Who's on first . . . .

***did you know if you click on the pictures you can see them in a larger format???***

Every Wednesday and Sunday morning, Arturo heads off to the ball field for a friendly game of slo-pitch with the locals and gringos.  There have been a few minor injuries, but all in all, it's just a good time.  On every other Sunday, after the gringo game, the local mens baseball team plays - against other teams in the area.  It's pretty good ball from what I can see.   The fans enjoy the game too - we usually buy lots of 50/50 tickets, our winnings being a case of coronitas (mini-bottles).  It's fun, and many of the towns people come out to cheer on their team.




The field

 

The house/yard bordering the field - often their farm animals come out to play as well!



Not sure what was being discussed here . . . but it looks important!

 


It's not Kipper, but sometimes a dog or two will saunter onto the field in the middle of a play - no problemo!

 


People bring their own refreshments . . .




It's siesta time for this perro . . .



I missed the shot, but while the spectators were away from their seats, the goat came and was drinking from the cups - I guess the goat likes Tequila too!!!

Goats, dogs, ducks, chickens and roosters are all part of the crowd!

Bev and other cheerleaders - would you believe that I worked with one of them in Whitehorse 28 years ago!!! (at the Super A grocery store!) - small world!!!

That's our Sunday entertainment!

Now for some other stuff . . . . .

In Mexico, the transition from childhood to womanhood is a significant passage for adolescent girls.  It is marked with the celebration of the Quinceañera, or 15th Birthday  - sort of like the "sweet 16" type of celebration that North Americans used to have (they don't still do that, do they?) Last Saturday, I noticed quite the goings on in the town square . . . .

and yes, it was the setting up of a Quinceañera for one of the local girls.  We saw the celebration that night.  I couldn't get a good picture of her, but she was dressed in a beautiful purple dress, much like a prom dress, and was absolutely beautiful!  The party and lively music was heard well into the wee hours . . . lots of fun and celebration!

This was the procession walking from the church to the celebration in the Town Square - not a great picture, I know, but you can get the idea.

"The degree of opulence of the event is directly related to the economic means of the girl's parents and godparents.  Urbanites frequently lease banquet halls for the dance, while village folks are more inclined to set up rented folding tables and chairs in a freshly cleared and swept huerta (orchard) or corral. To cover the multiple expenses, a host of padrinos and madrinas may be invited to sponsor, respectively, the dress, the music, the locale, the bar, the cake and the table favors." (I got this information off the internet)

All is good -

Arturo y de Beeb

Friends and neighbors . . . .

January 16th!!!  Where has the time gone?

We had a very nice visit with our friends from Victoria, B.C. - Suzanne and Aris.  They came on January 4th and stayed here at Ron's RV Park for 4 nights.

Arriving at PVR - first thing that had to go was the black clothes - shorts, sandals and T-shirts here we come!!

Out for a walk in Lo de Marcos

 We took a little tour of the area - and ended up in Guayabitos on the beach.  There was a lot of action happening there (still the Christmas rush) . . . .

Bev and Suzanne playing on the beach in Guayabitos

Bev and Arturo

Suzanne and Aris

Aris liked the Margueritas at Tequila Willy's in Guayabitos

Suzanne and the "Sandman"

This fellow was coated in mud and sand, and just stood like a statue on the beach . . . until you put a few pesos in his collection box, and then he moved.  He was really very good - what a way to make a living!


The next day we headed about a half an hour north of Lo de Marcos to Chacala to spend some time at the beach there.  It's a beautiful little spot - the waves were small, so we were able to have some fun time in the water.  As always, we had a bite to eat and a few cervezas.

Notice Aris and the whole fish - he never changes!

Arturo and Aris joined some locals in a game of volleyball - such action!

We took Suzanne and Aris back to Puerto Vallarta on the 8th - with the plan of joining them for a night out in the big city later in the week.  Plans changed - I got sick with an annoying cough, and then Arturo did something to his back that laid him up, so unfortunately we didn't make it back to PV . . . oh well, another time.  We are both fixed up now, by the way.

Kipper has made new friends, too.  Here he is with Barkie, Maya and Muttso waiting for treats.  The dogs are having a great time here - what's not to love - long walks every morning, playing in the surf and sand, getting lots of treats from the neighbors . . . it's a dog's life!

The weather has been cooperating for the most part.  It usually gets to the high 20s in the day, and cools off to between 13 and 16 at night, which is perfect for sleeping.  A few days ago it was pretty foggy in the morning, but that soon burned off and back to the beautiful sunny skies we are used to.

Foggy morning walk

The Mango trees are in bloom - but not at all what I would have expected.  The blossoms are small and not very fragrant as far as I can tell. 

One pleasant change here in Mexico over the past few years is the addition of garbage pick up and recycling in the small towns.  In Lo de Marcos, bins are distributed through out town, and collected at least twice a week, maybe more.  A local organization, Amigos de Lo de Marcos, picks up the recycling, sorts it, and sends it to a larger recycling centre in Puerto Vallarta.  It has significantly reduced the garbage that used to litter the streets and ditches.

Street Garbage bin

Plastic recycles

Glass recycle - blanco (clear), verde (green), cafe (brown)

empty . . .

That's about all for now - stay warm, everyone!

Arturo y de Beeb (no Osa today)