Traditions

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At the Akin homestead they have this unusual tradition on Christmas morning. A can of silly string is given to each person, then once everyone is outside, "All is fair." Alliances that may were made around the breakfast table seem to quickly disappear as individuals turn on each other. Hoods were pulled off and shirts were grabed and silly string squirted down collars. The rain held off while we turned on each other.
After cleaning up the mess we made we came inside to open the abundance of presents that were waiting under the tree. Teddy and Otis really enjoyed their treats.

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Game Day

Yes,we have tickets to THE game of the year and here is a picture to prove it! Sadly we won't be occupying these seats. We have already promissed them to a friend.

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Teddy and Otis

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Vampier Teddy!

Messy Job

In an attempt to cut back on expenses I decided to try making my own bird-seed block for my feathered friends. I found a recipe online that sounded like it might survive the torrential downpours of the Pacific Coast, and regardless, hold the seed together. It actually did not take long to make but it was MESSY. As per instructions, I put the block in the fridge to "set-up" overnight. This morning I took it out and tried to push the seed block out of the 2 lb coffee can of which I had opened both ends. I pushed and pushed to no avail. I guess I should have lined the can with wax paper or something like it. In the mean time, I've put the seed outside, in the can, in the hopes that the birds will be able to feed on it at least for a little while. When a dent has been make in it, I will try to cut the rest out and then try again.

OR....maybe I should try to make the block into large rectangles instead. I just thought of that. What a good idea!

DUCK FEVER

Yep! DUCK FEVER has hit the WHOLE country. And Yes, we are DUCK fans!!! Go DUCKS!!! I AM A DUCK and proud of it.

DOUBLE Sniff

Anneliese is sniffing because she has a runny nose. I am sniffing because my brand new Droid X is sick. Wednesday evening we were getting ready to leave for a friend's home. I had several things to do before we could leave. My arms were full as I approached my car with no way to open the doors, so I had to put some things down. Among those things was my new phone. I put it on the roof of my car as the garage floor was wet from all the rain we've had lately. When we FINALLY left, I was just a little bit miffed, and my mind was just on "getting out-a-here." I forgot about my phone! It wasn't until I heard the clunk-clunk when driving on the 101 that I realized what I had done.

We doubled back home were I thankfully was able to locate my Droid on line with the built in GPS system I had registered with. It still took a while to find it as by now it was dark. BUT, my new baby is sick and I had been taking such good care of it while waiting for my protective cover to arrive. My Droid is all beat up and the back of it is missing, but surprisingly it still works although it has some glitches.

Sniff, sniff! I am just sick at heart! It has taken me almost 3 days before being able to write about this. Morale of the story???? ...when you are even just a little upset, act...don't react.

Thanksgiving 2010

It was so wonderful to have our home filled with family and friends, and it was sooooo sad when everyone left.

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Peru Trip 2010

July 1st
John and I left home early this morning, dropped off Da Boys at a friend's home, and made it to SF in time to celebrate Anneliese's 25th birthday with a progressive dinner to some of the eateries on the 100 best places to eat in SF.
Please go to the Picasa link listed on my Blog for pictures of our trip!

July 2nd
We spent the day eating through SF again. In the evening we watched Nolan and Anneliese pack their things before heading to the airport.

July 3rd
After an absolutely wonderful trip with outstanding flight connections, we arrived in Lima in the late afternoon and we took a taxi to our accommodations. There were no restaurants within walking distance so we went to a local (nice) grocery store where we partook of all sorts of delicious items.

July 4th
We got up early in the morning to catch our flight from Lima to Cusco. As soon as the doors to the plain opened, we noticed the adjustment in our breathing. In the airport there were several station with oxygen tanks with masks for those needing assistance to the elevation. We were okay but took it easy the rest of the day as we explored Cusco.

