Marble Walls

I've already posted these photos on Facebook, but here they are again on my blog. I finally have the kitchen walls marbled and they look terrific! One of my neighbours lives in Guadalajara and owns a vacation home here in Los Amores. Darren has access to marble, granite, onyx and other stone through his job. Last year I saw what he had done in his house with this marble. I told him how much I loved it and that I wanted it in my kitchen. Then he told me that this marble is normally very expensive because of the shipping charges to get it to this area of Mexico BUT he had enough left over for my kitchen. I was thrilled and arranged to have it done by one of his Mexican workers when we came back this fall.

Every piece of this marble is hand chiseled by a family in Tepixe de Rodriquez in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Darren told me that this area is a famous place for fossils and dinosaur/mammoth remains. Quite a bit of the marble has fossils imbedded in it but I don't know if any of mine does! Here is a link to a You-Tube video of the marble being quarried and the fossils being documented.


I couldn't believe it but Darren and Francisco (aka Frank), arrived here Saturday morning. Darren had to painstakingly chip off the white paint which was on the concrete walls so the adhesive would allow the marble to adhere to the concrete. As Darren chipped away, Frank placed and sometimes cut the marble pieces to fit. It was fascinating to watch because it was like putting a jig saw puzzle together, or like me packing the van :)

It was all done by 8pm except for washing and polishing it Sunday morning. Every crook and cranny downstairs was covered in fine marble dust, but I didn't care. I LOVE IT!!!

Later this week we are hoping to replace all the wood baseboards in the house with Mexican ceramic tile. Robin and Sergio had all theirs done over the last few weeks. The worker they hired is fairly prompt and needs the work and money. A lot of houses have termites in these baseboards, as did Serge, which is why he had it done. Luckily we don't have them yet, but it is inevitable. We figure we'd better get it done before anyone else arrives and is competition for the workers!

Work, Fun, Paul, Nancy, Tutles!

Whew, we have been so darn BUSY here for the past five days. When we arrived Sunday we managed to empty the van, with help from our neighbours Robin and Sergio. Then we just vegged and hung out with them for the remainder of the evening. It was so great to see them! They had dinner all ready for us, which was so sweet.

Then, we literally spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday putting away all the stuff we had brought down. I hauled a Rubbermaid type tall cabinet with us to put in the laundry room. So that took time assembling. It also took hours to clean up the laundry room and finally put everything in a proper place. What a difference in there. I can actually find things now. I really should have taken a photo of the house before everything was organized to show just how much we had to put away. It looked like we had just moved in!

One of my co workers from the bank, Paul, and his wife Nancy, arrived last Saturday along with about thirty other family members and close friends. Their daughter Ashley was married at the Dreams resort in Nuevo Vallarta on Monday. I had arranged to meet up with Paul and Nancy on Thursday. We met at the resort, were introduced to the newleyweds, their son Brandon and a few others in their party and then took off for the day.

Paul told us that he wanted to take everyone to see the turtles being released but was unable to find out where to go. The tour operators at the hotel were not helpful. Of course Gail and I knew exactly where this wonderful rescue program occurs. Turns out it was just about a twenty minute walk on the beach from their resort. We made a quick stop to make sure there would be turtles that evening. The little baby pool where the hatchlings are kept until dusk had lots of little ones desperately trying to escape for their march to the ocean. The volunteers for this program keep them penned like this to help increase their survival rate. At dusk there are less predator birds overhead and the angle of the sun lessens their view of the little ones.

Then we came home for the afternoon. We had a much needed relaxing afternoon. Gail made lunch, Robin and Serge joined us and we sat outside and enjoyed the terrific weather.

As Robin and Serge had never seen the turtle release we decided to meet Paul and his family at 7pm to participate in the release. By the time we arrived back at the turtle nursery the baby pool was teeming. The volunteer worker told us there were approximately five thousand babies to release. Sadly, only 2% survive so they really do need all the help they can get.

I never tire of this amazing spectacle of nature!

AHHHH Beautiful Bucerias!

