It's Cold

The weather has turned cool. Temperatures dropped from 27 or 28C to 19 or 20C, with clouds and a hint of showers.

We were going to an evening concert a few nights ago when the temperatures started to go down, hence the long pants and jacket. The crazy Saskatchewanians we met prior to the show didn't seem to notice the cool weather. The two in white are our neighbours and were the bearers of the Christmas shrimp cocktail.

The concert was put on to support the orphans of Guaymas with raffle prizes being donated by local businesses. I was the lucky winner of an evening out to one of the many restaurants in San Carlos. The tables did fill up - this picture was taken early in the evening.

Christmas Eve

What a setting for conversation and spending time with friends! Forty of us from Parque Tecalai had cocktails and our Christmas Eve meal at the hotel across the street. From this location we could watch the dolphins and later, the lighted boat parade.

People away from home find unique ways to celebrate the holiday in San Carlos. Along with the boats, there were bonfires on the beach with wiener roasts and plenty of fireworks. Regardless of the location of the celebration, I'm sure everyone had a great time!

Saskatchewan Delivery

How's that for a shrimp cocktail?

We were pleasantly surprised when friends {who just happen to be from Jackfish Lake, Saskatchewan} brought us two shrimp cocktails and a bottle of wine yesterday afternoon. Merry Christmas Mexico style!

Chasing the TV Repairman

In early November our two year old TV quit working due to what we think was a power surge. We bought a new one but decided to get this one fixed and take it to Eatonia for the basement - a 32 inch Aquos Sharp should be a great TV for there.

We advertised on the San Carlos forum and got an immediate response from a repairman in Guaymas. He came to the house and took the TV back to his shop. That would be Clue # 1! He was back the next week and explained the problem and said he needed 1200 pesos for the main board, but he didn't have enough money to order it. Clue # 2! We gave him the money with the promise of our TV being fixed in one week.

It is fixed but we don't have it yet. We have been unable to find the guy. We have his phone number and name but whenever we call, his wife says the TV is repaired and we should call after supper. When we call later they do not answer the phone or if they do, we can't seem to get the address from them. Clue # 3!

We have been getting our Mexican friends to call as we don't speak good enough Spanish to communicate on the phone. We have called so many times the wife finally got angry and told us not to call again. Clue # 4!

Now who are the dummies here? We gave a complete stranger a 32 inch flat screen TV, 1200 pesos and we don't know his shop's address.

I'm sure he repaired our TV and then turned around and sold it for a good profit.

Stay tuned for last chapter in this saga!

A Day in the Life of Maggie

The weather has been spectacular since we arrived and on the very hottest days Maggie needs the beach (or at least she thinks she does). The beach is just across the street from our house, but by the time we got there yesterday, all Maggie could do was lay in the waves and say "thank you".


Before we left home the vet told us that 41 kilos was too heavy for Maggie so we put her on a diet. Doesn't she look slim and trim? I hope she reaches her goal soon as she is always hungry and searching for food.


She was so happy to be off the leash!


But... by the time we got home she was worn out. She loves to rest on the top step of the circular stairway by the house and enjoy the sun. I think she is telling us not to proceed with planned renovations to the stairs. They may be gone soon!

Where Are My Skates?

I like their zamboni!



The school children and the Canadians have been waiting for this day! The local government of Guaymas installed an outdoor skating rink so the people of Guaymas could experience the thrill of skating. They even had the Mexican national skating champion booked for a performance.

Alas, the ice melted!

We went yesterday to see the rink and were as disappointed as the kids. We understand that the portable ice plant failed and couldn't keep up with the 28C weather. They hope to get things up and running next week, but I have my doubts. For a country that has been experiencing extremely high electrical rates, this seems a little extravagant.

We are going again next week and if the ice is in [and if they have skates] I am going to give it a try.

Puppy Heaven

Yesterday the temperatures rose to 30C and that called for the beach. Maggie had her beach run and then it was our turn to experience a warm Mexican Sunday.

