One Sunday Afternoon in the Park

A lazy Sunday loomed before us.  Too lazy if the truth be known.  Where could we go for entertainment in our home town of El Paso, Texas that we hadn't been to at least a dozen times 

before?

Maybe the answer could be found in investigating a new project in our city, the revitalization of Downtown El Paso.  The renovation of the central square of El Paso, San Jacinto Plaza, had taken what seemed like ages to complete (it was really only three years).  We wanted to see if we had received good value for our tax dollars.

San Jacinto Plaza

San Jacinto Plaza, located at the corner of Oregon and Mills Streets, has a proud history, dating from the first part of the 20th century.  It was a transportation hub, first for horse drawn carriages, then for trolleys, and later for city buses and taxicabs, which is when my memories of the park began.  I remember the park as being leafy and green, with benches around the perimeter.  A highlight was the alligator pond inhabited by live alligators.  Later, the plaza fell into disrepair, the alligators had to be moved because of vandalism, and the park atmosphere was anything but welcoming.

How delighted I was as a native El Pasoan to experience the new and improved San Jacinto Plaza, dedicated in April of this year.

"Los Lagartos" -The Alligators

A fiberglass alligator sculpture by Luis Jiménez retains the memory of the live alligators who lived in the pool until the 1970s.

Diners at the plaza cafe

A full-service cafe serves a variety of dishes, including this cup of corn with typical southwestern seasonings.

Another nod to local culture is a court for the game of pitching washers, which goes by the name of huachas in our border region. The game is similar to pitching horseshoes.

Huachas court

Ping-pong tables are also available in the park.  Equipment for playing both huachas and ping-pong is available at the plaza cafe. You may get a sudden inspiration to try out your game skills.

Splash pond

Children cooling off in the splash pond, monitored carefully by moms and dads on benches, reminded me how much fun it can be to be a child, and uninhibited.

I took a moment to soak up the atmosphere of our urban park.  The details on a historic building visible from the park reminded me of an earlier, more elegant era in El Paso.

Historical Building

And I especially enjoyed the flora of the park and made note of which plants I could use in our southwestern style yard.  I love the hardy native and adapted plants that survive and even flourish in the Desert Southwest.  This plant looked to me like a type of bush called "Yellow Bells"or "Esperanza (Hope)" in our region.

Flowering bush in plaza

My husband, Wayne, and I sat on a bench in the park for quite a long time, feeling the excitement and pride of living in a city with a downtown park that is not only an attractive place but an exciting place as well.  Will our out-of-town visitors for Thanksgiving enjoy the park as much as we did?  We have our fingers crossed.

A quintessential Southwestern icon?

It's almost done!  Seasons and Seasonings of the Southwest is the title of a book I have been compiling and preparing for publication.  The theme of the book is how everyday life in the Southwest can be enjoyed in each of the four seasons of the year. Included are short personal essays that have been languishing in a folder in my desk drawer, and also favorite recipes, borrowed from various sources, including friends and family members.

The text is complete.  What I am searching for are graphics to feature on the cover.  My husband Wayne and I had a discussion recently about what images would be the quintessential Southwestern  icons.  When you hear the term "Southwest," what picture comes to mind?

Would the image come from the food category?

Chiles

Corn

To say that chiles are used in most Southwestern recipes is not overstating their importance. What would enchiladas, chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, tamales and pico de gallo be without red or green chiles of varying degrees of potency?  And corn is essential to the corn tortilla, used as a basis for many Southwestern dishes, as well as being a great scooper at meal times.

Or would the best representation of Southwestern life come from the animal kingdom?  The Southwest still has large open spaces that provide a habitat for the hardy creatures of the desert.

Iguana

Roadrunner

Coyotes

Or how about images of the Old West?  Cowboys, ranchers,  railroaders, and dance hall girls all played significant roles in creating modern Southwestern culture.

Fancy boots

Wagon and oxen

Native American cultures provide artistic images to the cultural mélange that is the Southwest.
Kokopelli is venerated by some Native American tribes as the fertility deity who presides over childbirth, agriculture, and music.  He is also know as the trickster god.

