December 31, 2009 -- Merida another year ends well

We are sitting in the office, having a drink to celebrate the new year's coming, but sad because Marilla and Rhodri left this morning. They've been visiting here since Christmas day and it's been wonderful. They are young and in love and happy about everything, including their upcoming move to Boston. Rhodri has a new job beginning the middle of January with a firm he's excited to be part of and Marilla will hopefully work out something with her firm to work remotely, but if not, has some ideas to try something different for awhile. They have a few contacts that will be helpful with choosing areas to live, but mainly they are leaving a full and varied social life (and many generations of family) behind until they create a new one.

While here, we dragged them to Dzibilchaltun and Uxmal to appreciate the Mayan ruins (and we learned some things ourselves about the math of Uxmal that clearly relates to the lunar calendar).

But mostly, we sat around speculating and postulating about the new life possibilities for these two young people. We all learned Canasta (and something about our competitive selves as we played) and enjoyed friends here and new dining experiences (who'd put huitlacoche which is a corn fungus on spicy peppers stuffed with a crab and shrimp mixture?? but it was delicious!!).

And so with the new year beginning and lives in flux, we pray for love and peace throughout the world, between all peoples, and more riotous good times as we carom towards December 21, 2012, the predicted end of the world Mayan style. We anticipate loud and wonderful fireworks tonight in all directions. It seems that every village, town, and square in the peninsula celebrates with fireworks around midnight and it makes for about 10 minutes of noise that it just fabulous, not like noise, but like millions laughing.

December 12, 2009

Today, as Tiger Woods is facing a future without golf, we are watching the arrival of the runners from all parts of the state who run, walk, crawl to get to the shrine of the Virgen of Guadalupe here in Merida. There are red roses at the altar and many who come to discuss things with the statue or meditate on their own, always stopping to genuflect before the Virgen before leaving the church. The young men who run in barefoot from the pueblas are the most interesting to us. In some instances, a truck or car accompanies them and they run in relays so someone is always running, but each gets a break. True devotion and sacrifice.

Yesterday, we witnessed the changing of a traffic light, Merida style, which involved 5 policmen. One was on a ladder actually doing the work while the other four "managed" traffic around him. No donuts sighted, but overkill. Ellen commented that here the traffic police, who wear navy blue uniforms and flak jackets, are called the equivalent of Smurfs.

And we stopped at our various utilities to prepay just so we don't have to be worrying about paying each month or bi-monthly. At CFE, our electric company, the woman cashier asked 3 times if we were sure we meant to pay more than the bill. She could not get over the idea of paying for something you have not yet used.

Across the street from us is a restaurant called La Choperia, a type of beer. Last week was their first anniversary in business and they had a big party, to which we were invited for free food and drink. We spoke with the owners when they were first opening to wish them success but to ask them to "keep it down" noisewise so that we would not be disturbed. And they have been scrupulous about doing so. We have never been disturbed or woken up by them, which we appreciate. The anniversary party was another story, however, noisy until about 2 in the morning with giant screen videos and a very loud sound system. Not a problem for us, though as we closed the doors and turned on fans for white noise. Unfortunately, the gift shop, also across the street, was robbed. A trio of two adult men and a boy 12 years old had robbed a home for disabled children a week or so earlier and then robbed the gift shop of about 46,000 pesos. The police were over there all one night jumping the fence to try to apprehend these three, which they did. The gift shop emptied out all the goods for a week and now is back in business as usual. No one was hurt, as the shop and restaurant were closed when the robbery took place.

We are back seeing our friends, making new ones, and enjoying Merida. Last night, we went to the performance at Peon Contreras of the Messiah and suffered through a mezzo and baritone who should have stayed home, but quite enjoyed a young Yucatecan soprano named Claudia Rodriguez. The orchestra was wonderful.

A moment of synchronicity occurred. As a young teen, I had a friend who lived in NYC but visited her dad in Lake Forest named Julie Preston. We had not kept up in decades but I read a book she'd written before we moved here called Opening Mexico. Julie had been a reporter for the NY Times and was stationed in Mexico City for a long time, and clearly had a great grasp on the history and politics of the country. When I read her book 5 or so years ago, I sent her an email to the paper explaining we were moving to Merida and how much I had enjoyed her book. So much so that 5 years later, I was still recommending Julie's book to a friend here who said she wanted to learn more about the politics of the new country she lived in. The very next day after my recommendation, I got a phone call from a woman named Bonnie who was here in Merida visiting with her friend Sheila who works in Turkey but has a home here. Bonnie had gotten my telephone number from Julie Preston whom she knew from her sometimes work at the Times!! So, after a 40 year hiatus in our acquaintance, Julie popped back!!

We are looking forward to hosting Marilla and Rhodri (who arrive 25th December to escape the snow and cold of Chicago) which will make our holidays complete!!!