The Soggy Peso beach is an unique area as the temperatures can drop drastically when the wind is blowing. Kite boarders love this, but casual visitors are often forced to wear a hoodie or sweatshirt. I know, suck it up!



As we were sipping a beer and visiting with friends, a family of puppies arrived and were soon the centre of attention. The four pups were rescued from the toll booth on the highway and are thriving in their new home. Would Maggie appreciate a sister?

Market Day

On Wednesday we rode the bus to Guaymas to experience the weekly market. This is not the usual tourist market that Mexican resort destinations have set up to entertain the visitors, this one is for the locals. Prices are lower and the selection is much better than places like Ley's or Walmart.


Like all the other times we have been here, Fred gravitates toward the used tools. He has learned well from his sister Anne - he researches before he buys! No money changed hands on this day.


If you want honey, you can buy direct from the wagon - hive and all!

This market is set up just off the main street in Guaymas and it runs for blocks. All the stalls are temporary so they can be set up and removed easily. By Thursday morning there was no evidence of the vendors.

Mexicans love loud music and the market is no exception. Radios and stereos were everywhere and the noise adds to the excitement of market day - for locals and visitors!

We Tried

Nothing we did seemed to work! We cheered, we yelled, we even swore a few times, but we couldn't pull it out. We even tried to get Rouben, the paper delivery guy, to cheer for the Riders! Saskatchewan seems to be "next year" country.

In our large group of Canadians there was only one Montreal supporter [I guess we have to allow that since she was born in Quebec]! To top it off, she won the pool twice!

We usually gather at a house on the golf course because they have a huge garage that is perfect for gatherings such as this. Thanks Barb and Rip!

Just a Big Pile of Bricks

Today it is just a pile of bricks, but in a few days it will be the new street surface in front of our house. The streets in our park are cobblestone with the intention of all being replaced with adoquin within three years.

Ours was paid for before we left in April with the understanding that it would be completed before we returned, but we weren't really surprised when it looked the same in November. Remember the slower pace!

Regardless, it will be much easier to ride our bikes when this is finished. Good bicycle seats are a necessity!

Finally!

After the hurricane of a year ago, we have been leery of letting Maggie run freely in the desert. Valley Fever has been reported in dogs and we tried to avoid it the best we could.

Today was the day! We let her loose and she loved it. The best part of this whole exercise bit was that she slept for hours after and if you know Maggie, this is a rarity.

Dolphin Sightings

The Book Fair! I go every month, grab a few books I don't want and then I even give a donation for the books. Why? Our house is filled to the brim with these books, but I can't resist.

Adelle, on the ride back I spotted the dolphins across the street from our community. They were putting on a spectacular show close to the beach. The ten or so dolphins were entertaining a large group of people, most with cameras. I think I was the only one without one. Fred had gotten bored at the book sale and left me for better shopping elsewhere...and he was the one with the camera! This was a great photo op, one that will be repeated many times in the next five months so there will be pictures coming.

Rider Pride

What some people won't do to watch the Riders! Our TV quit working this morning and we immediately drove to Guaymas to buy a new one.

No searching, no price checking, just "go and buy"! My type of shopping!

The only thing left is a victory tomorrow.

Crossing the Border

As soon as we crossed the border at Nogales our pace became much slower. Mind you, not all of this slow down was voluntary! We are constantly amazed at how laid back and deliberate the Mexican people are. Over the years the ordeal at the Mexican customs and immigration has been frustrating, but we are becoming more patient and better educated to their ways. The drive from Tucson to San Carlos was the usual 6 .5 hours so everything appears normal.

If we had listened to the warnings of the dangers in Mexico we would never have ventured into this country. However, the drive was easy and very safe. We did not see an increase in a military presence nor did we see any unusual activity on the road. The one difference was that there were very few US cars or RVs on the road. Canadians appear to be fearless - of the eight people in line at immigration, six were from Saskatchewan. Go Riders!


San Carlos is suffering from the fewer number of travellers and a few businesses are closing their doors. Hopefully things will turn around soon. In fact, the rumours are that the huge boat [414 feet] just offshore is owned by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. That may be a sign!

