The first annual Las Jaibas chile cook off.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Well yesterday was the big chile cook-off  day and it was the hottest and most humid since we arrived in Mazatlan. 

We started moving tables and setting up in the morning and there was some concern by the men that there would not be enough power to run all the crockpots and electric burners for the cook off.  After a few extension cords were run in many different directions it was figured out and we crossed our fingers that nothing would blow.  The cruise director " Connie" was in a tizzy but it will all work out.  Connie has worked really hard on this so she wants it all to turn out well.  I'm sure it will.

When the tables were set up it was quite a sight.  Many people had gone to a lot of work to really make their tables individual and interesting.  I didn't bring any "stuff" with me so I settled for a glass of pretty yellow flowers. 

Las Jaibas chile contest.

The crowd tasting chile (me in the middle)

People arrived and started tasting at about 1pm and there seemed to be enough without too many tasters.  I can't imagine how you would taste 12 chiles and pick only one.  There was lots of friendly rivalry and we were amazed to see that some of the guys on the other side from us were giving out ......

The winner! " Tequilla anyone?"

This is Nate who is a stand-in for John who cooked the chile but is sick.

"FREE SHOTS OF TEQUILLA"  and someone else was giving out "FREE BEER TO CLEANSE YOUR PALATE."  Is that bribery or what!  Sandi, Marilyn and I along with Helene decided next year we would serve sangria and see if that helped us win. 

The local Mazatlan paper " The Noroeste " showed up and took pictures to put in the Mazatlan paper.  When today's edition came out I found these shots of us on line.  We're stars!!!

Helene's spicy vegetarian chile.   Hot, hot, hot but good!

               Jack on the right winner on the left (I Wii bowl at Pat and Jack's)

I was amazed that some people testing could tell what was in my chile.  One lady noticed the bacon and another the cumin.  Over all I got positive reviews.  Did I win, no.  Guess who did.  The guy giving out free shots of Tequilla!   Second place to the guy giving out free beer!  Eric says these guys are "pros" and have done this before! To be fair first place was an all meat (pork) chile that was very different and Eric said the second place one was also different and very good (Eric didn't accept the bribery beer and he voted for me - I think!)

Kathy makes the Noroeste paper.  Wow!

Note the 4H apron.

The lady tasting is the one from Fernie who has been camping in a tent for 3 months and she looks no worse for wear.

Lots of the tasters were well prepared with their own chairs and coolers full of beer.  It was a real party atmosphere and everyone had a great time.  It was really a lot of fun and it has been decided it will be an annual event and when the donation jar was emptied we had  4350 pesos (about 400 dollars) to give to another local orphanage.  Sandi had crocheted dish scrubbies and Marilyn had knitted cotton dishcloths that they sold and then donated the money as well.  Nice generous ladies. 

A good time was had by all.

We ride to El Tigre for lunch.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Yesterday Eric and I, Sam and Rita on the Harleys and four other couples headed out for a road trip.  We left around 9:30 am and went south through Mazatlan and then on to Villa Union.  Sam led us down a little mexican street and we all wound our way through town and then headed out to the beach for lunch.  This was the ride that went bad on New Years Day when Jean was hurt so Eric and Sam were interested in looking at the scene of the accident.  The ride to the coast was slow and beautiful with groves of coconuts underplanted with corn and then under that either tomatoes or peppers.  Companion planting at it's best.  Apparently 40% of the tomatoes imported to the U.S. come from this area. 

We did see the army and also state police as we travelled.  There has been a huge wave of killings in the Mazatlan area over the last week.  It has been dubbed red week and is the worst in many years.  All drug and gang related and I check the newspaper El Sol every day to see what areas should be avoided.  One of the areas called El Pilinque is near Villa Union so not an area you want to hang out in.  Also, downtown Mazatlan late at night is not an option for us even if we did go out at night.  Just common sense and we all know we could just as easily run into trouble in many areas of Vancouver. 

Blue in front of  El Tigre.

We arrived at the El Tigre palapa restaurant at about 11:30 and then had to choose our fish for lunch.  The owner was a very friendly guy who spoke reasonable english.  He said he spent a year working at Denny's in Arizona so that's where he learned to speak English.  A really nice guy.  We had some small (piquita) bottles of beer while we waited and wandered the very beautiful beach.

