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.

Halloween in Maz.....

On Halloween night, we went to the Plazuela Machado in El Centro (old Mazatlan) to see if there were any trick-or-treaters. Before we went to the plazuela, we stopped by the orphanage. We found that the children there were not celebrating Halloween. We understand Halloween has not made it's way to all parts of Maz or Mexico. So to our surprise, there were quite a few children in costume when we arrived at the plazuela. Also, there were a number of alters set up around the plazeula to honor lives of loved ones who have passed away. Here are a few photos we took. Enjoy!

Today, November 1, is the "Day of the Dead" here in Mexico. It is said, today is the day the spirits of deceased loved ones return and the families meet them in the cemetery for a day of festivities. They will spend the night and the the spirits will leave by mid-day tomorrow.

We are planning to join in a festival through the streets of old Mazatlan tonight. We will be viewing the many alters, set up by families in their homes, to honor their deceased loved ones.