Sunday, 22 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

We woke up this morning to a flat tire.    We don't have a spare but we did try to pump the tire up with the fix-a-flat compressor.  That seemed to work until we saw the huge bolt that had found its way into our tire.  There was little wonder of what had happened.  Justin and Mike set about to start working on getting the tire repaired.  They went to the tire shop and then the kid strapped a jack to his back and rode his motorcycle to our parking spot.  Later, he attached the tire to his motorcycle and off he went. 

Gemma supervising from the shade

 Meanwhile, the playoffs were, well, sad. 

Saturday, 21 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

 
Today SAM celebrated Allende's birthday.  We awoke to bands and a flurry of activity all over the town.  Justin and I postponed joining in the festivities until after we caught up on inauguration news.  We stayed in bed late and listened to the speeches and read a bit of the pundits reactions.  With enough of that to sadden us both, we headed into town.  The equivalent of the Blue Angels flew overhead as we headed downtown.  We were able to see a bit of a drum competition that was reminiscent of Drum Line.  We took time to sit in the square and just people watch.  It was a gloriously sunny afternoon and all was right in the world -- especially since we are no longer "irregular."  The celebration ended with fireworks later in the evening and that always hits a chord that brings a smile for Justin and me.

With Mike, we headed back to Los Milagros for dinner.  We had fabulous "traditional enchiladas" and with this order of enchilladas with mole, I am convinced that mole isn't for me.  The great news is that I was able to order the drink I had here last time but this time, I learned the name -- clericot.  Similar to sangria, the beverage has red wine, chopped fruit and vodka or tequila.  Oh, yes, this is my drink!  (A quick Google search has convinced me this beverage will be in my future.)

After dinner Mike headed home and Justin and I went to search for music.  We found three local guys at one of our brunch buffet restaurants and popped in for a set.  Justin is sticking to Negro Modelos often and I was able to order my "claricot" -- different, but yummy!

Friday, 20 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

We were on the road by 6:15 am.  Breakfast at the hotel wasn't ready yet but I did manage to fill my coffee cup.  Evaresto had suggested that we go to Laredo-Columbia Bridge rather than Nuevo Laredo so we headed there.  He was SO right!  There were no lines; there was no hassle at all.  We found the right building and headed to the immigrations desk for tourists visas.  Next stop was the copy machine girl (driver's license, insurance, registration, etc), then we were able to skip the car insurance line and on to the next stop that was both the bank and the car registration desk.  We paid 500 pesos each for our visas and $400 deposit for importing the car.  I got tickled when the guy asked us "how will you pay?"  After my quizzical look he added "Dollars?  Pesos? Credit card?"  My response was "What are we paying for and how much does it cost?"  With questions answered, we were able to proceed.  And, yes, it really did go without a hitch. We are legal now!

Back on the road ... did I mention how terrible the roads are right at the border?  The first couple of hours out of Laredo the roads are abysmal.  Speed bumps and potholes from hell.  I think I have a couple of fillings that are loose now.  Once on toll roads and a bit farther south we were able to make good time and we just pressed.  We weighed driving at night against getting "home" to our bungalow in SMA.  We decided we'd rather wake up already there.  We pulled in right before 10pm and wonder of all wonders, our parking lot was still opened!  Now that was good luck.  And, yes, home, sweet home looked very nice!

Thursday, 19 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

Mike and Justin had made an appointment with Evaresto to look at property.  After a quick hearty breakfast, he met us here at the house at 9:30 and we went first to look at a fabulous and large compound.  Mike and Justin are thinking this could be turned into three if not four units for AirBnB or VRBO rental.  I was sold when we first entered the compound.  I could so see us there -- after a bit of fixin' up of course.

About noon Justin and I are on the road headed north.  We packed only a backpack and Gemma.  We made it to Monterey in time for dinner.  Actually, we went back to the same La Quinta we stayed in of our way down.  After a disappointing dinner of Caesar salad and pasta in the hotel bar we headed to bed.  We've got a looooonnng day ahead.

Wednesday, 18 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

Justin and I headed for the Mexican Immigration Office while Mike headed to the botanical gardens for a bird watchers tour.  We left the house just after 8:00am since that is what time the compound where our car is opens.  Well, we learned a bit about how the locals honor timeliness when attendant arrived about 9:00am.  Fortunately, they did give us a key, a show of courtesy, so we will not be detained again.  So, with our enthusiasm waning, we stopped for breakfast at the cute little spot where we picked up granola before.  The restaurant is run by a younger group and they have a more trendy menu.  I had an omelet with sweet potatoes and asiagi while Justin had a masterful croque monsuier.  Now, bolstered for the day, we got a cab to go to see about our fate.

