Sightings On the Course

The view from the clubhouse in San Carlos can be amazing, especially when having a cool beer after a round of golf. We were sitting outside yesterday when a group of horses appeared out of nowhere and raced across the lawn in front of us. By the time I got my camera ready they were on the fairway making everyone's day that much more enjoyable.

Merry Christmas

Fred, Maggie and I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Our Christmas activities were fairly laid back. On Christmas Eve we rode to Blackie's Restaurant to enjoy a delicious Mexican meal. Sonoran beef has a reputation of being some of the best in North America and last night did not disappoint. I rarely eat steak, but the taste I had of Fred's tenderloin brings to mind the term "melt-in-your-mouth".

This morning we went for a round of golf. While we were taking some pictures of the golf course this friendly pup kept trying to steal my golf ball.

Abel delivered fresh shrimp to our door so the afternoon was spent cleaning and deveining shrimp in preparation for our attempt at coconut shrimp.

We put up a few lights outside and had a small display inside. The tree was a gift from Marlene and Kenny Becker while the church was my Grandma Michta's. Both light up, but only Grandma's church plays Silent Night.

All Too Familiar

This is becoming an all too familiar sight around our place. We are constantly repairing our bikes tires because of the goat's head thorns that are so prominent in this area. These thorns are also a nuisance to Maggie and they can stop her in her tracks when one embeds itself in her paw.

We have tried the old venetian blind trick around the tube to no avail so we are stuck with the steady repair job that goes with bike riding in San Carlos.

Full Day of Hired Work

On Wednesday I allowed myself to get dehydrated while working out at the gym and yesterday I paid for it. Everything tasted salty and believe me, I tried all kinds of fluids from beer to pineapple juice, cranberry juice and water. I couldn't drink anything without tasting salt!

I had planned for a day of rest, but Chuyita arrived to clean the house. When she cleans we must move outside as she starts at one end and doesn't stop until she has moved and cleaned everything. Being outside was not the most comfortable either as Natcho was painting the house and we struggled to find a dry place to sit.

Chuyita brought her daughter, Paulla, as the schools were closed for the day. Fred and I spent five hours trying to entertain this little girl - we went for walks with her and the dog, she rode my bike and she ate us out of ice cream and cookies. She was a sweetie and we enjoyed the day immensely, even though we could not understand a word she said and being nine years old, she said a lot!! For that matter, we can't understand a word her mother says either. Everything is done by gestures and head nodding! We are never certain of what we are agreeing to!

Desperate For Water

Last week I wanted books, today I would like water. The crews have been working on replacing the bridge on the main road into San Carlos and this afternoon they broke through the water line to Tecalai. Rumour has it no water for three days.

When we arrived in November the water situation was still a little shaky because of the hurricane damage so we purchased a huge garbage barrel and filled it thinking we "might" need it in the future. One month later, we need it!

Mother nature took it easy on Tecalai, man-kind not so gentle!

Arts and Craft Show

We spent an enjoyable morning at the marina looking at the work of local artists. There was a little bit of everything, from pottery to original paintings. Of course we had to purchase something, I was with Fred remember - the shopping guru!

Change of location for the Eatonia Trade Show?

Desperate for Books

Once a month, many gringos can be found searching for books. The books are free for the taking, the only thing being asked is a small donation to help with the stray animals of San Carlos. A number of ladies have been organizing this monthly event for the past five or six years and I don't know what I would do without this or the Tecalai library that is run on much the same idea - bring a book, take a book.

I was fortunate enough to have had the space to bring numerous books along, but when you read three or four books a week, the supply runs out rather quickly. Plus, I don't have Lenore here for our daily exchange of reading material!

The cooler weather we expected did not arrive and we have been enjoying one of the nicest winters we have had for awhile. The warmer weather has meant more yard work, but even that has been fun!

Then There Was One

She did it again! The only difference was this time Maggie was chasing a couple of limes that fell from the tree. It is a good thing poinsettias are cheap in Mexico. Off to Guaymas we go!

