Doors and More

Once in awhile, I notice a door I don't remember from past trips, but usually I can't resist snapping photos of the same facades over and over. I have an ongoing obsession with the bright colors and vintage architectural details on Isla! Here are some random shots from this trip.

Isla Artscape

I tend to selectively take photos of what I view as beauty when I'm on Isla Mujeres. I say beauty, but I have had relatives I won't name pointedly ask me why I took a picture of that old beat-up door. Beauty's in the eye of the beholder! In the ten plus years we've been visiting the island, it's gotten increasingly easier to find real art on the streets of Isla. Here are some photos from this last trip.


Entrance to Om Bar. I've taken photos of Om murals in the past, but I think this one is different.

Architectural detail on Juarez casa.


Malecon mural.


This is why they call it the Crayola House.

The murals and paint always look fresh!

An interesting mural on the side of the Crayola House.

Dismembered mermaid.

New arch at entrance to Posada Beach.

Da Luisa

Da Luisa's become a last morning Isla breakfast tradition for us since it's two doors down from our usual island digs at Casa Luna Turquesa. This last trip was no exception since it was raining out and we still needed to pack.

Da Luisa serves great breakfast, lunch, and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. I also noticed when we were on the island, John Cain was providing Saturday evening Happy Hour entertainment. The restaurant's located atop Casa Ixchel at the south end of the airport strip.

The palapa dining room at Da Luisa has nice views of the Caribe. The surf was up since Tropical Wave #4 was passing through the Yucatan.

Here's Craig all tanned up after his two weeks in paradise.

While we were ordering breakfast, we noticed others getting their yoga on in the palapa below. It made me feel a little guilty since I was about to pig out with a fabulous breakfast!

Craig and I both ordered omelets and the meals came with a first course fruit plate!

A side of yummy rosemary potatoes accompanied the omelets!

My Da Luisa mushroom, tomato, and cheese omelet was the best one I had on this trip! Here's a link to Da Luisa's menu.

Freaky Friday

This photo makes me flinch. We stayed at the Posada del Mar for four nights at the beginning of our trip. This guy, Stumpy, hung around on the sidewalk outside the lobby area.

When Craig saw Stumpy, he went into a lengthy explanation about how iguanas can regenerate their tails. I vaguely recall something about worms regenerating body parts from high school biology, but I was amazed he remembered that fact about iguanas. I think he responded with something like -- Stick with me baby and I'll show you the world?

Sorry Stumpy, but it kind of repulses me. As a child, I also couldn't touch the encyclopedia pages with photos of snakes or spiders. Maybe that's why I majored in English Lit in college.

Yellow and Blue Fest

Enough about dirt! Yellow and blue are my two favorite colors on Isla. Here are a few photos from this trip.

Last Night's Haboob

Every year, I eagerly await the arrival of monsoon season. I can't wait for that first bucket dumping rain and lightning show. The part I don't particularly care for is the haboob. Yes, haboob is really a word. This whopper of an haboob hit us last night around 7:20 p.m. and went on forever. Power went off and on twice, and we're now cleaning up the mess.

We have a mountain to the south of us, so we saw it early on engulfing the San Tans and had time to get inside and take cover. Contrary to some of the news reports I've seen this morning that say it's the first desert sand/dirtstorm to hit the U.S. since the dirty 30's, haboobs are common to the Phoenix area and we get hit by them frequently every summer, but they're usually not this large! Locals say this was epic -- the biggest in a decade.

There's a thick layer of dirt on everything outside and the pool is a mess, so we'll definitely be spending the day outdoors cleaning.

Here are a few photos I snapped as the thing rolled in last night.

Craving Barlito's!

Craig and I are a little like Saby right now. Drop dead tired and suffering from Isla withdrawals. After our 6 a.m. bike ride this morning, we returned home with growling stomachs, wishing we could take a quick stroll down the street for some delicious breakfast viddles!

We've been back less than a week and our usual granola bars, cereal, and coffee just are cutting it! We're in the midst of Barlito withdrawals! Tiffany and Brad's wonderful baked goods and breakfast and lunch sandwiches became our favorite fixin's on the island this trip!

Barlito's, in addition to great food, is information central! Tiffany's great tips helped make our Isla stay special! You can also buy one of Mapchick's Isla maps here.

I wish Brad delivered his Cinnamon Rolls to Phoenix!

Their Breakfast Panini's are to die for!

I wish I remembered the names of everything we ordered in our two weeks on the island, but the titles escape me now. I got lazier with each return visit and forgot to take photos before the goods were consumed, but everything on the menu we tried was wonderful! Several afternoons, we dropped by on our way home for warm chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. We also had their pizza and dip at a friend's catered Happy Hour, and yum! Culinary perfection!

Our tastebuds are eagerly awaiting our return to the island in November!

Red, White, and Blue Isla Style!

Craig and I made a quick run to Costco this morning to pick up some Fourth of July picnic fixings -- potato salad, Artisan Tostitos, a case of Mexican beers, and 2 packs of generic acid-reflux pills. Most good things lead to another!

Although I wish we were still on Isla, we're spending the 4th here at home in Phoenix visiting with some of the friends from Fourth of July's past. Last night, we ate pizza with good friends from our Midwest days. I distinctly remember watching the village fireworks with them back in the early 80's on a blanket at the football stadium. We'll also be cooking burgers and yucking it up with a neighbor from Washington State tomorrow. Lots of good memories of Fourth of July's past!

Last year we celebrated the Fourth of July on Isla, watching the post election celebrations in the street below the condo. Here are some red, white, and blue pics from our June trip.

It looks like a hot hot time here in Phoenix! How hot is it? We were at the grocery store tonight and what sounded like a bomb exploded in the parking lot. I ran into the grocery store fearing the worst. Turns out it was a car tire imploding from the excessive heat.

We topped the thermometer at 119 today with an overnight low of 90 degrees expected. Hope everyone has a safe and fun Fourth of July!

M & J's Cazuela Continued

We hadn't eaten at M & J's for a few years, but when Freddy at the Soggy Peso mentioned the photo gallery with vintage photos of Isla on their walls, Craig and I knew we had to check it out! We'd passed by their new location several times on our way to eat at the market, but never made the turn. Let me say I am truly impressed! They did a beautiful job with the decor of their new place!


Love the bright cheery colors -- yellows, terra cottas, and blues! The only thing missing at M & J's new restaurant is Pedro. I talked to him on the beach several times this trip. I wish he was still there to wait on us.


We sat down on the lovely breezy patio out front. It's a great location to people watch. Lots of people lamented the loss of their location at the Rocamar, but it was often too windy there to eat outdoors in the cooler months, and the indoor dining room was cramped with little air circulation. Since the outdoor porch is mostly covered, diners are even protected from the rain!

Craig chose one of the cazuelas. I can't remember which one, but it was good!

I ordered the mushroom and ham omelet with their wonderful potatoes! Notice the new dinnerware that matches their decor.

Isla has so many great breakfast choices, and M & J's is definitely one of them!