Proud Tejana

Atlanta is fine!

2012-01-28T20:48:00.001-06:00

For most of my life the majority of my travels have been to Mexico to visit family. The last few years i have been able to travel a little for business reasons. This January i was sent to Atlanta, Georgia. There were so many things to see and unfortunately, because i was there for business and not pleasure i did not get to see everything that i would have wanted. Someday i hope to go back and see more of this state. So far I've traveled to Arizona,California, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana,Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and now Georgia - and the list grows on!

Last of the Daisies

2011-12-05T13:50:00.000-06:00

On a recent nature walk i came across this beautiful daisy. The last of the summer's bright colors before the winter cold.

Seen Better Days

2011-12-04T18:32:00.001-06:00

These little daisies have seen better days for sure, but i still found them quaint enough to decorate a corner of my garden.

Far and away or.....

2011-10-24T20:50:00.000-05:00

urban "jungle"? Coming round the cemetary Pioneer Park continues and becomes a little urban oasis.

There's the office buildings, right past that herd of longhorns.

Pioneer Park Cemetary

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well unfortunately the Mommytography group is no more. Life gets in the way and i certainly understand how one can spread themselves too thin sometimes and need to focus on other things. So to mark the start of the Halloween month (cause really the decorations and everything are EVERYWHERE!) and the demise of the group (although all members will continue taking photos and doing other photography endeavors) here are some photos i took while going through downtown recently. Who would think there would be a cemetary right outside on the lawn of the Convention Center. It's a very old cemetary where many VIPs who had a hand in making Dallas what it is were laid to rest. RIP.

Little Fall Blooms

2011-09-30T21:24:00.000-05:00

365-98

2011-05-28T11:01:00.000-05:00

365-97 pink abundance

2011-05-27T10:42:00.001-05:00

365-96 Ready for cookin'

2011-05-26T10:38:00.000-05:00

365-95 Bridals

2011-05-25T10:02:00.005-05:00

365-94 statuesque

2011-05-24T12:41:00.000-05:00

365-93 Early morning sprinkles

2011-05-23T12:36:00.000-05:00

365-92 More storms.....

2011-05-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

365-91 A Bluejay....

2011-05-21T12:32:00.001-05:00

came by to visit.

365-90 New crop

2011-05-20T12:27:00.002-05:00

I love it when the crops are coming in --

365-89 Balconies

2011-05-19T20:53:00.004-05:00

365-88 Stairs & Ivy

2011-05-18T20:48:00.006-05:00

365-87 Two Pots

2011-05-17T20:45:00.004-05:00

365-86 One if by land...

2011-05-16T20:42:00.002-05:00

365-85 the will to live

2011-05-15T20:36:00.004-05:00

365-84 kill joy

2011-05-14T20:31:00.003-05:00

365-83 A tree grows....

2011-05-13T20:25:00.006-05:00

365-82 Fountain

2011-05-12T20:21:00.004-05:00

365-81 Wildflowers

2011-05-11T20:15:00.001-05:00

365-80 Canal

2011-05-10T20:07:00.001-05:00

365-79 Mother's Day Rose

2011-05-09T16:52:00.001-05:00

my favorite flower!

365-78 such a face!

2011-05-08T16:51:00.000-05:00

365-77 After the rain

2011-05-07T16:49:00.000-05:00

A beautiful rainbow --

365-76 sometimes a little rain must fall

2011-05-06T16:45:00.000-05:00

365-75 Prairie view

2011-05-05T16:28:00.001-05:00

It's awesome to come across this type of view in the 'city'. Unfortunately it has come to mean that suburban sprawl is taking over more and more the few wide open spaces that are left....

365-74 Remnants of Easter

2011-05-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

365-73 Worship

2011-05-03T21:34:00.000-05:00

365-72 Doodling along

2011-05-02T21:36:00.001-05:00

Doodle bugs, roly poly, pill bugs --- what do you call the little critters such as the one creeping up on the edge of the stone there? Sure enough he probably just crept out from underneath..

Changing times…..Erica Kane no more

2011-04-14T16:36:00.004-05:00

ABC announced today they are canceling All My Children and One Life to Live. Two of the longest running soap operas on television. When my mother first came to this country she became hooked on As the World Turns in spite of not knowing much English.

That one was canceled a couple of years ago. And now these two fan favorites – the ones I watched during each summer vacation and every school holiday during my high school years – will be gone by years end.

