Summer vacation almost over

Well this is the last week of summer vacation in Mexico and the beaches will get quiet again. It's been a pretty busy summer here in Melaque despite (or because of) the heat and humidity.

I got back from 3 weeks in Seattle not long ago and this weather has made me not want to do anything - including Blogging. Even before I left we had a month of overbearing weather - but no hurricanes yet. September is usually the worst month for bad weather so we'll see how global warming effects the west coast.

I walked the beach to Barra de Navidad the other day and that place is getting fancier by the month - and more expensive. Taking the local bus back is the best way to survive unless you make the walk in the morning. Only cost 4.5 pesos.

We have a friend building a shipping container home in Cuastecomate and that has been a very interesting project to watch develope. I've posted comments and some fotos on our Costalegre Message board - Container Living thread

My newest project is to build a ramada (palapa) off the back of our house for shade and rain protection. I got the wood (palm) framework from neighbors who just took down a palapa in favor of brick walls. Will have a couple of local guys do the palapa 'thatching'. Hope to put a brick patio underneath it and have a second outdoor area with privacy. Cool!

Remember US government surplus food in the '60's

Here is the Mexico version - altho you have to pay a little. This foto is of 2 allotments each at 20 pesos so total was 40. The distribution is pretty erratic and sometimes it's just milk or milk with cookies. We were able to get 2 this time because the program is winding down for summer vacation which starts in about 2 weeks.

What am I doing being a small part of this. Well, we have 5 kids with 4 below secondary and all kids are eligible "if they have the 20 pesos". Mari would not think of passing these offers up. 'Desarrollo Integral de la Familia' (DIF) of Jalisco is who provides these foods.

Big Band 30's and 40's Music

I was driving home through downtown Melaque Saturday night after beers at Frank's. The streets and Plaza were full of tourists and locals enjoying the cool of the evening. Passing cars blaring Rancho music I decided to see what was on the radio and ad a another dimension to this interesting scene. To my surprise they were playing Big Band swing and jazz from the 1940's. The local Cihuatlan station plays a lot of music from the US on weekends and even has a news section in English that I've run into but have no idea of the schedule

It's heating up in Melaque - or I should say the humidity is rising. The last two nights required air conditioning to avoid sleeping in a pool of sweat. Hey - only 4-5 more months of it along with higher elecric bills.

The history of Beer in Mexico

by Groupo Modelo

The Spanish Conquest

The first brewery in the Americas was founded two decades after the fall of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán.

On 16 July 1542, the Emperor Carlos V granted Alonso de Herrera a permit for his brewery on the condition that he gave a third of the profits to the Crown and and undertook to transport the vats and other equipment from Europe.

Two years later, on 15 May 1544, Alonso de Herrera was able to report to Carlos V that the business was a great success. This was confirmed on 5 September 1550 when royal officials were ordered to collect the value of a third of the beer brewed in the city for the Crown.

After this auspicious beginning, however, little is known of the history of beer in New Spain. It is possible that the authorities cracked down on its consumption, and in any case it had to compete with a great variety of traditional Pre-Hispanic fermented drinks.

Among the most popular during the viceregal period were such indigenous brews as chicha, zambumbia, and tesgüino.

The Colonial Period

It is hard to estimate the number of small breweries established in Mexico during this period. However, Von Humboldt's figure of 71,806 bottles of beer imported through the port of Veracruz in 1802 suggests that consumption was not inconsiderable.

Grupo Modelo web site

Baja California 1952

Just too cool not to post this. The earliest I was there was '62 and no further than Rosarita. This is back when you really had to work to 'do Baja'. it even comes with almost surfing music but neither surf muisc or rock-n-roll had been invented then

This is a short movie made by my grandfather "Ray Haller" in 1952. He and his friends made a trek down from California to Baja California to fish, hunt and explore this region.