Ponta Delgada to Boston

 

This was a day to relax and see friends off home. The Solots were flying out today. So we spent time with them. Kathy and we then walked around the city to find a small lunch. My sleep has been chaotic and I welcomed a 2 hour nap before dinner.  Tonight, with just the 3 of us, we returned to Biai dos Anjos for dinner. The red wines here are particularly good and very reasonably priced. I’m ready to go tomorrow. The island is beautiful but 2 or 3 days is enough for us. We leave on 11/15 at 6 pm. Arrive in Boston at 8 pm with coats at the ready. 

Sunday Brunch

 

Louis’ and Jerome’s Home

Louis, John’s brother (pictured above with Wayne), and Jerome, Louis’ husband, invited us to brunch at their home in Caloura. They have 4 acres of land that is better described as 4 acres of paradise. The house sits above beautiful gardens that roll down to the ocean. Very high above this house, they are building a second home where they will move when it is completed. That home has a view of the ocean to the south. 

Two of the sisters and brother Able were there along with Alves wife and daughter. As can be expected with a large family, it was boisterous, funny, a bit sad, and loving. Oh, and there was the very nice Fred, resident dog. 

Back in Ponta Delgada Kathy, Wayne and I took a walk to find an ATM nd check out a Fado restaurant. The restaurant only has Fado on Wednesday.  Dinner a the hotel.  Pictures of paradise

And the Wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round and ‘Round

 

Us as Twins at the Twin Lakes, Sete Cicades

The 5 of us hired a tour for today. Valter, our guide, has relatives in New Bedford and Providence. No surprise there actually. A very informed man; he speaks 6 languages including Greek and Latin. We circled the coast line of the entire island. For the most part we were high atop the mountains with wonderful views of the calderas and coastal cities. We stopped for lunch at a small village restaurant where I ordered the catch of the day, mackerel. I can’t begin to describe the perfection of this grilled delight. Plus, vegetables fruit and salad on the plate made this a meal for at least 2. It was so abundant that we and Kathy had appetizers at the hotel bar for dinner. Please look at the Photos to appreciate this gorgeous island. 

Adeus João

 

Wayne in Ribeira Quente 

All 19 of us who are here to spread John’s ashes and celebrate him drove to the town in which he was born and spent his first 14 years. It was a small village sitting on the Atlantic much unchanged from when the Limas lived here. John’s sister Ligia told stories of their time here before immigrating to the USA. Brother Louis pointed out their home. The parents immigrated with all six children in order to escape the Facist Salazar. After the ashes were spread, we all went to a bar which was located where John’s father would distill booze. There we toasted John and heard reminisces from the family. Louis drove us back and stopped at Furnas. Furnas sits in a dormant volcanic crater. Although the Furnas volcano last erupted in 1630, you can feel, see and smell the geothermal activity all around you in the form of steaming fumaroles, thermal pools and natural mineral springs. The locals utilize the heat of the ground to cook the famous Cozido stew, and also use the mineral waters in several recipes for cheese, pastries, breads, meats and more. Upon our return to Ponta Delgado we had lunch with Kathy and the Solots at The House of Balcahau where I had a delicious Tower of Bacaulau.  Pictures of our day

And So We Change Continents

 

Beaver Moon Over Dorchester Bay Boston

It should be a good omen to have see this beautiful Beaver moon over Dorchester Bay as we drove into Boston Logan airport. There We met Kathy and Howard and Janet Solot at check-in. We then proceeded to the French airport lounge for drinks and snacks before boarding the plane. The flight was 4 hours, and we arrived at 6 AM, were picked up by a hired transport and taken to our hotel. As our bodies considered it 1:30 AM we checked into the room and slept until noon. We met Cathy in the bar for a quick lunch and then walked around the downtown area.  Tonight John’s brother, Louis, and brother-in-law Jerome will take us to dinner across from the hotel. Pictures from our walk.

Update. Dinner was a loooonnnnggggg table of family and friends with wonderful Portuguese wine. 

