Catching up a bit...

Hello again, all you wonderful Blog readers... lol... you know who you are. (Hi Mom and Schum!) :D

It's June 16, and spring may be here. Okay, it's PROBABLY here, but some days it's hard to tell. In fact, if it weren't for the dandelions and lush greenery (mostly on the same plant), it'd be tough to tell by the weather. It's been foggy for the majority of June. A couple of nice days. Tuesday was gorgeous! Sunny and almost warm. Wednesday (yesterday) wasn't too bad either. I took a walk on the East Coast Trail with Paul and the doglins in the afternoon. I wore mini gloves, but that might just be because I'm a wuss. Or not.

The dogs got all-over muddy, as usual. The trail is somewhat wet. I wonder why?! ;p I've discovered a great way of pre-washing the beasts before letting them in the house. The stream! I stand them in the stream and give them a little rinse. Yes, it's cold. No, they don't like it. Do I care? No! When they've got mud all the way up to their elbows, they need the pre-wash! Have you ever tried carrying a pair of 15 - 20 pound dogs up to a shower? At the same time?! No? Well then...

Today is a rainy rainy day. Paul drove in to work with Alia instead of riding the motorcycle. I guess it's not comfortable standing around in wet clothes in the cold basement at the hospital. Nope.

I'm putzing with my drawing of Karen and Sean, Alia's cousin and cousin-to-be. The wedding is on July 9th, (my Sean's birthday!), and I'm sure they'll love it.

Family  members... shhhhhh!!! It's still a surprise!!!

I went to the NL Pet Expo this past Sunday. I'd hoped to see the Newfoundland Agility Demonstration, but sadly, I missed it. I stood in the arena, listening to some guy introducing a bunch of dogs in a ring. I didn't hear the announcement for the Agility Demo being held outside. I spoke to a lady on Tuesday who said the fellow at the demo wondered why there weren't many people watching... Bad acoustics? Yep.

It was a fun event nonetheless. I met a number of people with Cavaliers, and one woman (Hi Mel!) who's anxiously waiting for her first Cavalier to arrive! One of the little Cavvies, a 7 month old, looked exactly like Niki! No, I didn't get a photo of her, but believe me... the face was identical! Cute and pretty.

There were a number of vendors at the show, food samples (I prefer the Taste of the Wild), pet treats, (I discovered a new treat for the beasties... Freeze-dried Beef Lung! Yeah, I know... yuck... but hey! They love it) a pet groomer, NL Pet Finder, The Doghouse, Little Angels Doggy Daycare... many more!

One of the vendors was a pet portrait artist whose name completely escapes me! I have one of her cards somewhere around the house, but I can't seem to be able to find it... I'll be keeping my eyeballs peeled. She does really good work. She's been in business for about a year and doesn't advertise on Facebook or Website or anything. Just word-of-mouth. She says she's doing pretty well. I'd love to get in touch with her, so if anybody reading this blog knows her name or has her contact info... please let me know! "Dana" Something...  (She and her mom at their booth in the background)

Here's Niki and I with another purple-apparelled, black & tan Cavalier owner. 

They had a Pet Fashion Show and a Pet Walk where they talked about the different kinds of dog breeds. (Miranda walked them on their tether... Igor fell off the stage... funny!) Niki and Igor wore clothing borrowed from The Doghouse for the fashion show. Igor wore an adorable xoxo's jacket, while Niki wore a very amusing red snowsuit. (I don't think she was amused.) The winner of the Fashion Show was a Great Dane wearing a homemade Batman costume. Not a surprise. It was a fabulous outfit! (bad photo, sorry, he twitched and the camera isn't the quickest.)  Ferrets, rabbits, rats, dogs, cats... All kinds of pets were in attendance!

Igor's trying to get out of the ring.

Niki's not too keen on wearing the snowsuit. I can't blame her... It looked pretty funny. 

Oops... He sort of fell off the stage. Miranda had her hands full with these guys!

A rat in a flower costume

Bat Dog!!! 

A pair of ferrets and their girls

Little Niki got a piece of hair bling at the pet groomer's. It looks so sweet on her. I like it and if I can figure out where to get the metal beads that the groomer used to crimp the feather to the hair strand, I'm definitely picking up a handful! Very, very pretty!