We are "irregular"  and our car is also "irregular."  The gentleman we spoke with was quite certain that nothing could be done here or in Guadalajara and that we needed to return to the border.  Knowing that I couldn't stand to be rogue for the next two months, Justin and I prepared to head north.  As I was getting out of the cab when we got home I fell AGAIN.  The same knee and the same hand.  This time, my hand is much more sore.  I am just a scraped up mess.



We went local for dinner this evening by heading to the Mercado.  Justin and I split a Tacos Durado (golden tacos) platter and we split a Rojo y Verde Enchilada platter.  Four tacos, four enchiladas, beans, rice, salad, picot de gallo and an assortment of salsas, two bottles of water, a beer and 150 pesos later, we headed home.  Yes, that's right about $7.50.

Tuesday, 17 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

Mike headed to the American Consulate this morning and learned that basically we are not legit and neither are our cars.  We knew something was amiss but we didn't really know it was this bad.  His next stop was at the Mexican Consulate but since they close early on Tuesdays he got there too late to make any headway today.



Meanwhile, Justin was feeling a bit sluggish this morning.  It was rather late when we headed to our newly found rooftop restaurant very near the local Mercado.  I had huevos with Ranchero sauce and Justin had huevos con jamon, chilles and onions.  We both had a side of salad, beans, and tortillas.  I had coffee and we got two bottles of water.  With tip, breakfast for both of us was about $7.50.



Back at our own hacienda, it was nap time.  Later, I worked on our blog and Mike went to do laundry.  He learned that, in actuality, he was to leave his dirty clothes and collect them tomorrow.  Earlier today, I asked Maria to do our laundry and I felt a bit embarrassed.  Now, I am learning I guess it is the way we do things. 

Evaresto came over for happy hour and then for dinner, we took Mike to our new found favorite restaurant, Viejo Pueblo.  We introduced him to the camerone and jicama taco and the fabulous music from the local band.  And a fun time was had by all. 

Monday, 16 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

Today was the day for the walking tour of the city center, historical buildings and a few of the churches.  The tour started at the Parroquia, the fabulous church very near our hotel right across the street from the Jardin Square. 

When we did our walking tour in Edinburgh, the guide said that he'd never done a tour with a dog before. Well, today, in San Miguel de Allende, Gemma was accompanied by Emma, a cute Javanese from New York City.   Allende, one of the big movers and shakers in Mexican independence was born here and, it was here in SMA where the fight for independence actually began.  The tour ended in the biblioteca and since it was a bit after noon, it was time for lunch.  About halfway through our meal Everesto joined us.  What a delightful man.  And, he even bought our lunch.  When we contested a bit, he explained that when you meet good people, you know it.  I'd say that goes both ways.  I got out a piece of paper after lunch and started a day-by-day planner and the conversation with Mike and Justin. 

At the conclusion of that conversation, we'd decided to stay in San Miguel de Allende a few more days.  Mike went one way and Justin and I headed to extend our lodging.

Just roaming around this city is great.  The cobblestone streets and the tiny little alleys lead to one discovery after another.  One of the stories they have in SMA is about the doors, or rather, what lies behind the doors in the city.  Following true Mexican tradition, the houses most often have fabulous interior courtyards and very little visible public space.  Some of the doors are simply spectacular.  Of course, the courtyards are works of art most often with fountains and plants that are meticulously tended.  Fortunately for the traveler like me, many public buildings also have these designs so we are able to enjoy them too.




We didn't connect with Mike for dinner.  Justin and I thought we were entering the door of the restaurant where we'd had a brunch buffet when we first arrived in town.  Instead, we turned early and ended up in Puebla Viejo.  Oh, what a find!   What asked for our drink order, I told the waiter, who in actuality was the restaurant manager, that I'd been in town almost a week and still hadn't had a margarita.  He told me I was at the right place to take care of that!  He suggested that we start with with a special tortilla appetizer.  The tortilla, made from thinly sliced jicama, was filled with breaded and fried shrimp, thinly sliced fried leeks, chipotle mayonnaise and tamarind sauce.  OH MY!  Our next course was really the chef's muse -- a small tostada with marinated pulled pork topped with a dry Mexican cheese.  Next, for our main course, we ordered "sopas de champion y nopal" -- a tomato broth with fried mushrooms, chilies and cactus.  Bolillos and tortillas came with the soup.  This was heaven! 