July 5th
Today we took a tour of Cusco provided through Apus Peru that we had enlisted for this trip. Cusco was the previous Inca capital and today we were going to see some of the ruins on horseback. We went to many archaeological sites and ended up walking more than we had anticipated. By the end of the day, my legs were a little weak and bowed (from sitting on my horse.) When I got off at the last stop I landed wrong and did a job on my right knee. I feared that this might impact my ability to participate on the hikes in the coming weeks. Nolan ended up finding two knee braces for me which I wore (both of them) and I was able to enjoy the rest of our vacation, albeit it did slow me (us) down a bit. We found a wonderful Peruvian place to have some dinner and then John and I went back to our hotel while Nolan & Anneliese did some night exploration.

July 6th
Today we took a taxi to Pisac, a little town about an hour from Cusco. The main attraction: the fabulous market and more Inca ruins. We ate some delicious foods off the street vendors. The market was so great that we never did leave. I wonder if having to watch the World cup football game that was on TV had anything to do with it. We found a little bakery that had a TV and planted ourselves there for the duration of the game. Then it was back to Cusco. Thank goodness the taxi driver on the return trip was a little less aggressive. Boy are they crazy drivers there! John and I took it easy again in the evening and packed up for our departure the next day.

July 7th
We were picked up this morning by our guide from Apus Peru and we drove to Urubamba where we visited several sites from a Community Agricultural Project. We saw pottery being made, chocolate processed, bee hives robed of honey, and a Guinea pig (cuy) farm. Again we had to make time for another football game, this time at a local home where we were also served a three course lunch. At last we were taken to our next accommodation... Casa Calibri. The hosts, Barbara and Robert were awesome as was their place. The facility was beautifully landscaped and very comfortable. Nolan and Anneliese went back to the market place after settling in and ended up bringing us back an array of local goodies. Boy more food! We had already eaten some delicious treats with Barbara and Robert. So much for not overeating!

July 8th
This morning we got up early to join Robert so that he could showed us the coffee making process from husking the raw beans all the way to brewing us a delicious cappuccino. How awesome was that. Robert roasts his own beans in what may be called a primitive way as they can not always count on electrical power being available.
After another short trip to the market which by the way reminded me of Spain some 50 years ago, we took a taxi to our next destination: Ollantaytambo. We saw some of the most beautiful ruins there. Ollantaytambo is the only Inca city that is still inhabited. Ollantaytambo is significant in another way.... Anneliese and John actually ate Cuy today. Nolan and I were the only sane ones. Who eats these little pets?!! We also purchased some beautiful artworks before leaving the next day.

July 9th
The BIG awaited day! We met up with our guide Big Willie from Apus Peru this morning just before boarding the train towards Aguas Calientes. We had about an hour-and-a-half ride before being let off at kilometer 104, in the middle of nowhere. This was the beginning of our Machu Picchu, 6.7 mile, stair master trek! And what a trek it was. We saw beautiful flora as well as beautiful mountain and valley views. The higher we hiked the more the civilization below looked like miniatures. There were several ruins to visit before hitting the grand-finally, the most impressive being Winayhuay. The steps leading up to the Sun gate were very steep and with very high treads, apparently constructed in this way to increase the speed with which the Quechua people climbed them. Once we went through the Sun gate, Machu Picchu unfolded before us. Wow, what a site. We behaved like typical tourist and took many pictures. As nightfall was just around the corner, we took a shuttle bus down to town, Aguas Calientes, were we had dinner and spent the night in a hostel.

July 10th
The first set of buses to Machu Picchu left at 5:30 AM. We got up at 4:00AM to get in line with the hundreds of other tourist who wanted to be first! Big Willie gave us a new appreciation for the Inca civilization by giving us an awesome tour. By 10:00 AM there were literally 1000s of people at the site. We lost interest in staying as all one could see was tourist all over the place. We took the shuttle back to town were eventually we got back on the train to Ollantaytambo. We were grateful to arrive back at our hotel and shower and put on clean clothes.

July 11th
Taxi service... again, to just east of Urubamba. We stayed Aranwa, a swanky, westernized place. After at first being impressed with all it had to offer, we grew tired of it and got back in a taxi and visited another village and it's market. Nolan and Anneliese bought some dolls and we bought some artwork for Chelsey. Then it was time for the World Cup football finals. We found a local eatery with a TV and had a three-course-meal for under $2.00 amongst all the locals. When we got back to our accommodations Anneliese and I took advantage of the spa and had a massage while the guys played pool. Dinner followed and then to bed for a good night's rest.