Hair Bling for Niki

Miranda's getting fitted for some mouth metal this summer. She had her orthodontist appointment this past week. They put the mold material in her mouth and she nearly gagged (breathe through your nose, honey!) ... not too much fun. Then they took photos of her teeth (very funny), and her jawline, some x-rays. Several girls in her class have braces already, so she knows what to expect. She's not very thrilled, but rather resigned. Here's a picture of how they took a photo of her teeth. Enjoy!

And just to wipe away the memory of that picture, here's a few more that we've taken over the past few months.

Crazy Hair Day

Bun Hawk. Super easy to do!

Fuzzy hair as a result of wearing a Bun Hawk

Pretty hair

Knotted hair into a pair of pigtails. Very charming.

And here's a few pictures from my recent walks.

There. Did I wipe out the memory of the lip spreaders? :D

*sigh* I just want it to stop...

What's that? I want the g.d. harassment to stop. My neighbour down the way is still irked about the way the Dominion Hill issue went. Obviously. It's not even THEIR issue, but it's her brother's. Ah well. They do say that blood is thicker than water. Apparently other things are also thick.

I've been sick with a lovely flu bug for the past 3 weeks, and have been doing small perambulations with the dogs whenever the weather permits. Usually a 15 - 20 minute walk, down the road, down and around the trail, maybe as far as the beach, then back up and around on our hillside. The other morning, after sending the Mook to school, I decided to walk the dogs. I paused briefly at the neighbour's place to pat their dog. He wears a shock collar, so is unable to go as far as the end of the driveway, so I walked about 4 feet up the driveway to visit with him. He was happy and wriggling his entire body as only a border collie can. Suddenly the neighbour's voice boomed out, "Do you MIND getting of my PROPERTY?!" I paused in my patting of the dog and said, "Sure." (not happy about that, because the dog looks lonely and unloved.) Then he went on with, "No PSYCHOS allowed!" ... um... huh?

My first thought was, "Well, YOU'RE sure in the wrong house." The second was, "Ooooh... He's learned a new word!" ...

What a slack-jawed putz! Seriously! Other people stop off to pat the dog all the time. I've seen them! He's never yelled at any of them to get off his property. AAAgh!

Psycho? I'm not a psycho! I may be crazy, but I'm NOT a psycho!

Anyway... my day proceeded along its merry way with no other problems. I fetched the Mook home from school at 3, and decided that since the sun was out, I'd go for another little walk.

As I approached the end of the street, I noticed the missus standing outside. With a camera! She's pointing it at me, and I suppose she's taking pictures of me walking down the road with my *gasp* off-leash dogs!!! I continued my walk, ignoring her the entire time. (I thought I did very well... I didn't stick my tongue out, nor did I shoot her the finger.) I was wearing my sunglasses, so she couldn't tell if I was looking at her or not. She stood there, camera to her face, until I finally turned the corner.

I'm waiting to hear from the Animal Control guy (it's a new one again) to tell me that there's a leash law in town. I'll smile and nod. Agree that there's a leash law. But you know something? My dogs are actually very well behaved and typically don't wander more than 8 feet away from me. If I'm on a main street, they're on a leash.

However, Moore's Valley is a dead end street with a grand total of 5 houses on it. 4 on one side, ours on the other. We own 3 acres, and that encompasses a pretty huge chunk of frontage. From our fence line, down the road, and then down the trail, it takes @ 2 minutes to stroll back to our hillside property. Speed limit is 30 kph. (the only people who go faster are the odious neighbours themselves.)

I've also seen a ton of people walking their dogs on the trail. Off leash! Do I have to start taking pictures of them? I sure don't want to... I like the idea of letting my dogs get a bunch of exercise while I enjoy the great outdoors. I think well-behaved and under-control dogs should be allowed their freedom on the trails.

But you know, I can't help but wonder when these people are going to step over the line into actual harassment. I mean, they've already written a letter to the town indicating their displeasure with the idea of me running a home office in the form of a pet portrait business. Yes, really. She wrote that she's concerned about all the traffic my tiny (mostly online) business will bring to the neighbourhood. She also tried to get me in trouble by pointing out that we're already known to be running a B&B in our home. (No... we don't.)

