• LOVE Mango Cafe, and this is a cute shot of Polo---
  who used to be 'Mango Man' in Madison, WI. He makes yummy stuff and is a super nice guy.

  

  To all our dear friends and costumers =) Beginning October, Saturday 13th Polo´s Mango Cafe will be on vacation for a few weeks, we´ll come back on November 10th with a renewed venue and some other surprises on the menu!

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  the above photo is shared from fb post, 'Soul de Isla'  which provides frequent updates I enjoy. 

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  Interestingly, we have some shared history.  Years ago, it turns out Lori rented a condo from my son in Madison.  Many years ago, we were on Isla walking around the North end and saw a girl we knew had to be Lori's daughter. No one else could look like that with her hair! I asked if she used to live in Madison, & if her mom was Lori, and yes...it was! and they were house sitting and dog caretaking...They had decided to make the move to Isla after loving it so, so much.  Turns out she & Polo became a team & then opened Mango cafe... a successful 'start-up' in the restaurant business, taking a chance on opening mid island, away from downtown, which was kind of breaking new ground at the time... There's a long story about mangos which I won't  go into...only that Polo had run a street cart on the Library Mall of UW Madison, and was called 'Mango Man,' mango smoothies being his specialty. Madison was where they met, but Isla is where they ended up.  Strangely, Lori had been in Africa (UW Madison Asst Art Prof, I think) & we have our own Africa (Morocco) experience.  Polo is from Oaxaca, & I had also been in Oaxaca some years ago, studying Spanish (love that place!)...Polo loves horses, & me too! (you'll see a photo of a horse he is personally acquainted with, on the Mango restaurant wall...
  Polo has brought many nice touches to Mango, including Oaxacan coffee, with his extensive experiences and connections in Mexico. I love how he personally shops the farmers' markets in Cancun for the freshest vegetables and other items.
    :-)  
  
  Anyway, Long story, short... Mango cafe succeeded.  Lori moved on & has since opened another restaurant downtown, and Polo continues to run Mango cafe, with a team of talented staff. Lori's restaurant downtown, Lola Valentina, is also showcasing her creative side, as did Mango Cafe. Great efforts, creative talent, hard work...gets results. We have had many good visits, and many good meals at both places, & patronize MC & LV, and love to take visitors to both places.
  
  Nothing is sure in life except change...and there has been change.
  I hear there may be new changes on the horizon again for Mango Cafe. I wish them well.
  I like that it's not far for us to go; it's low key and friendly, and when Polo is around, you can count on his friendly visit to your table and his time with you to chat.
  
  Last season, he was willing to have his chefs cook up some fish a friend brought in (for the second time)!   And, delicious it was.
  (here is Polo, with our friends & guests, Jeff & Irina, enjoying his catch.  
  

  

  

   

  (I wish I had an insider's glimpse & behind-the-scenes knowledge of other restaurants on the island...I remember once being at Casa O's and a guy came out of the sea, carrying a fish he'd caught, walked it back into the kitchen area, and waited in the dining area for it to be served up.  It seems these thing kinds of things are not rare on Isla.   

  Polo is one that makes dining out a personal & memorable experience.

Beach Flowers: Spider Lily

 

These flowers are aptly named:  Spider Lily  or   Beach Spider Lily

Found so many blooming on Isla, in July when I was there. 

The very large patches of them, on the path along the seaside on Punta Sur were gorgeous. 

Even better, was the scent in the air...

wish it were possible to capture that with the photos-

Here's some info on this fascinating flower, which seems like an orchid to me...
Seems it's actually a  perennial herb...I wonder if it has any uses then?  other than just being lovely!
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Hymenocallis littoralis

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Hymenocallis littoralis
Hymenocallis littoralis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
clade:	Angiosperms
clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:	Amaryllidoideae
Genus:	Hymenocallis
Species:	H. littoralis
Binomial name
Hymenocallis littoralis (L.f. ex Salisb.) Salisb.

Hymenocallis littoralis or the Beach Spider Lily^[s] is a plant species of the genus Hymenocallis, with large white flowers.
Hymenocallis littoralis is a bulbous perennial herb. It ranges in height from 60-70cm (36 inches). It requires sunlight to partial shade for proper growth and blooms from mid-summer to late autumn with white flowers. It may be grown aquatically.^[1]
Hymenocallis littoralis is native to coastal regions of southern Mexico and Central America, and also two wild populations are reported to have been found along the west coast of Florida. The tepals are adnate (attached to) the staminal cup. Each flower's tube is 14 to 17 cm (5 to 7 inches) long or longer.
The plant bulb is 7-10 cm (3-4 inches) in diameter. With age, the bulb develops a neck that reaches 4-5 cm in diameter (up to 2 inches). The flowers are large, white, vanilla scented, and sessile.

