Apr 07, 2013

POCO A POCO

Little by little.

Bit by bit….that is how we are packing up.

We have rented a bodega ( garage ) this year which is allowing us to store much more ‘stuff’ here on the Isla.  Much less to pack back and forth to Canada.

Debra and John who are sharing the bodega helped us by taking 2 loads in their truck and we took 4 loads over in our car.

Two more loads after the fridge.

Our site here on the Isla is looking emptier by the day.

While we pack life goes on around us. The tides are crazy again and this banana boat tried 4 times before getting across the waves. There are 3 kids trying to get the boat thru.

There was some sort of moto event here on the Isla Friday as we had many of these small noisy things all over the place.

Obviously our dust screen does a great job but what a job to clean it after 4.5 months. At this point I would have to say that our power washer is our very best tool.

Colin was working outside while I worked inside. At one point I wondered where the girls were. Carmeh was sitting on my chair watching the surf, exactly where I wanted to be.

It took a few minutes to find Caeli. She was sleeping under some flowers.

Colin and I had to head into Mazatlan to pick up a few things before heading north. Mazatlan is enjoying moto week and the streets are full of motorcycles. Wish we had more time to check it all out.

Apparently there are some spectacular sight to see.

Adios Diego. Hasta Noviembre!

Back home on the Isla we found this family of 13 set up in front of us. Why would they park their truck right in front of them? Did they not come to the beach to see the ocean?? The tide was coming in and they got swamped. The water came right up past the truck and their ATV!

 

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Apr 06, 2013

Photography in Mazatlan

Over the last 18 months Colin has started to do photography here in Mazatlan and of course Isla de la Piedra.  He has always done photography in Culiacan both for the International Guitar Festival and for the various featured artists over the past eight years.  Now he is expanding and actually doing commissioned photography shoots here in Mexico.  As you know he has done wedding photography, CD cover photography, model portraits and also family portraits, art photography and many other styles.

If you or a family member would like to have your photos taken or a special event photographed please send us an email or leave a comment.  We are normally here from Nov. 1 until at least April 1st.  Who knows, if this local business takes off we may move here permanently. Colin is one of Canada’s top three professional photographers.  His website can be viewed here.

A few samples of his photos taken here in Mazatlan and the Isla.

Concert at the Maria Coral Hotel on Isla de la Piedra.

 

Jazz concert in Culiacan.

An Isla family.

Possible CD cover. One of several choices.

Our reenactment wedding couple.

A maestro and his guitar.

Love is in the air.

For a model portfolio.

Copy work of a great original piece of art.

The cutest kid you will ever meet.

We were guests at this wedding.

It was a wedding here on the Isla last December.

They had a great time.

Of course I had to be included.

 

 

 

 

 

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Apr 05, 2013

5 pangas & 5 pulmonias….

…all in ONE day!!!

A new record for us.

Thursday saw Colin going and coming and going and going and going…..

Mid morning Colin left the Isla to meet Vinicio and Anaid to take a few more photos of them including some musical shots.  He got back to the Isla about 2 PM and I left 20 minutes later to head into town to get my hair done at Tippy Toes.  While I was in Mazatlan Colin just kept packing and packing and downloading his phototgraphy.  He showed up about 4:30PM @ Tippy Toes to get his hair cut.  Not 20 minutes later Vinicio and Anaid showed up.

So there I was surrounded by friends at the hairdressers! By the way all those handbags are for sale.

Actually Colin was in the chair right next to me getting a great hair cut.

Our Culiacan friends had come to meet us to pick up their photos on a compact flash card. So sad to say our goodbyes once again.

Milles gracias Deb for keeping us looking so good all winter. Hasta Noviembre!

Less than 10 minutes later we walked down the street to Paulinas' Cocina to meet a fellow blogger.

Marcia and her husband Ray had come to the Isla a few days ago to meet us and we were in town so via emails we arranged to meet in Mazatlan on Thursday.  They are a very interesting couple who have even travelled South America in their RV.  Marcia also writes a blog.

