St. Patrick's Day - Part One

As anticipated, St. Patrick's day was a long, drawn-out affair.  Not in a bad way, of course.  I was up bright and early doing my prep-work.  This was the making and tasting, and tasting, and tasting of my world famous Green Death Margaritas.

Busy Hands Are The Devil's Workshop


It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.  And the results were most gratifying.

A Freezer Full Of Happiness


Shortly after completing my Margarita mixing the decorating committee, that would be Marcie, showed up.

Green Is So In This Year, Dahling


The Mysterious Chinese Woman was here to lend a helping hand, and that was a good thing.  All my tasting had caught up with me so I assumed a supervisory role.

A Little Higher, Please


We decorated the sliding glass doors with hopes that it would keep the pigeons from flying into them.  It seemed to work, for the pigeons, at least.

Dumber Than Your Average Pigeon


There is no occassion for which Marcie is not prepared, and St. Patrick's Day is no exception.

All Of The Trimmings


And What would St. Patrick's day be without at least one drinking game?

But Does It Have To Be A Jig?


The Mysterious Chinese Woman was discussing her many birthdays (that is many each year).  I certainly don't mean to imply that she, well, you know.  Anyway, she was discussing them with our friends Valerie and Dave, and she mentioned that a traditional birthday dish is a poached chicken with both the head and feet still attached.  They thought she should celebrate one more birthday while they were here so the bought her the requisite chicken.

And An Irish One At That


Dave left a few days ago to head to,  of all places, Alaska.  He had to put on a trade show or something.  Not too surprisingly Valerie decided to stay in sunny Puerto Vallarta and attend the St. Patrick's Day festivities.

A Wise Valerie


Soon my friends Sandy and Rico showed up.  They are from Minnesota, from whence I originated.  In the past they have spent a week here in my place but this year they are down for two weeks and got their own digs.

Sandy


Rico


They were followed by the always fashionable Marge.

Blouse Must Match The Drink


And Marge's husband, the orifice challenged Wayne.

An Opening Is An Opening


Wayne is an architect but I have the vague feeling a house designed by him might be a bit, shall we say, challenging?  The kitchen stove would probably be in the bathroom.

Close on the heels of Wayne and Marge were Allison and Steve.

And Now The Party Can Begin


Sharon and Paul were next to arrive.  They were a bit late because Sharon said that Paul's grooming was taking longer than usual.

The Well-Groomed Paul, Not A Single Visible Nose Hair


And The Always Well-Groomed Sharon


That is Bill, Marcie's husband, just behind Sharon.  He is pouting because he doesn't like anything Green so he wasn't drinking the Margarita's.

And last, but not least, Jim and Carol arrived.  Marcie had been waiting to pounce on Jim's head because  she had saved a special tattoo for him.

First, A Little Prep-Work


Now, This Won't Hurt A Bit


And Let Us Not Forget Carol


Steve also had a nice palette for Marcie's artwork.

Big Foreheads Are In This Year


And, of course, the inevitable rivalry.

Mine Is Bigger Than Yours


The Margaritas were going down just fine, but they only do so much damage.  What you really need are Jello shots.

Okay, Plenty For Everyone, Even The Kids


And the Jello shots went down pretty good as well.

Does This Look Dignified?


Who Cares?


And there wasn't any canned fruit or tiny marsh-mellows in the Jello shots either.  After a few of them, though, you did need to hold each other up.

Ooh, How Many Did You Have?


Bar Man Provides Sturdy Support


After drinking almost all of the Margaritas and downing all of the Jello shots it was time for most of us to head to stage two.  Marge and Wayne had to depart, though.  Marge was flying back to Chicago for a few days to see her granddaughter in a school play.  She said she had the lead in Fiddler In The Roof.  Nobody will ever replace Zero Mostel in my opinion.  Wayne was staying here in Puerto Vallarta, but he had to go to the airport with Marge.

Anyway, our next stage was Murphy's Irish Pub where we continued our festivities.

Murphy's Irish Pub On The Malecon


Needless to say there will be more to post about that part of the day, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.  I think I found two friends in the fridge who need my attention.

