Camping, Princess Style

[Smithy]

Our neighbor across the way stopped over yesterday. "I gotta show you something." He showed me a photo on his phone.

 

 

That's our rig in the picture. Look closely. See Bigfoot looking into the bed of our pickup?

 

 

He said it took the longest time to figure out what it really was!

 

Here it is, in better light and as seen from our campsite.

 

 

I'd love to see it draped in white for Hallowe'en. Boo!

[rotuts]

@Smithy 

 

in sht supermakt pics 

 

( thank you , I love supermarket pics )

 

what is the lower frozen fish 

 

below the rainbow trout ?

 

a salmon ?

[heidih]

Oh my that booize bottle - one would feel tipsy before the first sip. 

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Smithy 

 

in sht supermakt pics 

 

( thank you , I love supermarket pics )

 

what is the lower frozen fish 

 

below the rainbow trout ?

 

a salmon ?

 

Catfish chunks. I thought of @Shelby when I saw that, but I'm sure this wouldn't measure up to hers.

[Smithy]

It's windy here: red-flag warnings, several days in a row. No campfires, even though we were hoping to cook outside. Before I forget, and before I launch into something long, I'll show you another of my use-it-or-lose-it-despite-being-tired dinners. I don't remember exactly when I decided I had to do something with the brussels sprouts lurking in the crisper drawer. It was a good time to dispense with the bratwursts whose mates hadn't impressed us, and augment it with bacon.

 

 

The sprouts needed trimming, of course. I also had cherry tomatoes on the verge. After the meat had browned and mostly cooked, I added olive oil and let the meat finish cooking while the halved sprouts browned. A bit of good balsamic vinegar for liquid, then on the lid went as the sprouts steamed. Once the lid came off, our remaining and withering cherry tomatoes went in to get plumped and warmed. (There's a chopped Campari or two in there also.)

 

 

Just before serving, I added shavings of that good English cheddar and tenkasu, and tossed it all together.

 

 

Tenkasu. Tenkasu. Yeah, that's kinda fun to say too.

 

Topped the dish with more cheddar shavings and spätzle/tenkasu, and served.

 

 

Well worth the minimal effort, and it used up some things that needed using up. The leftovers were good too; he had them for lunch the next day.

[Smithy]

Palomas, Chihuahua is the border town just 3 miles south of our current camping spot. We don't know the town well, but have made a point to visit every time we've stayed here for a few days. It's easy: park for $5 in the lot on the U.S. side, walk across the border. Make sure you have your passport first! We're never checked when going into Mexico, but prefer not to test the effort required to get back into the U.S. without them.

 

This memorial on the inbound side has changed since our last visit a year or two ago. When we first started coming, the memorial plaque was in Spanish. The poster at the base was probably added when the plaque was changed. 

 

 

On the outbound side, this beautiful sinuous plaque lines the wall. Some of the places mentioned have changed (Martha's Place in Columbus, for instance) but it was never intended as an actual map. I've been told that the reflection on the sidewalk when the sun is low is stunning, but I've never made the trip that late in the day to enjoy it.

 

 

Here's an explanation of the artwork:

 

 

There are other signs of continued cross-border harmony and cooperation. This isn't the place to discuss them, but it's nice to see.

 

Our destination lay a few blocks south of the border crossing.

 

 

It has a marvelous shop and a wonderful restaurant. I'll show you the interior of both later, but here are photos of the menu. Sorry one of them is so fuzzy, but you should be able to read the bold print. What would you have ordered?

 

 

[Shelby]

I'd be torn between the chiles rellenos and the huevos rancheros..I love both. Definitely a margarita too.

[Smithy]

It would be a gross understatement to say that The Pink Store is a visually busy place. The instant you walk through the door, you're confronted with jewelry, pottery, clothes, hanging doodads, and a friendly clerk who says, "Hello and welcome! Would you like something to drink?" Of course we would. One of his helpers scampered away for our requested margaritas, and we began strolling.

 

 

Actually, my darling wandered away to find a table at the restaurant before our margaritas arrived. I went to find him and deliver his drink, and took some good-natured teasing from some other Americans at the basket in my hand. "Looks like you're getting ready to load up!" I was, and said so: "And I haven't even started drinking yet!" But I was On A Mission.

 

Being On A Mission didn't mean I couldn't enjoy looking at the various gewgaws. Want party banners or baubles?  Here they are.

 

 

Want some glorious and showy glassware or statuary? Here you go.

 

 

The taller of the two blown glass vases had fairy lights inside it, but they don't show well in the picture.

 

This checkered box, when opened, featured tightly wrapped coils of some sort of wood or paper strips (balsa?) that you can pull out in various ways to make decorations or decorative bowls. The one in my hand had been lacquered, so I assume it was sturdy. (I didn't try collapsing it to see.)

 

 

More gorgeous glassware, including drinking glass and pitcher sets.

