We're home for now....

Sunday February 14, 2009
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

 

We arrived home Friday evening, catching the 5:45 Duke Point Ferry from Tsawwassen. What really worked out great is that we were able to watch most of the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics on the ferry with all the other passengers. I think it was much more fun watching it that way than at home.

We stayed at the Belmar in Mazatlan in Old Town... the no hassle zone.

After leaving Ajijic on February  6th, we drove to Mazatlan, arriving in lots of time to go for a swim (very nice!), then on to Guaymas (back to the same hotel) and the third and forth nights on the road we spent with 

Ken and Verna in their 5th wheel at Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction AZ. Tuesday we took a drive through Tonto National Park, beautiful scenery on a twisty dirt road, ending up at Tonto National Monument, home to the Salado People from over 700 years ago. A trip well worth the effort! Wednesday night, Bakersfield CA, Thursday night, Roseburg OR and then Friday night our own bed! Fast traveling, but we just decided we wanted to get home. The trip home from Ajijic took us 6 days, almost 5000 km and about $162 US for gas.

Superstition Mountain in Lost Dutchman State Park

You can't help but smile when you see her.

Friday February 5, 2009

This lady's job is to sit in front of the grocery store and look like she needs money, one of only a very few people around Ajijic that panhandle. She is usually in this spot everyday along with her two "sisters" and I think from the look of things they make a pretty good wage (one day we saw her in the store buying a Milky Way Chocolate bar). I just couldn't help myself, because she has the most beautiful smile in all of Ajijic, I would give her a few pesos every time we saw her. When I asked if I could take her picture, she said yes but wouldn't put on her beautiful smile!

The Lake Chapala area normally receives about 20 mm of rain from January 1 thru May 31 each year. The rainfall that Ajijic has received so far from January 1 to today is 165.6 mm. When we were here two winters ago, we could have measured the rain drops we had on two hands! So is this climate change? Or will the weather be back to normal next year? Just some food for thought.
We are doing some last minute running around this afternoon and then getting the car packed up for our exit tomorrow morning... off to the beach!!

Return of the SUN!

Thursday February 4, 2009
Yeah! The sun has finally come back! There is an over abundance of singing birds in our yard right now, it is as if they have been waiting since Sunday to sing their songs and they are so happy they are trying to out do each other. It is so beautiful outside right now, everything has been washed clean and the hills above Ajijic look like they want to burst into green. Speaking of green, here is a picture of my guacamole I made last night for dinner. It is a nice bright green because of the cilantro I used. It turned out very yummy.

Kathy's Molcajete Guacamole
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp rock salt
1/2 coriander seeds
fresh cilantro to taste
juice of 1 small lime
one avocado
Crush garlic, cumin, salt and coriander to a paste. Add cilantro and lime juice, continue crushing until a uniform paste is achieved. Add avocado, crush and mix well. Voila!

We have been watching on the weather news the very large band of moisture moving across Mexico and into Texas. Someone told us this morning that the eastern US is gearing up for a whopper of a snow storm resulting from that moisture. Funny thing is, the US usually gets their weather from Canada, but this time around they can only blame Mexico! Go figure.
Tomorrow, being our last day here, we will be finishing up errands and getting organized to leave Saturday morning. I have a dentist appointment to get my night guard fitted and then we have some grocery shopping to do.

Arrgghhh! I just saw orange kitty sneaking around in our yard! He ran under the coffee bush by the avocado tree. Hopefully all the birds saw him. The yellow bird is a Western Tananger and the other is a Bullock's Oriole, at least that is my deduction from pictures on the net. The birds really love the avocado, they are putting on weight for their trip north in the spring.

Rain Rain Go AWAY!!!

Wednesday February 3, 2009
I am really having a hard time believing we are in Ajijic and not Vancouver, except for the fact that we have an avocado tree, two papaya trees, and three orange trees growing in our yard. It has pretty much been raining steadily since Sunday afternoon. The ground is grass is squishy, the roads have little rivers running down them, we have a pan on the stove to catch the drip coming from the stove vent, and I am wishing I had a hot tub to sit in right now as I drink my cerveza! All right, I know... I should be complaining! I feel really sorry for all those folks who are having their winter vacation in Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan right now because it is the same weather, just a little warmer!

The birds are very quiet today, but I have managed to get a picture of a Black-vented Oriole, above, eating an avocado. Notice how wet he looks! I have seen this type of bird around before but this is the first picture I have managed to get. Below, I am not sure of this bird, but he was waiting until the Oriole finished so he could have some avocado too.

Hello February!

Sunday February 1, 2009
We have so much planned for this month, it just blows my mind away. First thing we have to do is get our butts home from Mexico, darn! Then there are birthdays galore this month, one whose day we don't even know yet! Once we get home, we have a list of projects we have to tackle and then we are off again at the end of the month to go skiing and visiting! Those are just the things I know, as DR would say.... those are known knowns, what we don't know are the unknowns, and there are always unknowns. :-)
Phil left today, heading home to Edson. He said he enjoyed his holiday here, but hanging out with a couple old  fogies for a week may not have been the perfect holiday for a 24 year old. But one thing for sure, I taught him a few new tricks in the kitchen, and maybe some of it will rub off. Below is a picture of his lunch yesterday while we were shopping in Tonala.

Last night we had the most fantastic thunder/lightening storm I think I have ever experienced. It sounded like we had lightening striking very close by, and the rain was coming down in buckets, BIG buckets! It looks as if our last week here may be a rainy one. But it is still a pleasant temperature of about 15. We will be tying up loose ends the next few days, making sure we have paid all our bills and signed off as tenants at this house. Our date of departure looks like it will be Saturday morning, first stop Mazatlan, then Guaymas and next across the border to Phoenix to meet up with Ken and Verna.