3-7
Looks like this will be our last entry for this year. We have started page 20 single spaced in the Word document we use to compose the blog. I guess we have said enough.
Today is our last full day in Zihuatanejo for this year. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 4 PM local time. Daylight savings time begins early Sunday morning in the US, and next weekend in Mexico, which makes a little confusion, but it is still Mexican time! We have been getting our things together and packing up the barrels for storage.
More friends are heading home today, and it will be our turn tomorrow.
Last night we went for a wonderful dinner with our friends Dan and Jeanne. They were our neighbors at the Villas Eclipse the last two years. They have become good friends for us. We went to Il Mare restaurant last night. We had never been there, and had heard good things about it. We had a fine pasta dinner with drinks, and a few more drinks! A good time was had by all.
Today, Eric is bringing the girls over while he goes to the beach to sell jewelry. We wanted one more day of spoiling and fun with them. I am sure we will be worn out by the end of the day. Then we will finish our packing this evening.
We went to town yesterday and finished up some last minute shopping. A kilo of cheese, and two kilos of coffee, a couple of t-shirts and we are done with the shopping.
It is very quiet here this morning. Not much traffic and not many people around. Another RV just headed out for home.
Today’s lesson on Mexico comes from our walks up the hill. Early on, I noticed what appeared to be a cucumber type plant hanging off of some tree branches and on a fence. It turns out that they are luffas. http://www.luffa.info/
I have brought a few back to the house to dry and shake the seeds out of them. I soaked them in some bleach water yesterday, and dried them again. They are now ready to come home with us.
- Warren

Yes, indeed, we had a very fine dinner last night at Il Mare. Going out for a fine Italian dinner has never interested us much while down here – we’d usually rather eat at home or small little Mexican places. However, it was truly a fine meal. This time we were too excited to take pictures of our food, as we have done before!!!!

And we are also very excited to see the girls shortly. Eric says they are excited too, as they love to come over. They now refer to us as their godparents. Today before they leave I will give them the first of many annual education talks. I really want them to know how important it is for them to finish school and to learn English. So now, when they are only 7 and 5, they will begin hearing it. Hopefully when they are 13 and 15 and tempted to drop out, as so many young girls do down here, they will have heard the many reasons why they should stay in school and hopefully heed the advice. We’ll try! They are little darlings.

We are all set for our stay here at Casa Ita next winter. Our hosts/landlords are very accommodating and welcoming. Next year there will also be two cute bungalows completed on the property, with a pool of their own, and ready for rental. She has quoted us a special price on them if any friends or family are interested in renting them next year. We will take pictures before we head home – they are almost completed at this point and Alfredo is doing some painting and landscaping. They are round bungalows with tiled roofs – a studio apartment with an outdoor kitchenette. Alfredo has been staying in one of them while we have been here. He looks after us very well!

Tomorrow morning before we head to the airport, we will go out to breakfast with Dan and Jeanne and have our final giggles and hugs for the year. Vera and Richie are heading home this morning; we said our good-byes yesterday afternoon. We have really missed our Montreal friends, Fanny and Joe, this year, and really hope they will be able to make it down next year. As Fanny says, “God willing, we will all be back next year!”

- Judy
And now, the news that many of you already know, but some of you might not. Sean and Ellie will be getting married down here next February 6th. We knew this prior to our arrival this year, but wanted to get a few things in place before we put it out there. We have put together the preliminary plans while we have been here. There will be more to follow in the coming weeks and months. I am sure that we won’t have trouble filling the blog with that happening next year!

Adios for this year!
Judy and Warren
Sean and Ellie from La Escollera restaurant. La Ropa beach in the background looking North. This will be the location of their wedding next year.

One of our neighbors. He is about 100 yds. from the house, and is on no particular schedule when it comes to braying. A lot of times at 2 AM!

Dinner at Il Mare last night with Dan and Jeanne. Judy loved the Cosmos.

Luffas that I found on my walk. The one on the right is out of the hull.

3-5
Perhaps I was a little premature in chastising “Jacque” for cutting off our wifi connection. We are connected again. It makes you upset when your routine is changed. We are on a tight schedule here.
The blog entries are reaching a close. I might get one more after this one.
Judy and I went to Paty’s yesterday for most of the morning to say adios to a couple friends. Two more friends went home yesterday, with two more tomorrow, and two more on Saturday, and then us on Sunday! It has been a wonderful escape for us. Every year we make more new friends and get to know the locals a little better. Tuesday I headed to town mid day with intentions of walking. It was getting hot so I decided I would catch the next bus. A Mexican gentleman stopped and gave me a ride. He is a local merchant with a couple of stores. One is a tienda and the other sells small furniture and decorating items. He didn’t know me from the next guy, but gave me a ride to Centro. In spite of the bad press you hear about Mexico, the majority of the people are just plain nice folks. We have not lost sight of that fact, and it is a big part of what brings us back year after year, and of course, maybe the 88 plus degrees everyday in January and February.
I was headed for my third haircut from Rigo. Haircut, beard and mustache trim and a shave. He only wanted 50 pesos, but I always give him more.
Last night we went into town for a little shopping and dinner. We had a great traditional Mexican meal and a very pleasant evening. This afternoon I believe we are going up to La Escollera for lunch and pool time. We have enjoyed our dinners up there and will try the afternoon time now.
Tomorrow we have told ourselves that we will get most of our things packed up. I purchased another plastic barrel downtown and that will make two now, plus a couple of beach chairs and umbrella. We have a lot of kitchen items, beach towels, some clothes and etc. We will store them here at the house until next year. We just tape them shut to keep the critters out! If they are not here when we return, oh well. They always are though.
Saturday, Eric’s daughters Erica and Perla are coming over for the afternoon. Judy wanted to spend a little more time with them. They are the kids we help with school funding. They will be here while Eric goes to the beach to sell silver jewelry. It will be another swim fest in the pool and probably to the beach for lunch.
Alfredo just popped his head in the door to let me know he was going to Centro. We always let him know where we are going. He keeps a close eye on us. We will miss him very much. I reminded him yesterday morning as I handed him his morning coffee, only cuatro mas coffees! It was in my very best “Spanglish”!
- Warren

Warren does such a good job of telling it all, that there is very little left for me to tell! But we are both leaving with mixed feelings. We love it here so very much, but it is hard to be gone so long from friends and family back home. This year a lot of you came down here to join us, and it was delightful. Hayden – I hope you haven’t forgotten auntie and uncle!!

I have a lobster salad coming up in my very near future today at La Escollera – that’s all my agenda holds for the day! That and a little more sun and view with our lunch.

I just went for a morning visit with my friend Vera. We have only a couple more days to go before we won’t see each other for another year. So we are getting in as much yakking as we can. She is already packing – worrying about where all her treasures will go and how she will make it home. She always makes it!! Warren and I have that chore to do tomorrow so we can be free on Saturday to entertain Perla and Erica. What a great way to spend our last day! They are 5 and 7 and look forward to playing with us – even though communication is difficult! Nothing difficult about playing with them in the pool or at the beach, however. Spoiling is easy.

