Dec 27, 2017
Boxing Day as December 26th is called in Canada, started out with a lovely long beach walk. Next on the agenda was a perfect 90 minute massage. This is the second time I have used Sofia and she is just as wonderful as she was the first time I used her a week before Christmas. She zeroed in on certain problem areas that I had never even mentioned to her. I have my own massage table which makes it easy for her to just come across from Mazatlan on the lancha. We pick her up and then Colin drives her back to the embarcadero. I only pay 32.00USD/40.00CAD for 90 blissful minutes. I now have a weekly appointment for every Wednesday morning until we leave in early April.
Within an hour of my massage I started getting a sore throat which quickly progressed to the beginnings of a head cold. By 2 PM I was just able to sit and gargle salt water and drink lots of water. Eventually I discovered that small sips of cold Sauvignon Blanc soothed my throat 😯
I did manage to slip outside long enough to view this colorful sunset.
Dec 26, 2017
…for a few days at least 🙂
Some of our neighbors played games on both the 24th and the 25th.
We chose to stay quiet. It was our first Christmas in twenty years without dogs and we were really missing Carmeh and Caeli. Tears were shed by both of us. Fortunately we had leftovers from the party of the 23rd for our dinner on the 24th. I was pretty tired and we did not even walk that day.
Christmas Eve sunset.
We did walk early on Christmas morning. Here in the park some of us exchange cards and hand out a few treats.
We were fortunate to have Rudolph make a special delivery to us.
Somehow we ended up having some gifts to open.
We haven’t exchanged gifts for years. However last year Colin thought it might be nice to exchange a few. So this was our second year of shopping in the mercardo for our gifts to each other. We go our separate ways for an hour and then meet back up and head home after picking up some fruit and veggies. There are very few big ticket items and between us we spent less than $70.00CAD. We had fun opening the gifts. Colin had been looking for a smaller mug for his morning coffee and I really liked the colors in this one.
I took this photo to show you what appears to be our new color. I purchased a turquoise shirt for Colin while he got me a dress in the same color. The ceramic iguana on the left is in the same shade. The three blown glass balls on the stands were my very special gift from Colin. I love all the colors in them. I will have to get a better photo another day.
I had several new hibiscus bloom for me on the 25th.
Interesting characters walking the beach. This guy was being followed by a mouse. They were asking for donations for ??
We played a few games of backgammon as we watched the beach activity. We drank one or two or ? spritz, a lovely drink we discovered while in Venice. It contains Prosecco Doc, or Champagne, Aperol and a dash of club soda. You just can’t leave an open bottle of bubbly in the fridge, it must be consumed.
After sunset we cooked two very special casseroles, recipes that we have made pretty much every Christmas for thirty years. Along with some baked salmon in phyllo and a salad we had a most filling and delicious Christmas dinner. Then a neighbor dropped over two pieces of the best pecan pie that I have ever had, in fact the best pie that I have ever tasted. We might have leftovers for a few weeks.
Yesterdays Christmas sunset.
Dec 25, 2017
To all our friends…..
A wee story to enjoy…..
Night Before Christmas (Noche Buena)
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the casa not a creature was stirring, I wondered? Que Pasa? I was hanging the stockings with mucho cuidado in hopes that old Santa would feel obligado, to bring all the children both buenos y malos a nice batch of dulces and other regalos.
My brothers and I went to sleep in our camas some in long underwear, some in pijamas. When out in the yard there arose such a grito, that I jumped to my feet like a frightened perrito. I ran to the window and looked afuera and who in the world do you think? Quien era? Santo Clos in a sleigh and instead of venados were 8 little burros approaching, volando. I watched as they came and this fat little hombre was shouting and calling each one by nombre: ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuca, ay Beto, ay Chato, ay Nacho, Maruca y Chulo!
Then standing erect with his hands on his pecho, he flew to the top of our very own techo. With his round belly like a bowl of jalea, he struggled to squeeze down our old chimenea. Then huffing and puffing and a little cansado, he picked up a bag that looked so pesado. He filled all the stockings with lovely regalos, for none of the niños had been very malos.
Then chuckling aloud, seeming very contento, he turned like a flash and was gone like the viento. And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad,
“Merry Christmas a todos, Feliz Navidad!”
Dec 24, 2017
Yesterday we hosted the entire RV park for drinks and snacks, sunset and a pot luck dinner. I had even arranged for a cruise ship to leave the port after dark 🙂 Of course we had Christmas music playing outside. Everyone truly had a wonderful evening. We also pulled out the fire pit out but forget to take photos of folks sitting around it. I think we chatted until almost 9PM. I will let the photos speak for themselves.
We even had a sunset, our first in four days.
We spent part of today writing our Christmas cards and handing them out along with a few treats.
We dropped off our laundry midday and noticed things looking rather Christmassy in the colonia. Where else would you put your tree but on the washing machine? December 24th is the day that Mexicans celebrate Christmas. We saw many pinatas waiting for the parties to begin later.
Happy Christmas Eve from our home to yours.
Dec 23, 2017
The car carrier is as large as the Princess cruise ship. I have seen cars being unloaded in the past but this time they were loading cars made here in Mexico for transport to ports all over the world.
I went in a few hours before Colin and had my hair colored and cut. He joined me later to get his hair trimmed. The funny thing is, is that this is Tippy Toes, the place where I got got stuck in the bathroom last December. They all laughed when I told them that I got locked in again yesterday.
Afterwards we wandered about and stopped for a drink.
This restaurant was across the street. It was in what used to be a home.
Then I looked up. I zoomed in with my camera. This was the second story open to the elements. There were even plants growing inside. Back in the day they used huge beams in the ceilings.
We then heard a huge bang and within ten minutes yet another even louder bang. Just a block away from where we were sitting there were two car crashes, each in a different direction. It was quiet with little traffic yet both of the vehicles that were T boned were non drive able. Obviously folks were driving too fast. The first accident involved a police truck hitting a tourists car. We didn’t take pictures of that one for obvious reasons and this is the other.
After our drinks we walked around Centro and were finally ready for a Christmassy dinner at the Plazuela Machado. We walked all around the square trying to find out why there were no lights turned on. None at all, the Christmas trees and lights were turned off. Finally someone explained that they were shooting a scene for a TV novella. Why now and not before or after the holiday season. Apparently the lights had been off just the other night also. Well I did not want to sit in a dark square with no music and no lights so we started walking again. FYI, I had no trouble getting all my steps this day.
We ended up at the Fish Market on the malecon, a longtime favorite. Despite the fact that every year their prices go up, we keep returning. We were able to enjoy the new look of the malecon.
Our shrimp fettuccine was as excellent as the last time we were there back in March. Their margaritas are consistently good. Suzanne I can’t believe that we drank two of them when you and I went there.
After dinner we walked the malecon as we needed to digest our fabulous dinner.
The new lights provide a pleasing glow.
Someone or perhaps a few people had taken the trouble to create some Christmas cheer. All it took was a stick, some twigs, colored ribbon and a few pieces of sparkling tinsel. I like to think that someone started it and then another individual came along and added something and then another person added an item or two. It was a fun end to our evening in Mazatlan.
