Tag Archives: St. Patrick’s Day

Leprechauns

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Leprechauns

I have no idea why but leprechauns have been on my mind. Maybe it’s because St. Patrick’s Day is coming up next month. Walmart had cookies out and Dollar Tree had decorations out. And both stores had Easter treats and other paraphernalia out.

It looks like I’ll be here in Leavenworth for Easter this year. That will be a first. I’m usually in Mexico. I wonder if the snow will be gone. April 4th is still a ways off. It’s getting warmer and rain is replacing the snow.

Back to leprechauns. Do you remember the movie Darby O’Gill and the Little People? I remember seeing it as a child. And it featured leprechauns.

Anyone out there ever in a Brownie pack? One of the sixes in my pack was leprechauns but my six was pixies.

When you see pics of leprechauns they often have a spark or twinkle in their eyes. They appear to be mischievous little sprites. And they’re always male in gender.

Leprechauns have their roots in Irish folklore. Pics often show them to be short and dressed in a green coat and buckled shoes. They also sport a top hat and their profession is shoe making.

One legend is that if you can capture a leprechaun he will trade you his treasure for his freedom. Another legend is that he will grant you three wishes.

Although leprechauns possess a certain charm, they are deceitful and are not to be trusted. They may make promises, but after all, is there ever really a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?

It’s A Long Weekend Here

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It’s A Long Weekend Here

The birthday of Benito Juarez is celebrated here in Mexico as a public holiday on the third Monday in March. Schools, banks and government offices are closed. But everything else is open. As a matter of fact, today is also a cruise ship day here in Mazatlan when throngs of people will descend on this city crowding the streets, shops and restaurants. I will be headed into the Gold Zone later on as I have some errands and shopping to do. And a movie at El Recreo is in the plans for tonight.

But let’s return to the start of the weekend. On Friday night I attended a marvellous performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Angela Peralta Theater. The dancers were from the Ballet de Jalisco.

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On Saturday morning I went to the Organic Market at Zaragoza Park. It is winding down for the season as the snowbirds are leaving now because Easter is so early this year. Then it was off to Playa Brujas for coffee at Looney Bean and a stroll along the boardwalk with various hawkers trying to entice us into buying their wares. Then it was off to Sabalo Country to Casa del Camarones for some green tequila. After all it was St. Patrick’s Day.

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A delicious lunch at Fat Fish was next. Despite the name of the restaurant, they are renowned for their ribs. Then it was off to a friend’s home in Playa Sur.

The highlight Saturday was the display of fireworks for the Festival of Lights. We sat on the beach and watched this colorful display over the ocean. Very different from watching fireworks back on the flat prairies of Manitoba.

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Yesterday I spent the day with my friends from Leavenworth. They were staying out at Torres in the marina area where we enjoyed a lovely brunch and then a relaxing afternoon by the pool. This is the view from their condo balcony.

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Long weekends here pass by all too quickly. As an added bonus the sunny skies and warm temperatures are back. This will be my last long weekend in Mexico for a while as I am headed up north next month. I wonder what I’ll be doing and where I will be when the next long weekend rolls around.

Dia de San Patricio 2017

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Dia de San Patricio 2017

March 17th is synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day. I used to teach my students in Mexico all about the legend behind this day, but close on its heels is the holiday celebrating Benito Juarez’s birthday, and a school holiday here in Mexico. Needless to say, the students were always more interested in getting a day off from classes.

Last year we succeeded in finding green tequila in Sabalo Country. This year we found green beer at Twisted Mamas, one of the gringo restaurants in the Zona Dorada. Combined with good friends, a live band and delicious food, it was a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year.

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The servers were all decked out in green.

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The menu included traditional fare of corned beef and cabbage as well as Guinness beef stew.

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Even yours truly got into the spirit.

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And that was St. Patrick’s Day here in Mazatlan.

St. Patrick’s Day in Mazatlan

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St. Patrick’s Day in Mazatlan

The expat influence is once again evident as shown by St. Patrick’s Day celebrations this past week here in Mazatlan. My friends and I headed out to Casa Del Cameron in Sabalo in search of green beer. While we did not find green beer, we did find green tequila at 10 pesos a shot.

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Casa Del Cameron is a popular gringo bar, kind of like a Cheers place. The beer is cheap and the food is reasonably priced. The ambiance is great and people are friendly. Occasionally there is live music as well and there’s a horseshoe pitch out back.

We were surprised by a mariachi band who strolled in to play a few tunes. It was a nice change from banda or rock and roll. When I lived in Guadalajara, my neighborhood was famous for mariachis as El Parian and Calle Independencia were close by.

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I’m not a fan or corned beef and cabbage but a handful of restaurants were featuring that on their menus as well. We stuck to nachos.

Quite a few people wore green and servers came around with shamrocks to stick on our shirts. Here’s a shot of the guy at a table near us who went all out with his hat.

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Good friends, green tequila and nachos. Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Mazatlan!