Tom's Second Day - Malpica - Concordia - Copala .

Tuesday p.m.
OOPS – just found out our friend who was here with us last week and left yesterday afternoon isn’t home yet. By the time his connecting flight was supposed to leave Phoenix the Indianapolis airport was closed. Sounds like they are getting hammered. And even when he gets home he’ll probably not be able to get up the hill to our house. Will be waiting anxiously to hear from him.
And it is starting to get cold here in Mazatlan – for the next few days will only be in the mid to low 60s with rain expected for the weekend. What is with this weather?
I’m feeling a little better – even going to fix dinner tonight. BBQ Chicken and angle hair pasta and salad. WOW a real meal .[later in evening - it was GOOD.]
Back to when Tom was here. His second day here we took him to Malpica to the bakery.
He was a little shy when we opened the door to the place and we were in someone’s front room. We assured him it was fine and to go on through to the actual bakery rooms. Again fresh baked rolls were coming out of the oven to sit next to all the yummy things already sitting on the racks.

Delicious - the aroma alone

I glanced around – way back in another life I taught classes in food safety and sanitation – sometimes I need to forget that – like when I spotted the sack of flour sitting on the floor.

What ever works for her

Last time I posted about this bakery I made a comment that I didn’t know what a very old looking machine sitting on a table was for. Today I asked it is used to cut a big round batch of dough into roll shapes – the bolillos that Bill loves so much.

dough goes into the round pan - pan slides under machine and lever is pullled down to cut dough

With bags and hands and mouths full of bakery items we went across the street to the tile maker. I’m so glad we were able to share all this with Tom. And again I found out more than I did last time we were here. I think I mentioned that the guy – Jorge makes the tiles out of marble dust, sand, cement and water. He does it the same way his father and grandfather before him did it. The mixture for the tiles – without the water.


Mixture used to make tiles

The molds

The machine that presses the mold which was used when his grandfather bought it –he says it is well over 100 years old. Sometimes it’s hard for us to realize that so much can be done with something that has been around so long and not been thrown out or up dated.

Many years of use

I had to laugh at this sig he has – it actually says “Tiles for sale as souvenirs” –but unfortunately where the sign breaks gives it a whole different meaning. Sorry couldn’t resist!

From his shop looking over the back wall was a small alley and the home of the Familia Lopez. There is no door as know it – just a lace curtain with a wrought iron gate in front.

And growing in their yard was a mango tree with baby mangos on it.

tiny mangos

Tom and The Driver checking out some more of the wooden carved faces.

Also learned more about them. They are made from the roots of pine trees found high in the Sierra mountains. The grain of the roots gives them their interesting look. This time Bill got this guy. He is about 24 inches tall and beautiful.

Wind Spirit

Just a couple of homes in Malpica. As everywhere else the colors are great and see the little trees on the right in front of the orangish fence they are plumerias the tree used to make the leis in Hawaii. Smell beautiful. One was white and one was pink.

From Malpica we continued up the road to Concordia to show Tom the furniture factories. We stopped at the same one again. I hadn’t noticed this tool? last time we were here. It has a couple of groves in it – so is it to use with a plainer? Or is it just bracing the lathe next to it – or something else. If we go there again I’ll ask.

Big rock tool????

Guess I should have asked The Driver first before posting - he says it is the guide for the lathe to help hold the tools.
Then we watched the apprentice wood worker get busy.

Hard at work

This is his grandmother carving a design onto/into the front of a drawer. First she traced it on the wood then using several tools carved it.

Hammer and chisel

A couple of pieces she had just finished.

The drawer front would match these night stands

After leaving there we stopped at another roadside “factory” a quick view of it.

Outdoor shops

A couple of headboards waiting to be stained – they were beautiful

They had the foot board too

And these coat racks – the picture doesn’t do them justice. The twisted piece is carved from one solid block of wood – by hand – using routers, chisels, files and lots of hard work. If we had the Alfa we would have one!!!!!

Imagine the time it must take to do this

This shop was also the owner’s home. At one end was the kitchen – lunch was cooking. Upstairs were the bedrooms I guess.

And from there……we continued up the hill to the tiny town of Copala. Two years ago Bill had promised one of the carvers here a high speed Dremel electric carver with all kinds of drills. And last year we forgot it. And last week Rafael wasn’t here. So another reason to go back. Here is a picture of Bill and Rafael and his stand where he sells his carvings in front of the church.

Rafael and Bill and his table of carvings

This is the beginning of a carving – he uses the thorny bark from a certain tree – can’t remember the name of the tree - .The little dish has silver ore in it. Copala dates from 1565 when the Spaniards started mining silver there. So he usually puts some silver on his carving

These are the tools he uses now

Showing one of the tools – used to make doorways

A close up of what he did with that tool.

The little doorways

Rafael – he said he was waiting for us this year – that he knew we would be back.

Sitting in front of the town's plaza

One of his pieces that he gave us [in the past we’ve bought several.]

The date - the silver - the church

While waiting for Bill to finish talking I saw this white pick up pull up and the guy got out put some beans from the plastic bucket into a plastic bag and take them into a house. I could see him talking to the woman inside. She nodded and he came back out with the bag – and weighed the sack with beans. Laying on the fender is his scale. He held it in his hand and put the bag on a hook on the bottom. After weighing it he added more beans from the big white bag and took it in to the lady. Transaction completed he drove off. Home delivery Copala way.

This guy was patiently waiting for someone.

Hurry UP!

We always stop at Daniels Restaurant when here to eat and enjoy the view. Especially the trucks going up over the mountain.

These boys were all waiting out front of the restaurant ‘cause there were lots of tourists from a big tourist bus inside eating. They all had carvings to sell.

Boy with cap was in picture with Rafael and Bill

This is the one way road out –actually it is two way – but shouldn’t be. She had been walking for quite a ways and don’t know where she was going. It’s all uphill.

She has more energy than me.

And from there back into Mazatlan for a much needed rest - another busy day to come.