manana, manana, manana.................

Hola.

Senor and I came back on Thursday. The drive back was uneventful and quiet. I suppose we might have both been thinking about our visit with the kids. There's no way to describe it all.



But our three day trip to the beach is truly worth sharing.

It brought back wonderful memories of all the Thanksgiving cabins we visited as a family when KD and Ian were growing up, from the first cabin, in 1988, on the Washington coast, to the last cabin, in 2007, on Hood Canal. Always rustic, no tvs or phones, no cd players.



As we pulled into the drive at this beach house in Las Bocas, both kids exclaimed, "Oh, a Thanksgiving cabin!" We did a lot of this................reading.

We did a lot of this.............changing from one propane tank to another.

We did a lot of pondering, thinking, wondering and watching the waves roll in and out.................................

We did a lot of this when the propane finally went out completely.......cooking outdoors on the sand.

We did a lot of this.........photography of waves smashing against the rocks................Ian is focused on using his new digital....................

We did a lot of this............the traditional hanging of the colored Christmas lights and more...............reading......................

We watched a lot of this.....................

we did this......................and caught fish.................and got tanned at the same time...............

We really did a lot of this.................and usually stayed in the boat.......................

we did this............dropped a pump into the cistern when we ran out of water.......................and got about a gallon of water....................



A lot of this went on....................gin rummy.............................

this was good...........................especially when the tide returned the balls to us......................

It was all good........................



I seem to have done a lot of this................................photos of the kids walking ahead, walking away, off to somewhere.

Even when we got back to Alamos, from the beach, I still saw a lot of this.

I know, when the holidays come, I seem to start bringing this up........aren't they still just little kids...................maybe these shots are a sign.................oh, maybe my taking these shots could be the real sign?

Well, I do not intend to end this post thinking about that. I only mention it really because I took 303 photos while they were here and at least 30 are like this...........great photos.

I do want to end on a very festive note, because that is certainly what Alamos is right now, festive. This weekend has been the celebration of the Festival of Judeo. We are talking about 16 piece, incredible bands that begin at 8pm and end at 4:30am. Laughter, singing, fireworks, uhm, yes, gun shots, parades, lots of activity all night long. lots of naps for us in the afternoon.

The big top circus should be packing up and leaving town tomorrow, taking away the elephants, the llamas, tigers and pygmie goats. All the people who came from the big cities should be leaving tonight to make way for the new people who will come tomorrow for the next celebration......... Dia de Muertos.

The Alameda is full of flowers and gifts for sale. The altars have been put up, some at Casa de la Cultura, others in the Museum, and even others can be found along the roadside.

I have some great photos of the preparation and a couple of good stories to share.

So, manana, manana, manana........................

Today

Hola!

After a snorkeling and boating adventure in San Carlos with wonderful new friends.......we have come home to some beautiful weather and one very mad cat.

Cookies does not seem to have had any problems while we were gone and our lovely neighbor who comes to check on him says he is a dream cat........................
Ha, he is the devil in disguise. I know he is just angry that we left him to fend for himself for awhile, but good grief, he is being such a baby....... whiny, meowy, bitey, scratchy little old thing.

He has slept a few times with the kids, but seems to want to be with his mommy and daddy......he is like a little baby.

And babies? Look at this one. I must have a hundred photos stashed away of Ian like this, from the time he was first holding a picture book and trying to figure out what life was all about. This is his favorite position. I like that he is still trying to find out what life is all about.
I also like that the kids just cannot say no to me. I asked them to go to the clay class at the Museum. Of course, now I need to pay for KD to have a manicure, and Ian needs to do laundry, but that is all good. We will go back next Friday and make more skulls and katrinas.

I rewarded them with Sonoran hot dogs at the Alameda. They each had two and the Senora who does the cooking was thrilled that American jovens liked her cooking.

Some photos on the Alameda here and there, a first ride on the little red train, a music fest with some very talented musicians and great friends and a great dinner at Las Palmeras last night.....................

...........................who knows what today will bring?????

