Saturday, March 18, 2017
Elsa's Party Rental
Having a party soon and need a moonwalk bouncy house? Then, you should give the people of Elsa's Party Rentals a call! They can hook you up with water slides, tables, chairs and brincolines here in Laredo, TX.
It is a long, hot summer and this water slide will make you forget your worries as your kids laugh and play under the fun sun. They offer a variety of package. Go to their website and give them a call for your party needs!
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Worshiping at the altar of Laredo's Panaderias
Old timers are fervently faithful to their bakery of choice, whether it be El Mejor Pan, Polo's Bakery, or La Reynera. They are like life-long parishioners, unwilling to switch in search of something new. In fact, some would rather first change church affiliation before they ever fathom converting to another pan dulce provider.
My old man is one such case in point. To him, the 1977 beisbol Tecolotes are still sports royalty, Tatangelo is still town saviour, and he believes that anything you will ever need can be found at either Sears or Dr. Ikes (ever since Munden's closed down). In other words, to my dad, some things should remain constant and warrant no change. He's been a parishioner of Temple Quickie Bakery ever since I can recall, and he assures me it is heretical to buy pan dulce anywhere else.
Everytime I mention Pano's or Gonzalez Bakery, he mutters at me angrily and waves me away with his hand, as if I just asked him if he ever voted for Richard Nixon.
Laredoans take pan dulce deadly serious. Domingos and meriendas would be catastrophically incomplete without conchas, cuernitos and empanadas. The picture below proves my point.
Apparently, at Pano's Bakery running out of sweet bread constitutes an emergency akin to a fiend in desperate need of a fix. While these days churches no longer have "emergency numbers", bakeries sure do for they must fill our bellies and save our weary souls. You see, Laredo takes their pan dulce dependency to new heights, and places like Pano's are there to medicate our wanting needs.
We are willing to pay money, blood, and even the last few remaining dollars on our government issued Lone Star Card in exchange for a dozen tasty treats.
In fact, so dependent are local bakeries to Laredo's welfare dollars that they even construct their slogans around their necessity such as you'll see in the picture below.
Chalos is "Now Accepting Lonestar" Best tagline ever! |
Chalo's Bakery sign pleads to pan dulce believers, like a lighted, gold cross reaching out to the unchurched as if saying, "Come as you are. We make no judgements. Your Lonestar Card is worthy of our collection basket."
At the end of the day, it matters not what currency you use to enter your own local kingdom bakery. Just suffice it to say that their pearly gates will be opened to all, especially in emergencies because in Laredo bakeries are cathedrals and no one gets turned away.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Football Season AND Pulga Blanca in Laredo, TX
So, here we are in a brand new year 2017 but I still choose to look at the past. The present is great in all, but I have more fun when I retrospect and see what happened in the days gone by.
This Sunday, I found myself at the Pulga Blanca and I was checking out some of the vendor booths, and most were the usual assortment of Wal Mart returns, but one person actually had some interesting items. Among the wares he was hawking was a stadium seat cushion from that legendary rivalry of Nixon Vs. Martin. It was dated from 1985, which so happens to be my fondest yr from the 1980s.
Now, I did not this honorable institution, but I was almost tempted to buy it just for the year alone. It looked comfy and I can just imagined how many different tushies it had encountered since the days of Marty Mcfly back in time. Next time I might just pick it up, even though its 2017 on the calendar, to me 1985 never ended.
Monday, October 10, 2016
The long and winding road back home
But sometimes the long road back home is just one blog post away. Let me go get my keyboard again.
Friday, May 6, 2016
El Rancherito Meat Market meets its Maker
For years at every #carne asada, before and after every Dallas Cowboys game, El Rancherito Meat Market was my go to place for carne, beer, and chips. I first started shopping there around 1992, but by then it was already 15 years old.
Located in one of Laredo's best neighborhoods, #santobaby, El Rancherito was a southside institution for thousands of people that depended on them Sunday after carne asada Sunday. They were located across the street from another, now defunct, venerable southside landmark, The Movie Palace. These two stores were my go to places for cigs and R Rated fun. Now they are both gone, up in smoke.
I was unaware of Rancherito's demise until I drove by just last week. I stopped to pay my respects and to bid adieu to the neighborhood store of my youth. This Sunday, when I splash open my can of Schlitz and poke my ribs on the grill, I'll get smoke in my eyes and tear up for that store that is no more.
#GoodbyeElRancherito
You will be missed.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
The Unicorn Restaurant (1987) Whatever happened to? (part 1)
Whatever happened to....? The Unicorn was a good place..with "fluent English". |
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Grupo Payande de Gerardo Cavazos y Victor Trejo
At first, I set it aside, not thinking much of it, other than dismissing it as a Renacimiento 74' clone. I'd never heard of them and I'd figured they must be from somewhere in Mexico, but then I took a close look at the 8 track cover art and, to my surprise, I realized this particular grupo hailed from good old Laredo, TX. After that initial surprise, I googled them and found some interesting facts on this forgotten local band. This particular 8 track is from 1983 for the CAM-Mex record label. I must say I kinda dig the sound, and I'm thinking of writing to their fan club. Maybe someone responds. Check out some of their videos below. Let me know of any info, memories you have of the grupo from back in the day.
BorderTown Laredo
It has been over 10 years since the show aired, and its high time it got a bit of coverage on this old blog. But first I have to watch it. N...
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Whatever happened to....? The Unicorn was a good place..with "fluent English". Laredo has come a long way since 1987....
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How come I'd never seen this place before? Sometimes I find myself driving aimlessly around town and I come across a building that I ...
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My Experience with Emilio by Cindy (guest contributor) The year was 1994. I can clearly remember wai...