January 2020 Newsletter

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

LIFE IN MEXICO

The west coast of Mexico is one of the prime migration paths for whales. Every year, blue, gray and humpback whales migrate from frigid arctic waters to the Sea of Cortez to give birth to their young. They eat krill, tiny shrimp-like marine life that abound in these waters.

Occasionally, baby whales are beached and the Mexican Navy is called out to rescue them. Tragically, whales are occasionally struck by commercial ships transiting the coast. But for the most part, they are seen breaching into the air with their off-spring, delighting everyone who witnesses the joyful act.

FAVORITE RECIPE; VODKA PENNE

This is an old family favorite that is easy to make and tastes delicious. In addition, you get to set it on fire!

Ingredients

3 Tsp butter

1 Tsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp salt

8 mushrooms, chopped

¼ cup white onion, chopped

¼ cup chopped prosciutto

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into ½ in cubes

½ cup vodka

½ cup whipping cream

½ cup black olives

1 Tsp parsley, chopped

½ tsp pepper

1 package penne

2 Tsp grated parmesan

Directions

In a pot with a lid, sauté garlic and onion in butter and oil. Stir in chicken and mushrooms, and fry until brown.

Add vodka and ignite for several seconds. Extinguish with lid. Stir in cream, olives, salt, pepper and prosciutto.

Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Serve on cooked penne.

Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley.

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FAVORITE MOVIE

Where’d You Go, Bernadette

In this case, Where’d You Go, Bernadette is both a favorite book and movie. Written by Maria Semple and published in 2012, the comedy/mystery novel revolves around the sudden disappearance of Bernadette Fox. The story is told, in part, from the point-of-view of her 15-year old daughter Bee, who pieces together the events leading up to her mother’s disappearance.

The movie, on the other hand, is told from Bernadette’s perspective (played by Cate Blanchett). An architect by training, she has given up a brilliant career in LA (after a hostile neighbour secretly purchased a landmark home she had designed and subsequently razed it), and settled in Seattle with her husband Elgin.

The domestic life doesn’t suit Bernadette, and she soon finds herself embroiled in a dispute with her neighbour that results in a mud slide that ruins the latter’s home. She plans a trip to Antarctica to escape her increasingly demented life in Seattle, causing Elgin and Bee to pursue her to the bone-chilling continent.

Written and directed by Richard Linklater (Before Midnight), the move is both funny and heartbreaking, an exploration of obsession and mental illness and the effects they can have on the people who love you as they desperately try to intervene.

I highly recommend Where’d You Go Bernadette in all its forms; both the book and movie are vastly enjoyable!

FAVORITE MYSTERY NOVEL

Bruno, Chief of Police,

By Martin Walker

We’ve been fans of Martin Walker’s Bruno series for several years now, ever since we first discovered the police procedural while vacationing in southern France.

The series is set in the Dordogne, in the fictional village of St. Denis, and features the exploits of Benoît Courrèges, aka Bruno, the village chief of police. An attractive bachelor, he owns a small cottage in the hills above St. Denis where he entertains friends with his skill at preparing traditional cuisine.

Bruno, Chief of Police is the first in the series, and involves the murder of a former North African who fought for the French army. Evidence points to anti-immigrant militants, but as the chief digs further, he begins to uncover some uncomfortable truths surrounding the victim.

The pace of the novel is slow and deliberate as Bruno methodically pieces the strands of the mystery together, all the while interspersed with life in the rural south of France that entrances the reader and makes you want to hop a direct flight to Bergerac!

Although each book can be read in isolation, I recommend you start with the first and get to know all the characters as they are introduced and grow in your heart.