Fall is Coming

The last several mornings as I go out to walk my dogs here in Dillon, Colorado I am grabbing my sweatshirt. Where does the summer go? It seems like just yesterday we were sleeping with the doors and windows open. I love living in the high country of Colorado during the summer. This is our first summer since we retired and the first summer we have lived in our home here. We have owned our place for fifteen years here in Summit County. At the time we bought this "second home" out two youngest children were still in school and snowboarding every weekend. It was a great family place. We used it almost every weekend in the winter. It was home to many of our children's friends and many who Mr.B taught to snowboard. Many AFA cadets took their first run here at Keystone under the watchful eye of Mr. B.
We spent many many Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with a roaring fire and snow falling on the lake. But to be honest once the snow had gone away we did not use the place much. Our summers were busy with all the things our kids did during the summer. Once we started talking about retiring we thought "what the hell" we would spend our summers at 9100 ft. What a delight it has been. The mornings and evenings have been cool and crisp. The days warm but not hot. It really has been a perfect summer. But now our days here are getting very cool. It is our sign that fall is coming and our journey back to the Pacific is near. I have started packing boxes with "can not live without" goodies to take back to Mexico. I am looking forward to hearing the waves, smelling the ocean and watching the sunsets. But I will miss my mountain home and my cool morning walks. Where did the summer go?

Jake and Megan Wheatley

Paul and I attended a beautiful wedding this weekend in Denver. Both of us love weddings for so many reasons. I think the fact that we get to experience love over flowing. Every wedding we attend Paul holds my hand and as the say their vows he always gives it a squeeze as to say "I do" over and over again. I have been so lucky in my life to have married this amazing man. He always tells the groom that marriage is amazing and that he hopes they are as happy as we are. God I am so lucky. This was also a special wedding because we have known the bride and groom for many years. Megan worked for us while she was in college and Jake is the son of our close friends Greg and Tammy. They welcomed us into this family gathering filled with love. Of course there was also a LOT of laughs (thanks to Mr. B). We stayed the night at the venue and had a beautiful brunch with close friends Rob and JoEllen. I don't think I will be able to ever eat again! We wish these beautiful "kids" a magical journey in life. I can only hope they find the happiness that Mr.B and I have found all these years. Mazel Tov!!

Italy

"Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.”
Pope Paul VI – Italian Pope. 1897-1978

Paul and I were thrilled to spend so much time in the south of Italy this year. Not only is Italy a magical country, but it is also where our daughter and grandchildren call "home". Being able to share our adventure of this beautiful place with them was just amazing. Although Paul and I took off on our own to explore, we also got to take some "mini" trips with Jill and the kids. We can never thank them enough for all the great memories. Jill is an amazing women, her husband Erik is in Iraq for a year and she is holding down "the fort". I thank God everyday for bringing her into our lives. So here is a video for her.....thanks Bean.

Happy Birthday Mom

My Mother was born August 23, 1925 in Ola, Arkansas. Had she not passed away she would have been 86 this year. Every year I want to pick up the phone and call her to wish her Happy Birthday. It is always a sad time for me. She was such an amazing women and such a large part of my life and the lives of my children and grandchildren. I think of her everyday and sometimes I forget she is not here with me. However most days I know she is here with me. I hear her voice and I see her smile. I know that she stands like she always had, right next to me. She guides me on this journey called life. I will be forever thankful that she raised me and taught me so many lessons. She was an great lady and she made me laugh a lot in my life. She is the reason I am who I am. I miss her so, but I know that as long as she lives in me and my children she is "still here". Thanks Ma.

