Ratzo's Recovery

No pics from Dad & Wanda worth showing from PV. I look like a crazy goose, and Bob looks like something out of The Old Man and The Sea.

Here's Ratzo after her surgery. Pathetic and a tummy full of infection. She was at the vet for 5 days and after our return, she got 5 days of antibiotic shots. I took her for the first round of shots, and that was my last time. I asked Bob to do the rest as her yelps were too much for me.

Here she is...so yucky and

listless. Thankfully, a week later, she was like the same ole Ratty, a little more obnoxious, and with even more of an appetite. The vet said that she is very spoiled. How'd that happen???

On to the next...

Puerto Vallarta Part 1

We left for PV early Sat, 3/21. I prefer to drive as the time seems to pass more quickly- and it did, although it took us almost 6 hours as we got stuck behind a military transport hummer and a bus. For the most part, it's an easy drive on a two lane road, lots of curves and up and downs so it's not real easy to pass the person in front unless you have a straight shot. We voted for arriving in one piece. Once we got into PV, we drove in circles looking for the hotel. After some sniping at each other, Bob jumped into a cab and I followed. We were probably three blocks away.

We stayed across from Dad and Wanda at Dona Susana, an all-adult boutique hotel. It was lovely, quiet, and had a great roof-top pool. Our room was rather small and the bathroom, teeny-tiny. Yet it worked for us, and the best part was it had a kick-ass air-conditioner. My best sleeps are in chilly temperatures; Bob not so much. He thought it felt below zero. My thinking is you can always pile on more blankets, there's only so much you can take off. (My husband is so good to me.)

We spent lazy days on the beach. One of us would head down early am and scope out the perfect spot to plant our chairs and umbrellas. The added bonus to being the early birds is the empanada man starts cruising the beach at 8:30 am. We would snack on big flaky pastries filled with spinach/cheese, chicken/potato, ham/cheese, apple, apple/cheese, chocolate and many others. We're serious about our empanadas, and he knew it as he'd hit us again around mid-day.

We met a mother and daughter duo from Minnesota, I think. Yvette and Stephanie were a constant source of entertainment, especially daughter, Steph. This girl is in her early thirties, totally uninhibited, really lives each moment to the max. What you see is what you get with Stephanie, no game-playing, just pure going for the gusto, and a not a mean bone in her body.

(How nice it must be to feel so free and be so honest. I'd like a little bit of that myself.)

We had some great food. My favorite outing was to Marazul for dinner. It's a big, upscale palapa-style restaurant just a block down the beach. Boy!! the food was fabulous, and the service was impeccable. I don't know how Dad and Wanda do it. They always find that one fabulous restaurant where the Manager comes out to talk with us, and sends us complimentary desserts and drinks, and where the service staff treats us like VIPs. We had a table overlooking the ocean, and I caught a picture of this sunset.

Dad and I also ordered each a Herradura Anejo after dinner. Check out this presentation. The tequila is sitting in the chilled round bowl, accompanied by a sangrita, salt, limes and a jalapeno. It was smooth. This was not the rot-gut stuff you slam with a beer chaser. Excellent choice, Dad.

We headed out Tuesday morning. I always get real sentimental when I have to say goodbye to D&W. The drive home was quiet and quick.

Also--I had a lot on my mind, primarily Ratzo and her surgery. We wouldn't see her until Wednesday late afternoon.

That's next post.

Thanks for another excellent vacation Dad and Wanda. We love you.

THEY GROW 'EM BIG

Well, last weekend was a holiday weekend which means the beach was packed. Good for the vendors, not so good for us who live here as more people means more trash all over the town. I wonder who's responsible for cleaning all this junk up?

ANYWAY---This shot was taken from our perch on the beach this past Sunday. Although there's no point of reference, I will tell you that this wave was at least 4-5 meters high, easy. The force of the water rushing the shore is so strong that it's almost impossible to get anywhere near these waves. These big boys are dangerous! We hang about halfway between the shore and the wave and catch the ripple effect. Decent rides yeah, our best ever, no.



Also, Sunday morning we went out for breakfast and stumbled upon the best breakfast I've had in a long time. We initially went to Morelos. They are busy normally and are very busy when it's a holiday. Fenix didn't have much in the way of business so we decided to mosey on over. We've eaten there a few times and it was above average, so why not. Well, the owner, Olivia, comes over to the table with an additional weekend menu of savory and sweet crepes. Bob ordered his old favorite, chilaquiles, ( now that's boring), and I ordered the crepe stuffed with chicken and mushrooms in a bechemel sauce. YUM, YUM, and YUM. ( I mean my crepe.) The crepe was very thin and delicate, plenty of chicken and mushrooms, and the bechemel sauce was slightly sweet and light. Fabulous--- All for $80 p, including a green salad. After breakfast, I gave my compliments to the Chef, who is French and speaks only French and Spanish. We'll be back again. Bob has his eyes on the ham and cheese crepe, and I'm leaning towards the shrimp one.