We were so glad to finally reach home on Sunday. The drive was great, absolutely no problems. All those worries about the border were so overrated!!
After we left Madera California we continued east towards the Lake Havesu region of Arizona. That is where our friend and Bucerias neighbour Barry lives during the summer. His wife Marilyn stays in L.A. to work from September-November for the school board. They will arrive here Nov. 16. Anyway, Barry is a wine connoisseur and has been buying and collecting very high end wines for years. He stores them in a cellar somewhere near his home in California. He had asked us to take a case down to Mexico for him. We were happy to do it because he is so good to us here and helps us with lots of things. We managed to get 15 bottles of wine, four bottles of Marilyn's coffee flavouring and her SEWING MACHINE in the car! OMG the van was riding inches above the pavement. We had a lovely evening with him and were back on the road early the next morning.

We stopped in Tucson Friday afternoon for a Costco cheese run. What a nightmare! Friday afternoon, rush hour, Costco 12km off the highway and when we came outside were treated to a wind/thunder/lightening/rainstorm. We still had an hour to drive until we reached the border and our hotel for the night. It was not a pleasant drive.

However, the next morning we were over the border by 6:30 and had a completely uneventful drive. We stopped overnight in Guasave at a no tell motel which was clean and somewhat nicer than the place we stayed last year. The redeeming quality about these "sex hotels" is that you get a secure garage attached to your room so the car is safe from thieves and vandals.

The very best thing about the drive this year was crossing the border Saturday morning. What a difference it made in the volume of traffic. When we reached the first city, Hermosilla, around 11am, we breezed through in about 15 minutes vs the usual 30 or more. Then on Sunday we reached Mazatlan at 9:30 and there was so little traffic. I HATE driving through Mazatlan as it is confusing and busy and dirty and just awful. Sunday morning we got through in half the time. So, if we do this drive one more time as I have always wanted we will definitely plan the days the same way.

I will do another post in a day or so detailing our first few days here, but right now I am very tired and need to get some sleep!

We are thrilled to be back in Beautiful Bucerias!

First Two Days

Wow, we've come a long way in the last two days. Yesterday we were on the 10:30 ferry to Port Angeles. It's always kind of sad leaving Victoria, knowing it will be six months before we return. We had a nice departure, going past the Ocean Point Hotel, where my sister was married way back when!

We had a really quick exit from the ferry and were through customs right away. Last year we were the very last vehicle to get cleared! The weather was awesome the entire way, getting up to 20C. It was a little strange not stopping in Tacoma to see Robin and Serge because that is always the start of our six month adventure. This year, they are waiting for us in Bucerias instead.  We got all the way to Eugene Oregon last night, had a great sleep and were so surprised to wake up to incredible fog and only 7C on the thermometer.

So that was the first three hours of our trip today. We had no rain, just amazing thick fog. Finally, just like magic, when we crossed into California, the sun came out and we've had blue skies the rest of the day. This is the day I will remember as one of scent sensations! Just around lunch time, I said to Gail "Can you smell onions cooking?" She said, "Yeah, onions or garlic." Well, what do you know, just up ahead was a large truck hauling tons and tons of onions. It must have been the sun cooking them up to a smell for me! By this point, just outside Redding California, the temperature was reading 30C. Later on, we passed the usual stinky farms; a factory that must have been making Parmesan cheese, very nasty,; and then then the most wonderful smell of fresh basil. We have no idea what or where it came from, but it was about five minutes of driving in an Italian kitchen! Marvellous!

We drove for just over ten hours today and now are in our hotel n Madera California, with very spotty internet access. Tomorrow, we head south and then east, into Arizona and will spend the night with our friend Barry.

Mexico 2010!

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. We are grateful for many things: Health being Number One of course; then our wonderful friends and family; our beautiful Mexican home; and today the fact that I've got everything in the van! Whoo Hoo! I won't be able to see out the back very well, but I've been forced to learn to use my side mirrors. Today we are cleaning the house top to bottom and looking forward to an early, relaxing evening. We're booked on the 10:30 Coho sailing tomorrow morning to Port Angeles but as we clear U.S. immigration on this side, we have to be there by 9am. I'll try to update the blog as we drive to let you know where we are each night. Adios Amigos!

Getting Ready to Leave

It is so hard to believe that the summer (was it summer?) has slipped away so quickly! It may be partly because of two trips to the east coast since we returned to Canada. In May Gail and I both went to Halifax to spend a couple of weeks visiting her mother, who is now in a nursing home. She has dementia and that was hard to watch. So sad for Gail and especially Lillian.

Then in July I went to Newfoundland for a quick week. It was surreal to go to St. John's and drive past my parents house, knowing it no longer belongs to us. They bought the house in October 1960 so for fifty years that was the family home and of course where I was raised. The great thing was spending time with my family. I stayed with Brenda and Pete; went to visit Janet and Gape at their cottage on the lake (cabin on the pond in Newfoundlandese!) for a weekend; had the immediate family for BBQ at Brenda's so I saw Sean and Dianne. My wonderful Aunt Francie also stopped by for a while; visited with my Uncle Joe and Aunt Peggy.... I also managed to get a quick couple of hours at the annual Harte family BBQ reunion, where I saw and chatted with many of my cousins.  Then back to Victoria and part time work at the bank.

We also completely gutted the basement suite in the house; put laminate flooring down in the kitchen and entrance (to match the living room and laundry room); replaced the bedroom carpet; replaced the kitchen stove and bathroom ceiling fan and completely painted the entire downstairs including the laundry room, front entrance and stairwell. Then our new tenant Judy (who I know from work) moved in. She seems very happy with everything and I hope it will be a good home for her.

I finished work last Thursday and have been busy since then getting the garden put to bed for the winter, organizing what we want to pack in the van (still so much my head is spinning-how can I leave some of the things I still want?) and cleaning the house from top to bottom. This will be our last drive to Mexico (that's the plan anyway). We will leave the van there and fly home in April.

Today we went to buy our out of country Medical Insurance and were shocked to find that it has more than doubled because Gail turned 60 in July. So much for senior's discounts!

We have house sitters arriving from Edmonton a couple of days after we leave. They are retired teachers who want to spend the winter in Victoria to be close to their daughter, son-in-law and new and only baby grandchild.

We are looking forward to our annual and very fun Thanksgiving dinner with our McManus buddies on Saturday. Sunday I'll pack the van and take photos! Monday will be last minute housework and early to bed. Tuesday we'll be out of here on the 10:30 Coho sailing to Port Angeles.

Stay tuned!

San Sebastian del Oeste

 On Monday, Robin, Serge, Gail and I drove to the little mountain village of San Sebastian del Oeste. It was originally a mining town built by the Spanish to loot the gold and silver from the Mexican people. The town was founded in the 1600's and had a population then of about 4,000 but now there are only about 600 living there.

To get there we had to drive into Puerto Vallarta and take the back road past Ixtapa, just behind Gail's favourite store "Home Depot" :) and up into the mountains. If you continue on this same road you eventually reach Guadalajara. I had heard about this road but that it was not a good route. Even though it was just as twisty and winding as the coast road, highway 200, there was no traffic so no getting stopped behind slow moving transport trucks. Next year we will definitely take this road for our shopping trip!

So, the town was very pretty and quaint. It actually reminds me of a European village as most of the buildings, especially the church, are so old. The streets are all cobblestone. We stopped in a gorgeous little boutique hotel which had been converted from a hacienda. What a spot! It would be absolutely the most perfect place to spend a honeymoon. The rooms are fabulous and the views of the Sierra Madre mountains from them are spectacular. 

Panga To Yelapa

Last week, Sergio arranged to hire a panga (little Mexican boat) to take six of us to the small village of Yelapa. I had wanted to visit Yelapa for a few years now but have never gotten around to going. The main reason is that you can only get there by sea as there are no roads in, and I didn't want to be at the mercy of the water taxis. You take the taxis from the Los Muertos pier in Puerto Vallarta or from the beach in Boca de Tomatlan, a little further south. Yelapa only got electricity two years ago so is still very rustic. It's a very popular day trip, even though the boat ride is about 45 minutes each way.

Robin's two friends Denise and Marlene (sisters who live in California) were here for a week and this is one of the trips Robin wanted to take them on. We jumped at the chance to join them because of the convenience of having a private panga and guide. The ride was lots of fun, especially when we saw a school of fish right at the surface of the water. The gulls soaring above them alerted us and Mario, our guide through out a line and almost immediately caught a six pound fish! When we got to the beach in Yelapa, he took it to one of the restaurants so they could cook it for us.

Yelapa has two waterfalls, both popular swimming spots. One is a short ten minute walk through town but as Robin and Sergio had been there just recently, they wanted to hike to the larger one, which was about a two hour walk!!! It was fine for the first while especially walking through the village. There are no cars or motorized vehicles in Yelapa so you have to walk everywhere, no choice. Along the road we passed lots of livestock, beautiful coloured roosters, women walking with baskets of produce on their heads and even a man in the river who was in the process of skinning a large poisonous snake he had just killed! But as we got closer, the path became very rough and very steep. You can imagine what Gail was like, this being the girl who wouldn't look at the Grand Canyon from the parking lot! It was really too bad as about five minutes before we got to the falls, she couldn't go any further. We were hot and tired by then, so the others all continued on and had a short swim, while Gail and I turned back. I was able to walk to the edge of the cliff and get a few shots of the falls however.

When we returned, the waiters on the beach asked how we wanted the fish prepared and before too long we had excellent fish tacos, as fresh as possible, while sitting on the very pretty beach with a cool drink in hand.

On the way back, we saw many more schools of fish but had no luck catching any more. We did see a pod of dophins though, so that was pretty cool.

Once we got home we all went to El Brujo for dinner and had a very scary ending to a busy day. The table next to us had a party of about eight elderly people, who were having a grand old time. They ordered some sort of a flambe desert and as the waiter ignited it, it caught a bottle of booze on fire, sent the tablecloth into flames and it jumped onto the blouse of the lady at the end of the table. PANDEMONIUM!!!! Luckily, the only thing burning was the alcohol and she wasn't hurt at all. Her blouse didn't even look scorched, but it was a very shocking thing to see. I think I will be more aware when I order anything that is flambeed from now on!

Final Project for the Year

FINALLY! My carpenter arrived this morning, only three weeks late. Back in January, I hired this fellow to make and install more kitchen cabinets. We don't have nearly enough and there is a lot of wasted space above the ones that we already have. So, I told him that they had to be done the first week of March, after all our company left. I also told him that we are leaving April 1 (a bit of a fib as we are actually leaving April 7). The last thing we needed was construction going on when we are trying to close up the house for the summer.

It has been hell trying to get in touch with this guy. I wouldn't have cared except I gave him a $5,000 peso deposit so he could prefab the cabinets. This morning when I called him to say we are leaving in less than two weeks he hung up on me!!!! I was truly beginning to think that I would never see him again.

But what do you know- he is here and the cabinets don't fit. Surprise. Now we are being subjected to him rebuilding them in the driveway and creating a hell of a lot of noise. Doesn't matter. He is here and I have hope that the kitchen will be done before we leave. At least I have all the material here, which is what I have paid for so far.

Last night we met our neighbours from two doors down-the end unit that Dale and Tim will remember as there was a rumor that this house is for sale. They are CHILDREN!! Well, that's what they are to me. Really really sweet kids who live in Denver Colorado. We sat outside with them and Robin and Sergio until quite late. Jaime is 26, cute as a button and a tax accountant. His wife Alexandra is only 24 and a law student. She is American and he is Mexican. This is the first time she has even seen the house and sad to say for Michelle- they are not going to sell.

Well, this is tax season and it would seem impossible for him to get away for a week, but Jaime has just found out that his 48 year old mother, who lives in Guadalajara, has cancer again after six years cancer free. The family is all quite devastated naturally. They are all coming to Bucerias to try to relax and be together for a week and should arrive later today. If they are anything like Jaime, we will love them.

Stay tuned for before and (hopefully!) after kitchen reno photos.

Happy San Patricio Day!

Well, yes. Imagine that we celebrate St. Patrick's Day here in Bucerias. There really is an Irish Pub here and they go all out like true Irishmen. I was surprised to discover that the Mexican's are very fond of the Irish. It all stems back from the Mexican American war, when Irish fighting for the US deserted to fight on the Mexican side. Here is a little bit that I read about it:

"It involves St. Patrick's Battalion, also called the San Patricios and Los Colorados, whose members deserted Gen. Zachary Taylor's army in the late 1840s and took up arms for Mexico in the Mexican American War. During various campaigns of the two-year conflict, from which the U.S. gained half of Mexico's territory, the San Patricios served as an artillery unit. Long honored in Mexico on St. Patrick's Day and Sept. 12, the anniversary of many of their executions, they've received little attention in the U.S.

In all, about 9,000 U.S. soldiers deserted the war. The San Patricio unit included Germans, Scots and others. While considered traitors in their day, in Mexico and Ireland they were hailed as heroes.
They opposed fighting fellow Catholics and had yet to establish a solid allegiance to the U.S., conscripted as they were immediately after immigrating. They weren't given U.S. citizenship. Fierce anti-Catholic prejudice within the ranks also fueled their desertion.

The battalion is honored in Mexico with schools, churches and streets named for them. In Ireland's County Galway, a ceremony is held in their honor. Both Mexico and Ireland have issued San Patricio postage stamps."

Isn't that amazing?

So. last night we walked the four blocks to The Shamrock, where there was a rocking big party happening. Just about everyone was wearing something green. The empty lot across the street from the pub was set with a stage, beer and food tents, lots of extra tables and chairs, a stall selling everything Irish and even a bouncy tent thingy for the kids to play on. Kids are included in just about everything here.

Spring in Bucerias

It's hard to believe that we have less than a month left here in paradise. We are already getting anxious about leaving- a completely different feeling than we have when we leave Victoria. I guess that is telling us something.

There are sure signs of spring arriving soon, just like up north. The first is that Robin and Sergio arrived a week ago! They are almost the opposite of everyone else here, as they arrived March 3rd for six weeks, just about the time when so many of us are leaving. So far, we have said goodbye to the owners of four homes.

It seems odd to me, but there are deciduous trees here in Mexico-the kind that shed their leaves for the winter. Because it is so hot here, and so unfamiliar to see trees without leaves when it is warm, they look dead. How wrong! They are starting to come to life, some with the most amazingly beautiful exotic flowers. Last night, we went into town to have tacos at The Rim- and passed a few trees, completely bare except for the hot pink shock of colour at the top.

There are other trees with fruit on them. We recently discovered a tree which is on our usual walk, but hidden in amongst the leaves are these HUGE odd looking fruit. We've been told they are Jackfruit- but I really don't know for sure. Then, also on our way into town last night, we saw a small little papaya tree with baby fruit growing on the branches.

Andy and TJ in Bucerias!

It's hard to believe that almost a week has passed since Andrew and Tamara arrived on Valentine's Day. We've had a week of sun, rain, wind, more sun, clouds, sun and lots of tequila! I have to say that they are most unusual house guests! Who else comes to Mexico and WANTS to hang out at home and cook every night? It was a bit of a chore to get them to agree to go Friday night to La Colequita-the fish place in La Cruz. In the end I think it was a big hit, as they loved the restaurant, the ambiance and of course the amazing food.

We went into Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday and it started out warm although a bit cloudy. We stopped at the Cheeky Monkey for a drink and that is when the rain started. On the way back to the car we made a detour to the little taco stand by Rizo's grocery store for beef tacos. Because it was raining we took it all back to the car, settled in, opened the windows and had real Mexican style fast food! It was beyond delicious! This was our favourite little taco stand when we rented in the south side a couple of years ago. This is the real typical Mexican food but unfortunately, many tourists are afraid to eat at these taco stands. They are missing out on the best food imaginable and so cheap! We were all stuffed and the total bill was about five Canadian bucks.

We made a stop at Walmart on the way home for Tequila to take back to Kelowna. While we were shopping the heavens completely opened. It was amazing as the roof on the store is all metal and the rain was pounding so hard it was hard to hear anyone speaking! Having the Olympics on TV has been a godsend because of the crummy weather we had for almost two days.

Yesterday morning we walked to the market for trinkets and gifts for the kids and family back home. The weather is awesome again-as it has been since Friday, which became a complete pool/sun/relax day. 

