Christmas Day at the orphanage

On Christmas Day, we had the opportunity to bring many smiles to the faces of the children at the orphanage. We took them a present - a new 29 inch television and vcr/dvd player. As you will see in the pictures below, they were very excited and curious. It was such a rewarding experience to help the children at the orphanage during the holiday season. To be able to give back this time of year, is just so wonderful and especially to a cause like the orphanage.

We delivered the tv together with some friends of ours.
From left, Rosella, Cecilia, Bob, Isabel and Ed.

The children were very curious as to what was in the present.
You can see them peeking in the holes in the side of the box.

It didn't take them long to rip the wrapping paper off.

The children were very appreciative and were thanking us in this video.

Ed, Greg and Bob set the tv up.

One of the little girls helps Ed take the vcr/dvd player out of the box.

After the tv and vcr/dvd player were all set up,
the girls began to drag out carpets and pillows to get comfortable for watching a movie.

Some of the children preferred to play UNO with other visitors that came on Christmas Day.

Still other children preferred to play with their Barbie dolls.

At last a tv they can really enjoy! Their previous tv was only 12 inches. You can see another tv in the picture but it doesn't work. Unfortunately, the orphanage receives many donations of items that need repair, televisions are one. There isn't a convenient/inexpensive way to have these repaired so they just sit broken. They are working on trying to have such items removed and that is a project we are working on to help them out with.

We are looking forward to helping out as we can at the orphanage in the new year. Also, just visiting with them. They just love to have you visit and just give of your time too.

A "Posada" Christmas performance at Torres

Last evening, we enjoyed a "Posada" at Torres (our timeshare here in Mazatlan). A Posada is a Christmas festival originating in Latin America that dramatizes Joseph and Mary's search for lodging. It was held on the grounds of Torres and was performed by Torres employees with Mary riding on a real donkey. Baby Jesus was a real baby too. The costumes and props were very realistic with the story of Joseph and Mary being read from the scriptures. It was a beautiful performance.



During the performance, the children from one of the orphanages (The Salvation Army) sang for us. Below is a video clip of a very popular Christmas song here in Mexico. We don't know the name of it but we have heard it frequently during this holiday season and we are sure the song is about the birth of Jesus. Remember to double-click the picture to enlarge it. Enjoy!

Day at the Orphanage

This week we were at the orphanage to help with their Christmas lights. They seemed to have had a short in one of the extension cords so the lights wouldn't stay on.

As you can see in the video clip below, the children were busy sweeping, mopping and just cleaning up around the patio. They were getting ready for a group from one of the cruise ships that was bringing a holiday lunch for them and presents. They were very excited! The children are out of school now for the holidays - 3 weeks. They go back on January 7. We also took them some candy canes for their Christmas tree. You can see them hanging in the group picture below. Not all of the children were around while we were there so this picture only has a few of them. They have close to 30 children right now.

We will be going back again on Christmas Day. We have gone in with 2 other families here in Mazatlan and bought a new television and vcr/dvd player for them. They currently are watching a 12 inch tv and don't have a working vcr/dvd player. So we are hoping this will bring some happiness to their lives.

Enjoy.

Christmas sock tradition

In our family, there has been a tradition for many years now that Santa would bring everyone new Christmas socks and a group photo would be taken. When we moved to Mexico, the tradition of working with Santa to get the new socks was handed down to our children. They have been alternating the responsibility from oldest to youngest. Joel will be responsible next year. Good luck working with Santa Joel.

Last year, Josh had the responsibility. Here is the group photo. So much fun!!

This year Laura had the responsibility, but has had some trouble getting everyone together so her family had a mini sock party last weekend. Here is the photo that was taken. Just such a fun time!

Santa's Elves!

Please be patient, they take a few seconds to load. Enjoy!


http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1337378937



http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1340351285



http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1340911732



http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1334708557

News about the orphanage

As you know, Greg and I have been spending some of our time here in Mazatlan helping out at the orphanage.

Just two nights ago, 3 more children arrived. It's an interesting story of how these children came to the orphanage. At one of the local grocery stores, the President of the orphanage was shopping and a lady approached her telling her that her children didn't have a place to sleep. We think Christina (the President of the orphanage) is probably well known here in Maz and this mother recognized her and knew she could probably help. Christina told her she would take her children to the orphanage. The children are, a little boy 3 and his sisters 5 and 7 years old. They came to the orphanage hungry, tired, with lice in their hair and in need of clean clothes. Their hair was cut, they were cleaned up and the orphanage is making arrangements to get them into school. Here is a picture of the children. The children at the orphanage love to have their picture taken so they looked pretty happy in this shot. It is a sad story but wonderful that they have a place to at least be safe off the streets, a bed to sleep in, with regular meals and the opportunity to go to school.