November 30, 2009 -- All's well that ends well

We are happy, indeed mighty gleeful, to report that all the mechanical issues have been solved at our house. I cannot stress enough how thrilled we were to come back from a week in Cancun to find really hot water pouring out of our pipes and onto us in the shower, in the sinks, and especially in the kitchen sink. Such a small thing has brought so much happiness back into our lives. The solar hot water repair is not actually done in the sense of 'this won't happen again' but more in the sense of 'it is working ok and not leaking too badly and provides hot water so we're gonna just live with it as it is for however long it works this way'. This is something we have learned to do in our four and a half years of living here in Mexico -- you do the best you can with what you have. And this means having a positive attitude every day for almost all of the day or just staying in bed!!
Our Cancun week was idyllic -- as always -- but we have to note that what began as a cheap and easy vacation has turned into an expensive week, but one we look forward to nonetheless, especially since we don't have airfare to contend with. The prices for food and services now rival or exceed those in Chicago especially in the hotel zone. That gorgeous Carribean blue water however, makes you just not care so much about the cost of things. This year, despite the best efforts of the government which paid for giant barges from Dubai to come and hoist some sand back onto the beaches, we have to say that the lack of sand on the beaches made that part of our stay in Cancun a bust. There was hardly enough sand to even walk the beach by the Royal Islander and large limestone formations not only visible but blocking the way. That said, we had fablulous meals several nights at restaurants we've come to love -- Puerto Madero, la Dolce Vita, and, our most favorite, Harry's. This year Harry's, which has always had amazing beef and seafood (and cushions the shock of the bill by delivering it with freshly made cotton candy), added an appetizer of tuna chunks and it was divine, $20 but melt-in-your-mouth-delicious. Sad to report that Perico's (the restaurant where they pour tequila down your throat and serve very iffy food and sometimes drop spiders down your back, but get people up dancing despite the terror) is closed, supposedly for remodeling but rumor has it that the owners just got tired of running the place.
Today, Eva gets out her stitches from the wrist surgery she had about 10 days ago to 'free' an entrapped nerve. She could not swim or get her right hand wet or really use it for the last 10 days, but she's been a good sport and has managed most of the time to do things for herself despite having one hand for doing. Fastening her bra is where she draws the line, but tomorrow she'll be able to do even that!
Now, the Christmas season starts. Decorations are already up on the streets and squares and around and in the malls here, and tomorrow we'll begin to decorate our house. We actually love this process now since we direct Jose to bring down certain boxes and containers, put up things like wreaths and trees, hang lights, and then we place ornaments on the tree and supervise everything else. It is a breeze!! We'll go out and buy some poinsettias from the viveros and voila, we will look like Christmas. We are SO spoiled and love every minute of it!!

November 5, 2009 -- waiting for Ida

We got home safely on Sunday noonish and it IS 3200 miles almost on the button!! We were exhausted from driving and wished to never again get into our car, but managed to unpack and get somewhat organized before crashing. Sunday and Monday were holidays here for the Days of the Dead so things were very quiet. So quiet that when we ventured to TelMex Monday hoping to get our internet service ressurected, we found two people at work and no engineers working in the entire country. This meant that our request for service would be delayed until Thursday after the engineers got caught up from the big holiday!! Hmmmm. However, this morning (not at 9 as promised, but before 11) the person we'd spoken to Monday came to our door with the new modem, instructions, codes, and best wishes. He did say, however, that just because we had the modem, don't necessarily expect service, which could take up to 5 business days to be actually provided. However, around 1, the internet sprang to life and we've been happy ever since!! We felt so disconnected.
Getting reconnected was not all good news however. We learned to our dismay (thanks to a consular alert and some email references) that a hurricane is out there off Nicarauga and although the eye won't head directly our way, we will be continuing in the rain belt of Ida for the next several days. We are perfectly happy to veg and read or watch DVDs, however, we do have houseguests (Gary and Dale Bader from Anchorage who arrived on Tuesday) who will probably not continue to find this ideal.
It also means that without sun, our solar hot water heater is having a real problem finding a reason to live much less heat our water. And so cold showers with rainy days and nights have been the rule this week, not the exception!! We are way past the normal rainy season and really are beyond the normal hurricane season, but mother nature seems to have other plans.
And speaking of showers, while we were still in Illinois, our hydro which pressurizes the water that comes into our house, so we have a strong, steady stream of the stuff broke down. It had been hobbling when we left, but finally it gave up the ghost. And so with Jose's help, we got the guy who'd talked to us about this in March to come back and replace it. The new hydro was fine but the motor that runs it was not and so now this too had to be replaced. When they took our motor out, they thought it could be rebuilt, but when they brought back a rebuilt motor, it was NOT ours. You can picture Eva's reaction as she paced and fumed. Ultimately, a new motor was provided us, not as large or robust as the original one, but better than the smaller, rebuilt version and so for a few moments, all was bright. Then the hot water heater, which was having problems anyway without sun, decided to act up and we had to turn it off until some engineers can come to look at it. They said this morning but then around 2, called to say maybe tomorrow morning. We are getting really tired of cold showers!! And have a feeling that we'll have to wait for Ida to decide where she's going and get there before anyone will stand on our roof to repair the solar hot water heater, but still, against the tide, we hope we are wrong.

