Mexico 2013: A horsehoe crab, giant shrimp and a couple of parrots.

I spent the entire morning on the beach. Once again it was low tide, but I didn't mind. I waded out so far the resort looked like a thin sliver in the distance. There was a playful horseshoe crab that kept scurrying back as the tides washed it inward. After a while this started freaking me out and so I decided to read by the pool to the hypnotic tunes of Mexican elevator music.

We went back downtown in the afternoon. Dad had commissioned his new buddy, Nacho, to make six leather pouches for his coins, pills, and sundry mini things in his pockets and we needed to pick them up at the Cholla Mall by 4pm. We had a couple of hours to spare and so we went to lunch at our new favorite restaurant - The Point. Mom finally got her fish and they both sang along to the toothless men serenading them at the table. Not to be missed was the statue at 'el Malecon' of a man riding a shrimp - just a slight exaggeration on the huge local shrimp in the area.

After lunch, I walked around the back streets to get some 'off the beaten track' photos of the town. I stopped into a modest church on the hill and then found a few doors and windows to add to my "paint someday" collection. I was pleasantly suprised to find two parrots just hehind the taco stand.

 

Mexico 2013: Of tides and time

Can a plus be a minus? It can when it comes to resort vacations. Yes. I like the room with the sea just outside my window and the comp breakfast buffet this morning was spectacular. But committing our entire morning to hearing about the "great chance of a lifetime" was more than I bargained for, I could do without the yellow plastic wrist band as well. I guess it is just such a different way than I usually vacation...small family run hotels, walking distance to downtown and shopping like a local.


There is an 18 hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus - great if you are a golfer. It is right on the estuary of the sea and so the tides change the landscape throughout the day. We even spotted egrets wading nearby. Speaking of tides, I seem to always go out to the beach at low tide. I walk out what seems like a quarter of a mile before the water is even as high as my ankles.

We finally made it back into town in the afternoon and went straight to the outdoor shops - what we always referred to as the Cholla Mall. However, as we crossed the train tracks on Calle Revelution the sign over the newly paved street reads "Welcome to Rodeo Drive". Times have changed, but the souvenirs are pretty much the same as ever - talavera pottery, silver jewelry, bottles of vanilla, and mini bobble head turtles.
  



Mexico 2013: Seashells by the Sea Shore

We were on the road by 10am. Like any good American road trip, we had to stop to see the metal dinosaurs and to pick up some sandwiches just before we turned south to Mexico. After passing through the mining town of Ajo and the "blink and you miss it" town of Why we entered the Organ Pipe National Monument (which is more of a park than a monument and has many more saguaro, cholla and ocotillo cactus than it did actual organ pipe cactus.)

One hour after the boarder we reached Puerto Penasco, which now has a Sam’s Club just on the outskirts of town. Bulk was a little more than we needed for 3 days, so we went next door to the Bodega Aurrera. We stocked up on pastries, fresh tortillas, rice, cheese and flan to supplement our ‘one local meal a day’ plan.

The Mayan Palace resort is about 25 miles to the south-east of the city right on the Bay of Cortez. Maureen was the hostess that eagerly greeted us with fruit juice (since we declined the margaritas). She went through her scripted spiel and we agreed to the free breakfast and 90 "refresher" meeting in the morning.  







Our suite is very nice, unpretentious and actually bigger than my 2 bedroom apartment. The tide was on its way out and so I suited up and went out to take a dip in the warm sea and dig my toes into the micro fine sand. After an hour of doing absolutely nothing, mom and dad joined me on the beach to look for shells.

Arizona 2013: 5am Fun

Its not like I don't know what I am getting myself into. A trip home in May is sure to be hot, busy and filled with more than my fare share of cactus related injuries. I spent the first night of my "vacation" in Phoenix at my sister's place. I did a bit of yard work in the morning (in between play time with Sawyer.)

They have a pool, so that all but negates the effort of the yard work (which I love to do anyway.) Sawyer is really a fun little girl. She took her time getting to know me. After a few bottles, a couple of diaper changes and lots of jumping, we are best buds. Never met a baby that liked to jump so much!

My mom drove me down to Coolidge Monday evening. Before I even put my bags in the bedroom, I was rearranging furniture and pictures in the living room (I blame my mother for my overactive sense of "spatial correctness".) Since my last visit in December, my parents downsized from two overstuffed red couches to a little orange one. The size is much better suited to the space, but it is very ORANGE and all the afghans and pillows cant hide that fact. At least the paintings on the walls nearby don't clash with the overt desert tone. Bookshelves rearranged, rugs and paintings repositioned, I was finally able to fall asleep.
 

Once again I was up around 5am the next day. This time it wasn't the morning cries of a baby but the glow of the early sunrise creeping through my window that woke me up (not to mention my body thought it was 6am since Arizona doesn't need Daylight Savings Time.) Mom was already up watering her garden by the time I donned my work-in-the-yard attire.

We harvested beets, onions, radishes and one lone crookneck squash. I chopped off a few gangly cactus pads and transplanted them to barren spots along the fence. Over the years I have gotten quite skilled at wielding the shovel and balancing the pads into place without actually touching the cactus. Regardless, a stray thorn always finds me.

By 8:30pm, my mom was already drifting off to sleep. Earlier she had me "approve" her wardrobe, not wanting to be under dressed for the resort crowd. She always looks very coordinated and stylish, so I am not sure what she was worried about. My dad announced that he would be bringing his "vintage car" shirt - enough said. Very few people wear a shirt like that as well as my dear ol' dad.

First Bloom

Blossoming Desert Willow

Time for bed and I was still quite warm, possibly from too much sun today. Turns out my dad had the AC set for 84 degrees. I guess compared to the 102 degrees this afternoon, 84 is markedly less hot - but far from cool. I convinced my dad to turn the AC to an actual cooler temp, our compromise was 78 degrees. I explained that one night of actually sleeping under the sheets instead of on top of them was worth my visiting in the heat of the "not-yet-Summer" temps of May in Arizona.

Tomorrow. The Beach.

Utah 2013: First time for everything



Provo Airport in the shadow of Mt. Nebo

Fresh snow fell on the mountains last night. It is still glistening in the sun as I sit at the Provo airport waiting for my first ever flight on Allegiant Air direct to Mesa, AZ.  I arrived 1 ½ hours early, not my usual travel routine (the web site said 2 hours prior) but since I didn’t know the check-in/security system here, I made a compromise.  I have one carry-on bag, packed to the gills and a very large purse for my computer and other bits and pieces that could not be smashed into the bag.

I will be home for a couple of days, just enough time to play a bit with my niece, Sawyer, and to work my way down the list of “projects” my mom has ready for me. Then we will drive about 4 hours south to the seaside town of Puerto Penasco, Mexico. I have made many trips to this humble shrimping town since High School. This will be the first time actually staying at a resort – hopefully there will be less “las cucarachas” than previous stays in budget hotels. We will have 3 days to explore all Rocky Point has to offer, hopefully we will make it out to Bird Island.



Lift off - a view of Provo and Mt. Timpanogos

There is another storm rolling in over Provo Lake.  Not much action on the tarmac, just a couple of “mini” planes – we are the only commercial flight today.  The waiting room has almost filled to capacity with more than their fare share of children under the age of 3. I am doing my best to drown out the increasing volume level with some “Iz”, Imagine Dragons and The Civil Wars. So far, so good.