Noche Buena and Christmas in Quito 2014

December 25, 2014 by sal in Annika, Christmas, Drinks, Friends, Noche Buena, Photography

As it was peanut's first Christmas - and she is just so damn photogenic - we took a million pictures. Looks like Santa needs to bring more memory cards and backup drives next year. We spent Noche Buena with good friends from the Embassy; it was a great evening complete with homemade spaghetti, old fashioneds, and tons of excited kids. We returned home to start our own new Christmas traditions. We must have been good this year as Santa came overnight and filled Annika's stocking, bringing her a little toothbrush for her 1/2 of a tooth. Santa also brought a train set that scared the bejeezus out of her.

We had a relaxing low key Christmas day starting with mimosas and ending with a candlelit dinner. We enjoyed our first Christmas as a family of 3 but missed spending time with our family.

To view the entire album, click here.

R&R 2014 - Part I: Washington, DC/Virginia/West Virginia

October 18, 2014 by sal in Drinks, Family, Food, Friends, Travels

We kicked off our 2.5-week R&R in DC with good friends and food. Our hosts, Nate and Gigi, treated us like royalty. Annika visited Virginia vineyards with Uncle Jon and Aunt Nancy, and we enjoyed oysters and steak with Uncle Sergio. We then drove south to Roanoke. Annika loved meeting her Grandma Betty and Auntie Diana, and we were treated to another wonderful home-made meal at the Bright Tower. We had a beautiful taste of fall in West Virginia, where cousins Amos and Daisy kindly shared their birthday with us! We loved seeing Aunt Patty, Uncle Bill, Anne, and Darren, too. We made a quick stop in Thomas, WV to see Johnny and the Purple Fiddle before heading back to DC to catch up with lots of friends--Annika attended her second happy hour at Lyon Hall (luckily bringing a baby to a bar seems to be well-accepted in Arlington). And then we were off to New York...whew! And we're not even half-way there... To view the entire album click here.

BBQ At Mike and Arlene's

August 09, 2013 by sal in Drinks, Food, Friends, Photography, Uncategorized

Nothing says summer like a BBQ at Mike and Arlene's, plenty of good food, wine, and friends. Below are some pictures from that day. To view the entire album click here.

Sal's 40th Birthday Weekend in McAllen, TX

October 05, 2011 by sal in Drinks, Family, Food, Photography, RGV

Julia and I flew into McAllen to celebrate my 40th birthday with family and friends. It was a celebration of salsa, cigars, and dominoes. To view the entire album, click here.

Pulque

July 16, 2011 by sal in Drinks, Photography, Mexico

Part of our market tour was to stop at pulqueria bar to drink some pulque. Pulque is made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant, native to Mexico. Pulque was a sacred drink, drunk by Aztec priests and by sacrificial victims to ease their suffering (ay que nice!). After the Spanish conquest and with the introduction of beer, among other things, consumption declined. However, as of late, it has been making a comeback. They flavored the drink to make it more appealing, especially for the young folks who stop by before school for a buzz. The bar we visited, with walls and ceilings appropriately painted for the upcoming buzz, served pulque in all sorts of fruit flavors. Some were tasty....some were not.