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Journal Archive 11/11 - 11/20 2013
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Monday November 11 Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
A Sunny Mon-Day
For some reason the water was crowded with boats this morning. Okay, maybe not crowded, but there were sure a number of them that could be seen.
Veterans Day. It is today, the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The First World War ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. What are the odds that we would be looking at the clock on the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. We have visited the battlefields of the First World War, seen the cemeteries that literally extend out of sight. When will mankind ever learn?
Linda had expressed the desire several days ago that I should erect the hummingbird feeder. This is to prove that I do listen.
Happy Linda. Happy Bob. Sorry to say that when the sun set in the western sky tonight there had not been any reports of hummingbird sightings. The fact we saw three of them at one feeder during our morning walk today leads me to think it is only time before the first sighting at Linda's feeder is reported.
Linda has come up with a margarita recipe that I just love. Here is one of the keys, two tablespoons of fresh squeezed lime juice. The limes have to be the small Mexican limes, the larger limes such as are found in the US just don't have the same taste. I'll skip all the other ingredients for now, not because I don't want to give her "secret" away, but because she has been teaching me how to make them myself, and I don't want to give away my secret, or at least that is what I tell myself. And so ends another day in paradise.
Tuesday November 12 Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
A Photo Day
Birds on the water spigots. Note the cap on the sewer pipe. It's Mexico. Sometimes at night the breeze coming through our open windows has the fragrance of what escapes from those open pipes. For some it is reason to never come to Mexico. For others it is way of knowing where you are. We really do appreciate all the people who don't come down, it makes it less crowded for those of us who do come here.
Breakfast. Everything is fresh and absolutely perfectly ripe. It simply doesn't get better than this.
It doesn't matter where in the world we are, if there are office supplies Linda is going to check them out.
Saw this footprint while on one of our beach walks. By the size of it, what ever it was, it was big enough to carry off Linda if it wanted to. We don't have a clue what it was, only saw gulls on the beach and pelicans in the water.
Saw this monstrous pile on the beach during tonight's walk. Okay, so maybe it was only an inch high. Still, Linda had fun getting down on the sand and taking this photo. It's not just a walk on the beach, it's an adventure. And if you don't think that way it's okay. I just hope life is as much fun for you as it is for us.
Something we saw taking place on a balcony of one of the condos. The key is doing what you want to do instead of finding reasons why you can't do it.
Sunset tonight was very special.
Love how the red of the sky is reflected in the water that pools on the beach.
The red of the sky reflected on the coach. Life is not a dress rehearsal. Don't be afraid to laugh, love and retire early. I know people my age and older who are still working long past retirement age. Guess they think they are going to live forever.
Wednesday November 13 Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
A Fun Day
Maybe I should be a little more precise as to what a walk on the beach, the type we do one or two times a day, looks like. Life is so good.
It was breakfast time for pelicans. Less than 100 feet from us it was dive bomb for sardines time.
While a few of the roads and streets here are paved, most are not. We drove out to Cholla Bay today where the pavement ends just after the last high rise condo.
The sign at JJ's says: If you haven't been to JJ's, you haven't been to Rocky Point. We took care of that today.
When we first arrived we were the only ones there, it is that kind of place. Linda opted for the shade down front as the place to enjoy her margarita. I would have opted for a table in the sun, but with the opportunity sit outside with a view like this and a beautiful woman at my side, the shade was just fine.
Fish tacos and a quesadillo for me, pulled pork on a bun with french fries for Linda. She didn't eat the bun, nor very many of the fries. No, I didn't ask her why that was what she ordered. Smart Bob.
Lest you think we were the only ones here. Actually several other couples did come in while we were there, but they sat up on top so it seemed like we had the place to ourselves, except for a few feathered friends that is.
Fishing boats and a water truck. When the truck backed down to the water, the driver remained in the cab for a long time. Linda said it was because he was putting on boots so he could wade out into the water and start the pump on the back of the tank trailer. I said, Linda, it Mexico, he's not putting on boots, striping down to his shorts is more likely. Neither of us was right. He took off his shoes and rolled up his pants.
