Bath time

This is our own personal grackle. He and his mate routinely eat the bugs off the patio ceiling, steal the dog kibble (and dunk it in the footbath to soften it) and generally make a lot of noise. They are very entertaining birds and strut about with great confidence. One of their calls sounds like a slide whistle and we imitate them, albeit poorly. Wonder what they think?

Boat ramp? We don't need no stinking boat ramp!

There used to be an entrada to the beach that made a perfect launching spot for a boat. Now the beach is at least 6 feet higher and has no slope to speak of. That did not hinder these guys from launching their boat. The beach rebuilding project has stopped for the moment. Who knows if it will resume or we get to keep our natural beach instead of a landing strip in front of the casa.

Queen of the Mountain

Tuli loves running up and down the piles of sand on the edge of the new beach. It's really funny when her group of dog buddies gets in the act; they roll down the hills and get completely covered in sand. It looks like they're breaded and ready for the frying pan. They can run up and down these piles forever. Makes them sleep well too.

Looking west toward Chuburna.

Looking east toward Progreso, with the piles of sand from the new beach to the right.

Yes, this is what it looks like it is

I have never seen a dog pee in the ocean before, but here is proof. Sometimes she gets knocked over when surf is up. This cracks us up every time we see it.

The beat goes on

This is a view from Buddy's, our favorite place to hang on the malecon in Progreso. These guys were the first vehicle in a line of cars that paraded down the street to the very catchy drumbeats of this group. Why, and what for we don't know. Just another Mexican Mystery!

A look at the beach

This view looks west from our patio. As you can see, it's just another beautiful day in paradise.

We THINK this is as far as thenew beach will get. There has been no work done since Monday (it's Friday)

and a group of official looking guys withclipboards were on the edge of the plateau looking serious and taking pictures. Then there was an airplane circling overhead for an hour or so, maybe taking pictures of the coastline. Whatever it all meant, we don't know, although we heard they were running out of sand from the other end of the beach to the west where all the sand ends up in the first place. If this was the US, there would have to be an enviormental impact report, OSHA would be involved, nobody would be allowed on the beach for weeks as it would be cordoned off and more than likely special interest groups like the Coastal Commission and Friends of the Sea Otter would be involved. We hope it doesn't come down this far because we like our beach the way it is.

Abuela goes for a dip

This very old lady, helped by her family, went for a dip in the Gulf. They very gently held her and helped her out of the water. It was quite touching and brought home the importance of family in traditional Mexico.

Sunset through our sticks

Tuli Report

Well, she's almost nine months old now and is becoming a really good dog. Her puppy coat is shedding (like crazy, even more than the cats) and we think her black parts will be a dark brindly brown. Maybe. She can speak volumes with her eyes and other facial expressions. We are so glad she's a member of our family.

Inbound!

Dinner time

We are at the marina in Chuburna. Chief did not have the big lens so click on the picture to see a roseate spoonbill,white ibis and what I think is a boat billed heron; he's the one that's hunched over on the left side. After we looked at the birds we drove around and let all the dogs run after our car and escort us out. Just shows how little it takes to entertain us.

A big black cloud above us

Yes, it's a big black cloud and this time it actually rained and thundered!

The new beach approaches

Well, we went from just being barely able to see the trucks and the loader working to having them be close enough to hear the squealing of the loader's hydraulics and the slam of the truck's tailgates when they put the bed down. Chief is ready to stand out there with his can of WD-40 to quiet the loader down. They start early and finish late. I say they will be at our beach by Monday. Chief says next Thursday. We'll see. I'm still not sure if I like the idea of our sweet little beach being all covered up under 5 feet of sand. But I can't do anything about it, can I?

Let's vacuum the dog

She is shedding like crazy. Even more than the cats! So Chief decided to traumatize Tuli by vacuuming her. She didn't really mind THAT much. Not. We do sweep a lot of dog hair up, though. We think that her black part is turning brown...every day she looks a bit browner and more brindle-y.

Need a hat?

Another beautiful sunset!

This was all one sunset, and it even rained a bit and thundered, too. We both agree that this place has the most awesome sunsets. We try to catch everyone and pinch ourselves that we are here and don't have to leave. Ever.

I love my toy

Tuli loves this toy and tears it up on a regular basis. I have sewed it back together at least five times and I hide it for a while so she goes crazy when we bring it out. Is this cute, or what?

OOPS!

Well, we knew it would happen again and this time somebody would have a camera! He just got a bit too close and almost went in. Loaded , too! The guy operating the loader filled in behind the truck. He must haved moved 30-40 tons of sand behind and to the side of the stuck truck before they were able to lift the bed and dump the load a little at a time. After that, piece of cake. He just drove it out! As always, when any kind of disaster happens, there are a couple of little boys watching everything and generally getting in the way. If you click on the picture, you can see them sitting on a pile of sand in the left side of the picture.

Chief's sunflowers