Hope to see all of you soon!
- Judy
These are some catching up photos from last weekend and Monday's trip to Los Gatos. We were just able to choke this lunch down. It's the same Hell, just a different day.

This is what we had to put up with after hiking over to Los Gatos.

Hiking over to Los Gatos along the shore. This was the first time we made this trek. It wasn't to bad, and the trail starts just down the street from us.

The girls enjoying pool time last Saturday.

2-28
It is a beautiful night in Zihuatanejo. It is quiet, and we are heading to bed soon. Camille will be heading home tomorrow afternoon leaving Judy and I alone for our last week. We are officially at 1 week left to go. We will accomplish a few things this coming week that we promised ourselves we would do. We got the Dentist out of the way, so it will only be fun stuff.
Our friend Eric, the jeweler from the beach, brought his wife and kids over today to the house. They are kind of an adopted family for us. We have helped them with school inscription fees, and other school supplies the last couple of years. Judy and I decided a couple of years ago to help them with school rather than try to find a school to donate to. We at least know who we are helping, and the real cost is nothing in the big picture. We don’t talk about it much, it is just something that we do for a young hard working family down here. The kids had a great time in the pool today, and we had lunch at the house while Eric made the rounds on the beach selling his silver. It sounds like it was a good day for him, partly due to the fact that there was a cruise ship in. He caught a few people off of the boat on La Ropa today.
I am heading for another Sunday hike with my friend Mike in the morning. There might be a couple of others joining us also. Judy is one, and our friend Katie. We are going to walk the new road heading toward the southeast.
While the kids were here, our friend Bernardo, came by to sell goat string cheese. It is one of my basic staples down here. He comes around to the beach on Saturday and hits a few locations that he knows his customers might be located. He came to the house one day while I was gone. He recognized my hat and asked where I was. Today he was half way back down the driveway, when he stopped and came back asking if he could get a picture of me and him. Alfredo and his son, Christian were standing there, so he asked if he could have a picture of the two of us. Before he would take the picture, he asked if he could get it with the two of us. He whipped out his camera, and asked if I could go get my panama hat first. I got a picture of the two of us together.
I’m not used to Mexicans asking to have a picture with me. I guess that I am still a little humbled by him asking. Usually it is the “Gringos” asking to take the pictures of the locals. He is a very nice man, and his teenage children help out at the Mercado on the weekends. I was honored.
Alfredo came up for a beer this evening after he arrived back for the evening. He told us that his youngest son, Christian, is heading to the Mexican Army to be a pilot. He is a very nice young man. He was here working for Alfredo moving some sand for landscaping work. We both agreed that it was a good thing for Christian, and working on the end of the shovel moving sand, was a good reminder that the Army would be a good thing.
3-2
The internet appears to be down in the La Ropa area. I am seeing some of the wireless routers, but no internet connections. The router that I have been using since we have been here is not even showing up. I can’t believe that “Jacque” could be so inconsiderate to shut off his router. Hopefully it is only off due to the server problems.
We are talking about heading to Los Gatos this morning to spend most of the day over there. It is one of the 4 main beaches on Zihuatanejo Bay. It is lined with beach restaurants where you can spend the day. I think it has been close to 8 years since I have been over there.
I went for my Sunday morning hike with Mike and some other friends yesterday. We explored another part of the roads they are pushing in to the south of us. We made a big loop because we found the roads connect. We have now seen almost all of the development roads going in. It will be interesting to see what they are like next year.
3-3
Our trip to Los Gatos was great. We walked over along the shoreline. There is sort of a trail along the rocks. You have to pick your way along, but it was fine. We hadn’t been over there for a few years, and we’re pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. The water is shallow and very warm and clean. We had a nice lunch and had our own lounge chairs and umbrella. We headed back about 3:30 and then to dinner at some friends place down the road. There were about 15 people there. Jim made chili.
Today I am getting ready to head down the street to get an internet connection. I really think that it was inconsiderate of Jacque to leave before us. He was one of the French Canadians in the trailer park across the road from us. He was putting out an unsecured wifi signal that we have used for the last 7 weeks. Now I have to walk down the street to get connected again. I will send out this blog entry and probably one or two more short ones before we leave.Warren
Judy and the kids in the pool last Saturday. It was a wild day for us.

Our friend Bernardo. He sells string cheese in the Mercado, and comes around to the beach on Saturday to sell. He wanted to have his picture taken with me.

2-26-09
We are sitting poolside, 9:15 pm, and just had a cerveza and a conversation (with charades) with our caretaker, Alfredo. He showed us a picture of his one grandchild (on his cell phone!). He’s such a great guy – wish we could have an easier conversation with him. But we all seem to get our points across.
Warren and I went into Zihua Centro this evening for dental appointments! We both had our teeth cleaned and checked. It was an experience, to say the least. It was a very thorough cleaning – about an hour’s worth with the dentist, not a hygienist. Then she did a check and made recommendations on work that needed to be done. We both decided that we would stick with just the cleaning and the check-up, and maybe some whitening. Their equipment was pretty old, although both dentists seemed very competent (twin sisters). They work in one large room, so I was sitting there watching while they worked on Warren and another man, waiting my turn. It was a bit unnerving. The waiting chair is an old dentist chair, so it was very comfortable, however. There was one air conditioner blowing on one chair – the one they used for both Warren and I – but in general it was muy caliente! It was 600 pesos each, or about $40 u.s. Can’t beat that! But I think I’d rather have my root canals at home, thank you.
Warren, Camille and I spent the day at the beach today, for the most part. We hung out at Paty’s and soaked up the ambiance. We visited with friends, read our books, dipped in the water, and enjoyed some guacamole. Just another normal day. We know it will be coming to an end soon, and we don’t take it for granted! Tomorrow Camille wants to do a little shopping, so we’ll head into town fairly early. Then I need to do a little grocery shopping for our Saturday visitors . . . . .
Saturday Eric (the jewelry vendor) and his family are coming over for the day. He is bringing his wife and his 4 children: Perla (7), Erica (5), Ariel (3) and Aaron (7 weeks). The kids will have a little pool time and we’ll all have lunch together. Then we are going into Zihua to buy the girls school uniforms. It should be fun. This will be his wife (Adriana)’s first trip out since the baby was born. We’re eager to see how the kids have grown and to meet Aaron. Eric says the girls are very excited. I don’t think Ariel remembers us, but he’s getting to the age where he might start remembering.
You have probably seen a lot in the news about the drug cartels down here. They are fighting hard against them down here, but the police really need some help with both manpower and weapons from the U.S. There were 4 policemen ambushed and killed this week in a nearby town. The reason for the drug cartel targeting the police is because they are refusing to take bribes or to ignore what is going on. But now the police have staged a walkout, because their wages are very low and they have no health or life insurance. Why would anyone want to join the police force and face down the drug cartels, who are heavily armed??? Luckily they are not the least bit interested in tourists, so we don’t feel threatened or unsafe. We just hear a lot about what’s going on. I think it’s much worse in the border towns. I read in a local paper today (English translated paper) that 90% of the weapons that the drug cartel has an ample and updated supply of were purchased from the U. S. Not a good thing. We understand there is legislation afoot that would halt this – hopefully that’s true. I think we get a little different slant on the news down here than you do at home on the national media. If the tourists stay away because of these types of activities, then the terrorists win.
Time for bed. Camille headed down to bed about 8pm tonight – she’s getting her rest this week! Things are very quiet here tonight in our neighborhood, as usual. Guess we’ll close up and head down, too. We miss all of you – will be home in another 10 days. I think I’m ready!
- Judy
It is a slow day for pictures, besides I don't have pictures of the Police and the drug cartels shooting at one another. I thought you might like to see some transportation pictures. Some of the buses have pieced together sound systems that the drivers put in. It's great to have some music while you ride to town, all for 5 pesos.
The bus waiting for the workers coming off of the hill. This is one of many buses that passes in front of our house.

