December 27, 2008
Everyone arrived with swift and smooth connections, going through customs easy and enjoying the long ride through the country side from the airport. Andy and the guys, Mike and Joseph, really enjoyed the company of one of the drivers, Adrian. The other driver, Giavanna, had Andy ride in her taxi and he grilled her with Spanish lessons all the way, he says. When the big gang of them arrived earlier than expected on Christmas eve, and then the last two Pattys on Christmas day arrived almost an hour before we expected them and walked up to the bus as if they knew where we were, I was ecstatic with happiness, as were a few others. Since then, we have done nothing but celebrate and vacation.

The guys and girls that are usually at work in the states most of the time were in dire need of vacation and Donna and George’s Hacienda on the beach has turned out to be the “best” of any places we could have found for them. The sand area around the pool is about a quarter of an acre raked sand with a fence to keep the kids from going into the sea unless accompanied by an adult, so we can relax while they dig in the sand or swing in the hammock. With a foot dip to get the sand off, the pool is like our own private full sized Santorini style pool with blue tile, white concrete deck, palapa table area and view. The deck above is the deck for the bungalow with dining area, sunbathing areas, and a place to hit the piñata with a stick and get candy flying in every direction.

Research on the Pinata by Shirley:

Today, the piñata has lost its religious symbolism and most participate in the game solely for fun. Piñatas are especially popular during Las Posadas, traditional processions ringing in the Christmas season and at birthday parties. During festivities, people traditionally sing songs while breaking the piñatas.

Note: This is the song they all sang tonight at the park as they were hitting the pinata:

“Dale, dale, dale, no perdas el tino,porque si lo perdes, pierdes el camino.Esta piñata es de muchas mañas, sólo contiene naranjas y cañas.”
Hit, hit, hit.Don’t lose your aim,Because if you lose, you lose the road.

On the upstairs deck at the Hacienda, we can hang out while little Nico takes a nap. The one problem is that the deck pillars are too far apart and we cannot leave Nico up there alone as we caught him leaning out to look below and Patty freaked out. Now, with Patty instructions, we have a net woven out of rope between the pillars and it looks and feels much safer. I think with little Italian sensitive Nico, we really need not worry anymore. He was so scared when his mommy was upset that he kept kissing her and hugging her until she felt better.

We have spent a lot of time in the pool and in the waves on the beach in front. We have walked downtown for breakfast and had Christmas dinner delivered to the bungalow and cooked by Karen’s mother, a really good cook. Karen works at the RV park office. The highlight was the best flan anyone has ever had. George, of the Hacienda on the Beach, died and went to heaven over just one piece! We had pizza at the pool at our place and Mandy and Patty cooked delicious dinner last night. Mike and Joseph have had an extra good time on bicycles dealing with the Mexican markets for our supplies. Joseph will be known from now on for balancing a cake he bought for the kids when he tried to get it home on his bicycle. Mandy took our four mile hike with us through the crop growing area one morning.

Mike and Mandy had to call the bank in the states to get their ATM card to work and then only have a guarantee of $450 on a temporary pin number. Joseph found that he couldn’t even change his American cash for Pesos without his passport with him. We have it all figured out now. In this small town area they mostly just deal in Pesos.

I cannot even tell you how much we are enjoying the sun, surf, family, and plans for the rest of the week….like hamburger Sunday with dancing at our park, and a quad day with everyone, a whale watching trip with a picnic on the island. I think everyone’s favorite thing to do is sit in the sun on vacation with a cervesa or and icy Margarita. The kids have found a new favorite drink made with milk, ice, and chocolate in the blender!

Christmas Eve day December 24, 2008
The kids are coming and Andy is in Puerto Vallarta picking them up in two cars with his Santa hat on. We have shopped for supplies for their little bungalow along with pool toys, sand toys and Christmas tree piñata with proper stuffing and a stick to hit it with. Everyone is excited about them coming and a bit worried about the canceled flights in Seattle and the bad weather holding up flights in the states, but San Francisco departure is one of the easiest I think…..the flight will be late coming in….we find….everyone hopes all is smooth and they all arrive at their little vacation from a smooth trip…we will see. I have been running around delivering little tiny gifts to some people that have been so very nice to us for Christmas and we even have a Christmas card! Our tree is tiny but the spirit of Christmas is great. We wish the best ever to all of you…