She talked about how we had 4 vehicles, only have 2 now, but when my son comes to visit there's 4 cars. AND since we have the B&B, our guests are vying for parking. She mentioned that people park half on the street, half on the boulevard. There's no sidewalk here so our cars come straight out onto the street. (huh? How's that relevant?) ... well, her math is skewed, (2 + 1 = 3). Strange for a teacher, you think? AND, take a look around at ANY house in town when there's a party going on. EVERYBODY parks on the side of the street. *grumble* ...

The town granted me my business license, but they indicated that they will be keeping an eye on our parking lest it become a problem. Believe you me, the next time they have a party down the way and somebody parks on the street, I shall be photographing their g.d. licence plates and reporting THEM to the "proper authorities." *grumble grumble*

It isn't going to accomplish anything. We're not leaving. Like it or not, we live here, dammit. Sure, they're getting under my skin, but I don't let THEM know that! So why? Why? Hmm???

End of rant. Thanks for listening. Again.

I'm DEFINITELY using the credit card!

So, there's been this disturbing stuff in the news today. According to an Evangelical Christian group based in California, Judgment Day is coming up this long weekend.

http://news.sympatico.ca/oped/coffee-talk/the_world_will_not_come_to_an_end_on_may_21/5e605131

According to this blurb, on May 21st, true believers will ascend to heaven and non-believers will be stuck on Earth, subject to natural disasters and horrible catastrophes.

It's a bit odd, to say the least. Apparently this same group had made similar claims several years ago. So... does that mean that these guys are the ones who were left behind?

There's even a website where believers (true optimists, indeed) can pay to have their left-behind pets taken care of by confirmed atheists who will (of course) be left behind. http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/Home_Page.html

Can you say "Crazy?"

So, I'm planning to have a table at the Dog Show taking place on that weekend. I've been busy planning my table display, drawing, making business cards and posters. Should I worry about finishing the job? Maybe I only need half of the items I figured, since I'd only be there for one day. ?

And hey, I've bought a bunch of paint so that I can colour up the house a bit! Should I return it, or just do a giant Jackson Pollock with them all?

Also, I'm thinking of replacing the toilet in the master bathroom, calling a plumber to make sure the pipes are unclogged. I wonder if they'll take credit cards?

Well, if it doesn't happen this weekend, there's always the Mayan calendar to go by. According to them, there will be some sort of big happening next year, just before Christmas. On Kyle's birthday, I believe. hmm... I wonder if I should plan the party for the weekend before. Just in case.

I do wish they'd make up their minds.

*sigh*

I'm not a "believer," so I'd be "stuck" here. I'm okay with that. Actually, I really hope that none of the things they're talking about will happen. I like this place. I like the idea of it being here, in great shape, for future generations. If people'd look after it more, stop letting other people muck it up... It'd be pretty darn nice!

We could be here for a long time! I like that idea even more.

Mother's Day, 2011

We've had a couple of eventful days this week!

On Thursday, Paul  made cookies. Yes. Paul. Made. Cookies. He brought some into work for sharing. The rest stayed home in multiple bellies and bowls.

Oatmeal, raisin, flax, sunflower, coconut cookies. 

The boys took me out on Friday for Mother's Day dinner and 5-pin bowling! It was pretty fun. We took Paul along, rather than forcing him to sit at home by himself. He kicked our asses at bowling. Such style, such grace. He didn't land on his face... This time. :D

Paul and I did the East Coast Trail custodial trail hike from Flatrock to Torbay on Saturday. 2 1/2 hours of walking through varying conditions of trail and with a light misting rain. The point of the exercise (hahaha) is to assess the condition of the trail for maintenance and safety issues. Since the ECTA had just done a massive overhaul of that section last year, there really wasn't much to report. Some mud, but that's to be expected. It's spring in Newfoundland... helloooo... 

Muddy patch

Lots of moose tracks. Big moose. I'm very grateful that we didn't bump into any of them!

Moose

Another moose

Lord tunderin' jaysus! Another moose!