And, even better than the food, was the music.  A four man ensemble completed a two hour set from about 7:45 until about 9:45.  These four men have been playing together at the same place for 16 years, every night except Sunday.  Their mix of Mexican, South American, Cuban, etc isn't captured on CDs.  Three of the four are music teachers by day.  The instruments included guitars and vocals, drums, wooden flute, maracas, and even a rain stick.  One of the guitar-like instruments had a tiny body like a ukulele but with ten strings.  I really hope we get to come back here!

Sunday, 15 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

Apparently, there had been celebrations in our neighborhood all night.  Justin and Mike told me all about it because I seemed to have slept right through all the singing and shouting and fireworks.  The fireworks continued into the morning and I was trying to console Gemma while , this time, Justin snoozed right through.  Not convinced that this was not small arms fire outside, Gemma and I went downstairs for a walk.  Poor puppy; there is not a blade of grass in this town.  I quickly saw that the sounds were indeed fireworks and that the celebration of All Saints was in progress. 




Folks in costumes wind their way through the streets with music, confetti and fireworks.  Gemma HATES fireworks.  Imagine, me trying to hurry her to get ahead of the parade so I can take pictures but she is shivering and scared.  And I fall.  I bunged up my knee and my elbow as well as my hand and the pictures didn't turn out great either.  Goodness!



Back at home, Justin, Mike and I settled in for football.  We made sure we followed with traditions that have been working all year.  Justin wears the traditional Packer t-shirt and I miss kickoff.  I haven't seen a kickoff all season, even at the two games we attended.  (One time we were headed for our seats and another time, I was in line for beverages.  A girl has her priorities.)  Perhaps the most important part is that I have to exclaim "I missed the kickoff!"  even when, like this time, Justin barred the door so I wouldn't walk in too early.  Bottom line --  I certainly did choose a good year to become a Packer fan!

Saturday, 14 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

Justin and I had pedicure appointments at noon.  We went to a Fish Spa where they have fish that eat the dead skin off your feet.  I am glad I read about these after I'd had it done!   They've been banned in several states because of sanitation, but if the whole deal originated in Asia and the carp are happy, then my feet can be happy too. 

Justin and I headed for the Organic Market.  Held once each month, this promised to be a bit different from what we'd seen previously.  Unfortunately, our directions were not too clear, or perhaps, our understanding of our directions was the problem.  Anyway, we grabbed a cab at 3:40pm to take me back to town for my 4:00pm manicure appointment.  Justin hopped out of the cab earlier and explored more on his own. 

After a bit more pampering with my manicure, I roamed through the market leisurely and bought more fresas (strawberries) and a fabulous treat called "Campechanas".  These are great flaky pastries made from puff pastry dough.  They are not too sweet and they go great with coffee.  I looked up the recipe and yes, I think I can do this! 

The playoff games continued Saturday afternoon and evening and rather than tear away from American football in English, we snacked for dinner.  I had picked up some nuts and snackers at the market on my way home.  Justin really likes cottage cheese and doritos.  I looked high and low for Doritos with no success.  I did find the motherload of fresh potato chils however.  The bag was huge!  I can't even guess at the weight, but the dimensions of the bag were at least 1'x2'x2'.  When I asked the shopkeeper to spilt the bag for me, she obliged and I still felt like I was bring home enough chips for three families.  The Texans didn't fare too well today, and we will see what tomorrow holds for the Packers. 

Friday, 13 January 2016: San Miguel de Allende

Everesto came over at 11am this morning to meet with Mike.  Together they went to look at a property that caught Mike's eye.  Justin and I headed to a local restaurant where the local fare looked interesting.  The buffet was $10 for both of us, beverage and tip included.  

We roamed abound town all afternoon.  We stopped by the local library where the weekly English newspaper is distributed.  These are my three favorite pictures I took when in the library.  The first is of a sign that says all dogs must be on a least.  The second is of two dogs on leashes.  Where is their owner?   The third is a snapshot of part of the mural in the book store

                                  

We spent a couple of hours at the artisan market looking at all sorts of merchandise.  We are particularly interested in the carpets from Oaxaca.  I bought a white cotton top but that was our only purchase today except for food.We bought locally made granola ($2/kilo), plain yogurt ($1.50/quart), and fresh strawberries ($1.50/kilo) for tomorrow's breakfast.  Justin also bought beer Corona Mega ($2.25/40 oz).  Our house is fabulous and we are paying $20/person.  Yes, our dollar is going farther here.  

Thursday, 12 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

Poor Justin -- he just can't help himself.  He spent a couple of hours this morning trimming the plants in our courtyard.  Some of the plants just needed a little TLC while others needed serious attention.  I guess this is one of the drawbacks of the life we have chosen in that he doesn't have plants of his own and he'll need to tend to those that belong to others.  While he tended in the garden, I worked on our blog, read and slept.  Don't you just love naps?

