MeXscape

I was making piloncillo syrup, which I have adopted as the main sweetener in my house. I use it in my morning tea and in place of honey, maple syrup, and corn syrup. With just the volume of tea I drink in the morning, I can go through a batch of syrup pretty quickly, so I decided to make an extra large batch, throwing an entire pack of four cones in a pot with some water and setting the stove on medium. I didn't have anything else to do in the kitchen, so I went back into the office to get a little work done.

Can you identify this alien-looking substance? Have you seen anything like it before? You can click on the image to enlarge it. Give me your best guess.

I was really afraid how I would react to losing our views when we moved. For two years, we had panoramic views of the Pacific and the city: 360° views that included the lighthouse, the bay, Olas Altas, and the cathedral. My views are now restricted to our courtyard and the little piece of sky that can be seem from within its walls. All of our windows face the courtyard. For all intents and purposes, the rest of the world simply does not exist while we are at home. It kinda rocks.

Friday night, in the dead dark of midnight, our yard was invaded by a creeping terror that rocketed the dogs into their highest alert and defense mode and got my heart rate going above established safe levels. It came from the hole in our courtyard that leads straight to the bowels of Mazatlan. I should probably back up a minute and explain.

I really love all of the plants in our courtyard. They make the area seem more inviting and cooler, at least mentally. The problem is I am not a very good plant guardian. I don't know much about the tropical plants that grow here. I am used to hardy freeze and drought tolerant plants that pretty much don't require any care at all, aside from a little drink of water in July and August. Now I have all these lush plants to take care of, and I don't even know what they are.