Prince Edward

I always preferred refrigerators with the freezer on the bottom.  They are not very popular. We had to go all the way to Acapulco to get one.  We loaded it in the back of the pick-up and drove back home on the 150 mile twining road back to Zihuatanejo. We almost lost it while driving up a very steep hill but the rope managed to hold it. It has given me a good service for over 10 years but the sea breeze has taken a toll on it. I have affection for my applainces and I name them after royalty. Prince Edward looked more like a decaying metal box and I was seriously thinking of replacing.

Then an idea came to mind….I recently commissioned a local artist to do a mural on our home. I called him up and explained him what I had in mind. This is the result..

Merry Christmas.....

Spring party for 20 people

The annual poker party is something I look forward to.
I love to prepare delicious foods for my husband's friends. While they start the game, I finish up the last details. Sometimes, the wives help out. This is the menu I prepared:
Appetizers:
Eggplant Parmesan, Marinated zucchini, Eggplant with pesto sauce, Bruschetta alla Siciliana, and a fruit platter.





Main dish:
Marinated grilled loin of Pacific sailfish, Pepper stew, and Garlic bread.

Everybody had a great time, including me.


All the recipes, excluding the sailfish, are contained in "The precious Ingredient".

Ives

Ives, a boy of uncontainable energy.

“Make sure the boys learn to play chess,” I told my sister Giuliana when she was preparing for her trip to Mexico. A few months later, while I was waiting at the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport and was anticipating the pleasure that the four weeks together with my family would bring, I heard the voice calling: “zia, zia.”

I turned around and thirteen year old Ivy and his older brother Alex were waving at me. They had  big smiles on their faces. I had not seen them for three years and the change in their appearance was quite remarkable. Later I would also realize that their personality had also improved. They were on their way to be well educated and mannered young men. Both of them are very active in sports. Sixteen year old Alex plays soccer at a semiprofessional level and Ivy plays basketball and has lots of things on his agenda on a daily basis. They are both excellent students.

When we sat down for dinner, I popped the question, “did you learn to play chess?”

The answer came unanimously, “yes, we have and when are we going to make pizza?’

“We shall make pizza tomorrow but we can play chess tonight, let’s see how good you are!”

Few days later, in between other activities such as: fishing, swimming, driving lessons, soccer games on the beach, cooking classes, gardening, and poker games, we started a chess tournament with four players: Franca, Joseph, Alex, and Ivy.

And the winner was: Ives, the boy with an uncontainable desire for life…..

Macarena

Macarena, a vivacious beautiful young person.

She was dancing the Flamenco, at the age of nine, entertaining the friends and family gathered together to celebrate the birth of the new millennium. She was standing proud and tall while the small crowd cheered.

I have spent many more New Years’ Eves with the Rivera Rio family and I have seen Macarena grow into a young lady who is presently studying at the Medical University in Mexico City.

Even though her English is impeccable I like to tease her in Spanish, “cuando vamos a hacer el pan?”

A small group of about 5 or six girls, sometimes there are a couple of boys, come to make bread at my house. During the time we have to wait for the bread to rise, we play scrabble.

Now, Macarena has a boy friend. She brought him over for his first cooking lesson.

I knew she was a smart girl….

Ondine

Ondine—a delicate strong little person—

Slightly bending forward to balance the weight of her back-pack, she was leading the small group of people who had just gotten off the bus from Morelia.

I waved. She looked back to seek approval from her parents, and then she ran to meet me.

It was a bright and slightly breezy afternoon and the sun shining on her back made her look like a little angel with golden hair flying in the wind.

 After getting into the car for the pleasant thirty minute drive from Zihuatanejo bus terminal to our home in Barra de Potosí, I could see her in the rear-view mirror. Her pungent blue eyes were like little radars, absorbing everything in sight. Her parents, a mature couple, were very attentive and prompt to answering patiently all her questions. I was amazed at how well a six year old could carry on a conversation in the presence of a stranger.

The two week vacation passed quickly and enjoyably. Her keen interest for cooking, playing chess, fishing, playing with other children, and reading was something I was no longer accustomed to, after having lived in this secluded part of Mexico.

I saw the tail light of the taxi disappear from our driveway at daybreak, this morning. I did not dare to be seen by the little person with inquisitive eyes. She would have seen the sadness in mine.

Good-bye little Ondine. I wish you all a safe trip. Maybe, one day, we shall meet again.