Shrimp Festival

Even though I am fighting a wicked cold, we rode our bikes to the new shopping plaza to attend the annual shrimp fest. If you are a connoisseur of fresh shrimp, this was the place to be. For 25 pesos ($2.10 Cdn) per plate, you could sample shrimp cooked many different ways - fried, boiled, breaded, or in sauces. Most of the local restaurants and hotels had a booth selling samples of their shrimp plates.

This was a popular place for Gringos and Mexicans alike, as was displayed by the huge crowd. There was a small playground for kids, local bands for the young at heart and a beer garden for the rest.

Then There Were Two

Think of it this way! One poinsettia plant [even though it was a large one], one tennis ball and one 80 pound Golden Retriever named Maggie. Which one of these would come out ahead? Off we go to Guaymas tomorrow!

The Spirit of Christmas

It seems a little early, but we have taken the first step toward Christmas by planting three poinsettias. I think they look pretty classy in the front courtyard. Our next big step will be putting up the Christmas lights - around the palm tree of course!

Day of Firsts

This morning I tried my hand at golfing with the ladies league. We had a lot of fun on a course that isn't in the best of shape. San Carlos had 25 inches of rain [some say 40] in 30 hours back in September and since then every weed known to this area has germinated. The golf course is no exception - the roughs are unplayable and the arroyos [ditches] are deep and rocky. Then again, golfers are not to be playing in the rough!

This afternoon we ventured across the street to the Fiesta Real Hotel to listen to two local musicians entertain the crowd. There are many of these concerts on the beach sponsored by the "Sonora is Safe" committee. They are trying to encourage people to come to the San Carlos area and not to believe the media stories on H1N1 and the Mexican drug wars. I'm not sure they are succeeding as SC is very quiet with numerous houses for sale and some businesses closing their doors. It remains to be seen how quiet this town will be after Christmas when most of the Snowbirds come down.

While we were sitting outside, the dolphins started their swim back to their night habitat. My camera could not pick them up clearly, but I think you can get the idea from the one picture that shows them close to the shore.

As if we don't have enough to do, today we bought a four month membership to the Athletic Club. Now we must find time in our day to work out and get our old bodies in shape. The strong Canadian dollar and local incentives to keep people here have made memberships like this very easy on the budget. There is a 5km run (fund-raiser) in January that we have our eye on, so we better get at it.

Beach Time

We have been here almost three weeks and so far have neglected our beach time. On Saturday, we shut down all renovations and went to Algodones Beach and the Soggy Peso. The weather was perfect and the beer were cold.

We were quite surprised at the condition of the beach. It has always been considered the nicest beach in San Carlos, but we can no longer say that about the area. The hurricane and the huge run-off from the mountains behind tore this beach apart. They are slowly rebuilding the road and removing the debris from the sand so I'm sure it won't be long before things are back to normal.

Regardless, we had a relaxing time watching the sailboats and entertaining Maggie. She is getting better in situations like this - only once did she take off after a pelican, taking our table with her.





We met with a dear friend, Alec, who was waiting tables at the restaurant. We became friends with Alec five years ago and have remained in contact ever since. He is taking Engineering at the University in Guaymas and supports himself by working weekends and holidays.

Too Good To Be True

What is the matter with us? Just when we thought we were ready to slow down we decided to get the outside of the house painted. That being hired out, we started on refinishing the cupboards. They were a dark wood and we wanted to lighten up the place with white. So far the only thing we have whitened up is my hair, my clothes and the floor of the courtyard. It is a huge job.

We have a stick-to-it attitude that will see this project through to completion, but why? We had the complete inside of the house painted for $150 US and the outside is going to cost us $400 US. Why not the cupboards? I am tired of mold, termites, painting and general renovations!

Clearing the Roads

Mexican have a completely different work ethic than Canadians or Americans. Yesterday there were hundreds of workers clearing the dirt and weeds off the main road into San Carlos. They were working with either a pick-axe, a broom or a spade. No backhoes or graders here. Did the Mexican social security system put these people to work?

We have put the truck camper into storage and now have the long hard task of fixing flat tires on our bikes - damn goat's head thorns. Three flats so far.

There will be plenty of cheering on Sunday as our next door neighbours are from Saskatoon, plus there are five or six other families from the home province. Go Riders!