UPDATE Nov. 9 -- news has only gone from bad to worse. The hot water heater will need replacing and since these giant tanks have been nothing but problematic, we will need two smaller solar heaters to do the job this has done reasonably well in terms of hot water, but very badly in terms of pouring hot water all over our roof and causing a crack.
The garage door was hanging by a thread and has required work. They had to dismantle the steel bars holding the heavy iron doors, clink clink clink, and rehang them waiting, of course, for the cement to dry. This has meant Gary became our door-man literally opening and closing the doors if we venture out.
My computer which we left here gave up the ghost with a big sigh and is being repaired as I write this. Too much humidity plus apparently when you leave something unplugged here for over a month, electricity "builds up" in the circuit behind the plug and so when you do plug it in, things can easily get fried. Fortunately, for me, I have a battery backup which helped protect the computer but the motherboard is being replaced.
Similarly, the electrical surges blew out capacitators on two of our air conditioners, and they've been replaced -- if not, Eva and maybe even I would have been headed back north by now!!
And as if this were not enough, today the pump for our pool died. It circulates water keeping the pool clean. Repair guy was to come today but oh well.

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 -- halfway thru Mexico

After a leisurely start (we could not bear to leave our darling Spring Hill Marriott too early!!), we found our way across the border from McAllen to Reynosa, bought insurance for the car and paid for its import, actually found the highway to take us further into Mexico, and off we went. We had asked at the border if the Migracion wanted to stamp our passports or FM3 visas, and they demurred, however, once we got to km 30, the official called us over to protest the lack of stamp. It is our obligation as holders of the FM3 to get stamped even if we have to demand it, he said. We think he was interested in something besides our stamp, but he got nada.
Now, we've flown and driven in and out of Mexico numerous times and using numerous entry and exits, and we can say with some certainty that there is no set procedure for being stamped. The Cancun and Merida airports have different rules for entry and exit and documentation. The funny thing is that neither the US nor Mexico stamped our passports when we entered the US in March 2009, so as it stands (and except for our newly reimported car being paid for), we've never officially left Mexico!!
We drove through Monterey and headed south before Saltillo to St Luis Potosi and finally Queretaro, where we're staying tonight. Fortunately, we've been here before and taken time to see each of these town since it was dark by the time we finally arrived in Queretaro and we saw nothing but traffic lights. We have now driven more than 2100 miles in four days and our butts can attest to that fact!!!
Before we lost the light, we had a most magnificent sunset off to the west. We drove down a wide valley most of today with some cloud cover, which we appreciate when we drive, and for about 45 minutes, we watched the sun set. Turning yellow, then gold, and finally red then rose, we saw the ball go down, but the sky around it was so incredibly blue and the clouds made fantastic shapes against the blue, that it was really dramatic to watch nature at her finest. No photo could do this justice and we didn't even try, just kept glancing right and oohing and aahing.

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 -- leaving USA

We are poised on the border tonight getting ready to cross over to Mexico tomorrow morning. We've had a relatively uneventful trip in these first 1400+ miles, although someone did rip off our radio antenae -- we think in a very expensive Marriott in Springfield MO (that hotbed of crime). Some rain but mostly overcast with afternoon sun.
Decided to take a different route this trip. Normally, we hotfoot it diagonally through Texas and up through Arkansas into Illinois. This time, we headed southwest through St. Louis, Springfield, and Joplin MO, through Tulsa and Oklahoma City OK, and then turned south through the seemingly endless state of Texas via Dallas, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, and finally, McAllen which is just north of the Reynosa Mexico crossing.
We've enjoyed seeing the Kum & Go gas stations (but have not stopped at any), the Horny Toad Harley Davidson store, a disgusting, giant hot dog encased in breading in Texas, and a plethora of XXX stores especially in Oklahoma. The colors were wonderful until we turned south and now it's mostly flat, green and beige, with vistas forever. The pecan trees that fan out for shade like our Mexican flamboyanes are divinely inspired. We have seen more large, white SUVs and trucks than we thought possible and began to pick out the unique foreign vehicles (like we saw ONE Volvo in all of Texas). And here in McAllen, we stayed in a newish Marriott called Spring Hill which is so trendy and hip and darling, but best of all, they finally moved the desk away from the fan/blower!!
Our plan is to cross tomorrow, get our mandatory and expensive car insurance for a few days until we get back to Merida, and race for Queretero or San Miguel de Allende to stay overnight. We then hope to circumvent Mexico City District Federal in a new way (that is not too close to the town so we avoid any problems of it not being Sunday and our license numbers not being the appropriate odd or even for the day) to get to Puebla to pick up the lovely Talavera things we purchased last March when we headed north. There is supposed to be an Arco Norte tollroad being built which will do just this, go north of and east of DF, but it is not completed, appears on no maps, and yet some Mexican government bureaucrats have claimed they've driven on it. So time will tell if we make our own arc around the town or find one partially constructed, or get stuck there after all. Roads north of Puebla are all quite good, but get iffier as we drive east along the Gulf, then improve dramatically between Campeche and Merida.
We MISS our women friends, clients, and pals with a palpable ache in our souls already. How will we ever make it through 5 months in Merida???

October 25, 2009 -- getting ready to go home to Merida

We have had the most fabulous summer!!!!!!!!!!! But it's over now and not just because of the date on the calendar or the temperatures with only highs in the 40s up here, but because it's time to head back home to Merida. We have had 7 months of seeing friends and family, entertaining ourselves with new and old games and fun, working (well at least one of us!) with wonderful clients, and bumming around. We now look forward to spending more than a week at a time in one bed and seeing familiar things around us.

Eva and I will drive back. Yes, it's 3200 miles and no, we're not completely insane. We have some stuff to take back (including a new Wii with attachments and games) and think we'll be happy to have a car in Mexico now that it's working like a dream again.