El Tigre palapa

Betsy and Marilyn on the beach.

Sandi found a great place to wait for lunch!

 Since the restaurants  big days for crowds are Sunday they had to fire up the charcoal grill to feed us.  When Sam, Eric and the others were there on New Years Day the place was so packed you couldn't get another person in.  The owner remembered Sam as he had also been out there on Christmas day.   Since the Mexicans love the Harleys they always point, wave and remember you.  Especially Blue because she is just so darn pretty!  We didn't eat until about 1pm but it was quiet and beautiful there and we were in good company.  The lunch was delicious but the salsa and chiles were burning hot so there were a few tears and some nose blowing! 

The gang waiting for lunch.

Of course Ramona came with us.

The trip continued towards Rosario and we made a brief stop where Jean had left the road.  The corner didn't look that bad unless you were going too fast.  Enough said. 

We had the unfortunate experience of following an old diesel bus into Rosario and it just about gassed us to death.  Too windy to pass him.  We all stopped at the church in Rosario and it is very beautiful.  We couldn't go inside as the caretaker said it is presently infested with rats that are chewing everything up so it is presently being "deratted."

The church in Rosario.

 From Rosario  a nice ride home on the highway except for the traffic in Villa Union and Mazatlan.  My knees were pretty stiff when we got home but I am really enjoying the riding here in Mexico. 

Today I am cooking up my chile for the cook off tomorrow and now we hear that Maria in the office put it in the local paper!  Yikes, I hope nobody reads the paper. 

Eric is outside tearing down the Harley as it is once again giving him grief with starter kick back.  Could be a number of different things.

In the end Eric decided he would rather ride than fix the bike so he just put it back together and we went to the beach. 

We presently have people from just outside Fernie " camped " next to us.  They are in a tent with rubbermaid totes full of stuff.  We find out their RV is in Ajo and they have been camping in Mexico since November.  When they got to the border to cross they discovered that the wife had forgotten the sticker for the trailer (ours is on the window of the trailer.)  The Mexicans considered giving them a new one but then they discovered that the original registration papers from Canada had an error that had not been discovered when the paperwork was done last year.  A real mess that may be hard to correct.  So, in the end they left the rig in Ajo and went to Mexico in a tent.  Gutsy, but the consensus among the woman here was that they would have stayed in Arizona rather than holidaying in a tent.  Each to their own I guess.

Tomorrows the chile cook off,  I hope it's fun.  

Warm days and little things.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Wednesday had us out in the truck looking for new boots for me.  We drove to Mega and walked to the mall and then drove to Walmart.  A big bust all round.  The driving was ugly and the shops are all full of fancy Mexican shoes which are not what we are looking for.  We also tried to find some fishing gear but that didn't happen either.  We got home exhausted and hot and decided a swim would be in order.

Thursday we were out again looking for boots for me.  This time we set out on the bus.  This was Eric's first time on the bus and the third for me and it's a whole lot easier than the truck for regular shopping.  We got off in the Gold Zone and we saw lots of leather shops but still didn't find any boots for me.  Again, home and back to the beach for a swim.

A pattern is developing.

Friday and shopping was out.  Laundry needed to be done so we just stayed home.  Eric talked to Sam and it turns out he had his son's fishing rod with him and offered to lend it to Eric.   Late afternoon I played a little cards with Pat and Connie (some sort of game called sequence on a board) and then Eric and I headed to the beach with the fishing rod.  The surf is up right now and swimming was not really an option.  Eric started fishing and it didn't take long and he had one.  What was it?  A guy fishing said it was edible, some sort of a small tuna.  Sweet!  So home to clean and cook the fish.  Eric had to show it off to Sam since it was his rod that caught it.  We still don't know what it is but we'll eat it and see what we think.  The word is that it is a Jack Cravelle, not supposed to be great eating but we'll see.

Eric's prize!

It's a really big one!

So, dinner is done and the fish was delicious.  Now there is something new for Eric to do and it's always nice to have fresh fish.  Plus, you can fish from the beach with no license. 

