News since Tonala

It's been three weeks since we went to Tonala.  The weather has been up and down.  One week we had cool cloudy weather that kept us from the beach for a couple of days.  Only stayed away because it was too cool and breezy to enjoy the beach.  Now cool and breezy is all relative, depending on where you are living.  I think of this cool and breezy in relation to cool and breezy at Harald's Park near the end of August.

At the end of January, hubby went into a charity golf tournament at Campo de Ensueno.  He enjoyed himself and received a t-shirt out of the deal and helped raise money for the after school activity centre here in Lo de Marcos.

I'll have more pics to show later in this blog.

On Febrero cinco (February 5th), the town celebrated Los Amigos do Lo de Marcos.  The day started out at 8 am with registration for a town walkabout.  I put in this photo to show the stage at the back of the plaza and how nice it has been painted this last fall.



There were over 80 gringos signed up and were split into three groups.  Some of the places we visited included the primary school which taught up to grade six.  There is no grass in the courtyard, but they do have a large football field behind the school.  Los amigos has helped with the school by providing doors on the washrooms to give more privacy; one lady has donated Spanish language books for a library so that children could read for pleasure and they are building a palapa over the concrete tables set beside the outside cafeteria.  The rooms are crowded with desks and the one room we saw had only one white board.   The students are provided with lunch every day.  The teachers drive from Tepic; 100 kms away; every day.

Some photos we took: The top picture is the cafeteria.  The bottom one is one of the classrooms.

From the school we walked down to the Casa de los ninos; an after school activity centre.  This service was provided by two couples who had lost family to accidents.  They are very dedicated to this after school activity centre and on average they get about 50 students a day coming after school.   They get help with homework, play games, do art and craft projects and generally hang out with a great group of volunteers, both locals and gringos.

We had walked past this place many times and I couldn't see any buildings when I peeked through the gate lock.  We went into the yard and found that the building was at the back.  Didn't look like much from the outside but we were pleasantly surprised by the size inside.

This is the medical clinic.  It is on a side street that I wouldn't have found it I hadn't seen it a few weeks ago on a walk with Bev.  It has one doctor who lives on the premises and he is not a full fledged doctor yet.  He is like an intern or resident doctor who has to do one year in a clinic as part of his schooling.

Our next stop was a walk past the home that is volunteered for the sterilization program for dogs and cats that is run at least two times a year.  Unfortunately no picture.  It wouldn't have turned out anyway because it was so surrounded by trees and palms that all we could see was the beautiful fence.

We continued on to visit the Senior Centre.  I never knew what this building was for when we were here last season.  Now I know.  Folks from Niagara Falls staying here in Lo de Marcos put on a Christmas party for 90 seniors in this room.  The seniors were very surprised when Santa showed up bearing gifts.  It was the talk of the town.  Next year, look out Lloyd and Lisa.  One big problem getting the seniors here is that the roads are so rutted and full of holes and rocks that the elderly have trouble walking on them.  Some gringos with golf carts go and pick them up so that they can go to the Centre and enjoy the company of their friends.  Cars also have a hard time driving on these roads because of their condition.



From the Senior Centre we walked down a street that we were told had another kindergarten.  Sure enough there it was; in a little house with about 15 children attending.  These parents cannot afford to send their children to the State run kindergarten so they take turns helping out and providing meals every day.   This little school  helps those not as fortunate.  The teacher is a professional teacher who is hoping that Amigos de Lo de Marcos will put her school on their grant agenda for next year.  I hope so too.

Down the street from the kindergarten are stables that house horses being trained to "dance".   I even saw a turkey back in the trees.  Anyone who has been to Mexico has probably seen the "dancing horses" in parades and at fiestas.





Our last stop was the recycling centre.  Anything the gringos do has to have the approval of the town council.  This is a money making venture and it employs locals year round.  Every Friday we see the gringos collecting plastics, aluminum and glass. 



Later in the day there was a silent auction, a rummage sale, and live auction.  The local restaurants sold their foods on the street beside the plaza.  Great fish tacos, chili rellanos and more. 

Thanks for walking with us.  It's always better in person and there were guides to tell us about the different areas we visited and what they were doing.  It was a great day.  We look forward to seeing what the Amigos do next year.  If you are interested in finding out about theAmigos de Lo de Marcos you can go to their website:  http://www.amigosdelodemarcos.org/.



Trip to Tonala

On January 21st my friend and neighbour Bev and I returned home from a three day shopping spree in Tonala, Mexico.  Tonala is a suburb of Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico.

We signed up on a ladies' bus trip that had 42 ladies wanting to spend, spend, spend.  We stayed at the Hacienda del Sol hotel which was in the heart of the Tonala Thursday and Sunday market area.