We took food. I'm glad we took food. I needed it! You know me... I forget to eat. Well, I had a slice of cheese toast before leaving the house, but it wasn't enough. Half an hour into the hike I found myself huffing and puffing, getting all shaky and feeling abused by the gruelling pace set by the Hike Nazi. (Heil, Paul!!) We stopped for a sandwich and a rest. The food energy kicked in fast, and within 10 minutes I was hustling along, cheeky and opinionated again. It was GREAT! 

Shortly after our lunch break we paused to enjoy the view from Whale Cove. Right on cue, a gigantic bald eagle drifted by just below our feet. Only moments later, he drifted back the other way, a little quicker, pursued by a quick crow. No picture. Mouth gaping. Busy being Zen.

Surprisingly, (or maybe not, given the grey skies), we only saw one other hiker on the trail. A bird-watcher and her dog, PJ. We paused for a quick photo and dog greeting and moved along.

Suddenly, through a thin layer of scrubby pines, we heard rustling. Cow rustling. (sorry... couldn't resist.) As if drawn by some irresistible force, the black and white cows drifted towards the fence, keeping a sharp eye on little cow-coloured Igor. Greetings were in order. Igor wasn't thrilled, but the cows were enthralled. 

Tapper's Cove continues to be an attraction for photo shoots. Just as we got to the stairs, a car zipped to the wharf and unloaded a prom-clad couple and their skater-esque photographer. He was wearing a white pimp-daddy suit and she wore a confection of pink fluff. Too cute.

The cookies came in handy for a quick burst of energy at the end of the trail. Thanks for baking, Paul! You're welcome to try making a batch of banana bread anytime you like. :D

Pause for cookie break

Nearly home. 2 1/2 hour trek. This is where we ate the last of the cookies.

The dogs got a much-needed shower and collapsed in their respective blankies for a nap. They're still looking a bit bagged today.

Matt D., an adventurer/sailor who's been living in Iqaluit for the last 6 months,  arrived in St. John's last night just before midnight. We visited with beers and Mike's Hard Lemonades until the wee hours of the morning. The hot tub made prunes of all of us, but it was so nice relaxing and gabbing. Matt had some tales to tell of his life. Kangaroos and sled dogs. I'll never think the same way about either of them! We finally crashed around 2:30 am. Sadly, my internal clock woke me up for coffee at 6 am.

Matt will be in Whiteway for the next couple of weeks, getting a crab boat rigged up as a research vessel for northern waters. He'll then take the boat to Greenland where it will be used to observe the narwhal breeding habits! He's getting off the boat and heading back to Manitoba to work on another project. His brother, Chris, the lawyer, will be staying on the water. I'll have to get more info from Matt, but it's a project funded by one of the big family-run organizations. All I remember about the name is "Pew" ... family name. Kind of like Ducks Unltd, but not.

Mother's Day has been pretty quiet. I got a bit tied up with odds and ends in the morning, and the afternoon stretched long and languorously into evening with a nap followed by a short hike down to the beach. Paul cooked dinner. Grilled Arctic Char (Matt brought 2 pieces) a scoop of yummy grains (thanks Paul!), a bowl of Cream of Leek soup, and a glass of wine. Okay, okay! A bottle of wine. Blueberry. My favourite.

It's 9:30 pm and Paul and I are relaxing in the living room in front of the fireplace. The dogs are snuggling. I think it's time to finish the wine and end the day with an early bedtime. That brief nap didn't really help all that much. Or is it the wine? 

 

May 1st, and the weather is still a bit touchy...

The sky is grey and overcast, and I hear rumours of freezing drizzle, possibly snow. I hope it doesn't come to that. Pity the foo's in Winnipeg (lol... you know who you are!!) who woke up to a blanket of the white stuff. This, after a "fooler" of a high temp of 22 and sunshine last week! Hahaha!!!

Of course, you realize that this is merely sour grapes on my part. At least you will, once you get past spring, achieve an actual summer with sunshine and heat. Those of us in Newfoundland will continue to get grey skies mixed with rolling fog banks, and occasional bouts of sunshine. Summer is expected on a Wednesday this year. I think. Sad for those who work weekdays and only have the weekends off. They'll miss it.