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Today I got up at 6:30 and hit the bus at 7:30 with Marilyn, Dennis and Connie.  We were off to El Faro the lighthouse out by the ferry dock and a good morning climb.  It's up about 500 feet and you want to go early before it gets too hot and also since we had a little rain last night it was a bit humid this morning.  Connie is into geocaching and she had something to find on the way up to the lighthouse.

Heading to El Farro for the climb.

Connie finds the geocache can.

The trip out on the Sabo Centro bus took about 30 minutes and we were let off a short distance from the lighthouse and then we headed out.   About half way up the climb Connie  had the mark for the spot to look for her clue and when I lifted the rock inside the hole, there it was!  Success!  There was a camoflage can filled with things from previous geocachers and Connie left something in the can as well and then we continued to climb. 

Marilyn, Connie and Kathy at the top of El Farro.

At the top there was  a 360 view and it was quite beautiful, except for the smoke from the power plant.  Ah Mexico!  We took a few pictures and then back down from the lighthouse and then up over Look out Hill,and on up the malecon to a cold drink before heading home on the bus.  It was a fairly strenuous and sweaty walk but it felt good. 

A truck full of agave ready to make tequilla.

I am now getting the hang of where things are here in Mazatlan and feel more comfortable on the bus than in the truck.  The Mexican bus drivers are quite something to see as they dodge and weave in and out of traffic missing (well mostly missing) everything by inches.  They have the ultimate right of way and everyone gives way to them! 

It rained after we got home and so the rest of the afternoon was quiet.  Tomorrow we must head off for groceries as there are the same chores here as at home. 

Sunday January 24, 2010

Groceries have been bought and Eric is now out for a Harley ride by himself.  Tomorrow we will go with Sam and Rita on the bikes and Dennis - Marilyn, Frank - Sandi, and Connie and Mannie will follow.  We will head out on the same ride that was a disaster on New Year's Day when Jean was hurt.   It is a beautiful beach ride and there is a nice palapa for lunch where we will all stop.  Since the others are not familiar with this area they decided they would like to go as a group.  Fine with us.   I will put a potato in my boot and cook it on the way.  Just kidding!

Next thing up is the chile cook off and that takes place on Wednesday.  I'm ready and since I always just wing it anyway we'll see what happens. 

This morning on my walk there were baby turtles all over the beach.  They were trying to get into the water but the surf is really heavy right now and they were having a hard time.  It was thrilling to hold one of these little creatures in my hand and help it to the water.  They are so strong and determined but if left on the sand too long the seagulls pick them off.  I put as many as I could into the water and when I left people were still helping them.  It is a large swimming beach but the turtles still come to lay their eggs there.  Of course I wasn't packing my camera with me.  Darn!   I will buy a small, good camera in the states and then I'll pack it with me next year and then I can take pictures where ever I am.  There is always something on the list to bring next year.


This afternoon we did Wii bowling again and I was a late joiner.  I was trying to get this blog up to date and so was not on time and again, this is a loose thing so no big deal.   When I was asked why I was late I said it was because I couldn't find my bowling shirt!  I wore my Canada t-shirt and it was lucky and I came in second and it was fun.  Pat is a great lady and she once again supplied appetizers which seems awfully nice to me. 

P.S.

Good news.  I sent an email and pictures to Anne asking how Jean is doing.  The reply was good.  He is out of intensive care and they have started physio for him so things are looking up.  She said the weather is bad and work sucks but other than that everything is fine.

Still in Mazatlan.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Yesterday was another warm day after a couple of cooler days and rain over night on Friday.  We hear they had some flooding down Rincon, Los de Marcos area and that a waterspout developed near Puerto Vallarta.  Nothing like that here just a freshening up of the dust.

Yesterday morning a Mexican painter, Hector Vari who is quite well known spent the day putting a painting of a young Basque girl and a lamb on Mannie's satellite dish.  I guess it is quite common to have paintings done on your RV or dish etc.  Mannie and Connie know the girl in the picture and she is now grown and newly married.  Mannie grew up in Elko, Nevada and is a Basque so this painting will be something special for him.  It was very interesting to see the painting take shape and the old painter just quietly worked all day until it was completed.  Quite lovely. 

