A potpourri of random thoughts & memories to wrap it all up...
We're pretty well unpacked, the minimal number of souvenirs makes it easy to get things put away. Amused to report that we did not finish either of one pound of butter OR 12 oz. of olive oil during our stay -- love those roasted vegetables! (Of course, we did consume at LEAST our fair share of cheeses...)
A sight not reported but repeated daily on our ocean-walk days: a skein of seabirds, ranging from 5 to perhaps 12, skimming the breakers in a line, flying up and down the coast. We never saw them catch anything, but assumed they were on the lookout for any fish unlucky enough to catch the top of a wave. On the other hand, they were so adept at rolling with the wave motion, we wondered if they were just having fun!
At a point, we had a surplus of avocados and opted to make guacamole. I went down to the gift shop to pick up corn chips. Believe it or no -- not a corn chip to be had, all the shelf had was potato chips and a mix of corn puffs of various shapes and sizes (a few Frito-like objects tossed in for variety).
Later, I bought postcards there as well, only to discover that there were no stamps for sale either there OR at the front desk ... to get stamps, I'd have to take the shuttle to another building entirely. Seriously?? I'll mail them from home!
And last but not least, the fun of decoding the footsteps and pawprints left in the sand by those preceding us on our walks. Sometimes we were able to connect them with fellow walkers, most times we just enjoyed making up our own tales about their probable owners.
Happy to report that the BIG snow stayed south of Chicago, though there are flakes in the air today just to be certain we know where we are. We will think warm, beachy thoughts!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Friday, March 22 ... home again
Spent the morning cleaning up and completing our packing. We had three plastic "grocery bags" of miscellaneous for our wonderful
driver ... the remnants of the BBQ dinner plus various pantry staples
and a few kitchen odds and ends we had purchased to make our culinary
life a little easier. It was truly a random assortment (3 heads of
garlic, a couple tablespoons of cumin, a 1-cup Pyrex measuring
pitcher...on and on) but he had promised to pass things along to needier
families if they were not useful for his own. A good deal all the way
around.
We were surprised by the utter lack of competition to check out, on a designated check-out day. This left us with an hour or so on our hands, which we passed in the pleasantly breezy hotel lobby.
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time ... turned out we were going to board the only United flight that DAY! As we were checking in, we were offered the opportunity to upgrade our Houston-to-O'Hare flight to first-class for a very reasonable upcharge. Thinking it over for just a minute, we said "AHA! Free food and wine, and comfortable seating!" and we signed right up.
Have a few extra pesos burning a hole in our pocket, we rummaged around a souvenir stand and purchased a few items. Then we ambled on toward the security screening, the woman who'd sold us the items following to attest that they were safe. So, what gets us busted? TINNED FISH that Linda bought to bring home for Tom ... it was packed in olive oil and therefore "a liquid." Visions of flaming mussels and herring hung foggily in our dazed minds.
After a brief debate, Linda hiked back down to the check-in desk to see if she could put the offending bivalve-bombs in her CHECKED luggage. Indeed she could ... the lady who had checked us in donned her safety vest and retrieved Linda's suitcase from the processing point, and the deal was done. Then we went looking for a water fountain to fill our water bottles, only to learn that there's no potable water at the airport. We threw a few more pesos at a big bottle of chilled, safe water.
We had packed some chunked up sweet peppers, a few string cheese packets, and some mixed nuts to see us through lunchtime, knowing there was only beverage service on the tiny plane to Houston. An uneventful flight until we actually arrived at the terminal -- the gate to which we were assigned was all cluttered up with baggage carts and other vehicles and material belonging to the monster Lufthansa plane at the neighboring gate. They were in no hurry to move it out, it seemed, so we were moved to another gate somewhere on down the line.
Now to get through immigration and customs. A long snaky line, but it did move consistently. As we made the last turn, we were asked by a few folks who felt they were about to miss their plane if they could hop in front of us. We didn't have all THAT much loose time ourselves -- still had to retrieve luggage, get through Customs, re-check luggage, and get re-screened -- but it was just a few folks and we let it go. They got a personal escort from someone on the Federal team, who outdid himself keeping them as calm as possible. A bravura performance!
Our candy didn't mark us as needing personal Customs inspection this year, so we got our bags re-checked and ourselves through screening again. Then to realize that United has been trying to tell us that our plane is delayed! This worked out in our favor to some extent, as we would have been well-tested to get out to the gate in time to catch the original schedule.