The Night Before the Day Before Ilha de São Miguel, Portugal

 

São Miguel Volcanic Lake  “Lagoon of the Seven Cities”

We are traveling to the beautiful Portuguese island of Sao Miguel on Wednesday.  We will be arriving on Thursday at 6am, tired, sleepy but happy to be there.  I have wanted to see the Azorean islands for a long time during the hydrangea blooming season.  That won't be possible this trip as they will be dormant in November. But the island offers more with volcanic lakes, mountains, hot springs and geysers. The visit a somber trip because we are there to support our friend Kathy Lima as she spreads her husband, John's, ashes. John was a dear friend of both Wayne and I.  I have know him for over 45 years and carry loving memories of his generosity, friendship, humor and more. 

Sete Cidades

Siete Dias en la Ciudad de Mexico

 

Selfie at Teotihuacan

Following our stint in Imperial Beach, we took a 7 day tour of Mexico City with Road Scholar.  We've traveled with them before and felt secure with their approach to dining, covid and safety.  

Dia Uno 3/7/2022
Our flight to Mexico City (henceforth MC) left at (yawn) 6am.  With a flight change in Phoenix, we arrived at 3pm and were greeted by Road Scholar (henceforth RS) representatives, Haydee and Beatrice.  One of the benefits of booking with RS is transportation to and from the airport.  After checking into the NH Collection Mexico City Centro Historic, we had dinner in the hotel. It was disappointing that Haydee elected not to use this initial dinner for the orientation and introductions.  The large table was full, and we ate alone.  I found this less than ideal.  The hotel is in the heart of Mexico City's historic center, footsteps from Zocalo Plaza which we drove past, the Temple Mayor and pedestrian strolling streets. A bit of travel at Flickr.

Dia Dos 3/8/2022

Our Road Scholar Companions at Zocalo Plaza

Once again, there was no orientation today.  Also, we had to constantly introduce ourselves to people and explain we had no name tags because we weren't home to receive them.  We had our first lecture today from Alma Lilia Roura on the history of Mexico City. She will be our daily lecturer speaking on the history in a chronological format. Today's lecture introduced us to the 3 formative muralists: Diego Rivera, David Sequeiros, and Jose Orozco. 

Following her lecture we toured the Historic District of MC which is centered over and around the Aztec ruins.  We walked through Zocalo Plaza where we encountered the Feminists marching on International Women's Day.  Our guides kept moving us along and preventing us from even observing the march.  The guides claim that the feminists can become violent.  I felt I was denied the opportunity to experience a cultural event.  Our first stop was at the ruins of the main temple of the Aztecs.  The adjacent Museum Templo Mayor holds Aztec artifacts found in the area. The ruins were buried under Spanish era buildings and were discovered when excavations for a new building were begun.  These artifacts and ruins helped historians determine the scope and purpose of the ruins.

Aztec Ruins of Templo Mayor

After lunch and a bit of information about the surrounding Spanish architecture, we took a short walking tour.  Our trip to the Secretary of Education building was cancelled due to the Feminist Protests.  The feminist groups in Mexico have a long history.  Today they have a reputation of becoming distructive during the International Women's Day protests.  It began two years ago when powers that be failed to address the rape of a teenager by policemen and when the continued disappearances of native women were not investigated. Nearly 70% of Mexican women are victims of sexual assault, and around 9 women are killed every day.  So, instead of seeing murals at the Education building, Wayne and I went to the Grand Hotel to see the Tiffany ceiling and have a margarita.  From the roof deck we at last had a view of the Feminist protestors.  See this and more at Flickr.  

Wayne in the Grand Hotel

Dia Tres 3/9/2022

Selfie in the courtyard of the Anthropology Museum

The lecture today was on the pre-Colombian period.  MC was founded and named Mexica-Tenochtitlan by the Mexica people in the early 14th century.  This founding spot happened to be in a lake.  Two centuries later and then the capital of the Aztec empire, the Spanish arrived in 1521, and all went to hell.  Yesterday we had a look at the fallen Aztec empire remains at the Templo Mayor.  Today at the National Anthropology Museum we saw a large collection that covered all pre-Columbian civilizations located in Mexico as well as in former Mexican territory in what is today the southwestern United States. 

After personal time and lunch we stopped at the Diego Rivera Mural Museum.  Only one mural resides here.  Miraculously, it survived intact the 1985 earthquake that destroyed the Hotel del Prado where it lived. The subject of the mural is the Alameda Park, but is packed with over 150 characters including Rivera and Frieda Kahlo.  Can you find them? There may be a better look at Flickr.

Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central 

Dia Quatro 3/10/2022

Selfie at Teotihuacan Archeological Site

It was a very busy day with 3 different stops.  First we visited the Basilica of Our Lady Guadalupe.  In front of a large plaza sits the old Basilica built in 1695. It was closed for many years due to its sinking.  As more water is extracted from the aquifer, many buildings begin to sink.  In 1974 the latest Basilica was built adjacent to the old.  The new holds Juan Diego's cloak.  We heard some pretty questionable information on this cloak from our guide, Paco.  He stated that NASA came to examine the cloak and found it to have super natural powers, that Juan Diego's face was discovered in the Madonna's eye.  How anyone would know what a man from 1531 looked like is beyond me.  To view the cloak, we stood on a moving walkway and got about 15 seconds to admire the miracle.  

Our next stop was the Teotihuacan Archeological Site. It is an ancient Mesoamerican city reaching its apex 1 AD to 500 AD when more than 125,000 residents lived there. It is unclear who settle here, but most speculation suggests people from Oaxaca.  Across the access road to Teotihuacan are the ruins of Tepantitla, a residential complex that contains a number of murals painted around the year 450. 

Finally, we managed to visit the Ministry of Education, a visit previously cancelled due to the Feminists' protests. Originally this building housed the Spanish convents. It was secularized in the 19th century and taken over by the Secretary of Education.   Here we saw Diego River's first large-scale mural project completed in 1928. His and other murals cover nearly all the walls of the two inner courtyards. See more of our exciting day at Flickr.

Dia Cinco 3/11/2022

Where's Waldo?  Here we are in Casa Azul

This was my favorite day so far.  Early morning we drove to Coyoacan, a borough of Mexico City. The name comes from Nahuatl and probably means "place of coyotes". The Central Garden Park pays homage to this with a fountain topped by coyotes.  This great bohemian neighborhood was home to Frieda Kahlo, Trotsky, Diego Rivera and other well-known artists and political activists.  We toured the Casa Azul, Kahlo's home, visited the San Juan Bautista Church, and took a very interesting lunch boat tour on the canals.  A fun virtual tour of Casa Azul is here.  The day is much better depicted in photos at Flickr.

Dia Seis 3/12/2022

Road Scholar Tour Group at the National University of Mexico

Today we went to college in search of more murals.  We walked into the campus past the University Olympic Stadium. This was the site for the 1968 Summer Olympics where the infamous Black Power salute debuted.  I was more excited to think of that than viewing the Rivera mural done in relief with stone.  The main campus is built around a huge field that was filled with people of all ages taking part in a variety of activities.  Tossing balls for dogs, tai chi, dance, drumming, etc made the place seem more a civic park than a campus.  Our main focus was on the numerous murals and mosaics. The University is in the area of San Angelo which is near the Coyoacan neighborhood we visited to see Freida Kahlo's home.  In San Angelo proper there is a weekly Saturday art bazaar in the San Jacinto Park.  It was really large with many artists and crafts people.  We were left on our own to shop for 2 hours.  Wayne and I spent about 30 minutes, got bored and went looking for something else.  We explored and found a hotel with garden dining where we had truly the best margaritas yet along side the Mexican one percenters.   Dinner was out tonight at Restaurant El Bajio.  So far we have been less than amazed at the food choices.  It was one thing I was excited to experience.  But our offerings, other than the soups, have been bland.  Pics at Flickr.

Dia Siete 3/13/2022

Palacio de Bellas Artes

We spent the majority of our last full day here at the Palacio de Bellas Artes where we attended a morning performance of the Ballet Folkloric of Amalia Hernandez and afterward visited the great murals in the same building.  In the performance hall the stage curtain is a mosaic of almost on million pieces of glass made by Tiffany. The ballet has been performed since 1952. It brings together in one performance the music and dances that reflect the various regions of Mexico from pre-Columbian through modern day. The costumes were the best for me...so, so colorful.  After the performance, we entered the building again and viewed the murals that surround the second floor.  They were by the 3 big guys: Sequieros, Rivera and Orozco.  Most notable was Rivera's, "Man, Controller of the Universe" which he reproduced in response to the Rockefeller center mural, Man at the Crossroads, that was destroyed.  

In preparation for flying home tomorrow, we had a covid test and passed.  Everyone in the group passed.  Kudos to Road Scholar for keeping us safe; Kudos to the citizens of Mexico City for the complete compliance with Covid cautions.  Pics at Flickr.

