Good news and bad news. I accepted an offer on the Eddy Street house! Whew! The key was pricing it right. As soon as I did it sold! Lesson learned for selling this house! Over pricing it just means it doesn't sell.

The house inspection was done today and we are having the couple of things mentioned addressed tomorrow. Mike is seriously looking for a place for us to buy in his area now! He thought he'd found "the one" only to find out it already has an offer on it.

Mike leaves Saturday morning for Japan! He'll stay with Brett for 5 days in Kyoto. I spoke with him today and he is starting to get excited about the trip! It'll be his first trip off the North American c0ntinent! It might be best he not start the process of buying a house until he gets back.

Caleb and Oliver started Tee-ball this month! Caleb is an assistant coach for the team and Oliver is the baseball player! They both look pretty pleased even though their first game was rained out last week.

Sure brings back memories for me. We spent several seasons at the Little League fields in Medford as Brett, Caleb and Micheal worked through T-ball, Rookies, and Babe Ruth... I still can not eat a corn dog! Dinner options from the concession stand is pretty limited!

Lots of fun and good times are ahead for Oliver, Caleb and Kelly.

Kelly got a part in a local play and she is really excited about that. It's what puts a sparkle in her eye! I don't know much about the play itself but was really happy to hear the joy in words as she told me about it.

I purchased the invitations for the wedding ceremony and should have them out in the mail by the end of the week! So watch your mailboxes!

Sunday Cheryl is having an open house here so Jack and I are discussing taking the gun cabinet to Rocky and Caron in Roseburg. If the weather is as bueatiful as it is today we are going to try the Amicer Park to Hestness Landing float on the North Umpqua! Got to try out our gear!

Hope all is good with you out there!

The weekend passed quickly again! Bookcases, hutch, kitchen set, TV and VCR, boots, and the leather chair and ottoman have gone to their new homes! That allows us to walk through the garage.

Friends, Caron and Rocky, got here from Roseburg about 10 am and we dropped the housework for more fun things like a drive to Crater Lake and an evening of domino's! It was good to visit with them and catch up on the status of all their projects. Rocky and Caron get more done in a week than anyone else I know!

The drive to Crater Lake was a total bust as far as viewing the lake goes. We were in the clouds when we reached the Rim and the lake was completely hidden in fog. It was snowing and the temperature had dropped from 43 to 28 degrees so we didn't spend much time outside the truck! Snow is about 14 feet deep on th the Rim. We made a brief stop at Steele Circle and then headed back to Klamath Falls. It's a good thing the trip was about spending time together not seeing Crater Lake.

Rocky looked at my Metro while he was here and determined the screeching is a fan belt that needs replacing not just tightening. Jack will be taking care of that this week. Caron's little Aveo is the four door version of my Metro so our driveway looked like a parent and child car set!

Jack fixed a great breakfast Sunday morning and then we took a stroll in Moore Park to walk it off! We showed Rocky and Caron where we will be having the ceremony by the lake and then showed them the OIT campus. Caron was really surprized at the small size of the campus. It's only about 5 buildings. I think she was envisioning something more like U of O's campus. The day was bright and bueatiful - the better day for sight seeing! Best laid plans...

After their departure Jack and went to visit Dad and found him making Bread Pudding. He is looking better every day and seeing him up and active is great! We took advantage of the good weather to clean up Dad's patio. I pummelled the cushions to get all the dust off them and Jack hosed down the glass patio table and chair frames. After putting away the gardening stuff and sweeping the patio we set the table and chairs back up on the patiol Dad seemed pleased. He said he didn't recognize the place! I'm hoping having a nice clear place to sit outside will encourage him to get out and enjoy the good weather. Fresh air and sunshine is a great elixer!

That was my weekend! Hope you all enjoyed yours as much!

Easter dinner was a wonderful affair at Ed and Nancy's home! Nancy must have cooked for a week! Carl, Tracy, Darrell, Signe, Leo, Alisha, Wolf, Jessame, Rebecca, Mark, Jack and I ate all we could and didn't hardly make a dent in the spread! We each brought a dish but Nancy had all the bases covered - nobody could want for anything! I had hot cross buns for the first time and carrot pie in whole wheat crust. There was also carrot and onion salad, deviled eggs, parogues, sausage in saurqwart, turkey, ham, potatoe salad, jello salad. And then there were the desserts! This was a private home not a catered affair! We had a great time catching up with each other as we ate. Seems like all of us have been going all winter long and this was about the first time we've all gathered since New Years.

From there we returned home for the final push to get the house ready for "show". Cheryl came Monday and took pictures and it is listed! Since then Jack and I have slowed down a bit. It is basically ready now to show anytime. Jack finished the work room today and took the last big load to the storage unit. We'll be having a garage sale some nice weekend.

There was snow on the ground this morning! It melted by mid morning but it's a reminder everyday is not guaranteed warm yet!

Dad got to come home from the hospital today. He went in one Monday with internal bleeding again and they've been giving him replacement blood all week! We think we've uncovered the cause so hopefully this will be the last episode. Dad has been taking Napersin - unbeknownst to his doctor. Now that is off his list of medications maybe the bleeding will stop. He's happy to be home and his dog Jake is thrilled he is too.

Very busy week on the house front. We have painted the paneling in the dining room the same color as the rest of the livingroom . I've cleared the kitchen counters of everything except the microwave, toaster, and coffeepot. We are making great progress! We've given away some of the "extra" furniture and the rest is getting tagged for a garage sale.

Jack has taken much of what we are going to keep to the storage unit he rented on Wednesday. All but 4 of my hats are once again packed in their hat boxes and stored! It was only 5 months ago I unpacked them! We are telling ourselves this is the last time!

We've gone through 6 houses as of this evening. We believe we've found a house we both want. We are going to sleep on it tonight and discuss making an offer tomorrow. It will be contingent on the sale of our house here but we would like to lock it in if we can. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Night for now!

What's new? Well, I'm sporting blended tri-focal glasses which really helps with the computer screens! The grey hair is coming in strong too! Aging quickly here!

Other than that... Jack signed the papers and Klamath Falls house goes on multiple listing next Monday! We are going to be "de-cluttering" like crazy this next week! But it is the standard hurry up and wait...I am sure. I expect the house will be on the market 4 to 6 months.

My Roseburg house has been on the market since November! Jack and I took a load of things up to Mike for when he gets his place and worked on the house's "curb appeal" this past weekend. We cleaned windows, bleached the patio cement, and weeded what we could. Josh and his girlfriend stopped by and we got to catch up with each other. Turned out his girlfriend knows a lot of the same people in Klamath Falls that we do. It was a nice visit. In Junction City we went to dinner with Mike and then visited as long as Jack and I could keep our eyes open. An early evening to Mike I'm sure but we'd been up since 4:30 am!

Sunday we drove home via the Diamond Lake Hwy and I showed Jack the different raft put-in, take outs and rapids along the way. We got a good helmet for him in Eugene so now we're ready to go rafting!

That's what's goin' on here... hope all is well out there!

Almost the end of March! Got to counting up time until June 9th and it's only 11 weeks away! So I've got planning to do. And my mind has been working overtime! Today I'm exhusted and am going to try and get a good nights sleep.

We got a few things done these last couple of days. Caterer is arranged, park is reserved, Rebecca came over last night and we got the mentoes designed - and I worked on some of the peices after she left.

Chatted with a Brett for a little bit last night by IM. He got his flight information and will be here on June 6th through the 11th. All the boys will be here for the celebration!

