Bands on the Beach

On Sunday, a group of performers from San Carlos donated their time to play for one of the largest crowds ever to attend a beach concert. All profits from the raffle sales, CD sales and a portion of the food and drink sales went to a program called Castaway Kids. This program works with needy and orphaned children of Guaymas.

The weather was hot and the skies were clear so our group settled in for a long afternoon, getting comfortable with the umbrellas and lawn chairs. The concert started at noon and went to 5:00.

Fred was one of the lucky ones who found some shade under a palapa. In this heat, shade was valued more than the beer!


Live lobsters were being sold as well - ready made dinner!


We had a great time listening to the performers, but we especially enjoyed the location. There is nothing like listening to music on the beach with a cerveza in hand and hearing the waves in the background.

University Class

I spent Saturday morning speaking to a class at a small university in Empalme. The students are 20 to 21 year olds taking classes in Engineering and Administration. They take extra classes on Saturday, hoping to improve their English skills.

We were not allowed to speak any Spanish so it was a one-sided conversation at times. There were 16 students with only one or two of them having basic English skills.

We talked about Saskatchewan and Alberta, making comparisons between Mexico and Canada. The students were especially interested in the climate and the cost of living. The most difficult part of the session was trying to explain the sport of curling. Absolutely no success with that one!


After the class, we sat around trying to carry on a conversation in English. I'm so glad we did that and I didn't have to put my Spanish skills on display!



Fred joined us in the small cafeteria after class meeting some of the students. I assume the session was successful as they asked me back again. Maybe in the fall!

Lazy Day

We are the four "wise women of Washington Street", doing absolutely nothing. After our daily inspection of the new house construction next door, we just sort of hung around surveying the world.

The two of us on the ends are from Saskatchewan, the lady beside me is from Manitoba and we tease the fourth that she is our "wanna be" Canadian (originally from Michigan). Life is good!

Music on the Beach

San Carlos has been bringing in as many musicians as the economy will allow. Last night and tonight La Palapa hosted the performance of Keith Sykes. He is a song writer and performer who used to play with Jimmy Buffet's band. He wrote songs for Jerry Jeff Walker and Roseanne Cash, along with many others.

His guitar skills were amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed his songs and stories. Great entertainment for such a small market.

Fiesta at the Local School

Students from Kindergarten to Grade Six go to school in San Carlos while the older children must take the bus to Guaymas. Yesterday the parents and teachers, along with a very active Rotary Club, hosted a fiesta at the school. This is a major fundraiser and this year new washrooms are on the receiving end of the money. I will say that this appears to be necessary!




The children danced in costume with the Kindergarten class being the highlight of the day. Lenore would have loved this!


The parents fed over 400 people a wonderful carne asada. They are not as slick as our local catering committee and this process took well over an hour, but well worth the wait.

Donations from local businesses were everywhere and I'm such a sucker for raffle tickets. No luck!


To end the afternoon, a local mariachi band performed sending most people home happy!

Housewarming

Friends from Edmonton finally completed the building of their home and last night the whole park was invited to an open house. Appetizers and drink were plentiful and a Mexican family was hired to prepare and serve carne asada. This was a true street party as the roads were blocked to all vehicles!

A pinata was filled with money and presented to them...both love Tecate so the design was appropriate.


The lady in the middle lives right behind us and she calls San Carlos the fountain of youth. She is a very active 90 year old who seems to never slow down. I want to be like her when I am that age!


Of course, nothing runs smoothly and while we were setting the tables the spare bathroom sink sprung a leak. It took a whole crew to fix this one!

Pancakes

Shrove Tuesday brought the annual pancake race! Contestants walked the course, flipping the pancakes at the same time. Silly game but fun to watch! After the pancake breakfast, the bar was opened, Bloody Marys were served and everyone went home happy...all before 10:00 am!

Hot Weather

Hot weather means exploring another beach. Yesterday a group of us from Tecalai drove 40 kms south of here to a beach known for the seashells found there.

It is Carnaval in Guaymas so the beach was empty, except for one lonely puppy. No plans were made; we just walked the beach, some played cards and others tried to protect their umbrellas from the ocean breeze.

The day was perfect for doing nothing, with temperatures reaching 33C by 11:00 am. It was too hot to stay much longer as the sun was starting to burn a few body parts. Driving and beer don't mix well in Mexico so we had to settle for warm water and warm Gatorade. Our cooler couldn't keep up!


Even the cows were hot!

Carne Asada

Our friends hosted their annual carne asada last night and the weather could not have been more perfect. Lately the evenings have been cool enough to wear a light jacket, but last night was warm and very pleasant.


It seems every year brings more and more people to the house and last night was no exception.


What do they say about too many cooks?

Shopping Spree

We spent ten days away from San Carlos and had a very enjoyable break. It was sunny but chilly in Vegas. We spent hours looking for the "perfect" BBQ and even more time looking for outdoor lights. Being married to a shopper is hard on me!

Our view from the Paris Casino and Hotel was one of the best in Las Vegas. We could see the Eiffel Tower and the Fountains of Bellagio while sitting in the room. We love to walk the length of the Strip and we did walk a lot......whenever we could get away from the stores.

We made arrangements to spend an afternoon in Mesa with Doug and Lenore. The weather there was unusually chiily, but it didn't stop us from having an enjoyable time. We were fortunate enough to have a chance to also visit with David and Ellen along with Pat and Kay. Oh, the stories we heard! How can one person remember that many jokes?

Nice break, great to see familiar faces and we even have a new BBQ, along with many other toys!