Another young girl, age 15, has arrived and she is pregnant. She is about 3 months along and won't be allowed to stay at the orphanage much longer as there is another facility in Maz that helps with issues like this. They have put her, sort of, in charge of this little baby boy (in the picture below) 1 year 2 months old, to help her start getting used to caring for a baby. Unfortunately, I could see, in the time I spent with her, that she is quite impatient with this little boy and this temperament could certainly be a problem with her own baby. She is just sooooo very young and, hopefully, she will get some counseling before the baby arrives. The baby may end up back at the orphanage, which would certainly be the best thing for the baby with the age of this mother. You just never know how these things are handled. Again, it is just wonderful there's a place, here in Maz, a young girl like this can go to get away from, what we understand to be, horrible circumstances at home. The picture below is of this young girl and the baby she is caring for.

Here is a picture of Greg lending a hand, setting up a crib for the little baby above.

We are just so happy all of our grandchildren are so well cared for by wonderful parents that love them so much. We know they're in safe, happy homes which is such a blessing. We know raising children comes with many challenges but each and every one of you are doing a great job and we thank you for that and love you all.

Pacifico Gran Maraton (Spanish spelling)

This weekend, we have enjoyed the Maraton here in Maz. It began yesterday, Saturday, Dec 1, with the disabled participants and the 3 and 5K runs. Last evening, they celebrated the beginning of the Maraton with fireworks all along the Malecon. They were just incredible!!

Today, Sunday, Dec 2 was the actual Maraton. For those of you who don't know, it's a 42K run (or 26 miles). You'll notice I said it wrong in the video. It's a national event here in Mexico held in Mazatlan every 1st weekend of December. Runners participate from all over the world.

The race began and finished at the baseball stadium which is just behind our condo. Alot of the event is staged there so we get to hear some very loud but entertaining music, etc. beginning as early as 5:00 am. The runners are at the 18 mile mark when they pass our building going down the Malecon. When they are coming up, they have about 1 1/2 miles left to the finish line.

Here are a few videos and photos we took this morning. We hope you enjoy them.

Santa arrives at the Smith's casa!!

Here is Greg setting up this 8 foot Santa on our terrace. He also has Santa rigged up to wave at all the little kids down on the Malecon. We are having lots of fun watching the kids wave back at Santa. Enjoy!

Great news from Josh & Kristi!!!

We have an amendment to our Christmas letter that you should be receiving soon.

We got a call from Josh and Kristi last night at 8:50, November 27th. Josh asked us to put them on the speaker phone and he told us they were getting another dog. We remarked "ohhhhhhhh!!!" Josh then said, "not really, Kristi is pregnant!!" We were so excited and happy for them. Our 6th grandchild is on it's way!!

Kristi is 8 weeks along and having a little morning sickness but she has been to the doctor and everything is perfect. She is due July 8th. Boy are there alot of birthdays that week in our family! Serena's birthday is one of them, July 10th. Maybe their baby will be born on Serena's birthday. Could happen! But, it would it be nice if baby J has his or her own day.

This is such wonderful, long-awaited news. We are just so happy for Josh and Kristi. I just know this is one of the reasons why we bought the condo in Yakima. We will definitely be up north when baby J is born. Josh and Kristi will make excellent parents and we know all baby J's cousins will be looking forward to the arrival in July.

We send Josh and Kristi best wishes over the coming months as they prepare for this special event in their lives. Congratulations to both of you, Mommy & Daddy!!!
This news is one of the best Christmas presents we could receive.

Elvis is alive and well in Mexico!!

This "Elvis impersonator" is one of the top 10 in the world. He was really entertaining and sounded remarkably close to the original Elvis. Could this be him?? He was performing at one of the restaurants here in Maz, owned and operated by a lady from Canada, "Heather's Place". Her menu caters to the gringos here in Maz.

Day after Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Torres yesterday. Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving here in Maz. Also, a video clip of of this morning's feast. Enjoy!

As we entered the grounds at Torres, they had a Mexican rendition of a pilgrim and and a basket full of squash, pumpkin, corn, apples and other foods. Also, a copy of the menu for Thanksgiving dinner. Quite festive!!






Here we are! Thanksgiving dinner at Torres (our timeshare here in Maz)
From left: Teri, Sharon, Greg, Ed & Rosella (they are all friends of ours from LasGavias)



Pelicans feeding

The Mexican Revolution

Today is November 20 and the celebration of "The Mexican Revolution" of 1910. The day is marked with parades and civic ceremonies throughout the country. There is a large parade in Mexico City's Zocalo, as well as speeches and official ceremonies. In cities and towns throughout Mexico schoolchildren dressed as revolutionaries participate in local parades. In the videos below, please follow the parade with us here in Mazatlan.

