Windy old weather

The water is wild this morning. As you can see in the photo I took yesterday morning, this is what a calm sea is supposed to look like in the morning sunshine. Yes,those are marines, the "federales" as they are called here, the equivalent of our federal police force, the RCMP. They just walked by as they looked for anything that looked out of place. About a month and a half ago, a large bale of drugs washed up on shore not too far down the beach.

Mom went into Merida for an afternoon of shopping and other things while I got to enjoy a good walkd and a good book. By late afternoon, the winds began to pick up and changed out calm blue-green sea into a white water frenzy. Winds soon were into the fifty plus kilometre per hour range - a full strong el norte.

In the evening, we had some company over for cards, two Canadians from BC I had earlier mentioned, Roger and Marianna. We had a good time while Mom trounced us in a game of Casino.

Today? Well, the plan is to go to Progreso in order to get fresh fruits and veggies to add to our supplies. And then, we just plan on discovering a bit more about Progreso while we have windy old weather.

Having fun with friends

A picture of Mom and our friends Suzanne and Roger Marsollier. I often golf with Roger as they live at Sask Landing in one of the newest homes in the cabin area. I took this photo near a town called Dzilam de Bravo where we stopped for lunch on the first day of our four-day road trip.

And no, Mom isn't really drinking from the bottle. The beer was shared as you can tell from the glasses on the table. There is no doubt that we had a lot of fun on the trip as Roger and Sue have a great sense of humour.

Today, Mom will be shopping in Merida while I enjoy some quiet time at the villa. I will likely do some more writing as well as posting to the general Mexican blog site. The weather this morning is again sunny and calm. By this afternoon, another "el norte" is supposed to arrive bringing strong winds and rain. The system isn't supposed to hand around too many days before we again return to perfect beach weather. Besides, we could always give our skin a break from sunshine. So far we are lucky and haven't had to deal with sun burns. We are getting quite dark though. Well, enough for now.

Oh, a final note. Ottawa won last night 3-1. Elliott was in net. They play again tonight and Alex Auld is scheduled for a turn in net. Go Griffin Go!

Lady in Pink

It is a beautiful day in all ways. The sea is calm with barely a breeze stirring. It is sunny and it is warm. Right now, it is 29C and it is on the way to 31C. We took our morning long walk along the beach, this time wearing our Dawgs so that we didn't doddle. Since we have a bit of pink from yesterday's long walk, which was more of a beach stroll, we decided that speed with extra sunblock was just what was needed.

Back home to our villa, we spent the rest of the morning swimming in the sea in front of the villa. Since it is so warm out, Mom decided to wear one of her new beach dresses in order to stay cool. I think she not only is going to stay cool, but that she looks cool as well.

For the rest of the day? Well, not much really. Obviously I will get busy on working with photos and my blogs while Mom does some reading on the patio in the shade. The rest of the day will just happen.

Hot and Sunny Weather

It's cloudy out this morning but it is supposed to become sunny for the afternoon with temperatures rising to 31C, a perfect day for spending beside the sea and staying close to our villa. Tomorrow is supposed to be a repeat performance of sun and warmth.

Mom and I are busy with photos. She is working on putting up photos on Facebook while I am obviously posting to our blogs. In between we are both reading newspapers for stories about the new budget in Canada. It is a dumb budget that throws money all over the place but ignores supporting an extended social safety net or supporting new and green industries.

Enough of budget talk. Ottawa played last night and it was a return to poor playing with another loss 1-4 to the New Jersey Devils. The young Brian Elliott played in net. Gerber is playing for the farm team and seems to be doing alright there.

Back Home in Chuburna

Four days away from our villa and it was a good feeling to come "home". Of course, the trip was a great time for us.

We got up before dawn on the day we left, last Friday morning, and were able to get a few photos of dawn sneaking into the edges of the sky. As we drove towards our first stop, a place called Dzemul, a tiny village, we watched the sun rise over the saltwater lagoons.

This morning we went for a long walk of about seven kilometres along the seashore and enjoyed the warm sunshine and listening to the waves breaking gently on the shore. In four days, the shoreline has changed a bit because of the active winds and surf. And now, I will begin to add photos of our trip to the Mexico blog site, Saskatchewan Gypsies.

Study in Pink

While walking in the afternoon while Mom was in Merida, I saw this wall. Of course, I thought of Mom and how she loves pink. Who knows, she might want something like this to put in front of our house in Elrose.