Our Winter

Soon our first winter in México will draw to a close. Spring as arrived in the tropics and soon summer will follow on its heels. The days have grown longer and warmer; the whales have left on their migration north with their new calves to the colder waters of the North Pacific. The birds that all flew south during the winter have now packed in their last shrimp and are flying north once again. The endless line of RV’s from both the US and Canada leave in caravans daily from seaside towns. The markets have started to be much smaller, without the hustle and bustle of gringo dollars. And we too are winding down our first season of retirement here. It seems like it was just yesterday that Paul and I crossed the border of Arizona with a full Suburban and our three mutts, so excited to finally be “living the dream”.
December brought the kids for several weeks. Christmas is busy in this small village. There are parties to attend, foods to be cooked and gifts to be wrapped. Of course, the fact you are doing all of this in summer attire is new to us. Our home of over 20 years would normally be a foot deep in snow by then. We spent mornings with the windows open and gentle ocean breezes lapping over the white sheets. The sound of each wave crashing against the shore was magical and exciting. Christmas would come and go and we would see the kids off at the airport with kisses. We would rush back to our seaside home and just listen to the waves crashing and have another cup of tea. We knew we had become the “lucky ones”. More visitors would come and renters as well. It was nice to know that there are still some not swayed by the “danger of México”. We spent countless nights laughing with our British neighbors and looking at the stars. All the time, the waves still crashed against the shore, an ever-constant reminder of the magic of the tropics and living on the ocean.
Crop after crop of fresh vegetables would make their appearance in the markets and the roadside stands. Watermelons, strawberries, avocados, beans; all local produce that comes to us in the winter months. Everything was so incredibly fresh and beautiful. We watched the planting of the fields and were amazed as it seemed to grow overnight. Fields and fields of crops stretched out for miles. Some of the smaller fields were still worked with a harrow and horses. Farmers still tend to their crops from the break of dawn till nightfall, here in this part of México. Having grown up in the San Joaquin Valley of California, I could not get enough of the sight. The entire valley is ringed by the Sierra Madre mountains, just like in California, although here they are much closer and the pine trees are replaced by palm trees.
The fishermen also still leave the shore of our village like clockwork every morning. In small boats, they make their way to the shallows about a mile out. The day will bring them food for their tables and their restaurants. Sea Bass, Corbina, and shrimp, caught daily, grace our tables in this region. I wish people understood this part of México more. Not just the land but the people as well. Nowhere in sight is the sleeping guy under the cactus with the sombrero, or the narco’s shooting people. It’s really just a quiet, laid-back, safe and family-oriented part of the world.
Our mutts too soon adapted to the ocean and the beach. At first, they were cautious of the water, but soon they were jumping in to retrieve their Frisbees and following us in. They soon learned that a day at the beach also meant a bath at the end. They have gotten really good at baths! Jasper, who was at what we thought was the final season of his life, has gained weight and scampers about the beach like a new pup. Actually, we think it has more to do with dementia, but we’ll take what we can get. Whatever the reason, he’s still with us. Bucket and Biscuit have come to love their new home and their silly antics make our days happier.
We made the trip to Guadalajara several times for a couple of days inland. It is such a great city filled with the colors and noises that are México. People smile at you and seem to love their lives, families, and culture so much. It is so refreshing to see their happy faces. Hardly ever do you encounter a person not willing to help you and share their knowledge of their country and its history. Guadalajara is the second largest city in México and every trip brings new and exciting things to experience. Some of the best meals of my life have been consumed in this city. They have wonderful restaurants and B&B’s. We also made a trip in Ajijic , south of the city and on the shores of Lake Chapala. What an amazing place. Chapala is a lake two and half times the size of our Lake Tahoe and home to over 30 thousand gringos. The weather stays spring-like all year at over 5000 feet in elevation. This also has become the home for Paul’s parents as well. Their new digs in an assisted-living facility seem to be a good fit with great twenty-four hour care for his mother at a reasonable rate. My father-in-law could not be happier. Every time I speak to him, he says, “These people are so wonderful”, and “They not just care physically for my wife, they hug her and talk with her constantly too”. And he tells me the food is pretty great too. They allow him to live there with her, and take care of all the cooking and day-to-day chores that get pretty tough for older people. I think more and more Americans will make their way to these places as the health care costs in America still continues to climb. For our family, it was a great solution.
But in case you might think that our winter was too relaxing, you don’t know Paul very well. He kept very busy with many projects around the villa. Replacing ceiling fans, putting up new walkway lights, helping friends build solar heaters for their pools, replacing the pool pump, having a new cabinet built for the casita, and new slider windows for the main casa bedrooms are a few of the more significant projects accomplished this winter. Living in the tropics takes its toll on a home and Paul makes sure to battle the effects, keeping this place in tiptop shape. I too kept busy with new dishes to cook and the afternoon siesta (I do what I can).
Overall, I will tell you our first winter here has been nothing short of wonderful. I think the only thing I would change is that we wish we had done it sooner. It is not for everyone; in fact there are very few people that are willing to step outside the box for a minute, let alone for good. That has never been our style, and I feel so lucky to have married a man who, like me, is not afraid of the adventure of life. We have never followed “the herd”, and I am happy about that. Our time here together has been magical and exciting. After all these years together, it is still on honor to wake up next to such an amazing man.
So now we will wrap up our time here and head to Italy, a place we have been lucky enough to have visited a couple of times already. But now, we will head to Naples in the south and spend a month with our daughter Jill and our grandchildren. We look forward to spending the days experiencing the sights and sounds of Italy. We can’t wait to see the coastline of this beautiful country and all it holds. Then, we will come back to México and plan our journey back to the states. It will be bittersweet to lock our casita door and load the mutts in the Suburban. But new adventures await us…