July 12th
This morning we had to carefully decide what to take with us on our 3-day trek in the Andes. We packed our day packs and duffel bags, the latter to be caried on the pack horses. Our first stop of the day was at a market Calca to buy oranges and toys for the indigenous people. Our next stop was Lares where John and Anneliese took a dip in the hot springs. From there we went on foot to our fist camp site that was supposed to take about 3 to 4 hours. Since I was slowing our trek down due to my injured knee, I ended up riding the "emergency" horse so that we could get to our destination before it was totally dark. Boy, was it getting cold when that sun started to go down!!! Eventually we got to our campsite where a "tea time" was already set up for us. A while later we were invited into a local family's hut where they shared their dinner with us: boiled potatoes. Potatoes is their staple food and most families high up in the mountains eat just them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We were glad to be able to share our prepared dinner with this family in return. Nolan was even able to do a mini diagnosis of two family members who had hiked 4 hours one way to see a doctor only to find out that the doctor was not in. His help was much appreciated.

July 13th
After a hardy breakfast we hit the trail again. Today's trek would take us to a height of 16,000 feet. It was a slow and steady hike and very enjoyable. When we finally descended into the valley for our second night, we came across a woman weaving a scarf that Anneliese fell in love with. I think she would have bought it but we were told that it would take a few more days to finish. Disappointed we all continued down to our campsite where we were met by the school children for whom we had brought the oranges. It was fun handing those out and even more rewarding was knowing how much these children are in need of nutritious foods. Nolan played a little soccer with the children and went on another hike to a lake with Anneliese while John and I again rested our older bones for the afternoon. We shared our dinner with the school teachers and had a wonderful visit before going to bed. Both John and I were in much need of a good night's sleep. Unfortunately that was not to happen. I froze my little butt off, and I kept waiting for that sun to come up all night to warm me back up. Brrrrr.

July 14th
Finally I see some rays of light appearing. Brrrrr! We were greeted with a cup of coca tea to get us moving. And, as the sun appeared, it amazed us how quickly the temperatures rose. For the record... I am never sleeping in a tent in freezing temps again. Our tents were covered with frost and puddles were frozen solid around our tents. No sooner had we gotten up when the indigenous women started to arrive with their wears to sell. We were all surprised to see the scarf that Anneliese had fallen in love with, completely finished. Apparently the lady had stayed up all night to work on it. Needless to say, Anneliese was delighted and the sale was finalized. After breakfast we left on the last leg of our trip. What a beautiful scenery. Today's trek included a trail that had disappeared due to a mountain slide. It was a scary section and I was glad when we had all traversed that site safely. Lunch awaited us by the van that was to pick us up and take us back to civilization. It took us a couple of hours on the dirt and rain washed out roads to get us back to Ollantaytambo. From there we drove another two hours to get us back to Cusco. A warm shower and a clean, warm room never felt so good. After cleaning up we met our two guides and driver for a farewell dinner at what had become one of our favorite Peruvian eateries. Wow, what a vacation we've had.

July 15
Our last day in Cusco was spent going to the local market were we purchased chocolate and coffee to take home with us along with a bottle of Peruvian wine and Pisco. We ate at some of our favorite street vendors and bought some more artwork. We asked the hotel were we were staying to make us some of their delicious coca cookies to take home as well as some of their chocolate tortes. All of these they had ready for us the next morning.

July 16
The kitchen at the hotel accommodated us by providing us with breakfast extra early as our plane left too early to make it to breakfast during regular hours. Again, our actual flights were terrific. The only downer is having a 5 hour layover in Lima this time. We arrived in SF Int. Airport just before midnight and were waived through customs without a hitch.

July 17th
When arriving back at Nolan & Anneliese's apartment we took time to exchange the pictures we had taken as well as two music CD that we had purchase. We even said our goodbyes as we did not want to wake Nolan & Anneliese up should we want to leave before they were ready to get up. It was 2:30 AM before we put our heads on our pillows. John and I left SF at 8:00 AM this morning to head back home. We met Chelsey just north of Santa Rosa, who was on her way to a wedding, to say hello and to pick up Da Boys from her. Home sweet home around 7:00 PM. Ahhhhh my own bed. How sweet it is to be home again!