Another long walk along the beach at sunset. As Franz Kafka, of all people, wrote: Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. As for Linda and myself, we are younger, much younger than before.
Thursday November 14 Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
A Bird Day
Early morning, the night shade rose, the day shade still down, and already the hummers were feeding. From then on it was feeding time all the day long. One time we counted three in the air and two at the feeder. By early afternoon Linda was making up a new batch of water/sugar solution to refill the feeder. I don't think Linda's smile could get any bigger. Happy Bob. Ecstatic Linda.
Linda does not like walking through the loose sand to reach the hard packed sand below the high tide line. Linda doesn't even like the sand below the high tide line if it is soft. Linda has standards. Bob loves the feel of the sand between his toes. Bob loves the sand. Bob and Linda are opposites. Opposites attract. Lucky Bob and Linda. (Opposites sometimes have very interesting discussions) Luckily most of the time Linda isn't "too" disgusted with Bob.
I different bird at the edge of the surf this morning. Every once in a while it would stab the water, then continue to walk, and then stab out again. It was fun to watch but it was interesting that it was the only bird of its kind on the beach. It was also very camera shy, because every time I would point the camera at it, it would walk away with its back to me. Poor Paparazzi Bob.
It is incredibly cheap to have your vehicles washed down here. This wash job only cost me a bowl of guacamole for dinner tonight. Wonder what I could have gotten from her if I driven a hard bargain. Something tells me it would have been something I really wouldn't have liked.
The start of a three avocado guacamole. It was all we had for dinner. There are people here who eat just as they do in the states. Why travel to a foreign country and eat just as you do where you come from? I can understand the different strokes for different folks principle, but doing something like that is ridiculous, at least to me. It is sad how many people live their lives with their heads stuck in the sand, never venturing beyond their comfort zones, all the while thinking they lived, when all they did was exist.
"Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty...I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well." Theodore Roosevelt
Friday November 15 Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
A Windy Day
Early morning, a walk along the beach. The wind is blowing, the surf is up. The seagulls are in a line on the sand of the beach. The pelicans are lined up at the edge of the water. It looked like it was going to be a bad day, and it was. The wind blew and blew all day, the coach rocking the entire time, even at 9 o'clock at night as I write this.
We watched as we walked along the beach as this fishing boat sailed directly into the harbor. It was something we hadn't seen before during our stay here. By the time we headed back toward the RV park the wind had increased even more and the sand was stinging our legs as it was blown ashore.
As we drove to Sam's Club this morning Linda noticed that at several of the intersections there were signs pointing the way to where we were going. All these weeks here and we never noticed them. You learn something new everyday.
Franzia wine in boxes. The only kind they have is Cab. It is one of the things that makes shopping Mexico different in the States. The number of choices is much less, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. What you never know about, you never miss.
The box is 5 liters, the same as it is in the US. The price is 149 Pesos, 152.43 Pesos with taxes. 149 Pesos is $11.50, about the same price it sells for in the states.
8.9 pesos for avocados. Note that is for a kilo of avocados, 2.2 pounds. Doing the conversion and figuring 3 avocados per pound, that works out to 10 cents each. Now you see why eat so much guacamole. The adage, when in Rome do as the Romans do was never more appropriate. And that reminds me, I need to make both fresh salsa tomorrow morning and guacamole in the afternoon as we are out again.
We use a lot of limes, over 4 pounds a week. At $.27 a pound we should probably use more. And as we have learned, the limes we buy here are much juicier than the limes we buy in the States, and isn't that why we buy limes, for the juice.
Linda needed to buy some more sugar to feed the hummingbirds. No, she really wasn't going to buy a 50 kilo (110 lbs) bag, or least I don't think she was. In the end she bought a kilo bag (2.2 lbs) at Super Ley. The bags at Sam's Club being just too big.