The Big City

Every once in awhile one gets desire for the big city. Not a tourist town like Puerto Vallerta where the big ships dumps off thousand of site seers from the US. Where they flock to the Wal Mart and Sam's to buy the somberos and glass ash trays with the name of the town etched across it for the folks back in (fill in the blank). Where the resorts are packed with people who love the "all inclusive" package where they never have to leave the property or perhaps even see a Mexican. Great for some people, most really. It is not in the comfort zone of most gringos to go outside the box even for a moment let alone a day. I find this so odd, but it has never been the way I liked to live. Perhaps that is why we find ourselves here in Mexico living to begin with.
The big city for us is Guadalarja, the second largest city in Mexico. We have yet to explore Mexico City (the largest), but we will someday soon. For now we just make our three hour journey to one of the most colorful cities in this country.
I am not sure what I like most about this city. I guess I could tell you about the shopping but for my gringa friends it would be hard to imagine. Street after street after street lined with colors, textures, glass, metal, ceramic. Every street brings more things to look at and hold. Not the tourist stuff or peddlers pulling you into their stores. This is the real deal. This is where things are made and shipped all over the world. The merchants are friendley and willing to help you find what you need. Or in my case what I don't need. If they don't have it they can make it or send you to another store that has the color, or the fabric or the weave you are looking for. Small store fronts open up to shops and the shops open up to homes with courtyards and families. It is a city woven together with men, women, and children. They are all so amazing to watch. So many of them, like us making a living in their craft.
Then there is the food. It is on every corner and every block. The smells are amazing. It is hard to stroll the streets without hearing the laughter of people having a meal with family or friends. Music everywhere, and not the boom car low rider music. Marachis and guitars, singers and seranaders . The culture is so rich with of music and dancing. It is nothing to see people dancing close to their partner and you too long for the slow, dancing with your own love.
I have had two of my best meals in this city. The kind of meal that when you take a bite you just hold it in your mouth wanting to savor every spice, every flavor and they way they all dance together. From the soup to the main course to the dessert, it is a pleasure to dine for several hours and savor every moment of the evening.
I guess the thing I love the most is all of it together.
The squares filled with venders and colors and textures and smells. The way everyone is busy and coming and going and working and playing. How you become part of this street scene and part of the cog that helps turn the city. If you can not find what you want in this town then it is not to be had in this country.
We spent three days lost in the color of this city, and although I am always happy to make our way back to our home on the ocean, I do love a trip to the City.

