Hello from Yakima

We had an opportunity to view the first full moon of 2010 here in Mazatlan on Friday, January 29th. It was the biggest and brightest full moon of the year and we were even able to easily see features on the moon with our telescope. See our photos below. This full moon is also known as the wolf moon, dating back to Native American culture and the notion that hungry wolves howled at the full moon on cold winter nights. Each month brings another full moon name. Here are some interesting facts about our moon. The moon is, on average, 238,855 miles (384,400 km) from Earth. The moon's orbit around Earth - which causes it to go through all its phases once every 29.5 days - is not a perfect circle, but rather an ellipse. One side of the orbit is 31,070 miles (50,000 km) closer than the other. So in each orbit, the moon reaches this closest point to us, called perigee. Once or twice a year, perigee coincides with a full moon, as it did last night, making the moon bigger and brighter than an...

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

This morning, Greg and I, went for a 4 1/2 mile walk along the malecon. At about 2 miles, we stopped at this little stand that was serving coconut water. The gentleman cut off the top of the coconut and we drank the water right from it with a straw. I had remembered coconut water to be more white and creamy. This was very clear and not very sweet but it was very refreshing, especially after walking for 2 miles in the hot sun. When we finished drinking the water, the inside of the coconut was chopped up and served. He asked if we would like salt and lime on it. We did try it and it was very good. Greg tried it with chili sauce/pepper too and he enjoyed it. While we drank and ate the coconut, we watched surfers. This is the beach we did a little exploring on. Loved how the sun made such a beautiful shadow of the palm on the sand. Along the malecon is this university. It's the sciences of the sea. As we walked back, we saw this mexican man fishing right off the malecon with just a li...

Today, I went to my first ever Zumba class. I had been hearing about Zumba for a couple years now and really wanted to check into it. I found a lady from Minneapolis, Minnesota who is living here in Mazatlan and teaching Zumba classes out of her home. For those of you who aren't familiar with Zumba, "it's a mix of body sculping movements with easy to follow dance steps like the merengue, salsa, cumbia, mambo, samba and flamenco, as well as, other dances from around the world including hip hop and belly dance. The dances are set to toe tapping, hip swiveling, arm swinging, high energy Latin music that just makes you want to get up and moooovve." Check out this site for more information on Zumba Fitness. http://www.zumbacize.com/ I have to admit, it was a little challenging for me but I made it through my first class and plan to go again. I would like to try to take the 3-day a week classes (M W F) that this lady offers. The class was held on the back patio of her home ...

Today, Greg and I went to FloreSer (the teenage girl's home here in Mazatlan) to help teach them English. Out of the 6 girls, 3 of them participated. They were like little sponges, so eager to learn. The home mother's have been instilling in them the need to learn English to have a better future. 2 of the girls take English in their schools but the others do not receive it. Not sure exactly how the curriculum works at the different ages here in Mazatlan. The opportunity to work with these girls is so rewarding and is helping us with our Spanish too. We just hope in some way we can help make their futures a little brighter.

We just found out today, Joel and Joyce are expecting a "baby girl". They had the ultrasound and she looks just perfect - about 1 pound right now. Joel and Joyce couldn't be happier and I'm sure Jordyn is going to be estatic. Wish we could be there when they tell her. :) Joyce is due May 26th. We are so hoping to make it back for the birth. This will make our 7th grandchild and it looks like the "Girls Rule"! We'll have 4 granddaughters and 3 grandsons. Can't wait to meet our next granddaughter.

Here in Mexico, January 6th is "Dia de Reyes" or Three Kings Day which marks the end of the Christmas season. Mexican children go to bed the evening of January 5th expecting to find gifts next to the Nativity Scene, or in some cases we have heard, in their shoes beneath their beds. This is the traditional sweet bread they eat with hot chocolate that morning after they open their gifts. It's called Rosca de Reyes and you can buy it in grocery stores and bakeries all over town. This is what it looks like. It's like a sweet coffee cake with fruit on top. Actually quite tasty. Plastic baby Jesus figurines are baked inside the bread. The person who finds a baby Jesus in their piece of bread has to make tamales for the fiesta de la Candelaria on February 2nd. This celebration is the last of the Christmas festivities. Below is a link to more information about this celebration. http://www.inside-mexico.com/reyesoscar.htm Greg found a baby Jesus in his piece of bread. So guess...

My "60th" birthday was very nice. Greg made it special by inviting a few of our close friends/condo owners here at Las Gavias. They showed up about sunset for margaritas, appetizers and birthday cake. Here are a few pictures of the evening. Not a wild and crazy "60th", just nice, relaxing conversation with nice people. Greg got me a "Tres Leche" cake for my birthday from Panama Bakery. I know it doesn't look very appetizing but it is just delicious! Has 3 different types of milk. Just in case you are interested and haven't heard of this cake, here's a link to info about it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tres_leches_cake

We celebrated New Year's Eve at the Plazuela Machado in Old Mazatlan. We had a wonderful dinner at Las Brasas and enjoyed a bottle of Grafigna Malbec Red Wine. Dinner consisted of a delicious Salad with Red Fruits, Bombay Shrimp for Jan and I, and Rib Eye for the guys. We had Apple Strudel w/Vanilla Ice Cream & Crunchy Carmel Topping for dessert. It was a delicious dinner and great service. This is a photo of the "Blue Moon" rising as we begin our New Year's Eve celebrations. I didn't realize what a "Blue Moon" was so I googled it and found the site below with a great explanation. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/091230-blue-moon-new-years-eve.html Our party favors were handed out and we were ready for the countdown. Then, just before midnight, 12 grapes were passed out to each. The Spanish tradition is, as you eat each grape at midnight, you are to make a wish for prosperity in the New Year. Dick is ready! Jan toasts her 12 grapes to...