And so we have packed and organized some more and cut some things we'd planned to take home (but not the Wii) and now the car is stuffed. We will head off tomorrow.

We have been able to delight in the fall colors (which are amazing this year-- see them at http://picasaweb.google.com/necshs1/FALLInIllinois2009), enjoy several Met operas live in HD with popcorn, and have a last round of goodbye's until next year. This has been a very successful experiment and one we will repeat -- or Eva's newly re-found clients will hunt her down (or, more likely, hunt me down) to be sure she returns!

We have laughed until we cried or peed or both and look forward to more of the same down south for the winter months. So, look out Merida, here we come.

September 16, 2009 -- el grito trumped by Eva's birthday

Even though we're not officially celebrating and saying Viva Mexico at 9pm on the 15th of September for el Grito (the celebration of Mexican independence that begins the night before with fireworks and partying in every town in the country and probably in some areas of the US as well), we are celebrating the birth of Eva on the 16th. She however, does not believe that one day is enough recognition and so she wants a whole week devoted to her coming into the world. We negotiated and came to a 3-day window of activity in her honor. Next year, when she turns 50, I may not be so lucky!!!

We began the day before with some shopping (and we'd done some last week so she is well outfitted for her celebrations) and a dinner out that included stuffed baked clams, an Italian delicacy which she adores and which, it turns out, is not all that easy to find in the suburbs of Chicago. We did find them at Cafe Lucci in Glenview, which also served a mean caprese salad, tiramisu, and calamari. Not to mention Campari for Eva and for Sandy, her resussitated love, vodka gimlets!

Wednesday, the actual day of birth, started with a Korean lunch with sister-in-law Tricia and dear friend Linda, then pedicures, and finally dinner in Chicago with Marilla and Rhodri at Carnivale. I'd asked for casual and spicy and Marilla picked out this spot, which besides having a Latin flair is green, so it's good for the planet. "Good for the planet" seems to by my watchword lately and is the only cause which I support wholeheartedly. All the political stuff and other do-good or charitable stuff does not move me in the way that taking care of and even saving our planet does. And most of the news happening on this planet is so negative and awful that I prefer to think only about good things and helpful ones. Anyway, our dinner was fabulous and varied and the venue made us feel Latin all over again.

Thursday, the spillover day, was spent leisurely sleeping in (or as 'in' as our geriatric dog that we're watching allows which is closer to 7am than 10am!!), relaxing, Eva getting a massage from someone who didn't suck, going out for sushi for lunch, and finally having a wonderful dinner out with one of Eva's favorite people... her nephew/godson Vince, at a new Greek restaurant in Winnetka called Avli where they serve the most delicious dessert we'd never heard of -- chocolate baklava. All in all, a grand celebration and a new watch to round it all out.

Septemmber 11, 2009 dinner and remembrance

It's been 8 years since THE 9/11 and it seems a distant memory, but one we remembered and toasted last Friday night. The toast was for peace, which seemed quite appropriately offered by our hostess, Vickie, but in hindsight, the toast was meant to be for getting along, liking and caring about each other, and protecting one another against anything that remotely resembles the events of THAT September 11th, 2001. It was such a horrendous day -- we still cringe as we recall watching the events on TV after barely returning from little brother David's wedding on Cape Cod -- that we choose to forget our sadness and fear and focus on the last eight years of "safety" despite its cost to our freedoms. We hope to keep having these bifurcated thoughts for many years to come.
Vickie and her husband Clint prepared an interesting meal from two very different palates. Vik has become a vegatarian lately, prefering not to eat anything with a parent. Clint is a man after Eva's heart, a true carnivore. So, they served red meat with a vegetarian tart and an organic salad, which was of course followed by deep dark chocolate cake with ice cream!! Everyone raved about it all and devoured every bit.
One highlight of the evening for me was that Clint, a bartender of renowned and talent, remembered that my favorite drink has been for decades a vodka gimlet and had mixed some up. Ah indeed, what a fabulous drink!!!! I recommend vodka gimlets to everyone as the perfect drink -- vodka, Roses' Lime Juice, and shaken cold to be served over ice. Easy and refreshing and delicious and drinkable for an entire evening or lifetime. Then today, Sunday, I was reading the September 14 issue of the New Yorker and what do I find, but a paean to vodka gimlets called "Easy Cocktails from the Cursing Mommy" by Ian Frazier under Shouts and Murmers (for the whole article go to http://www.newyorker.com/). A quick excerpt says "Anyway, as I was saying, making this particular drink , which happens to be a vodka gimlet, is simplicity itself, once you know how. Plus it's so delicious! The tangy tartness of the lime juice combined with the antiseptic astringency of the icy-cold vodka -- wonderful." Check it out and be SURE to have backup bottle of Roses on hand at all times. hehe

August 24, 2009 -- summer in IL

Blogging has gone the way of the dodo this summer, but that bodes well for days filled with happiness and sunshine!!



We've thoroughly enjoyed our time at Ravinia!! This is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as well as many rock, country, and jazz artists, so we've had the pleasure of many a perfect evening sitting outside and enjoying phenomenal music. The two most outstanding concerts were given by Lang Lang and Yo Yo Ma (http://www.ravinia.org/) but we also were thrilled by an evening with the Four Tops and the Temptations (each group has one original member). We've usually had pavillion seats (thanks to my parents and the tickets come with an Opus pass for priority parking, ahhhhh soooooo sweet!) so we sit under a soaring roof and don't care what the weather is doing outside as the music plays, but there are always many picknickers who are thrilled to set up a candelabra on a blanket and relax while enjoying the concerts.