Some of the workers catch a ride down the hill in the back of a dump truck. OSHA would have kittens over this practice. You do what you need to do to get home. They work long and hard for their money.

Construction workers heading down the hill from their job sites on the hill above us.

2-23
Not a lot of new things to report this entry. I hope we haven’t bored you to much with our vacation tales. Camille is here this week and she is getting relaxed after her trip here on Friday. I went to the airport to pick her up. I took the Combi from downtown to the airport. Combi’s are Toyota vans with bench seats against the interior walls. That got me to the airport almost as fast as a taxi, and for only 7 pesos or about 50 cents. When she arrived she only had a carry on bag. So, I said follow me. We went back across the parking lot, about 100 yards to the combi stand. One was just pulling up. The taxi ride from the airport is 320 pesos and about 210 pesos for the ride back to the airport. Different companies. It has to do with supply and demand. They have you most of the time.
Now for the math.
Bus to town - 5 pesos
Combi to the airport 7.5 pesos
Combi back from airport 15 pesos for 2 people
The big one, cab from downtown 35 pesos

Total 62.5 pesos

Airport taxi 320
Taxi to airport 150
Savings 407.5 pesos!!!!! Or 3 bottles of JB scotch
I asked her if that was cheap or thrifty. She said a little of each, but, I did pay!
I went for another hike with our friend Mike yesterday. We had another road to explore that is being pushed in to the south of us. It is all part of what was billed as the new shortcut to the airport. It is a shortcut to another development. If I give them the benefit of the doubt, I guess you could keep pushing the road to the southeast until it tied in with the highway. We agreed that it probably won’t happen in our lifetime. They will have great views when they are done, but us common folks won’t be invited up their. We saw some interesting animal tracks up there, including a pretty good size imprint of where a snake or two had crossed the road in the soft powdery dirt. I’m glad we didn’t see those guys.
Camille, Judy and Vera are on a shopping safari today to Ixtapa and other locations unknown. I have just been hanging in at the house today.
Warren
Camille and the Grinch. He is the mascot from her department at Starbucks corportate. He has been all over the world. The brought him by on her last day with the swim suit and shades. How could she say no.

Dinner with friends at Jungle Pizza. It is about a 1/4 mile down the road from us. They have great wood fired pizza.

We have seen a few animal tracks like these and some other types also during our hikes. These are about the size of my hand. Also saw some big snake prints in the soft dirt of the road. Yikes!

Warren

1-20
Sorry for the delay in blog entries. I have been busy. Doing what, you ask? Just busy! Judy is feeling better now, but still not up to full speed. I have been getting in a few walks in the morning up the hill and on the beach. My friends Mike and George and I are planning another big walk to the South East of the house on Sunday. We are heading up the new road they are paving that was billed as the shortcut to the Airport. We are going to look at where they are pushing in more building lots just over the hill to the south of our house. It will be a good walk.
Our friends Mel and Bertella have to go home today. They enjoy the relaxing time here. Mel brings a big stack of past magazines that he hasn’t been able to get to for the last few months. Bertella has made it through a few books. Like I said, we have been busy. We went to dinner at La Escollera on Wednesday night. Vera and Richie joined us and that made 6 at our table. There was another table of friends next to us. We had a wonderful dinner and a very enjoyable evening. It has a great view of the bay, the beach and the city.
Camille is on her way to Zihuatanejo as I write this. I get e-mail updates from Alaska Airlines as flights depart on her itinerary. She will be arriving about 4 PM our time today. Judy and I will ride the combi out to the airport to pick her up. We will probably take the taxi back, depending on luggage.Mel and Bertella go out on the plane she comes in on. She was here last year for the first time and loved it. She is really in need of a little vacation, after going through and surviving layoffs at Starbucks. She will be our last visitor this year, Judy and I will be here for a week before we have to return home. Please make sure the ambient temperature outside is above 65 in the mornings! I walked back from Paty’s yesterday with our friend Dan. We were talking that we think it is a little cooler, but then our blood is probably a little thinner after 6 weeks. January is definitely hotter here. The humidity makes it hotter. This is all part of what we have to put up with for 2 months.
The Chachalacas are kicking up a ruckus in the trees up the street. The are a little elusive to see sometimes, but if you tasted good you would be to. Here is a link that shows the bird and there is a audio link about half way down the page so you can hear their call. http://whatbird.projectwildbird.org/obj/1071/_/target.aspx . Hold down the control key and click on the link above to access the web page. There has also been some Great Tail Grackle’s drinking out of the pool this morning. They can be pretty vocal about their turf also. Here is another link with the same control key click with the cursor access. http://whatbird.projectwildbird.org/obj/537/_/target.aspx
Those should keep you busy for the rest of the day. I’m exhausted after all this activity this morning.
Warren
Judy and Bertella in the side yard of the house. Note the banana tree in the background with bananas on it.

I enjoyed my dinner! Note that I drew the line at eating the eyes. It was a whole red snapper, or better known as Huachananga.

Mel and Bertella enjoying our dinner at La Escollera on Wednesday night.

