When I first visited Rocky Point the streets were filled with stray dogs, most of them in poor condition, some on the verge of starvation. It was a heartbreaking situation for anyone who loves animals.

Enter Nancy Phelan, a rather fearless retiree who decided to do more than just wring her hands and talk about the situation. In 2001 she founded the Animal Adoption Center of Rocky Point a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. And in 2002, along with friends, she formed a non profit Mexican corporation "Rocky Point Animal Adoption Center AC and began taking in stray dogs and cats, with a focus on spay and neuter clinics and finding them forever homes. Since then thousands of animals have arrived at the center, with most of them eventually being adopted.

It has been a rocky road, with some heartbreak along the way, but it is not an exaggeration to say that over the ensuing years Nancy has single handedly changed the culture for animals in Puerto Penasco. Her efforts have received support from former President Vicente Fox and especially the current Mayor of Puerto Penasco, Alejandro Zepeda Munro (pictured above in a ribbon-cutting photo with Nancy), resulting in a vastly improved future for hundreds of animals that would otherwise face a horror of a life. Even laws regarding the care of animals have been changed within the Municipality due to her hard work.

Now Nancy, and the animals, need your help. With anywhere from 40 to 100 (or more) dogs, puppies, cats and kittens in the center at any given time (plus the occasional turtle, bird, etc.), they can easily go through several bags of food a day. Especially in this down economy, it has become more and more difficult to feed and care for all these wonderful rescue-pets. Can you find it in your heart and wallet to help out a little bit?Read more »

Awaken your inner beach bum…
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I've put off giving you a recipe for mole poblano, primarily because I've been a) too lazy to make it and b) too lazy to type out the instructions. This is a time and labor intensive dish to make (unless you use store-bought mole, of course), and it's usually reserved for major holidays for that reason.

Although the word "mole" (MO-lay), which means "sauce" in Nahuatl, is used for a number of dissimilar sauces in contemporary Mexico (including black, red, yellow, colorado, green, almendrado, and pipián), the most famous variety is mole poblano.

Mole poblano has been ranked as number one of "typical" Mexican dishes. It has also been called the "national dish" of Mexico. The state of Puebla is identified with mole poblano and the dish is named after the state. ("Poblano" means "of Puebla" in Spanish.)

Traditional mole poblano usually contains in the vicinity of twenty ingredients, including "the holy trinity" of mole chili peppers (ancho, pasilla and mulato) along with chocolate, which works to tame the heat of the chili peppers. But this should not be thought of as a chocolate sauce, since its inclusion adds depth and color to the sauce but does not dominate it. Below the recipe you'll find pictures and descriptions of those three chiles.

Note that this recipe was given to me by a friend in the Riviera Maya (before it became the Riviera Maya) about 20 years ago. She got it from her mother, who got it from her mother, who probably got it from her mother. So I think it's safe to say that this recipe is a very old one. I have not changed a thing in it except to convert metric measurements to our ounces, tablespoons, cups, etc.

Note that this takes 2 to 3 hours to make (though you can start it the night before) and makes about a gallon of the stuff, so unless you're feeding a crowd you'll have plenty left over to freeze for future meals! Note also that you'll need a powerful blender to grind the nuts and chiles, etc. into a paste. Oh, and one more Note: Since you'll be handling a lot of chiles, it's a good idea to wear some kind of rubber gloves during that process or place your hands in plastic bags; if you don't, the skin on your hands will burn like anything before you're done.

So are you ready? Then here we go!Read more »

Awaken your inner beach bum…
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-by El Gitano Peñasco, "The Peñasco Gypsy"

Beauty may be in the eyes of the beholder (and I agree) but OMG, all you companies with websites here promoting our little seaside community need to take down all the ‘aerial’ photos, etc. that depict Peñasco as anything other than a ‘paradise’ (I’ll leave it for you to decide).

You well-intended folks (you know who you are) need to start photographing and publishing crystal clear (HD) photos that show off the community, the culture and people, the sunrises and sunsets, rainbows, pelicans soaring right above the breaking waves, the fiestas, etc.Read more »

Awaken your inner beach bum…
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Here we are at Semana Santa (Holy Week) 2011 already. Hard to believe! I'm not in Penasco this time around, but I've got some second-hand Beach Buzz and some great photos to share with you (courtesy of Rocky Point on Facebook)

Let's do the pictures first! The city said they'd have the new and improved Malecon ready by Holy Week and by golly they did! It looks a whole lot different than it used to, more pedestrian friendly, all the overhead cables/wires gone, hydraulic concrete on the streets and sidewalks, curbs(!), palm trees– well, you'll see.

Some folks are feeling nostalgic for the old funky Malecon already, others love the new look and improved conditions. Judge for yourself (as usual, click the pic to see it bigger):Read more »

Awaken your inner beach bum…
Thank you for supporting Rocky Point Tides!

<b>Good news for those fishing aficionados!</b>…for now<br />
<i>by puerto-penasco.com staff</i><br />
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Rocky Point, Puerto Penasco, a very fertile area, will continue to be a a great place for fishing under a plan endorsed by a state panel in Los Angeles California.<br />

<b>Tessoro in Las Conchas Best Development and Best Interior Design in Mexico for 2009 by the International Property Awards</b><br />
<i>By Tessoro at Las Conchas</i><br />
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Development Showered with Further Honors at Gala Ceremony in San Diego! Tessoro at Las Conchas was honored to be invited and, although hopeful, could not have imagined what was in store.<br />

<b>January 30th, 2010: Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers in ROCKY POINT, Puerto Penasco<br />
</b><i>by Puerto-penasco.com staff</i><br />
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Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers are kicking off their 2010 Tour Season in Rocky Point, Puerto Penasco, on Saturday, JANUARY 30th with their <b>JANUARY JAM 2010 Concert.</b><br />

<b>Rocky Point Mardi Gras Carnival 2010- South of the Border</b><br />
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Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) will have a long weekend of "Mardi Gras" celebration from Feb. 11th to Feb. 16th. Come and join the "New Orleans" fun in Rocky Point Carnival style.<br />
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