla...one Chile Relleno

Burrito...and Yes, one car wash!  I got out of the car and enjoyed taking lots of pictures..

and I must say...the workers enjoyed having their pictures taken too!

Along with the famous burritos and Quesadillas...you must also try the sauce made

with the very liquid in which the Asadero cheese was cured, mixed with green chile,

jalapeno and onion.  It was extremely spicy, but the flavor was yummy!

This is served as a salsa for your Quesadilla.  Every stand has their version of the

special sauce!  That is really what makes the Quesadilla extra good...the sauce!

It was a Quesadilla adventure like none other!

Just a side note...while getting my hair cut today...I was telling the hairdresser about the

"Quesadilla Town"  and she got a big smile on her face and began to tell me about her

own personal experiences eating there...raving about the "special sauce."

Each vendor owns their own Quesadilla cart...some are really decorated, with lights and

anything else they could think of that would help them stand out from the crowd of vendors.

If you are even in area of Villa Ahumada...I would highly recommend that you stop

and enjoy the experience of one their famous Quesadillas, complete with the special sauce!

Stay tuned...the fun of the trip is just beginning!!

Neither......Here....Nor.....There......

If you were wondering....

This is the border between the United Stated and Mexico.

A simple metal fence.

It goes on for miles and miles and miles......

This is The Rooster,

Neither in the United States, nor Mexico.

It was interesting to see up close.

But,

It didn't seem that hard to climb over.

I guess that is another topic all in itself, now isn't it.

I commented to The Farmer, that it is amazing how things change from

one side to the other. Only a few steps, but a world of difference.

Oh, and yes......

the Border Patrol did show up to wish us a lovely afternoon.

Mr. Potato Head

Today,

Mr. Potato Head, (aka. The Farmer) and I took a little drive.

Everything was very beautiful today. It was a bit

overcast...not too hot and the clouds were lovely.



I got a little lesson on potatoes today,

Mr. Potato Head was the teacher, and I must admit

it was interesting and I learned alot. The above picture is

the beginnings of many potatoes, imagine that!

Tractors working....

that makes a Farmer happy!



Watering...all kinds of wonderful things going on

at the potato farm.

We passed a nearby wheat field...it was

beautiful...still a little green,

but beautiful!

A lovely afternoon with

MR. POTATO HEAD.....

(aka. The Farmer!)

Celebrating....Farm Style!

The Rooster decided that the best birthday party ever....would be at the farm....

fishing....

and eating steaks. With a couple of cousins and some friends we

headed to the farm for an afternoon of perfect weather and alot of fun.















It would not be a trip to the farm without and injury! PreShie stubbed her

toe on a big rock.



Lot of yummy S'Mores were enjoyed!

The afternoon ended with some fireworks.

It was the perfect party for the Little Rooster!

Seriously Ready!

........................Swine Flu....H1N1....what ever you would like to call it....
We Are Ready!
.................Of course school being closed on a national level
MEANS.....
slumber parties....fishing trips....a little tanning by the pool...
hanging out with the cousins....
You get the picture...
All done while wearing.....masks...and latex gloves.....;)

It All Started With.....

An innocent trip to the farm.....

and before I get into the story, can I just say....

VIVA MEXICO!!!!

So, we had planned to be away for a bit of time to celebrate Semana Santa (Holy Week),

but before we could go, The Boy had to take a little innocent drive to the farm (about 10 minutes) away from our home. He and The Rooster had a few fish that needed to be

placed in the pond there. So he tood off, driving The Farmer's truck.

He drove all the way there, and was nearly home, WHEN, he came face to face with

a group of soliders and policemen. And I do mean a group.

(around 30 soldiers and 5 police cars)

I am not sure if they had any of these...but they did have many machine guns and The Boy,

found himself , physically removed from the truck, this was after they discovered his seat belt was fastened...they gave a few good tugs. He then was forced onto the ground, where the guns

remained directed at him, and he was frisked. He used other words to describe the moment..."frisked" wasn't a word he knew too well until that experience. Anyway,

the group of "law enforcement" proceeded to go through The Farmer's truck, to see

if there was anything they needed....luckily only a flashlight was taken...

(he carries mosty church stuff with him).

Next, they asked him who his father was. EXCUSE ME!!!.....

should that really matter?? He hadn't done anything wrong!

The Boy told them, and since The Farmer doesn't hang out with the

"law enforement" group, how could they know him. But The Boy quickly let them

know that he has an uncle who is politically positioned here in Mexico and whose name they would recognize, to which

the comandante (the leader of the soldiers) replied...

"I guess you just got lucky tonight, boy."

They issued him a ticket for $50 pesos, which is about $3.00 U.S. dollars, for not
having his drivers license, and sent him on his way home.
Now, in defense of the "law enforcement" group, The Boy broke every cardinal
rule that we have in our home right now.
1. Do not be out on the street after dark
2. Never be without our cel. phone
3. Never go anywhere alone, especially at night
The moral of the story.......
DON'T BREAK THE RULES!!!
(and VIVA MEXICO!)

Dog - O's

A tribute...to my brother....owner of "The Dog House." And also a taste of Mexico! Yes....I know.....This wouldn't fall into the catagory of "good for you" or something that you would eat weekly...BUT....it is worth it, if and when you choose to indulge;)

ENTER....

DOG - O

Enjoyed on most street corners in Mexico. When the sun goes down...the Dog-O stand shows up. It is a mobile cart with a grill and a load of mexican sodas. You can either sit at the plastic chairs and tables, that have also been set up on the street corner, or you can use the..

"SERVICIO AL BORDO"

which is Mexico's idea of drive through. A worker comes to your window...takes your order...and brings the order to you to take home. Given the level of violence in our area, we do not eat on street corners after dark, so here is our version of the Dog -O

Wrap hotdogs with thin slices of bacon...we only use Oscar Meyer all beef hot dogs (only because The Farmer is pretty picky with hot dogs). After the hot dogs are wrapped with the bacon, cook in a frying pan, on medium heat, until bacon is done and a little crispy. Remove the hotdogs from the pan and keep warm. Next, spread the bun with mayo.....


And cook in the same pan...in the bacon grease...until toasty and brown. I told you....not something you can eat at every meal!

Then....place the hotdog in the yummy bun and begin to add toppings....

avocado

diced onion

diced tomato

mustard

beans

corn

grated cheese

jalapeno

well....basically everything....

DIG IN!!!

*to my brother...."The Wennie Man"