Fort Worth Water Gardens

Amelia and John did not have school on Martin Luther King, Jr. day (Monday) or the following day (Tuesday, January 19). Tuesday was a staff development day that was recognized by our school district but not followed by other school districts in the area.

Since I am teaching a Tuesday/Thursday schedule this year, I worked from home on Monday and thus the school holiday really had no impact on our family. But the Tuesday day off was a little different, as Amelia and John had to come to Fort Worth with me so that I could teach my class at TCU. The kids have had to do this a handful of times in the past few years (e.g., snow days in Dallas where TCU still held class) so they are accustomed to the routine. Given the kids' ages and level of independence it's really quite easy to leave them in my office with an iPad and a movie while I go to the other side of the building to teach for a couple of hours.

This Tuesday I wanted to do something a little different, a detour of sorts beside just drive to the university and back. Since we didn't do anything "fun" over their four day weekend, I wanted to at least offer them something a little better than a long drive to/from Fort Worth and mostly boring time in my office.

After I finished in the classroom, we headed to Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth. I had never been to this area of downtown before. Sundance Square is a 30-ish square block area of shops and restaurants, with this public square in the middle. The fountain and mural in the background were fun, and the mural on the wall plays heritage to Fort Worth's history as a cattle town. The kids' expressions below are demonstrating their protest at taking the photo. "Why, mom, do you always have to take our picture when it's really stupid?" Ugh.

 

Their attitude improved after lunch though (thankfully) when we walked a dozen blocks to the real destination, Fort Worth Water Gardens. This is a public park in the middle of downtown, comprised of three water "pools" and open spaces. According to the plaques in the gardens, this area was designed to be a unique urban park, where the water pools represent a "respite from the bustling city beyond its borders".

I only took pictures in the "active pool", which was the pool that had the coolest architectural features (other pools not pictures were the "quiet pool" and "aerating pool", both of which were interesting in person but not on camera). As you can see below, the active pool was a tiered structure with water cascading down the sides. You could climb down the ledges perched down the side, and then circle around the bottom above the cascades. Try to track the kids in their brightly colored t-shirts below.

I was surprised by how loud the rushing water was at the bottom of the pool.

In the photo above, Amelia and John are perched on the top of the rocks above the cascading water. Amelia and John enjoyed climbing up and down the different structures until I had to drag them away. John was particularly interested in calculating the number of steps and flights of stairs he could accumulate on his Fitbit during our visit.

Overall, Fort Worth Water Gardens was a unique architectural experience and a "fun find" for a quick downtown detour on our way out of Fort Worth.

Sea Turtle Sanctuary

On our last full day in Mazatlán we went on an excursion to a local sea turtle sanctuary. The tour operators picked us up at our hotel at 8:00am and drove our group about 30 minutes northwest through the countryside to this secluded beach area. 

There are a handful of protected beach areas along the Pacific coast of Mexico where marine biologists and Mexican government agencies work together to provide safe harbor for the thousands of turtle eggs that are laid on the beaches each year. I believe we were touring the area on the north (upper side) of the photo below. Our visit to the sanctuary included a boat tour of the neighboring mangrove sanctuaries, lunch, and participating in the release of baby sea turtles into the ocean.

After our group was settled in at the beach camp, our tour guides presented a 15 minute talk to teach us about the behavior of sea turtles and the nesting/egg hatching process. In particular, the guides talked about the conservation efforts by the marine biologists who work year-round at this site to protect the eggs. We learned that there are seven sea turtle species, six of which lay eggs on Mexico's beaches. We also learned that a distinguishing characteristic between sea and land/lake turtles is the front flippers. Notice in the drawing below that the sea turtles have flippers, while the land/lake turtles have "leg-like" front legs. Another interesting fact is that female sea turtles return to the same geographic area where they were born to lay their eggs. The marine biologists who work at this sanctuary tag the adult females that return and record the proportion of females each year that return again to lay their eggs on this beach.

Before we released the eggs, we went on a boat ride through the mangrove wetlands just off the beach. About 20 of us were seated in this small motorboat, with one guide in the front and the boat captain in the back. I was seated in the front row, hence why I was so close to our tour guide.

Once of the coolest part of the boat ride was going through the tunnels formed by the natural growth of the mangrove trees. On the bottom of the photo you can see the light outline of the tip of the boat as we were about to enter one of the tunnels.

The blurriness on the left below is our tour guide's face.

Inside the mangrove tunnels the taller people had to duck their heads to avoid getting hit by the low-hanging mangrove branches, and we all had to keep our arms inside the boat to avoid touching the mangroves. I loved seeing the complexity of the root systems up close. This reminded me a little of the mangroves present south of Miami.

The weather was partly cloudy (not much sun), but this didn't stop the brilliant reflection of the vegetation off the water as pictured below.

A highlight was seeing different animals along the water's edge. Below is a large iguana perched in a tree.

