The engineering of these concrete staircases is really an art form.  Check out the way this puppy is supported.

Now the rebar you see sticking up has been embedded in the concrete between the blocks and now will be bent to go up the slope where more rebar will be added and wired together to then be enveloped in a bed of concrete.

These boards are used and reused from one job to the next and so sometimes need a bit of surgery in order to get the right length and support needed.

Boards are placed also on the sides of the ramp and landings so a proper layer of cement can be poured..

Here below you can see evidence of the stop-gap paper I spoke of.

Our iron doors and windows were ready a bit ahead of time so they installed those for downstairs as all of the cement work on the first level was complete. We stashed the ones for the second floor and the Herrero and his crew will return to install them. Then we need to get someone else to come and put glass in.

The railings below that are leaning up against the  new windows were from our rooftop deck where we had them removed and kitchen garden planters built knowing we would reuse the rails on the terrace of the shop.

The door is a bit dusty but we LOVE it!

Now can we talk about scaffolding! I don’t really think it was designed to use it this way but it works. Now pay attention ’cause I’m going to walk you through the anatomy of the scaffolding system presently being used at Casita Cielo Azul in the construction the Cafe Manana. So let’s go upstairs and inside where we’ll start…..

Now this hole really is for an outlet but as we don’t need it yet why not open it all the way to the exterior, stick a 2 x 4 through, wedge some scrap pieces in the make it a tight fit in order to help hold up the scaffolding the guys are using to finish the outside concrete work.

Noe here is the same board sticking OUT of the building. With the walking plank on top of it.

Now you might have to squint but in the pic below you can see the 2 x 4 sticking into the room on the bottom right and the walking plank it is supporting on the outside of the house on the left. You might now want to scroll back up a few shots to see the Physics of Scaffolding at it’s best.

Linc I do believe we’re about ready for the concrete to be poured encasing the blocks! Now speaking of concrete. Rather than using a mixer the concrete is mixed on the floor or the street and then toted, bucket by bucket to where it’s needed.

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So we are beginning to pick up some special pieces of art for the gallery aspect of the our to open in the fall coffee shop ……. Cafe Manana. Years ago we fell in love with paintings by the Mexican Artist David Villasenor. We would see his paintings in our travels throughout Mexico and were captured by the ones of indigenous people, the traditional clothing, the colors, the faces………. I have always been captivated by the colorful clothing and the satiny ribbons that woman braid into the waist long hair braids.

…  

Cafe Manana will consist of 2 stories. On the first floor will be the main coffee shop that will spill out into the garden where we’ll put a couple of tables for the nature lovers. I know when we used to only be down here for a week I almost hated eating inside, I always wanted to be outside. Clearly that’s apparent to anyone who has been to our house Casita Cielo Azul here in San Pancho as only our bathrooms and bedrooms are fully enclosed. All the rest of the living spaces are open-air. The second floor is being built so it can also be another living space should we need it. There will be a main room, a second room that can be used as a bedroom and a full bath. A balcony will cantilever out over the sidewalk in front of our property. The main house, sitting at the rear of our house will remain private due to the way we’ve designed the new building. We’re furnishing the second floor with art that we love enough to keep should it never sell.

David Villasenor died in 2007 but his daughter has kept his art alive through the talent of artists that were handpicked and hand trained by David himself in his studio. She came to visit us the other day in San Pancho to talk about the art we’re interested in carrying in the gallery. She brought along some paintings as well. Now the image you see of the girl at the top of this blog posting is that of a painting that we already own. It’s hanging in our dining room back in Evanston. It is STUNNING! A real show stopper! It’s a rare person that doesn’t walk through our dining room and stop….mesmerized……..and go “WOW!”!

Well this one, the one just above is our newest addition but this one is for the gallery. We new as soon as they unwrapped it, that this was the one. It measures approximately 48″ x 71″. These are no little paintings. For scale purposes you can also see it just below. Now I think we only have one full wall in the gallery space big enough for this piece so that’ll make hanging it simple and it’ll be sooooo easy on the eyes!

Okay so I couldn’t help myself I had to give you a bigger view, isn’t she something!

