Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 25-11-2009
We stopped by Alamos during our last stay in Mexico and fell in love with this special place. I could not wait to visit again, especially knowing how much my mom would love it. Alamos is a living museum with 360 days of sunshine nestled in the Sierra Madre foothills of Sonora. Alamos offers the charm of a Colonial Pueblo and is rich in history, We parked our RV at a small RV park at the start of the town. Mom stayed at the Casa de Maria Felix, a truly magical 17th century pueblo. The Hotel Casa de Maria Felix is named after Mexico’s legendary actress Maria Felix and is built on her birthplace. It was a perfect place for mom as her room had a little kitchen and there was a small restaurant and bar just down from her room. Each day, one of the kids and I walked over to Mom’s place for some one on one time with grandma. The 3 of us walked into the town and enjoyed breakfast and the kids shared their dreams for their future. Special memories with “Silly Grandma”.
During our morning with Nikki, the 3 of us stopped and poked our heads into an open dutch door. (It’s great fun to see what lies behind these huge and beautiful wooden doors as it’s always a surprise). An older gentleman met our gaze and invited us into his 2 1/2 acre hacienda. It was absolutely amazing and way too much room for one person. He is a widower and looking for a new mate so let me know if you are interested! On our morning with Poohnut, we met a nice looking gentleman while enjoying our cappuccinos. He told mom about a 103 year old artist in town and even gave mom her address. Well, mom just HAD to meet this woman so off we went, in search of this famous artist. We found her house and Mom had the guts to knock on her door. She was invited in and enjoyed several hours chatting with her (although I am not sure she heard much of what mom had to say given she announced she was very hard of hearing!) Mom was taken back to her casa by the artist’s friend, Ann, a 85 year old former race car driver, that’s at least how she drove. Let’s just say we are happy mom is still with us!
One night, we took Mom into town to experience a Mexican hot dog. This is unlike anything we’ve ever eaten and is one of the yummiest things ever invented in a bun! The next night, we ate at the small restaurant at mom’s casa and enjoyed some delicious food (along with a tamarind margarita!) prepared by Omar, a wonderful man from Argentina. Alamos is defintely worth a visit and we can easily see why so many people call it home after experiencing its unique charm.
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 23-11-2009
We are now happily back in Mexico, enjoying the sun and surf. Our return to this wonderful country started with a few days in San Carlos, a small town on the Sea of Cortez. While we have visited San Carlos many times, this time was extra special as my mom was with us. She slept in our camper for 3 nights which turned out quite well. It was fun to hear her and the kids chatting before turning off the lights to go to bed. Mom and I took a tour of the area, including a visit to a former Club Med spot and a walk along the beach front homes of the marina. We were happy to see our “chli rellano” man come by our RV and we stocked up on these homemade goodies. San Carlos is a geographical wonder as the mountain tops are jagged and like nothing we’ve ever seen. A stop here is a perfect way to start off a few months in Mexico!
Posted by whalerho | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 18-11-2009
We vowed to our kids to be in Anthem on Halloween so they could go treat-or-treating with their buddies. We arrived in time for them to come up with some makeshift costumes and off they went to their friends houses for the weekend. Andrew lucked out as his friend Austen had a HUGE Halloween party with many of the kids Andrew knew from Diamond Canyon School. Andrew picked up an afro wig at Walmart, drew a peace sign on a plain white t shirt and became a hippie. Poohnut became a super model as she wanted a reason to wear her VERY high $5 resale shoes, and went hunting for candy with her friend Hannah Montana (better known as Natalia). Nikki transformed into a pirate thanks to a costume loan from her friend Peyton. Ken and I enjoyed the childless weekend (first time in 17 months!) and loved not having to deal with the details of costumes – not my favorite of tasks!
This time we camped not only at the Cave Creek Regional Park (on of my favorite campgrounds of all time) but we also enjoyed a stay at Lake Pleasant. It was so nice to wake up with a view of this beautiful lake.
I spent time with my dear friends and had such a wonderful time catching up with each of them. Darcy and I trekked all across the valley, busy with both business and fun. Carrie took me to some new places in Scottsdale as she is always the tour guide extraordinaire. Jill and I spent time catching up on our emerging business lives as well as other fun topics. Carolyn and I enjoyed tea and Karen and I enjoyed a glass of wine while got caught up on all the happenings. We had a great dinner at the Jonathan and Jamie’s home and the kids had a great time with their kids while we adults enjoyed just hanging out with each other. I visited my friend Joy and got to meet her darling baby daughter while hearing of her exciting upcoming plans to go to nursing school. We only briefly got to see Luz Maria and wished we could have spent time with her and Gus. I got to spend a little time with Laurie and Phil and hope we can see more of them on our next visit. Thank you to all the parents of our chidlren’s friends as our kids had a great time with your children! We left with great memories of friendship and wishing we could gather up all these special people and have us all live in the same place!
Ken took Andrew out for a “boys night out” and boy did they have fun! It was ALL about the FOOD and the two of them devowered 1 1/2 pound hamburgers EACH! They had this cholesterol laden feast at none other than the “Heart Attack Grill” in Chandler AZ. Of course they had to include veggies with their meal so they enjoyed some french fries, cooked in LARD! They ended their feast with two well endowed waitresses wheeling Andrew (dressed in a hospital gown) out to the van. What do they do next? Topped it off with chicken wings at Hooters of course!
Ken and I spent many days preparing for our upcoming return visit to Mexico. We had our doctor visits, orthodontist visits, vet visits, RV mechanic visits and so on and on and on!! Much to do since we’d been in the bush for so many months prior to our pitstop in Anthem.
Near the end of our time in Anthem, my mom Ellen, and sister Robin, flew out for a girls weekend in Scottsdale. The three of us haven’t hung out together in a relaxing atmosphere for a very long time and we can’t wait to do it again. It really made me realize how much I missed my mom and sister! We had so much fun and got caught up on everything happening in each other’s lives. I bid a tearful goodbye to Rob at the airport and mom stayed with me as she is heading into Mexico with us in two days.
With ALL the work behind us, we are ready to transition to the peaceful beauty of MEXICO!!