Further developments ... an American Airlines flight was cancelled and United sopped up most of THOSE folks as well. Never had a casual decision for personal comfort looked SO GOOD, as we contemplated those comfy upgraded seats. When the plane finally did arrive, get cleaned, and open for boarding, it was 100% full and everyone was tired and ready to get on up to Chicago. The "first class" turned out to be business-class, but still very lovely compared to a full flight in coach.
We were served an elegant antipasto plate plus a small tossed salad and a fruit cup, and with the complimentary glass of Chablis, we were somewhat restored. The flight wasn't long enough to catch an entire movie, so we watched the little airplane icon move along the map toward Chicago.
We were soon landing at O'Hare with temperatures hovering around 30; we had left temperatures near 90 just a few hours before. As luck would have it, the shuttle bus back to the hotel where the van was parked pulled out just as we arrived at the connection point. We called the venue, to be told the next one would be on schedule ... in a full half-hour. Fortunately there was inside seating, so we faced the wall clock and started counting. But WAIT!! Our message must have gotten through, for very shortly the van appeared again to pick up the four of us who were waiting. A slightly generous tip to the driver/baggage handler resulted in a pleasant accommodation: Linda stayed in the lobby with the luggage, and I was able to get a lift over to the parking ramp.
Having parked the van at night in a snowstorm, I was a bit uncertain about its exact location. Taking the elevator to the top tier, however, proved prescient as I learned the path to the exit while finding the vehicle. Happily the temperatures had been warm enough that there was neither snow nor ice to clear, and the engine started immediately. PHEW!
We were both pretty punchy by this point, but we did manage to thread our way out of the tangle of roads near the airport and find the way home. A quick swap of baggage and parking spots, and to bed in the wee hours of the morning. Good to be home, even if there IS a snowstorm forecast for Sunday night (seriously!).
We were surprised by the utter lack of competition to check out, on a designated check-out day. This left us with an hour or so on our hands, which we passed in the pleasantly breezy hotel lobby.
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time ... turned out we were going to board the only United flight that DAY! As we were checking in, we were offered the opportunity to upgrade our Houston-to-O'Hare flight to first-class for a very reasonable upcharge. Thinking it over for just a minute, we said "AHA! Free food and wine, and comfortable seating!" and we signed right up.
Have a few extra pesos burning a hole in our pocket, we rummaged around a souvenir stand and purchased a few items. Then we ambled on toward the security screening, the woman who'd sold us the items following to attest that they were safe. So, what gets us busted? TINNED FISH that Linda bought to bring home for Tom ... it was packed in olive oil and therefore "a liquid." Visions of flaming mussels and herring hung foggily in our dazed minds.
After a brief debate, Linda hiked back down to the check-in desk to see if she could put the offending bivalve-bombs in her CHECKED luggage. Indeed she could ... the lady who had checked us in donned her safety vest and retrieved Linda's suitcase from the processing point, and the deal was done. Then we went looking for a water fountain to fill our water bottles, only to learn that there's no potable water at the airport. We threw a few more pesos at a big bottle of chilled, safe water.
We had packed some chunked up sweet peppers, a few string cheese packets, and some mixed nuts to see us through lunchtime, knowing there was only beverage service on the tiny plane to Houston. An uneventful flight until we actually arrived at the terminal -- the gate to which we were assigned was all cluttered up with baggage carts and other vehicles and material belonging to the monster Lufthansa plane at the neighboring gate. They were in no hurry to move it out, it seemed, so we were moved to another gate somewhere on down the line.
Now to get through immigration and customs. A long snaky line, but it did move consistently. As we made the last turn, we were asked by a few folks who felt they were about to miss their plane if they could hop in front of us. We didn't have all THAT much loose time ourselves -- still had to retrieve luggage, get through Customs, re-check luggage, and get re-screened -- but it was just a few folks and we let it go. They got a personal escort from someone on the Federal team, who outdid himself keeping them as calm as possible. A bravura performance!
Our candy didn't mark us as needing personal Customs inspection this year, so we got our bags re-checked and ourselves through screening again. Then to realize that United has been trying to tell us that our plane is delayed! This worked out in our favor to some extent, as we would have been well-tested to get out to the gate in time to catch the original schedule.
