Fight!

Raul has a friend here in Mexico who is into UFC and is planning on retiring soon, so we wanted to go out and see him get his butt kicked. The meet we went to involved submission fighting, so we took the girls and rooted for our friend. Submission fighting is very bloodless with no punches or kicking, and I was struck at how intimate the fights were.

Big Guy here is dislocating Gringo's jaw while crushing his windpipe. Notice after Big Guy wins, he stays to attend to make certain Gringo is okay. Touching.

Too Much of A Good Thing

So early in our adventure, I think I mentioned that the water is not potable here. Of course, this water is what comes through our pipes, into our shower head and more importantly, into our kitchen and the dishwasher. But we have the most awesome dishwasher in Mexico. The sanitary rinse cycle take 3 hours. The final two hours are spent with the dishwasher literally baking the dishes. It took us a few tries to figure out that the nalgene bottles that don't fit on the much safer top rack were being slowing distorted by their proximity to the heating element, until this beauty came out. We have a whole collection of water bottles and acrylic glasses that have a new wavy pattern. The dishwasher does have a menos caliente cycle, but why would I want to do that? This is the first thing in Mexico that I have found that works too well. It should be noted that it is an American dishwasher.

Popo is a no-no

With Columbus Day off, Raul and I decided to get out of the house, but not go too far since the kids would be home from school that afternoon, so we planned a trip to Parque Nacional Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatepetl, or what I like to call "Popo Park." When we left, the skies were clear, but after getting turned around downtown, by the time we were on the Puebla road, clouds were starting to move in, and the the smoking summit of Popo was obscurred. After a beautiful drive up the mountain to the Cortez Pass where the ranger station is located, there was absolutely no vista whatsoever, but we paid the access charge anyway, and hiked around the countryside. The only thing worth photographing was the flora (though we startled a number of rabbits but couldn't catch them on film).

At the top is what is called in Spanish Cardo Santo -- holy thistle.

Lupins

One of the things I like about Mexico, even in temperate Mexico City and even on the side of a snowy volcano is that there is always something blooming. Even if it is freaky alien flowers.

On the Amecameca road there was this great hill (?), our only mountain that we were able to capture.

The dry season has turned out to be fairly wet, so we'll have to try this again when the weather figures out what it is doing.

Backyard Fauna

So we have about a million little grey-brown lizards in our yard, and the Dog cornered one in the crabgrass. When the Cat is not sitting patiently under the hummingbird feeder for one of the little buzzers to trip up and fall into his mouth, he's catching lizards. In true cat form, he doesn't care about them when they are no longer running or twitching, so he leaves them for the Dog. Dog is so tickled to have a gift, he rolls around on the dead lizard, imparting its fragrant bouquet onto his neck so we can all enjoy the smell of his vicarious victory.

Parting Halloween shot. Looks pretty evil, right? Actually, he's just yawning.

Guess I'll Go Eat Worms

Gusanos de Maguey

These were deep fried, packaged, and then reheated in the microwave in a lady's home for my consumption. Bonus: they were free to me.

They weren't as bad as I look. Sort of a pork rind flavor. Once again, not slimy. I washed these babies down with a Snickers bar, which made it okay.

Lesson learned: never sit in someone's home and brag about how you'll eat next to anything. You never know what they have waiting for you in their fridge. Nancy, provider of worms, also recommended a few places to have brain quesadillas (near Interlomas) and eyeball tacos (in the Zócolo). I bow to her amazingly broad palate.

Colibrís para mi Suegra

Our lovely pair of blue-throated hummingbirds.

This little boy I call The Cowboy. He's a single Berylline hummingbird that manages to run off the other hummingbirds (which are twice his size -- blue-throateds are HUGE). I call him The Cowboy because he always drinks from the feeder with his back against the wall (which is odd for a hummer). I had to tape off the back flower so I could shoot him.

I hope that as winter descends north of the Tropic of Cancer, more little hummers will come to visit. I have heard that only the Americans put out hummingbird feeders. I can imagine that is so as my three guests empty me out every few days.

Teotihuacan

Saturday's visit was to Teotihuacan -- a huge archeological site 40km outside of Mexico City.

As we climbed the Pyramid of the Sun, I took a picture of the Pyramid of the Moon on every level (while catching my breath). And then I processed each one differently, including the two of Zorra and Nevara that I took within 60 seconds of each other. I am nothing if not inconsistent.

It was a very long way to fall.

Having just put a new bottle of anti-bacterial gel in my camera bag, I allowed the girls to pet a stray there.
The plaza in front of the Pyramid of the Moon
My handsome husband and amazing chauffeur.
Zorra wanted to climb up this large platform and take her own pictures only to realize when she arrived there that she would have to descend alone.

To my Mexico Peeps

toluca feria alfenique 17, originally uploaded by dimitridf.

Go visit the Alfeñique Fair in Toluca, mid October.