Darn, another beautiful sunset

This was a beautiful sunset from several angles. We ran back and forth between the porches on the second floor while the sky lit up with peach and orange. Beautiful! Almost every night there is a beautiful sunset and we have even seen the famous "green flash" a few times.

Thelma and Tuli

They are getting along as long as Tuli doesn't get too close. We never thought that they would all adjust to each other but they did.

Weather Report

After months of unrelenting sunshine we finally have some weather! WE expecting a tormenta (storm) on Monday and Tuesday so stay tuned for some good pics.

Butterflies are here!

One day we noticed there were bunches of butterflies. It seemed we hadn't seen any in months! We even had a giant moth visit us in the house. He did fly out the next day after hanging out on the curtain rod in the living room. Very big; about 4-5 inches!

I made it myself! (with a little help)

This is Natalie and her Granny, my good friend Nancy. Natalie and little bro Landon are spending a month with Nancy and Gary. Natalie wanted to make a necklace to remind her of her trip to Mexico, so we got out some alphabet beads and took apart some bracelets and used some odds and ends to make a one-of-a kind necklace. Looks pretty cute!

Is it a pig or a dog?

Tuli loves to dig with her nose as you can tell. She'll root around like a pig in search of a sand crab and sometimes even comes out of the hole with one attached to her nose. That is when the fun starts and usually ends with the poor crab running like mad into the water.

Building a beach

The powers that be in the Obras Publicas (Public Works Department) decided to dredge the marina in Chuburna (our dinky little town) and dig out the big beach by the lighthouse. Then they dragged all that sand down to part of the beach near us and dumped it and groomed it with a giant loader, or maquina, to form a way bigger beach than there was already. There were some tense moments when one of these big dump trucks got a bit too close to the edge. That provided an hours worth of entertainment for our neighbors two houses down from the action. Of course, we were in town and they didn't take any pictures. Darn.

It's really nice to have this beach enlarged but we are pretty sure it will go bye-bye as soon as a big storm comes. I predict it will end up in the exact place that it's coming from now.

Daddy Long-Legs

Look before you leak

Yowza, this was a big ol' bug. t was swimming frantically in circles in the toilet (note the sand) until I cruelly flushed it away. Very pretty, but a big ol' bug is still a bug, so it had to go. I realize that I will never win the war againt bugs but I still go for it and I will squash any bug that crosses my path. So there.

Finally, Rain!

A big puddle in front of our house! Let's drive really fast through it.

This is the view from Buddy's on the beach in Progreso. The water is ankle deep and swirling everywhere. The rain came down so hard we got a clean car out of it, including the undercarriage. Better yet, the road in front of our house is not a sand trap and you can drive down the street without fear of getting stuck.

What you do when the ship comes in

If Progreso is one of your cruise ship spots, and you see this guy standing in front of a palapa bar named Buddy's follow him in and drink tequila or whatever floats your boat. Then do your best to get back to the pier before the boat sails! It's a great place to hang out and eat, drink and people watch. You're right on the street (malecon) and there are tables on the beach just across the street.This is Remko and it's his place. And I know some people don't think it's a big deal, but the bathrooms are clean and the plumbing works. Thank you, Remko!

Here is the beach in Progreso when a cruise ship comes in. It's crazy in town for about 6 hours, then everyone gets back on the boat and goes to Cozumel, or wherever. There are tour busses that drive through town, massages on the beach, all kinds of vendors, an artisan marketplace (really good deals on hammocks) and great people watching.
Yes, he's getting his hair put in braids and beads.

Tell it to the Marines

Yes, they found some more contraband on the beach, although there is speculation that it may have been some love letters from a jilted lover wrapped up in plastic to the size of a watermelon. Uh-huh. I really don't think they would have beach patrols or truckloads of cops going up and down the beach in this backwater community. I report, you decide.

A Mexican Cutie

A man, a dog, and a hammock

The neighbors and their new horse

Usually you don't see a lot of horses here, but every once in a while somebody gallops down the road. This little boy was getting his first horsey ride. Cute, huh?

Cover your mouth when you cough!

These are some designs for face masks in my favorite fabric stores. The swine flu scare seems to have died out...after it killed business in many seaside resort towns. The cruise ships that came to Progreso at least twice a week have stopped until June 15th. The trickle down effect this had on the local economy is just staggering. The owner of Buddy's, a bar/restaurant on the malecon (that's the beach street) says it hasn't been so bad since he got there twelve years ago. Hopefully things will pick up soon.