5C's Que Pasa

Just a few days ago we had temperatures around 30.6C /87F which is very hot for January.  The past two days we still have temps in the high 20’s plus 84% humidity.  Sure enough yesterday we had cloud cover and I got rained on during my beach walk.  Colin walked first with Carmeh while I stayed with Caeli.  Later I went on my own and managed 2.7 miles which is great for me.  It was a new record for the furthest distance I have ever walked on this beach.  So proud of myself and pain free also.  I also picked up 4 sand dollars.  Never before have I found so many of them as I have this month.  We got some rain overnight and lots of lightening.  I think we will be seeing showers off and on the next few days.  No matter, it is still warm at 72F.

Sunset seems to be a favorite time to put the nets out. This fishing family carried their nets on a small cart pulled by their ATV. Dad is driving with 3 ninos around him while Mom rides in the back.

Seems that Colin's Spanish tutor is learning the guitar so it is no longer clear who is teaching what or to whom.

Remember my kale and swiss chard seedlings, well these are my second set.

This is the first set and I was going to put some on our homemade pizza last night but that never got made due to telephone calls. Maybe tonight. Still haven't started our smoothies this year. We really enjoyed having them everyday last year but our time is different this year.

Do you remember Eric, our Mazatlan RV tech? The fellow in the foreground is his new Mexican helper.

We have Eric doing several things for us and I can only repeat once again what a fantastic RV tech he is. The best part about him is that he actually analysises the problem and figures out a solution.  He has sorted out our dash A/C problem and it seems that we will have A/C when we leave here  😆 He also had figured out that we have a cracked gear on our step assembly and is having a new one machined so we will also be able to use the stairs going North.  Seems we have a problem with our shower that he will fix next time he comes.  Meanwhile thank you to all my readers who have used Eric over the past year, four of you here in Mexico and one in Canada.  He was surprised when you folks kept mentioning that you found him through me.  Eric can be reached at Eric/ rv repair Maz <freemanerik99@gmail.com>.  Best of all his prices are very very reasonable Mexican prices.  For anyone needing auto body work or painting of their RV or  any vehicle he recommends Royer @ 669 197 3920 whose family has owned an auto body shop in Mazatlan for many years.  Eric is very particular at who he uses and this is the only person he would recommend for fiberglass work or RV painting.  Royer will come out to your RV.  Thanks for the info Eric.

Two fisherman putting their net out at sunset two evenings ago.

Another thank you to you my readers for contributing to the baby Romina fund.  I am now up to 6970 pesos.  As I have mentioned before every dollar counts.

Our neighbor put a helmet out for the trash the other day. When we have something 'good' to dispose of we just put it to the side rather than in the barrels. We call it recycling. This fellow got it.

The trash is picked up twice per week and he was so happy to get the helmet. He cried out loud with joy and we saw him wearing it thru the day as we saw him pass by. It is a dirty job and nice for them to score something from time to time.

Do you like avocados?  I knew they were nutricious but had no idea how very good they were for you.  This article claims they are the key to improving cholesterol, heart and brain health.  Certainly worth a quick glance of the write up.  An avocado a day keeps the doctor away  😯  Sure nice that we get them delivered right to our door.

One of our neighbors in Kelowna donated a very nice bike for us to bring down here for a needy person or family.  Unlike last year we had no idea who needed a bike so we went to see Feddy, one of the tienda owners who also looks out for those in need here on the Isla.  After a few weeks he found a young boy who really needed the bike.  However Colin had to sign a paper that would also be be signed by the Commissario (local authority ) that the boy would carry with him.  It basically said that the bike was a gift and that he had not stolen it.  They really take things seriously here on the Isla.

Yesterday one of the RVers took his canoe out on the ocean.

It is a cedar canoe with a sail.

Something just a little different but creative.

Caeli is getting stronger day by day.  She is allowed to walk in our yard but she doesn’t do too much as she prefers to lay on stomach and rest.  Not sure when we are going to get another sunset.  I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Thank goodness for the photos I take.  I feel that since last Friday I have no idea if it has been sunny or raining or whatever.  I expected things to calm down but they actually accelerated.  I was ready to hop a plane back to Edmonton but Colin held me back and fortunately grounded me.   However, I may have gone through a bit of my vino supply the past few days.

Sunday was a very dull day. The beach was mostly empty.