Restaurants we dined in.

• El Mayor which overlooks Templo Mayor
• La Casa Churra
• Gran Teocalli where we were entertained by Aztec dancers
• El Comal de mis Amores in San Angelo where we had stuffed poblano peppers
• El Bajio
• la Parrilla Leonesa
• Mercaderes

Point Loma

Wayne at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park

We moved into a Sheraton in San Diego proper in order to catch a 6:15am flight.  The hotel and airport are very near Point Loma Peninsula so we drove up to the tip where the Cabrillo National Monument is.  It's a fairly simply park that commemorates the landing of Juan Cabrillo, the first European to explore California.  The views of San Diego Bay and surrounding areas are vast and lovely.  On the west side of the Peninsula is Sunset Cliffs Natural Park.  Here was yet another gorgeous coast with soaring cliffs and brave, brave, brave young people hopping around and hanging off those cliffs.  

Tonight we had the funniest dinner.  There comes a point when waiting for a restaurant dinner to be served that one instinctly thinks, "This is a long wait". Then a little later one says aloud, "This is way too long a wait."  Then one starts shifting in the chair, glaring at the waiter, finally standing.  At that point the waiter comes over and says, "Let me check."  (which he should have noticed and done already without our encouragement).  Turns out the order was never begun.  Then, about 10 minutes later my burger shows up.  The waiter asks, "anything else?"  I say, "Yes! Wayne's order".  The short version is Wayne did finally get his order.  The waiter refused to charge us. (he got his tip).  We were laughing so hard by then.  What else can you do?  Pics of the day at Flickr.

On the Final Day

 

Here's to Our Next Adventure

Fish tacos at Mike Hess Brewery while sitting at a fire pit seemed to be the best way to end our time in Imperial Beach.  It was a most pleasant sit.  We had weird encounters today.  At a stop light the man in the adjacent car began to make crazy faces and wild hand/arm gestures.  He was yelling something I couldn't and didn't want to understand.  He was driving a Prius, maybe jealous of our classy Ford Fiesta?  When we got home, the digital lock wasn't working.  Fortunately, Jasmin was able to remotely open the door after about 15 minutes.  The bathroom never looked better.  Tomorrow we go the San Diego for an overnight.  The plane leaves at 6:15.  Way too early for a couple of septuagenarians.  A couple of pictures at Flickr.

Adios North Beach Trail

 

Tijuana River

We took our last walk along the North Beach Trail.  There seemed to be more sea birds today.  I saw white pelicans for the first time, and watched them catching fish. It's breeding season and the males have nuptial tubercles (orange fin-like growths atop the bill).  These fall off after breeding season, which leads to speculation they are used to attract females.  I also discovered that near the Coronado Islands (pictured on the horizon) is a living reef memorial.  Here cremated remains are used to enhance and build reefs.

Because of the low lying clouds we had a gorgeous sunset.  I couldn't stop taking pictures.  

Sketch of the Day: White Breeding Male Pelican

A Chill in the Air

 

Rudy Duck, Tijuana Estuary

The Rudy Duck was visible today on our walk in the Estuary.  The breeding male has a bright blue bill.  Very cool.  Speaking of which, the climate here has been cooler this entire visit than prior times here. Only one or two days have warranted shorts.  Today was cold enough (50s) that we cancelled going out for dinner.  This, of course, is because we still dine only outside.  Our minds are on winding down here and finalizing plans to get to Mexico City March 7.

Sketch of the Day:  Rudy Duck, Tijuana Estuary

  

Lunch with Lola

 

Wayne, Adam and Lola at Point Loma Seafoods

Look at that fish.  Boy, I wish we had a fish market like that. It's so baffling that we live next door to New Bedford, MA, America's #1 fishing port and don't have decent fish markets.  Any who, we met Lola and Adam at Point Loma Seafoods for lunch.  Talk was about wedding plans, teaching strategies and travel.  We're invited to the October wedding, and will try our best to attend.  Later we headed for a walk on the beautiful Torrey Pines beach.  Photos

Sketch of the Day:  Torrey Pines State Beach

It's All Happening at the Zoo...