The Wheels on the Bus....

Taking care of a 4r old, even part-time, really eats up your day...plus, it's fall & nice for yard cleanup, plus, I've been subbing a bit at school--didn't think I would be holding out that option for those good long term jobs in spring, which will be plentiful w/lots of retirements on the horizon due to contracts changing due to our state new repub. governor's union busting efforts...don't get me started...    So, school is on my mind....and I promise Isla pics after this for a bit, since Isla is never off my mind & I uploaded new pics that have been on my camera forever...            so, one more school related post...

ShangHai school bus.... the actual characters are:     Shang hai Shi (city) Xiehe Guoji xuexiao

Astrid , granddaughter #3, looking out the window of her bus.  Sofi, granddaughter #1 asks why there are curtains on the bus (since hers has no curtains...)  neither, of course, have car seats...which makes one wonder...not in China though... and Sofi wonders why Astrid just can't come over to visit us on the bus.
I'm not sure when one develops a sense of world geography and distances.
On the other hand, she does know that to get to our place in Mexico (Isla), we have to take:
a car; a bus, a plane, another bus, a taxi, a ferry, and finally, a golf cart.   a fun series of things, to her...

Granddaughters #1 & #3 are enjoying their bus trips, maybe as much as their time at school...
who knew?

and here is Evie...granddaughter #2, at her Schlitz Audubon Nature Preschool in Milwaukee, WI
She looks equally happy with what is in store for her...    bug vs. bus is more like it....
looks like lots of trees, leaves & critters           and the classroom stuff is really innovative...global!

Evie breaking in her new rainsuit at school.

Evie celebrated her birthday at school - she carried a huge globe and walked around the sun 4 times. Pretty neat way to celebrate 4 years on Earth!

 

here is Sofi getting on her daily bus and getting some help with her backpack..
So there...
that takes care of the start of another school year....for another generation...
And again, it does seem like Sept is the beginning of the year and change for so many... I think in a place with seasons it is more pronounced.
Somehow, Jan here, the beginning of the calendar year...does not feel like a real change... whereas Jan. in Mexico does feel more like a beginning of a year...I wonder why that seems to be... just my own feelings...
But, whatever...it gives me the chance to have a new beginning, twice a year.  I'm liking that!
And it may be the case for Sofi also, if she gets to have some time in Mexico at school as well...we'll see...
If so, she'll be trading bus rides, for golf cart rides....all good!

Happy New Year, Happy School Year.... Sept 2012...

 It seems more like Sept, vs. Jan. is the beginning of the new year. 

So many new beginnings for so many kids, and guess we have all been there... 

This year, we have 3 granddaughters all beginning a new school program. 

Our eldest, Sofia, is beginning 4K, and starting today, is going to ride the school bus, getting on at our place.  (We will make some changes during her school year, which probably even includes her coming to Mexico with us and attending a primary school like she did once before.  She had so many wonderful experiences...I can't wait to for her to do it again...Yea! for Mexico...we were thrilled with the care and attention & friends she had at a local Isla primary school...

For myself...I am especially enjoying the beginning of the school calendar, with NOT working!!! 
It is my first year since 'retiring' since not taking on a job-share, long-term subbing or tutoring at the Sept. start of the school year... 

Yay..for freedom!!!!  

First day of School (4K) — 

Granddaughter No.2, Evie, (below, in a tree, is going to the Schlitz Audubon Nature Preschool in Milwaukee.  Hope to add more photos of her in the actual classroom..

We look forward to hearing some good nature stories from her.  Schlitz--Milwaukee..yes, the beer baron...but, glad to see they have branched out from beer to other endeavors...am sure beer paved the way...but, whatever.... I love that they are behind a nature based preschool 
here's Evie in a tree....at an open house, to check it out...and Violet is below, as always...an 'acolyte.'...

Granddaughter No. 3 is beginning preschool in Shanghai, China.  It seems she does like it, and is already learning Chinese very quickly.  Can't wait to follow her progress. Very soon she will pass my own Chinese ability, which has grown very rusty after over 20 years of non use.

Astrid Goes to School                              

1. July 25

   First day at school 

   

Astrid Goes to School

One Room Schoolhouse Reunion--August 2012

Brace School 2012 reunion party (25 photos)  (fifty years after closing in 1962)  

     photos by Nat Davauer   
              (I'm putting the link to his facebook page to get to the photos he posted...) 

