A month of family and friends and it's Navidena in Mexico

This is the week of the Posadas...the week between Virgen de Guadalupe and Xmas Eve.  The tradition involves families and friends visiting and eating and drinking the special foods of the holiday season.  This is also the week that we are fortunate to have 2 of our 3 adult children here.    

I know that we are eating and drinking well as I am the cook, meal planner, market shopper and my days are full!   I now get why every middle class Mexican senora that I know has at least one, if not two, household staff...this cooking and eating well is a full time job.  Shopping market style is a fun experience and although we definitely have our favorites, the crowds on the streets and the heat make shopping for the best selection of produce an onerous task.  Each store has one item that is clearly superior so with any luck, I only need to visit  5 or 6 shops to fill my fruit and vegetable basket for the day.

Amy and her partner Patrick arrived on Dec. 11th and have been wonderful and adventurous guests who have an incredible amount of energy to explore and enjoy all that our area has to offer.   We did a whirlwind one day trip to the colonial city of Patzcuaro which provides a diverse experience for Mexico away from the beach side towns. 

Amy spent yesterday morning competing in the local swim competition and like last year was the second female across the line and third swimmer overall.  She could've gone faster but was a bit freaked out on the course when dolphins swam across the course route and she wasn't sure what the big fish swimming just beneath her really were...for the spectators on the shore it was magical, but for the swimmers a bit like being in a remake of Jaws. 

Eric, doing an entirely un-Eric like thing, had the awful experience of sleeping in past his 3:00 a.m. alarm and missed his scheduled 6 a.m. departure flight from Vancouver to LA.  One day later, having endured the pain of a $400 extra charge he arrived after the  red-eye LA to Mexico and Zihua connector. 

Eric hasn't been exercising at all since he finished Kona so this 3 weeks spent in warm weather is his "season kick-off" to his triathlon training yet again.   So while we walk the beaches, fish and enjoy the food at small beachside cafe's,  Eric plans his training to meet up with us in varied locations.  Today Eric swam the bay in the morning, biked for 2 plus hours from Zihuatanejo to Barra de Potosi and back to meet us at Playa Larga and then ended his day with a run on Playa La Ropa...

My friends at home will appreciate this (I've been known to have bad luck with kitchen appliances and have extended warranties on everything)....our fridge is acting up.  So my turkey and other frozen foods are in the neighbours fridges, we are shopping day at a time, and we are hoping against all odds that someone who is working tomorrow (monday) can repair it in time to meet the needs of my highly food demanding family and friends...an unlike the other senoras in the area,....its' up to me to get this happening....I'm tired just thinking about it. 

Luckily, my friend Monica has promised me that I can cook the turkey in her stove as I just don't think I can cope with the heat of roasting the "pavo relleno" for 4-5 hours on Wednesday afternoon.  We're going to celebrate Xmas a bit early with our family and then have another Xmas on Xmas Eve with Doraliz's family and Xmas day with a group of gourmet friends here....a festival of food prepared by women with love for the people they love.