So, now here we are and today is the final day of our final guests this season, which of course means we are also getting close to our own return to British Columbia (boo hoo).

Tim and Dale Final Week

Oh boy, it's been a bit of time since I last posted. It's been crazy busy here with having company for the last three weeks. So, here is a delayed post.....

After the large windstorm we had another couple of days of unsettled weather (so very strange for us) and finally, the sun came out again so we could play.

Thursday night Feb 4th we took Tim and Dale to one of our new favourite restaurants. El Colequita has opened another location in La Cruz. This is the fabulous seafood place that we love way up behind Home Depot in the Ixtapa area of Puerto Vallarta. Now they are so close, only about a ten minute drive and this new location has an outstanding view of the marina and harbour in La Cruz.
Afterwards, we went to Philo's to listen to the great live band and watch the magic that Leon performs on the washboard! We love this place as the musicians are all around our age and the music is what we listened to growing up. It was a thoroughly fun evening.

Saturday night Maureen had organized a dinner at Audaulto's on the beach in Bucerias. We wanted to thank Marcelino and Silvia for all their hard work for the home owners association. Maureen and Tony's friends from Canada (four of them) had rented the house next to theirs for a month and they are really nice fun people. So, there were twelve of us for dinner that night. The food was awesome and we had the beachside table at the front. Afterwards, we went to the Bucerias Gardens, another restaurant/bar, to listen to the rock band that was playing that week. Again, another outstanding evening of great music that was so familiar to us baby boomers. We had a GREAT TIME! So much so that even Tony who absolutely NEVER dances, was up there boogieing away!

Sunday was another beach day, just soaking up the long overdue rays and people watching. Sunday of course is family day here in Mexico and is the best day for seeing the fun that the Mexicans have with their families. It's always crowded and lively on the beach.

During the final few days with Tim and Dale, we took a drive back into Puerto Vallarta and went way past the south side down to Mismaloya. We stayed there in a resort the year before we bought our place here. That is where Chico's Paradise is-where we zip lined with Robin and Sergio a few years back. We wanted to take Tim and Dale to see the kids who somersault into the pools of water in the river. They are amazing but unfortunately, were not there that day!! Such a disappointment!

However, on the way back into PV we took a detour to the movie set for the Predator. That's an old Arnold Schwarzenegger movie from back in the 80's. We are not into that kind of movie and had never seen it or had any desire to go to the movie set.  It turned out to be a highlight of the day! The road up to the set was truly terrible-full of potholes and twists and turns and jungle. It set the scene for the movie for sure! At the top is another zip line company and of course lots of scenes from the movie. Tim and Dale love this movie so they were delighted to go there. It's also breathtakingly beautiful! There were lots of kids swinging from the rope over the river and dropping into the pools of water. They also were able to scoot around the rocks up to the small waterfall and slide on the big smooth rocks over the falls and into the swimming hole. Almost makes you want to be a kid again!

We stopped in the southside of PV on the way home for a late lunch/early supper at a little place called "A Touch of Italy". It's owned by the parents of Troy, who owes and operates the Cheeky Monkey on the Malecon. They are all Canadians, living the dream of working in paradise. Anyway, we ordered sub sandwiches, which were fantastic! After eating Mexican food for months, a little bit of Canadian style food was delicious!

Thursday night, the last evening in Bucerias for Tim and Dale, they treated us to an amazing meal at Mezzagiourno. We have always meant to try this place, which is next door to our favourite little place El Brujo- and the closest restaurant on the beach to our house. Oh boy, we think we have a new favourite! We had the best table in the restaurant, overlooking the beach and waves. The sunset was made to order. We were lucky to watch a cruise ship in the dark-all lit up and mysterious, sail from the marina in Puerto Vallarta, past Punta de Mita and onwards back to Los Angeles.

Then, alas, it was Friday and a sad farewell to our buddies Tim and Dale. We had a wonderful time with them and only hope that the bad weather has not soured them too much! Next year will be better!!  So, you two, you need to plan a return trip! Oh, and Marcelino has the inside track on that house two doors from us- when it's ready for sale, we'll let Michelle know lol!!

Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll post again recapping the time with Tamara and Andrew!