Adios for now folks!

One more pulmonia drive and a final panga ride across the water and we were home.  Another very exhausting day!

 

 

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Apr 04, 2013

Who knew about Wednesday?

We didn’t!  Well we knew a small part of it!

We knew that Vinicio Camacho, another guitar maestro from Culiacan and his new bride, Anaid, were coming to visit for two days.  We knew that they wanted Colin to take a few photos of them.

What we did not know was that…

...they were going to be wearing their wedding clothes!

They had even purchased a fresh flower bouquet for the bride. Once they changed inside our RV it was time to go across the road to the new botanical gardens.

Colin did as many poses as he could. The bugs were coming out and the light was fading. Can you see the dark patch on Colin's back, he was perspiring. Glad we weren't in the wedding dress and suit. The wedding scene moved from the Amaitlan Gardens to the beach. I will show you a few photos in the days to come. Everyone on the beach was excited and taking photos of the couple. Meanwhile Mother Nature outdid herself and gave us the very best sunset we have had in weeks. Of course I had a bottle of champagne and the appropriate glasses on hand.

By dark we were all muy cansado y hambre ( tired and hungry ).  So we fed the girls and headed out to Mazatlan. It was much later than we had expected, Colin and I thought we would be heading out to an early dinner about 5:30PM.  As it was, we only  got the the Plazuela Machado about 8:30PM.

None of has had ever eaten at Topolo's, a popular restaurant so that was our choice. While the waiter made us a custom salsa table side we seemed to talk and talk and talk. Anaid speaks very little if any English but she understands a certain amount and with Vinicio translating the few works or thoughts we couldn't express in Spanish it seemed as if we were all on the same page language wise.

Colin and Vinicio have known each other for several years, in fact Colin has been a part of the Culiacan Guitar Festival for more years than Vinicio. Vinicio is currently the President of the Cultural Foundation of the Guitar. This is the group that organizes the annual International Guitar Festival in Culiacan.

We all ordered something different and each meal was perfect as were the mango margaritas.

There was a very good sax player and Colin and I just couldn't resist a wee dance.

This photo does not do the restaurant justice but it has an open area in the middle with huge trees growing right up to the sky.

A quick visit with a pair of doxies in the middle of the Plazuela. I just had to pick one up for a quick kiss. I wish I had had more time to speak with the owner. Maybe I will see him again as he lives in the area. Perhaps next winter.

It was sad to say adios to my new amigos but we will see them again. It was a great evening.

We didn’t get back the RV until sometime after 11:00PM.  I was so tired so I just hugged the girls, brushed my teeth and went to bed.  Thursday promises to be another full day.  I thought we were suppose to be packing up??

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Apr 03, 2013

2 in 1 day!!

In yesterdays’ post I mentioned that I had had a mystery visitor while we were in Mazatlan for a few hours.  Once we got home I went and sat out with my book and a glass of vino blanco just enjoying the great day. After a bit, I glanced up and saw several people coming up off the beach.

“Are you Contessa?’ I was asked.  Vicky and her husband, their grandkids and her sister are staying in a hotel in the Golden Zone for a week.  It turns out that she has been reading my blog for a number of years and had even read back to the very beginning.  Of course she knew everything about me but I had little time to get to know her.  The kids wanted to get back to the beach and they had to catch a panga back to town.  They do visit Mazatlan for a week annually so hopefully we will have time for a longer visit over a meal next year.

Vicky from Owatonna, Minnesota. Hopefully one day they will come RV beside us here on the Isla.

I had already done my blog post requesting my mystery visitor to identify themselves so after Vicky and her family left I thought they had been my visitor.

Turns out I was wrong.  Vicky was my second visitor of the day. The first visitor answered my question to identify themselves to me in a blog comment.  Marcia, blog reader and her husband Ray will be meeting us in town late Thursday afternoon.

These last few days are shaping up to be a very busy week.  Still getting some packing done here and there.

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