Tag Archives: Country Break

Oct31

What A Week!

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What A Week!

Tonight can’t be Halloween already. Of course in Mexico the celebration of Dia De Los Muertos culminates with a parade tonight and partying in cemeteries over the weekend. Here in Aguascalientes there is quite the display in El Centro along with music, dancing and food.

But I’m passing on the parade this year. I will be watching the Blue Jays-Dodgers game. And yes, I watched all 18 innings Monday night. And I sincerely hope the Blue Jays take it on home turf. It’s been quite a series.

I’m settling in for the winter. I first discovered Aguascalientes in 2019. I arrived in January for three weeks after spending a couple of months in Culiacan and San Ciro de Acosta. I intended to stay for 3 weeks but stayed for 3 months. I returned that fall determined to visit the museums I had missed the previous winter. But Covid came along and I wound up staying until September of 2020 when I was able to get back to Washington. I returned to Aguascalientes in the fall of 2021 and it has become my winter home.

My Spanish has been getting a workout here in Las Flores. I’m not pantomiming as much when I shop at the tiendita or at the tianguis. And conversations with neighbors are going well although I still feel they speak way too quickly. I understand more when they speak slowly.

Yesterday I met some of my Mexican friends at Country Break for lunch. This is a quaint little restaurant that plays country music in English, although it is part of a Mexican chain. Great hamburgers and fries. A very popular place with Mexicans.

Speaking of food, Ricardo is cooking for me again and I am absolutely delighted. Tomorrow he is bringing me prime rib of beef Mexican style and 3 types of tamales. Earlier in the week I enjoyed chiles rellenos, enchiladas suizas and lasagna. Yes, he makes a wicked lasagna!

I got together with another friend and we had breakfast at La Palapa de Charly, another favorite restaurant. Delicious omelets are served with chilaquiles and beans. And the turtles still greet you at the entrance.

I belong to a book club in Cashmere and I’m keeping up by reading books on Libby now that I’m back in Mexico. The current book is Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. I’m almost finished it and will email my comments to Joanne to share at the meeting next week.

I’ve also watched 2 interesting movies in Spanish this week. I pass on the subtitles. It’s a great way to improve my Spanish. Friends have recommended that I watch soap operas, but I prefer movies. Occasionally I opt for The Simpsons or Dora The Explorer. But movies are more my thing.

And that’s what I’m going to do right now. I’m going to watch a movie while I eat my lunch.

Have a great weekend!

Apr3

Here And There

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Here And There

I’m sitting here sipping salted caramel tea as I write this. A nice change from the chamomile I drink in Aguascalientes. In the background The Rifleman fills the TV screen. I loved that show as a child and I still do. Not on any of the channels I watch in Mexico.

I enjoy my life where I’ve turned back into a snowbird. When I first arrived in Culiacan I met expats who had decided to revert back to the snowbird life. I didn’t understand it back then, but after living full time in Mexico for almost six years, I made that decision as well.

That was back in 2016 when I retired from teaching ESL. That was also when I discovered Washington state. My planned two week vacation turned into four months when the first snowfall finally chased me back to Mazatlan.

As I was eating a sourdough English muffin with marble cheese for breakfast, I found myself missing gorditas. Yes, that happens. The only Mexican food I eat up here is at Agave Azul in Cashmere. But marble cheese does not exist in Mexico.

I had lunch at Gustav’s with friends the other day. One of my rare red meat fixes. Although the burger was far superior, I found myself missing the country music at Country Break in Aguascalientes.

The mountains here in Washington never cease to amaze me. I see them out my bedroom window. I see them when I go out for walks. The view is magnificent on the drive from East Wenatchee along Highway 2 into Leavenworth.

The NCW Libraries features an abundance of programs and activities in addition to books and movies. I signed up for two of them this month that are offered on Zoom.

The museum in Wenatchee is another of my favorite places. The Martin Luther King Jr. Multicultural Fest is one of the featured events. There is also an art show going on with displays of art from local schools. I will have to check out what programs they are offering this month.

Yesterday Christina and I went out to garage sales and had a blast. We found lots of treasures. Brought back memories of another lifetime in Canada.

Here’s to a new month!

Jan30

It’s Been A Fun Week

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It’s Been A Fun Week

There is no such thing as a typical week for me here in Aguascalientes, or for that matter anywhere I live. I do not thrive on routine. To me the word “routine” is a four letter word, along with the word “normal”, neither of which can be used to describe my life.

My characters are still talking to me so I’ve been doing a lot of writing, sometimes at 4 am. I do prefer to write during the day, but after experiencing writer’s block for several months, I’m extremely grateful for writing time regardless of the hour.

I did my usual morning run to the lavenderia. The day varies as I’ve grown quite accustomed to sipping that first cup of coffee and lounging around in bed checking emails and playing Candy Crush before I head out. But when I get close to running out of clean clothes, I brave the cold 40 degree mornings and go to the lavenderia. My reward is to pick up my clothes a few hours later, clean and neatly folded and ready to be put away.

I had a four hour fitness training on Zoom the other day from Washington. It was great to connect with everyone again and I’m looking forward to teaching again when I get back.

Joanne and I hit Costco the other day and here are two of my treasures……cheddar cheese and everything bagel. No idea how many steps we got in, but it was quite a few.

Joanne and I go for some pretty wild drives and have seen some really interesting areas in this city where I’m guessing most gringas don’t venture to. But we do!😜

Went for a haircut the other day. Last one with Paulina until I come back in the fall. Delighted to find a stylist here who actually knows how to layer hair like they do in the USA. And I also enjoy the banter all in Spanish.

I went to the park with Gloria and her daughter Romina. Gloria moves to Tulum next week. I will miss our intercambios and, of course, her delicious empenadas.

A project I’ve been working on this winter is condensing eleven plus years of notes on Spanish grammar and vocabulary into one notebook. And I’m almost done! It’s been a tedious task and I’m grateful to Gloria, Raul and Pedro for their help with grammar. I really understand why my students struggle with learning a second language.

I introduced my friend Carole to Country Break. We had a delightful lunch and I picked up a salad to take home. This amazing salad lasts at least three days and has become a staple in my fridge.

Time for internet church. Have a great Sunday!

Jan15

I Went Out For A Walk

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I Went Out For A Walk

It’s been a crazy weekend so far, a real roller coaster ride. And I’m trying to get off of it. But it’s a tough struggle.

It started on Friday when I read something on Facebook. And then I made the mistake of reading the obituaries in my hometown newspaper. And if that wasn’t enough, I received malas noticias from a friend here in Mexico. The icing on the cake is the crisis one of my characters is going through, and I can’t get it out of my head.

Time to clear my head. Time for a long walk, by myself. Hoping I don’t bump into anyone because I just don’t feel like talking right now.

Some people call me homeless because I keep moving around. But this woman is truly homeless and she doesn’t move at all. No, she’s camped out on a boulevard on a busy street here in Las Flores.

I walked by a travel agency and saw this interesting poster. I’m thinking it was an old one, before Covid.

Luckily the only person I had to talk to was the server at Country Break. And yes, I ordered a burger to go along with my “comfort food.”

I think the walk helped. Duolingo is calling. Today’s story is a cheesy one about a secret place. I wonder what Junior will be up to today….