As the yard turns ...

I think we got out of the workyard just in time. "Mexico City," as the marina staff calls it, has instituted new rules and no one in the yard is happy.  There seems to be a new chapter in the story everyday. Those in the yard were recently told: no more vehicles are allowed inside the gates, no use of unused boat stands (usually they are used to set one's mast on so it doesn't lay on the ground), a tarp must be draped on the side of a boat being sanded (then the sanding dust lands on the ground and blows off anyway), and keep ALL your "stuff" under/around your boat). The only boat in the workyard who was there longer than us is Tazmo and Mike has now had enough.  He's in the slings and ready to go.

Remember, prices increased by 65% last August 1, and yet there is still no toilet seat in the men's bathroom (it's been almost a year), no propane to run the dryers in the laundry room, intermittent Internet service (depending on whether the bill has been paid), and on ... and on.

Baile Folklórico

Casa Cultura:

There are many class offerings. Patsy and I decided to sign up for baile folklórico classes: Monday Wednesday Friday from 5-6 pm. So reasonably priced, as least compared to what you'd pay in the USA - $200 pesos per month which works out to about 60 cents/hour USD.

This room is specifically for danza:

Patsy and I are the OLDEST students, the rest are teenage girls.  It was a bit disheartening to have a mirror in front to reflect back your dancing image.  At zumba I could pretend I was as good as everyone else, the mirror proves otherwise.

The teacher was quite surprised we were NEW students, since everyone else had been in the class for at least a month learning this particular dance routine.  Patsy and I took our places at the back of the room, until the rotation began.  The first row moved to the back, we did the routine again, another rotation, repeat.  I only got to the second row (whew!) when it was time to add another segment to the routine.

At the mid-point 5-minute break, Patsy asked the teacher, "¿Es baile folklórico tradicional?"  The teacher answered, "Oh no, es baile folklórico africano."  Huh?  African baile folklórico.  Apparently, this dance group is getting ready to participate in the upcoming carnaval parades ... and we were invited to participate.  We politely declined.

There are many young men hanging around, standing in the open balcony, peeking in through the door.  Some are boyfriends (in Spanish = novios) and some are waiting for their class to start after this one is over. 

Another funny moment was at the beginning of class where we warm up with a few exercises.  The teacher came around the first day (last Wednesday) and showed Patsy and I exactly how to do the leg raises from side to side.  Today, she told the class to look at how I was doing them and if I could do them the right way (unspoken: at my age) then they could certainly do them properly.

Special thanks to my novio for escorting Patsy and I each time and for doing the grocery shopping while we're dancing. 

Día de Candelaria

This evening, all the cruisers and a few guests got together in the computer room. (It used to be called the cruisers' lounge, but there's no lounging to be had when there are only 2 uncomfortable plastic chairs). There were tamales, frijoles, champurrado, and of course cinnamon rolls.  Champurrado is a traditional Mexican drink made from masa (corn flour), milk, cinnamon, and chocolate.  It's very thick, almost like gravy.

Susie is wearing the red sweater, she made all the tamales and the best frijoles I've ever had.  She made them from dried pinto beans.  After they were cooked, she added chorizo, bacon, and cheese - no wonder I liked them! 

Roles de canela

On January 6, or Día de los Reyes, Dick got the moneta (little plastic Jesus) in his piece of the rosca (pastry in the form of a crown).  Tradition says he has to host the celebration on Día de Candelaria on February 2.  Thank goodness there were others in the workyard who also got a moneta.  Our contribution would be homemade cinnamon rolls.  We made three batches at Roberto's house.  Panchis, Dick, and Eva (Roberto's daughter-in-law) were my assistants.

Meanwhile Roberto made us a fantastic lunch:  rajas con queso (sautéed onions and garlic, green chiles, tomatoes, and cheese - all heated up and melty - served with tortillas - so yummy).  After his grandchildren came home from school, we had carne asada (grilled beef) tacos with all the trimmings.  Roberto is a great cook.

Eva decided to start a fourth batch of cinnamon rolls.

These just need to rise a second time and then, into the oven.

As Eva was making her batch, she took pictures and posted them to her Facebook page.  Her cousins started posting messages saying they wanted to taste them also.

Grace (Eva's daughter) got the first cinnamon roll because she had to leave to go to cheerleading practice. 

Alex (Eva's son) gave the biggest compliment, "They're as good as the cinnamon rolls at Cinnabon."

A most successful day all around.  Thanks to all who helped and Roberto for making lunch and letting me use his kitchen and oven.  I could never have done this on the boat.

And good luck to Eva who said she's going to make another batch tomorrow for her cousins.

Public market

Every Wednesday morning, there's a public market with many streets closed to traffic. It's very crowded from about 10 am to 2 pm.

Chopping fresh orange-colored wood.  Herbal remedies are very popular.  As the vendor chopped, he also called out what he had for sale.

The colors and smells are wonderful.  We usually stroll the fresh fruits and vegetable lanes only.  There are other areas designated for "segundos" or second-hand goods.  The plastic bags are always priced at 10 pesos, making it easier for gringos to shop and buy.

Boat work on the water

There are still projects which need to be finished. I'm vacuuming or brushing off the entire boat - I started brushing after the vacuum cleaner almost fell into the bay. Hand-washing came next with no water allowed to stand or run off. This is the first step to working on the decks and sealing any cracks which are visible.

Dick has been attaching sails, fixing a variety of things including the anchor float which decided to coil itself around the rudder.

Here, Dick is sanding the underwater place where the transducer for the depth sounder is located.  The depth sounder is not working ... sanding didn't help the problem so it will be on to the next possible solution.

After any swim in the bay, it comes with a "Bleeaaghhh" and a good shower afterwards.  The bay is very dirty.

View from our anchorage

To go along with morning coffee, a much improved view from our boat: