January 14, 2011

Happy New Year to all our friends and family!  We have had a busy time since our last post on December 26th and friends and neighbours have been asking if we are still alive. Nope...just missing in action. We get into a lifestyle here that somehow doesn't leave time to update the blog regularly.

After Christmas, Bev joined the Thai Yoga classes held every morning at the El Caracol RV Park.  A great way to start the day!

This coast area has been busy since Christmas with Mexican families vacationing here as the children did not return to school until January 12th. The beach was usually busy with many Mexicans enjoying the Christmas break at the ocean. It is always great to see them here as we like this location with all its Mexican flavours.

The 3 couples here at the Savage RV Park joined the gang at the El Caracol RV Park to dine on New Year's Eve and stayed to toast in the New Year with an evening. The owners and workers of the park joined in, as well as three younger couples staying in the rental rooms. A fun time was had by all. Right after midnight the oldsters headed for bed and the Mexicans stayed on. Yup, they like to party.

Over the next week we spotted humpback whales 3 times surfacing along the coast.  The surf has become stronger so we've had a chance to boogie board most days.  The high tide is once again shifting the sand and changing the beach area.

On January 3rd, our son Warren and his family flew down to join us for a week.  We had a wonderful time with them and especially with our granddaughter Maxine who is now 11 months old.

Grandpa took her to see the caymen (like a crocodile) sunning himself in the ditch across the road, the horses grazing along the shoulder of a nearby street, and the beach dogs.  She loves dogs and is trying hard to say the word "dog".  We spent one day in Rincon de Guayabitos and another at the market in La Penita.

Maxine enjoys a breakfast of cream cheese on toast.

 The surf was fairly good and Warren and Shannon got to learn how to boogie-board and had a lot of fun. I think they got some appreciation for why we stay here in Lo de Marcos, with the great long beach, not a lot of people, and a real flavour of Mexico. They got to eat tostadas and beer on the beach from a palapa restaurant, take long walks on the beach, see the birds in the lagoon, and enjoy the sunny weather.

Sharing a tasty morsel with Mom.

Maxine wears her hand embroidered Mexican dress.

Maxine gets in close inspection of the camera.

While Mom and Dad go for a walk, Maxine gets a car ride with the park owner's daughter.

Always be alert when making right turns!

 The hummingbirds are very active now and we have bought an additional feeder from the Home Depot. Maxine got a real thrill seeing these little birds go zooming around. She would reach out to touch them and would talk to them, almost like asking them to come closer. The birds are very comfortable around people and you can stand right under the feeder while they feed, not more than  2 feet away.

Three on the feeder at once.

We miss our little Miss Maxine.

Its only been a few days since Warren, Shannon, and Maxine flew home and we miss them a lot. It was pure joy to be around Maxine for a whole week. We got to appreciate her development and amazed by her sign language. That was something that didn't exist when we had kids and what a great way to communicate. She was a great entertainment and we look forward to seeing her again in April.

The next event for us is a bus trip for Bev to Guadalahara. A group of 42 women in the area are going on a chartered bus on Jan  19-21. Vic will stay home to keep an eye on the beach.

On Feb 4th, daughter Laura and husband Bill will fly into Puerto Vallarta, staying at a hotel in town. We will join them a couple of days and probably drive them here for a visit. If Laura wasn't so pregnant, I'm sure she would enjoy zip-lining in Sayulita. Maybe another time.