Bahías de Huatulco, with its surreally gorgeous nine bays, is located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Its low-key airport with palapa roofs, make it an easy destination for a relaxing vacation, including fishing and surfing. Historically, Huatulco was once a port under Hernán Cortés’s conquest, then a coffee –growing area, and later, the subject of Fondo Nacional Turismo in the early 1980s for … Continue reading My Huatulco: A Guide to La Crucecita
Driving seven plus hours north to Sonoma County seemed utterly daunting while passing dusty flat farmland as far as the eye can see in both directions off the Grapevine. The barrages of endless semi-trucks head to toe like train cars and slower drivers in the wrong lane make any trip seem like a bad idea. Breaking up the monotony at a rest stop bathroom, gas … Continue reading My Sonoma: Beyond the Wine
Living dual lives in parallel universes calls for a flexible lifestyle and mesh of madness. I love my friends, freedoms, and simple, natural luxuries that exist in both countries. I’ll trade in my tempeh and variety of organic homegrown fruits and veggies for gallo pinto, Ranchitos, and tropical fruits- for weeks, and even months if needed. In one place, it’s the freedom to jump in … Continue reading My Nicaragua
I drove home from Santa Rosa with a heart full of the love people shared, a growler of Blind Pig, case of Pliny the Elder, and a head full of knowledge and ideas. I reminisced on the day, only two and a half years ago, that I had planted something in the ground for the first time. We were in Nicaragua making some home improvements … Continue reading My Journey to The National Heirloom Expo
Meylie, who just turned 8, and her little sister, Ashley, age 3, live in a typical Nicaraguan village home in Laguna Francisco, northwest of the capital city, Managua. Their father, Nacho, is a highly skilled woodcraftsman who has made beautiful hard word furniture, doors, and window frames for Casa del Sur. During our last trip to Nicaragua, I had the pleasure of getting to know … Continue reading Pastelitos: The Meylie & Ashley Special
On average, temperatures range from hot to hotter, the rainy season lasts from May to October, chill hours do not exist, and Zone 12 is where it falls on the plant hardiness scale- this means buttery leafy greens and crisp apples are not going to grow well here. And what does grow naturally is not necessarily organic. I’m talking about Nicaragua of course, mainly the municipality … Continue reading Nicaraguan Paradise Lost? An Organic Gardener’s Dilemma
Cobble stoned alleyway-like streets lined with wall-to-wall bright teal, orange, and yellow stuccoed homes, shops clad with wrought iron gated windows, and sorely chipped tiled entryway steps make up the neighborhoods. Stumbling along chunks of concrete uprooting from sidewalks, zigzagging in and out of clusters of vendors carrying baskets of goods, scurrying women with children in tow, bicycle drawn carriages, and cars driven by madmen … Continue reading Feeling @ Home with Gallo Pinto: Nicaraguan Rice & Beans
I love New Mexico for its diverse artistic landscape in vibrant greens, reds, and golds in the forefront of a crisp, blue, cloud smeared backdrop. I love it for its cultures that seem to jive together in one beating life force. I have loved New Mexico since childhood, visiting family year after year all of my life, planting hardy and abundant memories in every square … Continue reading Hatch Hiking the World’s Chile Capital
Heading straight north, away from the booming Popoyo area, we stopped overnight in historic Granada, a quaint touristy Spanish Colonial town, just southeast of Masaya and Managua, along Lake Nicaragua. Granada is the most unique city in all of Nicaragua for it’s Spanish architecture, cathedrals dating back to the 1500s, city and lake sightseeing tours, and its history, especially of the notorious American filibuster, William … Continue reading Passing Through Granada, Nicaragua
My first Nicaraguan adventure began in Masaya, “The City of the Flowers”, a little less than an hour from the capital, Managua. This town was the perfect stop en route to our final destination, a rugged seaside village a few hours away. In Masaya, I was able to have a couple of days to ease into the new environment, language, and culture, before being immersed … Continue reading Two Day Tripping: Masaya, Nicaragua
Our Lomita Farm 