Paul's did a jiu jitsu seminar this weekend, and achieved blue belt status. Yay him! We went out to the Celtic Hearth for dinner last night for the visiting sensei's birthday party. Instead of the Jiggs Dinner Pie that I usually order, I had the Beef and Guinness stew. Mighty good stuff. I could've done without the two chunks of mega-heavy soda bread that it came with. Steamed veggies or a salad would've been great. Ah well. Note to self: NEVER order a bloody caesar at the Celtic Hearth. The bartender managed to mess it up. Twice!

Today was a great day to take the dogs for a walk. It wasn't raining! They gallivanted up and down all the hills nearby, down to the beaches, (all 3 of them), and then up and down some more hills on the way home. They got good and mucky, tangled with twigs and burrs, and needed a shower. Igor's a hoot. I usually shower him first, then Niki. He really enjoys getting wet. So much so that he typically strolls back into the shower while I'm busy washing Niki and tries to duck under the spray! What a little nuisance. :D

Did you know that Cavaliers rub themselves dry on any available surface? Niki typically uses the back of the couch, which is one of the reasons I keep the living room furniture covered with blankets. Today, she used the side of the house in the back yard. Igor watched in amazement. Really. His eyes were huge! Finally he deigned to rub his head on the siding. I don't think it's his gig. He went back to the backyard and ran around in circles until he was semi-dry. There's enough of a wind blowing that I was surprised the dogs weren't drier than they were!

Tomorrow I shall consider prepping some surfaces for painting. Rooms. Not paintings. Actual walls. *sigh* Putty the window frames first. Let them dry for a couple of days. Prime. Prep the bathroom. Paint. Did I mention, "sigh"?

Bye for now. I'm going to sit down with a cup of chai. Relax. Wait for dinner.

Walking around the Lake...

This was going to be a rant against the never-ending winter, however, after several days' worth of snow falling and melting over and over, it appears that spring is going to make an appearance. I still wouldn't recommend going out in anything less than a pair of long pants and a wind-proof jacket, maybe bring a pair of mini gloves and a pair of ear-warmers... Kleenex, for when your nose runs with the cold air...

Alia, Mook, and I took Niki and Igor for a walk around Quidi Vidi Lake this afternoon. It's a nice jaunt, nothing strenuous. It was a time of several "firsts" for little Igor.

1. First time on a leash for more than 10 minutes

2. First time encountering more than 2 dogs on a walk

3. First time at a dog park

4. First time seeing a bicycle

5. First time seeing ducks

Probably more firsts that I haven't listed.

He started his walk with the most pathetic crying, whining, and howling you've ever heard. He settled down fairly well, and actually insisted on entering the dog park when he saw all the activity going on in the fenced yard. Once there, he proceeded to greet as many dogs as he could, exposing his belly when he had to, then running around like a noodle-head. It was great to see him having so much fun.

Niki wasn't so enthusiastic about the dog park. It was her first time entering one, and she was under-whelmed by all the excitement. Dogs coming up, sniffing her butt, trying to climb on top of her. She stayed pretty close to my feet and kept asking to be picked up and taken out of the melee. No distress, just disgust.

Igor really got into the idea of greeting dogs after the dog park experience, so he was delightfully friendly with the all dogs on the trail around the Lake until we got to the 9-week old boxer. She was NOT a good experience. She grr'ed, chased him around, nipping all the while. He finally growled back at her and scrambled onto my lap.

I'd been clever and forgotten the water bottle at home, so I let the dogs drink out of the placid areas along the shore. Of course, Igor tried to drink where the waves were a bit more energetic. He tried lapping the water but the water lapped him instead.

Moving along a bit further, Igor noticed the ducks. He dashed into the water after them and started swimming. No worries about him and the pool. I think he's going to be a fine water-dog. Good thing I keep towels in the truck.

All in all, a good walk.

The dogs are napping. I'm thinking about joining them.

The Mexican Experience

Paul and I are currently sitting at the Sports Bar in sunny Mexico at the BlueBay Grand Esmerelda on the Mayan Riviera. The internet connection, while free, is a bit slower than I’m used to, so I thought I’d give a quick recap of our holiday, and post later. The memory, she ain’t what she used to be!

View from our balcony. The Oriental a la carte/bar/outdoor breakfast area.

