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Cinco De Mayo 2009 AtOld Ranch Country Club

Golf is a lot of walking, broken up by disappointment and bad arithmetic.

Page 1 - Get The Party Started | Page 2 - Cinco de Mayo Continues | Page 3 - Cinco de Mayo In Full Swing

Cinco De Mayo 2009 At Old Ranch

What is Cinco de Mayo? - - Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla (shown below) on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. The outnumbered Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had not been defeated in almost 50 years.

Cinco de Mayo is not "an obligatory federal holiday" in Mexico, but rather a holiday that can be observed voluntarily.
While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. A common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, which actually is September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre in Spanish), the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.

In 1861, Mexico ceased making interest payments to its main creditors. In response, in late 1861, France (and other European countries) attacked Mexico to try to force payment of this debt. France decided that it would try to take over and occupy Mexico. France was successful at first in its invasion; however, on May 5, 1862, at the city of Puebla, Mexican forces were able to defeat an attack by the larger French army. In the Battle of Puebla, the Mexicans were led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. Although the Mexican army was victorious over the French at Puebla, the victory only delayed the French invasion of Mexico City; a year later, the French occupied Mexico. The French occupying forces placed Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico on the throne of Mexico. The French, under U.S. pressure, eventually withdrew in 1866-1867. Maximilian was executed by President Benito Juarez, five years after the Battle of Puebla.  ( See the handout in Word 2007 or Word 2003 )

Cinco de Mayo Is Obligatory At Old Ranch (...Any Holiday Is Obligatory)

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
The Mariachi's we out in full force

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Plenty of music all evening

Did you know? - Mariachi is a type of musical group, originally from Cocula, Jalisco, Mexico. Usually a mariachi consists of at least three violins, two trumpets, one Mexican guitar, one vihuela (a high-pitched, five-string guitar) one guitarrón (a small-scaled acoustic bass) and occasionally a harp. They dress in silver studded charro outfits with wide-brimmed hats. The original Mariachi were Mexican street musicians or buskers. Many mariachis are professional entertainers doing paid gigs in the mainstream entertainment industry. Professionals are normally skilled at more than one instrument, and they also sing. They sometimes accompany ranchera singers such as Vicente Fernandez or even pop star Luis Miguel. Although ranchera singers dress in a traje de charro (Charro suit), they are not mariachis.

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
The Old Ranch staff is ready and eager to help their guests

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Linda and James

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Someone told a funny!

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Ron and Sharon join the happy group

We Had Balloons Everywhere

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Dave models the latest Old Ranch fashion... Balloon sombrero's

Did you know? - Sombrero typically refers to a type of hat originating in Mexico, although the word covers any other traditional hat, such as the Sombrero Cordobes from Spain. The English word sombrero is a loan word from Spanish, where the term is used to refer to any hat with a brim. It derives from the Spanish word sombra, meaning "shade" or "shadow"; a literal English translation is "shade maker". Spanish speakers outside Mexico refer to what English speakers call a sombrero as a "Mexican hat" (sombrero mexicano). Cowboys generalized the word sombrero to mean just about any wide broad-brimmed hat.

Sombreros usually have a somewhat high pointed crown and a very wide brim, which may be slightly upturned at the edge, used for protection from the hot sun in Mexico. Peasant sombreros are usually made of straw, while wealthier Hispanics wear sombreros made of felt. It is almost unseen in modern urban settings, except as part of a folkloric outfit worn in certain festivities. The Sombrero hat is often used in traditional Mexican celebrations.

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Almost 80 balloons per hat taking 90 minutes to make (and a lot of wind)

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
The official greeters always make us feel at home

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Joseph works the stemware

Jose, The Official Balloonologist

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Balloons and drinks... his specialty

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
The flowers were put to many uses throughout the evening

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Almost time to head to the buffet

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Sue Liles and Greg Leach

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
We had stereo all night... Horns from every direction

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
The kids knew what to do with the flowers.... Light sabers and people boppers!

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Paul and Dave

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
The latest in Mexican shirt styles

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Greg reads about Cinco de Mayo, Tequila and Tequila Shooters

Tequila?