All My Children was my preferred favorite. Although the story lines could be crazy at times I was always anxious to know what would happen next to Tad, Jennie, Angie and Jessie. I think when Jennie died was probably THE saddest episode for me. It was great when they all came back to the show (minus Jennie) – they are all about my age so it was almost like catching up with old friends. How would Phoebe Wallingford and Palmer Cortlandt mess up their children s lives today? What crazy, evil scheme would Erica cook up? Erica’s many weddings were always a treat to watch. Some were elaborate, some not depending on the husband and story line.

I began watching One Life to Live after i began to stay home with my little ones. It didn't draw me in as much as All My Children. I guess i've helped to contribute to its downfall in a way as i have not watched in many, many years. Family, career and life taking precedence over daytime TV. Many others did the same. These shows lasted way longer than what is currently on television and for that they will go down in history and I'll always be a fan.

In Latin America soap operas or novelas last maybe a year or so at the most. So you know eventually it will end and you can get on with your life. The villian gets what's coming to them and the hero and heroine usually have a lavish wedding and all ends up right with the world. Right now i'm in between spanish soaps, i dont want to get hooked on another so i have deliberately not watched any new ones.

So did you have a favorite episode of All My Children or characters? Do you watch soaps at all? What's your favorite?

365-71 butterflies!

2011-04-03T21:51:00.002-05:00

i love it when butterflies stop by for a visit!

365-70 smurf house

2011-04-02T21:45:00.000-05:00

First mushrooms that i've seen this spring in my garden. My kiddos were big fans when they were little of the little smurfs who lived in mushrooms.

365-69 Raindrops and Roses

2011-04-01T21:53:00.001-05:00

365-68

2011-03-31T21:42:00.007-05:00

This is the first time i recall finding moss on a tree in my yard. Or perhaps i never really paid attention before. I remember when camping as a girl scout we were told we could determine what direction to take when hiking if we got lost by looking at the moss on a tree. Moss usually grows on the north side of a tree because that is the shadier and thus damper side. Sure enough thats the side this moss is growing on, the north side.

365-67 A girl and her dogs

2011-03-30T21:37:00.000-05:00

What better way to spend a rainy afternoon than reading and cuddled up with some pups.

365-66 after the rain

2011-03-29T21:30:00.001-05:00

i love geraniums. they bring back fond memories of vacations in mexico. i would stay for hours at my aunt Esperanza's house. she had 11 kids so there was never a dull moment. she also was a great cook and had the patience of a saint. In the patio where we played, she had several plant stands full of geraniums.

365-65 Mystery plant

2011-03-28T21:26:00.001-05:00

365-64

2011-03-27T21:45:00.001-05:00

365-63

2011-03-26T21:42:00.000-05:00

365-62 celebrate

2011-03-25T21:40:00.004-05:00

365-61 THE shoes!

2011-03-24T21:05:00.007-05:00

365-60 Gyro

2011-03-23T20:59:00.009-05:00

My first time to try one of these believe it or not. Sliced lamb, homemade Tzatziki sauce, tomatoes and red onions in a grilled pita. It was quite tasty but definitely enough for two people! Also came with some zesty fries!!

365-59 Iced Tea

2011-03-22T00:13:00.005-05:00

365-58 stampin' hearts

2011-03-21T00:09:00.003-05:00

365-57 I got new lipstick!

2011-03-20T23:51:00.019-05:00

First shade is called Hot and it definitely looks better on me than that other shade there.

365-56 butterflies

2011-03-19T23:39:00.030-05:00

If you ever go to Neiman's you have to ride the escalator into the 'cloud of butterflies'. These hang in the center of the store and whenever we go I feel like a princess or something as they twirl and twinkle while i go from floor to floor. That feeling fades when i look at any of the price tags. But the butterfly curtains sure are pretty.

365-55 starfish

2011-03-18T23:34:00.007-05:00

Do you see the 'starfish' in the center?

365-54 Burger Street

2011-03-17T23:20:00.000-05:00

The colors at this place were so vibrant i had to take a photo -- i'd never been here before but they had a sign announcing their new sweet potato fries. Those weren't so good.

365-53 New blooms

2011-03-16T23:16:00.000-05:00

365-52

2011-03-15T23:06:00.001-05:00

365-51

2011-03-14T23:01:00.001-05:00

365-50 lone green branch

2011-03-13T10:03:00.001-05:00

365-49 Blue Cloud day

2011-03-12T22:03:00.000-06:00

The sun was trying to peek through on my way to work this day...having a hard time getting through the clouds. Note the street lamps ahead -- they remind me of spoons.

