Tamale dolls

I arrived to Marla and Dan's house only to be greeted by two singing little girls, who had apparently been singing Christmas carols outside (while waiting for me) for an hour.  It paid off because their mailman listened to their singing and tipped them with silver dollar coins.  

Marla wanted tamales for Christmas and since we will not be here I made sure to make it happen before leaving for Mammoth.  Marla made my mom's tamale recipe (cheese, chicken, olives and corn) and I made one chipotle, mushroom, spinach and cheese.  The other was feta, black beans, black eyes peas, and jalapenos.  The chipotle tamale had a kick to it for sure, and was not appreciated by all.  

While Marla and I made tamales the girls made tamale dolls.  They made so many that I told them they should sell them for 5 pesos each.  Later they asked me how much 5 pesos was.  I told them about 40 cents, and came to find out that they thought I had a great idea.  

They actually did pretty well.  One lady traded them a lemon for a tamale doll, but they had several paying customers within the thirty minutes they were outside.  

Everyone was excited about tamales.

Kumiai Winter Solstice Observatory Site

Who wants to spend their first day of winter break waking up at 4:40 to go on a sunrise hike?  I do!  

My friend Lisa couldn't have agreed more so she joined me on the mission.  

I read that the Kumiai have been visiting a sacred spot at the top of Cowles mountain to observe the winter solstice sunrise for possibly thousands of years, and I wanted to experience it too.  

We were not the only people at the base of the mountain ready to hike to the highest point in the city of San Diego.

The trail was like a New York City sidewalk, as Lisa so elliqantly predicted. 

We were so lucky with the weather, the view was spectacular and uninterrupted.  

We arrived just in time, we had about 15 minutes to spare before sunrise.  

Winter solstice sunrise hikes are crucial if you want to maximize the shortest day of the year!  

I would have loved to see this when it was just the Kumiai who lived here.  

Instead we had to share, but there was plenty of view to go around.  

Lisa and I were thinking that it would be fun to check out other peaks to watch the sunset on upcoming winter solstices, possibly places that are less popular?  

Happy Winter Solstice 2013!

To go Tecate

Fred is lucky. How many people in North County can put in Mexican carne asada taco orders and actually have it delivered to them?

I don't like to be reminded that I am not Mexican but I don't know what to do with these raw radishes! Do I eat them before the meal, during or after? Do the limes go on the radishes or the meal? Do I like them?  So many questions... 

Carne asada tacos con todo. 

The Lone Oak

While growing up the Lone Oak was part of our lexicon.  It is the only oak tree on our property (hence the name).  And it was the location of much of our outdoor play time.  Well, we never really played inside.  During summer we were outside shoe-less from the moment we woke up until dark.  Over twenty years ago my dad drew the picture above, which shows all of the places we explored during the day, and all of his handy work.

The girls recently discovered the Lone Oak and now they cannot visit my dads without going to say hello to the oak tree.  It is the coolest tree.  It appears to have slid down the hill when it was young and grew on its side, its gnarled roots finding stability grasping onto the side of the hill.  

I haven't been out here in years.  The branches are much greener than they used to be, filled with moss and lichen.  

My dad built this bridge for us when we were the girl's age, so we could play at the Lone Oak after a rainstorm (otherwise there is a stream that cuts off the path to the Lone Oak).

We took the long way back to the house.  When my parents made a living selling avocados it used to be lot more green but you get the idea.

During the walk my dad made a comment about how poor we were growing up.  Marla told my dad that it never felt like we were poor.  He replied by saying it was all he could ever think about.  

"The difference between rich and poor is that the poor do everything with their own hands and the rich hire hands to do things."  My parent's vision and hard work gave us the best childhood anyone can ask for.  My mom made fresh bread and granola.  I didn't know it was because we were poor.  I thought it was because it was delicious.

I suppose the only sign of being poor would be not having money, one thing that children just don't think about.  

Bienvenidos a Tecate

I love Tecate.  

Steve and Denise let me show them around my favorite quaint border town.  

