It’s 9 o’clock Monday night — should be making a lunch for tomorrow, but screw it. I’ll do it in the morning. I’m just not ready to accept that it’s time to go back to work tomorrow.
We had a great FD weekend. Went and watched our grandson, Timothy, play hockey yesterday. He scored a hat-trick! He’s six years old. It was just too much fun.
On Saturday night I gave my love a red rare steak with scallops and mushroom risotto. A Valentine’s Day meal, because the day before (actual Valentine’s Day) we had a crappy lunch at Ricky’s All Day Grill in St. Albert. And, he kind of deserved it for the beautiful roses and the pink toolbox he got me! I’ve always wanted my own toolbox — now I can go around fixin’ things to my hearts content. Like that’ll happen!
On Sunday we took our three grandkids swimming at Servus Place. Always fun until some little stinker vomits in the kiddie pool. Eeew! We swam and splashed and soaked and steamed until I deemed it was time to get out and have a snack. So, that we did and then the kids went to play in the jungle gym area for a bit. A fun afternoon. Home again, I got to fixin’ fajitas for supper. Mmmm, love fajitas. Made me wish Tim and I were back in Puerto Vallarta. Landon and Jenn arrived, and we had a nice family visit. By the time they left around eight o’clock I was done. Managed to stay up for another hour or so and then it was lights out.
Today, I just sort of putzed about the place. Read a few more chapters of book five of Game of Thrones (I don’t want it to end — I’m trying to pace myself, but so bloody much is happening I can’t stop myself from reading on). I cleaned off my dresser (unbelievable the amount of dust under all the crap I dump on there!) Thinned out some of my hair care products (when did I become so obsessed with my hair?) and corralled the dozens of different tubes and jars of hand creams and oils I’ve collected to try to prevent my hands from getting any drier. That’s a pointless battle. The dresser looks great, though!
And now, it’s time to get ready for bed. I’ll check in on the Olympics one more time — so proud of our athletes!
a cowboy on the beach — I sneaked this picture, otherwise I would have had to pay him 50 pesos
the agave plant- what tequila is made from
in the tequila factory, agave ready to be chopped up and made into tequila
the finished product — tequla!
tasting the tequila — muy bueno!
bouganvilla — which I learned is a vine and kind of a parasitic plant — but still beautiful
The arches at the Malecon
statue on the Malecon
another statue on the Malecon — and me!
the busy streets of Puerto Vallarta
the church in old town
even the smallest can earn
view of the church top from the Malecon
setting sail
leaving port
a sister ship
sails hoisted
feeling a little nervous
dolphin alongside our boat
a little too vertical for my liking
swimming in the Pacific
Las Caletas, Bucerias
Tim shaking the ceviche at Bubba Gump’s
It doesn’t look like it — but i really enjoyed the ceviche!
performers on the Malecon
a big old tree in the middle of the flea market district
enjoying a cigar and a mojito at a sidestreet bar in PV
me pretending to smoke a cigar
Huichole art — wolf figure
Huichole art — wolf figure
Kicked out of the airport — asleep in the 24 hour Timmys
Day 82 thru 92 — It was Spring Break. Finally. We left for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. PV was wonderful — warm breezes, lots of sunshine, friendly people and ocean. We took a tour of the city, old and new — a great way to get comfortable with a new place — I do this now (or try to, anyway) whenever I go somewhere new. The tour included a trip into the Sierra Madres to see a tequila factory. Unfortunately, they were between harvests of agave and we didn’t get to see how it was made. They showed us around, explained how it was done and then provided us with a tasting of five different kinds of tequila. Who knew I would become a big fan of tequila!
We went out for a day of sailing on a sailboat — what an exhilarating experience that was. Dolphins swam by and under the boat — that was magical. I don’t know what it’s called but at one point the boat was practically vertical in the water. I did not enjoy that experience much and stayed cowered on the upright side clinging as tightly as I could to the rail. I think it was because they were turning into the wind, but all I know is that I was glad when we became level again. We stopped and anchored off of Las Caletas beach and went for a swim in the ocean (me with a life jacket, of course). Tim, a good, strong swimmer swam to the beach for a look around. The current in the ocean there was quite strong; I’m sure I could never have made it. They served us lunch on board — that was something I’d like to do again — eating, talking, laughing with the sun shining down, the soft ocean breezes caressing your skin and in the background the sound of the ocean gently lapping at the sides of the boat. And all the while you’re being rocked gently back and forth. Incredible. On the return trip I spotted some big plumes of water in the distance. The crew told us it was a mother humpback and her calf. They had stayed behind when all the other whales had left and this was somewhat of a concern to everyone. I had hoped we’d come closer to where they were, but did not.
Tim went scuba-diving. Got two more dives in; made him very happy. BUT, the great thing was — they saw the whales on their trip! Came very close to them. He got some great video of the baby breaching and the mother swimming along side. The crew followed them for a little while, but said it was illegal to do so and also would upset the whales, so they turned away. I wish I had gone along for the ride that day! Now, we’re planning our next trip for a couple of weeks earlier in March so that we can go on a whale watching tour. Apparently, the humpbacks go to PV to mate and give birth. How amazing would it be to witness that?!
The rest of our time we spent sitting by the ocean or going for walks into town and along the Malecon. PV is a very tourist-friendly town. The locals are friendly and helpful and taking a bus or a cab is inexpensive and easy. The restaurants are good — we chose not to do the all-inclusive thing at our resort this time and ate several of our meals in local restaurants. They were all good — even the cheap ones. We asked a lot of questions and were always given good advice.
My only complaint about our trip is that no matter where you go someone is always trying to sucker you into going to a presentation at some resort. We got taken once — but it wasn’t too bad — a beautiful place, free breakfast and half-price reductions for all the things we wanted to do, plus a free bottle of tequila. But, that was it, I was only going to waste my time once. Even when I went into art galleries along the Malecon — where I was fully prepared to buy something — we were hassled. So, I didn’t buy anything. I understand that this is how many of these people make their living, or supplement their incomes, but I found it very annoying. The good thing is it drove us away from the tourist traps into the quieter streets of PV. Here we found some lovely galleries where the owners took time to explain the history of the place and the culture of the art. I wound up buying a piece of Huichole art from a street vendor, whose family lives up in the mountains and they make the pieces as part of their family tradition.
Our trip ended all too soon and back home we headed. To make a long story short we wound up arriving home a day later than scheduled. I went without sleep for something like 35 hours. It was not a fun experience. But the WestJet staff were helpful and understanding and when we finally made it to Calgary WestJet put us up in a hotel and provided us with meal vouchers. Unfortunately, we were too tired to eat and so they went to waste.
Despite the sight of snow and the chilly breezes that greeted us when we stepped out of the airport I was glad to be home.
Day 46 — halfway through the second month of the year! Happiness abounds. We’ve got travel plans all set for Puerto Vallarta! Yippee! Spent a fun evening with my darlings — played games and laughed and ate donuts — I’m all set for smiles for the weekend.
All That Matters 