I felt so badly for this fellow. He pushes his wagon all along the beach, from the far end where the restaurants are to the the one just beside us. It is obviously a struggle, he pushes only so far and then has to stop and rest. A bit more, and another rest. By the time he got to the beach in front of us he needed to stop for a long while. The restaurant was just to the left. He made it there but there were no customers. Still he stayed for a good part of the day. I doubt he made enough money to make it worth his while to get up on such a dull day.

There were a few people who came out to enjoy the beach no matter the weather. I remember once years back while on a holiday in Kauai it rained the entire 10 days we were there. After two days of just sitting in a restaurant all day we just decided to pretend that the sun was shining and boogie boarded and walked and went site seeing and had a blast. Weather isn't everything.

Monday morning I woke up with a very itchy area on my back. Colin took this photo, looks like I was bitten repeatedly by a spider. Still itchy as I write this Wednesday PM.

Usually I have the first massage on Monday but due to my phone conversations Colin went first. For some reason Caeli just had to be under the table vocalizing her need for a tummy rub. Fortunately I only received 3 urgent calls during my massage 🙁

Monday night was exquisite.

Sadly I was stuck inside on the phone and missed this in person. Yeah Colin.

The colors were so vibrant.

This building is a four plex that rents out thru the season. It is called Casa Flora and over the past few days the flowers on the wall are taking shape.

I have no idea who is doing this but he is doing a wonderful job. Very creative. He seems to use just the one color all over the wall and then switches to another. Can't wait to see the final work of art.

On that same walk Tuesday morning we found this very vibrant butterfly floundering in the surf. We picked it up and set it on dry ground and hoped that it survived.

I feel like I am on a perpetual roller coaster.  My life is ups and downs and to be brutally honest since last Friday it has been downs only.  Last evening, just before sunset we walked the girls in the RV parking lot.  Suddenly halfway back Caeli could no longer walk nor could she support her back end and kept flopping over.  Those of us who have doxies know that this could be the beginning of paralysis.  This was what set me over the edge.  Caeli is my baby while Carmeh is Colin’s girl.  We did not decide this, it simply came to be between us and the girls.  Honestly I barely could cope.  Between calling a local vet and our vet at home ( thank goodness for the one hour time difference ) we decided to just medicate her with a double dose of Metacam and keep her confined for the the night.  We had plans to take her in this morning for x-rays but after further communication with our vet we decided to just wait and see.  To take x-rays of the spine a pet must be sedated and our vet suggested that this might be a bad thing if Caeli has a back issue. In the end we did several tests as suggested by our fabulous Lake Country vet.  Calei passed with flying colors and this morning was able to stand and walk around a bit.  We are keeping her quiet and confined.  I am trying to cope with not only these situations but some legal issues today and much much more.  Enough for today.  I am totally done in.

Poor Caeli.

Oops, I got two calls and fell asleep sitting up before I was able to post.  So this was last night’s post re the various references to times and dates.

This is not a normal year for us here in Mexico.  I am not able to do what I want everyday.  Life interferes.  My first priority is to my Dad and what needs to be done for him or researched online and decisions made.  I have to say that the past 2.5 days have been spent at the computer, both yesterday and today with at least 7 hours.  A good part of the time I am talking to Dad, family, medical people and others.  I am fortunate in that Colin is so very understanding and supportive of me and simply continues to study his Spanish or work on his guitar.  No matter that we don’t even start dinner until 8PM.  I knew that this week would be very busy and did not expect this weekend nor next week to be even busier.  There have been a few times when I have been tempted to just get on a plane back to Edmonton to deal with it all but then the thought of the cold weather brings me to my senses.  At least I can still look out the window from time to time and hear the constant pounding of the surf.  I was going to do an update on my Dad but there have been a few twists these past 48 hours so I chose to wait a day or two.  Meanwhile I don’t want you to think that we don’t have any fun.

Last Tuesday was the new moon and we were dealing with extreme tides. Zoomed in from out site towards all the restaurants.

The ocean rose right into the restaurants.

We had no choice but to slosh thru the water heading back home. We try and plan our walks based on the tides but miscalculated this day. The difficult part is sinking into the very wet sand up to your ankles.