Warren
2-16
The real beauty of the computer is that it will do a lot of things for you. As I start this entry I marvel at being able to see what time it is, and what day and date it is. Without this, I could be in trouble.
Judy is still not feeling well, even after the Doctor was here. She is having trouble tolerating the medication. It hurts her stomach. I walked to the Doctors house about 10 this morning, but they said he was still sleeping. He is a good Doctor and appears to have is priorities right. I noticed a surf board on top of his car! We will go to his office downtown after noon today. She will be fine, we just need a different medication. The medication she is taking helps with the problem, but creates a different one.
We had a first a couple of nights ago. Judy was up most of the night with her stomach ache from her medication. About 2:30 AM I woke to an OH MY GOD, there’s a scorpion on the floor. Sure enough it was a little brown scorpion sitting on a towel by our door. I located a shoe and flattened him. He was about 3” long. This is our 13th trip here and this was the first one that I have seen. Alfredo has gone to town this morning to pick up spray. He will be spraying around the property and the house this morning. Spraying is a big part of living here for everyone.
What say we move onto something more fun?
I talked about Valentines Day in my last entry. It is a very big day down here. It appears to me that what ever your economic status there is always enough for some kind of Valentine. The flower shops are full of bouquets, there are guys hawking big red heart balloons everywhere. It seems like every other person is selling single roses. Our friends Mel and Bertella arrived on the 14th, and seeing how Judy was not feeling to good we went down the road to Jungle Pizza. We were going to walk, when the owner drove by. I hollered at him and he picked us up and drove us to the restaurant. Not only do they deliver, but they pick up! When we were done, he drove us home on his way to make a delivery.
The restaurants do a bang up business. La Escollera, up the hill from us had a wedding reception for 200 and 120 reservations for Valentines dinner. There was a steady stream of taxis up there. It’s 30 pesos up and 40 pesos down. Go figure.
I will close this out with an update from the Doctor. Since I started this report this morning, we have been to the Doctor. I finally got him on the phone about 11:30 AM and he was at his office. I asked if he could see us and he said yes just before the phone call was dropped. Judy got dressed and I got a cab. We were at the office within 15 minutes. No waiting room full of people waiting for their appointment to be within an hour of the original time. The office is downtown on one of the main streets. It is only about 8 x 10. His desk and an exam table. The waiting room is 4 chairs out front on the inset porch along the street. The office call was a little cheaper, it was only 200 pesos vs the 400 for the house call.
Hopefully we are on the right track with the medication for Judy now. I took Judy back to the house and then went back to town to hit the Pharmacy. They don’t fill prescriptions with the Pharmacist into the little pill bottles. Everything is pre-packaged. The generic brand was 92 pesos and the Phizer brand was 460 pesos. I watched someone next to me ask for a different drug and it was 92 pesos for the generic and 460 pesos for the Phizer. Funny how that works, different drugs same pricing, I guess that makes it easy.

Warren
Mike, George, and I walked to the top of a hill to the east of our house. They are pushing a road up the hill that everyone thinks is a short cut to the airport. Wrong, it is a shortcut to more development that we probably won't be able to walk in next year. We say some interesting animal tracks up in the soft dirt, You can see Zihuatanejo bay and clear to Bera de Potisi about 10 miles away.

My friend Mike from Staten Island NY. We walked to town for some errands and he bought flowers for his wife on Valentines Day. I purchased the day before to avoid missing out. His biggest concern was his house mate George is going to "bust my chops" for getting flowers.

One of the flower shops the day before Valentines Day.

Observations

2-13
Observations from Mexico
We pretty much have a routine going. Get up, have coffee, check our e-mail, maybe pay a bill or two, find out how much money I lost in the stock market the day before.
Same old boring stuff. I thought that I would include a few observations from living in Mexico for a couple of months.
Drivers and transportation: I have never had an interest to drive down here. The public transportation works well, even though it looks a little rough. There is the occasional time that you wonder why I took this bus with this driver! We catch the local bus in front of our house and can ride to the Mercado in the center of town for 5 pesos, or about 40 cents. Some of the drivers leave a little to be desired, but every country has that. The only way to control the speed of vehicles in and area is to create a zona de tope, or in English speed bumps! There is a zone in front of our house. I am not sure what the speed limit is supposed to be, and if they did take the time to put up the signs, it would only be a suggestion. Everyday I watch cars go wide open then slam on the brakes just before the speed bump. Maybe brake jobs are cheap down here. Sometimes you hear the water trucks coming down the hill with the brakes rubbing metal to metal.
Shopping: Shopping for groceries is always great fun. We only go the big modern grocery maybe once a week. The rest of our groceries we buy from vendors in the Mercado or in the streets behind the Mercado. We know what we want and it is always so much fresher and ripe. The tomatoes are out of this world. We have some favorite vendors, but mostly we look around and get what ever looks best to us.
The locals and work ethic: Like any city, you have a certain amount of crime. If you look for it, you can find it most likely. The majority of the people are hard working and very honest. They are just trying to survive and take care of their families. Six days a week we watch the construction workers head up the hill to different sites to work a twelve hour day. This year I have seen more concrete pump trucks, but most of the time the bricks and mortar are all packed by hand. You will see a truck load of bricks go by with a couple of guys riding on the back. The bricks are never stacked on pallets or have any sign of having been loaded with machinery. If you walk past one of the construction sites, you will see them unloading the truck by hand. The rebar is all cut and bent by hand, and they use lots of it. This is earthquake country. The women get in on some of the construction action also. Where there is a bigger construction job going on, you will have hungry and thirsty men. Almost every site, you will see a couple of ladies out front with a folding table, some pots of some kind of food and beverages. Usually you will see the whole crew sitting down having a lunch break around 1 to 1:30. I’m not sure how long of a break they take, but they have earned it. You will see the ladies heading home early in the afternoon to get ready for tomorrow. Not sure what they charge for the lunch, but rest assured it is reasonable. It’s called sweat equity.
Creepy crawly things: It is no secret that Mexico has lots of creepy crawly things. You don’t see them often, but when you do, you are always fascinated by them. The other morning after delivering Alfredo’s coffee to him, I saw what I believe was a spider. It was slowly making it’s way across the wall to retreat to the bushes by the door. The only way I can describe it, is that it looked like a daddy long legs with little crab pinchers on it. Did I mention that the leg span was no less than 10”, not sure if it was bad or harmless. It disappeared before I could get the camera to get a better look. I have looked on the internet to see if I can find a picture of it. There are a lot of spiders in Mexico!
Doctors: Judy has felt like she was coming down with a cold for a few days. Last night she started to lose her voice, and her throat was getting sore. We got some Robitussin today, but it was getting a little worse. I was down at our old apartment talking with friends today, when I spotted a young man from next door, who I know is a doctor. He is the son of friends of Joe and Fanny. Fanny used him last year when she was sick. He lives next door. I went back down about 4 today and talked with him. He was having a meal with his parents and brother. I felt bad about disturbing them, but he said he would come up in about an hour. That’s right, a house call. Very common in Mexico. His name is Roberto and he is a very nice young man. He covered all of the basic checks with Judy then gave her a couple of prescriptions. We just didn’t want this to get worse before we did something about it. His fee was 400 pesos. Less than $40. The co-pay for an office call, if your lucky in the States. I went to the Pharmacy and picked it up this evening. She is taking it and hopefully it will do the trick. He said to give him a call if needed and he will come back again.
There are many more observations to be made and reported on, but it is time to move on. I will get this posted tonight. Sorry no pictures this evening, but we will try to get some others out soon. The next topic will probably be Valentines Day. It is very big down here.

