Going home~Who says we can't go home?

The Spirit of Mexico may never leave us but we are certainly going to do just that & leaving Mexico to head back home...


















As we leave Mexico & return home I reflect on all the ways Mexico touches our lives. While it is true Texas is never far from Mexico both in distance & cultural connections. During the time we have both lived here & traveled to and from Mexico it has touched our lives in ways one cannot describe or even try to tell someone else. The friends we made in Mexico will be ours for a lifetime & the experiences we had will stay with us even longer. Texas will always be my home & birthplace but Mexico will always have a piece of my heart. **Besides all of the sentiment, I knew it was time to head home to Texas when my husband wanted ice cream & I paid 130.00 pesos for a carton of Blue Bell ice cream. Somethings are just sacred!





I spent last week running around visiting my friends, saying my goodbyes & having a few last cups of coffee. I was able to visit a Festival de Artesanias from Oaxaca which came to town just before we left Monterrey. The festival featured handmade products from across the state of Oaxaca. I was impressed as always by the quality of goods & the skills of the artist from that region. Most of the artist were very friendly & eager to show the wares they had made but one in particular impressed me when she gave me a demonstration of weaving with a traditional back strap loom. Alicia Gomez Navarro showed us several of the weavings she had made several of which depicted animals woven into the patterns. We of course bought some of her beautiful woven pieces, which are true treasures. Many of the typical Artesanias we saw from Oaxaca have been made for generations & the ancient traditions have been handed down from Nahua or Aztec heritage.




















A Typical Tex-Mex Breakfast good enough for a meal at any time.
More than once during our moving time period I made up Migas for a meal. When moving easy meals featuring whatever was on hand & didn't require making a run to the "Super" was the comida del día.
"Migas" means crumbs, in Spain the migas or crumbs are actual breadcrumbs mixed into the eggs & scambled. In Texas or Northern Mexico it's Tortillas which are the "crumbs" in the eggs.


Huevos con migas Omlette
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. Poblano Chili Pepper, diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into small strips
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 roma tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
1/2 cup chopped avocado, sprinkled with a little lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
2/3 cup grated mild cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese
crema or sour cream

In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, and set aside.

Warm the butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the tortilla pieces and sauté until softened. Add the chopped onion and sauté until it is transparent. Stir in the chopped Poblano chiles, tomato.

Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and "scramble" gently eggs are done or set. Remove the skillet from heat, and sprinkle the cilantro and cheese into the eggs, fold Omelette over carefully making certain the cheese is in the center as you would with a regular omelette. the Tortillas add density to folding it over may require both a spatula & silicon spatula. Top with Crema & serve avocado to the side. This omelette serves 2. Serve at once with warm flour or corn tortillas & favorite salsa.

Monterrey says "Goodbye Frida!"

We went to Barrio Antiguo today & as it is near the Macro or Monterrey Metropolitan Museum we had to wade through heavy crowds to get near the Barrio Antiguo district. We had read this morning that 100,000 persons have viewed the Frida Exhibition during the month long visit in Monterrey. I seriously doubt anyone was prepared for the crowds that seemed to flock to the Macro by mid day to pay their last respects. We saw helicopters in the air & police on motor cycles trying to direct the crowds. What a tribute to the exhibit! Bravo, Frida!


















A century after her birth Frida still knows how to draw a crowd. One of the strongest, if not the singular Mexican female Art figure of the 20th century. Eternally Frida!




Wonder if I will continue to see these interesting little Frida Dolls in Barrio Antiguo?

Frida, Frida, Frida

The woman who painted her own reality.



Frida-Mania has hit Monterrey!
As part of the 2007 Forum; the Metropolitan Museum of Monterrey, the Macro is host to an incredible collection of Frida Kahlo paintings, studies & letters.
Most striking in the exhibit was how small, compact & personal her most vivid portraits were that dealt with the conditions which physically affected her life & made her the artist she was.
The most emotionally moving was her incredibly personal "A Few Small Nips", it was Oil on metal & barely 15 x 19 inches.
While I enjoyed seeing "The Two Fridas" in person, my favorite had to be her "Borderline between Mexico & the United States". She painted this after traveling with Diego Rivera to the US & spending 4 years while he painted murals he was commissioned for. I am sure in those days having Mexican fare or any sense of her homeland was not the same as it is in 2007! She was very lonely for all that was Mexico. I can understand her in the reverse sense of that painting. The piece is also remarkable as she used collage techniques to lay in several images along the bottom of her painting.


Frida died at 47, yet left an incredible mark on the world. Frida both artist & icon is stronger than ever & continues to leave scholars & artists talking about her 100 years after her birth.

Monterrey Museum of Modern Art~the Macro!

Great view of Juan Soriano's Paloma in front of the Macro

Today for the John/Dee birthday celebration we toured the Museum of Modern Art (aka: the Macro) where we viewed some wonderful pieces by Picasso, Dali & Rufino Tomayo. There were special exhibitions by more contemporary artists such as Roberto Cortazar. I am very excited by the upcoming exhibition of Frida Kahlo's works which will arrive August 31!!! There was one artist who had an exhibition of art which existed of pieces where she used the mediums of pressed paper, hair & blood & other strange substances!!! It was enough of a turn off that I didn't view the entire exhibit. Not worth my time to view someone exercising their own personal demons. (although much art might be a form of exercising psychological or deeper expressions~just not enough to gross me out! Don't mind moving art, just not the ick factor.) Most of that particular artist's pieces I saw had the appearance of skin & body parts...to each his own! The rest of the exhibits were impressive. What I can truly say is that the Culture & Arts are alive & well in Monterrey Mexico.