Jack's wetsuit, PDF, gloves and splash jacket came before his IK! We are still waiting for the arrival of the Aire Tomcat but when it gets here we'll be ready to hit the rivers! I ordered the appearel as a surprize for Jack so he can use his IK when it gets here rather than have to wait for the rivers to warm up - he was surprized! Hope the boat comes soon! :-)

We're heading North this weekend. Taking Mike stuff for his place when he gets one... and clearing out our craft room. First step to preparing a home to sell... get rid of the clutter! We won't move until after the celebration but it will take us that long to get everything ready! We have lots of stuff!

I tried to make today a day of rest as much as I could! We've been doing more "going" all week with Dad being in the hospital. Dad was overjoyed when he was told he could go home today, on Friday. The Nurse reported he climbed over the railing and was looking for his clothes immediately. He had to wait for Jack to being him some! His ride there in the ambulance was in slacks only!

Dad had told Jack the first thing he was going to do was go to Casey's and get a 10 oz prime rib dinner so we took him to Casey's Friday evening and we all had prime rib! Saturday morning was the monthly Intergroup Breakfast at the Grange. We spent the afternoon at Dad's. Jack vacuumed and shampooed carpets while I dusted, cleaned windows and together we did the laundry. It was an old-fashioned spring cleaning and we were able get a good idea how Dad was doing. He is very tired and sleeps a lot but that is to be expected. This morning Jack and I went to the Sunday morning Breakfast at Elmer's and went to see Dad afterwards. He was up and is doing much better! We heard from a neighbor that Dad had gone out to his truck on Saturday and asked him about that today. He admitted he'd thought he needed something from the store but thought better of it and returned to the house without going anywhere. We got a list of the things he thought he needed and got them for him from Albertson's before we returned to our house! He's promised not to drive!

At home we loaded up all our yard trimmings and Jack hauled them off to the dump while I did a test ride to work and back on my bicycle. The weather is getting nice and I want to start riding to work. We are putting together a FitandHealthy team in the payroll department and will get points for doing things like that. It's a city wide competition and we will win "something" if our team makes the most points. It really doesn't matter what to me... I just want to be motivated to be active! I think I can stretch the 2 miles in to a 4 or 5 mile bike ride by taking a scenic route.

Good news and bad news. Good news is that the weather has been beautiful and Jack and I got most of our spring yard work done this past weekend.

Bad news is that Jack found his dad nearly unconscious and bleeding internally on Monday morning. Jack called 911 and spent a harrowing day with trying to get all the information on what medications Dad takes and why. Dad can't hear anything that is being said without his hearing aides and they didn't stop to get them in the rush to get him to the hospital. Jack ended up going back to the house and getting all the RX bottles and taking them to the hospital.

In the course of the day Jack shut the truck door on his hand and split his forefinger about the length of the first joint! This was after he'd spent a big part of the afternoon shampooing Dad's carpet so stains wouldn't be left from the blood. He should get stitches (about 4 I think) but won't go to the doctors. We've got it wrapped with a butterfly bandage and are putting neosporan on it every time he changes the bandage. It is still bleeding through the band aide gauze as of this evening. He says it's to late to get stitches now. I don't know so I am not going to argue the point.

Dad is being kept at the hospital and has had at least 3 units of blood transfused in to him. He is looking better but is very weak. I spent a couple hours keeping him company last night but when we went in after I got off work this afternoon he looked very tired and sleepy. I decided to just make it a short visit and come home. The doctor said Dad will stay in the telemetry unit until Thursday so they can monitor him. I'm feeling pretty tired myself. Jack's hand hurt him so much he tossed and turned trying to find a comfortable way to lay all through the night... so neither of us slept much!

I'm sure worry over his Dad was going on too. Dad had been complaining of being tired and Jack went to the house Monday morning with the intention of taking him to the doctors offfice. The doctor has told us there is nothing more that should have been done and that Jack did everything right but it is hard not to second guess yourself under these circumstances.

And today I find out Mom Judy has a broken foot and is in a walking cast. It took her doctor three weeks, x-rays, and a CAT scan to figure out what she told him the first day... that her foot is broken!

Seems like everyone around me is having difficult times one way or another! I'm closing this day with a prayer that Dad and all those that I love are given healing and strength from my friend upstairs!

Day 12 - Tuesday - 2-13-07 By 6:15 am and Jack and I were awake and agreed we wanted to get home!

On Crater Lake Hwy heading for White City the traffic and speed at which everyone was moving unnerved me to the point of being a back seat driver and frightening Jack with my reactions to driving choices he was making. When we stopped to get coffee I took a walk to settle myself down and returned to apologize to Jack for my outbursts. We agreed my being scared scared Jack and that makes him yell. Understanding is half the battle! We made it the rest of the way home without any further harsh words! It's still winter here! Hwy 140 had fresh snow as you can see!






















And we have had more winter weather since then! It was a joy to be home - icy air and all. Mike was thrilled to see us! He did his little front leg hop dance which is equivalent to jumping up and down. Jack was really pleased that Mike seemed really torn between greeting me or him!

After being home for a few minutes we went out to the car to unload our suitcases. The minute that Jack lifted the hatch to the back of the car Mike jumped in! I would have said there wasn't enough room for him to fit in there on top of the luggage but there he was perched on top of it all - he wasn't being left behind again!

We had quite a time convincing him to get out so we could unload! With a lot of coaxing he finally jumped out and watched us closely as we pulled the suitcases out. I didn't get a picture of him on top of the luggage - peeking out at us from the ceiling and I regret that. It was comical!

As soon as we moved away from the hatch Mike popped back into the car and there he stayed until we called him in to the house! It is good to be home!

Day 11 – Monday - 2-12-07

We packed our suitcases first thing this morning. Jack became a little concerned we might exceed the weight limit per bag! We certainly accumulated a lot of stuff!

Taking stock of our pesos we realized we did a good job of spending them down last night! We had enough time to spend the rest on breakfast and a few small last minute purchases. One of those items was jar of pure vanilla and the other was a quart of Kailua for Mom. I’d looked in every grocery store we came across for the kind of instant coffee Judy loves but all we found was Nescafe. So we compromised and got her the coffee additive she enjoys once in a while! We are planning to go to her house in Anderson, California and will take it to her then.

Casa Café is closed on Mondays so we headed to Café Marina for breakfast once we had everything ready to go in our room. Café Marina was packed so we decided to try another restaurant at the south end of the Paseo called Tata’s. French toast Mexican style is crunchy!

We dawdled over our coffee looking out across the beach and watching the tide roll in. The vast flock of pelicans seems to have left. We’d heard there were more than 1,000 of the ugly brown guys in the bay because a huge school of feeder fish were here. I guess the school has gone.

Most of the sailboats are almost all gone too. The vast number here earlier was due to SailFest – an annual charity drive to raise money for schools for the Indian children. Evidently the government has gotten involved and now wants to use the funds for the benefit of education for ALL the children in the state of Guermo which has the sailors a bit unhappy. The fund raisers started Sail Fest to help the Indian children specifically as they have the least opportunity and resources in the social structure in Mexico. They’ve all sailed on to other ports now.

A stop at Café Marina for a book for the trip home and to say farewell to Joe Wells – we found a write up about him in our Zihuatanejo book and know his name now! I got Dan Brown’s Deception Point for $2 from his book shelves. We continued to the north end of the Paseo and out on to the pier where a cool breeze was blowing. We sat on the bench and watched people board panga’s for the short trip to Los Gatos, watched the charter boats come in with their catches.