It’s Friday, and I have to admit that neither of us has been keeping track of what day it is except where the Excursions are concerned. We arrived Monday afternoon (March 28), spent a leisurely time on the beach, drinking tequilas and banana daquiris, giggling while we negotiated the fairly well-lit paths on the way from the beach to our hotel. The hangover gods were kind to me, as a well-timed Aleve kicked it in the arse. Paul, well... the usual “argh, why did I drink that last couple of cervesas?!” routine... but he was “best kind” quick enough. :D The man has to learn to drink, ya think? I mean, really... he’s a former rugby player! 

The Swing Bar

Tuesday, March 29:

View at the Poolside

The orientation meeting with the Nolitours representative shed a lot of light on the rules and rights of the all-inclusive, and with  light and happy hearts, we headed off to the beach after lunch. The lightweight drinker turned into “Lobster-Boy.” *sigh* Again with the Aleve... and the Solarcaine with topical anaesthetic. He’s better now. I can’t talk much about the need for sunscreen, as the next day, Tulum Extreme took care of my shoulders. Ouch!

Wednesday, March 30:

Tulum.  What can I say. The whole event was ... entertaining. It’s about an hour away from our resort and we went with a couple of families from another resort. One of the first was a heart-stopping moment when the 6-year old daughter disappeared. One moment mama was applying sunscreen to her, the next... she was gone! The police were called and everybody looked around for her. Except for the other kids (older than the missing one) who were told to stay where they were on pain of beating. And Paul, who figured things would iron out by the time he finished his beer. He was right. Child was found at the entrance to the Tulum ruins. She’d followed another tour group, clambered onto the trolley bus, and hey presto! Gonzo! Tour guide and mama hyperventilated, but all was well in the end. Tour continued. Or began... depends on your idea of adventure.

Tulum is an archaeological site, nothing like Chichen Itza, but wow... My heart went pitter-patter when we passed through the gate. An hour later we emerged, amazed, exhausted, hot, hungry, thirsty. The best tacos were to be had at a little taco stand and we moved on to cervecas and the tour bus. 

The best best best tacos!!

The next stop was the “Yucatan Yungle” as Carlos, the tour guide, said. He described the fauna. It made me decide to not wander around at night... ocelots, yaguars, boa constrictors, on and on... Zip-lining wasn’t sounding nearly so bad anymore! Photos to follow. Maybe a video.

(I wish it were larger. Sorry. I tried uploading it directly from the computer, but the Blog video uploader was kind of slow. REALLY slow... I gave up after 10 minutes of sitting and watching. YouTube took about 3 minutes total.)


It was fun!!! I could’ve done with a few more runs, but hey... who knew?! Rappelling down a 100’ tower into a cenote was anti-climactic. Hands got a bit heated about 2/3rds of the way down... braking and releasing. I think, with a bit more practice, I could get into it! The final “adventure” was snorkeling in a cenote. *sigh* Dark, mysterious, soft calcium-rich water. Lobster-boy *ahem* ... PAUL... says that his burn felt immensely better after the immersion. 6 times the calcium content of milk. No osteoporosis, but problems with kidney stones for the locals. 

The temple at Tulum

The doorway through the wall of Tulum

Zip-lining

Rappelling

Snorkelling in the cenote (pron. sa-no-tay)

Thursday, March 31:

We took a cab into Playa del Carman where we wandered 5th Avenue. A true tourist-trap. The same tokens of tourista-ville on every block. We finally ditched and headed to the beach. Words fail. Blue azure water, fluffy waves, gorgeous golden sand... a policeman with a sub-machine gun. Yes... I got a picture with him. Cervecas and cigars for Paul, a sundress for me. We caught the shuttle back to the hotel and arrived back in time for last lunch. Beach from 3  - 5. Good time for non-heat, but some sun-tanning. A refreshing dip in the ocean followed by dinner at the Oriental a-la carte. Bed. 

Hand-made cigars!

A bronze sculpture of an Agave being harvested (Agave = Tequila)

Think he'd let me touch it?!?

Hard-packed sand at Playa del Carman

Yes, Kyle. They have 7-11's in Mexico. Sorry, man.

Friday, April 1:

Paul’s Facebook birthday. We spent the morning pool-side. Sunning and swimming. Wasting away in Marguerita-ville! He’s celebrating with lime margueritas, tequila, losing track of the days (“It’s Friday?! Hey! Happy Holiday!!!”) and going to the beach this afternoon.  Steak dinner at the a la carte tonight.