CHAMPS

We concluded out winter bowling league this week and we went out in high spirits. There were several categories of winners that were honored: Over-all points for the season, we came in 5th out of 20; Sweeper night (the last night’s score only) we came in fourth; and the most prestigious… League Champions: we took 1st!!!! Yes, you heard right, first. We had placed first in one of the quarters and the last night the four winning teams of each quarter rotated to play each other. The team with the highest average won. Thank you handicaps!

Are we hooked? Probably/Maybe. Winning the League Championship is probably not that uncommon for a rooky team. After all when you start with a really low average there is only one way to go…up! Once you are a better player it becomes harder and harder to improve your score. None the less it is great fun to play and I do want to play on another league next winter.

The WOW factor

Wow, the ocean swells are HUGE today. As we ate our dinner of leftovers in the dining room that John warmed up, I got to look out over the beautiful Pacific and was amazed by the action. If it weren’t because I’m still under the weather, I'd run to the beach to take a closer look. I’ll have to listen to the news when I’m done with this to see if there is a specific reason for the size of the swells. Maybe there was another earthquake somewhere.

My Turn

Not that I want one but it seems I have come down with the creepy crud every one at school has or has had. This week Chelsey was home with it as well. So, now it appears to be my turn. I’m at school today only because I had some things to take care off that I couldn’t delay such as a pizza party for my class with a Superman movie that they earned. I also have to help out with driving a school van to take a high school class on a field trip this afternoon. Besides, I had to come in to get my laptop so I decided to just stay in for the day. Hopefully this is short lived ‘cause I don’t make a very gracious sick person.

All the of this week it has been raining again so non of us have gotten in our hiking quota, and the outlook for the next few days isn't any better. Sigh! Maybe I should take advantage of this gloomy mess and get some more bowling practice in. Heaven knows all of us could use it. Last night we only bowled our average one of the three games. I wonder what that will do to our overall standing of being in third place?

It’s A Pan

It’s a flute. It’s a pan-flute! And, I keep hearing one.

Yep, John keeps opening new websites for yet more research on our prospective Peru trip this summer. And to entice you further, these sites are laced with the sweet music of this wonderful instrument. Their deep, raspy sound have long made them a favorite of mine.

We are slowly creating a list of all the items we will need to take on this trip. Some we will need to purchase soon and break in, as in our new hiking boots. Other items we may actually obtain once we get down there like a wool cap for the cold night on the Andes. The latter will double as a wonderful souvenir when we get back.

Back to the real world. At work I’m implementing a new program that I actually really like. The only down side is that there is sooooo much stuff to get out and put away each day, and I don’t like the idea of having to do all that over and over each year. Then I heard that I was going to be getting a Smart Board! I’ve only had one in-service in this device but already I love it. I have the software on my laptop and I’ve been playing around with it. I think I’ve found a way to put the whole program I’m implementing on SB! No more unnecessary stuff to get out and put away, and better: no pieces to loose! I’m so excited about this prospect that I’m actually enjoying the tech aspect of putting it all together. Better yet, I’ve been told that I may actually get paid to do it over the summer if I don’t finish it before then and, there is not way I can get it all done! I’ll be luck to get half of it done as I don’t even have all the software programs necessary to convert all the pdf files to jpegs.

Ah, Mondays. I am grateful that Mondays are early out days at school.

Explicit Beauty

How is it that I get to live in such an absolutely beautiful place! Oh, this is nothing new of course as I’ve lived in Curry/Del Norte County for well over 30 years. But maybe as the sunshine makes its appearance more often lately, my eyes are being opened anew to my surroundings.

As the weather has permitted, John, Teddy, Otis, and I have been going on hikes the last couple of weeks. Many Pacific Coastal Trail heads are just minutes from our home and we are careful to choose the ones that are safe for Da Boys, as in no cliffs to tumble down. This morning we hiked for two hours through the fern covered forest floors, along the rocky ocean that was thumped by massive waves, and on the pristine beach we practically had to our selves. We did all this after our regular visit to Mattie’s pancake house and a coffee at Dutch Brothers. What a way to start a Saturday.