One charter boat came in with a blue marlin (looked like a swordfish) lay across the back of the boat because it was longer than the boat! The fish was huge. Jack estimates it weighed over 500 pounds. It took 5 men to haul it upon the dock and hoist it up with block and tackle for everyone to have a picture taken with it. It will be sold to the restaurants and be eaten today so I don’t feel bad about it being caught and kept.

At lunch time we returned to our favorite fish taco spot, La Mandarina and were joined shortly by Buck and Kathy whom we’d first met at that same spot. Buck told us the route to drive if we wanted to drive to Zihuatanejo like they did – it’s a 9 day drive from Sacramento, California. 2 days of that being from Puerto Vajarta to Zihuatanejo! Mountain roads full of switch backs! Jack has an army friend that has a place in Puerto Vajarta that had told Jack the same thing when Jack mentioned getting together while we were down there. The drive is pretty demanding. Jack passed on lunch but I enjoyed the fish taco special and a chocochino. Saying farewell we returned to our room to gather our luggage and head to the airport. Checking out consisted of giving the desk clerk our key. Hailing a cab we were at the airport within 15 minutes. The cab cost $27 from the airport to town and $10 to travel from town to the airport!


Since we were there at 1:45 PM (our flight leaves at 5 PM) we had plenty of time to print our e-tickets. The Alaska Airlines personnel did not arrive and start checking baggage until 2:30 PM. We were through that checkout point at 2:45 and sat for a few minutes outside the ticketed passenger’s only point. The ticket counter clerk had said to go in about 3:30 but since we were already there and didn’t intend to go elsewhere we checked in to the holding area at 3 PM. Finally Jack seemed at ease that we were not going to run in to any problems getting on the plane. We had until 4:30 before they would even begin boarding the plane. I sat down with my book and read. It is a good thing that it was a good book.

Jack took multiple tours of the holding area and spent the remaining pesos he had not spent – just in case – on candy bars and coconut cakes.

The 1 ½ hours passed and the attendants called for special needs passengers. A line formed that wrapped around the waiting room. I don’t ever like sitting on a plane any longer than necessary so I continued to read. Jack sat with me as long as he could stand it – which wasn’t long – and then joined the line. I agreed I’d join him when he got close to the attendant taking the boarding passes. It took about 15 minutes and we were climbing in to the plane.



The seating was two rows of seats – three across. Our seats were on opposite sides of the same row! We hoped there would be some one willing to switch seats or that there would be empty seats that would allow us to sit together but neither option played out.

I focused on reading until the plane took off. Closing my eyes and doing deep breathing until we reached altitude got me through. Deception Point is a very captivating book so time went pretty fast – interrupted only by the delivery of cheeseburgers that tasted extremely good!

At LAX the plane, being an international flight, was parked over a mile form the terminal and we were loaded on a bus to cover the distance. Already not happy about us not being seated together Jack was aggravated by the inconvenence and delay in getting to customs. He’d been told by “people” that customs is a long drawn out process and he was worried about us making our connecting flight in 2 hours. I tried to focus more on appreciating the precautions that were being taken to insure the safety of the airport. After reading Shadow War I am aware of how highly a prized target LAX is for terrorists.

When the bus arrived at the terminal we were through customs within 10 minutes. So much for what "people" say. Customs officers checked our passports – stamped them and we were done. The longest wait was for our baggage. There was a man who complained loudly about the delay and made a butt of himself among the 100+ people patiently waiting. I didn’t say anything but Jack knew I was feeling sorry for the wife of the man as she tried to quiet him.

When our bags were collected we were off to get them checked in for our connecting flight. It was good news was that Alaska Airlines had a station that collected our bags as we came to the top floor of the international terminal and took them off to be loaded on our plane. The walk to the Alaska Airlines terminal was short and the fresh air felt great. We got through security and to the gate with 20 minutes to spare before they began loading passengers. I gratefully dropped in to a seat and strove to relax for a few minutes before climbing on to another cramped airplane. The minute they called for the 1st passengers to load Jack was poised to get in line again. I spoke out against getting on the plane or even getting in line until absolutely necessary. Jack grudgingly sat down and waited – anxiously watching the line and looking at me for the go ahead. I see a distinct difference in our personalities here and wonder what our final solution will be after we’ve gone through this for a couple of years.

I waited until there were only a few people remaining in the line before I stood up. Jack let out a loud “Finally” and rushed for the line. We were seated in the plane within minutes and sat waiting until all the straggler passengers boarded and were seated. Twenty minutes later the plane took off.

I had catered to Jacks preference to be early to everything the entire day and he was still just as anxious as ever. I’d hoped he’d see that rushing to things just left us waiting for long periods of time. I’ve never known anyone so willing wait or to stand in line when it doesn’t make any difference in the outcome. We are confirmed for the flight, our seats are assigned, there is no added value or points for waiting in line. The irony is that he then gets impatient because he has waited so long (because he arrived so far in advance) that it seems like things aren’t happening fast enough when the time for things to occur arrives. It is exhausting to watch him and keep myself from either lashing out or get sucked in to the anxiety ridden attitude!

I am reasonably certain that my unwillingness to stand in lines and my tendency to arrive just before scheduled times is equally distressing for Jack. I pray God will give us both the patience to work towards compromise!

I practiced deep breathing. Medford Airport came quickly compared to the previous flight. It was 11 pm and the shortage of taxi’s delayed our getting to Days Inn until midnight! It had been an exhausting day. Stretching out on a bed felt wonderful after the long day of plastic chairs and crowded airline seats!

Jack and I kissed, said good night and fell asleep in each others arms back in the USA.

Day 10 - Sunday - 2-11-07 Woke refreshed this morning! Rested and happy! My rash has receded to small bumps. Jack has similar bumps across his back. When snorkeling on Isla Ixtapa on Friday his back received extra sun - the rest of the day he had stayed under the palapa. I think it's sun poisoning or a heat rash.

At Casa Cafe this morning it was suggested that I try talcum powder and we picked some up. It has helped with the discomfort. We've kept to the shade during our walks today and I wore long sleeves to keep the direct sun off.

This being our last full day we made a list of what we wanted to get - a plaque for the kitchen that says "Este Rey si Cocina" (The King of the Kitchen) and a couple ceramic ashtrays for Mom Judy's porch. I also came across a cute silver butterfly hair clasp and a pair of abalone and silver earrings. I am DONE shopping now!

Jack has asked me once or twice if I was done shopping for jewelry and I never would give him a solid "yes" - usually just a smile, but now I can. I have accumulated quite a few "memento's" of our honeymoon. The pewter dish will look great on our dinning room table with fruit on it and also can be used for a meat dish during a dinner! We have coffee mugs, the plaque for the wall, ceramic fruit bowls, tee-shirts, dresses and all my new jewelry!

Since this is our last day we decided to stop at Pollo Locos and have their grilled chicken. We have walked past it every day that we have been here. The chicken always smells great on the huge open grill they cook on but we hadn't seen it recommended anywhere so we had gone on to others we felt more sure of. It was delicious! It seems to be kind of like their Kentucky Fried Chicken - the delivery boy loaded up his "delivery box" (a cooler on the back of his motorcycle) several times and made deliveries during our meal.

Two-thirty in the afternoon and it is HOT. I have retreated to the room to sit under the fan and journal. Jack has ventured off- alone again- to find a travel agency we'd been told would call the airport and confirm our flight tomorrow. He returned within 20 minutes with the mission accomplished but not through the travel agency. He never found that place but he made use of one of the shop's we'd noticed where there are several phones on a table and a person to pay for using the phones - that person will also place the call for you. It's well worth the 3 pesos to have a local make the call!