Don't Ring, Just Bark

So, Paul and I have our dogs down here: Two Blue Heelers and a 16 year old miniature Dachshund. Any of you who are dog people know that when you are planning a trip, you spend as much time trying to make sure your dogs have proper care as you do actually planning the trip. With that in mind, we are going to be taking a couple of vacations from our vacation (now THAT'S luxury!) in the next few months, and can't take our dogs with us. Therefore, we have to find a place for them. Hence, today's topic.

We found, through reference, a place in a nearby town (Lo de Marcos, 1-1/2 hours away), called Beach Dog Spa. But, before we booked our dogs into it, we wanted to check it out. Thinking that as long as we're that far along the road towards Puerto Vallarta, we might as well combine the trips, and get some shopping done first in PV, then check out the kennel on the way back. We left our house in Platanitos at 8 in the morning, heading to Home Depot first, then WalMart on the way back. It's about a half-hour drive from WalMart to Lo de Marcos, and we got directions to the kennel from their web site. But, since we don't have a printer in our casita, we sent the directions to our British neighbor, Richard, to print out for us.

When we were leaving, we went to their house to get the directions, and found Richard furiously writing them down by hand on a piece of notebook paper. "What are you doing? Why don't you just print them out?" "Well," he says, in his British accent, "I think there's something wrong with the format of the message and it won't print, so I'm writing them for you." It's a whole page. Off we go.

As we are wrapping things up at WalMart, we realize that we are going to be maybe 15 minutes late for our 1 p.m. appointment at the dog place, as it's showing 12:45 on the Suburban dash clock. Even though we strive to be on time, for once we think, "Hey, this is México; EVERYONE is late down here. ¡No problema!" We get to Lo de Marcos and start following the very detailed, but rather vague, directions through town: "About 2 or 3 streets before you get to the beach, turn left on Calle Hidalgo, which is not marked." Right. We immediately find our progress blocked by a restaurant that's decided to spill out into the street with tables and chairs, and we have to find a detour, which we seem to be able to do. Turn left at the ponds, turn right at the corner, and on and on through this tiny, twisted old town. Finally, we find the kennel. I read the last of the directions:

"When you pull up, don't ring the door bell, just stand out front and bark, and we'll be right out." Paul asked me to read it again. He said "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" So, he got out of the car, and started hollering "Hellooo! Hellooo!" over the 10-foot concrete block wall. No response at all. We had the kennel's phone number, so we called it and told the lady we were out front, but didn't know how to get in. There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Paul told her that we followed the directions and didn't ring the bell, and just hollered over the wall. She said, "What are you talking about?" Paul said, "Well, those are the specific instructions from your web site." "I have no idea what you are talking about." Paul: "Look, it's your web site; I just reading what it says." I can tell he's getting hot under the collar. "Fine," the lady says, "I'll be right out."

Once she came out, I went in with her to see the place, leaving Paul and the dogs in the car outside. The place is immaculate, clearly very well run, and an obvious good choice to leave our dogs. But, then the lady said to me, "Hey, I'm sorry I was a little short with you; I should have scheduled your visit when I didn't have so much going on. I was expecting you at one o'clock." I said, "Well, it's only 1:15." She said, "Actually, it's 2:15; we're on Puerto Vallarta time, an hour ahead of the time in Platanitos." YIKES!! We totally did not know that a recent decision by the minister of tourism (or somebody) moved the boundary of the time change from the state border just west of Puerto Vallarta to just west of Lo de Marcos, a few months ago. So, we were more than an hour late. And, then she said, "So, what is this 'just bark out front' thing your husband was jabbering about? ". That's when it started to dawn on me.

I thanked the lady, and left. When I got back in the car, Paul was still fuming, and said "Well, she better have a damn nice place, because I'm ready to kick this b**** to the curb." I explained that it was us who were chronically late, and that it was starting to look like our little friend Richard may have been having a little sport with us.

When we got back, we went to Richard directly. He asked "So, how was the dog place?" I said that it was fine, except for one little thing, the part about "no bell, just bark". He roared with laughter, and said, "Yeah, that was my bit; I never thought you'd believe it for a minute." What a wanker...