Hector Vari paints.

Ramona stopped by to say hello to Eric.

Later on Sunday afternoon after a nice bake and swim on the beach we went over to Pat and Jack's for some Wii bowling.  Pat had invited quite a few people for happy hour and bowling.  Pat is a very nice lady and even though we were unsure about the bowling we didn't want to opt out and hurt her feelings.  Some of the men didn't come since " The game was on" but the woman and a few guys were happy to join in.  Actually it was quite a lot of fun and she'll probably have every one over to do it again.  I cautioned to be careful not to get "bowling butt" and everyone thought I was a little out there.  Guess what, today Sandi has "bowling butt!" 

Wii bowling.

Sandi bowling (notice the form that will get her "bowling butt!"

Connie would like everyone to "Slow Down" on the road.

Sandi's garden with her mexican tortise. (I must have one of those!)

So, today I have a meeting about the Chile Cook Off,  about what I'm not sure and Eric and Sam have gone off on a guys Harley ride north of here.  It is hot and I must now go to the beach.

Eric and Sam have returned from their ride.  They went north about 50 miles on the libre road towards Culican and then headed west to the town of  La Cruz.  There they had polla asado (roasted chicken), with cucumbers, onions and lettuce and some cervezas for lunch.  Apparently it was quite delicious.  After lunch Sam tried to get directions to the "Maxipista" in his broken Spanglish and the guy looked quite confused and finally said he spoke english.  He was from San Franciso and in La Cruz for his grandfathers funeral.   The ride back on the Maxipista was great because it is without potholes and they could head home at 110 km.  However, they did have to pay 90 pesos each at the toll booth.  No free ride for the Harleys. 

I went to my chile meeting and all the details were worked out.  Connie is the master of the signs so we all got table numbers and she has all the signage ready for the cook off.  We will not make it like the sanctioned ones where you have to cook on site but will just show up with a pot ready to go.  Should be okay.  From there the meeting degenerated into a tequilla happy hour which was a lot more fun.

Ah Mexico!

The Return of the Blog and other scary movies!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Since the weather and water are warm here we have decided to stay another month in Mazatlan.  We've seen very little here yet so there is still lots to do.

Today I had to buckle down and defrost the fridge, clean up the barbecue and wash the  patio.  We were starting to get really grubby and things look a lot better now.   The rig really needs a wash too but the water will leave it all spotty so it will have to stay dirty.  At least we can take the truck to a car wash if we muster up the energy!

Eric went for a bicycle ride and that was it for him today so we are now going to call him " Chair Ass."  It is really easy to get lazy when the weather is so nice.  I really need to do laundry and shop but tomorrow is another day.   Maybe I'll just go shopping on the bus with Marilyn, Sandi and Connie instead.  

Maurice and Anne returned from their drive to San Blas and back in one day and said that although it was a beautiful they would not take the motorhome down that way.  They went down one road and came back the other and it was great highway but too twisty and too many low hanging trees and sharp turns.  They would not take the Harley's that way either as it would be too easy to go off the road if you dared to look at any scenery.  Good to know.

Wednesday, January 13, 2009

Well we still have no food or water and the laundry isn't done but we are having fun. 

Yesterday I hopped the bus with Marilyn, Connie, Sandi and Betsy(Boomer's wife.)  We headed down to the old market in Centro and started there.  This was my first look at the market that sells every type of dead meat you can imagine and the smell is quite overwhelming.  I am not unused to cutting up meat and butchering but I usually don't buy sandels and eat a meal right next to it.  Not a hit for me and I think I'll stick to the supermarket for meat.  The vendors in all the stalls are too agressive for me and it just makes me cranky and unwilling to look or buy! 

We continued on to the shops on the street and that was better.  Connie had to find material for the tables for the Chile cook off and we found some really bright Mexican cloth that will work well. I bought a few yards of white cloth to cover and protect the 5th wheels tires.