Mike went to buy a fuse to replace the one I blew yesterday.  The electricity still didn't work when the new one was in place though.  Everesto came over and together, the guys found the breaker box -- behind the frig!  He also lighted the gas fireplace while he was here.  This flat really is nice -- and we are paying $60/day!  

                    
               

We headed out for a Thai dinner at "Thai Orquidea" on Zacateros Street.  It was surprisingly authentic.

Wednesday, 11 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

We skipped breakfast this morning to get going on checking out of our hotel and into our new flat.  That process took perhaps three hours.  Yes, seriously.  We had to tell the good folks at the hotel to bring the cars ... They couldn't get ours started.  Or rather, it was started but because it didn't make any noise, he didn't know it was started.  All loaded up and getting close to 11am when we're supposed to meet Everesto, Justin and Mike left me with the cars (parked illegally on the side street next to the church) to go get the keys to our new digs.  They came back and then it was Justin's turn to stay with the cars while Mike and I took our turn for the next leg of the chore -- money.  The ATM didn't work, so I went inside to wait for a teller while Mike went back to tell Justin we'd hit a snag.  The teller explained that the ATM at this bank didn't recognize our debit or our credit cards so I had to go to a different bank.  With cash in hand, I went back to find that Justin was still looking for me at the first bank.  This time Mike stayed with the cars while Justin and I went to pay rent.  Everesto drove with us to the parking lot where he negotiated the price for our two cars for the next eight days.  Then we shifted all Mike's stuff to our car so we only had to take one car to the house.  Once Justin was all loaded up, he navigated through all the one way streets while Everesto, Mike and I walked to the flat.  Shifting all our stuff upstairs was the next feat.  Turning on the tv to hear a bit of the confirmation hearings and Trump's first press conference was sort of a bit of comic relief. 

Mike bought a rotisserie chicken for lunch and then we headed to the market to explore.  We bought coffee and milk along with yogurt, granola and fruit for in the morning.  The strawberries are fabulous!  Mike bought an industrial sized juicer and several kilos of oranges and a few grapefruit.  The fresh juice is fabulous and made just a bit better with a healthy slosh of tequila.

I blew a fuse when I tried to plug in a lamp. Literally, al the lights are off. It was dusk so we weren't totally in the dark, but then, isn't that where I live much of the time?  Thankfully Justin is a flashlight kinda guy and we were set.  Our separate suite has electricity as does the kitchen, but no lights in the living room, bathroom or upstairs in Mike's loft and no tv or Internet.  We all headed to bed soon after we got home from dinner.  And, speaking of dinner, I had Marlin fish tacos.  I don't think I'd ever eaten Marlin before.  It was very good, almost sweet.  Now I want to go to the sushi shop to have Marlin sushi too.

Justin still gets notifications from Ramstein so we learned that the roads were Amber today.  We also know that schools were not in session at least one day in Green Bay and at least one day in Tennessee.  We are SO glad to be here.  It is a bit chillier than we'd like, but nothing compared to where we could be.

Tuesday, 10 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

After a fabulously large Mexican buffet breakfast about 10:30 am, Mike, Justin and I headed to check out a local hotel.  We are scheduled to be in the del Portal hotel only two nights but we've decided to stay in San Miguel de Allende longer.  Mike he spent a good bit of time in Mexico over the last five years or so and he insists that this is the place to be.  After we checked that out, we needed a beverage before we headed (theoretically) to the tourist information center to find out about the English walking tour that is held on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.  Our route took us down to the river and that sight was rather bleak as this is definitely not the touristy or artistic side of town.  On the way back, Mike was taken by the exotic chickens in a fish/bird store.  Justin and I got distracted by a spa and quickly made appointments for massages that started in just a few minutes.  

Gemma's interview with Evernesto

On our walk back to our hotel after massages, Justin and I stopped into a real estate office to ask about week-long rentals.  We might just have met the unofficial mayor of San Miguel de Allende.  After chatting for a bit, Evernesto lead us to a possible, ok probable, home for the next week.  When we got back to Centro and needed to take Gemma for an introduction, Mike came downstairs too and talked to Evernesto about a property that has caught his eye for purchase.  After a beverage in our local tavern, we all agreed that the unit in the condo-like gated area is a good fit for us.  We will meet Evernesto at his office tomorrow morning about 11:00am for keys etc. 