Make New Friends But Drink The Old


And that, as they say, is all for now.

That Day Again

I awoke this morning with heart palpitations and an impending sense of doom.  Luckily there was an existential reason for my condition: Today is St. Patrick's Day, a day that seldom ends well for Bar Man.  I have already pre-built the guts of my green Margaritas, substituting Racillia (Mexican Moonshine) for Tequila and throwing in a bit of old Mescal in which the worm had dissolved.  Hey, got to get your protein.  Nothing is too good for my guests.  My friend Marcie is coming over early this morning with her green Jello shots and to help decorate my place for our pre-pub crawl party.  I think the current plans are to head to Murphy's Irish Pub for their Guinness stew for lunch and then, well, then who knows what?

But I get ahead of myself.  I thought I would post about a relatively more civil event before this day gets totally out of hand (in about two hours, by my reckoning).

We had another deck party a couple of days ago and, once again, I made my famous, but increasingly frustrating, Deviled Eggs.

I Hate These Eggs


Nothing I do can center the yolks, and believe me, I know all of the tricks.  Why doesn't Ron Popeil  offer an "Egg-Centering Centrifuge?  I would buy one.  After all, I have bought his "Scramble An Egg In The Shell" device and his "Make Square Hard Boiled Eggs" machine.  The "Automatic Egg Peeler" will probably be next.  I also have his "Automatic Pasta And Sausage Maker," but that is another sad story altogether.

I did manage to make about two dozen Deviled Eggs out of eighteen eggs.  That comes out to a totally unacceptable rejection rate of one out of three due to herniated yolks.  I put the excess filling on crackers though, so it wasn't a total loss.

The Finished Product


The Mysterious Chinese Woman made a delicious chili and there was all kinds of wonderful food to be shared.

A Mighty Fine Spread, Indeed








We had everything from ribs to jalapeño poppers.  And desserts aplenty.  I didn't get a picture of Marie's Chocolate Overkill, but it was dynamite.  Marcie is also bringing poppyseed muffins for our party this morning.  I figure it will give us an excuse if we fail our drug tests later in the day.

Everyone was supposed to bring a little something to share with the others, but I am not sure if Bill intended to share.

He Looks Pretty Well Settled In


But the rest of the crew had no problem heading for the buffet table.

Step Right Up And Dig Right In






Here were a few of the usual suspects gathered around.  Bill did share and, to be fair, not all of the wine was his.

Some Of The Usual Suspects


As usual, a great time was had by all.  Well, except for those who chose not to attend and actually tried to get some sleep while the party was still going on.  I think even  the nearby Blue Chairs, notorious for their loud music, called in a complaint.

Okay, I am off to prepare myself for today's events.  Just how, I am not sure.  Maybe drink a pint of olive oil or something.  There should be pictures tomorrow unless I lose my camera or, more likely, lose my focus.  I have long ago lost my way.

Long Pants Day

Yesterday our friends Carol and Dave donned their long pants (Dave, at least) and headed home.  They said they had a great time, and why wouldn't they?  Everyone who comes here does.  And, like everyone else who ever comes here, left reluctantly.

So Long, It's Time To Go


The day before they left we did manage to get our fish-on-a-stick from the fish lady.  Carol and Dave had been wanting to try one and even though the tsunami delayed us, the fish lady had three of them for us on Saturday.

Three Little Fishies
 

Our friends Rico and Sandy showed up on Saturday.  They usually stay with us but because they are going to be here for two weeks they thought it would be best to rent a place of their own in our building.  They got quite a welcome, although not one they particularly wanted.

It's A Welcome Poopie


Someone had left the window open a crack and two pigeons managed to get in and then couldn't get out.  You would be surprised how much two pigeons can poop in two days.  They did manage to get someone to clean it all up for them, so all ended up okay.

Rico and Sandy were also a bit frazzled because their flight was delayed.  And why was it delayed?  One of the pilots flying deadhead (apparently he would be the one flying back) had forgotten his passport and had to go home to get it.  Isn't modern travel a delight?

What with new people arriving and old people leaving there was only one thing to do, throw a bit of a party.