It didn't take long until we were ready for beer and food and we ended up in a little Mexican bar called Eduardo's.  Good food and beer and while we waited we were offered DVD's and watches at the table.  I bought Sherlock Holmes for 25 pesos and it will likely be terrible quality but we'll see.  Betsy bought a watch for 120 pesos and then it was time for lunch.   From there it was onward to the bus and into the gold zone for more shopping.  By the time 4pm came we were all tired and ready to head home as we'd been gone since 10:30 in the morning.

When we arrived back at the park Eric had left me a note that we were going to Maurice and Anne's for a barbecue and there was also an email from Jean's wife Marla to read. 

Seems that the Mexican's dropped the stretcher while taking Jean to the airport and once in the air more problems developed.  The chest tube was in the wrong place and the ventilator on board was not helping him breath.  They fixed the chest tube up in Montana but he and Marla had to stay for 24 hours as the weather was too bad to get out.  He is now back in Edmonton but has had a stroke.  There was a tear in the artery in the back of his neck that was not discovered here in Mexico and the medical attendants on the plane said that these types of errors and problems were why they wanted him out of Mexico.   He is to be in hospital for three months at this point although his wife is hoping the stay will be shorter.  We all wish him luck. 

Sam and Rita arrived back in the park late on Tuesday night and they came to the barbecue last night as well.  Sam has been under the La Tourista bug for a few days so he was not his usual happy go lucky self plus they were both tired from their 12 hour drive back.  They'd had enough of their whirlwind trip and just wanted to get home.  It was decided that we would all take a bike trip together to Copala tomorrow which is on the road to Durango.  The road past Copala is called the Devil's spine and we will not go that far. 

The church in Copala.

We all headed out at 10:00 this morning  and we went out the beach road on to the libre and then through Mazatlan and then Villeunion.  It is a tough ride with all the traffic and exhaust and the drivers will not give you an inch and come at you from all directions.  Not for the faint of heart.  I have the added problem that my right foot gets really hot from the exhaust pipe and my boot is melting so I have to keep shifting my foot.  We made it on to the road to Durango and then it got better.  The road is pretty twisty coming into Copala but the traffic wasn't too heavy.  We travel way slower than the other two couples but that's okay with me.  Coming into Copala their road is all cobblestone and a really rough ride.  We ended up at their church which was built in 1750 for a little sight seeing and then down to the restaurant that Sam chose for lunch and it is famous for it's banana creme pie.

Maurice, Anne, Kathy, Eric, Rita and Sam at lunch.

There is a picture of the owner with Bill Clinton so we were really impressed.  Not!  We had a great lunch, Eric and I both had chile renenos and it was very, very good.  Oh, and of course banana cream pie for desert. 

The Harleys in Copala.

The trip back down the mountain was slow as we got stuck behind a big lumber truck with no where to pass.  This of course did not stop the Mexicans from passing on blind curves and double lines but they can die if they want to, I don't care.  We made it back to the park aroung 4:30 pm and are now relaxing over cold beer.  The rest of the crew has gone off to another freebie condo margarita night up the street and we opted out.  Too tired and didn't want to go any way.  Maybe we'll get together tomorrow night for dinner out before Maurice and Anne leave on Friday we'll see.  In any case shopping and laundry must be done tomorrow.   Thank God there's a cold beer store next to us or we'd really be in trouble.

Thursday January 14, 2010

Today I managed to get some laundry done and vacumn so we are slightly back on track.  We are hanging around the park today as Maurice is getting ready to store his rig etc. and Eric will help.  I went down to see Anne and she loaded me up with some frozen food and vegetables.  We will be able to survive without shopping until tomorrow and of course there is the cold beer store next to us so although we don't have bottled water we do have beer!

Maurice's high performance Road King.

Maurice and his "Outstanding Gut" - his words, not mine!

Friday January 15, 2010

Eric helped Maurice store his rig and car trailer this morning and they are now ready to head out.  Eric was having trouble getting the car trailer into the tight spot next to Jean's motorhome and Dave (Maria's man) offered to give it a try.  Apparently  Dave drove logging truck for 30+ years and so he managed to wiggle it into the the spot. 