And we finally made it to the new modern wing at the Art Institute (http://www.artic.edu/) and although we are far from modern art afficionados, we were wowed by the building, the outdoor spaces including the bridge from Millenium Park, the views of the Gehry band shell, and the outstanding collections. Of course, modern art begs you to think you can do it yourself in some cases (those monochromatic canvases come to mind and even the occasional Jackson Pollock!!), but the exhibit of modern chairs did seem to be missing one oevre -- the spectacular styrofoam chairs that we built in Merida!!

Eva has been working up a storm. All her clients were delighted to see her again and most have signed up for massage work so she's busy several nights a week and daytimes, too. She is so enchanted by the cool weather we've been having (currently highs in the 70s by day and low 60s which makes for wonderful sleeping with windows open and breezes blowing -- and Sandy under an extra comforter or two) that Eva is walking (!!) even in the day time (!!!!) just for fun (!!!!!!).

Sandy is taking bridge lessons (cannot seem to grasp the negative double but maybe third time will be the charm), playing some, re-learning tennis after 10-15 years of not playing (it feels so good to have improvement each time I play but I still say "good shot" too many times instead of running for the ball!!), and delighting in her girlfriends. The other day, she spent an afternoon floating in a swimming pool on a raft and laughing her ass off with two dear dear friends. What a way to go!!

We've had a blast spending more time with Marilla and Rhodri, the newlyweds, who had a wedding trip to Italy and Greece in June and are now settled into a new apartment with a fireplace and a 2/3 size dishwasher that's situated on the penthouse floor, so they're moving on up. Marilla ran a benefit for a children's services agency in Chicago -- here she is with sister-in-law Megan and father-in-law Morton -- and had the most perfect night for her half outdoor party which broke records for raising money and number of attendees.



We've poured money into the Audi and now it works like a dream, suspension system repaired and happy and a few other major things fixed along the way. And we've purchased new tires. Although it was March when we last put new tires on the car as we drove north and were told they had a warranty worldwide, we found that within 4 months of around-town driving, the tires are bald and the warranty from Mexico is NOT honored in the US, just as a warranty from the US would not be honored anywhere else, or so Pirelli told us. This financial bloodletting has cut into our ability to travel this summer, but at least we're driving safe, and even are considering driving it back to Merida for the winter.

And we've had the pleasure of dining with a friend from Merida -- Jerry, aka Don Geraldo de la Viagra. He was in town on business and we swept him away for a decadent French meal as we watched old clips of Julia Child (the real one, not the Meryl Streep fantastic portrayl of one) and laughed. This dinner was after we'd just been treated to Cavalia -- billed as Cirque du Soleil on horseback. It was quite a performance with all manner of horses and acrobats doing amazing things, but we couldn't help but wonder, who dreamed up this pairing of man and beast and props??


This week, we're back in Swainwood staying with former neighbor and current friend Linda and it feels great to see the 'hood looking good. Naturally, there are streets torn up for some reason, but still the old place looks and feels wonderful. The annual adult party is this Saturday and we heard we were welcome to crash so long as we bring some liquor. Some things never change!! But we'll be at a wedding instead, so the partying with neighbors will have to wait.

pictures from Shobafest, July 22, 2009

To see more pictures, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/necshs1/DinneratshobaSjuly222009.com

and you may have to click on View Sandy's Gallery to get to the dinner at Shoba's album. Cheers!!

July22, 2009 -- Indian dinner at Shoba's

What was envisioned as a cooking lesson taught by Shoba Havalad (lately profiled in the Pioneer Press locally as a superb Indian chef) quickly turned into just another raucous dinner with fabulous Indian dishes we all somewhat contributed toward and enjoyed to the bitter end!!
Shoba, always gracious, agreed to take on various Sweets and Lanes for an evening and so we gathered -- David and Trica, Morton and Claudia, Rhodri and Marilla, Sandy and Eva, and Megan -- to be educated, but mainly to be well fed. We became the blue team, the red team, and the brown team, the latter seemed to get distracted by wedding pictures early on, but rallied at the end.







All this took place in Shoba's recently remodeled kitchen in Glenview which has the look of a TV set, it is so perfect and stunning. Some of us manned the kitchen (or pretended to) while others escaped to the outdoor terrace to discuss the arc of life and responsibility -- not a frivolous group, this one!!


Shoba lavished special treats on us from paneer (fried cheese coated in some kind of fabulous spicy sauce and later a paneer curry) to chicken biriyani to catfish curry to mirchi kaa saalan (banana peppers cooked in roasted spices and coconut masala) to lamb cutlets and finally banana wontons. All these were enhanced with raita and a carrot raita, spicy garbanzo beans, and a tandoori shrimp over mango and cucumber salad.

We all waddled out, but quite happily, especially after discovering the trick to decanting wine is to strain it into a giant Pyrex measuring cup!!

