Fireworks

This year is 12th year of the Mazatlan Marathon, and in true Mexican fashion, the event was marked by a huge fireworks display along the Malecon. There were approximately 12 stations set up along the beach and the display was truly stellar.

We joined a group of friends for dinner at Loco Lupes, one of our favourite beach Palapas and then moved down to the sand to watch the show. It was spectacular, perhaps even more so because they were straight above us!






I would love to say that I took these photographs, but I'll be honest, I didn't! I did try, but photographing fireworks is just way too difficult. I did get some lovely shots of the smoke and actually managed to capture the odd shot where you could see colour way down in the corner, but generally speaking, my pictures were not wildly successful this time.



See what I mean? However, the internet is a wonderful thing. These were not our fireworks, but they looked just like this.

Abi's Day at the Spa

The household humans said that I was starting to look a bit rough around the edges and decided that it was high time I had my hair cut. I thought I looked perfectly okay, but apparently I was starting to resemble a sheep dog and they insisted it was time for the big chop.

I really hate getting my hair cut. I don't like being left behind at the groomers, and I really detest that razor thing. I mean, really, I'm a blonde, my hair is curly, I'm really skinny, I do not look my best when I've been shaved bald!

So, Mum and Dad made some phone calls when we arrived here in Mazatlan, and one of Mum's friends recommended a really really nice lady, who came right into our house to give me a hair cut. I was still a little nervous about the whole thing but it worked out really well. She even let me sit on Mum's lap for part of it (I just hate getting my feet and tummy done and I got a bit fidgety for that part).





I had a bath too and then the nice lady and I sat on the floor while she fluffed me up with the hair dryer. Now, normally I would rather hang out with a chihuahua than have someone come near me with a dryer but this wasn't bad at all. In fact, I sort of enjoyed it! I was exhausted after the whole experience though, and had to have a bit of a siesta to recuperate.



Mum and Dad and their friends refer to my groomer as the "Dog Whisperer". I don't get it, but I sure do like her!

By the way, hope I didn't offend anyone there. I just don't care for chihuahuas. They yap at me and just get me all flustered. Give me a Great Dane any day!

Some of the Reasons

There are so many reasons why we decided to move to Mazatlan for the winters, but to be completely, totally honest one of the main ones was this:



Oh yes, this was on the front page of yesterday's paper - the first snow of season. And apparently, there was lots of it!

Now, while this was happening in Winnipeg, Mike and I were sitting at the Puerto Viejo enjoying a marguerita, marvelling over yet another perfect sunset. We don't drink margueritas every day, by the way, but always stop off at the P.V. after I finish my weekly shift at the library. It's tradition! The sunsets are "every day" however, and I never tire of them.







After seeing the paper in the morning, it really did seem like a good day to head to the beach, so off we went to Stone Island. We've been busy since we arrived, and this was our first chance to head over to one of our favourite spots in Mazatlan and it really did seem like the perfect moment.





Was the decision to move to Mazatlan a tough one? No, it was not too hard at all!

Aero Fest 2010

For the third consecutive, Mazatlan was host to Aero Fest 2010, an event we had somehow missed during our previous visits. How could this have happened? Beats me, but this year, we made sure we were on the beach to watch the action.



Aero Fest is a 2 day extravaganza during which what would appear to be perfectly sane, normal men attach themselves to giant motors and gliders and then proceed to fly through the air, swooping like birds and at times buzzing the spectators on the beach.



We missed the previous shows and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at this one.









This poor pilot lost a propeller, but luckily was close to the ground and landed safely, if somewhat sloppily, in the water at the edge of the beach. He's smiling, so I'm guessing that whatever broke can be repaired. Or, maybe, he's just happy to be alive!



These atheletes really are 'loco'!!!!

We Made It!!!

Where does the time go?

I had every intention of posting a least once or twice more before we left Winnipeg, but that certainly didn't happen. Like I said, where does the time go???

As usual, the last few weeks were a bit chaotic. Emptying the fridge was a challenge but we managed to do it. When we were down to one egg and a half a carrot, we knew it was time to leave. The leaves on the ground were another sign that it was definitely time to hit the road.



There were boxes and bags piled everywhere and of course, we kept finding more items that we felt we really 'had' to bring. Eventually it got to the point where we simply needed to start removing things from the pile. There is just so much room in the trunk of the car (and, of course, Abi gets the back seat all to herself).



(She did have to share the seat with the lounge chair pads and a few pillows, but that apparently was not a problem!)

I had planned to bring a microwave for the Library but it just was not going to fit, so it was left behind, along with several pairs of shoes! Darn, and I really liked those shoes. Oh well - they'll be there waiting for me in the Spring and perhaps we'll have room for the microwave next trip.

The drive down was uneventful, although the weather the first day was dreadful. It was pouring rain when we left, which turned into sleet, and the wind was just howling. We heard on the radio that it hit up to 80mph in the Dakotas and we saw two large semi-trailers on their sides along the highway. The winds were so strong they had just tipped over, like dinky-toys. Day One was long, and exhausting for Mike as he had to fight the wind every minute, but we made it to Yankton, S. Dakota, still in piece and woke up the next morning to clear skies, and most importantly, no wind!!! We did discover that cold blustery days are perfect for crossing the border, however. It was so frigid, and nasty that they basically just waved us through. It appeared that no one was prepared to weather the storm and come outside to check the trunk. Perfect!