365-48 Just because i was craving it....

2011-03-12T21:59:00.000-06:00

i had this ooey, gooey chocolatey thing....and later i was regretting it. A combination of mousse, fudge stuff and raspberry topping - it was SO rich!

365-47 Spring is coming

2011-03-01T21:48:00.001-06:00

Tulips are starting to raise up!

365-46 I Love Sunsets

2011-03-01T21:42:00.001-06:00

365-45 - a pioneer

2011-03-01T21:38:00.000-06:00

On valentines day Ree Drummond came to town!

As did her hubby Marlboro Man :)

Her cookbook (Pioneer Woman Cooks) has some good old fashioned recipes and great photographs along with short snippets about raising a family on a working ranch.

365-44 Heart

2011-03-01T21:34:00.000-06:00

365-43 No wind today

2011-03-01T21:31:00.001-06:00

Playing catch-up again with my photo postings~

365-42 Green Tea Ice Cream

2011-02-12T19:34:00.000-06:00

Although the color may not make it look appetizing, this was fabulous! We went to Habashi's Japanese grill for dinner and this was the only photo that came out in focus. I need more practice using my camera in darker venues such as restaurants as you can tell in the second photo of the onion 'volcano'.

365*-41 - New Valentines

2011-02-12T19:22:00.000-06:00

Some great Valentines were received this week from postcrossing friends.

365-40 It's back......

2011-02-09T15:51:00.000-06:00

Snow and ice are back today! Thankfully it began melting all in the same day - the morning will bring record lows yet Sunday is predicted to be almost 70!

365-39 And the sun returns!

2011-02-08T08:20:00.001-06:00

365-38 still going

2011-02-07T09:17:00.001-06:00

These little chile pequins look none the worse for wear after 4 days of freezing ice and snow -

365-37 puppy tracks

2011-02-06T21:17:00.000-06:00

365-36 Bird on a winters day

2011-02-05T08:55:00.001-06:00

365-35 Waiting....

2011-02-04T07:49:00.001-06:00

Waiting for a turn down the hill ---

365-34 ice chunks

2011-02-03T08:13:00.001-06:00

365-33 Sunrise!

2011-02-02T11:13:00.000-06:00

The sun trying to come through - weather predictions don't sound very promising --

365-32 Icy Madness

2011-02-02T11:11:00.000-06:00

Not liking this icy weather!

365-31

2011-02-02T11:09:00.000-06:00

365-30 Enjoying a Sunday ride

2011-02-02T11:01:00.000-06:00

365-29 Beautiful sky days

2011-02-02T10:42:00.000-06:00

365-28 black and white flame

2011-01-28T20:00:00.000-06:00

365-27 waiting for summer...

2011-01-28T19:58:00.000-06:00

As the sun sets, it casts a warm glow on these torches waiting for summer and BBQ nights to burn once again....

365-26 Chico

2011-01-28T19:55:00.000-06:00

Sofie's mate Chico couldn't be left behind --

365-25 Sofie girl

2011-01-28T19:49:00.000-06:00

After much fidgeting our mutt sofie girl finally settled down long enough for a photo

365-24 Uncle Julio beckons

2011-01-28T19:41:00.000-06:00

Outside my work office window, the twinkling neon lights of Uncle Julios beckons daily to go over and enjoy some enchiladas and margaritas....

365-23 it's movie night

2011-01-28T19:36:00.000-06:00

Can't have movies without popcorn -

365-22 Almost Out!

2011-01-28T19:25:00.000-06:00

Hate when my candle is at the end of it's life cycle - -

365-21 and Project 52

2011-01-21T22:36:00.000-06:00

365-20 spring rolls

2011-01-21T22:20:00.000-06:00

These were so yummy and i was so hungry i forgot to take a picture until i had practically eaten the whole thing. These were fried spring rolls - the wrapper was light and crispy with a delicious veggie filling and sauce. This room service selection was pretty good!

365-19 Look out below!

2011-01-21T22:14:00.000-06:00

I love looking down from high places - as long as there is something to hold on to! This is the view from the elevator going down

365-18 Wimpy's

2011-01-21T22:10:00.001-06:00

Nothing wimpy about this burger!

Wimpy's Burgers was the pick of the day for lunch.

365-17 Street reflections

2011-01-21T22:07:00.000-06:00

Not sure what where the reflection is coming from here - the office windows or vehicles. I like the effect.

