the adventures of dos tortas

Spending our first Navidad y Año Nuevo in Mexico has been both a time of celebrating a journey that started more than a year ago and a bittersweet absence of the family traditions that we have maintained for many years. With the sale of our Austin home and the yet to be built house in Bacalar, we are staying here and there with our possessions scattered.

This week we had the delightful experience of meeting Nancy and Judy who found Dos Tortas on LIPS (Lesbians in Paradise) Facebook page. They are retired and live full-time in Mexico and were on a holiday vacation to a warmer clime. Judy recognized me on a chance encounter in the town square and the rest is herstory. We’ve been exploring pyramids, kayaking and sharing stories of world travels and life in Mexico. Lisa and I now have familia nueva and a place to visit on our trips to and from the States, or a getaway from the tropical summer.

There has been so much unknown in this process of jumping off a cliff and praying to grow wings or find new solid ground. Being open to the unexpected and having it land in our lap has renewed our faith that this is the right move. It’s more than a bond of strangers in a strange land. It’s knowing there are Tortas the world over and opportunities for close relationships wherever we go.

If you want to see more photos from our visit to the Mayan pyramids of Kohunlich, visit our Facebook page. As always, comments are appreciated.

Our New Torta friends.

Just sayin.

Tags: bacalar mexico

To say that I moved to Mexico to avoid the Christmas hype would not be far off the mark. The endless Christmas carols, holiday traffic, and buy, buy, buy mentality starts earlier and earlier. I used to look forward to breaking out the outdoor lights, brewing up a batch of my mother’s home-made eggnog and dusting off the cranberry recipes. While we had pretty much quit giving gifts, we certainly enjoyed time with family and friends.

This will be the first Christmas we have been away from our family. We’ve missed a few Thanksgivings, but never Christmas. How did I not see that I would have feelings about this? It hit me that I am dealing with this sadness by acting like I don’t care. “I don’t even LIKE Christmas. The people here are all weird. Do we HAVE to go to all these parties?” Waaah.

The truth is that this is the new life we’ve chosen. Our kids are grown and creating their new families and traditions. We will see them in January and have lots of time to connect. We are getting to know our new peeps and the last thing I want is to be aloof and distant, been there, done that.

So pass the tamales. I know that eggnog recipe is around here somewhere.

Thanks to our friend Scott for this wonderful little greeting card.

Tags: bacalar mexico

The Tortas have returned from Florida where we enjoyed a very family Thanksgiving. We have not been together with my siblings for many years. We hiked, did some boating, saw manatees, ate and ate some more.

Thanksgiving in Key Largo

Upon returning to Mexico, we landed in Cancun and breezed through customs. Outside of the airport I was looking for a bus to take us to Bacalar when a tall, official-looking young man asked me if I needed help. In the conversation, he called me “Madre”. At first I was annoyed (my go-to response) but within a breath I realized that calling a woman madre in Mexico is a term of respect. In the US we call someone a “mother” and it is akin to cursing.

While much is challenging living in Mexico, it is small, unexpected cultural experiences that endear the country to us. Being in Florida reminded us of the incredible wealth and infrastructure that the US has that makes life so easy for so many. And we don’t even know it. In poverty, human connection is the major resource. Sometimes it shows up simply as treating each other with resect.

Tortas on Holiday

Starfruit Key Largo

Florida Sunset

A Wonderful Recipe

Tags: bacalar mexico