Warren

Photo viewing note: If you click on the photo it will enlarge for better viewing. I forgot to mention that with our earlier posts.
2-9
Things are pretty quiet at Casa Ita today. This is the beginning of the 2nd of 3 weeks Judy and I will be alone, except for Alfredo of course. Judy has been busy with laundry today. It doesn’t take long for the wash to dry on the line down here. You can dry a couple of loads a day.
We went to the Mercado and to the Comercial today to replenish a few groceries. We picked up some fresh red snapper at the Mercado fish market from our favorite fish monger. He speaks excellent English, his parents were Americans and they spoke English at home. His wife is a wiz with the filet knife. We have been buying from him for a few years now.
Our friends Vera and Richie arrived yesterday from New Jersey. We met them on our first trip to Mexico, in Cabo San Lucas. We all came to Zihuatanejo the following year and have been coming here and meeting up ever since. We have seen them on the East coast a couple of times and Vera came to our house a few years ago for a short visit.
Last night we went to the basketball court for the regular Sunday night function. It is a gathering of many of the locals, especially families. There is always entertainment and food vendors. Last night they had traditional Mexican dancing. Some great costumes and musicians. We didn’t stay to long, but did see some of the dancers. The master of ceremonies loves to hear himself talk. We don’t know what he is saying but by his body language it sounds like he is going to stop and the music is starting. Then he just keeps going on and on and on. Last night they were also giving some recognition to some retired teachers. Lots of introductions and on and on. When in Mexico do as the Mexicans do. I think that is how that saying goes.
Tonight’s task is going onto Zihua Rob’s web site and coming up with some names of dentists. We are planning on getting our teeth checked and cleaned while we are here. Everyone swears by the Dentists in Mexico. They are good and very inexpensive. We will have more to report at a later date.
Judy and I are also making our plans for next year. We have contacted our landlord and it looks like we will be staying here again. Our plan is for another two months next year. We will be looking for some house guests except for a few black out weeks in early to mid February. Think about it. We have gone back and forth about moving to a smaller place again, but we do love this place. It is a home, and we have had no complaints from our guests so far.
We have a couple of errands tomorrow and then maybe some beach time. It seems like we haven’t spent as much time on the beach this year, partly due to the fact that we have our own pool off of our living room.
Think I will close out for today and get this sent out. There might be some backgammon tonight. Judy beat me 5 straight this afternoon and I am not pleased about that.
Warren
One of dancers from a group about to perform They had their own band to accompany them. She was very proud to pose for us. Lots of teenagers in costume and with the dance groups. Just like home, not all kids are into finding trouble.

This is the basketball court downtown. It is right along the centro beach. The locals gather there for events. This is the regular Sunday night family night gathering. There was some recognition for some retired teachers going on between one of the performances.

One of our favorites. The tostado ladies. You get three little tostados with beans,chicken, shredded cabbage and some gratted goat cheese. They have a green hot sauce on the side that will burn your lips off, but I keep putting it on anyway.

2-08-09
Well, another Sunday has arrived and all is peaceful in Paradise. Warren is playing his “Sunday morning music” and we are drifting the morning away staring out at the birds and the breeze.
Sean and Ellie just headed in to town for breakfast at Casa Café; Heather and Robb are taking a walk on the beach and will probably have breakfast down there. Both sets of kids fly out for home this afternoon and have had a good vacation. Sean didn’t let his shoulder injury get in the way of any fun he intended to have! He, Ellie and Warren went fishing as planned and had a wonderful day, including bringing home a nice, fat tuna for our dinner! Robb spent a couple of days under the weather, but is out and about and feeling fine now. He was pretty sick for awhile.
Heather and I had a fantastic “girl day” while the fishermen were away and Robb was sleeping. We shopped and lunched and gabbed and had lots of fun. We both managed some fun purchases. The peso continues to decline in value here, which is not good for the locals and the economy, but is very good for shopping.
Last night we all went for a nice dinner for their last night here. We went up the hill to a place called La Escollera and had a great dinner while we watched the sun set on Zihuatenejo Bay - a beautiful view. All our dinners were yummy and we had some great laughs. At home we had a fresh chocolate flan cake waiting from our favorite bakery! So we had a bit of a swim and some dessert and wound down their last full day.
Warren and I have this next week by ourselves here in the big house. We plan to do a lot of nothing. However, our good friends Vera and Richie will fly in this evening from New Jersey for the next month, and Vera and I will have lots to catch up on. Their son and his girlfriend arrived from Kentucky a couple of days ago; I haven’t been able to catch up with them yet, but they met Sean, Ellie, Heather and Robb on the bus to town yesterday morning. Ellie figured out who they were so they got to meet and chat. Small world. Too bad all the kids didn’t have more time to hang out and get to know each other, as Ellie said they would have hit it off and had a good time.
Our Alfredo (our caretaker at the house) has been ill the last few days with a bad cough and congestion. He took the day off yesterday to go get a shot and came back with a dramatic tale of getting the shot in his hip by his “el sposa” (wife). Evidently they just gave him several syringes with medicine and his wife gives him a shot a day for 3 days. He was complaining last night of a sore butt! But he still managed to sit down on it and have a piece of flan cake with us last night. He’s just headed home this morning for the day. He usually takes at least a half day off on Sundays, as it is family day. Sunday is definitely a day of rest for the Mexican people.
So we are still not ready to come home and are officially at our halfway point now. Hopefully spring is hitting the northwest and Mother Nature will be in a more gentle mood when we arrive home. Miss you all – thanks for keeping in touch.
Love, Judy

I will add a little to the blog also. The fishing trip was more of a good boat ride. We went out with David, who owns the panga that we went in. His nephew was with us also. He was about 12. We went out of Zihuatanejo bay to the south clear to Berra de Potisi, which is probably over 15 miles. We fished around some big rock islands down there. The islands are all white. I guess hundreds of years of bird roost can do that to them. We saw sea turtles, some black dolphins and what appeared to be a large grey whale and calf. They were jumping out of the water. It was a great show. I got to see a lot of the coast line that you don’t see from the beach area. There was lots of fish jumping out there, but they just weren’t biting. We did manage to get a black tuna about 7 pounds and a small groper.
Like Judy said, we will be on our own this week. It will be quiet, but that will be fine for a week.
Warren
Zihuatanejo bay and downtown area from La Escollera.

As you can see, we continue to suffer through our days and evenings here.

Ellie, Sean, Robb, and Heather. Everyone has enjoyed the pool.

Sean with the catch of the day. A black tuna.

Breaking news this evening: We got an e-mail from Camille and her job at Starbucks is safe. Everyone is real happy for her. She is ready to come to Mexico and have a good time in a couple more weeks.

Note: We are still getting to know our new camera, and the images that we took are to big to upload. I have readjusted the camera to a lower resolution now. Hopefully we will get photos in on the next entry.