We'll be heading out for Puerto Vallarta on Saturday morning to meet up with Dad and Wanda for a few days. It'll be nice to get away from the office for a few days.

Also, Ratzo will be at the Vet as we have decided to get her spayed while we're gone. Our morning walks are a little dicey as she is quite popular around the malecon four-legged social scene.



More later. I need to head up to Cd. Colima this morning and try to collect our rather substantial rent deposit from our Colima house. It's overdue, and frankly, I'm tiring of jumping through hoops with the previous landlord and the Real Estate company. I'm "Si Senora" to death all the time. (It's all bullshit. They tell me what I want to hear, not what the real deal is. It would be much better if they just leveled with me and were honest. Yet--- this way of dealing is everywhere. The stink is on everything. Yeah, now I'm getting frustrated.)

Time to make some calls.

Later...

Dinner With Friends

Well, Bob said my last post was "Capital B for boring." I said, "It's my blog, and I'll write what I want to." I'm sure he'll find this one just as exciting.
So- we head on over to Ned and Shelagh's last Saturday. Roger and Marie rounded out our little gathering. I have a feeling that when an invite is for 6:30pm, that really means 6:30pm as the food was heating through and almost ready to serve when we arrived.
The dining table, dotted with votive candles, was set up outside by the pool under the gazebo. We feasted on cheese-stuffed poblano peppers, (big suckers), rice, pickled asparagus, julienned peppers and hot radishes, pork stew, and a green salad and olive flat bread, compliments of Marie. Fresh pineapple and a coconut liqueur for dessert. DEELISH.
Lots of interesting conversation. Of course, we touched on the universal taboo subjects of religion and politics. I'll honestly say that I was feeling slightly uncomfortable and didn't contribute much, although I do have strong opinions of my own.
Bob and I stayed a little longer after Roger and Marie left. We had a few more laughs and called it a night around 9:30pm.
Thanks Ned and Shelagh. You're good people, and we truly hope we will see you again next year.

The Process

So Bob and I are sitting around late Saturday morning, readying ourselves for the beach, when Ned,(of my Green Beans post), and Roger stop by. These two guys were renting this house a few years back. They're two older married guys, funny guys on their own, and really funny when together. I just get a real kick out of them. They make me laugh...I mean really laugh, not a polite ha ha laugh. (Anyway, for the most part, I've always found men more entertaining than women.) Well, Ned invites us over to their house for dinner that night. I was very excited since this was our first outing with Gringos that our present work schedule permits.

Well, we head to the beach for a little ocean time. The water was tame, only a yellow flag day. Even the ocean birds were able to fish. We prefer the big crashers. We spent our afternoon piddling around the water and my favorite activity, people-watching. We get back home, and I start "The Process".

WELL.....

Now, my getting dressed can take anywhere from 20 minutes including a shower, no make up, no hair, to 2 hours, with make up and hair. I'd picked out my clothes earlier that morning so this should have been a breeze, right? Wrong. Shower and make up, maybe 50 minutes... And the make up part is tricky as I apply it outside on the terrazza for the natural light, so I don't go around looking like Bette Davis in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?". I was surprisingly ahead of schedule. Shit---Then came my hair...Did I tell you all how humid it is living on the ocean, so no more "good hair days" and, hence, I have a ratty brownish mop on top of my head which flairs out right where it hits my ears as it is crispy and dry and makes my chubby face look more like a moon face?? All true. All I can say is Thank God for mousse, gel, leave-in conditioner, and hairspray. After applying several layers of this concoction on the mop, which only made it look slick and stiff, I was ready to get dressed and go. No, not quite...


It must be hereditary. My sister, Lissa, and I both suffer from chronic changeofclothesitis. I can be absolutely positive that I have an outfit picked out, and when I am ready to get dressed, it just doesn't look or feel like it did earlier during the trying-on stage. Is it the lighting, did I gain 5 lbs in the last 5 hours, or is my vision better in the afternoon than morning? Well, my first outfit of black slacks and black top were quickly nixed. Too severe, I thought. (Nah- that last statement is a lie. Actually, I caught a glimpse of those nasty little chubbies under my arms.) So, I proceed to tear through my closet as it is crunch time... sun dresses, jeans, a slew of tops, and of course, all this activity started to make my moon face perspire. Grrrrreat.


Finally, I settle on a small polka-dotted stretchy top and a pair of capri jeans. I should have remembered this is one of my favorite "in a pinch" outfits. By this time, another 30 minute process, and after Bob gave me the countdown to departure, he now is downstairs advising me he will be pulling out the car as he sincerely believes that his disappearing on me will hasten my process. Well, it doesn't,... never has. The last 5 minutes I tried on several pairs of shoes and decided on a pair of high platform tie-up-your-ankle closed toe sandals. I was really hoping this choice not a mistake as it's been probably eight months since I've worn a heel higher than an inch. There's really something special about heels. I feel less squishy.