And then, we drove, and drove, and drove.... No offence to the five other States we drive through, but it is always such a relief to arrive in New Mexico and Arizona and have something new to look at.



We love this place - it has a name, darned if I know what it is, we just refer to it as Boulder Alley and look forward to it every year.

In Nogales, Arizona, we met up with a group to do the convoy-thing through Mexico to Mazatlan. There have been reports of incidents along the highway, but, as usual, we just sailed through with no problems at all. I am sure the reports are true, but we certainly have never had the slightest difficuly in either crossing the border or making the 2 day drive to Maz and won't hesitate to make the drive again. The one nice thing about being part of a group is having different people to talk to when you're out of the cars and as usual we had lots of laughs during our pit stops. We need to make lots of stops - we use Abi as the excuse, but to be truthful, we're just so sick of the car by that point that we have to stop regularly!

So, we are finally back home in Mazatlan and blissfully happy.

The first few days are always hectic - unpacking and rearranging - but everything we brought down seems to have found it's spot in the Casita and I think I finally have the kitchen reorganized to my liking. The Casita, as usual, was spotlessly clean when we arrived and it felt like home the minute we walked in the door.

Monday was my first day back at the Library and Mike has joined the boys for their regular Monday Cantina Lunch. Today he is golfing. We think Tuesday will probably be his regular golf day and starting next week I'll be meeting with a camera group on Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday is Mike's Beans and Beer Lunch (he'll tell you about that later!) and we've penciled in Thursdays for Beach Day. The pages on the calendar are filling up!

It is wonderful to be back. Our Mexican neighbours have welcomed us home with open arms and everytime we leave the house, we run into someone we know. The weather has been perfect every day we've been here. I'm even getting attached to the rooster who lives up the street - the one who can't tell time and starts his cockadoodledoo routine very early in the morning and keeps it up all day long!

So, more later. I need to get cleaned up so that I can take the camera for a walk - these are pretty boring with no pictures!

The Countdown

So, the question is, am I excited, or filled with panic? We have 23 sleeps til we leave for Mazatlan. Today is almost over, so we won't count that. That means we have 22 days left. Twenty-two days is one day short of three weeks, which I think means I could be in panic mode!

It's funny, this is the third time we've done this, you'd think it would be easy by now, especially since I leave all the hard stuff, like insurance and hotel reservations to Mike. He contacts the health care providers, makes the arrangments for the cars, contacts the phone company, etc etc etc.

Really, all I have to do is pack the clothes and empty out the fridge. Which reminds me, I really must decide which recipes to bring with me (and to gather up the appropriate herbs and seasonings that we might not be able find in Maz). Oops, the list is getting longer as I think of all the other things we plan to bring along - like the cushions for the loungers which have been hiding under the bed all summer and the box of candles to use on the terrace in the evenings.

Abi needs to go to the vet for her 'Good Health Certificate', the Christmas shopping has to be finished and mailed before we leave and I need to get my hair cut ... I haven't even made a firm decision on the shoes yet!!!!

So, time to get organized and focused, sitting here listening to music (new CD - Vagabond by Spencer Day) and fretting isn't getting anything done. Off I go to read recipes (and decide what we're having for dinner while I'm at it!) On the way downstairs I think I'll stop and delete at least one pair of shoes from the 'take with me' pile.

It will all get done, we'll be in Maz on Nov. 1 and we can't wait!!!!!

St. Boniface

I was on my way to the St. Boniface Hospital this week, preparing to give yet more blood before my annual visit with my oncologist, and decided to take a break and play tourist again.

Known as Winnipeg's French Quarter, St. Boniface is the largest francophone community in Western Canada. Winnipeg actually has the largest speaking French population of any Canadian city outside of Quebec.

The parish of St. Boniface was established in 1818, became a town in 1883 and was declared a city in 1908. St. Boniface remained an independent city until 1970, when it was attached to the City of Winnipeg. The parish opened doors for settlement in Western Canada, attracting primarily French-Canadians and workers from the North West Company with mixed European and native backgrounds.

St. Boniface has made an effort to preserve its heritage and French is seen on street signs and is heard in shops and businesses. Over half of the population in St. Boniface is bilingual and some claim to speak French exclusively. I guess that would work, as long as they didn't leave St. B.!

It is ironic, considering the area's French roots, that the original parish was named "St. Boniface" in honour of an eighth-century English-born missionary who became the patron saint of Germanic people.



This dramatic facade is all that is left of the original St. Boniface Cathedral. The St. Boniface Basilica was built in 1908, and ravaged by a devastating fire in 1968. Five cathedrals have stood on the site, the first being built in 1832. The present cathedral was completed and blessed in 1972 and incorporates the sacristy, facade and walls of the former Basilica.



The cemetary, which is the the oldest Catholic cemetary in Western Canada, includes the graves of many important Manitoba figures, including Metis Leader and founder of Manitoba, Louis Riel.




Louis Riel's gravesite has undoubtedly been photographed hundreds of times, so I decided instead to focus my attention elsewhere. One of the oldest headstones I found was dated 1848.



And then I noticed this one. It does look odd, cars parked on the street and head stones so old the dates are illegible.



All right, I admit it! Cemetaries fascinate me!!