Warren

2-5-2009
Well, Paradise isn’t so great today. The boys (Sean and Robb) are both under the weather. Sean took a header down our stairs yesterday after jumping out of the pool and drying off quickly, then bounding down the stairs to go with Warren to the beach. All in all he was lucky, considering he fell down a full flight of cement stairs. He caught himself with his right arm and dislocated his shoulder – it went right back in, but his ligaments are all very strained and he’s in quite a bit of pain. Luckily, with Heather and Robb here, he was well taken care of. (Robb is a surgical tech and Heather is an RN.) Nothing much keeps him down – he and Ellie just left for town this morning, not wanting to miss out on any fun.
To top it off, Heather knocked on our door about 2:30 a.m. this morning; Robb was achey with a fever and diarrhea. Since we always have drugs with us down here for that, he is a bit better this morning but still sleeping and will be out of it for awhile. There’s not much you can do to avoid that down here – it happens. But with some good drugs he’ll be back at it in a day or so.
It’s been pretty HOT here the last few days. Warren and I went to town yesterday morning, but I faded pretty fast and caught a taxi home. Sitting in the pool or on the beach under a palapa works best! The humidity was up a bit the last few days, too, so life is pretty slow. The kids all went to town to watch people arrive off the cruise ship that was in yesterday – great fun, I guess! They had breakfast and did some great people watching and had a wonderful time. . . . . . until they came home and Sean took his header.
Warren, Ellie, and Sean are still planning a fishing trip tomorrow. Don’t know how Sean is going to handle a fishing pole, but he’s bound and determined. Maybe we can convince him to catch some tuna at the Mercado instead. Heather and I have a day of shopping planned – we’ll see how Robb is doing by then.
Today will be full of swimming and reading, hanging out by the pool, and making a paella for dinner. That’s enough for one day!
- Judy

2-3
Alright alright already, I will put an entry into the blog. The kids arrived on Saturday the 31st after a long day of travel. We welcomed them with charcoal grilled chicken from Pollo Feliz downtown, and a few other trimmings. After a little circling around with the ATMs and banks wondering what is going on, all is good again. They have been to the beach, to the Comercial, downtown, the Superbowl at Paty’s on Sunday. It’s hard for us to keep up this kind of pace. Judy and I are beyond full slow now. Sean and Ellie were here last year, so they kind of know some of the things that they want to do. We are going fishing on Friday. We had to change the time because the cruise ship is coming in tomorrow. Sean and Ellie like to watch the cruise ship folks wonder through downtown. They already have their spot to watch picked out.
It was cool the last couple of mornings, below 70, but this morning we were back on the regular temp. My niece Heather and I walked up the hill this morning, and ran into one of the people we know that own a house up there. She smoothed the way for us to get past the security and walk around the top of the hill. There are more and more houses going up and it is a beautiful view. You can see all of Zihuatanejo to the north and to the south for miles.
Tonight Ellie and Sean have gone to the beach for dinner, and Judy, and I and Rob and Heather are staying in. Judy is making something out of what was in the fridge. Those of you that have been here know what that can be. It isn’t just something heated up in the microwave.

Our trip to downtown today included shopping for a new digital camera. Our other camera quit on us, and we didn’t want to be without for the next 5 weeks. We settled on a Samsung from the Comercial. I am a stock holder in Comercial you know. Even though the stock is down 90%! We are now back in the digital picture game and we will try to get some attached to the blog.
Alfredo has been sad since the two easy targets left last week. He now commented on how much the pool level went down when the three grande pescado hit the water in the pool.
Right now it is a balmy 82 at 8 PM. Looks like there might be a domino or Phase 10 game tonight.
The beach was much quieter today, the Mexican holiday is over and people headed back to work. That is the ones that have jobs that give holidays. The cement mixers and brick carriers were back to work yesterday. The lines were out the door at the banks today, after being closed for 3 days.
I will try to get a couple pictures out tonight with this blog entry.
P.S.
Matt, it’s Tiffany not Kim. We must not of been paying attention when she told us her name the first time. It is now burned onto my hard disk.

Warren
Cooling that core temperature in the pool this afternoon.

After the power walk to the top of the hill and a trip to town. I am just resting my eyes.

Breaking news from Mexico

Lynden man assaulted in Mexico
A former Lynden man, since banished from the Dutch community, was assaulted in Mexico yesterday by a machete wielding Zihuatenejo resident. Fortunately there were no injuries. Two quick thinking witnesses intervened and stopped the assault before any injuries occurred.
The former Lynden man, Matt Kok, was a little shaken, but was quickly revived with a large gin and tonic.
When questioned about the incident. The normally gentle Zihuatenejo man, Alfredo, become agitated immediately. Once he was calmed again he gave the following statement to the authorities. “I asked him if he wanted me to put out the garbage, and he attempted to reply in Espanol ”. Apparently that is when the problem began. “He insulted me and my family heritage”. Alfredo said he had endured two weeks of this guy, along with another Bellingham man, who he said was just a little slow. The authorities questioned Mr. Kok, and the Bellingham man separately. After the short interview, they determined that the assault was justified, as they walked away shaking their heads. The resident of the house, a Ferndale man, who is multilingual, was also questioned and was able to smooth over the situation. The authorities saw that the Ferndale man was legitimate, he also was able to capture a photo of the assault.
Upon their departure, the authorities commented that they have seen these Bellingham and Lynden Gringo types before. We always wonder how they let them in to our country.
This exclusive photo caught by a quick thinking Ferndale man. Who then jumped in to quell the situation.

1-28
Just finished up with the Wednesday cocktail party. It has become a regular event. We never know how many are going to show up. It was the last one for Koks and Simkins for this trip. It has been great fun for all.
Tuesday Matt, Sheila, Judy and I, rode the bus to town in the morning. The girls wanted to hit a couple of shops while Matt and I went to Bananas for breakfast. The girls joined us for a bite to eat and then we went to see Rigo! Rigo is my barber. After a couple karaoke songs, Matt had a fresh haircut. Always an experience! Then back to the beach and the pool. It was almost to much to have on the schedule for one day.
1-29
Larry and Susan have caught the bus up to Troncones this morning. The rest of us have opted to stay here today. We are heading to breakfast in the Madera area this morning. Our plan is to go to Casa Café. It is owned by an American family from the Portland Oregon area. They have lived here for a few years and have a very nice little business and life here.
Our trip to town was very pleasant this morning. A late breakfast at Casa Café, where we enjoyed a singer that came by. A local lady with a wonderful voice and a fine guitar player accompanying her. Then it was off to town for a little shopping for the ladies. Matt and I sat at Banditos and had a beverage and watched the activity.
1-30
Last night was our last night together, so we went down the street to La Gaviota. It is a restaurant at the south end of La Ropa beach. The food is OK, but the sunset location is excellent. Our meal was fine and we had a very nice evening watching the sunset.
Today Koks and Simkins are getting in their last few hours around the beach and Casa Ita. They will be leaving for the airport this afternoon for their trek home, bummer!
Judy and I will now anxiously await the arrival of Sean and Ellie, and our niece Heather and her husband Robb. They will all be here for a short week.
Right now we have no power at the house. There is some work going on somewhere down the road that has it off. Alfredo tells me that it will be a couple of hours, or there abouts. The schedule is on Mexican time, so, we will see. Maybe longer maybe less.
- Warren

It is a little after 4pm now – Friday, 1-30. The power is back on and I am helping Tina clean and do the laundry. When she is finished this evening, we will make a run to the Comercial and stock up for the coming week. Tomorrow we will head out to the airport around 2pm to meet Ellie and Sean (about 2:30) and then Heather and Robb (about 4:00). It will be a lot of fun tomorrow evening with them here!
We just received a call from Camille; she will find out about her job with Starbuck’s by Feb. 11. They are cutting 350 jobs from the Seattle corporate offices where she is. Hopefully when she arrives here in Zihua in a couple of weeks she will have good news! Please keep your fingers crossed for her.
So, nothing much happening right now – a changing of the guests. We continue to play a lot of backgammon, read a lot, embroider, walk, swim, rest, and SMILE. Life is very, very good.
- Judy
Part of our morning routine. Sitting by the pool drinking our coffee and watching the day start.