But… here is the bad part of our day. At the very beginning of the trail head, we found a HUGE dump pretty much in the middle of the trail! This is no doggie dump, not even a bear dump. It was a HUMAN dump, a LARGE human’s dump. And you know who found it first of course. By the time John and I got there, I’m sure it was half gone and it was still huge. Ewe! They are not sleeping with me tonight! Well, we cleaned it up and went on our way but why did this human not take a few steps into the bush-bush to relieve themselves? I mean s#*! happens but really! this was despicable!!!

LONG TIME NO SEE

So, I’ve been MIA for a while. There is just so much going on that I haven’t had time to get on my computer. Even Da Boys have been neglected. You should see their coats all ungroomed for several months now. The pro about that however has been that they’ve not been cold even when it is cold. I am looking forward to seeing them all slim and trim again, soon I hope.

Teddy is getting to be a bad boy. This week he chewed up a second jacket of mine. He feels a need to check out whatever might be in the pockets and so will chew on the coat until he opens the thing. I’ve tried to divert his attention to a more interesting, special chew toy. He liked it alright. With in minutes he chewed off several chucks from this indestructible toy, and lost a tooth in the process! I’ve sent it back for a refund.

John and I are starting to think more seriously about our prospective summer trek up to Machu Picchu. We’ve been riding our stationary bike faithfully and this week, when we had a break in the weather, we went on a nice hike on the Pacific Coastal Trail. Da Boys also loved this outing. Our goal for the next few weeks is to hike an hour three days a week. After a while we will increase the distance and the frequency in realistic increments. Us old fogies need to take the training for this trip seriously!

We have had so much rain this winter that I think we’ve developed webbed feet, and we do not like it. As much as I like animals, I want to be all human not part duck! Tonight we have another indoor activity scheduled; we are going to the movies, yippee. That is one step up from a date-night walk up and down the isle of Fred Meyer, but maybe not as exciting as Thursday bowling night. Speaking of which, I’ve lost my touch! I might need to go in on the weekends for some further instruction. Sigh.

Spring Cleaning a Little Early

What a sense of accomplishment! Wow. Chelsey came home for the weekend and we spent all of Saturday afternoon cleaning out the attic above our garage. Even thought we've only lived here for about 6 years, you wouldn't believe all the crates and boxes that have been stuffed up there. I think we have enough stuff to have a legitimate garage sale this summer. But, I hate having garage sales. Besides, nobody would find our house!! I guess we'll wait and try to have one with someone else in the neighborhood (and let them do all the work) ha ha!

We also bowled this Saturday to make up for the league game that we missed last Thursday. Oh how I sucked again. I am definitely on a not-so-good a run. Three weeks in a row of not hitting my overall average! Fortunately my team members came through and we still ended up taking 2.5 of the 4 points for the evening.

Our hot tub is our again. Sniff, sniff. Hopefully the repair man will come out soon and be able to figure out what the matters is. Thank goodness it is still under warranty. I miss my warm, outdoor baths.

Sunshine On My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

Literally…today was the first day of sunshine in weeks and it felt so good to be outside with those warm rays hitting my face, my arms, my legs, my back, my neck, etc.

Figuratively…I think the days of teaching the Language program at SR school are over. The program trainers came for observations at the end of last week and when they heard the details of my teaching environment they made quick work to let our administrators know that those conditions are not acceptable. So, now I’m waiting again to find out what they are going to have me do with my afternoons. How frustrating to have so of my time wasted this school year. I am hopeful that next year will be better. From what I hear, the powers that be want to leave me at CE all day and teach two session of the Language program there. I would very much welcome that. I am tired of being jerked around from school to school each year and having my program set up to fail.

Thanks John Denver for the title use of one of my favorite songs.

FINDERS KEEPERS

Last summer our school had a major problem with the city drainage system. I'm not sure of the specifics but I do know that it caused our septic system to overflow into the basement where our library is located. As a result we got a brand new library and it is beautiful.