These jaunts in to the streets alone are risk taking exercises for Jack and he is really getting to enjoy them. To bad we are leaving tomorrow. He's really beating down some fears of the unknown and unfamiliar! Breaking free from habitual routine!

Prior to laying down for our siesta Jack's back erupted in water blisters! Reaching back to scratch an itchy spot his hand came away wet! Wiping his back down with a Kleenex was enough for all the blisters to pop and now he is peeling. We haven't done so well staying covered with sun screen - obviously!

My rash was all but gone when we woke up later in the afternoon!

There is a wind and it is cooling everything down nicely. Jack and I plan to have a nice dinner somewhere to celebrate our last evening here. I have enjoyed our time here but am looking forward to going home, seeing Mr. Mike, our mountains and Klamath Lake!

We went to Coconuts for dinner! It was the original hacienda of the owner of the area now called Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. Completely renovated it is now one of the nicest restaurants in town. The courtyard was lit with little white lights, a fountain gurgled in one corner, Parasol lights hung from the massive tree in the center of the courtyard, there were lush plants everywhere and soft music played in the background. It was very romantic! I was glad I had "dressed up" in a white silky tank top, a purple wrap around skirt and left my hair down! (I've had it up most of the time we've been here).

Jack had his first Carne Asada and I had one of my favorites, Chile Riano. This one was stuffed with cheese and shrimp. Mmm, wonderful! We had salads before the main meal and dessert and coffee afterwards. Lingering as long as we could in the moment. Very aware this would be our last evening in warm air among tropical trees. Our waiter took a snapshot of us there but it does not do the evening justice.

We walked the Paseo de Pescador, weaving our way through the Sunday crowd at the Zacola. Someone in a white suit was singing on the stage and he sounded very smooth. I think he was a celebrity. The crowd was especially large and since neither Jack or I are fond of crowds we quickly made our way through and continued on to the municipal pier to gaze out over Zihuatanejo Bay. The pier is dimly lighted and mostly populated with locals this evening. Jack was uncomfortable lingering there very long but I wanted to let the view sink in to my mind ~ to remember on cold winter nights at home.

The shore of the bay is lit with almost a continuous string of lights - even on Playa Los Gatos. Homes I assume. Sailboat silhouettes, with their single lights high on their masts marking their location, rock slightly. For once there is not a cruise ship blocking the view of the bay opening out into the Pacific Ocean. Moonlight shines bright enough to see shadows of the bluffs marking the entrance to the ocean. Music, softened by the distance, drifts across the water. The air is warm and soft on my bare skin. Jack's fingers intertwined with mine. This is happiness. I kept us there a few minutes and then I gave way to Jack's urging that we go. We made our way back down the streets that have become familiar. This has been a wonderful honeymoon!

Day 9 - Saturday - 2-10-2007

Last night was a quieter Friday night than our 1st Friday night here. Since it is not a fiesta weekend it might have been a more normal evening.

We returned to Casa Cafe for our usual breakfast. My energy level is very low. On the back of both my hands and up most of my arms I have a skin rash. In some spots pustules have formed and I'm trying not to scratch at them. My left arm is not as bad as the right. Jack says my face is flushed too. We've decided to stay out of the sun today. Don't know if it is sun, salt water, a combination of both, or a reaction to some food but the sun seems to aggravate it. We found a long sleeved Scuba pull over shirt for me to wear as we shopped for gifts to take home for my co-workers and friends.

The streets are brick or pavers and radiate the heat! We finally bought Tee-shirts for everyone we hadn't already purchased for. Jack's ankle has doubled in size although he says it doesn't hurt anymore than usual. Maybe it's the heat and humidity. People are saying it is unusually humid for this time of year. We decided it was siesta time early today!

I finished my third book this evening. I'd picked "Leave No Trace" by Hannah Nyala up this morning at Cafe Marina's book exchange. The story was captivating, which was good because the day proceeded to get hotter and muggier. My rash raised up red as we walked around in the morning sun so after our siesta we decided to lay around under the ceiling fan and read until the sun set. Jack ventured out ALONE this afternoon to get fresh fruit from the Mercado for us to snack on. That was a first! He didn't have any trouble getting what he wanted either!
















About 7 pm we dressed - we strip down to bare essentials while in our room to best enjoy the fan - and strolled the two blocks to Nueva Zelanda on Galena and had dinner. We had a light dinner and the took our "routine" walk to the bay and getting ice cream from the Italian ice cream shop on Juan Alvarez. I got Tarasumi tonight and Jack got a watermelon sherbet. Not on purpose - he just pointed at one that looked good!

We ate our ice cream under the big tree on the Paseo we started making our way back to our hotel is a leisurely way. Looking in silver shops for unique hair clasps, checking prices on pure vanilla at different shops and finally stopping at the little hole in the wall pastry shop just around the corner from our room. Last night the baker said they would have apple turnovers like the ones we got the first time we stopped there. I really liked that and wanted another so we made a point of stopping tonight. No apple turnovers! I settled for a creama turnover. It was okay but but I think I will make apple turnovers soon after we get home!

Jack read until about 8:30 pm and then fell asleep. My book kept me awake until almost midnight. One of those books you just can't put down!

Day 8 - Friday - 2-9-07 Huevos Rancheros was our breakfast choice, at Nueavu Zelanda instead of Casa Cafe because we were going to be going in the opposite direction for our days activities!

Today we went to Isla Ixtapa! It is the largest island about 4 miles North of Ixtapa and has several beaches to choose from. We took the public transportation to Playa Linda where we had to get water taxi tickets to get to the island. When we got on the white school bus with Playa Linda written on the window we put our 80 pesos on a towel on the dashboard and took a seat. It was nearly empty when we boarded but was almost full by the time we reached Playa Linda! A Canadian couple boarded a few stops later on their way to Playa Linda also.

This was Jack's first look at Ixtapa. It is the town the Mexican government built for tourists and tourists only. The beaches are all lined with high-rise hotels with flawlessly landscaped grounds. We passed CLUB IXTAPA (a Club Med) right before our ride ended. Mexicans can not live in Ixtapa we were told. They work in the hotels and restaurants but have to live elsewhere. Our bus had a number of people get on in Zihuatanejo dressed in what looked like "uniforms" of different types. In Ixtapa several tourists boarded the bus for the 3 mile ride to the "jump off spot" to Isla Ixtapa. Turned out Playa Linda was the "end of the bus line" so we didn't have to worry about missing our stop!

There was a Mercado similar to the Artisans Mercado in Zihuatanejo that you work your way through to get to the mainland beach which is Playa Linda. To the far left end of the beach a white walkway led to a small adobe building where we purchased our tickets to ride a panga to the island which was reassuringly close! Our panga operator was a small, dark, very wrinkled old man that never said a word. He questioned with a look where we wanted to go - Jack looked to me and I said "Snorkeling". He nodded and pointed to the other end of the island. Beyond the first beach we came to, around a rocky point, there was a smaller beach and another concrete pier. There were fewer people and "restaurants" lining it. The information I had from the internet said we would have to walk to the other side of the island to reach the coral beach which is "the" snorkeling spot.

The "walk" is 50 yards! Benito met us as we came off the pier and asked what we wanted to do for the day. When we said snorkel he lead us on the little path to Coral Beach! It wasn't any stress on Jack's still tender Achilles Heel! Benito set us up with a palapa, lounge chairs, and snorkeling gear within minutes. The gear cost $16 for both for all day here.