Further developments ... an American Airlines flight was cancelled and United sopped up most of THOSE folks as well. Never had a casual decision for personal comfort looked SO GOOD, as we contemplated those comfy upgraded seats. When the plane finally did arrive, get cleaned, and open for boarding, it was 100% full and everyone was tired and ready to get on up to Chicago. The "first class" turned out to be business-class, but still very lovely compared to a full flight in coach.
We were served an elegant antipasto plate plus a small tossed salad and a fruit cup, and with the complimentary glass of Chablis, we were somewhat restored. The flight wasn't long enough to catch an entire movie, so we watched the little airplane icon move along the map toward Chicago.
We were soon landing at O'Hare with temperatures hovering around 30; we had left temperatures near 90 just a few hours before. As luck would have it, the shuttle bus back to the hotel where the van was parked pulled out just as we arrived at the connection point. We called the venue, to be told the next one would be on schedule ... in a full half-hour. Fortunately there was inside seating, so we faced the wall clock and started counting. But WAIT!! Our message must have gotten through, for very shortly the van appeared again to pick up the four of us who were waiting. A slightly generous tip to the driver/baggage handler resulted in a pleasant accommodation: Linda stayed in the lobby with the luggage, and I was able to get a lift over to the parking ramp.
Having parked the van at night in a snowstorm, I was a bit uncertain about its exact location. Taking the elevator to the top tier, however, proved prescient as I learned the path to the exit while finding the vehicle. Happily the temperatures had been warm enough that there was neither snow nor ice to clear, and the engine started immediately. PHEW!
We were both pretty punchy by this point, but we did manage to thread our way out of the tangle of roads near the airport and find the way home. A quick swap of baggage and parking spots, and to bed in the wee hours of the morning. Good to be home, even if there IS a snowstorm forecast for Sunday night (seriously!).
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Thursday, 3/21 ... The *** Women And The Sea?
We planned to walk up the beach again this morning, and were somewhat startled to find ourselves joined by another pair of ladies with a similar plan. We all got to the market and headed past the calm little "infinity" pool ...
These waves were cresting higher than the palm-frond roofs of the vendor stalls in the distance (at least from our vantage point). You can see a tube closing up to the right of the first palm.
As the water was so much higher, we had a much more pleasant walk overall, though there were actual pools from place to place. We were often struck by the beautiful patterns left by the receding surf, no two alike at all:
And we smiled at a bird bath courtesy of Mother Nature, well up onto the beach:
Big, booming rollers cresting out a ways:
creating a bluff of their own in the shoreline:
Another set of intriguing patterns:
and a river flowing back into the sea:
All in all, it took us a good hour to trek down the beach and also take
it all in. We collapsed in our now-favorite shady chairs and watched
first one, then up to three intrepid surfers enjoying the best day
they'd had in a good while. Here's a bit of the sense of scale:
We were charmed by this foal learning how to work the beach:
As we had before, we showered the sand off our our feet and sat for a bit on a higher tier of shady chairs until everything dried off. Have to say, we drew it all out a bit knowing it was our farewell tour.
Heading back to the room, we began moving into pack-and-go mode ... checking the current status of our bill (no surprises ultimately, though a couple things to figure out); making arrangements for printing out our boarding passes and being grateful our selected seats were still assigned; checking on our stash of pesos and how best to utilize the remainder. Tucked into the remaining romaine, radish slices, and sweet peppers along with quesadillas for lunch, and took some afternoon time "off" (Linda mostly reading, Carolyn mostly stitching that teeny-tiny spyglass).
Linda got mostly packed and moved into dinner prep; Carolyn got mostly packed and helped to finish up. Somehow we are going home with a LOT more luggage space ... we can only confess to bringing a few loaves of bread for breakfast ... where did all that airspace COME from??
Dinner was the end of the skirt steak in tomatillo sauce and a heap of angelhair with the end of the zucchini and crema. We are down to the bitter end, with just a few items to pass along to our friendly driver in the morning, though some are amusing. We purchased a box grater, 1-cup Pyrex measuring pitcher, and a cheapo nonstick skillet ... no point in leaving them here, so he can use them or donate them to a needier family.
We are amused to find very few purchases this trip; guess our resolutions to decrease our holdings may be taking root! But always there are a few items perfecto for the gift shelf, and we have a wide variety of pleasant memories ... from completing tasks hard to do at home, to lovely tours, to those walks up the shoreline. Buenes noches, amigos, we'll write again from the frozen north.
down to the shore, to be stopped in our tracks by TOWERING and
THUNDERING surf. Looks like we were closer to a high tide today, and
whatever the winds were, they produced quite a show.