Wednesday of this week was a very stormy day. It was raining dogs and cats I was up in the office taking care of some business when I detected an unexpected scent. Wow, that was nasty. I wondered where it was coming from. I asked if anyone else smelled it but I was not surprised when the answer was negative. I tend to be pretty sensitive to odors.

A few minutes later I headed down to the library to wish a friend a happy birthday. While there I detected the odor again and brought it to her attention. I expressed my concern about it as I was afraid that we may have a repeat of last summer's flooding. Nope. The librarian did not smell anything. So... Anna stop worrying about it. Maybe you're nose is just too sensitive!

Wednesday came and went with occasional whiffs and I started to wonder if my body was excreting odors as a delayed reaction from last week's colonoscopy. Or, am I passing gas? Or, is my underwear dirty? Or, ...??? On Thursday things did not improve. In the afternoon I teach at a different school and was surprised to STILL smell the sewer. Shortly after getting to my classroom my cell phone rang. I tried to find it in one of the many pockets of my raincoat that I was still wearing. I fumbled through several but the significant thing I found was not my cell phone. It was a ...forgotten doggie poop bag full of ... you guessed it! Mystery solved! No wonder the foul smell followed me around.

Oh, come on now you RESPONSIBLE doggie owners. Don't tell me this has never happened to you?!!!

HOW GOOD IT IS…

…to be loved by YOU! Yes it is. Especially this last week.

Yes, methinks I’ve got the winter blues. And it is always this time of the year when retirement is the most appealing. Foul weather, short days, hyperactive students, etc., how I long to go and find sunshine and adult conversation somewhere. The wind is howling outside and the rain is hitting our home horizontally. During the night I wondered if we might need to board up the window. We had several power outages this weekend, one lasting almost eight hours. This kind of weather is not even for the birds, speaking of which, I feel for the little critters as I doubt that they can hang on to any branches with gust of over a hundred MPH.

I did love cuddling up by the fire and reading a book by candle light. I also loved cleaning out closets and our office with John that haven’t been attended to in months. And I loved cooking for my love. I am thinking that maybe when I retire I will enjoy spending more time in the kitchen again. When will that be? Today I vote for June of this year but I know that this will change as the weather improves. Realistically… another year or two!

The results of the colonoscopy I had last week: all clear on the western front. I’ll probably never, EVER have another one! Although the prep was not anywhere as bad as I’d heard and although the actual procedure I can’t even remember, the psychological trauma was enough for me to never be admitted to the hospital again. Yikes.

Sigh! the three-day weekend was so nice. now it’s Tuesday again. Another work day.

YAWN!

OMG I can't keep my eyes open. They appear as they would if I'd been crying all night and then woken up with lids so swollen that you'd need a wedge to prop them open and keep them that way. What gives? Is it:

a) the major workout I got helping Chelsey move on Saturday...all the trips up and down stairs with arms loaded with HEAVY boxes?
b) a side effect of the prednisone I'm taking for the jellyfish sting reaction?
c) the non-stop pace we have had all through our vacation? OR
d) all of the above?

I've been exhausted, and I need coffee tonight just to help me make it through dinner. I'm glad that I only have two more work days this week followed by a 5 day weekend. Yeah!

Bitter Sweet

Well, we won the quarter final tonight but I'm not so sure we deserved it. The first game, all of us bowled UNDER a 100. How shameful is that! The second game we improved just a hair, and the third game we bowled our team average. So how come we still won??? The team we played had an even worse night than we did and yet they are the best team in the league. The way I look at it, we were given a gift, but WE'LL TAKE IT!

Ahhhhh, RELIEF

After just 12 hours of having taken my first day's prednisone and already the itchies are greatly improved. Yay!

Yesterday was my first day with students at the school where I'm assigned in the afternoons. Boy, am I going to have my hands full. These kids don't want to be in my class, and I don't blame them. In order for them to be with me all afternoon, they have to give up their favorite activities: PE, art, band, rewards day, etc. It must feel to them like they are being punished for being low in their language skills. They are getting not one, not two, but three hours of language arts all because the school schedule can not be changed and I can't be at their school in the morning. So by default they have to remain in the regular language arts class in the morning in addition to my class, wow. One of these days I'm going to have to figure out how to be at two schools at the same time.