Cathedral & Casino de Monterrey


The building was downtown in the center of the area around the Macro Plaza. The area is full of great architectural, public features & many other impressive government & art related buildings. The museum is directly across from the Metropolitan Cathedral de Monterrey built from 1600 to 1750 & one block from a personal favorite of mine. The Casino de Monterrey has ties to my family as it was rebuilt at the turn of the century by on of my great grandfathers when he was living & working in Mexico. The Casino still stands the test of time. Proudly it stands in the center of a lively government & arts center in downtown Monterrey known as Macro Plaza!
Awesome day spent with my favorite person!!!! Happy Bday: John:)

¡cumpleaños feliz Frida de 100 años!

“I must fight with all my strength so that the little positive things my health allows me to do might be pointed toward helping the revolution. The only real reason for living." -Frida Kahlo



Mexico & the art world celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Frida Kahlo's birthday.

Mexico City is hosting the largest ever exhibition of Frida Kahlo's works this week at the Museo de Bellas Artes to mark 100 years since the birth of the artist.

Frida Kahlo was the first Latin American woman to have a painting in the Louvre. Her work caused a storm in Paris in 1939, and the surrealists claimed it as supremely illustrative of their ideas.

To the average person, her paintings may often appear to be very dark. But a deeper understanding of her life gives her imagery a wider dimension, reflecting the psychological & physical pain she endured through her tortured relationship & marraige with Diego Rivera and countless failed surgeries which lead to her early death in 1954.

If you want to know more about Frida Kahlo read: Hayden Herrera’s Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo.


There are untold numbers of tourista items & bric-a-brac with Frida's image today in Mexico making her more recognizable than most of the current Latin American politicians.

I am including one of Frida's recipes on my blog. It is very similar to the Chiles en Nogada which I have posted as a recipe previously on the old blog. She was a woman of great talents & gifts in the kitchen as well as the art world!

Cooking up one of Frida's Recipes~

CHILES STUFFED WITH PICADILLO
• 16 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and deveined
• Flour
• 5 eggs, separated
• Olive oil or lard
• Tomato Broth

Stuff the chiles with the Picadillo, then dust them with flour. Beat the egg whites until stuff. Beat the yolks lightly with a pinch of salt and gently fold together with the whites to make a batter. Dip the chiles into the batter and fry in hot oil until golden. Drain on brown paper. To serve, place the chiles in the Tomato Broth.

PICADILLO

• 3 lb. ground pork
• 1 large onion, halved
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 6 tablespoons lard (olive oil is fine)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 3/4 cup blanched almonds, chopped
• half cup raisins

Cook the pork with the onion halves, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste for about 20 minutes. Drain the liquid and discard onion. Heat the lard in another pan and sauté the chopped onion, carrots, and zucchini until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, cabbage, almonds, raisins, pork and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture has darkened and the tomato is cooked through.

TOMATO BROTH
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 10 medium tomatoes, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• half cup vinegar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tsp dried oregano

South of the border stampede!

Even if the Bull Fights are synonymous with bovines in Mexico, the Cow Parade is here. There is no doubt that some people are just plain confused when they see the Cows for the first time. This woman obviously was, she kept looking & shaking her head!




Cow Parade which began in 1999 was started as a public art exhibit which makes art accessible to everyone. It is the considered the world's largest public art exhibit. Since Cow Parade is inspired by cultural aspects & artists interpretation the Cow Parade in Mexico has many centuries of both art & history to draw on. In Mexico City one artist even painted a Frida Cow as an homage to famed Mexican Artist Frida Kahlo. The Torreon cows are certainly eye catching in the downtown area near the Museum. But my favorite by far is one of the privately owned Cows is near my husband's office & he walks past it each day on his way into the office.
Most important, CowParade ultimately benefits charity. To learn more about the Cow Parade go to: CowParade.com




















The Privately owned Cow: La via del Primer Picad, in front of Tyson de Mexico offices.
Cow Parade in Mexico: A Moo~y Bueno Experience!

Toro on the hillside! Frankly, that is no Bull!

My daughter urged me to take a photo of this "Bullboard" as we were driving back from Zacatecas. These huge signs are some of the few signs we see on the Mexican Cuota roads. The oversized bovine signs are part of a world wide hunger campaign where celebrities have painted copies of the "bullboards" & they are then auctioned off for to help fight against hunger.
Check out the website: http://ranchcardoso.biz/ArtBulls4Charity/



















“Bullboards” – billboards in the shape of the famous Osborne Bull – can be found all over Spain & also throughout Mexico. My youngest daughter found these Bullboards all over Spain when she traveled there a couple of years ago.

Facts: Each bull weighs nearly 9,000 pounds. Its combined weight with 4 steel support turrets and a concrete base exceeds 60 tons.
“El toro” stands 46 feet high, or the height of a four-story building. It is no wonder that these Bullboards can be seen for miles on the roadsides in Mexico & Spain.
Each bull is comprised of 70 individual pieces of sheet metal, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
At least 20 gallons of black paint are required to cover the bull.
It takes 1000 bolts to hold each bull together.
I am sure in Mexico it must be a monumental task to erect these Bullboards since they are generally out in the middle of no where or on top of some remote hillside.