365-16 Houston

2011-01-21T22:05:00.001-06:00

View from the 28th floor on a sunny afternoon

365-15* Upside Down

2011-01-21T22:02:00.000-06:00

I've been out of town for work reasons. Took photos but couldn't post them. Now i get to play catch up! I believe the assignment for last week was upside down - so here i held my camera upside down to take a photo of the underside of this flower arrangement -- and beneath that a side view.

365-14 Are you ready for Valentine's Day?

2011-01-14T08:16:00.000-06:00

It's a month away, but every where i go now i see hearts and bears -- and when shopping in a Mexican market you'll see the Virgin de Guadalupe in there too...

365-13 Blingy Boots

2011-01-13T08:10:00.002-06:00

These are some blingy (and pointy) boots. Made for interesting window shopping.

365-12 Piñatas

2011-01-12T08:05:00.001-06:00

For all those parties during Christmas through Candlemas there is an ever abundance of piñatas. For each party there must be a piñata full of traditonal goodies - oranges, peanuts, cookies and of course candy.

365-11 You can tell its still Christmas season!

2011-01-11T07:55:00.001-06:00

In some U.S. Mexican Catholic homes Christmas doesn't stop on Dec. 24 and 25. It continues on with another celebration on Jan. 6 to celebrate Kings Day - when the three kings found and paid homage to the Christ Child. This is when the Kings bread or Rosca de Reyes is served (similar to the one served during Mardi Gras) and includes a small baby Jesus inside the bread.
The person who gets the baby Jesus in their slice of bread gets the honor of hosting the next Christmas season party on Feb. 2 (day of Candelaria or Candlemas) to dress and take up the baby Jesus from his honored place in the manger. He will then be kept in another place of honor all year until next Christmas Eve when he will be put down again to symbolize his birth.
At the local Mexican market you had your choice of baby Jesus statues in case you didn't have one already --

365-10 Elote or Corn-in-a-Cup

2011-01-10T08:52:00.002-06:00

We had a hankering for Elote or Corn-in-a-Cup. you might ask what is the big deal about corn in a cup? it's not just as it sounds. It's roasted corn (while still on the cob!), then the corn is sliced off the cob and served in a cup. You then add some mayo or sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt, lime juice and hot sauce (salsa valentina usually). It is the best corn you've ever had!! You may have seen local food carts that sell these in some mexican markets, fairs or gas stations.

You can also make this at home by grilling your own corn-on-the-cobs and following the steps above or frozen corn (following cooking instructions and then add toppings) or use canned corn.

365-9 It's snowing!!

2011-01-09T13:44:00.000-06:00

I know by now most people are probably sick of snow but this is our first snow of the season. Supposed to snow all day and into the night --- once it's done i'll have had my snow 'fix' for the year.

365-8 She said Yes! to the dress

2011-01-08T10:21:00.002-06:00

In October i posted the news of my daughters engagement. Well she found her dream dress! We had planned on spending the day going to a couple of dress shops. She knew what she wanted as she had seen it on a Spanish soap opera (La Dueña) and had reearched it online. She managed to find it at this one shop so we went there first. In addition to the ruffled one she had set aside 3 or 4 others that she liked and planned to try them on just to make sure. Well she tried on the ruffled one and it looked beautiful on her. Then she tried on the second one -- it looked nice too, but not as nice as the first. So that sealed it. She really had her heart set on the first one anyway and when you know what you want and it feels right, why go through anymore.
Now we just need to take care of all the other details.

365-7 Sunrise!

2011-01-07T18:16:00.000-06:00

the sunsets and sunrise have been gorgeous of late. I need more practice to really do it justice -- and a better spot to catch the view. Manager to get up early enough to catch this one today --

365-6 present

2011-01-07T18:10:00.002-06:00

Today is Dia de Reyes or the day of Kings. The day when the Three Kings finally arrived to pay homage to the Baby Jesus. In Mexico this is celebrated by children leaving out their shoes in order to receive gifts from the "Reyes", just like when they left gifts for the baby Jesus. Mostly the gifts are coins, candy, small toys - because really how much can you fit inside a shoe? I wish we would have had this custom here when my kids were little - would have been way less expensive.

Today upon arriving at the office i found a gift of sorts - a feather on my desk. I'm sure it was inadvertently left by the cleaning crew -- but it's a neat feather and will go into my craft supply box. Perhaps it will find its way onto some mail art.