There is apprehension for those traveling to Mexico for the first time since Mexico became populated with drug cartels. Fears based on the media and other people's strong anti-Mexico travel opinions aren't easy to ignore. 

There is nothing to fear. 

It is just that you don't know until you go.  

We have had these plans for months. Who knew it would be so cold?! Luckily my Tahoe friends are used to weather. 

It was in the 40s, nothing to complain about when you compare it to other parts of the US. 

There is so much history in Tecate.  

Even the walls have stories that cannot help but spill out of the stucco.  

Our first stop on our Tecate tour was the Tecate brewery.  Although we missed the brewery tour that day (the recorrido time is inconsistent) we got a free beer, and enjoyed the beer garden and the souvenir shop.  

The Tecate brewery (la  cervecería) was founded in 1944.  It has been a symbol of Tecate since this time.  Although it has been sold and is currently a subsidiary of Heineken (and is no longer manufactured in Tecate) it still has tours and a tranquil beer garden. 

La Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is just one block from Parque Hidalgo.  It is a beautiful church inside and out, and is humble rather than ornate.  

Parque Hidalgo, much like parks in Spain and all over colonized Latin America, is usually packed with couples, kids and older people chatting on benches, taking a stroll, getting their shoes shined, shopping, eating, listening to mariachi, or playing chess.  Today it was cold and rainy so the crowds had dissipated.   

Después de una cerveza we headed to El Mejor Pan.  It is an incredible bakery, very possibly one of the best in the world.  

The baked treats change every day, and are never in the same location.  It is like a delicious treasure hunt.  

The Tecate Community museum is welcoming and informative.

 Steve and Denise, who are museum volunteer experts, understand my appreciation for the museum. 

The railroad/brewery portion of the museum frequently highlights the Tecate train station in photographs, which was completed in 1915.  Denise saw it on the museum map so we set out to find it. 

It has been impeccably preserved. 

John Spreckels had the building designed to resemble Frank Lloyd Wright's work. It matches the style of Tecate perfectly. 

 Spreckels spearheaded and funded the project, driving in the golden spike in 1919. It took over ten years to complete, and cost three times the original estimate. He died seven years later and his heirs sold their shares. The San Diego and Arizona Railway was a difficult project to construct and even more difficult to manage. It had nothing but issues with floods, fires, and revolutionary sabotage. 

Mexican food seems an obvious choice for lunch (or as they call it, food). Los Panchos is right next to "la línea". It was my first time at the popular taqueria. 

Wow. This place is amazing. 

Denise and I ordered vegetarian (una quesadilla con cebolla y guacamole). Steve couldn't resist ordering a carne asada taco too. 

They served grilled green onions and grilled jalapeños. 

Mexican food in the US can't possibly mimic their entire culinary style. 

You don't know until you go. 

After a visit to Tecate it is impossible to be as influenced by the media and other Mexico travel opposition. Tecate has great things to offer with a 'mi casa es su casa' warmth.  

What it lacks is its previous numbers of US tourists, who began coming to Tecate during the prohibition era. 

All one can hope is that people stop being so intimidated.

LArboretum

Fred and I had a day off together and were more than happy that my cousin Nancy and my cousin-in-law Vinny could spend time with us.  I could not wait any longer to meet their new baby!  (Nancy found out she was pregnant while we were in Japan.)

The Los Angeles Arboretum is a sign off of the 210 freeway that I have noticed for years.  I thought it was the best place to meet up and catch up, and get in a nice walk.  

Jackson is such a good baby!  He did not cry at all.  He just laughed and smiled and slept.  

People have been coming to this land for thousands of years but it was not developed until Lucky Baldwin (a California businessman, investor, and adventurer) purchased the grounds in 1875.

Now there are over 12,000 different species of plants from all over the world, on 127 acres of prime property open to the public for a small fee.  Much like the Huntington it is a great escape from the city.  

Lucky Baldwin brought the peacocks to his property soon after his purchase.  They are now a thriving, naturalized species and are found wandering the grounds just about everywhere.  

We were there for over three hours but I know there is more to see.  

This is not a place you just visit once.