We have noticed the varying abilities of RVers parking their rigs.  Some use  the roar, back up and don't look approach and some (I'm guessing ex truck drivers ) just smoothly slide the rig into it's spot effortlessly with no trouble.  However, the best approach always includes GOAL - Get Out And Look and that approach is a lot easier on the wife.  Lots of practise helps as well!

We said goodbye to Maurice and Anne and headed off to get groceries and water.  That has become easier over the past couple of trips once you learn how to drive like a Mexican.  We will now take it easy for a day or two as it has been a bit stressful with the bike accident and getting them stored to leave. 

We took a late evening walk up the beach to Cerritos as the surf has been up and the good surfers have shown up.  It was quite crowded in the water as the area is quite narrow and there were lots of boogie boarders and surfers.  I didn't pack my camera with me so unfortunately I didn't get any shots.  Too bad, next time.

Not tourists that were kidnapped.

Friday, January 9, 2010

I spent a couple of hours yesterday morning on the net trying to ferret out the real story about the kidnappings.  It was well hidden but I found it in a periodico called El Sol.  It turns out it was three Mexican men and three Mexican woman who were apparently abducted and their three new vehicles stolen.  They said the thieves were wearing bullet proof vests and carrying machine guns.  Part of the drug trade?  Who knows what the real story is, but it was not tourists.   The rest of this day is a blur but I do know that we went swimming and it was great, warm and not too big of a swell.  Oh yeah and  Eric got stung by a jelly fish.

Monday, January 11, 2010

I can't believe I haven't put anything on this blog since Friday.  It is a lot of work and of course we are really busy!  Not!  Oh well I will keep up as best I can.

Saturday was our day to go out with a bunch of 15 from the park to Hacienda Las Moras for lunch and we all left at 11:30 a:m.  Eric and I rode with Dennis and Marilyn and we all followed Frank in a convoy.  Hacienda Las Moras is a restored Tequila plantation that has been turned into a restaurant and has casitas to stay over night.  It seems to be quite a way out of town as you turn off onto a dirt road on the way to La Noria and the travel is slow and dusty.

Arriving for lunch.

View down the front porch.

When we arrived we were greeted with the sight of brightly painted buildings set in a lovely country setting.  The buildings are quite charming and after we had lunch we wandered the grounds taking pictures and looking at the buildings themselves. 

Peacocks on the lawn.

Peeping peacock!

Peacocks and a rooster wander the grounds and make for some good pictures as well.  

The gang at lunch.

Lunch was very good and it was nice to eat in such a relaxing setting.  Eric didn't order enough for lunch as he thought the soup he ordered would be the size that he had in El Caliete and have all the extras as well.  I'm a good wife so I shared my shrimp fajitas with him because he looked so hungry!  Eric had a good look at all the buildings and wonders how some of them are still standing as the termites have done a good job.  The roofs are held up by poles and willow thatch covered with concrete and clay roof tiles and most of them are sagging.  

A nice place to relax after lunch.

Hal and Helene from the "Magic Bus" beside us.

Really nice people, he's from New York and she's from Quebec and now they live in New Mexico.

The chapel that overlooks Hacienda Las Moras.

Connie, Mannie & Ramona at the Chapel.

When we arrived back at the park one of the hotels was setting up a mariachi band, margaritas and appy food.  I had one drink and then back to the RV.  Too tired and we could hear the music just fine from the RV!   Maurice dropped by late in the day to say that they had been getting a busy signal at Jean's home in Edmonton and they hoped it meant that Marla was home.  He is going to move Jean's large motorhome up front tomorrow and Eric will help him park it.

Sunday January 10, 2010

Maurice had a look at the site up front where he has to store the rigs, boat and car trailor and Eric will help him later this morning.  As I hadn't met Anne, Maurice's wife I went to the back of the park to say hello.  They have been under such strain with the accident I didn't want to intrude until they had received good news from home.  They tell me this morning that Jean is in intensive care in Edmonton and is in stable condition.  He still has internal bleeding and a collapsed lung but now he won't have to be moved again.  A big relief for them and although they didn't have much to say and I'm sure they are still very worried.  We had a good chat and they seem to be relaxing and smiling a bit more.  Maurice is still gung ho to see everything he can and I think Anne just wants to rest.  Tomorrow they will drive to San Blas and back in one day and that will be one long day.  Eric said we have no guts and lots of maps and Anne said" We have lots of guts, but no maps!  Funny.  So, we gave them Map Point and Jack's Mexican maps to download.  Now they can have guts and maps!