Today we had to say goodbye to our good friends after a short 2 weeks. Alfredo misses them already also.

One of our evening Domino games, sometimes harsh words and names were shouted out!

Our last evening together, dinner on La Ropa with music

1-27-2009
More relaxing, more dominoes, more reading, more pool and beach time, and more color in our cheeks. Life down here is more of the same and continues to be lovely.

I received a call from my very good friend, Vera, this morning in regards to accommodations for their son, Rich, who will be down here with them in February. It seems that the reservations they made for him and his girlfriend got mixed up and they need another 4 nights for him reserved soon! Not to worry – there are a lot of openings here right now as things are a little slower this year. Vera and Richie are currently in Florida for the month but will be heading home Friday to N.J. to prepare for coming here Feb. 8. Vera said they are actually heading home a couple of days early as they are getting very eager to come down here. We have been Mexico vacationing with them annually down here since we met them about 14 years ago on our first Mexico vacation in Cabo! We can’t wait to see them!! I’m sure Vera and I will be very busy together cooking and needleworking – kindred spirits. We never seem to get enough time together.
Warren and Matt are walking the hill again this morning for their exercise. It’s about 8:30 a.m. and still cool enough to make the trek without too much discomfort. Larry is taking a swim, Susan is reading, I’m blogging and Sheila is sleeping. Sheila and I plan to go to town, maybe Susan, too, and look at linens at the Mercado, stamped for embroidery. The week is already getting short for Koks and Simkinses; they are flying out on Friday. We have a trek to Troncones planned for Thursday. Troncones is about 45 minutes north of here by bus and is a surfing beach. It’s a very small little town and a sparsely populated, beautiful beach. Last year we did a little horseback riding out there on the beach and had a beautiful day. I’m sure it will be a lot of fun.
We have been having domino wars and Phase 10 wars in the evenings and at the beach at Paty’s. FUN! We are such party animals! Last night it was even after 10 by the time we went to bed! We will sure miss them when they leave Friday.
I’ll close this off for now – life is beginning to happen around here and I don’t want to miss anything!
- Judy
Try to guess who got the two for one deal

Heading home after a tough day at the beach

Our Thai diinner with friends

1-24
I guess it is my turn to make an entry in the blog. We have been having a great time with everyone, and they are enjoying themselves also. Very relaxing for all. It appears that everyone is now up to full slow.
Thursday we went to Playa Larga to the south of us. It is a long beach about 9 miles long. Long enough that it has three names. Larga to the north, Blanco in the middle and Berra de Potisi to the south. We rode the bus, then the little truck with the benches in the back from the highway to the beach. It takes less than a half hour from home. It was a little windy but the wind felt good, seeing how it was 88 in the shade. It was a nice day with a different view. Had a great fish lunch with all the trimmings made special for us. Did a little beach walking, a couple of people got a little siesta in the hammock then the trip home. I negotiated the VW van shuttle to bring us back to the house for 30 pesos per couple. That made it an easy day and trip.
Yesterday, Matt and I walked to town for a couple of errands and breakfast. Judy joined us for our breakfast after here haircut and pedicure. We hit the Mercado and then on to the Comercial. Along the way, I had to show Matt the secret location of the bakery that makes the chocolate cake with the flan on top. We might need to purchase another one early next week. It has been a big hit with this group.
Today we walked up the hill at the south end of the beach, then down to Paty’s for lunch. Tonight, we had a treat for dinner. One of the jewelers, from the beach came over and fixed Thai food for us. He is someone we have known for a few years. His name is Israel, and has many talents. His English is good and we enjoyed talking with him. He is only 35 years old and has done a lot of things in his life so far. It was a fun evening for all of us.
Tomorrow looks like a day at Paty’s for beach time. Paty is starting to make preparations for the Super Bowl. We will probably watch down there next week.
The time with our friends has been great with a lot of good conversations. Everyone jumps in and helps with the dishes and the food shopping. They have been great guests.
We saw another friend show up today, from New Jersey. He is only here tonight then is going up North about three hours on the bus. He is going to a little beach town for a week, then his wife will join him here in Zihuatenejo for 6 weeks. They are just some of the many friends and acquaintances we have made down here over the years.

Warren

Our lunch at Playa Larga last Thursday. Fresh fish cooked to order with all the trimmings.

Heading out to town for shopping at the Mercado

Israel fixing our Thai dinner last night

1-21
This morning is another bright and beautiful awakening. The magpie jays are very vociferous and the mourning doves are busy. People are doing their morning walks before it gets too hot, and the workers are all heading up the hill to their construction jobs in the backs of pick-ups and crammed into old buses. Warren took Alfredo his morning coffee, which he loves, and we are having our coffee on our pool deck.
We all watched the inauguration yesterday on the CNN channel at the LaPerla Restaurant on the beach with about 25 – 30 other gringos. There was a lot of clapping and some tears. It was a good day. Then we just hung out under the palms and umbrellas until the afternoon there at LaPerla. The late afternoon is always cocktails and pool time until the sun goes down. We have been having dinners at home mostly. Koks and Simkinses are here until the 30th and we’re all geared down into full relax mode.
Our friend Eric, a beach jewelry vendor, was finally on the beach again yesterday after about a week of absence. We knew his wife was ill, but found out that she had a c-section Sunday evening and they have a new little baby boy (1 ½ months premature). He is doing well now but is still in the incubator in the hospital, along with his mother. Eric is beginning to relax now that things are okay. Their son joins sisters Perla, 7, Erica, 5, and Ariel, 3. They are the children that Warren and I have promised to support during their education. Looks like little Aaron will be another! We are excited about it. Eric is looking at a site in Zihua for a possible store where he will do his jewelry and maybe other consignment art products.
Eric’s brother, Israel, is also a jewelry vendor. He is also more of an entrepreneur, and is planning on opening a Thai restaurant with a wine bar and local artisan products. He will be coming over this Saturday evening to prepare a Thai dinner for the 6 of us plus Dan and Jeanne – 8 altogether. He’s looking forward to it – shrimp, rice, noodles, vegetables. It will be fun. Israel is a very outgoing personality, 35 years old, with lots of energy.
The beach has not been extremely busy the last couple of weeks, but more people are beginning to show up. The domino games are heating up at Paty’s and at LaPerla, and we are seeing many more of the regulars. Things are a little slower this year than usual, say the locals, but maybe it will pick up in February/March.
We are heading out for some shopping this morning – the boys are going to the liquor store and the Mercado, while we girls will be heading to the Comercial for some basics. Then we’ll have to rest up before our cocktail party this afternoon. A busy day!