Our appetizer this evening was street food corn-on-the-cob -- boiled, slathered in mayonnaise, then rolled in cheese and sprinkled with chili powder.  I ate about half of mine and then we headed to Cumpanio for a rather fancy dinner (especially compared to our appetizer).  Probably the most memorable part of dinner was the pig displayed in the wall close to the ceiling.  Our dining room had quite the view.


Going up the stairs is a beast.  Even exploring all over this hilly town the stairs still kick my butt.  This evening when we were winding down the day, Justin was reading about Trump and the upcoming cabinet confirmations and I was reading about Jordy Nelson's recent injury and whether or not he'll play this weekend.  Hmmm...

Monday, 9 January 2017: San Miguel de Allende

We are on the road on the way to San Miguel de Allende. No toll roads today and our trek was just a bit over two hours.  Our route took us up a bit higher in altitude and through arid but beautiful landscape.  Mike followed us and we didn't get separated today -- thankfully.  When we got here, we fell in love with the town immediately, but we did have one glitch.  The roads around the block right in front of our hotel were blocked; the town was in preparation for a huge festival.  I jumped out of the car to go find the hotel leaving Justin and Mike to drive around in circles -- and, as we all know, you can't always simply drive around the block.  I found the hotel and then went back to find the boys.  I found Mike first and seemingly an hour later I found Justin and we finally all found our way to our rooms.  Very soon, we all headed downstairs and down the block to enjoy adult beverages.

The plaza where our hotel is located is dominated by a huge church, Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel.  I can't wait to explore that tomorrow.  We saw that the tables that were set up around the square we being set with dozens and dozens of Rosca de Reyes.  We learned that they would be giving out gifts to all the children.  We figured that our timing was perfect to see the locals celebrating the end of the Christmas season even though our timing for driving into town presented a challenge.

We explored the town for a while before choosing a restaurant for dinner.  Justin had beef tips and I had a salad.  Both were quite good.  After dinner we got Gemma and went for a nice long walk in search of even one blade of grass for her.  No luck in that department but she did get her business completed. 

Sunday, 8 January 2017: San Luis Potosi

NFL Playoffs
Game One -- noon -- Miami at Pitsburg
Game Two -- 3:30 pm -- New York at Green Bay

Need we say more?

We brought Gemma upstairs.  We couldn't stand her being in the car if we were going to be here for at least six hours straight.  I worked on the computer and did laundry while Justin and Gemma bonded and watched tv.

The best thing going ... we got to participate in a tradional Mexican tradition and we found the baby Jesus!  Mexicans conclude Christmas celebration with Rosca de Reyes (Kings Ring) bread for Epiphany.  This is also when children get gifts, as if brought by the three wise men.  The cake and the lore is similar to a King cake at Mandi Gras.  Most often it is oval shaped and decorated with candied fruits and icing and the hidden effigy inside symbolizes that Jesus had to hide who he was both at birth and later in His life.  A family checking into the hotel shared their cake with Justin.  When we saw the family the next morning at breakfast and shared that we'd found the doll, they said we'd need to come back in February for tamales since tradition is that the person who finds the plastic doll hosts the next party in February.  The person is also to have good luck throughout the year.  This is particularly important to me right now since I did not have either black eyed peas or greens on 1 January.

We headed out to dinner after the games to a local seafood restaurant.  Our ceviche was fabulous and our seared tuna salad was perfecto!  We walked home afterward.  Although the walk was short, it was all uphill.  At this elevation, we all felt the effect by the time we returned.

Saturday, 7 January 2017: San Luis Potosi

Beans and chiles

No alarm clock!  Not even in Mexico.  Justin took Gemma for a quick spin before we met Mike for breakfast.  We took the hotel shuttle downtown and explored for a few hours.  The buildings are beautiful and the churches are grand.  Justin and I spent a whole $10 for a wedding ring for him and for a pair of earings for me.  Goodness we better watch our budget.  In the local market, I was reminded of both the market in Metz France and the market in Budapest.  Clothes, shoes, and household goods were woven in with all sorts of food stuffs.  Mike said the chicken wasn't "real" because it didn't have the feet attached.  Ok, we had to reconsider the authenticity of it all when we saw bags and bags of feet.  We were all stumbling with our translators trying to go high tech.  We met that challenge with varying levels of success.  I was overly interested in watching a local tortilla maker as he fired up his assembly-line like machine and the tortillas started to roll.  My interest was also peaked at a cooking school.  I figured I could still take a class even though all instruction was in Spanish but when we learned that the classes were three months or 18 months in duration, I figured I better come back another time.