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I’ve heard of couples meeting while driving down the street and exchanging telephone numbers through the glass windows. Another story was that of two people being prepped for operations. Friends of ours met after a crime had occurred at her residence and he was one of the officers assigned to the case. Of course there are the, “How Stella got her groove back” story of people meeting on vacation.

So how many couples do you know when asked, “So, where did the 2 of you meet?”. Answer with the fact that in 1982 when they met as performers in a traveling Wild West show. Well our friends Latcho and Andrea can. Let’s take it one step further and point out that Latcho’s act was that of a fire eating medicine man, and Andrea was an Indian dancer. The Wild West show’s run didn’t last but they went on to joined Circus Atlas, where Latcho became Sabu the Living Volcano, and Andrea, Indra the snake dancer. Now come on beat that story, I dare you.

After life with the Gipsy Clan of Circus Atlas, Latcho continued as a composer and guitarist, and Andrea and Andrea as a Flamenco dancer but she also began playing rhythm guitar. They toured throughout Europe and Egypt where they won awards for best folkloric music group.

In 1996, they moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They still perform throughout Europe and the United States as well as Mexico which is where we met them a number of years ago. There used to be this funky pizza place here in San Pancho called Gallo’s.

Latcho and Andrea used to play at Gallo’s every Sunday evening. Now, San Pancho isn’t exactly a hub of nightlife and entertainment and back then the options could be easily counted on one hand.

Luckily for us we REALLY enjoy listening to the 2 of them so it gave us a weekly night of local entertainment.

This year for the first time Latcho and Andrea played at the San Pancho Music Fest, a 3 day event the last weekend in February. Local, national as well as international musicians come to play. These 2 put on a great show.

Sundays are “beach day” for Linc and I. We grab the camera and our Rummikube game and head on down just to relax. At  5:00 there’s a Cuban Salsa band that comes to play, excellent!!! An now, every Tuesday, Latcho and Andrea play at the same venue, La Playa. Brother, did I just call it a  ”venue”. It’s actually the newest of our 3 beach restaurants here but it boasts great food, drinks and the cleanest bathrooms on the beach (you have no idea how high this point rates).

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    Olive Tapenade

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So, The Quinta Loreto is our favorite go-to for over night stays in San Miguel. Now we’ve stayed at some places here that are a bit more refined and a bit more polished around the edges some even had traits that we sought to duplicate when we built Casita Cielo Azul, our home in San Pancho. But here The Quinta is right in downtown San Miguel so close and convenient to anything and everything. It offers a number of different accommodations all the way up to 3 bedroom long-term stay houses. We opt for the little units that are more motel style with sitting areas out in front of the rooms facing the garden area. This   aspect is VERY important to especially me. I tend to wake up a few hours before Linc, put on a pot of coffee (remember we travel with a coffee pot) then retreat out and read or catch up on emails. Now San Miguel tends to be quite a bit cooler in the mornings than at Casita Cielo Azul so I always pack a pair of socks and a jacket but despite the cool morning air I love sitting outdoors.

To get to The Quinta you actually have to drive through part of the Artisan Market which snakes it’s way in a narrow corridor many blocks long. Unlike the market in Tonala which is only there 2 days a week, this one is open 7 days a week but also offers all of the offerings ranging from crafts to fresh produce and food stuffs.

Up a narrow staircase then up another narrow stairway you get to the rooftop restaurant, to La Posadita where the view is a killer. Most of the food served here is from local organic ranches.  Let me say, this restaurant has vaulted to the top of our “Restaurants to eat at in San Miguel de Allende”. Now on to the important stuff. I consider myself to be somewhat of a Chile Rellenos snob. I may have mentioned before that together Linc and I are searching for the best roasted chicken in Mexico but separately he for milanesa and  chilaquiles while I for huevos rancheros and chile rellenos. I have to say that this was THE BEST chile rellenos that I have ever eaten in a restaurant. Now if my word isn’t good enough let me underscore this statement  by saying that  my mother makes THE BEST chile rellenos and even she agreed with me. Linc had an awesome mole that had a rich flavor that was complimented really well by them adding toasted sesame seeds to the top of the dish just before serving. There were 6 of us and everyone besides my mother and I had something different and everyone loved their meals.

