Conversation on a Hot Day

A few months ago we were in San Marcos, Guerrero, and starting chatting with this elder at his house about life, work and struggle.

Wanna Buy a Taxi?

While many U.S. malls display hot sport cars inside their stores with cute girls handing out information, our neighborhood grocery store Mega took a more practical approach.

Two ordinary looking men tried to lure customers to buy a new taxi painted in the new regulation colors--gold and red. Soon all Mexico City taxis are supposed to look like this.

Meet el Sr. Carbajal

BEJUCOS, Estado de Mexico--On most days you can catch el Sr. Carbajal riding on horseback through his steamy hometown. He said he's never owned a car and never will. A car doesn't go where el Sr. Carbajal needs to go--through the mountainous campos of the Tierra Caliente region. While most male residents of Bejucos migrate to the United States, el Sr. Carbajal says he's never had a desire to leave his land.

Huaraches

LUVIANOS, Estado de Mexico--We stumbled upon a hidden huarache factory here that distributes these traditional handcrafted leather shoes throughout the country. The woman who runs the makeshift factory expanded the business with remittances that her sons send her from Austin, Texas.

The $1,500 sombrero

LUVIANOS, Estado de Mexico--Jeremy tries on a sombrero in the Tierra Caliente region, where a lightweight, bendable hat is not only traditional but also necessary. Hat makers use palm leaves to weave an intricate and high quality sombrero that costs about $1,500 USD.

It takes months for one hat to be completed, and then lasts a lifetime. But for campesinos or farmers who work the land for a living, a hat like this is a life saver. Some campesinos save for years and years to afford this luxury.

While younger generations prefer a baseball cap, older farmers wear their sombreros with pride. Some young men, though, see how necessary a hat like this is to battle the region's intense heat and create new styles and ways of wearing the sombrero. They are reinventing a tradition in order to keep the sombrero alive.

Rice Krispies back in Mexico!

It's amazing what foods you begin to miss when you've been away for awhile. While I was living in Michigan, I craved breakfast tacos. While living in Florida, I missed Mexican Coca-Cola, and in Mexico City I longed to hear my bowl sing "Snap, Crackle, Pop!"

I'm not sure why. I was never a huge fan, but I guess you always want what you can't have. On trips back to the States, I always had to have at least one bowl. I even asked my sister, Marisol, once to stuff a bag of Rice Krispies in her suitcase when she came to visit me (which she graciously did) from San Antonio.

Then a few days ago, while online grocery shopping, the familiar blue box popped up on the computer screen. Was this an Internet hoax? Surely, there was some mistake. But I clicked on the "add to cart" button, and hoped for the best.

When the groceries were delivered, I frantically scanned through all the bags. And there they were---those three little guys just like I remembered.

Apparently, Mexicans enjoyed Rice Krispies too until about 20 years ago when they misteriously disappeared from grocery store shelves. For whatever reason, they are now back in Mexico, ready to win over a whole new generation.

So Snap, Crackle, Pop or Pim Pum Pam! (as they say here) to everyone!

Reaching our Northernmost Point

OLYMPIA/SEATTLE-- For the last leg of our trip, we met up with my aunts who live in Olympia. As soon as we got to their house nestled between a lake and the woods, I understood why they have chosen Washington as their home for so many years.

They graciously took us to all the surrounding hot spots. We even got a chance to check out Jeremy's beloved Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field!




My aunts enjoy Olympia's beautiful capitol grounds. Austin's got nothing on this breathtaking campus.


photo by jeremy
From flying fish to freestyling musicians, Pikes Place Market in Seattle had it all.


photo by jeremy
The amazing clouds surrounding the Space needle made for great views.



photo by jeremy

SAFECO stadium had better food and beer than any other stadium I have ever been to.

News of the Weird

SOMEWHERE IN OREGON-- We've covered a lot of ground in the last couple of days, and we are driving into Portland today. The drive has been amazing. We've seen everything from the world's largest trees to mountains, rivers, the Pacific Ocean, vineyards.....and so much more. But a trip is not complete without also getting a chance to see the quirkiness that makes us want to keep seeing more. Here are a few examples:



Smokey the Bear made an appearance at the capitol grounds in Sacramento.



We get the "thumbs up" from a mystery creature growing out of Napa Valley vineyards.


This probably has been the weirdest thing we have witnessed. If you think these are regular goats, you're wrong. These little guys are called "fainting goats." Every time they are surprised or scared, their muscles stiffen and they fall over. Jeremy got to see two of the smaller goats get spooked and go down.


In northern California, near Crescent City. 

Snaps from the Road

My cousin Margarito feeds the livestock in his Tracy, CA ranch.


California's beautiful rolling hills make the drive much more enjoyable.

I spotted this tree at a Farmer's Market on the way to Sacramento.

Alternative Energy Along West Coast

NEAR TRACY, CA--As we whiz by northern California, inching our way up to Seattle, we've noticed solar panels and wind mills covering the mountainside of the west coast. It's refreshing to see all these alternative energy sources especially because I don't think that a road trip through my native Texas would look like this.

These wind mills provide energy for Los Angeles. But they have also been controversial. Animal rights activists have argued that birds are getting caught up in the blades, diminishing the population of some rare species.