 

Wayne in the Aviary, San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo is in Bilbao Park but requires a separate entry ticket. It grew out of the abandoned exotic animal exhibitions of the Panama-California Exhibition of 1915, which resulted in the expansive Bilbao Park we know today.  I remember Joan Emery visiting Johnny Carson on the Late Night with animals from the zoo.  Always so funny.  My favorite spot in the zoo were the aviaries. The colors and songs of the birds were mesmerizing.  Photos

Sketch of the Day: American Flamingo, San Diego Zoo

Back in the 'Hood

Imperial Beach

We stuck to the local excitement today. A beach hazard statement warning of surf 4 to 6 feet and a high grip current risk has been issued.  A few hardy surfer dudes ignored this.  I can see the temptation to ride those 6 foot waves.  I ventured out near the waves in an attempt to capture the light filtering through.  All I really got was soaked sneakers.  Waves galore at Flickr.

Sketch of the Day: Beach Stones

 

The Jewel

 

Surf, La Jolla

La Jolla has one of the most beautiful coast lines I have seen.  It rivals Maine's and New Zealand's.  I especially like the white foam that remains from the waves.  I want to attempt to paint this. The area known as the Children's Pool, has been the site of years' long local disputes over seals.  One group is adamant to protect the seals; another would like the seals gone.  No disputes were present today.  As we've seen in many explored places, La Jolla was packed, packed, packed with people. Even so, there remained a feeling of small town and easy going attitudes.  We ate at George's at the Cove, a return visit from years ago.  Dining was high on a deck with beautiful views of the Pacific.  We looked in a few of the galleries.  Works were very large and subjects fit for the multi-million dollar homes.  Back in Imperial Beach we were gifted with a great, fiery sunset.  Flickr

Sketch of the Day:  Sea Lion, La Jolla

Ukraine On Our Minds

 

Ukrainian Invasion Protest, Bilbao Park

As we entered Bilbao Park today, there were groups of supporters protesting against the war criminal Putin's invasion of Ukraine.  Meanwhile, in the US, the despicable Trump and his equally despicable minions are praising Putin.  It's so horrible that one little man out of the earth's billions can inflict such misery, death, heartache.  Equally horrible is the US's embrace of white nationalism.

The park was absolutely packed with families, kids on skateboards, old folks like us.  I just love that this venue is a place for such gatherings.  There were many kiosks of hand crafts.  But, our goal was to visit the Natural History Museum, and we did to see a show of plant photos.  Here's to sunny California. 

Sketch of the Day: Pro-Ukrainian Protest, Bilbao Park

Sounds

 

Wayne Walking the Tijuana Estuary

Sounds to which we are unaccustomed are constant here.  The ocean roars continuously with the crashing of the waves.  We believe this is caused by the fist sized stones that come and go along the surf line.  Then there are the ever circling helicopters flying out of the base adjacent to the Estuary.  They are ever vigilantly looking for people coming illegally from Mexico.  They fly over the estuary and the ocean in tangent with osprey, kestrels, and hawks.  Otherwise we hear no neighbors in the condo.  We seem to be the only residents who sit on the deck watching sunsets.   Helicopter at Flickr lol.

Sketch of the Day: American Kestrel

High on a Hill...

...Where Troubles are Few: Presidio Park

Curious about Presidio Park where the first European settlements were established, we came here for our daily walking adventure.  It was so cold and windy that we only stayed long enough to check out the views and drive through the park.  Then it was off to Balboa Park again.  Balboa continues to amaze me.  Every corner, every path, every wild space offers surprises of amazing fauna and architectural structures.  Familiar photos at flickr.

Sketch of the Day:  Wayne at the Presidio 

2/22/22

 

Cloudy, Cold, Captivating

The number and variety of hibiscus plants here make for beautiful sidewalk hedges.  They are high (about 8'), woody and in full bloom.  It remained cold here in the 50's.  But, we bundled up and walked to CVS to inquire about a second Covid booster and a PCR test.  Seems we need to make an online appointment for both.  It poured rain on us as we walked home.  Hibiscus and more at Flickr.

Sketch of the Day in which it becomes evident that water colors are not in my game:  Hibiscus 

Hmmmmm Clouds

 

Crow

I guess even in paradise there are so-so days.  It was cloudy and cool today, not even a sunset to document. We avoided the windy vacant beach and walked the city streets. The only excitement on the walk was my encounter with 2 crows.  They seemed not to care that I was nearby.

Sketch of the Day: Crow