These waves were cresting higher than the palm-frond roofs of the vendor stalls in the distance (at least from our vantage point). You can see a tube closing up to the right of the first palm.
As the water was so much higher, we had a much more pleasant walk overall, though there were actual pools from place to place. We were often struck by the beautiful patterns left by the receding surf, no two alike at all:
And we smiled at a bird bath courtesy of Mother Nature, well up onto the beach:
Big, booming rollers cresting out a ways:
creating a bluff of their own in the shoreline:
Another set of intriguing patterns:
and a river flowing back into the sea:
As we had before, we showered the sand off our our feet and sat for a bit on a higher tier of shady chairs until everything dried off. Have to say, we drew it all out a bit knowing it was our farewell tour.
Heading back to the room, we began moving into pack-and-go mode ... checking the current status of our bill (no surprises ultimately, though a couple things to figure out); making arrangements for printing out our boarding passes and being grateful our selected seats were still assigned; checking on our stash of pesos and how best to utilize the remainder. Tucked into the remaining romaine, radish slices, and sweet peppers along with quesadillas for lunch, and took some afternoon time "off" (Linda mostly reading, Carolyn mostly stitching that teeny-tiny spyglass).
Linda got mostly packed and moved into dinner prep; Carolyn got mostly packed and helped to finish up. Somehow we are going home with a LOT more luggage space ... we can only confess to bringing a few loaves of bread for breakfast ... where did all that airspace COME from??
Dinner was the end of the skirt steak in tomatillo sauce and a heap of angelhair with the end of the zucchini and crema. We are down to the bitter end, with just a few items to pass along to our friendly driver in the morning, though some are amusing. We purchased a box grater, 1-cup Pyrex measuring pitcher, and a cheapo nonstick skillet ... no point in leaving them here, so he can use them or donate them to a needier family.
We are amused to find very few purchases this trip; guess our resolutions to decrease our holdings may be taking root! But always there are a few items perfecto for the gift shelf, and we have a wide variety of pleasant memories ... from completing tasks hard to do at home, to lovely tours, to those walks up the shoreline. Buenes noches, amigos, we'll write again from the frozen north.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Wednesday, 3/20
Woke up a bit out of synch ... when the power went down, of course the clock on the microwave went to zero. We asked the evening turndown crew how to re-set it (Linda had worked for some good while on that problem) and they didn't know either ... everyone got to the place where the time had been entered and was showing, but couldn't finalize the data. After far too much experimentation, it turned out that hitting "start" did the trick. BUT ... by then the time was an hour off, which we didn't notice until this morning. Now that the day was properly anchored, we could get on with breakfast!
All the walking in loose sand yesterday left us with tired toes, so it was off to the pool after our toast. It was utterly deserted; a few souls in the restaurant, but no one getting wet. It was enjoyable to have the lagoon to ourselves, and we did some extra lap work as a result. Pleasant temperatures and a light breeze; when we settled into beach chairs to dry off it was just a perfect morning.
We had seen a group in hotel uniforms touring the grounds a few days back, and suspected it was a new training class. That seemed even more likely as the morning cleaning person arrived in duplicate ... not our usual friendly fellow all alone. And clean, these ladies DID ... we were beginning to wonder if they'd ever leave! Seriously, friends, when you find that the TOASTER has been cleaned you know you have been the beneficiary of an excess of enthusiasm.
Once we were alone again, we made up a good tossed salad and shredded the country ribs, thinking ahead to glazing them for dinner this evening. Linda whipped up a few bean/cheese/chorizo quesadillas and we had a nice mid-day feast. We've had to toss a few items, but overall will come very close to using exactly what we bought. No small feat!
I had a bit of a scare with my needlework piece ... I had completed the frame for the next detail (an old-fashioned nautical spyglass) ... counted everything four ways and KNEW it was done correctly. Move on to the blown-up chart for the stitches ... and it has TWICE the number of squares. WHAT?!! Well, after a little cool-down, it turns out that this detail is stitched over just ONE thread of the backing fabric (meaning I have four TIMES as many stitches to take as I had imagined). Oh well, at least the original work is solid. Progress is being made on the spyglass, now that breathing has returned to normal levels.