Photos: Casa Ita from the road, our little home. Watching Obama being sworn in at La Perla

1-18 Our friends Matt, Sheila, Larry, and Susan arrived this past Friday about 5:30 PM. It is a long day getting here from Seattle, but that part is over. We had adult beverages waiting and they enjoyed their first sunset a little later. Saturday morning we all rode the bus to town to get them hooked up at the bank ATM for some pesos. The girls went their way and the boys walked back to the beach from town. Larry wanted to see the Madera area on the way, because they had stayed their 4 years ago. There has been a lot of changes since they were last here.
We all went for a nice dinner on the beach last night and had a very pleasant evening. Today looks like a beach day, maybe at La Perla. We will also looking for a spot to watch rhave satellite TV reception.
Right now, Judy and I are sitting out by the pool listening to the morning come alive. It’s quiet this morning, because it is Sunday. There isn’t the steady stream of workers headed up the hill to some of the construction jobs. We can hear the waves on the beach.
I am going to close for now and let some of the others add their comments.
Warren


GUEST ENTRY: Jan 18, 2009 Sunday

This is SHEILA here. The Simkins and the Koks arrived without incident on Friday afternoon. We were greeted by a pitcher of margaritas and a large bowl of guac and chips….does it get any better than this?

It is hot, hot, hot! We sweat day and night, but the warmth feels quite good on the bones. Humidity is quite high and the temps run in the high 80’s and low 90’s. We went to town for the first time on Saturday and went to the public market. Amazing sights to see and some stuff is really quite disgusting…sheep heads and other unrecognizable parts of various animals. I bought a gawdy swimsuit cover-up that makes me recognizable for miles…my new fiesta dress!

Today we had a beach day. Sunday is a big family day at the beach for Mexican and gringos alike. There are kids, teens, mama and papa and lots of pale-skins Americans everywhere. We rented beach chairs, umbrellas, and small tables for $70 pesos or $5.60 US. We ate and we drank and we burned….we now look like lobsters (especially the Koks).

Tomorrow we are off to Ixtapa which is about 5 miles away and where people go who want a high-rise resorty type feel. Voses say it is pretty.

We are all having fun and Warren and Judy are wonderful hosts. More later if I am allowed back on Warren’s computer.

1-15 I just don’t understand how the weather can be so nice everyday. It is only a concept at home. We are sitting out by the pool this morning enjoying our coffee, and reading the paper on the internet. It is a great bonus for us to access our mail and view all of our earnings in the stock market.
Alfredo, the house caretaker is very busy this morning. He has to take his wife to Mexico City today for a doctor’s appointment. That never sounds good. They will be taking the bus. He told me the trip is about 10 hours. He will be back on Saturday. So, that means 10 hrs all night on the bus, the doctor’s appointment, then return for another 10 hrs overnight. He appears to have a lot of nervous energy this morning. I think he is also feeling guilty about leaving us alone for a couple of days. He is looking at a couple of tough days.
We had a little cocktail party here last night at 4. We had eight people over and it was a lot of fun. We will be trying to do something every Wednesday if we can.
Our only complaint so far has been the dust from the little road leading up the hill next to us. There is a new little hotel just getting started. The owner is from Canada. All of a sudden, a road grader and a water truck showed up at 6:30 last night. He worked a deal with the crew working a job down the road. He told me he had been waiting for three weeks to get the work done, and finally made another arrangement. We had deviled eggs left over from our party, so I shared them with the workers. They really liked them.
It looks like we have decided to go to the beach to walk this morning, and maybe hang out at Paty’s for awhile. These decisions can be tough to make sometimes, but we got ‘er done.
Our friends Larry and Susan, Matt and Sheila arrive tomorrow at 4. They will be here for two weeks. We are all looking forward to our time together. I am sure we will peg the laugh meter a few times.
I have been trying to get a haircut, but my barber Rigo, wasn’t open the other day. His hours appear to be, if he is there he is open. If he isn’t there he is not open. What is so tough about that? They call it Mexican time.
Tonight, Judy and I went to town around 5:30. Caught the bus and then walked to Rigo’s barber shop. When we were close I could see the door open, and then we could hear the singing. Rigo likes to sing. He has a Karaoke set up in front of his chair. There was a teenage boy getting a haircut. We waited through about 4 songs while Rigo finished the haircut. He would stop in the middle to sing a little extra and then would have to put in another CD. He has a fine voice and likes to sing. It is always an adventure to go there. Finally it was my turn and he gave me a great haircut, and beard trim for 50 pesos. Razor trim and all. We walked around for awhile, and now we are home
Warren

1-14 entry

1-13 We are getting settled in and on our way to full slow. Hit the Mercado yesterday morning, and the Comercial in the evening. The house is becoming our little home away from home. It was 70 this morning at 6 AM, and a little overcast. It looks like the sun is starting to burn off the clouds.
Our friends Jim and Teri came by this morning. They were on their walk, and stopped in for coffee. We have known them for over ten years now. They are more friends that we have met here over the years. They are from the Santa Cruz California area. There was an e-mail from our friends Dan and Jeanne this morning. They will be here tomorrow afternoon from Wisconsin. It is -25 there this morning. They were our neighbors at the place we stayed at for the last two years. Our other neighbors from Montreal, Joe and Fanny can’t come this year due to some health problems. They have been coming here since 1969. I think this will be the first year they have missed. It won’t be the same without them. We will have to stay in touch via e-mail. Joe is a great story teller. Fanny has the stories numbered because she has heard them so many times. We will all miss Joe saying “what, are you crazy?”
I will sign off for now and let Judy make an entry.
Warren

It’s beginning to feel like home! And we are rested up and ready for some more activity. Since many of the friends are beginning to arrive, we’re going to have a gathering here soon. The house is really nice for that and I think we will use it a lot for getting friends together.
We were able to communicate finally with our man, Alfredo, a bit yesterday when his teenage son dropped by – Christian. What a nice young man, and he knows a little English. Alfredo is making a run to Mexico City for a few days but will return by the weekend. He’s a delightful man.
We’ve been trying to work a bit on our Spanish every day. I’ve been concentrating on my numbers so I don’t look like a deer in the headlights at the market after I ask “conto questa est?” (How much is it?) Hopefully soon I won’t have to make them write it down!!
We are in the swing of the local cuisine. We picked up some fresh yellowfin tuna at the Mercado yesterday, and just made some fresh tuna salad for lunch. The tomatoes and avocados are unbelievably wonderful, and so are the fresh bolios (French rolls) to use for sandwiches (tortas). We also found fresh, warm chicken tamales in the Mercado yesterday – 3 for 20 pesos (about $1.50). We brought them home for snacking!
We are continuing to stock up on basics so we will make fewer runs to town. But it’s so much fun to go to the Mercado! We also have a good supply of our favorite fresh Oaxaca cheese that we buy from the same man each year. Life is good.
Nothing much happening – just another day in paradise. We miss our family and friends at home!
- Judy