A Pasta Party


The New Arrivals, Sandy And Rico


And Those About To Depart, Carol And Dave


Marcie and Bill also joined in the party and Marcie baked a really delicious apple pie for desert. Marcie is our resident baker and can always be counted on to bring something. She is best known for her chocolate cakes and brownies.

A Pie To Die For


Our Baker, Looking Pleased With Herself


Actually, I am not sure if she is looking pleased with herself or just had a few glasses of wine too many.

Bill And Carol Loading Up Their Plates


You could tell Dave is an old pro when it comes to eating pasta.  He was the only one sporting a bid.

Looking Good, Dave


Doesn't take much of an excuse for a party around here, and it was a nice send-off for Carol and Dave and a nice welcome for Rico and Sandy.

Tsunami Update

As many of you probably know, the tsunami seemed to miss Puerto Vallarta entirely.  Still, that didn't stop a bunch of us from grabbing our money and passports and heading to higher ground for brunch and cocktails.  Hey, better safe than sorry.

We decided to go to Lindo Mar for our brunch because they do serve a nice one.  On weekends they have a great Mexican buffet, but they have nice breakfasts and lunches off the regular menu as well.

Lindo Mar


The entrance to Lindo Mar is right off Highway 200 which, for the longest time, I mistakenly thought was part of the Pan-American Highway system.  It does go to Acapulco, though.  But the entrance is about seven floors above the restaurant.  Oh well, we were safe for awhile.

Our Good Luck Greeters


We did have a good view of the ocean so we figured we could just run like hell if we saw something coming.

Holler If You See A Big Wave


They tsunami, if it was going to hit, was forecast for 12:30 PM and the maximum height wave was reduced from 3 meters to 1 meter so we had plenty of time to eat and weren't too worried.  The authorities did close down the beaches, though, and a helicopter flew by periodically to make sure the closures were being enforced.  Still, some people just didn't seem to get the message.

Our Early Warning System


I guess that if you put your beach chairs right in the water you aren't technically on the beach.

And Here Is Our Happy Group


After our lovely breakfast it was still only about 11:30 AM so we decided to head next door to El Set, a bar on higher ground, to wait out the event.

The Nearby El Set


It didn't take us too long to settle in and start doing some serious drinking.

Preparing For The Worst


Bill was taking the picture and my head is kind of blocking out Steve.

Here Is Steve With Dave And Allison


Bill is still missing, but he usually makes a funny face when you try to take his picture anyway, so forget him.

You are probably familiar with most of the people in my photos by now, but Dave and Carol are new to the group.  The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I met them on our cruise from Berlin to Prague last year so if they look vaguely familiar, that is why.  We hit it off really well (We bonded over the Silver Drink Plan) and invited them to join us down here in Puerto Vallarta  Happily for everyone they accepted.

Carol And Dave


You will be seeing more of them in posts when I start backtracking a bit, but I thought I should jump ahead to keep you posted on the tsunami thing.

And, of course, the Mysterious Chinese Woman gets a bit petulant if I don't include at least one picture of here, preferably with a drink.

Are You Happy Now?


Around 1:00 PM we figured the worst was over and headed on home. There were still beach warnings until 6:00 PM and there weren't any beach chairs or umbrellas out and just a few vendors plying their trade. We were planning on having some whole red snappers on a stick for a late lunch, but such was not to be. The fish lady was still preparing small pieces of mahi mahi and shrimp on sticks so the vendors could have something to sell, but wasn't prepared to commit the time to doing a whole fish in case a quick "run away" was necessary.

Today is a beautiful day, sunny and warm like usual, and the fish lady said she would have the fish for us this afternoon. My friends Rico and Sandy are due to arrive shortly so I am about to start preparing my traditional WFMs (Welcome Frozen Margaritas) for them. Carol and Dave are leaving tomorrow so they will be getting their PFLPDMs (Preparing For Long Pants Day Margaritas).

Now, I certainly don't intend this post to make light of the terrible situation in Japan, an earthquake, a tsunami and nuclear meltdowns. Really, can Godzilla be far behind? But there isn't much one can do from here except wish them the best as they recover from a truly horrific disaster. Our thoughts go out to them.