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Every Thursday and Sunday there is a huge street market covering many of the main streets. Vendors selling hand blown glass, ceramics, pottery and paper mache crafts. Nuts, candies, baked goods, tequila and loads of taquerias that prove Pavlov’s Theory block after block with the wafting scent of grilled onions and meats, quesadillas, empanadas, excuse me while I wipe my chin. Handmade furniture of wood, leather & iron.

Then let’s not forget Linc’s favorite thing to buy here in Tonala, cd’s. Now I apologize here and now to all musicians who are fighting the pirating of music but we only buy from this one vendor of boot-leg music, I swear!!!!!! It’s just that not even I can argue with my husband about paying barley more than $4 for the 3 cd’s he bought this time that contain, 100, 140 & 176 tracks each of a specific genre of music, no lie! A couple of years ago it was a female jazz that I am not exaggerating when I say we fire it up in the morning and turn it off to go to sleep. The quality and selection is fabulous. The only down-side is that they have the songs grouped alphabetically so you might have to listen to 5 different renditions of a certain song but as it’s world music it’s in a variety of languages soooooo each sounds a little like an entirely different song (well kinda). This year we hit pay-dirt with 2 classical and a Cuban collection.

The word “Tonala” comes from the Nahuatl and means “place from which the sun emerges”. The area was originally known as “The Queens Hill”. Now this may have something to do with the fact that when the Spanish arrived in the year 1530 Tonallán (as it was referred to) was ruled by a woman named Cihualpilli Tzapotzinco.

Next stop, San Miguel de Allende and picking Linc’s suegra (mother in-law) up at the Leon airport.

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Horns could be heard throughout town, guitars, keyboards, English, Spanish with a bit of Drama tossed in. Each evening the last Friday, Saturday and Sunday in February we would pack up our beach chairs, grab a bottle of vino and head to the plaza. The San Pancho music Festival had started and we would add our chairs to end of a line of a already attentive concert goers. While I  set us up Linc  would wander on over to buy a couple of plates with warm tacos, quesadillas and chile rellenos, yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

So clearly the chances of any of you knowing any of these names is remote at best but I thought I would post the schedule so ya’ll could see the  diversity of the line-up. At Casita Azul Folk Art in Evanston we used to cell cd’s by Jeff Oster and Latch & Andrea “The Blond Gypsies”.

Friday 2/24

5pm – Nuiwarika (Grupo de Danza – Folklore Dancing)

6pm – Olivia de La Cruz (folk, contemporary, soulful ballads)

7pm – Frida’s Eyebrow (blues, folksy ballads)

8pm – No Walls (progressive jazz)

9pm – Steve O’Connor (jazz, guitar)

10pm – Jeff Oster (smooth jazz, trumpet & flugelhorn)

   Saturday 2/25

    5pm – Jeff Oster and Chas Eller

    6pm - Werther Ellerbrock (jazz, pop, guitar)

    7pm – The Coolerators (rock-n-roll, pop, ballads)

    8pm – Banderas Bay Jazz Allstars (smooth jazz)

    9pm - Jam Session

•     Jeff Oster, trumpet
•     Chas Eller, keyboards
•     Bryan Savage, alto sax
•     Steve Goldberg, flugelhorn
•     Werther Ellerbrock, guitar
•     Dov Schiller, percussion
• Tom Lillienthal, bass
• Lazaro Poey, drums
• others to be announced
• 

Sunday 2/26

     5:30pm – Los Compas (Musica nortena)

     6pm - Awacero (trova Mexicana)

     7pm - Sons of the Beach feat. Jodi Moran (swing jazz, blues)

     8pm - Latcho and Andrea (gypsy flamenco)

     9pm – Tatewari (flamenco, fusion)

      9:45pm – Jazz Tubo w/ Beto and Carlos Gonzalez (jazz)

     10:30pm - Atrakadero (Mexican banda)

The weather here had been cloudy and overcast for most of the last couple weeks but the sun broke through to shine down for the music fest. The streets were actually bustling and in San Pancho that’s a rarity. Some of the bands came from other pueblos nearby so their fans made the trek to watch and support them.

…………………….. time for a road-trip to San Miguel de Allende where we’ll be meeting up with Jill’s mother.

Hasta Pronto

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