Stuff I didn't buy

A leather thing I DID buy

Coatimundis. Apparently they're quite delish. They eat ants and termites, and occasionally take a nibble of tourist.

Sandpiper kind of bird

Parasailing

Pelicans

Further to the Steak dinner, Paul had the flank steak (the very special “Butcher’s cut”), which is what they use to make their fajitas. Super tender and tasty! I had the hard-to-mess-up if you remember it’s still supposed to go “Moo” tenderloin. Delish. Paul didn’t want any of the desserts on the menu, so the waitress fetched a bowl of ice cream for him! Vanilla ice cream. I can’t begin to tell you how absolutely delicious the vanilla ice cream tastes out there. Amazing. Creamy. ... great service everywhere, but this was a very nice extra touch.

Saturday, April 2:

Our 2nd and final excursion was to Rio Secreto, the Secret River. A large underground river system which sustains the Yucatan Jungle. It’s the 3rd largest freshwater reservoir in the world. Discovered by the property owner about 7 years ago (a large sinkhole found in the jungle), it’s been open for tourism for the past 3 or so years. Before we entered, we had to follow some stringent guidelines. No sunscreen or bug repellent (shower was mandatory on site), no cameras or jewelry, no touching ANYTHING. Not the walls, the stalactites or stalagmites, and we had to be careful not to step on any of those new formations on the ground. The stalactites (hanging from the ceiling) and stalagmites (point up from the ground) are amazing to see. It’s awe inspiring to realize that drops of water combining with the calcium carbonate (limestone via coral) created all this over hundreds of millions of years. They took us through only a small loop. Seven miles are mapped and still more is being explored all the time.  We walked, scrambled, duckwalked, dodged, and floated through 1 1/2 kilometers of cave, stopping here and there to gawk. At one point, we turned all our headlamps off and listened in complete darkness of a cathedral-like cavern. Tiny musical plinks of water droplets was all we could hear. The perfect meditation chamber. Other than the undulating walls, ceilings, and floors, there were holes in the ceiling where bats flew in. We saw blind cavefish, strange spider-like insects... not much lives in the dark.

Sunday, April 3:

Sunning and beaching. We took a walk up the beach, wading through a couple of small fresh water rivers. I hooked up with a German couple from Dusseldorf (2 of 4 Germans on the resort!) and spent a few hours chatting. Many lime margueritas met their doom that day. Hey! It’s one way to replenish our lost-through-sweating salt stores. :D

Mexican a la carte finished off our day in fine fashion. While the cream soups throughout the week had been great, the Mexican Truffle Soup topped them all. It was like a mouth orgasm with every spoonful. Gorgeous flavour. Fajitas x 2 (there’s that flank steak again!) and chocolate volcano cake for dessert. I’d rather have had an extra bowl of soup.

Hola!!

Monday, April 4:

We checked out after a leisurely 7 am breakfast on the patio, and spent the next hour hanging out in the sun. Last minute sunning on my part! Our shuttle picked us up at 9:50 for a 1:30 pm departure from the airport. Pass security, stop at the Duty-Free for a bottle of D’Aristi Xtabentun Dulce (Omigod it’s delicious!!! Anise liquor with honey) and Baluarte Reposado Tequila. (It has a full-mouth feel with a smokey flavour. Paul says it’s sort of like a single-malt scotch. I say it’s tastier.) 

Our flight was delayed an hour, so we had a burger at Johnny Rocket’s, a retro burger joint. Thank goodness we did, because no sooner were we about to step on the plane, than we were all turned back. Why? Well, it seems somebody on the Mexican ground-crew overfilled the gas tank, causing jet fuel to spew out of the overflow vents on the wing! We watched it for a while... Kinda funny... mops and buckets and a large garbage bin, followed by an application of Zorball to the tarmac to sop it up. Between the clean-up and the paperwork, it was another 2 hours. We didn’t mind the wait! Better they check it out thoroughly before sticking us on a flying Death Can.

Some odds and ends:

A Banana Tree

A cool-looking frog hanging out at the buffet light

We had a great holiday. Relaxing as all heck. I’d go again. Tomorrow sounds good.