Tsunami Waring

We've got a tsunami warning here in Puerto Vallarta, as does just about everyplace on the west coast of North America.  I think it is supposed to hit a bit past noon.  We are going to do the only sensible thing, go out for a late lunch and breakfast at a place a bit up the mountain.  I will post more later but for now we are busy gathering up our money, passports, getting ready to head out,

And Saying Goodbyes To Loved Ones


I don't think it will be too bad here, the fish ladies are setting up out on the beach and we are planning on having fish-on-a-stick later this afternoon.  A tsunami warning has been issued, though, and three meter waves are a possibility.

Stay tuned for an update on what happened.

A New Bar In Town

Falling behind in my blogging, I know.  Just too much stuff going on.  But before I get started on a new bar in town, let me at least give you a quick glimpse of our leftover pool-deck party.

Pretty Much The Stuff Leftover From Boca


Oh, it was supplemented by other leftovers that had accumulated in the backs of people's refrigerators, so we did have plenty.

Checking It All Out


Sharon kind of looked it over too, but she wasn't sure about eating anything that had been cooked on the beach and then hauled back to town on a bus.

I Think, No, I Definitely Will Pass


Bill appears to actually be eating something that is green.  Knowing how he feels about vegetables I am guessing that this must be an old meat taco or something.

Green, But Good


Okay, enough about leftovers.  I think I posted a picture of a new Irish bar here in turn, Murphy's Irish Pub.  Bill, Marcie, the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I decided to check it out.  It is a bit of a walk, but Puerto Vallarta is a nice town to walk around in.  Except for the high curbs, cobblestone streets, cracked sidewalks and various wires strategically place to garrote the unwary.

When we got there it wasn't open yet so we ended up going next door to have a beer or two while we waited.

A Combo Bar 
 

Actually, it is a cafe with a name I couldn't quite make out.  Something like El Bife Cafe which I hope does not mean what it would sound like, The Biffy Cafe.  The bar was called Black And Red and featured beer, drinks and shots.  It looked like it could get rocking at night because it did have a little stage for live music.

C'mon Up, The Beer's Fine


We had the place pretty much to ourselves so we parked ourselves by the window where we could overlook the native population.

Native What? I Don't Know


A  Brew, A Lovely View, And You


There was going to be some kind of festival or something on the malecon later in the evening so they had the main drag through town blocked off and, as you can imagine, this resulted in quite a traffic jam.

But, Strangely, No Horn Blowing




A traffic jam like this in New York would have resulted in a cacophonous outburst of horns.  I never have understood that.  Like the guys at the front of the jam are just sitting there waiting for someone to blow their horn before they move?  I think not.

We finished up our beers and then headed on down to our primary destination.

The First Step Is A Doozie


Murphy's Irish Pub is another upstairs bar so again with the long climb.

You Do Work Up A Thirst


Murphy's Irish Pub has only been open a short time.  Seventeen days, I believe the bartender said, and they were still putting the finishing touches on the place.  It is kind of a family affair and the bartender's father or the bartender's husband's father was here helping set the place up.

It is a nice looking bar and I certainly wish them well.  This is the first place that I have ever been able to get a Guinness Stout here in Puerto Vallarta.  Granted, they didn't have it on draft, but they did have it.

Getting Stout Here In Mexico With Lauren


 I have a feeling this is where our crew may be going for St. Patrick's day now that Sweeny's is no more, so I will back fill it then.

And Another Table With A View


To avoid the rush I picked up my St. Patrick's day shirt early.  Or, at least, the shirt I will be wearing on St. Patrick's day.

All Ready For The Big Day


As we headed on home I asked a couple of friendly looking policemen what the event was that was causing the traffic jam.  They laughingly slapped me around a bit, cuffed me and then threw me in the back of their pickup truck.

Just A Couple Of Friendly Guys


Well, they really were friendly, but they did put the cuffs on me for a photo opportunity.

We are just about to head out to Pipi again with a somewhat different cast of characters, and I still have a backlog of photos to post from some of our other adventures, so be sure to stay tuned.