Sunday December 21, 2008
Eight quads and a wild time is a good description of yesterday. We left early. Four quads had girl spouses riding double, me being one. We drove back into the park just before dark as dirty as I have ever seen anyone. I had bare feet so I could easily wash off the dirt. The water shoes that I had brought were stowed in the back cubby with the beer on our quad (on generous loan from Lewis’), and we all wore scarves or masks in order not to breathe all of the dust. My shoes were only to be retrieved to climb up steep hills or eat lunch at the beach restaurant in Lo de Marcos. Lo de Marcos is many miles south on back roads, through agricultural farms growing sugar cane, pineapple and beans for frijoles. Driving the back way, we splashed through rivers and irrigation water deep on the road, followed a river weaving in and out of the water, and then climbed hills. It was mostly pretty level roads of topes, ruts, farm roads, and cobblestone in the towns. The quads did an amazing job of smoothing out the bumps. The view from the highest place was extraordinary and we spent a bit of time just looking out over the farm land, jungle, and mountains. We tried some impossible things with the quads, like climbing a bank with a berm that tips over rigs and Shirley and Bob went over once, then once again with Shirley driving and Bob pushing. Shirley hurt her wrist, but seems all right otherwise. I chose to walk up the hill alone when each of them tried to ride up the bank (up stream further) and Murrey’s quad tipped over on top of him. He was alright too with some stiff muscles and sore neck the next day. We would not have had to do that if someone had not put a fence wire across the river we were riding up. What a ride!! We watched Brahma cattle, goat families with kids, farmers cutting pineapple and using a machette, and families cooking outside, and washing clothes in the river. It was an exciting day and we covered a lot of ground, looking at the way it is in Mexico. It was fun to have Donna and George with us on their quad as they will be host and hostess to the kids next week at the Hacienda on the Beach.
This morning we had breakfast with Santa and our pictures taken with him up at the pool. There are groups of Mexican kids that have been coming to La Penita RV celebrations for several generations and the people in the park have watched them grow up.

December 19, 2008
“Uno y Uno” at a street corner means…..one and then one…like a four way stop!
The sugar cane has gone to flower…the flower looks like swamp grass…because the harvesters were on strike. The strike ended yesterday.
The funeral parade participants were carrying white balloons because the boy that died was so young…only 19. He stayed out partying all night and in the early morning hours fell, hitting his head and dying from the head injury….sad!
Vegetarians, like our guide yesterday to Potrero de La Palmita, Vicente (Benny because it sounded like he was saying benicent or something like that) do not like to talk about chicken cooked on a spit or beef. It was a delightful trip for us three, Shirley, Barbara, and I in a van meant for twelve. The guys were gone for a quad ride east of La Penita with Abel, the vege and fruit vender, and Allen, the hotel and bungalow rental native. Us three women did not get back until 730 pm and went 61 kilometers past Tepic, so maybe covered 75 or more miles of farm country in our drive. We saw the largest sugar cane processing plant in the state, the state capital, Tepic, and what was the first state capital,Compostella. Rio Grande de Santiago is the location of two dams and a new one being built up stream. We went to the first one and across the lake to a the village of Potrero de La Palmita, where we were greeted by a tribe of Indians. We walked through their village, checking on their crafts, hand brick making, buildings, and an actual new retreat they are building for vacationers. It was very remote and quite a boat ride to get there. Our guide was 41 years old, not married, but the father of twins going to school in the states. He was full of good humor and good stories, so we had a great time, stopping to look at the Christmas decorations, cathedrals, town squares, museums and eating in some of his favorite restaurants (we found later that he owns one of them). Vicente likes politics and is runner up for mayor, we think, although mayor may not be the exact position he is running for. He has been in business in these towns for many years and knew everyone. He was interviewed while we had breakfast by a TV station reporter about his involvement in the turtle release program.

