Hello from Yakima

Today I'm going over to Stone Island for the day with some girlfriends. Here is some info about this area of Mazatlan. Should be a fun day! Greg is staying home today, as the electrician is coming to work on the fans. We're getting ready for our visit from my sister, Cindy and her son Alex. They will be here in just 5 more days. :) http://www.advantagemexico.com/mazatlan/stone_island.html Be sure to click on Stone Island under "Labels" at the right and you will find photos from last year when we took Jessica, Serena and Jackie to Stone Island for the day. Enjoy!

Here's one from a few evenings ago. Enjoy!

Greg's latest projects at the orphanage. He also fixed this bike for Kevin. Luciana is all smiles. She is now making trips once a month to Monterey to have work done on her jaw. We can see marked improvement in her face and her personality. More outgoing now.

Annually, about this time of year, Orfanatorio de Mazatlan holds a fundraiser in the form of a musical performance. This is the orphanage where Greg and I volunteer much of our time during our 6 months stay in Mazatlan. This year the donated performance was a production of the Flamenca dance. It was performed by a dance group here in Mazatlan, Miura Expresion Flamenca. For more information about this dance group, here is their website. http://www.miuraexpresionflamenca.com/ We've seen this group a couple of times at the Angela Peralta Theater and the performance that is in the video trailer on the website is the one we saw, "Romance de Tablao". It was fabulous! Miura Expresion Flamenca was founded in 2004 by Lucero Martinez. It's the only school dedicated specifically to the art of flamenco in the State of Sinaloa, Mexico. Here is an excerpt from the website : "Miura, is the only company in Mexico that looks to create productions with a contemporary vision in mu...

On Mike & Janet's last full day in Mazatlan, Janet and I went shopping at Gran Plaza and the Golden Zone. The guys went golfing at Estrella del Mar on Stone Island. For all you golfing enthusiasts, here is the website for this popular 18-hole championship golf course here in Mazatlan. http://www.estrelladelmar.com/ Mike took these great photos of the golf course. Ocean front club house restaurant. The all important, banos! Greg seemed to have found himself here alot during the game. Along the stone fence, that surrounds the golf course, are many iguanas soaking up the rays. Do you see him here? The guys had a fun day golfing and Janet and I discovered lots of treasures that she took back home to family and friends. Our visit with Mike and Janet went way too fast but we have lots of adventures together that we will hold as cherished memories for years to come.

We started the 6th day, of Janet and Mike's visit, with a trip to the orphanage. The children were having lunch and celebrating a birthday in this picture below. Janet and Mike enjoyed visiting this humble orphanage and meeting the children that we talk so much about. Then we were off to the Central Market. A little silver jewelry shopping And you just can't go to the market without going through the meat section. Then we were off to the city center to view Mazatlan's breathtaking cathedral which was completed in 1899. Mike took these photos. I just couldn't decide on which ones to post, they were all soooo good. By the way, the photos I have posted about Mike and Janet's visit were a combination of ours and theirs. Great photos Mike & Janet! Across the street from the cathedral is the Centro Plaza de la Republica. Great place to get a shoeshine or relax on a bench for people watching or feed the pigeons. Then it was time for a drink at the El Mirador...

After we left the tequila factory, it was time for lunch. We stopped in at Hacienda Las Moras, an old restored agave plantation. It's been turned into a resort that offers casitas you can rent. It's a beautiful hacienda with many types of animals roaming the grounds. They are still working on restoring the agave fields that surround the hacienda. Beautiful bougainvillea everywhere. A baby goat was looking for it's mama. He/she had been born not too long ago, as you can still see the umbilical cord. The mama had rejected the baby and they were feeding him/her with a bottle. Very sad. See video clip below, crying for mama. :( Many, many gorgeous peacocks roam the grounds. And some funny looking chickens. The girls take time out for a photo shoot. We had a delicious lunch at Hacienda Las Moras. Up on the hill above the hacienda, is a little church. As we end the 5th day of our adventures with Mike & Janet, we relax with another beautiful sunset.