  We walked everywhere.  If we bought something too big to carry easily we had it delivered to the hotel.  I bought some beautiful lamps for 290 pesos which works out to about 24.00 Canadian.  I am sure that if I tried to buy them at home they would cost about five times that much; shades included.  I bought a couple of other small things and a few gifts for folks back home but nothing major.  Bev and I rewrapped the lamps in a bigger box and the shades and the gifts in the old lamp box.  Bev said she was giving me her shopping parcel space on the bus home.  I'm glad she did.  There was some (I mean a lot) of juggling of parcels and suitcases to get everything on the bus for the return trip.   The bus driver was very good but it annoyed me no end that he would end up talking on his cell phone and driving us home.  Total cost of the trip excluding meals and purchases was 1100 pesos which works out to about $100 Canadian.  That included the bus, driver's tip, tip to the first night's restuarant, and hotel room for two nights.  Do you think we could do a shopping bus trip at home for that price? 

We've had a pretty busy month.  Hubby and I took a drive up to Las Varas.  It is a real Mexican town not too far north of here.  We looked around, had lunch and then came home again.  I think we saw one gringo in town.  It looked pretty prosperous.  If you want to buy good shoes, go there.  They had lots of shoe stores for men. 

One morning the shrimp sellers came down the street so hubby and Vic went out to see what was for sale.  These crusteaseans (sp) were pretty big.  Pretty good too if I do say so myself.

Hubby and I continue to go to our yoga exercises in the morning.  Hubby is also reading a lot of books; our friends Vic and Bev were given lots of books by his brother so they've been reading them and passing them on to the library under the palapa. 

Alfredo and Erica's grandson was born December 31.  Bev and I went to the Fruteria yesterday, and ran into Alfredo, who pointed us to the store where his daughter was shopping and baby was there.  He's a beautiful baby, now one month old. Already.

There hasn't been a lot of motorhome traffic here this January.  I think we've had four vehicles come in and four move out.  Two couples moved down the street to the new rv park on the beach.  This last week we've had two vans come in.  Two of the men were from Ontario and they drove on down south after staying only two days.  Yesterday Jennifer left for the south to visit her friend.  She is a bird watcher so she stayed two days too, but she liked it so much here that she says she just might come back next season and stay longer.  She's from Ottawa and drove all the way down here by herself.

While she was here we had a beautiful sunset one evening.  Hubby tried to capture the setting sun but cameras never do the same job that God does. God being whoever or whatever one believes.

Till next time,
we are the Holoidays on holiday

Time is flying by...

Yes, I know.  I haven't written anything since January 1, 2011.  I'm glad you all noticed.  What can I say?
It must get boring for you to read that the weather is sunny and warm, with a cooling sea breeze to make every day bearable.  I guess I can say now that we have had quite cool evenings here lately.  After all it is January.  One night the temperature went all the way down to 12 degrees C.  Today we woke up and it was still dark.  It was foggy out.  We went to yoga with the fog but by the time we started the sun was out, the sky was clear, the waves were wild and noisy.            


Our yoga instructors and one of the students (in the hat)

The golfing is good; sorry Ken, they don't have electric or gas carts here so it might be hard for you to golf here unless you put Brooklyn on a trailer and pull her out here. :)  In case I haven't mentioned before; hubby golfs Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays and sometimes Wednesdays.  I golf Wednesday and Sundays.  This hole has an island green that is surrounded by water with only a ramp up to the green.  Kind of hard to see but it is a par 4 hole.  I've left quite a few golf balls in that water and it is so deep one cannot retrieve one's ball unless one uses a floater ball.  At this course it doesn't seem to be illegal to use one.


Signature hole #6 Field of Dreams Golf Course












We've been having a great time watching the hummingbirds devour the sugar water.  Bev and Vic went to P.V. to Home Depot and found us a real bird feeder and we've now got two; one at each end of the rig.  Our neighbours went to Guadalajara last week for a few days and their feeder ran out of sugar water.  Needless to say we had lots of visitors fighting for position as pack leader, so to speak.  The most hubby has seen around the feeder were 11 birds at one time.  This time there are five birds and four feeding at the same time, which is very unusual.  One usually warns off the others and feeds by himself (herself?)  Both of us will turn the lawn chair to face the bird feeder just so we can sit and watch them fight over the sugar water




Hubby and I went shopping at Costco in P.V. last week and on our way there and home we drive through a small village called San Ignacio.  On the highway there is a house that is a very bright green.  I had the camera and I opened the window to take a picture of the house as hubby was driving by.  I got a pleasant surprise when I viewed the photo on my computer.  I got the house but I also got the tree in the yard.  These trees are all over and they are beautiful.  I think you all will think so too.



The green hacienda with the parota tree in the front yard

Until next time,

Holoidays on holiday  < :)

First blog of the year 2011

Feliz ano nuevo mis amigos y familias,

My Spanish is deplorable so I look up words and put them together, even though it may not be correct.

Anyway I mean Happy New Year friends and family!

I'm so tired today, but not because I'm hung over.  We did go out for potluck and stayed until after midnight.