Bowling night tonight!

Itchiest Itch EVER!

Now that I'm done telling you of all the wonderful things about our trip to Mexico, I have to just let you know how uncomfortable I've been the last week or so. I've gotten these huge itchy bumps all over my body. I finally decided to see my doctor today and he told me that it is probably a delayed allergic reaction to all the minuscule jelly fish we found out self in several times. And I thought I'd gotten off scott free. John and I are even. I have the itches and he has Montezuma's revenge. I just invested in large quantities of Pepto-Bismol. Ha.

Homeward Bound (Dec. 27th & 28th)

Out trip back to the US was much improved over the trip down. Our layovers where short and we caught all our connections. We ate our pan dulce on the plane that we had purchase the night before and had some coffee in the airport. It was nice to get back to San Francisco but it was even nicer to get home to Brookings the following day. Ah my bed. But the best thing about coming home was to see my Boys again. I've missed you two so much.

BUCKET LIST CHECK-OFF (Dec. 26th)

Sigh, our last day in Mexico. I know all good things must come to an end. Today then would be the GRAND FINALE, the day I have been waiting for since I was a little girl, plastered in front of the television watching FLIPPER. Do you remember that show? If so it dates you, doesn’t it? As I sat outside on the patio of our room, anxiously waiting for the day to begin something fluttered close to my face. I knew it was too early for birds to fly so that left me guessing it was a bat. I sat motionless hoping for the incident to reoccur, and it did. After just a few minutes I discovered it's (their) hang-out... no pun intended.
Our reservation at Delphinus was not until 1:30 PM so our tour director John expertly filled in the morning with a visit to a CENOTE where we could swim. Cenotes are larges holes in the ground made by meteorites that hit the earth many years ago. There were two cenotes close to each other just minutes from where we would need to be later in the day. Since only one of us could go and check them out, Nolan was assigned that task. We ended up at Cenote Santa Christina. The water was crystal clear and varied in its dept.
Our afternoon swim with the dolphins was all that I had hoped for and then some. The five of us were eased through different sessions with Fanny and Kenele. Both were seasoned and both had two-year old babes. Fanny did most of the work and we were to avoid Kenele all together. We were amazed at how soft their skins were and how gentle they are. Wow what a day. Upon leaving we just had to purchase some pictures and of course the video. They will have to last me until… yes, next time. I get to check swimming with the dolphins off of my bucket list. However, John made the mistake the other day of telling me there is yet another package available that let’s you train with dolphins for several hours. Guess what was just placed on my ever-expanding list? Yep, you got it!
Our final night in Cancun called for a repeat Mayan coffee at La Habichuela. It ended up just being John and me as the others were tired and had packing to do. Knowing that we would not soon return, we splurged and had the Mayan coffee and also another wonderful dessert that was prepared at the table.

Thank you Mexico for sharing your beauty with all of us. I truly love your country, your food, your people, and your culture.

CHRISMAS ON THE PENINSULA (Dec. 25th)

What is Christmas without a Christmas tree? John was determined to have two things on Christmas day…presents to unwrap and a tree to put them under. Prior to leaving home in the USofA , he had searched on line until he found what he wanted, ordered it, packed it in his suitcase, inflated it, and gave it a home in Chelsey’s room, the Gathering Room at our hotel. Yes, we packed all of our presents down. I’m surprised we were able to fit them all in our suitcases.
Before breakfast John read the Christmas story from the Bible and then we unwrapped our presents. We had too much to do today to further diddle dally at the hotel…on to today’s activities. We drove to Punto Morales where we spent a couple of hours snorkeling one of the beautiful reefs in the area. The waters were shallow so we felt lost in sea weed, coral, and the rest of the beautiful underwater world. It was a very different dive from the one we took a couple of days ago off the coast of Cozumel. When we returned to our car we were ready to find us another beach for some more relaxing time. We ended up at Playa Del Carmen, just minutes south of where we snorkeled.
Wanting to please those of us who had previously looked forward to having a tropical drink on a warm and sunny beach, Nolan volunteered to find us some. He returned a while later with some wonderfully cool, albeit huge drinks to enjoy on the beach. Apparently they only had the foot long plastic cups for take out drinks.
Once the sun went down we spent some time meandering down 5th Street that is nothing but shops for many, many blocks. We ate an early dinner at 5:00PM since we didn't have a true lunch. Dinners in Mexico are usually much later so we actually were able to take advantage of a lunch special. It was a definite upgrade from ye local taco stand but John's wish was to eat somewhere a little nicer. And, it was fabulous although not yet on the same scale as our anniversary dinner. Eventually we decided it was time to head to our lodging facilities back in Cancun. The day could not end however without some more churros and fried bananas.