Making tortillas

Peeling napoles

We stopped for a quick beverage before it was time to head back to our shuttle.  

Back at the hotel, I took Gemma for a nice long walk and then settled into a crappy American movie while Mike and Justin headed to the local dive (Wing Daddy's) to watch the first game.  I said I'd meet them in a few hours but even before I left, they called to say they were on their way back.  We watched the second game in our room.  Today was all about balance.  We went to a local church and a local market and then we shopped.  Since we went out earlier today to experience the local community, we could take time out to watch the playoff games.

Friday, 6 January 2017: Monterrey, Mexico

We wake up in Mexico!  After an uneventful breakfast Justin headed out to get the car fixed.  He ran into some musicians who had sent time in Berlin. They zip-tied the undercarriage of the car and wouldn't accept any money for payment.

While Justin worked on transportation I worked on communication. Looks like I can use my phone to call Mike and perhaps we can use Justin's phone to call within Mexico. Put us together and maybe we can make this work.

On the road out of town we found ourselves climbing and very soon we were in dense fog.   The on-board GPS that I had counted on doesn't work in Mexico.  Good thing we have our phones.  The landscape was rugged and despite our limited view, we could tell that the mountains were beautiful. Unfortunately,  we got separated from Mike. He got trapped in the city for way too long. So much for our caravan plan.   We pulled over at a truck stop to wait for a while.  We called him to discuss our dilemma; he said he'd be fine and he'd catch up soon OR he'd spend the night in Monterrey and catch up with us tomorrow!  Neither Justin nor I was happy with that plan.  What to do?

Back on the road, we were in lots and lots of desert. Cacti large and small; dozens of species.  We watched the thermometer climb to 91' today.  And you wonder why we are not in Green Bay?  We bought a bag of oranges at a toll booth; we paid $1 for at least ten pieces of fruit.  The flesh was a bit dryer than oranges we had in Austin with Harper and Luke but delicious none the less.  Mike said he saw a guy selling peyote at one of the tolls booths -- I missed that.

Both Justin and I felt badly about not being with Mike. We might have turned around...but where?  How?  We are taking the drive significantly slower that we would be if we were together and we talk try to talk to him frequently.

Somewhere about 5:00pm we decided to stop.  We were going to wait.  Mike caught up with us about 6:00pm and we were able to go into San Luis Potosí together.  We checked into our Staybridge Suites hotel and quickly decided to extend our stay for two more nights.  That allows Justin and Mike to get through the weekend football games (Wild Card Weekend) and gives us all a chance to breathe.  We had dinner delivered -- tacos etc from a local vendor.  Simply delish!  I was really glad we decided to stay in. 

I wasn't familiar with Staybridge Suites. They are partners with Holiday Inn and Intercontinental.  Our rooms are deluxe.  A full sized fridge, two burner stove, full sized coffee pot and even a garbage disposal and a dishwasher!  Our rooms are on the eleventh floor looking out over the city.  After our breakfast (included), we'll take the courtesy shuttle to the center of town to explore.  Gemma still has to come upstairs in her little black bag.  I am just not going to pay $25 extra each night.  She'd be fine in the car this evening since it isn't too hot or too cold and the parking is underground.  As nice as our hotel is, Red Roof Inn and La Quinta still take the cake since she can be there with  no up-charge at all. 

Justin said he felt like we were finally on the road... our journey has begun.

Thursday, 5 January 2017: Laredo, Texas

I started by day on the phone with Apple again.  My photos seem to have come in overnight but no contacts.  When I added my hotmail account, my contact followed.  Since I keep EVERYTHING in contacts, I truly panicked a bit.  This part of the factory reset was not intuitive at all.  Following the same process I found my notes too by while waiting for them to download, I can only wonder what else I am missing.

After about a hour on the phone with my new best friend from Apple, The three of us headed for breakfast and errands. 
Mike needed automobile insurance for within Mexico ... check.
Gasoline ... check
Fix the tire .. check
Get pesos...check
Get $100 bills ... check
Huevas ranchero (the real deal) for breakfast ... check
Call the hotel to tell them we will be late in getting back to check out...check
Receive package from fed ex ... check
Leave the hotel and head to the border about 1:00 pm.  Border crossing went without a hitch.  We didn't stop anywhere for anything.  Nothing to declare, but what about the little sticker for the car?  We stopped just outside of town and determined that even when it comes back to haunt us, it was better to take the risk than to certainly take the risk roaming around the back streets of Nuevo Laredo looking for what.  For who?

