South of the border

Our experience several years ago in Puerto Vallarta was nothing short of sublime.

But before watching, here's a hot tip:  Head to Chavez Market on the corner of El Camino and Fifth Avenue in Redwood City.  You'll find foods you don't generally see in other grocery stores/if you do, they'll be twice the price. GREAT/fresh chunky or smooth guacamole in the deli area.  A wonderful Taqueria tucked inside as well.  Think of it as a tourista-free trip south of the border!

Grab some chips, make yourself a mango margarita/recipe below/add a little guacamole and salsa.  Then sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful views and lovely/artistic/hand-crafted, decorative details.

It was truly a magical, memorable wedding venue.  And a superb vacation for us. 

Thank you again and again, Coan family.

Update on Monday, May 31, 2010 at 2:24PM by Lois

Mango Margarita from Epicurious

ingredients

1 1/2 cups diced peeled ripe mango
3 oz (about 1/3 cup) white tequila
1 oz (2 tablespoons) Cointreau or other orange liqueur
2 oz (1/4 cup) fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
2 cups ice cubes

preparation

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Forget the flash

Which, in my mind, totally obliterates all the magic. Given the choice, I’ll Almost Always pick a slightly blurred shot over A Far-More-Flattened, significantly brighter, photo.

Simply steady your camera or yourself against a tree, post, rock or table/anything sturdy... Turn off the auto flash on "point and shoot" models, crank up the ISO if that's an option and fire away. For additional stability, use your camera’s timing device and/or a mini tripod.

So here are some of my favorite hand-held photographs. Know that I took a LOT of pictures to score a keeper. I'll add several stabilizing devices, such as tripods I use, on the product page.