Tianguis Etc

Saturdays from 9 am until 2 pm is Lo de Marcos's tianguis.  This is sort of a combination of bazaar and farmer's market.

We went hoping to buy the cinnamon rolls that everyone talks about.  Okay, we know 2 people who talk about them...  But that vendor wasn't there today.  Truth is, Bill wanted the cinnamon rolls, I wanted a cameron empanada....  sort of a shrimp filled fried pie.  The lady makes them while you wait.... and you have to wait a few minutes to eat it after you get it because it just came out of a huge cauldron of boiling oil.  

There was a vendor there we hadn't seen before....

I'm not sure how to "classify" what she sells (don't you just hate to be slotted into a classification?)...

But what you see are ginger roots (on the left)...  wait a minute...  that's Memo on the left... he walked down to this stall with us because I asked what the stuff was.  Okay...  on the table, at the left, is ginger root, and in those two green containers is tumeric root.  I've used tumeric powder in lots of dishes I've prepared (it's the one that turns everything yellow)...  but had never tasted the raw product.  This lady (sorry, I've forgotten her name) mashed one up with a mortar and pestle.... (see lower right).....  and I think those bottles on the table are various homeopathic remedies she makes from her garden.

At any rate, for now, I think I'll stick to garlic....  hope it wards off evil spirits, no see'ums, and mosquitoes.  

Since the guy selling his buns wasn't around today, and we finished off those empanadas, Bill & I headed for a morning walk.  (George... do you wear a pedometer?...  just curious)...  anyway... our goal is to walk at least 10,000 steps every day, which is somewhere around 4.5 miles.  So... off we went...

We saw this huge sailboat way out to sea....

Made me think of friends we've met up with in the past...  a couple sailing down the coast from Oregon, and a high school friend who spent years on the sea...  lots of good stories....

Saw this whimbrel....

We're always seeing birds and I'm always saying... Now what is that?.....  I'll get it together eventually.

By the way...  I had 3 different replies to my butterfly photo of a day or so ago...  maybe the color wasn't showing just right...  but I believe Mitchell had the correct answer... Heliconiius melpomene rosina....  that critter had the brightest, pinkest (fuschia) color in its wings.  All the answers were in the right family and species.  I think it's the subspecies in that family.  Anyway, I Googled all three answers and looked at the accompanying photos...  I'm sure there'll be lots of other things I just plain don't know and will ask for your help.  Thank you all! 

You know how you'll see something and just kind of dismiss it...  just another whatever?

Well, I almost passed up these guys today...

Nope...  not just another grackle...  a whole bunch of Groove-billed Ani were flitting around in the trees along the river trail.

I can remember our first winter (2001) down in "the Valley"... near Brownsville, TX.  It was a big thing to see Anis and Brownjays..  Flocks of folks would go to the dump to get these as life birds. 

While I hope I never just take for granted all the amazing things I've been fortunate to see, I'll admit, it took me a while to even take the time to looks at this Ani.  

This Yellow-winged Cacique is another bird that I love to catch sight of....  

And another, which we've seen here, but no photos yet, is the Magpie Jay.    Give me time.....

I almost mis-identified this guy today..

Thought at first I was seeing a Reddish Egret...  nope... I think this is an immature Tri-colored Heron.  

It's funny how I have to re-orient myself to WHERE I am, WHAT season is it her, and WHO am I likely to see.

One last photo for today...

A couple of squirrels were chasing each other up and down some palm trees...  I caught this one with the Bougainvillea in the background....  

He didn't care at all about me or my camera...  

Such is life...

That's All For Today!