June 19, 2009 -- travels in US

We have just returned from a week+ on the road ... again!! We went to visit friends all along the way from here to Lexington KY to Asheville NC to Indianapolis IN and back again. At this point, we hope to never sit in our car for more than 15 minutes at a crack, but no doubt in no time, our butts will recover and we'll be off again. Sandy found her bladder is the size of a thimble so that those drives between rest stops were not too long.
This was a wonderful kinda nostalgic driving trip. We headed first to Lexington KY, home of Anne and Karl Peschke. Their son Ryan was in preschool with Marilla so this has been a long friendship and a fun one. They moved to a darling home in a lovely area of town, but are still basically a hop skip and jump to downtown and its fine dining. Eva discovered she IS a bourbon drinker and Karl plied her with samples of fine Kentucky bourbon to whet her whistle. Sandy was impressed by their garden and envious of Karl's studio space, but not his warren of boxes. And we loved getting to see Anne in he costume before she went off to work at the Shaker Village.
Then we made our way south to Asheville and the new residence of Joe and Gil Calderwood, great friends from Merida. We had both migrated to Mexico almost the same day, but they sold their beautiful homes there and moved back to the USA. After RVing the southern US for months, they decided to plant themselves in Asheville and have quickly made themselves at home. They were gracious enough to introduce us to some of their friends and we can see why they love the place -- friends and being able to sit on their giant deck and look at woods and hills and clouds and feel as if it is all theirs. We did the Biltmore (largest residence in the US that looks like a chateau in France and used to have 1800 employees) and were wowed, we visited some of the Arboretum (and were especially taken with the exhibits of bonsai and of native plants), and we spent time downtown ogling the art and crafts (Gil introduced us to freshly made fudge and we watched as they dipped apples in caramel and brought some home with us). Gil and Joe called an artist friend, Leo Monahan, who works with paper. He'd been a Disney illustrator and could do things with paper we'd never imagined. He was sweet enough to give us posters of his work since the real deal was beyond our means so we have souvenirs of his creations.
Then we headed out, having stayed an extra day. We drove back north and got as far as Lexington again, but the Peschkes were in IL with grandchildren. We decided the arboretum in Asheville was so wonderful and tried the one at University of KY but there is no comparison. Off to north of Indy, a town called Carmel, where a long-time pal of Sandy's lives named Cledith (see, after Marilla and Rhodri, nothing is surprising!!). Cledith has what seems to us to be the perfect home -- a town home of perfect dimensions and life on one floor overlooking a pond. Dinner included a perfect margarita and steak so everyone was delighted!
On "home" to Highland Park IL where we found our hosts had shipped off all their company, hosted a party for 85 folks, and a BBQ for 40, despite the fact that one of them had fallen. Remembering Sandy's recent mishap with the front steps that left her with a black eye and bruised chin for weeks, we are awaiting their return home from doctors to see just what happened.
Pictures for this trip are at: http://picasaweb.google.com/necshs1/June2009KINCIN and click View Sandy's Gallery and the June 2009 picture of a darling brick home.

april 18, 2009 - first wedding photos

April 19, 2009 - the wedding

Well, it all went off not just without a hitch, but absolutely spectacularly!!
We could not have wished for anything more or better.
Even the weather, predicted to be rain and dreary, cooperated and while not sunny and clear and warm, it was dry and more than adequate.
The rehearsal on Friday was wonderful with all of us trying not to piss off the church lady who was in charge of all things wedding at the church -- large, grey-haired and drunk with power. We then went on to the Fortnightly Club for a fabulous dinner and fun evening of loving toasts and an incredible slide show of the happy couple put together by Rhodri's sister, Megan. One event down and the big one to go.
Saturday began for Sandy with a new hairdo -- a french twist held together with millions of bobby pins and many ounces of ozone-killing hair spray -- and was followed with make-up for both Sandy and Eva and the entire bridal party. We had lunch and relaxed a bit before changing into our spiffy outfits and returning to the Four Seasons to find our bride still in make-up but with a fantastic hair style complete with flower. Once we got her in her layers of wedding dress, her father saw her for the first time all bridey and was every bit as overwhelmed as we all had been. Dress was phenomenal and Marilla looked fabulous. The veil was the final touch - wow!!
We five were driven to the church to hide and then be walked down the aisle to await the bride. Her almost husband was surprised and barely held it together when he saw her at the end of the aisle coming towards him -- a completely appropriate response. The ceremony was blessedly short and ended happily with many "I wills" said and promises made.
We headed to the reception at the Women's Athletic Club. Their living room is lavishly furnished with antiques and was the perfect place for all 180+ to gather and await the wedding party who were being photographed. After drinks and more photos, up we went to the ballroom where we were absolutely blown away. It is a gorgeous 2-story room to begin with, but had been magically transformed by the florists into a fantasy of flowers and candles and lights. (Can't wait to add photos so you can all appreciate this!!) Our sumptuous dinner over, the band began to play and after the first dance, didn't stop for 3+ hours. And we could not drag ourselves off the dance floor with each song being better to dance to than the last. Having removed our high heels early on, we kept on grooving to the music until well past our bedtime. All Sandy's girlfriends kept up the pace on the dance floor and will all probably need massages just to walk upright again! Finally, we headed back to the Chicago Club basically crippled and in pain, but completely thrilled and happy over every detail of this magnificent weekend.
Our daughter, happily married and off at a spa getaway for a few days, is the luckiest girl in the world to have had such a fantastic wedding and to be married into such a great group of in-laws. And we are floating on air with delight, pinching ourselves as we discuss over and over every detail of the glorious experience. It was more than we ever dreamed it would be!!!

