My side trip to Cambria was quick, but necessary. I went to the cemetery to pay my respects to a wonderful woman who recently passed away. I was unable to attend her funeral service, but wanted to say goodbye. Then I went down to the beach to soak up a few minutes of ocean before I finished the drive to mom's.
It was great seeing the family. It's always a challenge to try and catch up with everyone's lives when you don't see them for several years at a time. The Spanglish is a little difficult to follow sometimes, but I eventually got back into the rhythm of it.
I hadn't seen my brothers or nephew in a while, so it was really good to catch up with them. And I met my nephew's fiancée, who is really sweet. I didn't get to see my sister, but we had a nice chat on the phone.
There is always so much food at these family gatherings...I feel like I gained 15 pounds in 2 days! We had 3 kinds of salsa and lots of chips; tamales, both savory and sweet; tacos; huevos rancheros; 6 tri tips barbecued over oak wood; piquinto beans; potato salad; several loaves of garlic bread; pan dulce; and menudo for Sunday breakfast. The only things that weren't homemade were the corn tortillas, the chips, and the pan dulce.
There are several group participation things at these gatherings, but my favorite is making the tamales. My mom prepared the meat and my brother prepared the masa for both the pork and sweet tamales. Everyone participated in the tamale assembly. My mom immediately cooked a batch so we could enjoy them later in that evening. The best part was that I got to bring home some frozen tamales to cook for myself! And my mom made sure there was an extra tri tip made just for me! (yummy!)
It's taken a bit to sort through the pictures, but here's a couple to hold you. My favorite pan dulce:
And a picture of the beach at Cambria from my little side trip:
I hope to get back into some crafting soon!
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