Kokopelli,

Architectural styles in the Southwest are unique, with the most recognizable being Territorial, Spanish-Colonial, and Pueblo.

Pueblo style architecture

What image would you like to see on the cover of a book about the Southwest? What would encourage you to open the book and read further?  I'm really looking for some opinions and ideas here!

Viva El Paso! Through a Tourist's Eyes

Proud native of the border city of El Paso, Texas that I am, I enjoy just about everything my locale has to offer.  Our food choices may not live up to the gourmet quality of Los Angeles, and our fashions may be just a bit behind the times compared to Dallas. But I must brag about a summer musical extravaganza that is unique to El Paso -Viva El Paso!

Viva El Paso! sign on mountain

Viva El Paso! is outdoor entertainment for the summer months held in McKelligan Canyon Amphitheatre.  Fifty local performers depict the story of the El Paso area in drama, song and dance. And it is a long, varied story to tell, encompassing four centuries of history and four different cultures that made that history (Native American, Spanish Conquistadores, Mexican, and Western). Viva El Paso! is in its 34th year of production.  Changes have occurred over the years, but the core message of the extravaganza is the same.  Present day El Paso is the result of evolution over the centuries with rich contributions from significant cultural groups.

While attending Viva El Paso! recently, I began to wonder what an out-of-towner would think of the production.  What impressions of El Paso would stay with a tourist?

The first lasting impression would perhaps be the stark mountains that form the backdrop of the amphitheatre located in a canyon.

Left view of stage  with mountain behind

Right view of  stage with mountain behind

I look forward to sitting in the audience as the sun sets, providing a welcome cooling relief from our 100 degree daytime temperature.

Mountain at dusk

Then I think a tourist would remember the dancers swirling on stage with colorful costumes.

Dancers in traditional Mexican costumes

The music would be memorable as well, provided by a mariachi band.

Mariachi band

The Old West would be recalled through costumes and dance moves.

And the arrival of the railroad in 1880 would be a piece of local El Paso history not to be forgotten.

The arrival of the railroad

I hope that a tourist who attends Viva El Paso! will leave our city with an interest in the complexity of historical events and peoples that have given our city its special character.  And I hope that tourist will plan to return to El Paso soon to learn more about our lifestyle on the US-Mexican border.

A Weekend of New Experiences in Los Angeles

One of the joys of living in the Southwest is the chance to jump on a plane and be on the West Coast in about two hours flying time from my home town of El Paso, Texas.  Recently my husband Wayne and I did just that to visit family members, leaving El Paso at about 8:00 am and arriving in Los Angeles, California at 9:00 am (Pacific Coast time), just in time for breakfast.

Our favorite breakfast stop has to be The French Crepe Company located at the Farmers Market in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles.

French crepe chef

We sat at the counter, watching our crepes take shape before our eyes.  El Paso has breakfast burritos; Los Angeles has breakfast crepes.  Nice change!

After breakfast, we took a walk around The Grove, a nearby upscale shopping center.

Fountain at The Grove

The comfortable 70 degree daytime temperature was a sharp contrast to the 100 degree plus normal summertime temperature in El Paso.

Outdoor Jazz 

Travelers tend to connect new experiences with similar ones in their home towns.  The free outdoor evening jazz concert at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) was a feast for the ears and eyes.  We were especially impressed with elaborate picnic lunches that some people had spread out on their blankets.  Maybe when we attend the upcoming Mariachi Night at El Paso's Music Under the Stars at the Chamizal National Memorial we will be inspired to take food that is little more on the gourmet side than our usual sandwiches and popcorn.

Rodeo Drive

Elegant Rodeo Drive with its high end merchants doesn't compare with anything in El Paso. But that's okay, because I would probably have to buy a whole new outfit just to walk down the sidewalk. This view of Tiffany's made me think of the classic movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" starring Audrey Hepburn.

1984 Duesenberg II Model SJ

And in the Petersen Automotive Museum, I was reminded of another favorite movie, "The Great Gatsby."  This car was used in the 2013 version of that film, starring Leonardo Di Caprio.

Santa Monica Beach

The beach was our next stop.  It was here that the contrast between life in Los Angeles and life in El Paso stood out most sharply.  The old joke is that El Paso, located in the High Desert,  has lots of sand but no water.