It is a very scenic small beach and the coral begins almost immediately. The water is crystal clear! It is by far the prettiest beach we've seen.

Although we saw many of the same fish we'd seen at Playa Los Gatos we did see some exciting new ones. A young green moray eel made it's way among rocks as we floated above him. A little later I spotted a black and white banded creature moving slowly through coral about 15 feet below us. Jack joined me when he saw I was staying in one spot obviously looking at something. He got pretty excited. He said it was a sea snake - extremely poisonous - but not aggressive. I didn't have a camera with me! Later when we came back with a camera I didn't see eels or snakes! Jack was not in favor of looking for the sea snake again anyway. We snorkeled 3 different times, I laid in the sun to dry off between times, Jack lounged in the shade of the palapa.

We snacked on chips and guacamole. About Noon Benito brought a tray loaded with freshly caught prawns, spiny lobster, and red snapper for us to choose our lunch from. We choose prawns and asked for them to be grilled. They were delicious! While diving Ricardo had told Jack how the lobster population has been decimated in recent years so Jack was passing on the lobsters. I had a huge lemonade with my meal but Jack stuck with water. Our bill for the day was $455 pesos - $45.50 for everything. More expensive than Los Gatos but then it is adjacent to Ixtapa where everything is very expensive.

Our walk back to the bus took us past the crocodiles we'd heard so much about. I got a few pictures of the massive reptiles. It was amazing how the white egrets stood around in close proximity to the croc's!

Our bus back to Zihuatanejo filled up at Playa Linda but the bus driver continued to stop if anyone was at a bus stop! Two or three people would have to step out of the bus so the new people could get in and then they would mount the steps again. Gave me a new picture of "standing room only"! We were traveling on the commuter bus out of Ixtapa at 5 pm! I know Jack was out of his comfort zone but he did fine. It was only a 15 minute ride and when he thought of $1.60 versus $25.00 for a cab he was pleased.

After showering and taking a short nap Jack and I decided to try a restaurant Buck had said is his favorite - "Sanka". It is two doors down from Tamales Y Atoles Any on Calle Ejido. I had the Arracharia (steak) and baked potato. Jack had fajitas. The baked potatoes were served whole in a "cup" of tin foil. Evaporated milk and goat cheese had been poured over the potato. It was very good. So was the steak! We'll return tomorrow night - Jack wants one of those steaks! While we were eating Buck and Kathy come in with another couple so we got the thank them for recommending the place. There was live music as we ate and I asked Jack if he would dance with me. Jack blanched and then agreed. I let him off the hook - we had dessert instead.

Leaving the restaurant at 8 pm we noted this has been the latest we've been out. We walked down Ejido to the Artisans Mercado and searched for a stall that had a pewter tray that I'd seen while shopping for sandals for Jack on Wednesday. I really liked the lines of the piece and wanted Jack to see it too. He did and we purchased it after just a little haggling. The platter, spoon and fork set was $60.00. I don't talk the price down much but it is expected and part of the fun of shopping in Mexico.

We returned to our room via the little pastry shop where we picked up a couple of their cookies and one of the jellyrolls Jack really likes.

It's now 9:45 pm and Jack is sleeping. I think I will follow suit. Another wonderful honeymoon day in Zihuatanejo!

Day 7 - Thursday - 2-8-07

Jack and I agreed we needed to stay out of the sun today to give our burns time to heal a bit. We've been putting lots of Aloe Vera cream on but the backs of our legs and our backs are pretty tender. We donned on shorts and tee-shirts for a day in town. Breakfast at Casa Cafe with a bueatiful capachino to start! I thought their fruit plates with papaya, mango, bananas, pinapple and coconut are awesome and then I discovered Linda's "green drink"! It consists of cucumbers, cilantro, and some other things we can't remember but it is very refreshing in this heat! Rumor is they will be calling it Zeus Juice on their next menu!

We made a great purchase this morning! It is a booklet produced by Linda Fox copyrighted 2006 called "Zihuatanejo - A Guide to Casas ~Camas~Comidas y Cosas. It is filled with great information, emails, websites, and stories. Jack learned how to eat pozole like a local and we used that knowledge this evening. Thursdays ae pozoli night in Zihuatanejo! We had ours at
Tamales Y Antoles.

This day was spent well. First we found the Post Office, buying stamps and sending off the postcards I've ready to go out. Finding the Post Office took us further off the beaten path than we've been so far but in coming back we found a shoe shop with a pair of sandals that Jack liked!
A leather shop further along had a wide variety of wallets and Jack found one that suited his taste! One of my goals was to return to the mercado and get a sleeveless Dive tee-shirt for Jack that we'd seen on our first day here so we made our way down Benito Juarez to the place I'd seen the tee-shirt before. There weren't any! I hate when that happens! Since Jack actually did dive here we needed to get one! The search took most of the day!

During our Tee-shirt search we came across many neat things. One of the neatest was hand-painted ceramic sinks, toliets and all related bathroom accessories in one shop and table linens in another. Since we couldn't see getting the large ceramic items in our suitcases we settled on buying a table runner and napkins that will forever remind us of Mexico. We also picked out one for a friend who just moved into a new home. Coffee is no longer difficult to find in Zihuatanejo. They have bistro's everywhere! We stopped at one for couple fruit smoothies, and listened to jazz music as we rested. Life is good!

Just when I was explaining to Jack that when we see something we like we NEED to buy it right then because there is no guarantee we'll find it again we wandered into another Tee-shirt shop and they had the shirt we were looking for! Jack bought 2 (the price is always better).

Feeling triumphant we walked another block to the Artisans market and immediately saw a featherwieght cotton pullover jacket with the diver insignia on it with Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Mexico too. $17 ! Jack is now well outfitted for future dive's!

We had lunch at a little place on the corner before the Artisans Market begins - an American couple were sitting at one of the tables and we asked them if the fish tacos where like "real tacos". The assured us the fish tacos were excellent and so were their ice mocachino's! Buck and Kathy said it was the best place in Zih to have lunch because it offered the most action! While there we saw another Coca Cola truck with an armed guard! They explained that the drivers collected cash on their deliveries - so they had armed guards. Another mystery solved! We visited with them for the duration of our lunch. They drive to Zihuatanejo from Sacramento, California. It's a nine day drive with the last two being between Puerto Vallarta and Zihuatanejo! They spend four months here each winter. Buck recommended the Sanka Resturant on Ejido for great beef dishes.

After a siesta, pozole' for dinner, we purchased 4 more postcards and filled them out while sitting on a bench in the public square (Zocola) on the paseo during the early evening. A couple sat on the next bench and we struck up a conversation. They are sailing their own sailboat down to South America! They stopped here to participate in SailFest. SailFest is a week long international fund raiser to raise funds for Education for the Indian Children in Guerrmo. That explains the huge number of sailboats we've seen filling the bay. They told us of being boarded by the Port Authorities also. The state is really trying to shut down drug traffic - on land and sea! Evidently the cartels have had several government officials killed this past week! The couples daughter told them this when they called home and told her how often they were being boarded and inspected. They had not heard about the heightened activity - but it does explain the heavy armour the military has been wearing in this heat!

Jack had told several people he was going to eat shrimp and smoke a Cuban Cigar while he was here! So when we came across some today he purchased a $12 Cuban Cigar and smoked it. He was determined to finish it too - since it cost $12! I don't think I'll have to worry about him wanting another one... he looked happy to grind the stubby out and toss it in the waste can!

I made my last jewelry purchases this evening. I went back to Pepe's and bought a multi-strand silver necklace and a turquoise and silver locket that will go well with the earrings I got yesterday.