I was very proud . We arrived at 6:40pm for a 6:30pm invite.

Well, then we were in for an absolutely lovely evening. That's next.

Hey Lissa: I hope you are reading and enjoying this post in particular.

Carnaval, Cuyutlan Style

Big doin's last weekend here for Carnaval. Set up started on Friday, and the party lasted through Sunday. Bob and I ventured out around 6pm on Saturday. We wanted to catch the parade and then the big dance after. Well, the parade got off to a late start, and unfortunately, I am still learning how to use my camera, so my night shots did not turn out too good. All I can say is the town was really crowded, and everyone was partying and having a great time.

This photo was taken 20 minutes before the start of the parade. The crowd was still "thin."

This pretty girl is one the the beauty queens. There were several. (I told you my night shots were sucky.) I think the real favorites were the Corona Beer Girls. They were on the back of a truck, dance music blaring, and these two youngs ladies were really shakin' it. The crowd let out a huge cheer when a male fan jumped into the truck face first with the two dancing queens.

Then Bob and I ended up meeting with Carlos at his Mom's seafood stand. Lucky for us, we were right by the stage where the band would perform later, and Carlos even set up some seats for us. He also hooked me up with a Michelada. This is a curious beverage. It's tomato juice mixed with beer instead of vodka, no celery but chile powder. (I do love a good Bloody Mary, especially my Dad's. ) This may be an acquired taste. I'll stick to an ice cold Pacifico.

This is the Michelada Man. I'm told he has a very successful restaurant in Cd. Colima. He was set up just a few feet away from us. Sometime later in the night, he also put out a banner advertising that he also sells cell phone cards. This guy was super nice, and had a couple of dance moves himself.

Well, the band finally started up. Real show pleasers!! The crowd was dancing, the music was really tight, but by 11:30pm, we called it a night. We live only four blocks from the Malecon and heard the party going strong until early morning.

My thoughts really: Yeah, it was fun. It's cool to see so many people letting go, young and old together enjoying the music, fireworks, etc. My favorite part of any outing is people-watching. Anytime, anywhere. (I'm "inquisitive" according to my beloved 8th grade English teacher, Mrs Stultz. Bob will tell you I'm just nosey.)

Well, off for my morning walk. It's humid this am, so I need to get moving. Bye, for now.

Red Flag Days

Everyday, the beach lifeguards secure their flags so that us ocean lovers know to #1: throw ourselves into the waves and really yuck it up, or to #2: hang back and basically spend more time on the sand than in the sea. Such was the case this weekend... fierce riptides all along our watery playground left Bob and I to suck eggs under our beach umbrellas with books neither one of us was reading.

Riptides are sneaky. They look like a river in the ocean, and you really need a trained eye to spot them. (Bob has become very good at this.) Most people caught in a riptide don't know it until they are way out and everyone on land looks real small. I know; I have personal experience.

I was carried out by one last summer. I was just having a great time, the waves were pretty sizable and decided to take my board and venture out to the "Big Boys", maybe 100 yards out. Within just a couple minutes, I had ended up and over the waves and could not make any headway getting back. I knew I was way out when I looked over to the palapas and spotted a tiny Bob at the water's edge. I imagine he was a little distressed.

Our friend, Carlos, immediately ran down the sand full-speed from his mother's seafood stand, dove in, and began the long, tiring swim towards me. I didn't know until several minutes later that two life guards also joined the party.

It was a strange feeling being out there all alone. It was real quiet. I wasn't really afraid or panicked. I knew that I was having great difficulty making any progress towards the shore, but I really was just kinda mellow, and I had my board which kept me afloat.

My big worry was sharks. I'd been told they lurk just beyond the big breakers. Also, I suppose just having watched the week-long series, "Shark Week" on Discovery Channel didn't help much.

Well, Carlos made it out to me before the lifeguards did. He actually towed me back, although, we had a hell of a time trying to position ourselves just right to catch the big waves that would send us crashing into the safe zone. My hero, Carlos.

I have a healthy respect for the ocean now; I am overly-cautious, maybe. I tend to watch the water when we have weekend visitors. Both Bob and I can spot a swimmer in potential danger immediately. We've witnessed many a rescue, and one Saturday, five family members were saved one by one as all had been taken out to the sea in one swoop. Many drowning deaths occur every year here, I'm told. This is open ocean, folks. We live at "EL HOGAR DE LA OLA VERDE."

Here's a photo of this weekend's hero. We call him "THE BIG KAHUNA." He was called to duty this Saturday when he rescued one of the workers here for Carnaval.

Big weekend here. Carnaval in Cuyutlan. More to follow next post.
Bye for now.