December 17, 2008
The biggest tree with the most Iguanas is next to the swimming pool. Last year one Iguana fell into the pool. The small ones are at least 2 feet long. One fell on the cooking tent while we were eating our omelet. Everyone ran out from under. If the big one fell, it may collapse the tent. Two bigger ones were in the tree above.
We had just survived the little baby, Karen, sobbing because I blew up a balloon for her. The story is that a balloon burst in her face the day before, so she was scared. She is so precious. Our Spanish teacher, Maria, and her friends (also with small babies) cook by the pool until noon and you can get breakfast or lunch…..fresh fruit and omelets and tortillas with egg rolled in them and thick Mexican pancakes. Another major product of this farm area is honey and a must-try in April is the Mango honey.
Yesterday, Shirley and I went to Gerri’s to work on Barbie dolls some more…we washed dressed and brushed hair on Barbie dolls, and then put them in plastic bags for give away. Some were clothed in clothes we had made and we wonder where they will journey to after leaving us this Friday. Friday is distribution day at the mall in La Penita and we are all invited to help and to eat dinner down there at a restaurant sponsoring the children’s fund.
Barb, Shirley, and I have signed up for a bus trip tomorrow and the guys are going on their quad ride while we are gone. This afternoon is our 3 times a week Spanish lesson…..we practice as we do our four mile walk through the village in the early am….cero, uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez.
We had a wonderful dinner at Barb and John’s last night of fresh shrimp with cocktail sauce, chili relleno without batter on it….interestingly good….., wine, and salad. It is very warm and tropical eating on their patio by candlelite and they have some light fixtures with cloth in the top and lights shine on the cloth as it flutters in an artificial breeze, looking like yellow flames.
We hear that it has been really cold at home, …………sorry!

December 16, 2008

December 16, 2008
A Mexican circus and us the only gringos and Shirley’s ride on the elephant…..then an art opening….just like the Candy Stick Gallery only more low key….water colors, handmade embroidery and handbags, and refreshments in a wonderful home on the street of well-to-do Northerners from the states and Canada….more from Canada than anywhere. The home was beautiful with a tiled dome and pool and open spaces. I am helping with the Barbie project still and signed up to go on a shopping day in February and to help paint a mural on the walls of a young children’s school…like kindergarten thru 3rd grade. Andy is out right now on the quads with the guys….they do some rough riding together but see lots of territory. We had dinner together under the stars and Christmas lights in the park and enjoyed the company last night….tacos, would you believe?

December 14, 2008

I am getting behind on this journal….so much to have fun doing…..I’m tired!!

Some of our kids are arriving for Christmas week. We can walk to and from the place that they are staying in, Hacienda on the Beach. The park-mexico translater has a van arranged for pick up when they arrive on Dec. 24. After they get here, the bunch of them will be in walking distance of good restaurants…..that is what we do mostly…..is eat out. It is a shame sometimes though because we have the best fresh fruit and veges you have ever seen and fresh shrimp delivered to our RV park for purchase for a few small pesos. There is a bread lady that delivers twice a week, Pizza by the pool, Hamburger Sunday, and Taco Tuesday here in the park. The kids will be up here by our pool as much as by theirs, maybe. The Hacienda where they stay has a good kitchen to cook in, too. I hear that our park is crowded with Mexicans for that week……none here now. Shirley says the little kids will love playing in the pool with all of the kids that will be here at the park……there are none here now, so I don’t know. This morning we hiked to the hacienda to see how far it really is. It is about a 15 minute walk and the kids cannot do it without an adult, but we can walk back and forth. The owners of the hacienda told us that we could come back by the sea if we aren’t afraid of heights and climbing rocks. Shirley told us that we cannot go that way and it was steep and rocky. We did, I’ll show her……One or two adults should do it before they try it with the kids, but walking the road way is easier even with a hill to climb. Some hiking involved.


The pool at the Hacienda on the beach…..

Yesterday, we went to Puerto Vallarta for the first time and it was a whole day spent. We went to a wonderful Mexican restaurant, “Si Senor” for lunch and a hike around old Puerto Vallarta. We had been there probably 20 years ago and nothing looked familiar. It was a hotel vacation at the time and all you see is the beach side mostly. The rest of the day was spent at the Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s Club and Home Depot…..it is all in Puerto Vallarta. Friends are working on the new house they just purchased, so had a few things to buy. We bought some toys for kids and some supplies that are not easy to get , like protein powder for our fruit juice drinks. Our wonderful friends take us along everywhere and Andy and I love going with them. John Webber is official driver....good one!


Have you ever been to a Mexican circus? We went last night because they set up right across the highway from us. We were the only gringos attending and we did play it up big. Bob went across the ring to see if we could sit on the elephant for pictures and before I knew it, we were all in the ring under the circus tent, chatting in English to the carnies that only speak Mexican. 3 little boys were delighted with the balloons I had in my pocket and blew up for them. We fed the lamas and took pictures of Shirley on the elephant. She was a bit hysterical and grabbed the man that was trying to help her on. Later she said he had really curly hair….yah, Shirley. The circus was small but had some animals, including the elephant and two camels, a couple of monkeys, and even a tiger that was trained and worked in the open ring. We were sitting right up front, and had paid for the most expensive tickets for the best seats – 50 pesos each, less than $4.00. It was an exciting evening and unexpected!!