March 26, 2009 -- April 3, 2009 Travelling north

We began our journey north from Merida leaving later than planned, but still early on Thursday morning. We had hoped to get all the way to Puebla, but instead around 11am, we were stopped, literally, by a flat rear tire. Both of us heard noise, but we first mistakenly thought it was a helicopter overhead and not the sound of a tire coming apart.
We were in the middle of nowhere at the time, north of a KM 59 sign, and a little over 4 hours and 200+ miles south of Merida, south of Escarcega a half hour or so. Eva and I are fairly handy and resourceful, but our car was packed full of stuff and heavy, so we could not get the jack to even begin to work. Even after we began to unload our stuff onto the roadside. Of course, it was the middle of the 104 degree temperature day and not a speck of shade in sight (first come the flowers and then the leaves come back onto the trees here) on the hot asphalt road. We had earlier seen a small car turned completely over onto its back like a sad turtle and so felt somewhat lucky.
We were close to tears when a truckful of helpful men stopped and took charge. They lifted the car and put a rock underneath to prop it up, since they could not get the jack to work either. The 7 angels who stopped to help us removed the very tightly screwed on lugnuts, inflated the spare tire, changed it, got the blown-apart tire into the back, and helped us reload our stuff. Off we went in search of a tire store, but we had to drive all the way to Villahermosa, a total of 390m miles from Merida.
Villahermosa is a pit of a town, dirty, noisy, with aggressive drivers who don't know their way around very well. We asked a waitress at the place we stopped for a most inedible dinner what the name of the street was directly in front of the restaurant and she didn't know. We wandered some and bought some pirate DVDs like Slumdog Millionaire. The man we bought the tires from (and we needed all four new tires), helped us find a hotel. He suggested and drove us over to the Howard Johnson's. We recommend that no one ever stay there who values his life.
Friday, exhausted from the stress but determined, we drove on to Puebla and got there, 795 miles from Merida, around 3 in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the town closes off several blocks of the centro area on the weekends so we could not reach any of the hotels at which we had thought of staying, so we found a taxi and asked him to lead us to a quiet hotel with secure parking, since of course, our car was still loaded to the gills. We could not call ahead anywhere because my telephone had died that morning. Eva had ordered a Coke and although it was not to have been opened, it apparently was, and spilled all over my purse, killing the cell phone. We entered high desert with very dry air, and the purple jacarandas in bloom. The taxi driver took us to the Presidente Intercontinental hotel and we were enchanted. Thought we might never get Eva to leave so we stayed two nights.
Saturday, we toured the town with Guillermo in a taxi. We saw many churches (Rosary chapel of Santa Domingo Temple, Guadalupe, and the main Cathedral by the zocalo), lots of talavera (Uriarte, Santa Catarina in Cholula, Casa de artesano, and barrio del artista area), lovely architecture, Museo Amparo, and were home by three in the afternoon following a fabulous lunch at the mercado del Carmen crowded with people waiting in line for cemitas. A cemita is actually a torta on steroids -- a round roll with sesame seeds on top. These at the mercado in Puebla are filled with avacado, cheese, onions, pickled chiles, and fried chicken pieces (near 4 Sur and 21 Poinente). The day ended with massages at the Clinique spa at the hotel and dinner at the Alfredo restaurant there.
Sunday we got up gradually, had a big breakfast in the hotel, and left Puebla around 10:30. We drove the outskirts of Mexico City and finally found the autopista north 57 toward Queretero. Nothing on any of our maps matched the signs in the district federal, but at 5:30, we reached San Luis Potosi. On the way, we saw a man tilling a field with an ox!! There are many lovely churches here, carved facades in perfect order, more jacarandas, and lovely tile rooves. Here, we stayed at a no-tell-motel to keep our secure parking option.
Left early Monday after 1171 miles and decided we'd get out of Mexico and as far north as possible. We thought this would depend on our choice of city to exit, but determined it was not safe to exit at Nuevo Laredo, so headed for Reynosa. Once we'd circled Monterrey (and there may not be a reason to ever do this again since going through town is fast enough so long as it's not rush hour), we got stopped by a cop of some sort who claimed we were going 87 km/hour (a physical impossibility since we'd just exited around a sharp curve and could not have been going more than 40 km/hour at the most) and that to get out of "going downtown" with him, we could pay him 1500 pesos. Having been shaken down before, we knew to put much less than that in a wallet pocket and claim to have nothing more than that. We ended up paying 400 pesos and were off and running on fumes at this point to the nearest Pemex. We got through the Reynosa checkpoint (we were pulled over because of having entered Mexico three years ago and not exited since then) without incident and then slowly but surely and made it to a hotel south of Austin.
Tuesday morning, we had to wait for a hail storm to pass, but then since we were in the US and could find an AT&T store, we headed out to replace the Coked-up cell phone. In the process, we found a Target and could not resist checking out some things inside and across the 183 highway, we lucked into a BBQ hole in the wall that proved incredibly popular and delicious (Mann's BBQ). Headed north around 1 on highway 35, through Waco, Dallas, and Texarkana, to just shy of Hot Springs after 2455 miles on the road.
Wednesday, we visited Hot Springs and had breakfast at a wonderful pancake house on the main drag. Despite the cold 45 degree temps, we were wowed by wisteria, redbuds, and dogwood in bloom. Speed limits in Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri are 70, and gas only costs $1.99, so we were delighted with the turn of events. We stopped in Effingham IL at a Comfort Inn that was not too comfy despite having been given a giant room, so they moved us to a "suite" which was at least quieter.
On Thursday, we stopped in Paxton (to visit the Fredericks in the cemetary and check out the town) and finally made it to Glenview that afternoon after 3250 miles. Temps are in the 40s which is horrendous, but otherwise, we are getting rested and settled into a different speed of living, way different temperatures, and different choices in food. Friday, we organized our storage locker once again and saw Frost/Nixon and The Reader in a plain old movie theater (no VIP theaters up here!!). Tomorrow, we start the wedding stuff with a final fitting for Marilla's dress and then organizing the seating arrangements on Sunday with the Lane family. So it's been nice to have a respite for a few days before it all starts!