BEACH TIME (Dec. 24)

Today was expertly planned as a rest day between all the outings we’ve had. After a leisurely breakfast we returned to Mercado 28 a final time. Our plan was to hit some of the beaches in Cancun right after the MERCADO and sip some fruity drinks while basking in the sun. But as it turned out the weather turned very overcast and it looked like rain was on the way. Plan B: we stopped off at Costco and purchased some goodies to take home while waiting to see what the weather was going to do.

By the time we were done in Costco, the weather had greatly improved. John had read that the best beaches could only be accessed by going through hotel lobbies in the hotel zone, if you dared. Of course we dared! The beach was beautiful and the water fantastic. The only problem was that we could not get any beverages at the bar because the hotel was all inclusive. We were also told that we could not use the lounge chairs that were on the beach. Poor all of us had to resort to sitting on our towels, except for Anneliese. She found a way to avoid getting covered with sand:
Before leaving the tourist area we stopped at a Starbucks so that Anneliese could access the internet with her phone to “call home,” or today’s version of that…send an email. Of course it was nice to get a drink as well since we missed out at the beach. Dinner tonight was planned at Don Javier’s. It is an economical sit-down joint where the locals eat. John and I shared a quesadilla and an empanada and they were both fantastic. Of course no dinner is complete without some churros or fried bananas.

I STILL LOVE MY DUCKS

Yes, so the Ducks lost to Ohio in the Rose Bowl but I still love MY DUCKS!
John and I just got back from our very quick trip from Pasadena and we are sooo grateful to be home again. We drove to Sacramento on the 31st and spent the night there. Early on the 1st we flew to Pasadena where we rented an economy car but were upgraded to a convertible Caddy and drove to Old Pasadena.
What a HOTTIE is that by the Caddy!

We caught just a glimps of the Rose Parade but we opted to head to the stadium using the shuttle service to collect our tickets. Everything was smooth sailing until after the game when people got impatient while waiting for hours for the return shuttle service. We stayed the night at Ramada Inn and then took the early flight back to Sacramento where our own car awaited to take us back home. Now we have just one day to catch up from from all our travels before work on Monday. I am going to stay in my PJs all day on Sunday!
Ouch! Can you tell John is not happy with the score?

PYRAMIDS IN THE YUCATAN (Dec. 23rd)

We made SURE to get up extra early so that we would get to today’s destination on time. We left our hotel at 6:00AM even skipping breakfast. The trip by way of the toll road to CHICHEN ITZA took a little over two hours. The gates opened at eight, and as recommended, we were there early to beat all the tour buses that would arrive in a few hours. Both CHICHEN ITZA and EK BALAM were magnificent! The later is less visited by tourist and more accessible in that we were permitted to climb the ruins. We spent three hours at Chichen Itza taking lots of pictures and looking at all the trinkets that numerous vendors were peddling. By eleven o’clock we left to have lunch in the town of Valladolid prior to going to Ek Balam.

View from the top of EK BALAM

After a long day’s drive and walk around the pyramids, we welcomed a bite to eat at some eateries where the locals eat back in Cancun. Yes we ate the usual Mexican food but we also splurged in the local sweets: churros, fried bananas covered with sweet condensed milk and cream, and thin waffles filled traditionally with a graded hard cheese and, in my case, Nutella. A strange combination you say? Yes, but oh sooooo good!
We have sooooo many more pictures to post of the Mayan ruins. John will be editing them and then posting them on our Picasa page in a few day.