The wind never stopped blowing today. There was a battening down of the hatches all over the park. We saw awnings in places they shouldn't be. We saw awnings being retracted and awnings being fastened down. As for us, we put in the slide on the wind side and sat it out. Some days you just have to suck it up and play the hand you are dealt. Today was one of those days.
Saturday November 16 Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
A Cold Day
Early morning, a walk along the beach, but the beach looks different than normal. The storm of yesterday left what might best be called potholes on the beach this morning. The good thing was many were all near the high tide mark so most of the beach was hard packed sand. It was also littered with shells, something that Linda tried to clean up. I'll just say that she has more than enough big shells to make all the butterfly waterers that she contemplates needing at Retama. Happy Linda.
There was a wind surfer out this morning. Oh, to be young again. Then again, if I was young again I'd likely as not do the same dumb things I did the first time around and wind surfing wouldn't even be on my radar screen. Be care what you wish for, it just might come to be.
Shredding the pork for tonight's tacos. We really didn't do much today, as the wind was still blowing, though not as hard as yesterday. It was also cold outside today, the high only getting up to 71°, so we didn't venture out very much. It is supposed to be back up the 80's on Monday, and the wind is supposed to return to normal. That is great as I have a special evening planned for us on Monday, it being a special day in our life together.
Happiness is finding out your old high school football team won another playoff game. It is truly a small world when you can be living on the beach in Mexico, yet follow a game played in Ohio via the Internet. The Lord puts special people on earth and I was lucky enough to have one of them in high school class. The result is she posts the score of the game on her Facebook page.
This has absolutely nothing to do with Bonnie, the classmate referred to above, but it is so cool I just have to quote it. According to comedian Rita Rudner: "It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." I just trust that Linda doesn't think I'm referring to her. Hopeful Bob.
Sunday November 17 Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
A Great Day
Early morning, a walk along the beach, but the beach looks different than yesterday. As I look at the smooth, water swept sand I see a beautiful woman standing there. I realize that woman is my wife. How did I ever get to be so lucky? Happy Bob.
In the early afternoon Linda decided to wash the dust off the coach from yesterday,s storm. Linda sprayed water on the safety module of the Norcold, note the openings in the refrigerator cover in the photo. The red light came. The refrigerator no longer worked. I took a magnet and waved it over the module. A click was heard, the red light went off and the refrigerator worked once again. Lucky Linda to have Bob. Lucky Bob that Linda didn't do him in for what he said about Linda causing the problem before he fixed it.
Happy Linda, and it didn't have anything to with Bob bowing down before her, or kissing her feet. No, it was because she got hotel reservations for a night on Mont Saint-Michel on the coast of France next September. Last fall we stayed there for a night, an it was a life long dream of mine come true. It was so special we hoped to be able to do it again. Now we will, and to make it even better it will be with our special friends John and Judy. Never think that Life can't get any better. This is proof that it can.
Our neighbors across the way, and our only neighbors for many sites in each direction, have two cats. Today they were having some work done on their coach. Ladders were involved. One of their cats is a Bengal named Yuma. Like all cats she likes to be up high. We stood and watched as she slowly climbed all the rungs of this ladder, then perched on the platform at the top, which was when I finally realized I should take a photo. Better late than never.
For what is worth, I posted a new homepage article today. It's titled Does She or Doesn't She? And with that I bid you goodbye for another day in the Life of Bob and Linda who even on a bad day live far better than they have a right to. But that's what happens when you live the fulltime Life.
Monday November 18 Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
Another Great Day
A very early morning walk today, but at least the wind had stopped blowing. Linda wore a lighter weight jacket than she has been on our morning walks, so that meant the air was going to be colder than it has been. It was.
There have been almost no birds out the past few days, but it was not that way this morning. It must not have been breakfast time yet, or maybe breakfast was already over because only a few were out in the water feeding.
It amazes me how much produce we go through, and another trip to Super Ley resulted in this haul.