Out of many new experiences in Los Angeles, perhaps the most memorable was an evening meal at a Korean Barbecue restaurant, located in a charming section of the city known as Korea Town. Our first stop for drinks was a restaurant open to the sidewalk and featuring a fountain in the middle of the room. The fountain reminded me of the many attractive fountains found in El Paso in Mexican food restaurants.

I was charmed by this restaurant.

The restaurant where we had dinner reservations was a few steps away.  And it was a good thing we had reservations.  We had to make our way through a crowd of hungry patrons who were being informed that the wait would be two hours.

Diners outside the restaurant

The presentation of the Korean barbecue meal was nothing short of amazing.

Korean BBQ

I had to pretend I could eat with chopsticks so I wouldn't look quite so much like a tourist.  Each small dish contained a new flavor.  The meat was cooked on a grill in the center of the table by a waitress.

Once again, I could see that my husband Wayne and I were on the same thought track - "We really need to try something new once in a while!"  And El Paso has Korean restaurants, as well as those of other ethnicities.

We were only in Los Angeles for three days, but it felt like we had vacationing much longer.  New travel experiences can stimulate new ways of thinking about life.  I love my home town, but I'm ready to go back to LA soon.

Where is Corrales, NM? Mystery solved!

Let me begin by giving my husband Wayne his due.  He not only recognized that the charming village of Corrales, New Mexico would make a great weekend vacation spot, but he also took pictures to document our recent visit.

This tale begins several years ago when Wayne and a friend were driving through the Albuquerque area and happened upon a long, tree-filled road that captured his imagination.  For several years, the exact location of the road remained a mystery.  We made two abortive attempts to locate it on subsequent trips to Albuquerque, but to no avail.  Finally, he discovered that what he had fallen in love with was the village of Corrales, New Mexico, located just north of Albuquerque.

The bed and breakfast we chose for our stay from the Internet was the Chocolate Turtle, an award winning bed and breakfast.  First we checked out our room, the Sandia Suite (room, bath and private patio).  Ah, yes, a king-sized bed.  And a very classy southwestern decorating scheme.

Suite at the Chocolate Turtle ( nighttime chocolates were, of course, turtles)

   
The very large back property invited us to sit and watch rabbits and quail feeding in late afternoon.

The rabbits ignored us completely.

A tour of Casa Ortiz was the first stop after breakfast outdoors at the Chocolate Turtle.  Casa Ortiz is a partially restored 19th century home filled with Spanish Colonial artifacts. We were given a private tour by a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic docent.

Patio of Casa Ortiz.  Wish I could grow hollyhocks like these at home!

 An authentic adobe horno (oven) made us proud of a similar one we have in our own back yard.

Imagine the taste of a loaf of bread cooked in this oven!

Saturday evening's entertainment was enjoying the music of a band in the gazebo in Old Town, Albuquerque.  It was a family event, with people of all ages, grandchildren to grandparents, dancing around the gazebo to corridas and cumbias.

Tanya Griego with her band

We ate a late dinner at the Church Street Cafe, where we had been instructed by our b&b hostess, Denise, to ask to be seated in the courtyard. A lovely setting.

Great place to savor my very large serving of guacamole.

It had been a short stay in Corrales, but we may have found the getaway spot we have been looking for. Corrales is enough like our home town of El Paso, Texas to feel familiar; and yet, in this rural setting, I can let my mind drift back to earlier times.  Are the ghosts of conquistadors, soldiers, and laborers still present on the Camino Real?

A European Vibe in Texas?

I thought I knew everything there was to know about my home town of El Paso, Texas, having lived in this border city all my life.  I have visited every neighborhood, eaten in restaurants elegant and inelegant around town, and shopped everywhere from malls to mom and pop stores.

But it wasn't until recently that a serendipitous happening  made me feel transported to the European Continent, where the game of football (soccer to Americans) reigns supreme. Here is how it happened.

