February 4, 2019

Today is a National holiday In Mexico – Constitution Day. The 1917 Constitution was drafted in Santiago de Queretaro during the Mexican Revolution, approved by the Constitutional Congress on February 5, 1917, with Venustiano Carranza serving as the first president.

We love our cozy, charming casa with character!! What a stupendous home base! We have never disdained walking the necessary hills that abound in getting from one place to another, yet it is only with a slight blush that I admit to appreciating having a portion of them eliminated this first week in Zihuatanejo based on our location. In fact, we were three minutes from “Loot” this stellar, sun kissed morning where we met Bob and Dallas for coffee, high-fived and gloated over last night’s big Super Bowl betting success and shared score!

Loot is a bit of an upscale dining establishment/barbershop/art studio/clothing and sunglasses boutique. That’s their predominant issue – they don’t know who they are nor what they want to be and a level of that confusion and insecurity is palpable. However, it is a Very Cool and Groovy space – from the architecture to the art installations, paint colors and decor. Loot’s lower level houses an espresso bar and retail with outdoor garden seating to order and eat breakfast or lunch. They used to have live music there in the evenings, however, that appears to only be upstairs on the third level now where they feature a trendy full bar and dinner service with a treehouse type vibe ala Robinson Caruso or Swiss Family Robinson – yet the servers wear Hawaiian shirts… (?) You will find the barbershop and restrooms on floor two as well as art displays. When they first opened a few years ago they boasted a Volkswagen bus “street truck” serving burgers. We miss that and have no idea why they abandoned that idea. A little trivia – that converted VW van is currently in Troncones at a swinging outdoor lounge, Amor Tropical.

The rest of our day involved a two mile walk to and from the “Mega” super mercado for basic groceries and then another trek to the street market for queso chihuahua and queso cotija, fresh camerones (shrimp) pollo (chicken) right off the grill, avocados and garlic.

Fatigued from our labyrinth market wanderings and the “heat coming off the street” I created and devoured a simple spinach salad with cucumber, pecans and olives and then content, nestled into the outdoor cushions of our patio couch, had a good read and chugged mucho agua!

As the afternoon shifted to evening, Mi Hombre prepared and served up killer bacon-wrapped shrimp and stir fried yellow and red bell peppers! Super Bueno!!

Our evening was capped off with cocktails, listening to a talented and entertaining, live Mexican acoustical trio, beachside – just steps away from our casa.  We became one with our surroundings watching ribbons of pink and red slide into the horizon and feeling the crashing waves in our ribs. I thought to myself that probably here in Zihuatanejo is where the phrase “life is good” was coined. And it is! We know that we are blessed and I for one am grateful to my Heavenly Father, Amen!