Here is a little history on the revolution and why it is so important to the Mexican people.
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The Mexican Revolution of 1910 to 1917 was a time of political and social unrest in Mexican history. It began with efforts to oust president Porfirio Diaz and officially came to an end with the promulgation of a new constitution.

Porfirio Diaz had been in power for over thirty years when he gave an interview with American journalist James Creelman in 1908 in which he stated that Mexico was ready for democracy and that the president to follow him should be elected democratically. He said that he looked forward to the formation of opposing political parties. Francisco I. Madero, a lawyer from Coahuila, took Diaz at his word and decided to run against him in the 1910 elections.
Diaz (who apparently hadn't really meant what he said to Creelman) had Madero imprisoned and declared himself the winner of the elections. Madero wrote the Plan de San Luis Potosi which called for the people of Mexico to rise up in arms against the president on November 20th, 1910.

Causes of the Mexican Revolution:
The dictatorship-like rule of Pofirio Diaz for over 30 years
Exploitation and poor treatment of workers
Great disparity between rich and poor

The revolution was successful in getting rid of Porfirio Diaz, and since the revolution no president has governed for longer than the prescribed six years in office. The PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucionalizado - the Institutionalized Revolutionary Party) political party was a fruit of the revolution, and maintained the presidency from the time of the revolution until Vicente Fox of the PAN (Partido de Accion Nacional - National Action Party) was elected president in 2000.

Typical day in the life of a beachbum.....

Many of you have asked " just, what do we do, with our days here in Maz?" Well, here is a description of "my" typical day living as a beachbum here in Mazatlan. Greg doesn't feel the need to tell everyone what he is doing. Whatever....... I think it is important to let you know.

I, generally, wake up about 7:00 to a sunny day with a temperature of around 80 degrees and a cool breeze. However, in the summer we woke to more like a sauna. So, not so pleasant, but we won't be experiencing that anymore, since we will be in Yakima during the summer months.


I try to start my day by taking a walk on the malecon with the other walkers, dog walkers, runners, bicyclists and rollerbladers. Along the way, I see fishing boats, oyster divers, swimmers and pelicans diving for their breakfast. I usually walk for about 30 - 45 minutes. If I don't feel like walking, I just have a nice cup of coffee on our terrace.


Then I have breakfast, shower and get ready for the day.

Until around 1:00, I either do housework (not much mind you - we have a housekeeper that comes in on Fridays and spends 4 hours cleaning and we only pay $200 pesos or $20 US), update the blogs (we now have one just for our grandchildren, so takes a little time to keep two blogs updated), think of interesting things we can add to the grandchildren blog that will help them remember their Grandma and Grandpa in Mexico, work on projects I always wanted to get to when I was working, read (currently I am reading a book on the Mexican culture).

Around 1:00 I have lunch. We either go out or have lunch on our terrace.

Around 2:00 or 3:00, I head for either the pool or the beach to soak up some rays, pool exercises and socialize with our neighbors. This, generally, takes until 4:00 or 4:30.

At this time of year, at about 5:15, we relax on our terrace with a margarita or glass of wine to enjoy the sunset. Sometimes we just walk the malecon at sunset. The sun sets about 5:30. This time of year it's going down in a huge red ball, lighting up the sky and glistening on the ocean in shades of red, orange and pink. Just beautiful!!

About 6:30 - 7:00 we have dinner either, out with friends or on our terrace enjoying the cool ocean breeze.


Depending on what might be going on in El Centro (Old Town), maybe a performance at the theater, a band at the Plazuela or any other event around town in the evening, we might go out for that or stay home and watch a little tv after dinner.


Generally, around 10:00, I go to sleep to rest up for another day as a beachbum here in paradise. As you can see, it's a tough life but we love it.


Our days aren't boring. There is always a parade to watch or something happening along the malecon. Mazatlan is full of events this time of year with the Cultural Arts Festival and the Sinaloa (this is the name of the state we live in) Arts Fair. If you are bored here in Maz, you just aren't getting out, as there is much to do and see.


On Fridays, we take a drive to a destination around Maz we haven't visited before or go to the orphanage for a few hours to help with repairs, deliver needed food or just visit with the children. This past Friday, we went to the orphanage and Greg helped repair a broom/mop rack, a coat rack, replaced some light bulbs and repaired a baby crib. I helped with the laundry, hanging the clothes out to dry. Due to the high cost of electricity here in Mexico, they don't have dryers so clothes are hung out on a line. We also visit with the children as we can. The language barrier is an issue but we try.


I hope this gives you an idea of what I/we are doing here in Mazatlan with our days. I'll probably get in trouble for telling some of what Greg is doing. Oh well........