 

 

I didn't take pictures of their clayware, or plasticized fabric suitable for tablecloths, or even dinner dishes. You'll see some of them in the restaurant photos. What I was after was a glass pitcher with a blue rim. A friend wanted one to match her drinking glasses. Come to think of it, I wanted one too!

 

 

One thing I've learned from this store is not to take opportunities for granted. I have a large salad bowl that matches this pattern, that my parents bought in Mexico decades ago. About one decade ago I saw individual salad bowls here that matched the pattern. I didn't buy them, for some reason escaping me now. I've never seen them since. I wish I could find them.

 

Anyway, I felt and inspected the pitchers until I had two that seemed well made (all of them did) and well balanced, with handles that weren't too large to feel comfortable. The salespeople very obligingly took my basket for safe-keeping while I was eating. I admired the large stars overhead, designed to take candles or lights (I've always wanted one of those, but have no clue where I'd put it) then settled on a couple of smaller ones. They open too but I'm not sure I could find a small enough candle to go into one.

 

 

All the while, a group of mariachis was playing in the restaurant. I went in to join my darling, eat and enjoy the fun.

 

 

 

[Shelby]

Ooooooh I think I've expressed --maybe here--my love for the blue rimmed glass items.  I got my first batch at Pier One.  Managed to break most of them.  Found some on Wayfair a while back (I think it was Wayfair).  Anyway, it's a good thing I'm not there because your whole camper would be full of that stuff.

[Smithy]

5 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Ooooooh I think I've expressed --maybe here--my love for the blue rimmed glass items.  I got my first batch at Pier One.  Managed to break most of them.  Found some on Wayfair a while back (I think it was Wayfair).  Anyway, it's a good thing I'm not there because your whole camper would be full of that stuff.

 

Shelby, they ship. 😉

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

6 minutes ago, Smithy said:

I admired the large stars overhead, designed to take candles or lights (I've always wanted one of those, but have no clue where I'd put it) then settled on a couple of smaller ones. They open too but I'm not sure I could find a small enough candle to go into one.

 

I'm not sure how much room is inside those small stars, but I have some battery operated, rechargeable tea lights.  The candle base is 1 5/8" in diameter x 7/8" high and the faux flame bulb adds another inch to the overall height. Since they're not real candles, they could go in at any angle. Not all that realistic on their own but they flicker gently so they're not bad inside a holder of some sort. And they'll never ignite a cat or kitten tail or cause a conflagration if I leave them "burning" 🙃

[Shelby]

7 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

Shelby, they ship. 😉

 

 

Do they really?????!!!!  I LOVE the goblets (that's what I call them) in the first picture.  I haven't been able to find them since I broke ours.  I will be purchasing if I can.

[heidih]

Thanks for the store. I remember it. I also share a love of the blue rimmed golasses andpitchers. Broke all mine as I've shared before. I love how heavy the base es are and the variations of the glass in sunlight.

[DesertTinker]

I was waiting to see if you would get to The Pink Store this time, or if you’d developed extreme resistance to dangerous places (dangerous wallet and space wise) 🤣. 

[Smithy]

I mentioned before that the mariachis were playing. When I went into the restaurant area, I discovered that they were playing to a single large table rather than working the room as they usually do. I did a double-take.

 

 

(No, it wasn't for me! But I chose to feel honored anyway. 😄)

 

 

My darling had already settled into his chair and started working on the chips, salsa and pico de gallo. If I'd been there in time I'd have ordered guacamole also. He never thinks of it.

 

 

The pico de gallo had a nice bite: sharp onions, just the right jalapeno heat. I'd have appreciated a bit more tomato in the mix, but it still tasted quite good...especially on a chip, and topped with salsa.

 

 

We ordered more margaritas. The ones from the front desk are complimentary and come in plastic cups. These are somewhat larger. They're all delicious. I don't think they're very strong, but the flavors are perfect and we certainly didn't need to get snockered before going home!

 

 

Like Shelby, I love huevos rancheros. Other dinner plates looked great too. In the end, I ordered what I think I've ordered there every time: chiles rellenos. The refried beans and Spanish rice finish out the plate. The plate is huge!

 

 

The rice had a delicious tartness that I think must have come from the tomato sauce. I should try to make that at home. The cheese is "Mennonite cheese" and is very melty and rather tart. I need to go look for that at the local store before we leave.

 

My darling claims to like Mexican food, but he never remembers what anything is and goes for the familiar stuff. He's never met a burger he didn't like, so he chose hamburguesa con rajas. Fries on the side.

 

 

The rajas are small strips of sweated green chile. I didn't ask what type, but I suspect poblanos. They had a bit of heat, no sweetness that I could detect, and only a touch of the tart sourness that I associate with green (i.e. unripe) chiles. At any rate, his fries and burger were excellent although neither of us thought the chiles added much.

 

 

As for me: well, my lunch was FABULOUS. I do love good chiles rellenos. I had a disappointing one a week or so ago, and wrote about it here. This chile was meltingly tender, filled with that delicious Mennonite cheese, and topped with a nice red sauce, pleasantly tart but not spicy-hot. There wasn't a trace of the skin that has to be removed after roasting. (I find that to be one of the more onerous parts of prepping roasted chiles.) This "taste" picture isn't the best, but the money shot simply refused to be shot. I swear it wasn't the margarita.