So we bought food at the grocery store, yet we went out to eat. There was a reason. Forty-six years ago today we walked down the aisle of a small country church after meeting on a blind date 10 months earlier and life has been awesome ever since. Lucky Bob. Lucky Linda.
The soup of the day was French Onion. Linda couldn't get over the fact we were in Mexico at a Mexican restaurant and this was what the soup of the day was. Then she tasted it. She pronounced it the best french onion soup she had ever had, and french onion is her preferred soup any time we eat out. Very Happy Linda.
Can you guess who got the cherry that topped our shared dessert? I'll give you a hint. It wasn't me.
It's what happened just before this that caused the big laugh. We get the bill and the family financial whiz takes it out to check it. It looks fine to her so she puts it down on the table to show me the total. Just then a big gust of wind comes along and it goes flying over my head. Fortunately it landed on the dining level just below us and I was able to retrieve it. For some reason Linda thought that was very funny. Maybe it had something to do with me down on my hands and knees looking under a table for the check when it was laying right behind me. She was a giggly teenager when we got married and she still acts like a giggly teenager at times. Lucky Bob.
If you ever wondered what the cooking area of a Mexican restaurant in Mexico looked like, now you know, and with that we end another awesome day. The most important thing is to enjoy your life, to be happy, it's all that matters. Audrey Hepburn.
Tuesday November 19 Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
A Fun Day
It is surprising how empty the park is. They say November and December are the two slowest months and it looks to be true. The other day we stopped by the Reef RV park and there were just a handful of RV's out there. We're not complaining, it just makes it nicer for us without the crowds.
We didn't get as far as we have been on our walk this morning. We walked at low tide but the low wasn't very low. We will miss our walks along the beach when we leave in a couple weeks.
Linda wanted to look for some more dishes and bowls she could use at our nightly Retama happy hours. This is one of the stores where whatever you want they have. It just takes a lot of looking and moving things around to find it. And yes, the aisles are just as packed as it seems, there are places you have to walk sideways, and other aisles that you can't even get through.
In the end she found just what she was looking for. There were also several items she wasn't looking for that when she saw them she just had to have. Linda was happy and we are going to have very colorful dishware, so Bob is also happy, though a little lighter in the pocketbook.
After that there was even more Linda led buying, including a very pretty sun dress that we found after a great deal of searching in another shop. All that made for a tired girl, so Linda suggested we needed to stop for some refreshment. Given choice she picked her favorite place, The Blue Marlin.
Fish tacos, note where the cilantro dressing is located.
At least she left a little bit for me.
Guess that last little bit wasn't for me. What more could I ask for. Linda's happy and Life is good. As always, remember that Life is not a dress rehearsal. Don't be afraid to laugh, love and retire early.
Wednesday November 20 Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
A Lazy Day
I went to download the day's photos and realized I hadn't taken any. I asked Linda if she had taken any and got a noncommittal answer. I was sure I had downloaded all her photos yesterday, but deciding that nothing ventured, nothing gained, I connected her camera to my computer. She was right about also not taking any photos today, but imagine my surprise when I discovered I had not download her photos from earlier in the week. So what you read about below actually happened on Monday because nothing happened today. Confused Bob.
Linda really likes the hummingbird feeder. The hummingbirds really like the feeder. Linda really likes watching the hummingbirds feed. Bob really likes watching Linda watch the hummingbirds feed. Is that what is meant about the circle of Life being complete?
A little maintenance. The wind storm of the weekend not only got the coach dirty, it resulted in the windward side of the jacks being coated with sand. That meant it was maintenance time. Clean the piston surface, wipe with ATF, then give the grease fitting a couple of shots of grease. It was a joint effort as I worked under the coach and Linda handed me the different things I needed. Lucky Bob.
I could have guessed there would be a photo of this Bluebird that is now parked in the row behind us. Linda is absolutely fascinated with the washer/dryer in the bay. Hummingbirds to the front, Bluebirds to the rear, Linda is in seventh heaven. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, Lucky Bob.
Not bad for a day when nothing happened, if I do say so.
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