The Brace School in Fall River which my grandma restored over the last 20 years. My grandpa, dad and aunt went there through 8th grade.

Nat (my son)  took these photos for Dolly (my mother-in-law),  y,who restored the schoolhouse, named the Brace School (in honor of her great, great uncle, Henry Brace, who donated the land on which to build the schoolhouse in Fountain Prairie, WI... 

So, it's now in the family and is a wonderful place to visit...kind of like 'Little House on the Prairie'

We have had several classes have an actual day of school there, re-enacting what it would be like 'in the olden days.'   Dolly makes it extra fun by having the kids participate in churning cream to make butter using an old butter churn, and they get to help make the mashed potatoes too, because how else to enjoy the freshness of butter?  There is nothing like 'hands-on' learning. 

The kids love the use the old slates, go through the separate hall doorways for boys and girls and play the old recess games like 'Annie Annie Over' (teams on opposite sides throwing the ball over the schoohouse roof & running to catch and tag the person with the ball).  

Just good old fashioned fun.  

A lot of past attendees came out to enjoy the day, the oldest being Ken Gohr, who will be 99 next wk. 

He is shown holding his original diploma.  He is the guy we bought our farm from.   

Happy Birthday Ken!  

Some good memories were shared all around that day (August 5th).  

Good food too--not freshly churned butter, & mashed potatoes, but a friendly community potluck.

Nathaniel Davauer  

(also, fyi...his professional website is  www.davauerphotography.com  )

From Kayak to Tall Ships

Out in a Kayak on Pike Lake in Wisconsin
 (I really need to get one of these to use on Isla... easy & fun, especially with Sofia along for the ride.)
You really get a very up close and personal experience with the water when you're in a kayak.
Except for actually being IN the water (which I often am), kayaking may be the next best thing.
We have canoes here at the farm, and we loved canoeing from years ago. That is nice, but always does require two people. And nowadays, we're often all doing our own thing.  It's even hard to get two people, even if one is my husband, to agree to do the same thing at the same time.
Kayaking solves soooo many problems...
... and provides so much peace & quiet  out on the water....

On the other hand, being on a tall ship would be majestic... sailing vessel the Denis Sullivan
was moored last week in Port Washington for Maritime Days.  My aunt worked as a guide that day on some of the other ships in the harbor. My brother & sister had tickets to go out on the Denis Sullivan, but due to a late breaking cloudburst, with lightning, it was canceled.  Maybe next year....


This ship actually has programs for teachers and students for professional development. I might look into that.  Beats sitting in a classroom...(my teaching certificate expires next summer...I'll think on it...)
It is normally moored in Milwaukee on L Michigan...but I see it does go into the Atlantic & Caribbean.
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Schooners Denis Sullivan, Madeline will become centerpiece of annual Maritime Festival this weekend

 My dad had a series of sailboats, and I've been on some out on Lake Michigan--you don't want to be out there in a storm, & I remember huddling down under the bow in a treacherous storm. I was quite young, but my aunt said we had to get Coast Guard support to be towed to shore. I probably blocked most of the bad stuff from my memory. My mom put up with a lot to be his 'first mate.'
My aunt had commemorative bricks with their names inscribed installed near the old lighthouse museum.      
(Capt. Roy Durst, & First Mate Pat Durst....
and they did often use those monikers  :-) 
Here's my aunt Joyce, w/us, her nieces, and me holding a small bag of ashes of my mother, which we sprinkled over the stones.  

 

And then, here we are...the survivors of Pat & Roy's many voyages...
  ...who scrubbed and varnished many boat decks 
and hoisted plenty of sails in our day...
we are indeed survivors...







Another tall ship that is impressive, & often seen on Isla is the Thor Heyerdahl, with a young training crew which sails from Germany, I think.   They do sometimes give tours when they are docked on Isla.
I know we have our own photos of this ship, but am not organized enough to find them.

Steve, having done a tour on the USS Jamestown, many years ago...(before internet...cell phones...oh yeah...we used to actually write air mail letters which he was happy to get when they came ahore... off Vietnam...or...wherever they were.  
guess it was secret...



Well...am definitely drifting off topic here.
what was it again?   somehow, it's all related...
anyway... Loved that Kayak experience.   More please!

Made in Mexico

- from 'Hammock Musings from Merida' blog
  sharing info. about  an upcoming film release at MexFest Aug. 17 in London
'Hecho en Mexico'   by Duncan Bridgeman, filmaker & music producer
focusing on & showcasing contemporary music & conversations around Mexico--sounds wonderful!
better yet to actually be in London to see it...but in any case, hope I can see it somewhere...