Trip South

With the exception of the first day, we had excellent weather on the drive. After three days of driving we stopped at Laughlin, Nevada to take a short break. We put Maggie in the kennel and checked into Harrah's Hotel and Casino.

We spent two days doing absolutely nothing! We enjoyed the small beach behind the hotel, walked along the Riverwalk and tried different restaurants. The water taxis that carried people from hotel to hotel were perfect for someone fighting the flu.

We are presently camped at a new RV Park in Tucson, as our old favourite has completely disappeared. Beaudry RV, along with the rest of the Beaudry Company, has gone into receivership and closed down.

We plan on spending the day finalizing things before we head out early tomorrow morning. We want to be at the Mexican border by 7:00 am so we do not have to drive at night.

The Perogy Trail

It started innocently enough, but it didn't take long for this idea to have a life of its own....perogies everyday we were in Poland and Ukraine! Everyday, with no exception!

On the first day in Poland, we found a small traditional restaurant devoted to perogies. They were "almost" the best I have ever tasted. That's when it started!



Sorry Jim..everyone has to have at least one of "these" pictures on the blog.



We tried many types of perogy available, ranging from sauerkraut, cranberry, cheese, Ruskie, meat and deep fried. The cranberry perogies were not a big hit and were ever after called the "bleeders". My travelling companions were far more adventurous than I and were willing to tackle any type, not always successfully.

Fred and I stayed on the trail even after we left Alice and Jim in Lviv and, in fact, had perogies twice in one day. We were attending a local festival when we tried our least favourite perogy - a cheese perogy that was cooked on the BBQ. We bought four of them thinking they were called cheese perogies because of the filling, but they were actually made completely from cheese - no dough. They even squeeked when you bit into them.



We did add to our perogy feast by having local side dishes, some good, some not so good.

Fried potato pancakes.

Pickled appetizers.

Soup sampler.

We tried to have Jim vary his menu by trying the pig's knuckle frequently found on every menu... no luck!

Pigs knuckles.

Following the perogy trail was great fun, but I can honestly say I have had my fill for awhile. As Alice said, "We would all look like the Pilsbury Doughboy if it weren't for the thousand stairs we climbed everyday!"

More Roots and Babas

I forgot to include this picture of Fred and the town name yesterday.

One search over, another one to begin.

Jim's relatives were originally from this area of Ukraine and he wanted to see if it was possible to locate the family townsite/gravesite using the information he had gathered in Canada. It was a difficult task and we were unsuccessful in this search, but we did meet many new people who were more than willing to offer advice.


We were looking for a certain cemetery when we met the first baba - she brought in two other people to help with the confusion of town names. It was a scene I will never forget - the babas giving advice and directions to four Canadians who were in awe.




We drove to the town she suggested and stopped to ask a man walking on the street and in true village hospitality, he immediately took us to see his father. No recollection of the family name.


The search was fun, especially meeting the local people in small villages, but we couldn't get any closer than narrowing down the search area. Maybe next time.

Returning to Their Roots

Andriy's father, Yaroslaw, generously offered to drive us to the villages that Fred's grandfather and grandmother had left around the turn of the century. The trip would take two days and would take us through some of Ukraine's best farming areas. The rural villages were an eye-opener, with some horse drawn carriages and very old, small equipment.

Andriy had made arrangements for us to meet with the remaining relatives in the village of Kotivko/Copechinski. We were greeted warmly by Marika and her two children. Marika is Fred's grandmother's niece. She is a stay-at-home mother as her husband is employed in Czech Republic, something he has done for the last 10 years or more.



We had a great afternoon visiting around the table, eating perogies and drinking homemade apple juice and sweet wine. Marika led us to the cemetery to visit the graves of Fred's and Alice's great grandmother and also their great - great grandmother. We also paid our respects to their great uncles.




No one wanted to leave, but we had another mission to complete on this hot day - searching for Jim's ancestors. This adventure is the subject of tomorrow's blog!

I apologize in advance for the errors in names and locations...Ukrainian names are very difficult for this Irish ear!