Last night was grand opening for the Los Potros Restaurant with the Perez brothers that can sing……wow can they sing……we danced a lot….good party and food to die for…homemade perogies….fillet Rellano-Dorado with shrimp, onion, green pepper, cheese and garlic butter…mmmm. Today was the big market and swim exercise in the pool….no time for the beach!

December 9, 2008
Today was taco Tuesday with free Margaritas…..but, more important was our meeting with Donna and George at the Hacienda on the Beach where Patty and Joseph and Mandy and Mike families will stay….it is a beauty.
Even more important was releasing the turtles to the sea. The baby turtles were put on the sand to make their way to the sea, to someday come back to this beach. It is a vulnerable time for them and they may not live to make it back to this beach. We got to do our share by helping them, releasing them by hand, and watching them go into the water on the beach. It was pretty emotional at sunset time and we wished them good luck

December 16, 2008

December 08

I am lazy to copy a bit of Andy’s email to make a blog, but wow does it save time….so here is a bit from Andy….

I am sitting in our bus at La Peñita catching up on our e-mail while JoAn is at a Barbie-Doll meeting. Our friends who we came down with are parked next door, and Shirley--the wife--is on a committee to gather up used Barbie-Dolls, fix them up, make clothes for them and give them to an orphanage. I think JoAn has knitted some 60 outfits. They were able to buy some complete outfits with accessories very reasonably also. I think those people on the committee really deserve kudos.

The weather is plenty warm here. I would not want it any warmer. It sometimes cools down to maybe 73 degrees Fahrenheit early in the morning when it is still dark. There is both a nice swimming pool and a beach that we can cool off in.

We have been on three quad rides so far. Two rides with our wives on board and one with just the boys. We are invited on another ride with the boys tomorrow. There are endless trails through the trees, almost like a jungle, and some are pretty rough. The best part is that there is lots to see. It is even a challenge for the "tough" boys.

A comment from me:

The quad ride through small towns was truly adventure personified!!

Good hamburger night last night with a really enjoyable dance band and three singers that could really sing…….We danced waltzes and two steps and had a literal ball…. and I bid on and became owner of a bird house and a visor that says “Le Penita RV Resort”

December 6, 2008
Our bus feels pretty tropical with all of the screened windows open and the cool breeze drifting through as you can see from PaPa’s picture ….. “relaxed is his name” and he has not had any heart irregularities since being here……the blood sugar count is a bit up and we are trying to keep an eye on that……the food is especially good part of our vacation mode….for me, not cooking very much is good, and for both of us, the delightful assortment of fresh food and fresh fish…..Today, being Saturday, we have a huge vegetable market coming into the park, the shrimp man is coming, and the bread lady, too, ……She makes the best ever bread. Bread is not something the Mexicans eat a lot, but for us, it is a delicacy from home and fresh as can be…..hard to pass up.
There was the first annual golf tournament yesterday. We sort of accidently-on-purpose forgot about it until Shirley came by and announced that she has to go to a meeting but has us already signed up and provided us with her homemade golf club. The rules were that we make our own golf club and ball and wear costumes. You must have a player and a caddy. We had five minutes to get up there and Papa Andy used his fisherman’s hat from home and a scarf made from a dish towel for his costume and we made a ball of wadded paper wrapped with electrical tape. The ball was just big enough to get stuck in the hole on the green. I didn’t know to wear a costume, so I caddied armed with our laundry bag for a golf bag. The thing was pretty hilarious. Many people spend a long time on costumes and the balls were much more golf ball size than ours. Our club with a leaf for the club part lasted about a minute and when the leaf was gone, Andy said it worked much better (more like a baseball bat). I believe with the fines for me not taking the flag out of the hole on the green in time, we also had the highest score! Good thing this was a money-maker for charity and no bets were made on the side (although you were allowed to bribe the officials). Another day is beginning and what adventure is next? We had a wonderful moonlight dinner on Webber’s new house patio last night. They barely had time to sweep up the paint chips from the pressure spraying they are doing and to wind strings of Christmas lights around the balcony rails….it was very tropically romantic….if six people can be called romantic.

