Monthly Archives: September 2013

Tributo a Maná, por Gaby

Lighting at Spectaculare

What a treat we had on Thursday night! 43 of Mazatlán’s best musicians played a Tribute to Maná, in a gorgeously loving effort to raise money for Gaby López, who is battling cancer.

Gaby sat at a center table, in her headscarf, surrounded by about twelve of her girlfriends. It was wonderful to watch all the hugs and well wishes extended to her throughout the evening. How could she not help but feel healed? The event took place at Spectaculare. I always love the lighting there, and Thursday night was no exception.

For a 120 peso entrance fee, we each got two drinks, comfy seats, excellent service and wonderful company at our table, for a show that was very well orchestrated. Band members and singers rotated for pretty much every song, so that by the end of the evening we felt as if we’d experienced dozens of different combinations. Below are some photos of the performers; click on any of them for a larger view.

In between sets, the organizers had slideshows of Gaby, her life, family and friends, as well as video clips containing well wishes from musicians and friends around the country. It was very touching. And especially cool when two members of the real Maná extended their encouragement via video.

It seemed there were several hundred people attending. There were also 300 peso/all-you-could-drink seats down front, but those were sparsely used, unfortunately. I put together a one-minute clip with a taste of some of the performances. You can view it at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

Gaby, we don’t know you, but we hope you will recover soon: healthy and strong. Thank you for letting us share in this beautiful evening with you. Friends of Gaby: bless you. What a terrific event to orchestrate for a friend!

The Week of Small Miracles Continues…

I was cooking up some stir-fried rice, one of Danny’s favorite dishes, filled with good veggies, leftover chicken, and brown rice, when the handle broke off my big, heavy frying pan. The soldering had come undone. Heartbreak!

Now, if I were in the States, I’d probably throw it out. Up there I have an uncle who solders, but he’s been ill, and I really don’t know where I could take a frypan for repair. But, we are in Mazatlán. People repair and recycle here, thank goodness. I didn’t want to take the pan to anyone who might drill holes in the stainless steel, insert bolts and nuts, and thus ruin the frypan’s seal as well as its look and functionality.

We’d heard about Santana, a taller de soldadura, over between Casa del Campesino and the triangular tamalería — by the two Pemexes on Ejercito Méxicano. So, we gave it a shot. The next day when we were out running errands, we stopped in. Since there was no parking available right in front of the shop, I hopped out with the frypan, while Greg parked the car around the corner.

In the three minutes it took Greg to park and meet me in the shop, our frypan was already being repaired! Talk about service! I figured we’d have to leave it for a few days, as we do with shoe repair. But, he asked me if I’d wait, I said sure, and voilá. Click any of the photos below to enlarge the view.

View of the shop with a very old and wonderful horizontal drill press.

You can see how basic the shop is. I was fascinated by the huge old horizontal drill press, which is possibly also a lathe, at the entrance. The soldering occurred by the back door to the patio. There were family photos and mementos all around. Such a quick, and pleasant, experience!

I know I couldn’t have replaced this heavy, huge frypan, affordably or easily, here in Mazatlán. A 50 peso repair bill and five minutes of my time, working with a kind, smiling and capable repairman, in a very cool blast-from-the-past workshop, was definitely a blessing.

 

Adventures in “La Comer”

Expats here call it “Mega.” Most of the locals I know call it “La Comer” or “Comercial Mexicana.” Either way, to me it’s a pretty boring place. I’m not a big shopper, I prefer the mercados to the supermarkets, and when there’s not a lot of variety in the offerings (fresh, local-grown or caught, unique), well, suffice it to say, Mega is not my favorite place in town.

So, we went grocery shopping there today, and we actually had a bit of excitement!

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First of all, we met one of my favorite painters, Maestro Antonio López Saenz. I’ve heard him speak several times, but until today I’d never met him. What a friendly, kind and gentle soul he seemed to be! Soft-spoken, warm, and hospitable. We spoke right there between the epazote and cilantro. I was finally able to make my request, which I’ve hoped for for several years now.

“Please, maestro, might you paint a painting of our malecón as the biggest gymnasium in the world? You know how every Mazatleco uses it: running, roller blading, walking, yoga, pushups, sit-ups, bicycling? It’s perhaps the world’s longest oceanside promenade, and it’s a popular free gym for so many. It would be a gorgeous painting! It would really capture the Mazatlán of today.”

He told me how the original malecón is really just the Olas Altas portion, and that this longer part down towards “La Comer” is all new. Then he and his colleague Victor shared some really exciting news!

From December of this year the Maestro will be issuing canvas prints of his paintings! He wants them to be affordable and accessible! Woo hoo! Can’t wait to possibly have a replica of a López Saenz on our walls! Bravo!

And, the excitement in La Comer didn’t stop there. Maybe I just haven’t been looking closely enough, but I saw several interesting looking products. Rather unbelievable that they were there, actually. These included sushi rice, sushi roll wrappers (soy paper), and sesame seeds in bright “rainbow” colors (yuk—artificial dyes, but fun). Slideshow below:

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Back in the dairy case, they are carrying wine sorbets, and even one that is flan-flavored!

Just when you thought supermarket shopping couldn’t get any more boring! 😉