And one of two baby crocodiles that we saw perched on logs. The tour guides explained that if it had been a sunny day we would have seen dozens of adult crocodiles along the edges of the mangroves, but since there wasn't much sun the crocodiles had little incentive to come up to the water's edge.

At one point we passed a beach area, where dozens of sea gulls flew away from the low noise of the motor boat.

And last but not least, this magnificent heron. I loved watching the herons perched along water's edge, and then continuing to watch them as they took flight above the water.

After we returned from the boat journey, it was time for the turtle release. Our group walked down the short path to the beach, where the marine biologists keep the turtle eggs sectioned off to protect them from predators. 

Each of the mesh circles (there are dozens pictured in the pen above) either surround eggs that have yet to hatch, or eggs that have recently hatched.

One of the guides showed us how they handle the turtles once hatched and ready for release out to the ocean.

And then we each got a plastic cup of baby sea turtles to release into the ocean. There were about a dozen squirmy baby turtles in each of the cups. 

The guides drew a line on the beach and asked us all to step behind the line. Once the guides said "go" we were able to tip our cups over the line to "release" our sea turtles onto the beach so that they could begin their journey to the ocean. The guides asked that we not cross the line in order to avoid stepping on the turtles.

Ready, set go! All the black dots between the people and ocean's edge are baby sea turtles racing for the water. Well, "racing" is actually a misleading term, as the turtles were moving somewhat slowly.

It was fascinating to watch the turtles, much more so than I would have thought. The group became a community of sorts, as we were all rooting for the turtles to get to water's edge as quickly as possible. Once in a while a wave would come ashore and sweep up a group of turtles and either take them out to sea, or bounce them around a bit and leave the turtles stranded on their backs on the sand. It was so interesting to watch the turtles struggle and eventually succeed to right themselves on their flippers to walk down the beach towards the ocean.

Towards the end we all stood around watching one last turtle make is way to the ocean. There were about 20 people in our group, so if we each released 12 turtles that's 240 baby sea turtles returned to the ocean.

The last one!

After the sea turtle release we walked back up the beach camp and enjoyed a delicious Mexican meal of stewed meat with rice, refried beans, fresh corn tortillas and a variety of tomato and vegetable salsas. Yum! 

Overall this was a memorable excursion that was a prefect blend of experiencing nature and learning about the science of the turtle species in an amazing environment. 

Chile Relleno Soup

I enjoy reading cooking blogs. I keep about a dozen on my regular reading rotation for much-needed cooking inspiration. Plus, the photos are always amazing. 

For every ten good-looking dishes that I discover on blogs, I probably only make maybe one of them. So I am thrilled when the dish turns out to be one of the best things I have cooked in a long time.

This soup is one of those memorable dishes. Following the delicious food that we ate in Mexico, I have found myself gravitating towards similar flavor profiles. We enjoyed a tasty chile relleno as an appetizer one evening in Mexico, so when this Chile Relleno Soup was featured on one of the cooking blogs that I read I knew I wanted to try it. 

This soup was fantastic. The flavor of the roasted peppers shines through and is complemented by the sweetness of the cheese (photo below is from the blogger's website). I am documenting this soup here so that I remember to make it again. 

Ingredients:

5 poblano peppers

2 white potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup frozen corn

2 tbsp buter

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

4 cups chicken stock 

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
6 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
3 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preparation:

Roast poblano peppers until skin is charred and blistered. Place poblanos in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool, then rub skin to remove as much as possible. Cut out seeds and then place in a food processor or blender to finely chop. Set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and poblanos and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in chicken broth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add potato pieces and cook until potatoes are boiled, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add cream cheese, frozen corn, and two cups of the cheddar cheese and whisk until smooth.

To serve, divide into 6 bowls and sprinkle each with 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

All around town

We spent the next morning exploring the old town center. This part of the day was my idea but everyone else went along (surprisingly) willingly. Our designation was the market in the center of town, but first we explored the streets of the old city on foot. Below is a photo of one of the streets we walked along. The photo is pretty basic, but it gives you a sense of the architecture and style of the homes and businesses on the back streets. We did not see a lot of people walking around the non-tourist areas.

This bank building in the same square as the cathedral was still decorated for Christmas. As you likely know, the words along the top of the building, "Feliz Navidad", translate to "Merry Christmas".

Next stop was the cathedral. The cathedral (translated) is called the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, is a traditional Catholic cathedral. According to sources I read after we returned from Mexico, construction on the cathedral started in 1856 but wasn't completed until 1899 due to turbulence in the region. Still, the cathedral building is over 100 years old and is unlike any church or cathedral that John and Amelia have ever seen before. Below is the view from the outside. Apparently a "basilica" is a special designation given to a Roman Catholic cathedral given special ceremonial privileges by the Pope.

The photo below shows the main altar inside the cathedral. The gold letters in the arch above the altar roughly translate to, "Come to me all who are conflicted and I will console you". 