Late today Maurice and Anne dropped by with some smoked Marlin which they say is really delicious.  They had a drink and we had a good chat and they are quite funny people.  They are about ten years younger than us and are French and originally from New Brunswick although they have been living in Edmonton for thirty years now.  They have two grown daughters in their mid to late twenties and no grand children yet.  I think they are probably a bit lonely since their friends Jean and Marla are not here now.  Eric says they came over because I went to see Anne and he is probably right.  So hopefully things will continue to improve for them.

P.S. The weather is sunny, the temperature is about 83F. every day and the water
        is warm.  No complaints!

Also, now that I am using the new editor in Blogger to upload photos there is no spell check available so if there are errors.  Sorry!

A boat trip.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Maurice dropped by late yesterday to inform us that John's trip back to Edmonton did not go well.  His breathing deteriorated en route and the plane had to put down in Montana to get oxygen for him.  We thought this was a fully equiped Medivac plane so it is uncertain why they didn't have what they needed.  At present he is still there and we are waiting to see what happens next.

Maurice also said he spent the whole afternoon chipping hardened pelican crap out of his boat.  I don't think Pelicans are his favorite bird!  The 20 foot  boat is an old 80's fibreglass one that he has been restoring over the years.  You know, a work in progress. 

Eric and Maurice heading to the dock.

Eric & Maurice on the boat.

The "Crap" cuprit.

We set off this morning about 7:30 a:m after getting up a 6:00 a.m. and poor Eric hasn't been up at this time since he was still working  for Telus!  When we arrived at the dock it was apparent that the Pelicans had returned over night.   Another big pile of stinky Pelican crap all over the boat.  I thought Maurice was going to woof.   So, another clean-up of crap and then over to the fuel dock before we set off.  The boat is really small and has a large engine and I could tell Maurice really wanted to open it up but he took pity on me and didn't as he said  he didn't want to scare me.  He does admit to being a speed freak.  So, it was a pretty rough ride out and then we stopped to troll.  It was really hot and the boat was pitching pretty good and that along with engine smell and you guessed it........Kathy pukes!   Maurice looked a little green himself and Eric just said he was hungry!   That's just not fair.  So a short troll, no fish, a little engine trouble and back to the dock.

A view of the harbour.

While we were at the dock these iguanas were sunning themselves on the rocks.  The little ones were quite skittish but the big orange one had no fear.  I think he was posing for the picture!

                                                  Big Daddy!

A couple of the little iguanas.

|A look up the beach from the marina.

Frank dropped by this afternoon to discuss mapping on the computer and informed us there was a rumour that six tourists had been kidnapped just up the road and their vehicles stolen.  I'll have to try and verify that on the net. 

Later that day Maurice stopped by and he and Eric headed out to bring the boat home while I went for a late walk on the beach.

My walk on the beach included one of the older well dressed Mexican salesman making his pitch with wide open arms.   "Hello sweetheart I love you and you'll never have to work again!"   Me: " I don't work now!"  Him: "Good, I love you anyway and .......etc. into salespitch"  What was he selling, who knows, probably condos.  He is in shoes and I am in bare feet so I can move into the water where he won't follow.  Excellent plan.   No Gracias!!!!  People in chairs laughing and me shaking my head. 

So, home for supper and bed after a long day and I'm still a little queasy.  The weather right now is very warm as the wind has stopped and the humidity is quite high.  So far, it's warm enough for us.

We had a little Tequilla  tasting happy hour the other day over at Connie and Manny's and I got talked into cooking chile at the end of the month in a little cook-off.   Connie loves to keep something on the go and this is her latest plan.  We'll also go for lunch in a convoy on Saturday to some Hacienda out of town.  I think the others thought it would be a small party for lunch but the Tequilla had Connie inviting everyone!

The end of the day!