We ended the day with huge cups of itlalian ice cream which we ate as we wandered about looking for a red postal (mail) box. We found it in a walkway between Nuevo Bravo and Ejido. Returning to our room by 7:30 PM. Jack is not comfortable being out after dark. The town gets very active about 8 or 9 PM based on the traffic and music we hear. We are usually ready to read in bed by then.

I have finish "Shadow War" by Richard Mitner and am reading "The Cat Who Wasn't There" by Lilian Jackson Braun now. Signe has told me about these stories for a long time. It's nice light reading afer the Mitner book on the Bush Administrations War on Terror.

Michels is noiser tonight than it has been sinc we've been here. I hear TV's and children in the halls. It's 10 pm and Jack is sound asleep. I'll read for a bit more and then retire also. Each day is tiring due to all the walking we find ourselves doing - if nothing else!

It's snowing - more! The robin's are back and the ground hog said early spring but I don't think so! It has been snowing at different intensities but constantly since last Friday. The roads clear where they've been plowed but the ground snow hasn't melted.

On the way to work this morning my windshield popped and a crack now snakes across the bottom! I knew I was risking that when I didn't get the rock chips fixed! I believe we'll wait until spring to fix it.

I heard that Crater Lake has added 5 feet to their snow pack! I think we'll have to plan a day in the snow at our local Natural Wonder!

One of my co-worker's clued me in on a good cross country loop right here in Klamath Falls. Moore Park has a loop on the crest of one of the hills! The bummer is I've discovered I have lost my cross country boots somewhere along the line! I've got 3 pair of X-country ski's and NO boots! Jack and I will both have to buy some before we can enjoy that sport!





















We are getting some killer icesickles! Mike is loving the snow! He bounces around in it like a rabbit, smiling the whole time! With all this snow Zihuatanejo comes to mind often!

Day 6 - Wednesday - February 7, 2006

We noticed today that the rates on the board for two person occupancy at Hotel Michel is 350 pesos now instead of 500, which we paid a day for our 10 day stay. I think the hotel clerk was trying to tell us to only pay for 3 days and then pay more later when we first arrived. I didn't understand at the time but I think she was saying that the rates would go down after the "holiday weekend". You miss So much when you don't speak the language fluently! Maybe the rate is for the smaller rooms that don't have balcony's. Jack and I decided we are content with what we've paid for our room. We're not going to even say anything.

We were up early - packed up our dirty clothes to turn in to the laundry and hiked to Casa Cafe for our fruit and toast breakfast before hiking to the NAUI Dive Shop. We had to be there by 8:45 am. Two veteran scuba divers had also signed up. Art and Al have been diving with the dive shop owners since Ricardo and Carlos were teen-ager's working for a different dive shop.

Now "the boys" are grown with wives, children, and a business of their own. This makes Jack and I feel good about Jack going out for his first ocean dive with them! Watching them prepare for the trip made regret for not taking the classes well up for a few minutes but it passes quickly. Risking permanent damage to my ears isn't worth it.

As the dive boat headed out across the bay we passed a small boat with dozens of pelicans perched on it. Ricardo explained the owner had committed a crime and fled the area. The police impounded the boat and since it hasn't moved for a while the pelicans have decide to use it as a perch. Every edge on the boat was lined with pelicans - it looked like they could sink it!

Next we passed an ugly, rusty metal boat that the harbor patrol were boarding. The police had full flack jackets, machine guns, ammunition belts, and helmets. They looked like serious business was going down. "Checking for smugglers." Ricardo said.

Turning left once we left the bay we moved through the Pacific Ocean and it was okay as long as the boat was powering it's way to the dive site. About 10 minutes down the coast Jamie, the boat captain dropped anchor and the guys prepared to dive. IT only took them a couple of minutes to get their gear on and drop in to the ocean. I managed to take two photo's before the rocking of the boat got to me. Ricardo had instructed the divers to follow the anchor line down. Once they'd done that Jamie raised the anchor and moved the dive boat a little further away from the rocks. I asked him if he could take me back to the pier - hand over my stomach I said malle (sick). He looked sympathetic but said "Not possible". After thinking for a minute I realized that we were the "dive marker" a that is why he'd said that.

I nibbled on a cookie that was with the snacks we'd brought for Jack to eat to fuel up between dives. Jamie pointed to the lighthouse and then the mountains further down the coast indicating I should look at them not the ocean. I breathed slowly and stared at the mountains but my stomach continue to threaten to empty. It must have shown because via sign language Jamie suggested I might want to get in the water and said "better" with a nod. I nodded back and he dropped the little platform the divers use to get back in the boat. I made my way to it and dove in. Getting in the water did help!

I enjoyed swimming a little to get the sick feeling worked out and then just enjoyed alternately treading water and looking around and floating in the water, staring up at the beautifully blue sky, and listening to the water sounds. After about 25 minutes the ocean swells increased and the sick feeling started creeping in again. Jamie indicated I needed to board the boat, Jack had surfaced and we needed to go get him. I laid on the bow with closed eyes. Jamie got Jack in the boat.

Jack had used his air quicker than the others and would have to wait with us until the others reached 500 psi in their tanks. I tried to chat with Jack about his dive but only lasted on the boat for a couple of minutes and had to get back in the water. It was another 20 minutes before Ricardo, Al and Art surfaced.

I opted to stay in the water this time while the boat went to pick the divers up. When they returned they had all agreed that it would be ok to take me back to the pier. They had gone to 80 feet deep and had to wait an hour before they could dive again.

I was exhausted and shaky during the 15 minute ride back to the pier but felt better the minute my feet hit solid ground! I thanked them all profusely and happily waved to Jack as they headed back out for their second dive site which was to be north - outside of Ixtapa. The second dive was 40 feet and lasted about 25 minutes also, Jack told me later. Being new and larger than the other men he used his air up almost twice as fast. They all assured him that with more experience he will consume less and get to spend more time underwater.

As for me, I got a cold coke and sat on the pier until my stomach settled down and then spent the rest of the morning shopping for sandals for Jack - his sandals had come apart yesterday on our way to breakfast - leaving him only his tennis shoes to wear. It is way to hot to wear socks and shoes here!

I found a few hand painted fruit bowls, a hair clip and a pair of turquoise earrings as I shopped prices on men's sandals in the Artisan's market. I also picked up postcards. With 1 o'clock approaching I returned to the dive shop and let Carlos know I was going to wait for Jack's return on the pier where there was a cooling breeze off the water. Jack found me waiting at the pier filling out postcards. The dive boat had returned to a different pier!

We took a long siesta, picked up laundry at 6 pm, and then went to La Gaviota Restaurant at the southern-most end of Playa La Ropa - the resort beach in Zihuatanejo. We took a taxi and Jack got to traverse "the hill". Everyone that has stayed in Zihuatanejo knows what you are talking about when you say "the hill" It is steep and long. I walked it each day on my 1st trip here but would not want to now. Jack's ankle, knee and Achilles heel would all be aggravated by trying even a one way walk up or down it. We passed people trudging up or down each side. Some tried to hail our taxi! Half way up one side is where we passed the entrance to Hotel Irma. Jack lost all interest in that hotel.
Dinner was on an open patio covered with the somewhat standard thatched roof. It was early and the restaurant was almost deserted so we had a private dinner with a great view of the bay! Sunset and our dinner arrived at the same time and we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset with our dinner. We took a brief walk along the beach from the restaurant, turning back at a small creek that cut through the beach. We walked back to the main street of the La Ropa area and caught a taxi within a couple of minutes. I think this was another time I'd taken Jack out of his comfort area - it was dark and we were in a different area. From this far end of Zihuatanejo the taxi fare is $3 back to our hotel.