We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families. We will be thinking of you and missing you very much. We are planning to go to our timeshare (Torres Mazatlan) for the turkey dinner they will be serving on Thanksgiving Day. We went there last year and it was very good. Not quite the same as Thanksgiving with our families, but it was okay.

HAPPY, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

For all you golf enthusiasts!

We went for a drive the other day and ended up at this golf course/resort, Estrella del Mar. Thought you might like to see one of the fabulous golf courses in Mazatlan. It is about a 45 minute drive south of Maz on the way to the airport. Let us know if we can reserve you a tee time.

Here is a website and video. Enjoy! http://www.estrelladelmar.com/

http://www.estrelladelmar.com/Media/Media_Video_Golf.html

Driving range

First hole

Club house/restaurant

Club house

As well as palm trees, there are beautiful old banyan trees everywhere.

Playa Bruja (Witch Beach)

Well, we went out to this beach in search of the surfers but, to our surprise, there weren't any. Guess maybe they were working or maybe taking a siesta. The waves were incredible so we aren't sure where they were since this is suppose to be Maz heaven for surfers. The margaritas at the Playa Bruja Restaurant were so so but it was still an enjoyable afternoon spent on the beach watching the waves. We also met a family from Seattle at the restaurant. They were staying at Torres Mazatlan which is our timeshare down here. What a small world! Here is a video and a couple of pics of this beach Also, a pic of some seashells Greg found.

Entrance to restaurant and stairs to the beach.

View of restaurant from the beach.

Lots of interesting rock formations around this beach.

The seashells Greg found. We haven't seen any of these on our beach.

Little bit hazy this morning but huge waves.

This morning we woke up to hazy skies. We can hardly see the islands, but the waves are really loud and just huge - stirring up lots of white foam on the beach. The temperture at 9:00 am is 78 degrees and 79% humidity. So, a little humid this morning but again a nice breeze from the ocean. Here are a couple of videos we took this morning during our coffee time together on our terrace. Ohhh the life of beachbums!

We are headed out to a beach called Playa Bruja (translated Witch Beach). This beach, just north of Maz, is Mazatlán surfer heaven. Should be lots of surfers there today riding these huge waves.

Today's waves and tonight's sunset....

We enjoyed the sunset this evening with a nice glass of wine and dinner on the terrace. We had arrachera on flour tortillas with fresh salsa and guacamole. The waves have been very big and crashing today. The sun sat at 5:30 and the temperature was 85 degrees with a cool breeze off the ocean. Just perfect! Wish you could have been here with us. Enjoy the videos below.

Artwalk begins in Maz

On November 2, the first Friday Artwalk began here in Maz. The first Friday of each month through May, you can view the work of resident artists, between 4:00 and 8:00 pm. The self-guided/free walking tour takes you to their homes and/or studios in the Historic district. We met many interesting artists but will need to take this tour again to see all of them.

One artist we met is actually from Seattle. Among her work she had an interesting painting on display of a man whom I recognized. If any of you have ever walked through Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle you will recognize the man in this painting. He has been an icon of the square for many years. We also met this lady's son who is a local mural painter. Very interesting fellow, as many of the artsy folks in Maz are.

Icon in Pioneer Square, Seattle, Washington

The artist studio is also her home. Very beautiful patio areas.

Local mural artist.

Day of the Dead - November 1

The celebration of the "Day of the Dead" is an event you won't want to miss if you're ever in Mexico around Halloween. The best way to describe this Mexican holiday is to say that it is a time when Mexican families remember their dead, and the continuity of life. It is not a morbid occasion, but a very festive time. November 1 and 2 are Mexico holidays. Families spend the night of November 1 in the cemeteries with the spirits of their dead loved ones. Hence, schools are closed on November 2.

On the evening of November 1, about 7:00 pm, we joined in a promenade through the streets of old town. Before that hour, as we arrived at the Plazuela Machado, you could hear the bells ringing from the cathedral. These bells had been ringing all day signifying the arrival of the spirits of the dead. It was a very festive atmosphere as we awaited the hour to begin the promenade which lasted about an hour.

Here are are a few pictures and videos we took of the evening. We hope the short video clips can give you a feel for the event. Enjoy!

This is one of many alters set up in the Plazuela. This rather large alter seemed to be generic, maybe in honor to all the dead.

This is a video of a Mexican lady serving the food offered on the alter to the dead.

As we begin the promenade, these were some of the dancers in the crowd.

The promenade begins

The crowd follows behind the band.

A mule pulled a cart full of beer (loaded with Pacifico of course) through the streets of old town. A Mexican man was busy handing out free beer to all in the crowd.

The beer being served along the way. Total chaos but no problemo!

The thirsty crowd reaching for a beer.

Greg finally gets himself a beer!!

A couple of alters to the dead we viewed along the way.

Lots of festive costumes, music and dance.

Strange characters in costume on stilts in the crowd.