As usual, more than one walk was in order for the day. And as usual, the camera came with me. And as usual, I got shots of iguanas, birds and scenery. In the end, I will have some photos worth saving. Thank goodness for digital cameras.

I will have the opportunity to sit in on a class or two at a university in Merida, a Mexican histor class that is being taught in Spanish. If I go, I will make sure that I study up on the topic before going so that my ears are tuned in to what I expect to hear. That way, I will understand a few more words than I would have otherwise.

Our friends, Roger and Sue will be here later this afternoon so that we can prepare for our four-day trip with them. Of course, that means I will not be posting until next Tuesday. So, until then, we send our love.

Reading and Relaxing

I took this picture a few days ago while I was in the house. I took the picture through the screen in the door. that is why there is a faint set of cross-hatched lines and a few grayish spalts. They are bits of salt spray on the screen itself. Anyway, I wanted you to see that Mom is reading. Yes, she does sit still at times for reading. She has finished one book and has started on another one. Yes, it is amazing.

Yesterday we went again for another afternoon of bridge with Roger, his last time before he heads back home to Saskatchewan. Since it was windy and cool, we thought it was a good way to spend the day.

Today, Mom is off to Merida with our neighbour, Kathy. It's just another girls' day out as far as I can tell. As for me, it becomes a day for reading, walking and hopefully taking a few more interesting photos.

Just a side note about the weather. Another north wind is causing large waves in the sea and has dropped the temperatures to the low 20s. At night it is supposed to drop to between 10 and 13C over the next few days. We have to remember that it is winter here in Mexico, just a warmer version of it. Even though it is "cool", we are still in shorts and short-sleeved tops.

Obama becomes the 44th President

Today is a big day in the USA and surprisingly, all around the world as Obama takes over as the new president of the USA. A lot of hope is being invested in him, even in Canada. I imagine a lot of people will be glued to their televisions watching the inaugeration ceremonies. However, since we have peasant vision and only in Spanish, we will skip watching TV and likely go play some bridge in Progreso this afternoon.

It's sunny with a few scattered clouds with a strong northwest breeze. We both are still needing to use sunscreen because of the intensity of the sun's rays. Yesterday I did without and I got a bit pink on my face as a result. So, today I will put on some sunscreen and wear a cap. Ottawa plays tonight with young Brian Elliott playing in net. Talan, I think you are now Elliott instead of Gerber. Elliott is a better goalie.

Garbage pickup in Chuburna

This is a local business enterprise. In the village there isn't any garbage pickup as we know it. This leaves the door open for various community men to use their trucks for garbage pickup. People pay between two and five pesos per garbage bag.

It is sunny out today, and it feels nice and warm. One of the local Mayans tells us that another "el norte" will be here by this evening, one that should leave us with sunshine and relatively warm daytime temperatures but with reduced night time temperatures. This time the wind is coming out of the northwest and the sea has become a deep jade colour. Interesting.

Morning Language Lessons

We slept in a bit this morning, almost to eight. Now why would we do something like that? Well, since it was Friday night, some Mexican youth were at the villa next door for an evening and a night of partying. We knew that the beaches belonged to the Mexicans on weekends and during holidays and that it would be noisy, noisy, noisy. It reminded us of weekends at Greenwater Lake when campfire parties got going all around us.

I got to try out some more Spanish today as I asked our velador for a coconut from one of the trees in our yard. Of course, he was more than willing to do this for us. An hour later when he had finished up his yard work picking up leaves and branches and raking the sand, he brought us a coconut without the shell - he did all of the cleaning work! Amazing! We also asked him to get us some fresh fish fillets for tomorrow noon so that we can have fresh fish for tomorrow's supper. We'll see how that goes tomorrow and find out just how well he understood me. I am learning new words and quickly - LOL!

A Walk to Town and Back

As you can see in the pictures, it isn't just Cameron, Griffin and Talan who enjoy dressing up as superheroes. The older of the two boys here is wearing a mask as he drives his younger sister around the yard beside his home at the edge of the village.