Happy Gringos

No more camper! The furniture store delivered our stuff this afternoon so we can now sleep in a real bed. We are a pair of happy gringos! Now that the main rush is over, we can get down to the serious business of enjoying life in Mexico.

The hurricane has left us with many things still to do, but we are now in manana mode and will slow down accordingly. Many of our friends are starting to trickle in from various parts of Canada and the US so we will spend the next few days visiting and golfing.

We will post some pictures in the next few days.

Completo !

Natcho finished the painting of the house this afternoon and now tomorrow's work is mapped out for us. We need to put up the new drapes and pictures before the furniture is delivered on Tuesday. Lots of little things to get done.

We took a break and rode to a Greek restaurant on the beach. This area was hard hit by the hurricane and the beach has not recovered completely. The sand was washed away leaving small rocks in its place. Every day more and more sand is washed back onto the beach so I'm sure things will be back to normal soon.

The view of the sea is from our table in the restaurant.

Shopping Spree

Yesterday, while waiting for the painter to arrive, we decided to make a quick trip into Gauymas to look at couches and beds. We were just looking - no buying!! [Fred style]

It was a shock to our Visa when we found exactly the style we wanted, along with a decent price. Delivery is Tuesday, between 9:00 and 4:00 [only in Mexico would the time frame be so large]. Things are looking much better than they did when we arrived 6 days ago.

Today we will leave the house to the painters and head for the beach to watch the kite-boarders.

Gone

We donated our furniture to the flood victims of Guaymas thinking the movers would have to make at least two trips, but as you can see they pile it high and tie it down - Mexican style. They put on even more after this picture was taken.

We looked at the empty house and decided we didn't know enough about sealing in the mold and the painting afterward, so we hired the job out. The sealing was completed last night and the painting will start tonight and be finished on Sunday. Hopefully.

We have been looking at some furniture in Guaymas and San Carlos and will probably not bother with a trip to Tucson. After seeing the damage done to our stuff this year, we can see no reason to spend US prices on something we may have to throw out next year.

Yuk!

Fred and I were so excited to finally arrive in San Carlos and get out of the truck camper. Well, we are still living in the camper and probably will be doing just that for another two weeks.

We were expecting some mold problems, but the shock of seeing so much damage was devastating. Our housekeeper had cleaned up the most dangerous mold so we have the exciting task of finishing the project. We have also encountered another problem - termites. We found rope-like formations on the walls and coming out of light switches and after checking with the manager found out that termites had invaded!

It appears that most homes in San Carlos [whether they are new or old] have been hit hard by the termites. With the water level being so high the bugs have no place to go but up into houses. Mexico being "mananaland", we were sure it would take a week to get rid of the bugs, but a company from Guaymas was here and gone by 1:30 yesterday.

We are starting the scrub down and priming of all the walls today, hoping to get a bit done each day.

The best news from all of this is that I get all new furniture as the mold destroyed much of the living room furniture and I refuse to sleep in a termite infested bed!

Anticipation!

Today we needed to set up our Star Choice system - any good Roughrider fan would understand that. I'm sure our neighbours in the park could hear us cheering on the "green".

We have completed everything we needed to do in Tucson and tomorrow we are moving on to Green Valley. We will overnite there and get an early start for the Mexican border on Monday morning.

Shorts and Sandals

We are resting very comfortably in Laughlin Nevada wearing our shorts and sandals - even Fred! We arrived yesterday and plan on leaving tomorrow, heading for Mesa, Arizona and the Baileys. The temperature reached a high of 29 today so the best thing for Maggie was to go for a swim in the Colorado River. She loved the cool water and was hard to entice out of there.

The truck camper feels a little tight today and I'm sure it will take some getting used to after travelling with a 5th wheel for so long. We have items for Mexico stuffed in every possible corner and crevice.

Parts of Utah have the most amazing scenery and the camera, from a moving vehicle, does not do it justice.

On the Road Again

We drove through snow and wind, but safely arrived in Helena, Montana this afternoon. All three of us are tired and worn out from all the hectic activity this past week. Our goal is to drive to Sandy Utah tomorrow so will keep you posted from there.

