Easter Saturday

Well, this makes post number 125. I guess this is the real thing, something that I am actually sticking to rather than just playing with and dumping for something new. Today's photo is of Hunter who is down visiting with the family. Devon was still sleeping at the time I took the photo. I am posting this from the old HP laptop as my newer Vaio is having wireless issues that I will get Lawrence to cope with later. This machine is definitely slower, one of the reasons I got the newer Sony Vaio.

It's a sunny day and we are planning a few outdoor activities as well as an afternoon swim at the local pool. Ham and scalloped potatoes for supper, our Easter meal as Noelle and Collin will return to Provost very early tomorrow for Collin's work. Noelle will return after a few days to spend more time with us. We did get to talk with Tasha and family for a bit this morning, a good online visit.

Been doing some thinking about the photo project and have decided that one of the options is a book with "tunnel vision" photos, those photos with a circle surrounded by black which look as if one is looking through a telescope (or microscope). If this is the way I go, it will likely be matched with poetry, possibly haikus, to fit the photo. Oh well, I likely will change my mind a gazillion times before I actually get started sometime in May.

Home Again

We are finally at home again. The flight wasn't too bad. It helps when one isn't flying for more than a day. We got into Calgary just as the sun was setting over the Rockies. We got to spend a bit of time visiting with Dustin and Robyn before going to bed, enough time so that they could tell us the news - they are going to be parents. WooHoo! This is awesome news! I guess that means that the job we did as parents was good enough that all of our children decided to take a shot at doing the same job themselves.

After spending a couple of days with Robyn and Dustin, we drove home on Wednesday and were surprised by how good our house smelled when we entered. The sewer gas smell, the old musty smells were all gone. I guess it was a combination of replacing the sewer gas stack and fixing up the basement walls that have led to such a good result. On the down side, there is a lot of cleanup work for us to do. Oh well, resting isn't all that it is cracked up to be anyway.

Today we are making sure that the upstairs is ready for Noelle, Collin and the boys who will be coming tomorrow. Living room, dining room, entryway and kitchen are done. Next is Noelle's room and the computer room. We will leave the basement until after the boys have returned to Provost so that we can enjoy our time with them better.

It's good to be home.

Dawn is Breaking, It's Early Morn ...

Dawn is breaking on the Yucatan coast looking towards the east. You can just see the lighs on the left horizon, pier lights on the pier that goes out for about six kilometres into the Gulf of Mexico. It has to be a long pier in order to get out far enough for the large cruise ships and the ocean-going vessels. Any closer and they hit sand as the sea is very shallow.

I was up and took this picture and writing up this post before 6:00AM. Excited to go home is the best reason I can come up with. It is going to be a long day and I know that I will be beat by the time I can go to sleep at Dustin and Robyn's. We went to bed late last night as we wanted to go for a midnight swim in the sea. Strange how we leave this kind of activity for our last night.

Well, from now on, any stories of Mexico will be told face-to-face as it is time to begin telling about our stories from Canada once again.

Easter Week - La Semana Santa

Today is the start of the two weeks of holidays for students here in Mexico. Because of the religious events of Thursday, Friday and Sunday, this is called the holy week, la Semana Santa. This means as many people as possible will be packing their families off to the beach houses for the duration. As a result, a number of these little concession stands are now set up with Coke out dueling Pepsi for the prime locations along the beach road. No one is parked right onthe beach. I guess we picked the right time to leave as it is supposed to be fourteen days of loud music, late nights and parties on the beach with no regard to whose villa is between the sea and the parties. The beach belongs to the people. Tough if you are old and don't want people to mess up the sand directly in front of your villa.

It's kind of sad knowing that there is only one day left. But, I know we are both READY to head home. In a way, it would have been great if we could have left yesterday. I've been looking at the weather forecast for home and it seems as though the weatherman has been told we are returning so we can expect temperatures rising to the low to mid teens when we get to Elrose. Here, another day of 37C with sun, sand and sea.

Even the Sun is Pink

Mom took this picture yesterday as sunset was approaching. She was hoping to get a photo of a bird flying past the setting sun. No bird, but the sun turned pink for her. Appropriate.

In less than 48 hours we will be on the plane headed to Calgary. We have already done a first round practice of packing bags so that we could see what space remains before Mom heads to the city with Kathy for a final bit of shopping. No use heading back with half-empty backpacks.

Today the weather is cooler, a relief from the toaster oven weather we have been having. Today it is more like a slow cooker kind of weather with temperatures in the low thirties and a cooling breeze off the sea. There are even occasional clouds to make the day that much more pleasant. It's a good way to bring our Mexican sojourn to a close.

On-line eBooks

Well, the deed is done. If you look on the left-hand side, you will see a small version of this picture. If you click on that picture you will be taken to an on-line version of my latest book. This is all part of my getting ready to create a 35 photo book as part of a challenge before the end of June. When the challenge is done, I will post that book here as well. This is neat stuff.

Through a Looking Glass

I went out for what could have been my last walk through the swamplands in order to take photos using my telephoto lens which is an extra I bought for the camera. I wanted to get a series of photos which basically look as though one is looking through a telescope. This is what I was hoping for. It will fit into a photo project that I am working on at this time, a small photo book that will become an eBook. With any luck, I will finish this short book within a week.

Today is supposed to be our hottest day of the winter/spring with temperatures going up to 39C. That is hot! About 102F. I am sure that we might make it in to the water more than our usual three times a day, today. We might even have to spend some of the time indoors to avoid becoming a barbequed by the sun.

Only three more sleeps in Mexico until we head for Canada and home.