March 23, 2009 -- getting ready to head out

Having just spent a wonderful week in Cancun (where the winds were soft and the Caribbean daily offered smoothly rolling waves that were absolutely divine!!) , we celebrated Sandy's birthday with dinner at Harry's (topped off not just by their signature cotton candy to soothe diners over the cost of the bill, but also a specially prepared chocolate chocolate chocolate birthday dessert). Our car, which has been the cause of some concern for its non-functioning suspension system, performed perfectly during the 180 miles (300 km) roundtrip, so we feel optimistic about driving it out.

Now, we are now buzzing around organizing and discussing and planning our car drive north from Merida to Illinois. Should we take the cuota and go via DF or the awful, tope-ridden road along the Gulf coast? Should we pack up dishes and silverware and towels and sheets in order to stay in the north for the summer?? What have we not worn here in Merida these last almost four years that we might get away with up in Chicago??? Can we trust our garage door that apparently opened one night while we were in Cancun and our houseguests soundly sleeping until the police banged on the doors and woke them up? And what shall we pack up the Waterford crystal in to bring it to Marilla and Rhodri for their wedding gift????

And we notice that there are 4 separate clumps of amaryllis blooming, one set of orchids on the wall is blooming, the aloe is attracting many hummingbirds with its yellow blossoms, the sandpaper plan has cascades of indigo blue flowers, and our pseudobombar has lost every last leaf and looks more than anorexic. Our pool is finally warm enough even for Sandy. However, the Yucatan is anticipating a warmer than usual summer with predictions for record heat in May, June, and July, so off we go for a leisurely drive north and hopefully, an easy border crossing back into the US. Last time, the US border guards treated us like slimy drug smugglers and all but tore our car apart looking for nonexistent contraband, so we deserve a wave-through this time!

We've paid ahead on electric, water, gas, phone, and suspeneded our cable TV. We will leave money for Jose to pay our garbage costs == 17 pesos per month or about $1.25 == and for his weekly pay -- around $100 -- for the time we're gone. We have synched the iPods for music and podcasts along the way. Our cameras and phones are charged. All the "what the hell" stuff is in a pile waiting to see if there's room. Alex has delivered clothing to us freshly pressed and perfectly fitted, so.... what have we forgotten??? We will think about it after our nap.

January 19, 2009 - change is in the wind

I've been caught up in change lately by being more involved in decisions involving my daughter's wedding (it's like running a small business!!), by being indulged by a new manicurist/pedicurist who spent four hours making me soft and smell wonderful (no kidding!! and my feet were not THAT bad!!), and by watching the drama of one president leave the US and a new one enter.
I watched Bush's farewell press conference thinking 'does anyone still believe this man's lies?' only to hear that one of my brothers feels that Obama will let the scum (his word) out of Guantanamo and there will be another 9/11 without Bush to protect us. My brother is not a redneck in the traditional sense, because he is well educated and worldly, but he obviously spent too much time in the sun in Texas when he lived there!! And he is among the conservatives who want to keep their "old" way of life and not have to change. Nice man, though.
I am enjoying some of the pomp and circumstance leading up to tomorrow's inaugural, until I realize someone (and noone is taking credit) moved gay bishop Gene Robinson's prayer to a time that would not be televised. Just so his words are not missed, here they are:

"O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will bless us with tears - tears for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women in many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.
Bless this nation with anger - anger at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.
Bless us with discomfort at the easy, simplistic answers we've preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth about ourselves and our world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.
Bless us with patience and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be fixed anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.
Bless us with humility, open to understanding that our own needs as a nation must always be balanced with those of the world.
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance, replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences.
Bless us with compassion and generosity, remembering that every religion's God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable.
And God, we give you thanks for your child, Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.
Give him wisdom beyond his years, inspire him with President Lincoln's reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy's ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King's dream of a nation for all people.Give him a quiet heart, for our ship of state needs a steady, calm captain.
Give him stirring words; We will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.
Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.
Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.
Give him strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters' childhoods.
And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we're asking far too much of this one. We implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand, that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity, and peace. Amen."

And I am praying that tomorrow indeed means change. A change in attitude first and foremost that excludes no one and honors the gifts that we each have and bring. Hail Barack, good luck, and feel free to change almost everything!!