Time to Go

We first downsized to this smaller house in town, now we have chosen to downsize in recreation vehicles. It isn't easy! We had to pack and repack to find places for everything we wanted to take to our home in Mexico. Surprisingly, this little 9.6' truck camper can hold a huge inventory.

Packed or not, we are leaving tomorrow morning and with luck the snow and rain will wait until we have passed through the mountains of Montana.

Leaving our friends and family for so long is more difficult than I thought it would be. Hopefully the winter will not be as harsh as last year and everyone will remain healthy and happy.

Where did everyone go ?

Maggie is noticing a change. She lazed around all day and didn't eat at all until about 3 o'clock this afternoon. Mom and Colleen are missing. I think I notice too.

I drove them to the bus depot in Guaymas last night to catch the 11:20 Tufesa Executive bus to Tucson. Of course it was late. It didn't leave until 12:25, but that's not too bad. Could have been worse. But then again - possibly it was worse. I haven't heard the full story yet but apparently the wait at Nogales border crossing was about 4 hours. Could have been worse. But then again - the flight out of Tucson was delayed. But only 35 minutes. The flight out of Denver delayed - but only by about 38 minutes. Arrival in Saskatoon will be a little late - only about 39 minutes late if all goes well. At least the temperature in Saskatoon won't be in the -30's. Only about -28C.

Then again - it's feeling a little nippy here too at 16C.

I got down to work again here today. I scraped and swept the dried leaves and flowers off the roof so they don't plug the downspouts if we happen to get a stray rain shower. Then I routed a coax cable from the Star Choice receiver into the bedroom. And I removed the top of the clothes drier to try and find out why it is making strange sounds. Nothing obvious so I will explore more seriously tomorrow.
Brian and Sharon from Warman (Sask) stopped over around 4:00 for a visit. They are in Totonaka RV Park again this year and wanted to see why we weren't there this year. They say Totonaka is not as full as last year - possibly because Joseph has raised the monthly rates from $475usd to $520. They think they are noticing more tents and small units like VW Westfalias this year. They think perhaps the bigger units are continuing south where cheaper rates can be found.

Other costs have increased this year. The local bus to Guaymas is up from 9 pesos to 12 pesos. The golf deal (green fees, cart, burger and a draft beer) is up from $39 to $45.
But the fresh jumbo shrimp from the local supplier Abel is still a great bargain at 150 pesos for 1 kg. ($6.45Cdn per pound).

Power Shopping

The youngest child did it again. Eleanor and I thought we had everything under control until we received Adelle's e mail reminding EH to keep the bills from her purchases. Purchases? We were supposed to buy something?

We decided maybe we were missing out on something important and so caught the bus to Guaymas for some last minute power shopping. After an enjoyable day in the market and at the Marina we finally had some receipts for the border guards!

We went out for a very nice last meal at the Fiesta Hotel across the street and retired early [again]. The temperature has been hovering around the 24 degree mark during the day, but it has been going down to 8 degrees at night.

Fred is going to take us to the bus at 10:45 tonight, so until then we are going to watch some playoff games and occasionally switch to watch the Canada/Russian game.

Keeping Busy

Unlike the Baileys and Frisons, we did not make it to midnight on New Year's Eve. The three of us [four if we count Maggie] were asleep by 10:00. We wore ourselves out by strolling on the beach and visiting with old friends.

The webcam was an adventure for us and especially for Maggie. I always knew she was an exhibitionist, but she took it to extremes yesterday. Fred's family was set to tune in at 11:00 and right on cue Maggie squatted and forced Fred to use his doggie bag. We had to shield her behind the Canadian flag we were waving for the camera.

The days leading up to New Year's Eve were filled with all kinds of adventures, ranging from visiting Guaymas, having lunch at Charly's Rock, touring the historic Cortez Hotel and finally saying "enough". A couple of us had to take a break to revive our bodies.

Two more sleeps and Eleanor and I return to the cold weather. We are taking the overnight bus from Guaymas to Tucson where we have a day room reserved so we can rest before catching the 3:00 flight to Denver. It will be a long 24 hours, but we are ready for the test.