Meanwhile, we eventually tucked into BBQ country ribs and "sweet potatoes" ... the potatoes looked pretty likely when we bought them (dark red skin, pointy ends), but once they were peeled they were quite white except they oxidized almost instantly when exposed to air. Nonetheless, they took the second BBQ-inflected sauce quite nicely and we were happy with the results overall. Just four meals to go, and the 'frig is looking pretty empty. It's a good thing!!
We confirmed arrangements with the driver who took us on the two tours, so we have (for better or for worse!) a ride to the airport Friday late morning. Then an early afternoon flight to Houston, and a late arrival into frigid O'Hare. We won't dwell on that just now ... just enjoy another couple days of sunshine and surf, our way!
All the walking in loose sand yesterday left us with tired toes, so it was off to the pool after our toast. It was utterly deserted; a few souls in the restaurant, but no one getting wet. It was enjoyable to have the lagoon to ourselves, and we did some extra lap work as a result. Pleasant temperatures and a light breeze; when we settled into beach chairs to dry off it was just a perfect morning.
We had seen a group in hotel uniforms touring the grounds a few days back, and suspected it was a new training class. That seemed even more likely as the morning cleaning person arrived in duplicate ... not our usual friendly fellow all alone. And clean, these ladies DID ... we were beginning to wonder if they'd ever leave! Seriously, friends, when you find that the TOASTER has been cleaned you know you have been the beneficiary of an excess of enthusiasm.
Once we were alone again, we made up a good tossed salad and shredded the country ribs, thinking ahead to glazing them for dinner this evening. Linda whipped up a few bean/cheese/chorizo quesadillas and we had a nice mid-day feast. We've had to toss a few items, but overall will come very close to using exactly what we bought. No small feat!
I had a bit of a scare with my needlework piece ... I had completed the frame for the next detail (an old-fashioned nautical spyglass) ... counted everything four ways and KNEW it was done correctly. Move on to the blown-up chart for the stitches ... and it has TWICE the number of squares. WHAT?!! Well, after a little cool-down, it turns out that this detail is stitched over just ONE thread of the backing fabric (meaning I have four TIMES as many stitches to take as I had imagined). Oh well, at least the original work is solid. Progress is being made on the spyglass, now that breathing has returned to normal levels.
Meanwhile, we eventually tucked into BBQ country ribs and "sweet potatoes" ... the potatoes looked pretty likely when we bought them (dark red skin, pointy ends), but once they were peeled they were quite white except they oxidized almost instantly when exposed to air. Nonetheless, they took the second BBQ-inflected sauce quite nicely and we were happy with the results overall. Just four meals to go, and the 'frig is looking pretty empty. It's a good thing!!
We confirmed arrangements with the driver who took us on the two tours, so we have (for better or for worse!) a ride to the airport Friday late morning. Then an early afternoon flight to Houston, and a late arrival into frigid O'Hare. We won't dwell on that just now ... just enjoy another couple days of sunshine and surf, our way!
Tuesday, 3/19
A stroll-down-the-beach day. We were again warned that the little store was not yet opened, but had the good luck to draw the same shuttle driver. He needed no explanation THIS day, and sent us off to the shoreline with the salutation, "WONDER Women!!" If only...
But another beautiful day on the sand, many fewer people around and no pets. We kept company with the ocean birds and the surf, and spent a greater percentage of our walk on dry sand this time due to more vendor stalls being in place already.
We had noticed "breathing holes" in the sand earlier, but this morning Linda actually saw some critter moving down into the sand. While we couldn't catch enough of a view to identify it, but the sand spray it left behind was ample testimony to its strong motivation to disappear from view.
No matter, we got to the south end of our property and fell happily into two well-shaded chairs. By that time (and place) there was more activity on the beach, notably a father-and-young-son enjoying a shoreline horseback ride. The child was snuggled in front of Dad on the saddle, and seemed pretty cool to the idea in the beginning. But by the time the horse was led past our view for the third and then fourth time, clearly he was enjoying things.
We spent some time exploring the amenities on this end of the property, then bussed back to the room to shower and return to productive pastimes ... needlework, reading, another EuroRails (Carolyn won this time with a big delivery to Madrid). Dinner turned out to be vegetarian ... an assortment of whatever was in the 'frig, and right tasty. No sooner had we sat down to it, though, the power went out! There was still light in the sky, and it seemed that the entire neighborhood had gone dark.