The sunset was beautiful so I had to take at least one photo; actually I took about six but I chose this one.  It really was darker than the photo shows, but cameras can do marvellous things.

We were actually talking of moving over to this rv park next season.  It is on the beach but quite sheltered and has this lovely patio to block some of the wind.  The biggest drawback to moving is that the sites are narrow and the little sitting areas are very small. 
One of the fellows who was here last year has taken up residence in the newest park at the end of the street.  It is called La Parota and has large pads,wide roads for backing into the spaces and a new laundry and restrooms.  It is also along the beach.  Drawbacks?  Yes.  It doesn't have any large trees except the parota tree at the entrance and the palms it does have are either too small still or have coconuts that haven't been removed.  Coconuts falling on rigs can sound like a bomb going off or if you are hit by one could kill you.
Pros-  just walk out your rig, down the park roadway about 100 steps and you are on the beach.

A few days ago our friend Victor made us a hummingbird feeder.  It is made out of a plastic bottle, one of my plastic containers, which I used a lot but happily give up for the sake of the hummers, flowers made out of a coke can and string from our string bin.  I think I got a bird in this picture somewhere, or maybe not.


We really worked hard today.  I have started going to Thai yoga classes in the morning and if any of you know of my sleeping habits, getting up early is not one of my favourite things.  I started with my first class yesterday.  Today after that long evening outdoors, I was up late but duty called.  Today I could not do a flipper exercise.  I knew my stomach muscles were almost non existent and today proved that theory.  I could not raise my legs to do flippers with my feet off the mat.  But, that will not stop me from getting those tummy muscles back in good working order.

Back at the rig, I went for a shower, had some breakfast and putzed around until I decided it was the day to make my friend Carol a pair of earrings.  I had earlier made the hooks for her from niobium wire and she tried them out for a day and felt she could wear them.  Today we sat and designed a pair of earring for her.
They turned out great and they look great on her.  She wore them to Happy Hour so I know she likes them.
Here they are for all to see.  Constructive criticism is welcome.  Prices vary but I only make one of a kind pairs. lol  They henceforth will be known as Carol's earrings.

After putting away my bead box Mike headed out to the beach with our buddies Vic and Bev.  I caught up to them and realized we needed to show everyone that the beach on New Year's Day was warm and sunny.  Mike took a polar bear swim that was watched by the whales (just kidding).  He went in the water for a while.  Before we left I did spot some whales but they were a long way from the beach.

Here we are wishing you all good times, a safe haven, peace of mind, kindnesses to all in the new year.

Holoidays on holiday

Happy New Year Family and Friends

 What a surprise.  Friends we've known for years show up just before Christmas at our Couples golf.  Turns out they are building a home in Los Ayala.  Afterwards we drive up to their new home which is not yet finished.  They hope it will be soon.

The lovely dancer in the photo below is Lupita.  She works at the golf course and obviously takes dancing lessons.  Here I caught her smiling for the camera.  She and Paulette entertain us after golf on Sundays.

Mike was walking home from town one day and saw these turtles sunning themselves.  Notice how they have their heads reaching for the sun?  They live beside us in the slough, swamp, whatever it's called.

Wishing you all the best in 2011, we are

 

Holoidays on holiday

Merry Christmas friends and family; Feliz Navidad

It's December 23rd, 2010.  I've been to the market in La Penita; hubby is golfing at Mens' Day at Campo Ensuenado (sp?).  I am making stuffing and Mike is doing Caesar salad for Xmas dinner at the park down the street.  We are so few here that we, being Mike, Mave, Vic and Bev, were invited to El Caracol rv park to have Christmas dinner.
I picked up five heads of romaine, some garlic powder and whole garlic for the famous Lori's Caesar Salad dressing.  I bought a very fresh loaf of white bread which I have already cut up into thin slices to dry for making the stuffing, and some potatoes and onions.  The bread was so good I had to steal a few slices for myself.  Nothing like fresh white bread and strawberry jam for lunch. The market was very crowded today and the traffic on the highway was heavy.  We were going to P.V. for Xmas dinner but the hostess has decided to go back to Edmonton for Christmas leaving her hubby in good hands.
I'm missing my kids.  Only daughter is in Vancouver and I just wish she could have made it out here.  I know she would have loved the beach.  The waves are very quiet this visit.  Last visit they were noisy and strong.  Hubby has only used his boogie board twice so far. 
Only son and lady partner are in Tucson living the rv lifestyle.  Hubby isn't back from golfing yet so I might go to the beach or just lie on my zero gravity chair and have a snooze.  In case you haven't seen it yet, here is a picture of our beach.  It is exactly 260 steps from our park's front gate.  This is a photo from January 2010 when we first came out here, but it's still the same beautiful beach.  You can see why we came back.

Here is the cayman



The sun is warm on this side of the ditch.  He's about six feet long.


Now that you've seen him, don't worry.  He's seems harmless.