Saw this bus parked on the beach outside the Union Bar. Someone told me they had two preteen kids. The words on the side of the bus read "Down To Earth". A few days ago we saw them parked in the Colonia and today we saw them parked over on Goat Island and later today Colin saw them drive down the road behind the RV Park. We couldn't see any solar panels nor did it look like they had a bano on board. None of the windows were covered over.

Later in the afternoon it was a -45m tide and I decided to go for a solo long walk, it was over 2 miles at the least.

I found seven sand dollars on the beach that day but haven't had a chance to take a photo of them. I was fortunate to do a second solo walk two days later but not since. It was a perfect day, blue sky and with the sun on me and was very peaceful.

The next day, last Wednesday, was our big day with the local notary.  The office impressed us, the staff all wore uniforms and I have to say I have never seen such a professional looking notary office in Canada.  They had fountains and live birds and great efficiency.  The best part was that it only cost us 650pesos or $55.00CAD.  Even better was that the Canadian contingency accepted the paperwork.  I would have to say that because of my due diligence we saved close to $1,500.00CAD.

Saw this tuna boat tied up in the harbor on our way over to Mazatlan that morning. Notice the red helicopter on the right sitting up high. Very small landing pad.

The Mexican Navy had this P151 in port. I have never seen anything like this before, no windows, must be made for fighting.

As we got off the panga, many of the pelicans were being fed scraps. Notice the fish skeleton is this ones mouth.

Obviously these must be sweets with so many bees hovering. Would you eat this?

The malecon goes all the way around and this is one the eleven ( I believe ) Monigotes that will be erected along this beautiful malecon. These paper mache sculptures are 20 feet or even higher.

The theme for the 2015 Mazatlan Carnival is Los Suenos de Momo ( The Dreams of Momo ) . Momo or Momus in Greek mythology is the God of poets, writers, madness and the mockery, who was ready to enliven the minds of more than a thousand people gathered to learn and support those aspiring to conquer the crowns of the grandest fiesta. ( Loosely copied from Newsletter/Cultura ). I am not certain but I think this could be Papageno, a character in once of my favorite operettas, "The Magic Flute" by Mozart.

They really are very high, that is me down there and I am 5'4".

Love the steps on this great building on Olas Altas.

This was Thursday night. I missed Friday nights's show which I think was very nice and Saturday was a no show, too many clouds.

I have delayed posting as I have been waiting for a possible larger contribution from one source.

The family of baby Romina raised 5000 pesos ( approx $341.00 USD ) at their breakfast fundraiser the end of December.  One of the owners of this RV PArk, Tres Amigos, has promised to help the family pave the way to get the US Visas that they will need as well as provided accommodation for the family when they travel to Guadalajara where this needs to be done.  The cost for the Visa’s is $180.00 USD each and will come from the monies raised.  There are two adults traveling and the baby and possibly an interpreter when they go to the US.  This has yet to be determined.  Through my blog and further solicitation both here on the Isla and in Mazatlan I have raised 6000 pesos ( approx $409.00USD ).  Plus there is a confirmed further donation to help meet the balance required.  That amount  is to be determined once the total costs are known but will not likely cover the total amount outstanding.  It is not too late to contribute towards this cause. Every little bit really will help.

Romina and one of her extended family members.

The next step is for the family ( mother, grandmother and  baby ) to travel to Hermosillo by bus to see the local Shriner appointed doctor who will communicate with the Shriner organization in Los Angeles.  Supposedly they will be getting a date for the surgery sometime within the next few weeks.  They are using the monies that they have raised for the bus fare to and from Hermosillo.  Once they have a date for the surgery they will than travel to Guadalajara by bus to get the required Visa.  It has been determined that with a date in LA they are most certain of getting a Visa for medical reasons.  We were fortunate in that Chris & Juan were here when the family visited me in early January and we were able to get the specifics and have some questions answered.  Apparently there is a social worker in Mazatlan involved with the family who is helping as much as possible.  Chris and Juan asked many questions and found that the family seems to have contacted every source of possible financial aid.

Once Romina grabbed my finger she would not let go. Maybe she knew I was trying to help her. We really did have to pry her hand off my finger.

Right now the family is using the funds that they collected to do all of the above.  I am holding the funds I collected until they are needed to purchase bus tickets to the USA.  We are here until April 1 so there is some time for things to further develop.  I intend to find someone reliable, possibly the RV Park owner, to hold the funds when I leave should that be necessary.

If anyone wishes to contribute please check here on the best way to do so.