La Noria Revisited

Yesterday, Wednesday, we had planned on picking up John and Jackie around 10:30 to take a short trip to La Noria. But when Bill got out to the Jeep he discovered a flat tire. So he went up to the office where the manager made a call. Soon the tire repair man came to the park and repaired the tire. There was a big nail in it. Cost 200 pesos around 11 dollars. About 1/2 hour late we left to pick up our friends. Our trip - from the RV Park to La Noria, then stopping on the way back at Puerta de Canoas. Then we decided we were hungry so we continued on to El Quelite to try out the new restaurant. Then home. About an 80 mile trip. Weather was glorious. 

Arriving at  La Noria - a great trip as the road has been repaved and is a pleasure to drive. But the arch could use a little TLC. I think I had the camera a little off - the arch doesn't actually tilt. [I was using the camera I don't like and it shows.]

First we stopped at the leather shop of our friend Roberto. John wanted to get a couple more belts that are made there and Jackie needed a part of her backpack restitched.  

 Those are black belts laying on the sidewalk, they just been stained so they were drying in the sun. 

 Inside the shop was a child's saddle that Roberto made. The bandolier across the horn is not part of the saddle. More about it later. 

 John, Bill and Roberto discussing what needs to be done. 

 A wooden form that is the beginning of the saddle. Here in Mexico the saddles have big round horns and the base is wood. 

 Another closer look at the child's saddle. The seat is padded the light colors of leather have designs worked into them. 

 This is what is left of a very old - more than 100 years old. The hooks on the front were to hold the meat that had been killed. Doesn't look very comfortable. 
 While Bill stayed in the shop to talk to Roberto the rest of us took a walk around town. Just stopped to look at what is left of a wall. Wind and rain has destroyed a lot of the hand made bricks. 

 The lovely little town church. 

 Isn't nature wonderful. What a beautiful flower. So perfect. And it smelled really good too. 

 Inside the church. It is very big. But very well cared for. Notice how thick the walls are. 

 The Nativity set up in the front of the church. 

 Then we walked around the corner to the shop where they make Huaraches.

 These are finished and ready to be sold. 

 The machine used to cut out the soles of the shoes. The black metal form is set on the leather then the worker sets the machine The forms come in all sizes. 
 This didn't turn out too good but they are the soles with the big staple type things on the edges. The strips of leather are woven through the staples to make the shoes. 

This worker is hand cutting all the strips used to make the shoes. He makes it look so easy, and they are all the same width. Some are hanging on the hook on the left of the photo. 

These teenagers are actually making the shoes. They put a foot form on the sole then weave the leather strips around and over the form and under the staples. They use lime juice to make the strips more supple. 

 Out walking again we passed the local tortilla shop. Buying the tortillas by the kilo. 

 They have a machine to make the tortillas. Some coming out of the end of the machine all ready to be bought. 

 The front end of the machine . You can see the dough in the bowl like container. It squeezes out the right amount of dough that is flattened then continues on the belt to be cooked. 

 This is the butcher shop and cell phone store. The clerk in the pink blouse is over by the cell phones. The customer is standing by the counter with the scale on it. Behind the counter is a big refrigerator filled with cuts of meat. The saw is for cutting the meat. 

 Back to the leather shop. Roberto is explaining the Bandolier - this one is for Tequila. A place to hold the bottle, a larger glass to hold the lime, then shot glasses to fill, A salt shaker and a final bottle used to put the drink in after the drinker has had too much to drink out of a regular glass. This one has a nipple on it. 

 After leaving La Noria we continued on to Puerta de Canoas to the candy factory. Again the camera did not take a good picture. Those are trays of candy shaped kind of like a Hershey kiss - drying. This candy is called Jamoncillo - it is just milk and sugar cooked until thick and brown. Some of what they sell has nuts in it too. We got ours without nuts. Sugar High!

 She is squeezing the cooked candy from a pastry bag into their kiss shape. 

An empty pan and a pan still filled with the cooked candy.  

 This is a family affair. The cooking done in the kitchen. The husband, Alejandro stirs it while it is cooking. His wife looking out of the kitchen door mixes it and helps form it. They sell it to speciality shops in Mazatlan. They told us they don't make too much with walnuts in them any more as the walnuts are getting way too expensive to buy which makes the candy to expensive to sell. Some of the boxes stacked on the table waiting to be packaged up and sent to Mazatlan. 

After leaving here we decided we need to have a real meal so we continued on to El Quelite again to check out the new restaurant. 
More about it in the next blog.