Before we could complete our contingency planning, the ceiling light in the dining room came back on. In a few minutes, the stovetop and its hood fan plus the other lights kicked in. We concluded that there was a reliable two-stage recovery plan in place for our venue, though the neighbors on the beach appeared to in for a difficult night...several buildings didn't even have their roof lights on to warn air traffic. While looking things over, we realized there was a lovely sunset & cloud formation out there:
Don't worry, that "melting" building in the right-center of the first photo is NOT, in fact, about to fall over. Though it continues to worry us JUST A LITTLE :)
Whatever hit the grid didn't hit the news, so we just snuggled into a good sleep.
But another beautiful day on the sand, many fewer people around and no pets. We kept company with the ocean birds and the surf, and spent a greater percentage of our walk on dry sand this time due to more vendor stalls being in place already.
We had noticed "breathing holes" in the sand earlier, but this morning Linda actually saw some critter moving down into the sand. While we couldn't catch enough of a view to identify it, but the sand spray it left behind was ample testimony to its strong motivation to disappear from view.
No matter, we got to the south end of our property and fell happily into two well-shaded chairs. By that time (and place) there was more activity on the beach, notably a father-and-young-son enjoying a shoreline horseback ride. The child was snuggled in front of Dad on the saddle, and seemed pretty cool to the idea in the beginning. But by the time the horse was led past our view for the third and then fourth time, clearly he was enjoying things.
We spent some time exploring the amenities on this end of the property, then bussed back to the room to shower and return to productive pastimes ... needlework, reading, another EuroRails (Carolyn won this time with a big delivery to Madrid). Dinner turned out to be vegetarian ... an assortment of whatever was in the 'frig, and right tasty. No sooner had we sat down to it, though, the power went out! There was still light in the sky, and it seemed that the entire neighborhood had gone dark.
Before we could complete our contingency planning, the ceiling light in the dining room came back on. In a few minutes, the stovetop and its hood fan plus the other lights kicked in. We concluded that there was a reliable two-stage recovery plan in place for our venue, though the neighbors on the beach appeared to in for a difficult night...several buildings didn't even have their roof lights on to warn air traffic. While looking things over, we realized there was a lovely sunset & cloud formation out there:
Don't worry, that "melting" building in the right-center of the first photo is NOT, in fact, about to fall over. Though it continues to worry us JUST A LITTLE :)
Whatever hit the grid didn't hit the news, so we just snuggled into a good sleep.
Monday 3/18
Another pool day, sharing the lagoon with a bunch of boys practicing their football-passing skills. Plenty of room to go around, and a pleasant morning. Several laps around were followed by some reading and drying off ... and a return to a welcome shower back in the room.
Today was Laundry Day #2, and a good thing it was. Linda went down to "recharge" the card that activates the machines and get a capsule of detergent, only to discover that it was loaded with quite a few more pesos than we had understood. AND we had to surrender the original receipt in order to get the excess credited back to the room. Another triumph for tossing all small pieces of paper in a pile until they can be sorted out at home! More progress on reading through magazines (Carolyn) and Kindle literature (Linda). Even the Trib is getting its share of attention this week.
Keeping it simple, we lunched on a couple different zucchini presentations and some quesadillas, there are some recipes that are definitely worth re-creating at home.
In the afternoon, we set up European Rails, an intriguing board game we've been introduced to through Gabe's roommate. Though we play for fun, a little competition does sneak in and Linda had the stack-o-cash to be declared the winner in the end.
We're working down the stash of food in the 'frig now, and had decided to finish up the pork chops in tomatillo sauce and a couple of sides. Easy prep and a fine dinner; meanwhile, the country ribs got rubbed with half the BBQ paste and tucked into the coolth to soak it all up overnight. Wrapping up with the nice view from our living room ... the tall buildings are actually on the shore. The pool is the one we swim in, but as you can imagine, we get to the shore by taking the hotel shuttle bus down that way :)
Today was Laundry Day #2, and a good thing it was. Linda went down to "recharge" the card that activates the machines and get a capsule of detergent, only to discover that it was loaded with quite a few more pesos than we had understood. AND we had to surrender the original receipt in order to get the excess credited back to the room. Another triumph for tossing all small pieces of paper in a pile until they can be sorted out at home! More progress on reading through magazines (Carolyn) and Kindle literature (Linda). Even the Trib is getting its share of attention this week.