After reading for a short while we were asleep!

Day 5 – Tuesday- February 6, 2007

Playa Los Gatos day! We rested yesterday and now I’m ready to go again. Playa Los Gatos is the beach you take a boat to. It’s completely different from the other beaches around the bay. The history of the beach is that an ancient Indian King had a reef made create a safe place for his wives and children to enjoy the ocean…another story was they left the women on the other side of the bay and the beach was for men only! Whatever the reason it was made it is the spot for snorkeling!

We started our day with breakfast at Casa Café. Inquiring about how to get the laundry done we got a recommendation to drop our laundry off at a place we pass on our way to and from Casa Café and they will tell us when to pick it up – later the same day or the next. Nothing could be easier!

It is so nice being centrally located! Five blocks back to the hotel! We changed into our bathing suits, packed our beach bag with underwater camera, sunscreen, suntan lotion, Jack’s prescription mask, books, and our new Zihuatanejo beach towels! Jack carried the bag!

We decided to tuck our passports away in the room since we were going to be snorkeling and away from our stuff at the beach. Our room gets cleaned and bedding changed every day and nothing is ever missing. It seems like the safe place to leave them. We put them out of harms way but weren’t really worried.

Stopping at the NAUI Dive shop on Calle(Street) Juan N. Alvarez Jack signed up for a two tank dive on Wednesday. I would be able to ride along for $10 if the boat didn’t’ fill up with divers. We had cancelled my certification classes due to a combination of my sinus problems and the increased lodging expenses. We’d planned on $20 per night at Casa Elvira and although we are very happy with Hotel Michel it does cost more. With my sinuses staying plugged it seems that I am not meant to dive here! It will be nice to see the dive sites anyway!

We purchased our water taxi tickets from the adobe office on the left side of the pier and were being guided into a panga two minutes later. The little motor boats they call pangas hold about 8 to 10 people and they make the 5 minute run back and forth from the municipal pier to the simple concrete dock on the opposite side of the bay all day long. We rode over with a group from Alaska that comes to Zihuatanejo together every year. They filled us in on the “boat situation”. There are two different ticket sellers and certain pangas carry people for each ticket seller. That is why we were told to just hold our tickets up and the boatmen would tell us which boat to get on! You miss so much when you can’t speak the language fluently!

At Los Gatos we walked along the beach – following the “seasoned” people and settled in at a set of cushioned beach chairs adjacent to the establishment they stopped at. The beach is “staked out” for lack of a better word, by businesses that are a combination restaurant and equipment rental. A big plus is your belongings are watched over by the proprietor so you can swim without concern that your things could be tampered with while you are in the water. The prices for there food is higher closer to the pier and the Alaskan’s said that the service is better at the farther end of the beach as they what you to pass the others and come to their place. They told us the key is to find one we like and always go to the same one and they’ll treat you very well. Good information for the future! We’d determined by then that they were heavy drinkers and we didn’t want to dampen their fun in the sun with our obvious sobriety.

The outfit we stopped at is called Brisa Del Mar and the young man that was our “waiter” was Chica. We let him know we were interested in snorkeling and he had fins, masks, and snorkels for us before we had finished unpacking our beach bag! The lounge chairs are great and you have a table with an umbrella and chairs when the sun gets to be too much also.

Jack and I lost no time lathering up with sun screen and hitting the water in our snorkeling equipment! The water is clearer than Playa Madera but the sand is grainier. On our first trip out Jack discovered his prescription mask leaks – A LOT. He had to surface and empty it out often! During that outing we saw lots of large blue angel fish, smaller blue fish with iridescent spots on their backs, urchins and many other things I don’t know the names of.

When we returned to the beach we snacked on large plate of freshly made guacamole and homemade tortilla chips (for $3.50) and sodas. After reading a little and getting warm in the sun we went out snorkeling again. This time we took the camera! Jack had worked on his mask and was hoping it would be better. It wasn’t. We snorkeled to the left of the coral reef this time & took lots of photos.

Lunch was garlic camerones (shrimp) and quesidellas with bottled water. The shrimp were sliced lengthwise and grilled with lots of garlic, legs and head included! After lunch Jack requested one of their masks and he had a better time of it when we went out for our last snorkel of for the day.

The last panga back to the municipal pier runs at 5 pm. We packed up our stuff and settled our bill with Chica. Everything came to $300 pesos (Less than $30) and we gave him a $10 tip. Tired but very relaxed we made our way to the little pier at 4:30 pm.

Dinner was at Tamales Y Atoles, one block from our room, the food is good and it’s close to home! I tried the Chile Reono and Jack decided to go with their Tamale especial.

Sometime during the night I woke to the bed vibrating – we were having an earthquake! It was over in a few minutes and after confirming with Jack that he felt it to I settled back in to sleep. Jack chuckled and his response to my question of what he was laughing about was, “It’s amazing how well you take an earthquake.” Hmmmm. Since it was so small that there was no damage what else is there to do but go back to sleep?

We both received pretty good sunburns on our backs and on the backs of our legs! Obviously they were exposed while we were face down in the water! We had not covered them well enough with the sun screen!

After dinner we returned to our room via the little jewelry store next to Cafeteria Nuevo Zelanda called Pepe’s. After sleeping on it I decided I really wanted to get the Diver’s flag pendant Jack had seen and liked last night. It’s the only thing he’d shown interest in for himself. We found an appropriate sterling silver chain to go with it too! Well under the $100 spent at the gold market but I can tell Jack really likes it!

We rubbed each other down with aloe gel and called it another good day done!

No novella entry tonight! Snow was on the ground when we woke up this morning - 3 or 4 inches - it has snowed all day - and it is still snowing tonight. I-5 between Ashland and Redding is closed due to the snow storm.

I've lost my tortuga pinky ring! I looked down yesterday afternoon and noticed it was off my finger. There is a white ring where it was! I wore it the whole time we were in Mexico and it never came off once... not even when we were in the water! I've looked everywhere in the house and at the office. Last night I decided I needed to retrace the route Signe and I took Saturday when we ran to see if it fell off somewhere along the way but now that will have to wait until the snow melts. I am really sad about losing it! It had fallen off Friday morning when I was brushing my hair but I thought it was just a fluke. If I recover it I'll wear it on a chain around my neck... evidently my fingers are thinner in this colder climate!

Working at Jeld-Wen is great. I'm learning a great deal about Excel and have walked through doing one piece of what my job will be. The processes are complex and numerous. It will take a while to really know how it all fits together! Everyone I work with is pleasant and do their jobs with personal pride. It is great to be among them.

I've stayed up tonight to watch LOST - my favorite TV show and then to watched the weather report but now I need to close and go to bed!

I watched the slide show my sister created for the Vero Beach community they live in. She has really created a neat mixture of necessary information and community activities! Seems pretty busy over there!

Hope all is well with one and all!

Day 4 – Monday – February 5, 2007

Last night the traffic going down Ejido was so congested they had a policeman hand directing traffic well in to the night. His whistle and hand motions were intertaining. The taxi's have some kind of horn honking code. We're trying to break the code but it is not clear yet. Drivers seems to have their individual style but there must be an underlying system to this mode of communication! It’s a holiday today and I think everyone in the State came to cruise the streets last night. There were strands of Christmas lights strung across the telephone and power lines giving town an additionally festive air.