We stopped again when we heard a strange noise in the back of our car.  Mike didn't see me flashing the lights at him so he was worried when we weren't following.  Did I mention how uncomfortable I am stopping on the side of the road?  When we stopped a third time because the undercarriage of the car must have gotten broken when we got the tire fixed, I was about to jump out of my skin, but since Justin almost slammed the car door on my hand, it was easy to forget that we were risking life and limb with him under the car on the side of the road in the middle of Taumalipas.

And, after my time on the phone with Apple last night, Justin was on the phone with AT&T well over an hour during this trip with no success!  We chose AT&T as our carrier because we were assured of service in Mexico.  Guess what?  No service.  The first rep told us to try to dial 01 before the area code and number; the second rep told us that wasn't necessary.  The third rep, now we are at super-duper supervisory level, told us to make sure roaming was on.  As it turns out, roaming does need to be on, but the access number is 001.  The devil is in the details.  This will work for Justin and me, but it may not work to call Mike if you really do have to have roaming on as that will be simply exorbitant.

We pulled into Monterrey sans map and pulled to the side of the road a few times to confer.  We finally dropped a pin and found our way to LQ hotel by La Quinta Norte.  It wasn't the part of town where Mike wanted to stay, but hey, it is after 5pm and maybe it is time for a drink.

Justin, Mike and Gemma went for a walk around the block and found nice cold cervecas.  Later we went to a restaurant where we all had cabrito.  Justin and Mike had another beer or two while I had lemonade with ice and a salad.  We will see what tomorrow brings.

Wednesday, 4 January 2017: Harlingen, Texas

Reading through advice for travelling in Mexico for the tenth time, I saw a bit of new information indicating there was a requirement for permission from the bank that holds the lien on our car.  I called Capital Credit Union and they indicated that the note of permission needed to be an original.  We made arrangements for the documents to be sent by Fed Ex to our hotel in Laredo.

It was an interesting drive along the border from Harlingen to Laredo.  The landscape is flat and barren.  Justin saw blimp-like balloons and surmised that they were being used to patrol the borders.  A quick google search confirmed that these were indeed used by the Border Patrol.

Cousin Mike arrived in Laredo before we did; he had had a very early start leaving Dallas.  We headed out together for dinner at a local stop before I headed back home for my 9:00pm appointment with the tech rep from Apple.  There were still a few glitches with texting and I wanted to get this resolved.  Almost two hours later, we were half-way there with a factory re-set... I think.  I have reloaded several apps but I have no photos and no contacts, but maybe they will come in with the next update.  Please!

Tuesday, 3 January 2017: South Padre Island, Texas

We made an appointment for Gemma in Harlingen at 10:00am so we were on the road rather early.  We talked to a vet tech yesterday in South Padre Island and she made me anxious about the process so when things went without a hitch with Dr. Rangel in Harlingen, I was very pleased.  Gemma is in good health and ready to travel. 

We drove around Harlingen exploring for a while.  I needed to go to the library to print the car insurance documents and I was so surprised to see several Remington's in this sleepy town's public library.  Lots of money here for sure.  We had the lunch special at a little Mexican diner where the enchiladas was one of the best I'd ever eaten.  Later in the afternoon Justin got a haircut at the local barber school.  After a quick trip to the local HEB we headed to our hotel where we had time to sit out by the pool and soak up some sunshine before happy hour. 

Prima (cousin) Mike is on his way.  He was hoping to get south of Dallas today and then meet us in Laredo tomorrow.  That is two days of hard driving for him.  We talked to him a couple of times during the day.  I'll be happy to finally meet up with him as we head to Monterrey.  It has taken a while for our plans with Mike to solidify but we are finally on our way.

Monday, 2 January 2017: South Padre Island, Texas

Justin's poor sleep hygiene coupled with his creeping crud means he doesn't sleep well at night but this morning, he was able to find some rest.  We were able to catch up with Kim and Brian.  They are winding down the holidays after entertaining most of Kim's family in Italy.  Having been in Europe most of the last year, Brian will head to Croatia for a month or so and then Kim will meet him there for a visit before he heads back to Canada.

We had planned to drive to the north end of Padre Island Blvd (State Park Road 100) and then hike in the dunes for a couple of hours.  We got half way there when I heard the strangest noises from under our car.  Well, a couple of days ago when parking a crawled too far up on a curb.  It must have taken a day or two to sheer the fasteners off and now, when a bit more loose, the entire underskirt scrapes on the pavement.  Duck tape to the rescue... or at least a partial rescue on the way to the local body shop in Port Isabel.  Forty five dollars and a couple of hours later we were on the dunes and it was fabulous!  We were there in plenty of time for sunset.