It's still windy and overcast today. We had planned on travelling to a place called Rio Lagartos with our friends in order to boat through the salt water swamps and lagoons in order to photograph pink flamingos, crocodiles and alligators as well as anything else we could see of interest. I guess we will have to put that off until some other day. So, we decided to take a walk to town and find out what we could about the place. I also had another objective, to find out how early the mini-buses, the combis, left in the morning. Of course, I had to practice what I would say when asking as I knew that everyone here only speaks Spanish.

¿A qué hora sale el primer combi Chuburná salir en la mañana? At what time does the first bus leave Chuburna in the morning? Imagine our surprise when I tried it out when we got to the town square and got an answer. The bus service begins at six in the morning. As a bonus, the driver told us when the final bus leaves Progresso for Chuburna, at nine in the evening. With that accomplished, we wandered around the back streets of the village to see what we could see before heading back for home.

Las Ruinas de Chuburna Peurto

Today Mom and I went on a long hike that took the full morning. We headed to the village and then on further west until we came to a set of ruins, what we understand are some minor Mayan ruins. The ruins were actually that, not much more than broken walls which were not far from the sea. The gray skies actually made the scene more poignant. It definitely was a place lost in time, a place that only could hint at a different era. Still, for all of that, it was a neat experience. This is definitely Mexico off the beaten path. Oh, by the way, I am wearing a new shirt, one that we bought in Progreso for less than $4 CDN.

El Norte

Another photo of Mom with the birds, this time with a Pelican. As you can see, it's all about having fun as much as possible. Yesterday we went to Progreso about mid-morning to do a bit of looking around and then go to play bridge with the seniors of Progreso, most of whom were from Canada, especially Ontario. Of course, we went there on the advice of Roger, my golfing buddy from the Landing. We played until late afternoon then we caught the buses needed to return to our "home" in Chuburna.

At home, we were met by dark skies and strong winds, an "el norte". It was noticeably much cooler with the temperature dropping all the way to 21C. Apparently we can expect night temperatures to drop to about 15C during the next week while the "el norte" is blowing. Daytime highs will be about 25C. This is way different than the 30C, no wind and no clouds days we have been experiencing so far. We also might get a bit of rain. Not to worry as this only means we do something different for the next few days.

Mom the Magician

I guess you could say Mom has done one better than pulling a dove out of a hat. I have a number of photos of her standing among the seagulls, but this shot of her waving to have them take to the air was priceless. As you can tell, we are enjoying each day to the fullest. This afternoon is sunny but cool as there is a brisk northeast breeze that has put whitecaps on the water.

Meeting other Canadians

This little bird is a dove, a very small dove. We think it is a female sitting on her nest which was build on a vine against a wall. She never flew away while I was taking photos. It's amazing some of the things you can see when your eyes are open.

Well, today we went for another long walk though it was later in the morning. We didn't get back until around 1:00pm as we met another couple on our walk. Of course, they were from Canada as well. I guess there are many more Canadians than Americans here. Perhaps, this is because it is so quiet here, no action.

How to get a tan.

It's a quiet day for us, something we have looked forward to for a few days. I guess it's one of those days where it is enough just to be alive and satisfied with that fact.

After breakfast we went for a long walk that basically took us two hours to accomplish. We walked along the beach just doing our thing - walking in the water, stopping to check out shells, choosing some of them for the collection and taking an occasional photo when something caught my interest.

Obviously, a row of seagulls won my interest, especially when they all started to take to flight when Mom crept close to them. With the walk done, we went for a swim before heading in for lunch.

The afternoon has been even quieter as we read on the beach patio. Before long, we both found ourselves raking seaweed and rocks off our section of the beach, making it even more to our liking. I guess you could say that this is just another boring day in Chuburna.

Hockey Night in Mexico

This isn't the best photo I have ever taken, but it does show a dolphin in the top left corner. It isn't always about quality. It was amazing watching the dolphins crest the surface before diving. At times they would leap out of the water. It was quite a show. We got to see some of it through our neighbour's binoculars.

Late this afternoon we went walking and ended up having drinks with two others from Canada. I imagine that we will see them more in the future as they are here for three months as well. Since they have a car here we might go to tour some Mayan ruins with them. We will see.

A final note, I got to listen to the last period of the hockey game, heard them lose to Boston. A poor effort in the third from Ottawa with only eight shots on net in the third. A lot of mistakes and giveaways. Gerber faced 22 shots and allowed five of the six goals. Any day now I expect to hear that Murray and Hartsburg have been fired.