Keeping it simple, we lunched on a couple different zucchini presentations and some quesadillas, there are some recipes that are definitely worth re-creating at home.
In the afternoon, we set up European Rails, an intriguing board game we've been introduced to through Gabe's roommate. Though we play for fun, a little competition does sneak in and Linda had the stack-o-cash to be declared the winner in the end.
We're working down the stash of food in the 'frig now, and had decided to finish up the pork chops in tomatillo sauce and a couple of sides. Easy prep and a fine dinner; meanwhile, the country ribs got rubbed with half the BBQ paste and tucked into the coolth to soak it all up overnight. Wrapping up with the nice view from our living room ... the tall buildings are actually on the shore. The pool is the one we swim in, but as you can imagine, we get to the shore by taking the hotel shuttle bus down that way :)
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Sunday, 3/17
Not too much attention paid to St. Pat here in Mexico, which is OK by us. We were, of course, deluged with commercial email from home offering 17% off, but we were able to delete...delete...delete.
Our exercise plan was different this morning as it's forecast to be the coolest day of the week. We took the two shuttle buses up to the little store, though the second driver was very concerned because he knew the store wasn't OPEN at that hour. Eventually we communicated to him our intention to walk down the beach, back to the crossover point for the two routes. He enthusiastically endorsed our plan, and we set off southward with the sun still somewhat behind the mountains.
The beach is wide and beautifully pristine. Though there were footprints and pawprints (and the occasional avian footprints as well), there was almost NO litter ... until we got close to our hotel's area. SIGH. We had a fair amount of company but it wasn't crowded; people jogging together or with their dog, others walking. Occasionally a dune buggy. The informal beach vendors mostly had not set up yet, so we didn't need to fend them off ... a blessing. The surf rolled in, the sky was high-overcast, the temperatures mild. Beautiful.
When we got back to the southerly end of our grounds, we pulled up a couple of chairs in the shade and just watched the water for a while. By then, there was a surfer out hunting for waves and a group of horseback riders working their way along the tideline; pleasant viewing.
Eventually, we felt it time to work our way back to the room. More menu-and-execution planning, and a salad and some of the green rice for lunch. The next task was making the various sauces required for the remaining planned dishes, Linda took the lead. We rapidly agreed to nix the griddling of the dried peppers, though, as first she and then Carolyn started choking up on the chile fumes. We will soldier on without the layer of smoky flavor!
With the room well-aired, and sauces in the entire spectrum of chile-red, we turned to the skirt steak that was to be the star of dinner this evening. And indeed it was, tender and well-flavored. With zucchini in red sauce and a red rice flanking it, we tucked into some seriously good eating ... and so to bed.
Our exercise plan was different this morning as it's forecast to be the coolest day of the week. We took the two shuttle buses up to the little store, though the second driver was very concerned because he knew the store wasn't OPEN at that hour. Eventually we communicated to him our intention to walk down the beach, back to the crossover point for the two routes. He enthusiastically endorsed our plan, and we set off southward with the sun still somewhat behind the mountains.
The beach is wide and beautifully pristine. Though there were footprints and pawprints (and the occasional avian footprints as well), there was almost NO litter ... until we got close to our hotel's area. SIGH. We had a fair amount of company but it wasn't crowded; people jogging together or with their dog, others walking. Occasionally a dune buggy. The informal beach vendors mostly had not set up yet, so we didn't need to fend them off ... a blessing. The surf rolled in, the sky was high-overcast, the temperatures mild. Beautiful.
When we got back to the southerly end of our grounds, we pulled up a couple of chairs in the shade and just watched the water for a while. By then, there was a surfer out hunting for waves and a group of horseback riders working their way along the tideline; pleasant viewing.
Eventually, we felt it time to work our way back to the room. More menu-and-execution planning, and a salad and some of the green rice for lunch. The next task was making the various sauces required for the remaining planned dishes, Linda took the lead. We rapidly agreed to nix the griddling of the dried peppers, though, as first she and then Carolyn started choking up on the chile fumes. We will soldier on without the layer of smoky flavor!
With the room well-aired, and sauces in the entire spectrum of chile-red, we turned to the skirt steak that was to be the star of dinner this evening. And indeed it was, tender and well-flavored. With zucchini in red sauce and a red rice flanking it, we tucked into some seriously good eating ... and so to bed.
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