Sunday, 1 January 2017: South Padre Island, Texas

Happy New Year! 

We had talked about participating in the local Polar Bear Plunge, but when the time came, I was quite happy to snooze right through.  

Cousin Mike called this morning.  Our chat helped to solidify some of the first legs of our trip.  We want to keep options open and remain flexible, but we do need a bit of a plan.

We went for a long walk along the beach after breakfast before dedicating much of the day to football.  We watched most of the game in the sports bar at Louie's Backyard.  We moved to a different part of the bar when one of the locals was too loud and too offensive.  The waiter explained that that group had been there drinking all day as he treated us to a round.  Packers were automatically in the playoffs with the Redskin loss, but with the win over the Lions today, at least we have home court advantage next week against the Giants.

Saturday, 31 December 2016; South Padre Island, Texas

Justin was really restless last night as he is battling some crud that is trying to settle in his chest.  He says he feels ok, but he was up early and started grooming Gemma.  He does a really good job on her but he does need a good pair of scissors.

After that grooming session, we were all ready for a long walk on the beach.  We drove as far north as possible on State Park Road 100 before we got out and walked along the beach.  We aren't willing to try much dune-bashing in our little car.  Our walk had served to ensure we had an appetite so a breakfast buffet was just the ticket.  Both of us were impressed with a Mexican egg dish.  We scrutinized enough to determine that a cheese enchilada sat on top of refried beans along with a bit of sauce.  Then a fried egg  was nestled on top.  I was going to ask our waitress about it and look up the recipe until I heard her tell the cook that they needed more "eggchiladas." A quick google search leads me to know that I have plenty of reign here to develop my own version of this new breakfast favorite.  Maybe we'll need to go back tomorrow just to make sure I remember it correctly.

A lazy afternoon allowed time for Justin to catch up on what the political pundits have to say about out president elect and, more importantly, to ready for this weeks' NFL games.  After a nap, I worked on our blog a bit and tried to prepare for the next set of posts.  I still need to figure out how to get Justin's pictures meshed with mine and then to work on creating our photo blog.  I better get busy!

We walked to Bar On Beach-- BOB's -- for dinner.  We sat outside at a table with Donna and Wayne who were from Wisconsin (can you stand it?) and Bob and son Bob who were from Port Isabel.  Mark and his sister Susan joined us later in the evening.  The food was ok and the fireworks were great.  The blues/rock band kept us entertained with their renditions until about 1:30am.  We walked home in the misty fog.  Here's to a great 2017!

Friday, 30 December 2016: Austin, Texas

Friday morning, we were awake, up and out of the shower and on the road just after 6am.  Finally!  With all of our household goods and dusty treasures from NTS finally delivered, Justin and Gemma and I headed south.  Justin found the symmetry between leaving Germany on 30 June, leaving Green Bay on 30 November and leaving Austin today, 30 December. 

Just south of San Marcus, Justin suggested breakfast on the River Walk.  I was all in!  The river was not yet awake when we arrived in San Antonio about 7:30am so we headed to The Westin.  When Veronica, our server, brought our mimosas, we told her we were celebrating my having been retired for 6 months as well as our 3 year anniversary.  Just as we thought we were winding down she brought us a fabulous mascarpone strawberry shortcake on a personalized, chocolate decorated slate.  What a treat!   It was indeed a way to celebrate our special day.

By the time we finished our meal, the river was bustling.  A handful of joggers joined tourists and locals enjoying  a very pleasant winter day.  The weather was certainly different than the last time I was here in mid- July.  We walked around the River Walk for several hours.  We took time to read many of the plaques that told of the history and development of the area; Justin was very interested in the flora and fauna and getting ideas and noticing the differences in the way plants grow.  He also had a few ideas for improvements in the Perfect Property.  We took pictures so we wouldn't forget our inspiration.

We watched the temperature climb a bit and the terrain flatten as we headed into the Rio Grande Valley and the King Ranch.  Crossing the bridge onto south Padre Island held the promise of sunglasses, shorts and sand.  We checked into our hotel in South Padre Island just before 5:00pm.  After we dropped off luggage we headed to the beach. Although we missed the official sunset, we took advantage of an evening stroll along the beach.  Gemma was very happy with her long walk off-lead while Justin and I took it all in -- the sights, the smells, and the feel of sand between our toes and the waves lapping at our ankles.  Our dinner fare later at Louie's Backyard was a great end to the day.  Perfectly prepared seared tuna followed by pecan encrusted white fish in fish tacos topped with avocado sauce and cabbage along with fresh tortilla chips and garlic salsa -- Yumm-o!   We are finally here!