What's up with us

It's been a while since I last posted, partly due to the whimsical nature of our internet connection and partly sheer laziness!
Things are "muy tranqilo" here. The weather is really beautiful; warmth withut stifling humidity and a gentle breeze to keep away the skeeters.
Today we woke up to fog! I actually had to put my glasses on to confirm what I thought I saw. It's about 8:00 AM and there is still a little fog bank out there. Kind of reminds me of Pacific Grove, except 30 degrees warmer.
The tide is a minus one today, due to the full moon last night. It's really low- you can see all the rocks that we normally stumble over when we go swimming. It will probably be a good beachcombing day.
Here's something that you don't see in the states: the vet comes to your house! We needed some flea and tick protection for the cats and she delivered. The cost for Frontline, which lasts 3 months was 100 pesos, about $7.00 US. The Spanish word for tick is Garrapata- just like the beach on the way to Big Sur! How about that!
Our group of beach pals has a fun custom. Every Friday is Beer Friday and we all get together at a different home every week. If you miss one you run the risk of being chosen for the next get-together. That's how we got chosen...At least we found out about it a few hours beforehand! They were all going to just show up, so we lucked out. I think it's a hospitality test. Everyone brings a sixpack of beer or whatever to drink and something to snack on so there's no big expense for the host. We had a bonfire put on by the resident pyromaniac (guess who) and it was a perfect evening with NO MOSQUITOS. Around here everyone travels with a tube of Autan, the favorite insect repellent. We have at least 4 tubes of it in convenient locations around the house and car.
Our normally deserted neighborhood is starting to fill up a bit. A lot of Canadians come down here to escape the cold. This place is pretty busy during the winter with all the snowbirds so we'll see how we like it. It took a bit to get used to how empty the beach is and how few houses are occupied full time, but we like it. There are a few neighbors, and they are mostly walking distance. It's really nice!
We found a flight from Merida to San Francisco for $532 round trip, with one stop. It's way more convenient than going to Cancun on the bus which is 4 hours and then staying overnight in the hotel by the airport. So, as you can see, there's no excuse for not comin' down! We are planning a little trip, probably separately, in late February-early March to catch up on things in the US.
Chief has his own project when he's not outside piling rocks our building a sacred teepee. He found a 1500 piece puzzle of a beautiful scene from Bora Bora that is threatening to take over our gigantic dining room table. He's talking about a staging table now. I remember a puzzle of a Jackson Pollock painting that claimed about half of a ping-pong table back in New Jersey when I was in my formative years.
Life is good, friends, and we have no end of things to do or places to go. Since the weather has gotten so nice we will be exploring the Yucatan Peninsula a good deal more. it's just no fun when it's over 100 degrees with about that much humidity. And don't forget the skeeters.
I promise more posts soon along with a picture of our favorite vehicle in the area.