 

 

The last time we came, my chiles rellenos seemed a bit perfunctory...almost like institutional food. If I hadn't had a reason to go back this trip, I might not have bothered going. I'm glad I did. These were wonderful. I asked the wait staff to tell the kitchen how good it was, and gave a good tip. I hope it's shared around.

 

Here's more of the place. Want cut-paper flag strings like these you see along the ceiling? They're offered for sale, in nice flat bundles. I'd thought at first I was looking at cut-paper placemats when I saw them in the store.

 

 

So are rolls of the plasticized tablecloth fabric.

 

 

And see that funny stand holding something at an angle in the lower right corner of this picture? We don't know its stated purpose, but it was perfect for supporting my darling's yucca walking stick.

 

 

We admired the huge dolls and the ambience (and the birthday sign) once more,

 

 

and paid the bill. It looks alarming, but the exchange rate is 30 pesos to 1 USD.

 

 

Well worth it, especially because I only ate one of my chiles and brought the other home for later. I do wish, however, that I'd remembered my "complimentary margaritas" ticket! It was in my wallet, but I'd forgotten it was there!

Edited April 15, 2023 by Smithy
Added link (log)

[heidih]

The rolls of plasticized cloth - was it oilcloth. A growing up memory and so many vibrant patterns. My huge vintage flea mrket often has vendors selling it,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oilcloth. 

[Smithy]

7 minutes ago, heidih said:

The rolls of plasticized cloth - was it oilcloth. A growing up memory and so many vibrant patterns. My huge vintage flea mrket often has vendors selling it,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oilcloth. 

 

That's a good question. When I think of oilcloth, I think of something still a bit more fabricky, if that's a word, with a more obvious surface texture. However, I might be confusing it with oiled canvas such as was used in our family's early camping tents.

 

If/when I get back there (I may make another trip before we leave) I'll check it out more carefully.

[Katie Meadow]

 

2 hours ago, heidih said:

The rolls of plasticized cloth - was it oilcloth. A growing up memory and so many vibrant patterns. My huge vintage flea mrket often has vendors selling it,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oilcloth. 

Thanks for that link. Now I understand why cowboy's dusters had a flap over the shoulders!

Edited April 15, 2023 by Katie Meadow (log)

[Kerry Beal]

8 hours ago, Smithy said:

I mentioned before that the mariachis were playing. When I went into the restaurant area, I discovered that they were playing to a single large table rather than working the room as they usually do. I did a double-take.

 

 

(No, it wasn't for me! But I chose to feel honored anyway. 😄)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I swear I'm not OCD but the first upside down N really jars me. 

[Shelby]

11 hours ago, Smithy said:

chiles rellenos

That looks incredible.  Want Want Want.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

12 hours ago, Smithy said:

And see that funny stand holding something at an angle in the lower right corner of this picture? We don't know its stated purpose, but it was perfect for supporting my darling's yucca walking stick.

 

It's called a perchera ( may have the spelling wrong) and it's for hanging purses or hats or jackets, anything that you don't want to have on the table. They are in every Mexican restaurant. It's considered bad form or possibly bad luck to put your purse on the floor. 

Edited April 15, 2023 by Nancy in Pátzcuaro
to remove extraneous parenthesis (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

46 minutes ago, Nancy in Pátzcuaro said:

It's called a perchera ( may have the spelling wrong) and it's for hanging purses or hats or jackets, anything that you don't want to have on the table. They are in every Mexican restaurant. It's considered bad form or possibly bad luck to put your purse on the floor. 

Brilliant!   

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, Nancy in Pátzcuaro said:

It's called a perchera ( may have the spelling wrong) and it's for hanging purses or hats or jackets, anything that you don't want to have on the table. They are in every Mexican restaurant. It's considered bad form or possibly bad luck to put your purse on the floor. 

 

Thank you so much for that information! Now if I can only remember the word, next time we go there I can ask for a perchara for our table. Looks like my darling used it exactly as it was intended.

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, Nancy in Pátzcuaro said:

It's called a perchera ( may have the spelling wrong) and it's for hanging purses or hats or jackets, anything that you don't want to have on the table.

 

I wonder if it could be spelled perchero?  Google translate gives that as the Spanish for coat rack.  

I like the idea, similar to the little purse stools they brought us in fancy Paris restaurants.  Perfect for showing off your Hermès bag to the dining room.  Or, in my case, my handy backpack 🙃

 

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

I'm showing my age here, but do you remember when tables in "ladies' tea rooms" had hooks on the corners so you could hang your purse there? That was the equivalent of the perchera. As to the spelling, I've only just heard the word, not read it. And it may be the feminine form because it's primarily for women's purses, less so for men's hats. In many ways it's really a miniature coat rack, isn't it? Spanish uses many words in different ways--very economical. Context is very important when using the same word to mean something different.