AMIGOS

My sister wanted to see a photo of our friends, Richard and Kim.  Here they are in front of an abstract  painting of their relationship done by Kim:

XILITLA

We took a Primera Plus bus on a very long (5 hrs.) and winding trip to Xilitla to see Las Pozas, Edward James's surrealist sculpture garden.  James claimed to be the grandson of King Edward VII and was incredibly wealthy.  He chose to spend most of his money on surrealist art and his large property in Xilitla.  Youtube has a number of videos on him and Las Pozas.  When I asked the guide if there were any women surrealist artists at Las Pozas, he said Leonora Carrington.  I'm embarrassed 

to admit I hadn't heard of her.  She died in Mexico City a few years ago.

On Sunday there was a big market in Xilitla.   I couldn't resist a few purchases:

The avocados there were different from the ones in Qro.  We have Hass (thick skins, good for shipping) and criollo (almost black thin skins and a buttery taste--our favorite).  These from Xilitla are light green and thick skinned.  Dried red peppers in the back.  The other red things are tomatoes, believe it or not.  Thick skins, not much pulp inside.  Hmm. . . .

QUESO

On a recent trip to Chicago to celebrate my three score and tenth birthday with our older son and his family, I ordered some cheese making stuff that I can't find in Mexico.

A book

A cheese thermometer

Mesophilic and Thermophilic Cultures

And a cheese press which I'll show on another post.

I was able to find rennet and citric acid here in Qro:

Enough rennet to last several lifetimes

Ricotta done

Ricotta on left, cream cheese on right

Lots of whey leftover for soup

LECHE BRANCA

I didn't know the word branca and it's not in the online Spanish-English dictionary, but if you pass the Leche Branca Expendio at the edge of El Tepe market you will see that it means raw or fresh milk:

That's el sr J. on the right.

I'd been planning to purchase some raw milk for making cheese and I thought I would have to bring in some large bottles to transport it home.  Silly me.  Mexicans are nothing if not resourceful.  They put many liquids in plastic bags, including 5 liters of milk:

It's pretty heavy and difficult to pour into a pot.  I had to put the bag into the pot and cut a hole in it.

This is inside the expendio.  The milk is in the galvanized tub ("like one I used to wash the dog in," says el sr J).  The bags are on the table.  Everything looks spic and span.

This is the woman who dips the milk.  She and the cows live in Colorado, a small town nearby.  The milk is 11 pesos a kilo.

Cheese making tomorrow.

DAY-O

We have a banana tree that's about 2 years old:

The banana plant is an herb, not a tree.  I learned this from the British quiz show, QI.

As you might be able to see, the "mother" plant has various sized offspring growing around its base.  I suppose if it ever bears bananas we'll have to to cut down the main plant and let the babies take its place.

Here comes a new shoot up the middle.

LA PERGOLA

Rafa and his men built us a pergola in two days:

cement bases

Up the steps with the wood:

Rafa:

Detail:

Done:

More detail:

Now we need to cover the top with sun-blocking cloth.

PORTLANDIA

Recently, in between visits with family in Sacramento and Vashon Island (Seattle), we stopped in Portland for a week.  Portland was like a trip back to the 60s and 70s for us.

If I can post for free now, I'm going to resume the blog, beginning with a series of photos from Portland.