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Lynne shoots the guests

Did you know? - Tequila is an agave-based spirit made primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, 65 kilometers (40 mi) northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands (Los Altos) of the western Mexican state of Jalisco. The volcanic soil in the region surrounding Tequila is particularly well suited to the growing of the blue agave, and more than 300 million of the plants are harvested there each year. Mexican laws state that tequila can be produced only in the state of Jalisco and limited regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.

Tequila is most often made at a 38–40% alcohol content (76–80 proof), but there are also several varieties of tequila produced with 43–50% alcohol content (86–100 proof)

Tequila was first produced in the 16th century near the location of the city of Tequila, which was not officially established until 1656. The Aztec people had previously made a fermented beverage from the agave plant, which they called octli (later, and more popularly called pulque), long before the Spanish arrived in 1521.

When the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their own brandy, they began to distill this agave drink to produce North America's first indigenous distilled spirit.

Some 80 years later, around 1600, Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, the Marquis of Altamira, began mass-producing tequila at the first factory in the territory of modern-day Jalisco. By 1608, the colonial governor of Nueva Galicia had begun to tax his products.

The tequila that is popular today was first mass-produced in the early 1800s in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Dressed in full uniform

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Ed wonders what part of Scotland is the music from?

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

The Food Was Outstanding

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Desserts are soon to be gone

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
The little pickles were fantastic

Did you know? - The jalapeno is a medium to large size chili pepper which is prized for its warm, burning sensation when eaten. Ripe, the jalapeno can be 2–3½ inches (5–9 cm) long and is commonly sold when still green. It is a cultivar of the species Capsicum annuum originating in Mexico. It is named after the town of Xalapa, Veracruz, where it was traditionally produced.

160 square kilometers are dedicated for the cultivation of jalapeno in Mexico alone, primarily in the Papaloapan river basin in the north of the state of Veracruz and in the Delicias, Chihuahua area. Jalapenos are also cultivated on smaller scales in Jalisco, Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa and Chiapas. The jalapeno is known by different names throughout Mexico, such as cuaresmeños, huachinangos, and chiles gordos. Contrary to popular belief, jalapeno is properly spelled without the accent mark over the letter "n". The accent mark helps to prevent mispronunciation for people of non-latin origin, however it is not the proper way to write the word.

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Guacamole disappeared

Did you know? - Of Aztec origin, guacamole was originally made by mashing ripe avocados, with a molcajete (mortar and pestle) and adding tomatoes and salt. After the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, guacamole became popular in Spain. The name guacamole comes from an Aztec dialect via Nahuatl āhuacamolli, from āhuacatl (="avocado") + molli (="sauce").

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Food kept coming out of the kitchen's of Old Ranch

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Meanwhile back at the table.....

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Greg discusses bloody mary's with the group

Did you know? - The origin of the Bloody Mary is disputed. Fernand Petiot is said to have invented the drink in 1920 while working at Harry's Bar in Paris, France, a frequent hangout for Ernest Hemingway and other American expatriates. Another story is that it was originally created by George Jessel around 1939. In 1939, Lucius Beebe printed in his gossip column "This New York" one of the earliest U.S. references to this drink, along with the original recipe: "George Jessel’s newest pick-me-up which is receiving attention from the town’s paragraphers is called a Bloody Mary: half tomato juice, half vodka.

The epithet "Bloody Mary" is associated with a number of historical figures—particularly Queen Mary I of England—and fictional women, especially from folklore. It is believed that inspiration for the cocktail was the Hollywood star Mary Pickford;[citation needed] previously, a similarly red cocktail consisting of rum, grenadine, and Maraschino had been named after her. Other sources trace the name to a waitress named Mary who worked at a Chicago bar called the Bucket of Blood.

In 1934, the cocktail was called "Red Snapper" at the St. Regis Hotel, where Petriot was hired at the time. It was here that tabasco sauce was added to the drink, and the name "Bloody Mary" eventually won popularity. In the 1960s it became popular to serve the cocktail with celery due to a guest at The Pump Room at the Ambassador East Hotel in Chicago.

The name likely refers to the blood-like color of the cocktail.

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
All seems to be going OK

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009
Oops... We forgot the number sign across his chest!  Does anyone recognize this man?

Ernie Brought Twenty People To The Party

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Cinco De Mayo at Old Ranch 2009

Page 1 - Get The Party Started | Page 2 - Cinco de Mayo Continues | Page 3 - Cinco de Mayo In Full Swing