Happy Halloween

WHERE ARE WE? La Penita, Nayarit, Mexico

Happy Halloween everyone!!!  It seems like its been a year since we last did this!!!  I failed to mention yesterday that Jeff and Fany and Max have arrived back in town.  We did go see them yesterday but I didn't have my phone so no pictures.  Welcome back guys.  Hope to see lots of you.

And I got to see my Birra guy downtown today.  He makes the best birra taco's in town.  He seemed happy to see me back.

Today was trim the palm trees day.  Poncho came and soon got busy climbing the trees and trimming them.  There were lots of coconuts on them this year, so they had become a bit of a hazard.  One of those falling could kill a person.

One of the trees took a lightning strike earlier and it was right above the pool so we were really worried that some of the fronds might fall on our heads in the pool.  Poncho was a little worried that maybe it was not safe up top but soon found out it was ok.

They got some good looking coconuts from some of the trees.  

It looks like the weather is going to level out now and if we can get rid of the humidity, it will be better.  I don't anticipate that to happen until later in November.  

So for Halloween we met Jeff, Fany, Max, Nicole and her husband, and Bob and Cindy at Hinde and Jaimies to have supper and hand out candy to the kids.  We had forgotten about handing candy so we watched as the rest had fun.  Bob and Cindy had 600 rice crispy squares and within about and hour and a half, they were all gone and there were still kids coming through. 

Max was the only one at our table to dress up.  He was some sort of a villain.  It was a fun night.  Good Nite!!!

Dia de los Muertos Gets Underway

WHERE ARE WE? La Penita, Nayarit, Mexico

This is the season of Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.  This tradition has become quite a tourist attraction and I sometimes wonder if that is what it is supposed to be.  I guess in the tourist places they can celebrate with huge parties and music and Catrina like in Puerta Vallarta.  

I think as you move away from the tourist areas, the meaning of the event turns to one of remembrance.  People visit the graves of their loved ones and adorn them with pictures, flowers and sometimes food and spend much time just being near the grave remembering someone they loved.  We as foreigners should probably step back a bit and allow them to do this without crowding in to take pictures and oogle the pretty flowers. There are different days to remember different things and today is to remember those the water took.  Many people are lost each year to stormy waters as they are out fishing.  The belief is that the souls of those gone before, return to the grave each year to comfort those who are left behind.

 Today is not a holiday or anything so work went on as usual.  We had an air conditioner fail in the lower suite so the guys came to change it out today.  New guests will be here on Sunday so it needs to be ready for then because they will need a place to hide from the heat and humidity.  The old unit was very much corroded from the salt in the air.  If you live this close to the ocean, many things have a shorter life than in normal climates.  It is working great now.

The other thing with being so close to the ocean and with the high humidity and rainy season, is that the sidewalks turn black and green from the mold and algae growing on them.  I found out that pool chlorine and water seems to get rid of the problem.  It still takes a little scrubbing but is better in the end.

Well that was another great day with an awesome sunset again.  See you tomorrow. Good Nite!!!

Colour is Everywhere

WHERE ARE WE? La Penita, Nayarit, Mexico

Not much to bore you with today.  One of the things we love about Mexico is the colours.  Everywhere you go, things are painted in vibrant colours and even the greenery around is beautiful as they come out of the rainy season.  They have an abundance of natural flowers growing everywhere but they also are very artistic with their fake flowers.  One of the streets I bike down has about 4 vendors selling artificial flowers all in a row.  Very nice.

Because it was very hot today, I spent some time indoors working on computer things.  It is getting near the end of the month so there is lots to do.

Sunset snuck up on us very quickly.  I think it may of been the 2 hour nap I had this afternoon that brought it on quicker that I thought.  It was beautiful and we still have some ruminants of clouds from the unsettled weather we are having.  Good Nite!!!

Lots of people watching the sunset

Big ole clouds, the kind you see faces in.

Hurricane Vance Has Passed Us By

WHERE ARE WE? La Penita, Nayarit, Mexico

This was the sort of day we woke up to.  I know I have written about the perfect weather here in La Penita, however we arrived almost 2 weeks early and caught the tail end of the hurricane and rain season.  I have always wanted to be here when it rained lots to witness it, but now I have been here, done that, time for sunny dry weather!!!

A little relaxing waiting for the rain to stop.  Yes a blanket even if it is hot.

It did quit raining for a bit later in the morning so Sue and I headed for a walk on the beach with Archie.  He loves his morning walks. Sue took an awesome picture of an egret with a great reflection.  You won't see these kind of pictures from me.

We managed to get a few more of the loungers out today.  These are for the boss's!!!  They will be here mid November we hope.

Took a little time to measure out a spot for a new palapa.  Jen would like a round one with a single middle pole this time.  This was a 20 foot diameter which is pretty big for that kind of design.  No big hurry on a new one, so this was only food for thought.

We had a visit from this cute yellow bellied bird today.  Actually there were 2 of them.  Anyone know what they are??  Sorry picture is through a screen.

We took a drive downtown in the evening with the Jeep to see what was happening.  It was still raining and the downtown was pretty wet.  The town is getting ready for Dia de Mourtos celebrations.  They also have some Halloween stuff going on as well on the 31st.

Well although we had some wind come through this evening for about a half hour, it seems hurricane Vance has passed us by.  We are told we will see some of the effects in the way of waves.  We should see some more normal weather from now on.

Lots of cloud covering us

Archie says just relax.  Everything will be alright!!!  Good Nite!!!

The Palapa is Gone

WHERE ARE WE? La Penita, Nayarit, Mexico

Another hot humid day here.  No matter, Joel was determined to get the old palapa destroyed.  He was soaking wet and I kept encouraging him to take breaks and drink water.  When he has a project to do, he just puts his head down and does it.  

Those posts are buried a long way

He finished up and got his mess cleaned up.  We tried to save a few of the post, but most were rotten from ground level down.

One of the things we have to get done soon is trimming of the coconut trees.  There seems to be a good bunch of coconuts on them this year and we are worried someone might get one on the head.

I had to make a little trip to the store as I do most days.  Down here we just buy based on daily needs it seems.  It gives me a good excuse to go for a bike ride.

Then after supper I went over to Cafecito 2 and met the kids there.  They were bringing supplies and had stopped for a frappe.  We had a nice chat and some laughs which was the perfect end to the day.  Good Nite!!!

Me, Fatima, Kenia, and Karen

And Karens boyfriend Bryan