My husband Wayne and I are always on the lookout for the best restaurant to order a plate of nachos for a mid-afternoon snack. And we are nacho connoisseurs, turning up our noses at what we derisively call "baseball nachos," a pile of bought tortilla chips, smothered with liquid cheese and topped with fiery jalapeño slices.  Ándale, a local Mexican food restaurant that strives for authenticity, was our best bet to get a plate of real nachos.

The hostess asked if we wanted to be seated in the bar to watch the game.  What game?  we wondered.  But the bar seemed lively, so feeling a bit adventurous, we perched ourselves at a table with high stools and looked around at our surroundings.  I don't spend much time in bars these days, so the low lighting, TV screens, and bar patrons gave me something new to look at.

The young waitress didn't blink an eye when we ordered iced tea and a shared plate of nachos.  I asked about the game that was being played.  Mexico versus Venezuela in the Copa América she explained,  I asked her if she is a soccer fan.  Not really.  She prefers American football, except when Cristiano Ronaldo (the handsome Portuguese footballer) is playing.

As we settled in, enjoying food and drink and joining fans watching the soccer game, an unexpected feeling came over me.

It was a European vibe, where soccer championships, star players, and victories and defeats are part of the everyday culture. For an hour or so, it really did matter to me whether Mexico, our close neighbor, was scoring. I watched every play, cheered every attempt on goal, and chastised the officials if they made calls against Mexico.

This was a serious bar.  Everyone was focused on the the TV screens.

Some alone...

  

 And some with friends.

(Chicharito is the name of a famous Mexican footballer)

The spell was broken when we decided to leave at halftime.  We walked out into the bright El Paso sunshine. I was no long in a hotel bar in Portugal, or a cafe in Spain, or watching TV in a friend's house in London. I was back in the USA, where I wouldn't pay any attention to soccer scores until the next FIFA World Cup in 2018.   But, I must admit,  the nachos were really delicious.

Embracing 100° summer heat

As June daytime temperatures in my home town of El Paso, Texas, hover around the 100° F mark, I have no doubt that friends and relatives living in other, more temperate climates, are feeling really sorry for us.  One of my morning rituals is to check daily temperature highs in their cities and imagine what activities the day holds for them:  a longtime friend in London - 72°;  son and girlfriend in Los Angeles - 78°; Canadian friends in Quebec Province - 61°; friends and relatives in Dallas - 92°.

And having just returned from a train trip on The Canadian from Vancouver (65° high) to Toronto (69° high), I like to daydream about what I would be enjoying in those cities if I were still there today. I remember that the Canadian passengers I chatted with on the train could not imagine living in a city with scorching summer temperatures.

So, for anyone imagining what El Pasoans do during the summer, here are some photos to show that life still goes on, even if it is a bit warmish outside.

Bougainvillea Vine

I look forward every morning to ooing and ahing over the unusual fuchsia color of this bougainvillea vine in the barbecue patio, growing happily in a pot in full sun.  As a matter of fact, the blooms did not appear until the temperature started rising.

Grape vines

Grape vines in the back yard seem to flourish in the heat, producing numerous clusters of grapes, mostly for the birds to snack on.

Sitting under the pecan tree 

Pecan trees are grown all over our region as a cash crop.  We enjoy the cooling shade the trees provide.

Protected tomato plants

For many years, we have lamented the fact that our tomato plants start out growing vigorously in the spring, but when hot summer temperatures arrive, they shrivel and die.  This year my husband Wayne rigged up shade for the plants, hoping to outsmart Mother Nature.

Cool Nights in McKelligon Canyon

El Paso summertime evenings can be surprisingly pleasant. Sitting outdoors in the more than 20° 

cooler nighttime temperatures with low humidity helps us forget how hot it was several hours ago in mid-afternoon. "Cool Nights in McKelligon Canyon" is one of many free music venues staged during the summer months.  The amphitheater seats over 1500 people and is used for concerts and other special events.  As a slight breeze blew in during the performance, I noticed several concert goers reaching for shawls or light wraps.

Band on stage at McKelligon Canyon amphitheater

And if all else fails to keep El Pasoans cool, a quick dip in the swimming pool brings instant relief. No need to heat the pool - the 100° temperature takes care of that!

What's a little heat compared to the joys of summertime living, I ask?