December 04

Happiest birthday to Joseph and Andy....we are so busy doing excercises in the pool, four mile hikes through town in the morning, market on Thursday, vegetable man and bread day in the park, hamburger and free marguerita night and Taco Tuesday that we haven't had time to add to this blog...we are truely enjoying everything. Our excuse for not traveling more yet is that it takes at least a week to settle in. We toured through John and Barb's house they have bought and are furnishing, and have eaten at all of the best restaurants (including breakfast by the pool in our park). Today was market day in our little town and was fastinating....it one of the biggest markets and for this small town, it covers almost anything you want to buy. The Mexican families buy essentials at Thursday market and we buy all kinds of handmade wonderful plates, carpets, baskets, and painted figurines. I am going to include a letter from Andy about his quad ride that he really did enjoy.........

Hi guys.

Our dear neighbors that brought us across the border and down through Mexico to La Peñita RV Park are parked next to us. We are parked in the two choicest spots of the park because the park manager is a good friend of theirs. They have two 400 cc. quads and graciously offered one to us to use. We had a wonderful ride together with another couple that came down through Mexico to La Peñita with us down a six mile beach and stopped on the way back to play in the waves and try a little body-surfing. I actually felt very much at home on their quad.

A Mexican named Abel that brings vegetables to the park for guests to buy, invited our two friends, Bob and John, to go for a quad ride yesterday. So Bob invited me to go as well. Now Bob claims he is not very experienced on quads, but I know better after the ride on the beach. So I timidly accepted being leery of what to expect. I was afraid of how wild this ride might be, and I know I am not very confident on a quad. I would feel more at home on a motorcycle, especially in rough terrain.

So Bob, John and I all rode on 400 cc. quads from the RV park down town to meet Abel and another fellow named Allan. Well, Allan was a big Mexican--with a pot-belly--dressed up in a fancy bright orange flight suit, a full--bright yellow--very fancy crash helmet complete with filters for dust, shoulder pads with breast plate, and a quad like I have never seen before! It was 700 cc's, had 4-wheel drive, independent suspension, and a winch. It was very complete and fancy. As we drove up Allan looked us over skeptically and advised us in a condescending manner that this ride would be rough and obviously we were not properly equipped or prepared. We were in shorts and tennis shoes. I was wearing an old dweeby looking bicycle helmet. Soon, Abel showed up with his three-year old son on board his normal 450 cc quad. Abel was going to lead us and Allan was going to follow to pick up the pieces of we presumably inept inexperienced green-horns. However, we felt a little more at ease since Abel would probably have to go a mite slower with his little son aboard.

Away we go through the town and end up on a road (trail) that was for the most part used by very brave four-wheel drive vehicles and occasionally some quads. I would have liked to go a little slower, but it was fun, nevertheless. The trail was full of wash-outs and ditches, which made the handling of the quads a real challenge. Then we headed up a hill that was complete with even more challenges. John, who was maybe the least experienced had his front end come off the ground so he let off on the throttle and ended up coasting a few feet back and ended up with his rear wheel in a ditch. I stopped because I could not go around him and wanted to see if John needed any help. John got under way and we proceeded up the steep hill. When we caught up with Bob and Abel, we stopped and waited, but Allan did not show up. Abel and Bob rode back to find Allan. After quite a while all three arrived where John and I were waiting and having a nice visit. I thought John was doing very well for one who supposedly had very little experience.

Allan admonished us for stopping on the steep hill like that right in front of him. It caused him to lose control and and he flipped over because of all the power his machine had. Hmm? Abel and Bob had quite a time getting Allan back on the road in an upright position. So lesson number one was do not get in Allan's way. Anyway, Allan had two more mishaps when John and I were not close enough to blame. Allan finally concluded it was simply his quad's fault because it was too heavy for even a man of his size and ability to handle. It occurred to me, how do you say "bool sheet" in Spanish.

In addition to the entertainment provided by Allan we had a really great ride. Abel's little son, Abel, Jr., was a real trooper. His dad was a very good and smooth rider. It was all we could do to keep up with them, and they looked like they were on a Sunday drive. Of course, Abel knew all the trails very well, and knew what to expect before he got there. We came back home with dust and mud all over us and the quads. We wore bandanas over our faces to help keep the dust out of our lungs, but the quads bore the evidence. It was much more fun than riding in the hills at home where cow-trails provide a formidable challenge and speed is not an option.

Hopefully, we will get to go on another ride next Monday.

Andy