Next we walked to the town market. We found a mixture of items for sale - fresh produce, meat (FDA-type regulations were not enforced, as most of the meat was not refrigerated), souvenir trinkets and candies. We purchased some candies for the kids but left after about 30 minutes due to the congestion and general chaos in the market.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the sister hotel property to the resort where we were staying. We stayed at Pueblo Bonito Mazatlán, which is the first Pueblo Bonito resort in town. Our hotel is an older property that is located closer to the city center. The other property is called Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay, and is a newer resort that is located farther outside of the city. The hotel provides shuttle buses (about a 20 minute ride) between the two locations so that guests of each resort can enjoy the other property. 

PB Emerald Bay was a more expansive property, about six times the size of our resort. We all enjoyed swimming in the infinity pools before lunch. We enjoyed our time at PB Emerald Bay, but we concluded in the end that we are glad we chose to stay at PB Mazatlán closer to town. 

Lunch poolside!

Citrus shrimp salad for me and shrimp cocktail and guacamole with tortilla chips for Scott. I swear the guac and tortilla chips in Mexico are the best. The guacamole always tastes super fresh (local avocados) and the tortilla chips are always handmade and thicker than we are accustomed to in the U.S. And Pacificos always! The hotel was smart to offer happy hour from 12:00-1:00 every day. Happy hour plus the cheap price for beer made for a good excuse to enjoy a Pacifico or two with lunch. 

Below is a meal that I enjoyed one evening. While we were at PB Emerald Bay, I overhead another family talking about a restaurant in town that I had remembered seeing, La Casa Country. From what I overheard, this family seemed to have been vacationing annually in Mazatlán for over ten years, and that day they were talking about how they had to visit this restaurant soon to enjoy the dishes that they craved. The dish I enjoyed was chicken, peppers, and onions stewed in a think, smoky tomato sauce. The stew was served with fresh corn tortillas, and it was so delicious. I love that it was served in a huge mojacete.

And finally, two more photos from the last night we were in Mazatlán. This was New Year's Eve, and most of the restaurants were offering fancy prix fixe menus to celebrate the New Year. Scott and I wanted something more low-key, so we ended up trying a restaurant called El Fish Market. Amelia said that the mixed English/Spanish name bothered her, but the food was delicious. I ordered grilled shrimp and vegetable skewers, swerved with potato wedges and creamy coleslaw.

And Scott got to enjoy his beloved aguachile one last time. Aguachile is a Mexican dish made of shrimp, submerged in liquid seasoned with chili peppers, lime juice, salt, coriander, and slices of onion. From what we understand, aguachile is only available in certain regions of Mexico (Scott enjoyed it when we were in Puerto Vallarta several years ago). I think it's tasty, but it is way too spicy for me. It's like eating a seafood ceviche with a strong spicy kick that gets you a minute after you swallow. Scott says it is one of his favorite foods of all time and I am glad he enjoyed it so much (four times in four days!) while we were in Mazatlán.

El Malecón de Mazatlán

We spent most of our first full day in Mazatlán swimming at our hotel. We were in desperate need of a complete rest day after our poor travel experience, and the weather was perfect for lots of pool time and sunshine. Before we went to the pool, John and I got in a 5-mile+ walk on the beach, which was a great way to explore the area in the early morning.

About two hours before sunset, we decided to venture down towards the old city center. Mazatlán is known for it's extensive Malecón, which roughly translates to "boardwalk". We walked along a lovely wide sidewalk along the water's edge, with a short beach (sometimes) before the ocean. We enjoyed seeing the waves crash along the rocks as they came onshore. 

El Malecón was about three miles from our hotel, so we journeyed there via a Pulmonia (pictured below), which is essentially a juiced-up golf cart/open-air taxi. Pulmonias were more plentiful around the tourist area relative to regular taxis, which was great because they provided a really enjoyable travel experience due to the tropical temperatures.

See the platform ledge on the top right of the photo below? Cliff divers jump from this point down into the ocean below, which is right next to the boardwalk area. This area is known for cliff divers, and Scott swore he saw a diver jump once we walked past this point. Sadly, I didn't see him as I was looking off towards the ocean. It's crazy to think about the divers volunteering to dive so close to the rocks along the shore.

We climbed up on another platform viewing area to view El Malecón below. To the right of the photo you can see the street vendors lined up with food trucks and carts with various items for sale. We walked amongst the stalls looking for water and souvenir trinkets, but it was a madhouse with lots of people so we didn't stay long.

  

Looking north along the beach.

Our destination was the rooftop bar of a local hotel, which we heard was a gorgeous place to watch the sunset. This is a view towards the old city. In the middle you can see yellow spires of the old cathedral, which we ended up visiting the next day.

 

Homes built on a hill. These homes look fancy relative to most that we saw in the city.

A stranger offered to take our photo just before the sunset on the roof of the hotel.

The sunset was magnificent. The photos speak well of the beautiful view.