Viva Mexico

Warm. That's the best word to use at this time. We don't have to wear parkas and boots. Bathing suits, shorts, and barefeet most of the time is how we handle living on the beach. We do wear sandals or the dawgs if we walk on the sand lanes.

We got to eat out at a restaurant this afternoon for a late lunch with our neighbour, Kathy. It was a village outdoor restaurant that had fish in various dishes as the main sets of dishes. We had fish fillets done with onion and garlic along with some interesting side dishes of what I could best describe as Mexican sushi and Mexican escargot.

Of course, there has been too much to see in such a short time, so the best thing I can do is just keep putting up a daily photo and some kind of story which will all add up in the end. Glad to hear from all of you. Oh yeah, Mom really didn't try to climb the tree ...

The Rockies as Seen from Strathmore

We got to take Duke and Rider for a walk after a late breakfast. While walking around the golf course on a walking path that is kept plowed, I saw this scene of the Rockies which said "take my picture, please.", so I had to go back for the camera.

We enjoyed a good evening with watching hockey as the main attraction. Unfortunately, Ottawa lost against the Leafs after scoring the first goal, their only goal. Fortunately, the Canadian Juniors won in a shoot out and now go on to play in the gold medal game on Monday. Ottawa plays again this afternoon against the Devils. Here's hoping.

Later this afternoon, probably at halftime during the wildcard NFL game with Minnesota Vikings, we will head to Terra and Daryl's for supper. That should be the last we have to report from Canada. Next post is going to be from Mexico.

From Elrose to Strathmore

Well, we are at Dustin and Robyn's after an uneventful (thankfully) drive. The temperature was -30 all the way with a wind chillof -45C. At least it was sunny and bright out so we felt warm in the car. The photo for today is fromour first trip to Mexico in 2006. I guess you can tell that we are pumped for the vacation.

Once at Dustin's we cleaned out a spot along the side of the house for the car before settling in with some tea. Now, we are enjoying some NFL playoff action before watching Ottawa play Toronto. Robyn's dad and partner are here as well (not really as they are shopping with Robyn at this moment) so we will get to play six people Tee Wars this evening to help pass the time. Likely, I will get to post tomorrow. Hasta luego!

Waiting Mode

It's snowing agian this morning and it has warmed up to -21C at the time of writing this. The house is colder than usual inside as we have been testing the light alarm in case of furnace issues while we are gone. So, we are both having coffee in the living room while checking e-mail with quilts to keep us warm. Mom is complaining of cold fingers. Brrrr!

I used a different lens setting on my camera to get better focus on the hills in this photo taken in the living room. It is quite neat. I took it yesterday at 1:00 pm so that I would get more white than blue. I'm still learning the features of the camera and look forward to more learning in Mexico.

Tomorrow morning at this time we will be en route to Dustin and Robyn's. The forecast is for sunny weather all the way, but back down in temperatures with an expected high of -28C. Needless to say, we will suffer temperature shock when we get to Mexico where the expected high today is +31C. This is a 60 degree difference in celsius terms, or about 105 degrees in fahrenheit in comparing our low temps here in Saskachewan with the high temps in Merida, Mexico.

So, what's on the agenda for today? Not too much. Late this afternoon, I will go out to the dump with Wayne to chuck out the old wood and dry wall and other mess from cleaning out the new bathroom area. We filled up his truck yesterday afternoon. Other than a few final tasks such as cleaning out the fridge and reading utility meters, we basically are in "waiting" mode. Of course that means time to read, time to surf the Internet and read a bit more from my Spanish lessons book.

Happy New Year! Bonne et Heureuse Année!

It's January 1st and the temperature is dropping lower and lower as the hours pass while we enjoy sunny skies. The forecast for Saturday is for more sunshine and cold, perfect weather for travelling to Dustin's.

This morning mom and I unpacked all of our bags and the repacked. We have decided to also have carry on bags which meant that a few more dressier clothes could be packed. We also had too many books packed as we forgot we were only going for three months, not ten months like when we went to China.

Last night we had Don and Darlene as well as Wayne and Denise over for a ham supper and then several rounds of Tee Wars. The women won. Of course that meant we didn't get to watch Canada beat the USA in Junior hockey. Mom and I then stayed up to watch New Year arrive on television. And now, it is a new year. I wonder where it will take us? And by us, I mean all of us as a family. I hope it all will be good. - love, Papa