Good2Go2Starbucks

Hola!
Door Number Two is in place and secure.
Screens are up on the kids' bedroom window and the sitting room.
Cookies will be cared for.
Umberto will come and water.
Truck has gas and windshield wiper fluid.
Senor has money.Door number one can be seen to the right of the ladder.

What more can I say?

I am good2go2Starbucks!

Putting in my Order Now

Buenos tardes! It is a lovely fall afternoon here.
The birds are chirping away, there is a cow bell tinkling from the field across the street, the monitor lizard is sitting on the asador, Cookies is watching him from a safe distance, and there is a gentle breeze floating by.Senor got the photos above from the rooftop the other night. And the ones below are from the beach trip, which was the perfect way to spend Sunday.

It was not my intention to mislead you.
The kids are coming to dinner, just not until next week. We will go north on Sunday, get a few things from storage and pick them both up at the airport on Wednesday. Then we will drive back to Alamos. They will be with us until the twenty-third when we will drive them back north and it is on that trip we plan to retrieve the last items from the storage unit and close it out.

So, of course we are busy getting ready for them. They will sleep in the bedroom to be, the one Umberto is presently plastering. We have the twin beds from their past trips here and with a few adjustments, it will be a perfect arrangement.

Below Umberto is working on the metal door that is going up in the doorway that leads to the bedroom to be. In the background you can see the new wood closet door. We removed the metal door from the bathroom in the kitchen room, and I put up a shower curtain in the doorway.

This is how the metal door looks from the inside, next to the kiva Senor built.

On Monday and Tuesday, things were moving at a fast pace and I was certain that this side of the house would soon be secure and we would be able to lock it while going north. The metal door to the bathroom in the bedroom we use was also removed and sent to the iron worker for adjustment.

Then, Umberto showed up this morning long enough to say he could not work because his wife has a stomach ache. We can't find the iron worker anywhere.

So today, things have come to a halt.

I still have hope that the second metal door will be in place before we go. I also hope to see screens on the windows so the mosquitoes won't eat the kids.

Crickets came in under the doorway all night long and when Senor was not batting them with a towel, Cookies was wide awake chasing them.

At three am, a skunk was outside the screen door. Cookies was in a huge panic over its presence and we certainly smelled it before we saw it.

The young man who inherited new old Jesus' place worked well into the night with his buddies on the little casa and they do not work without music.

An owl was outside last night and it who whooed for hours.

The power went out twice and the computer and phone beeped steadily.

Someone partied on the street around four am. The music was soft and romantic. Then they ran their car several times over all their beer cans.

So I am putting in my order for a good night's sleep and have my fingers crossed that Umberto's wife will be better and the iron worker will show up with the door.

Ah, the sun has slipped behind some fuzzy clouds, time for a very short walk.

adios! linda lou

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Buenas dias!

It is so hot here. I can hardly believe it. Last week it did not get over eighty six for several days and we had such a good breeze, it felt like fall. This feels like I have been put right into my toaster oven. The sun is brutally hot. We have the mini split on all the time.

So, we are leaving shortly to go to the beach with friends. I have my camera, my flip flops and sea shell bags ready to go.....umbrella, camp chairs, sketch book, good to go.

I do believe it took me all week to have a Nescafe detox. I got a lot done. Rarely did I have a sit down one on one with the computer.

Senor reminds me that while we were having that breakfast, he read on the Nescafe jar that it contains thirty percent sugar. He thinks the combination did me in. And for those of you who emailed me and asked me to send them some, GET A LIFE.........


Now, you must remember this....................... The photo was taken in September, two years ago. This was the casa's little kitchen. We had to put storage bin lids in the chimney to block it off because Ashes used it as a hideaway and more than once we had to reach way up in there and drag her little body out.
Then, of course, I was not planning to do my laundry by hand so we got the washing machine.


But, check it out now.

Remember, this will be our bathroom. Sweet as it gets, huh?
For now we are using it as our sitting room, the chairs and table are in there while Umberto plasters the bedroom.

Here is the iron on the laundry room window. Just as sweet, huh?

So we are getting more and secure and finally have a place to sit when company comes.

And speaking of company, guess who's coming to dinner?

Adios, the beach awaits us! Linda Lou