Jack and I decided last night that today would be a “take it easy” day! We’ve had a couple busy ones! We slept in, walked the 3 blocks to the Paseo and had espressos while we waited for a table at Café Marina to open up. Joe Well’s little café has expanded greatly in 5 years. There are tables clear out to the Paseo and on the bay side! His paperback library has also expanded. We picked up a couple books for beach reading. Business seems to be booming!
































A cruise ship had arrived during the night and the Paseo was packed with Americans! We had fruit plates topped with yogurt and granola and Papaya smoothies for breakfast and watched the parade. Excellent!

















On the way back to the hotel we took 10 minutes to go through their modest museum. It only cost $2 and we learned some more about the area’s history. Some of the plaques had English translations and the stone artifacts were amazingly detailed.

We spent the afternoon at Playa Madera – swimming in to the ocean when we’d heat up in the sun. We faithfully lathered on the sun screen each time we got out of the water. Contrary to predictions the beaches weren’t overly crowded and we enjoyed the couple hours in the sun. The water is a wonderful 80 degrees! When we felt we’d reached our limit in the bright sun we packed up our beach bag and headed back to the Paseo via the walkway which is shaded in spots and the breeze was just enough to be refreshing.

A late lunch of fish tacos at La Serena Gorda ( The Fat Mermaid) was good. Dozens of what look like home made little boats hang from the ceiling. The hulls are signed by those that made them with the date and their home town. We saw several from Ashland, Oregon! What a small world! The walls of the restuaruant have some “interesting” mermaid paintings. The tacos here resembled soft tacos at home so we are feeling like we’re making progress in ordering our food. They are small but you get three. We also had chips and guacamole. We are definitely drinking our 32 oz’s of water a day! We buy it at nearly every meal!

Time to siesta now! The sun, water, and meal have made us lethargic!


































We found Zelanda Café for dinner this evening. Our internet searches had listed it as good, reasonably priced and that their mole was especially good. Jack ordered chorizo molletta and I the chicken molletta which was the closest thing we could find on the menu to mole. What was served resembled French bread pizzas. We put salsa on top, picked the slices up and ate it. It was not what we expected (What’s new?) but it was good. With a coconut shake, coffee, and water the bill came to $16 for dinner for two!


The silver jewelry store right next door, Pepe's, was still open so we took some time looking at the items he had. Jack took a liking to a pendent that looked like a divers flag but we didn't buy anything since it was the first shop we'd looked in.

Walking back by a different route we window shopped for silver jewelry in the many jewelry stores along Vincente Guerrero and Nicolas Bravo. Zihuatanejo is the market outlet for Taxco silver – the finest silver in Mexico. They weigh the jewelry pieces to determine the price.

On Nicolas Bravo we came across a small bakery not far from our hotel. We picked out an assortment of pastries and purchased a couple of cold drinks to retire for the night with. It’s 8:45 pm. We’re settled in to listen to Mexico drive by and read a little before falling asleep. Jack and I agree – this has been a very relaxing day.

Day 3 - Sunday 2/4/2007 I was so excited about the kayak trip I couldn't sleep! I was awake at 4 a.m. It was such a switch - Jack asking me to wake him up at 6 a.m. - that is usually my line!

At 6 am we walked to the pier in the pre-dawn light. I'm sure this made Jack uneasy but I could not lay around any longer and I was hungry. Zih doesn't go to sleep any to early or wake up early either. The only thing open as we walked through town was The Black Bull nightclub. The doors were open and music poured out. We found a couple tables set up at the pier that offered coffee, pastries, and miscellaneous items for the early morning sports fishermen to purchase for breakfast or lunch on the boats. We sat on the pier with our breakfast and watched the deep sea charter boats load ice, beer, and fishermen.

Back in our room by 7 am and down in the foyer at 7:15 am we watched for Brian of Zoe Kayak Tours. He was right on time! He drives a big late model blue suburban with Zoe Kayak Tours on the door - a real contrast to the small vehicles zipping around the streets! We climbed in and began a thoroughly enjoyable trip!
Brian shared history of the area, pointed out plants and birds all along the drive to Laguna de Potosi! He had many stories of how plants were and are used. If he didn't know something he would say so - but he knows a lot!

The kayaks were sit-on tops and easy to maneuver over the still, shallow waters of the lagoon. Brian pointed out the different kinds of birds as we passed them perched in the mangrove trees or wading in the waters. He identified the many strange calls we heard as we passed through the mangrove tunnels. Moving through the mangrove tunnels was my favorite part. The long roots of the trees are crusted with barnacles and and little shell fish. These mangroves grow in clumps with no central trunk. The "tunnels" are created by the movement of the water as the levels ebb and flow with the tides.

The far end of our tour was at a huge inland lake where the mangrove forest gave way to grasslands. In the distance were remnants of ancient Indian pyramid's. On the way back towards the lagoon we stopped at one place and took a short stroll across an oddly flat expanse of land. Odd wooden platforms were placed here and there on the plain. Near them were strange circular "ponds" and channels running from the area below the short platforms to them.
Brian shared the ancient Indian salt mining practices - which are still being practiced today. What we walked through is a salt mining area that is worked during the summer! It is winter now so nothing is going on. What he was showing us was a small "family" operation worked by maybe 4 or 5 people who will sell their harvested "sea salt" at local street stalls. The big operations haul many truckloads of sea salt to a processing plant where is is shipped all over Mexico.

Brian brought us back to Zih along a road that runs behind Playa Larga - a 7 mile long beach - very steep and with surf so strong only surfers enjoy it. The airport property borders the other side of the road that alternated between being paved and a rutted dirt road lined by huge hacienda's and new condo's all facing the beach.

Brian filled us in on many interesting current events in the area. We finally found out why we were seeing pickups with armed military looking people riding in the back. There are 5 police agencies in the area - 3 of them expressly for protection of tourists. Their constant presence being a deterrent to any illegal actions. The other two agencies are fighting a the drug cartels in Guerimo. The are have a drug war! The government is trying to shut down the hashish, heroin and cocaine trafficking from South American countries via this coastal highway to the United States.

Jack has noted FAL G3's, UZI's, and riot shotguns as well as various flac vests and helmet styles. Afterwards we noticed several troop trucks moving through town. A sad reminder that paradise also has problems.

The tour started at 7:30 am and ended at 2 pm as advertised! A unique thing in this part of the world! After quick showers we went to Antony's Tamales Any for lunch. Jack had carne asada although we thought he ordered an enchilada! I had a chicken tamale. It seems to run about $10 each time we eat there. From there we wandered down to the Paseo to witness the Sunday Plaza activities.

There was music everywhere. We had purchased some beach towels and used them to pad the concrete benches and enjoyed people watching for a while and decided to treat ourselves to dinner at one of the beach front restaurants. Jack had camarones (shrimp) and I had stuffed red fillet of red snapper at Daniel's. Jack started his meal with cievieche but I stuck with shrimp cocktail. It was all very tasteful. It cost the most of all our meals to date, $450 pesos ($45) After our leisurely dinner we went out on the walkway that connects the Playa Municipal,(Municipal Beach) that all the restaurants, shops, and town proper are located off of
, to Playa Madera and half way along the beach head to Playa Ropa. Finding a good place to have a good view of the setting sun we watched locals fishing in the incoming surf with simple hand lines. One young man landed a large Yellow Fin as we watched.

Somewhere during the day Jack's Achilles tendon started hurting. We think the sea kayak was just a little to short for him and his legs were in an uncomfortable position for to long. We made our way slowly back to our hotel and called it a night.