Trip to El Quelite

We took a trip recently with some good friends, Dick and Jan, to this small village just 22 miles north of Mazatlan. Here we found cobblestone streets and bright, colorful houses. El Quelite is famous for Sinaloa's (state) only cock-fight training ranch and traditional Aztec "Ulama" competition.

http://www.tourbymexico.com/sinaloa/quelite/quelite.htm

We had a great time touring this small village. Here are some pictures we took. Enjoy.

What we've been up to in January....

So far this month we have been working hard on the guest bedrooms and the installation of our dish washer. We are trying to have everything ready for next month when our families start to arrive here in Mazatlan.

Josh and Kristi will arrive on February 18 for a week. On March 11, Joel and two of his friends will be here for a week. On March 17, Brandon, Jessica and Serena will arrive for a week. On April 17, Ralph, Judy and Nona Mae will be here. Cindy and Jim will arrive on May 17 for a week and then in June Jake and Jackie will come down. So it will be a very busy but fun and exciting time here at "The Beachbums Resort". :)

Hope you enjoy this recent sunset picture.

We return to Mazatlan!

On Friday, January 5th we returned home to Mazatlan. We had a bumpy flight home with an hour delay on the runway in LA due to high winds but made it home safely.

We had a wonderful Christmas with our families and feel so lucky to have been there between the storms they have been hit with in the Northwest. We know it was a hard time for many of you with power outages and hope the storms are over for you. Thank you so much for sharing your holidays with us. The holidays just would not have been the same without you.

The weather has definitely cooled down here in Maz. Today it only got up to 70 degrees with scattered clouds. However, the beautiful sunsets continue. Here is another. Enjoy!

Whew! I think I am finally caught up. :)

Sharon's birthday party

On New Year's Day we headed back to Bellevue, Washington and spent the remainder of our time in the Northwest at Brandon and Jessica's home.

On Wednesday, January 3rd they had a birthday celebration for me. Here are a few pics of my birthday party. Never mind that candle on the cake. I know you won't believe it anyway.

After Christmas.....

The day after Christmas we headed over Snoqualmie Pass for Yakima, Washington. This is where my Mom and her boyfriend Al live. My sister, Deannie and her husband Scott live there too. We had a wonderful visit with all of them and went to dinner at the Olive Garden. Scott and Deannie's daughter, Jennifer and her husband John joined us too. It was great to see all of them again.

On Friday, we headed over Satus Pass through the Columbia River Gorge for Portland, Oregon where Greg's family lives. We stopped off at Multnomah Falls for lunch. I have posted a picture of the Falls below. Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the nation. The water of the Falls drops 620 feet from its origin on Larch Mountain. Unusually cold weather can turn this plummeting falls into a frozen icesicle, with a few drops falling from the bottom. The Falls were not frozen when we were there but I guess it is quite a sight to see. Here is a link to the site with info on the Falls. http://trips.stateoforegon.com/multnomah_falls/

We spent New Year's Eve with Greg's brother and sister-in-law, Ralph and Judy, daughter Angie, and his sister, Nona Mae. We went to the Elk's Club where Ralph is a member and bowled. It was the first time Greg and I have bowled in years. It turned out to be a very fun evening. It gave us an opportunity to spend time with many of Ralph and Judy's friends. It was a great way to ring in the new year! Here is a picture of our bowling team.

More on our trip to the Northwest....

On the Saturday before Christmas, my sister, Cindy and her son Alex came by for a visit. It was so great to see them again and we had a short but fun time together. Here is a picture of Alex with Serena. He is now 12 years old and still very involved in hockey. He is a very well behaved young man. We enjoyed his company very much. My sister will be coming down to Mazatlan in May for her birthday. Can't wait!Greg and I spent Christmas eve with Joel. We went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner near his apartment in Kent. We had a delicious meal and enjoyed our time with Joel. We were at Brandon and Jessica's home on Christmas morning. It was fun to watch Serena open her presents from Santa. He was very good to all of them this year. We enjoyed prime rib for Christmas dinner. Thank you for sharing your Christmas with us this year Brandon, Jessica, Serena, Daisy and Boo.

Our trip to the Northwest for the holidays!

We left Mazatlan on Tuesday, December 19th. We had a great flight and when we got to baggage claim at Sea Tac airport we had a nice surprise. Jessica, Serena and Jackie were there waiting for us. It was so wonderful to see them. The next morning we went to Brandon and Jessica's home in Bellevue and that evening celebrated Josh (35th) and Jackie (25th) birthdays - first at the club house for dinner and then back to Brandon and Jessica's for cake and ice cream. It was really fun having all our children and grandchildren together again.














Then we had our family Christmas celebration that following Friday evening at Brandon & Jessica's house. The family tradition of the Christmas socks had been turned over to Josh and he carried out his responsibility with flying colors. Here is a picture of all of us wearing our new Christmas socks from Santa. Josh has turned the tradition over to Laura. Good luck Laura! Jake, Jackie & Jersey had to leave for the Tri Cities the next morning. We were sad we didn't get to visit with them very long but were thankful for the time we had together.

We're back......

We hope you all enjoy our new postings. There will be more very soon about our trip to the northwest for Christmas. So stay tuned, you may see a picture of yourself. :)

Thank you for sharing your holidays with us.

Hacienda Las Moras

In December, some friends of ours here in Mazatlan, Dick and Jan, told us about this hacienda. It is a restored authentic tequila plantation about 1 hour outside Mazatlan tucked away at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountains. Here are a few photos we took the day we toured the plantation and enjoyed lunch there. It is just beautiful with bougainvilla flowers everywhere. I have also attached the link to their website if you would like to learn more about the hacienda.

http://www.lasmoras.com/english.htm

Las Gavias Christmas Party

On Saturday, December 16, 2006, the first annual Las Gavias owner Christmas party was held. Here are some photos of friends we are making here in Mazatlan. Some very diverse and interesting backgrounds from all over the US, Canada and Mexico to China, Spain and Cuba.

Orphanage visit to deliver Christmas presents for the children

A few weeks before our trip north for Christmas, we visited the orphanage to deliver presents to the children. We didn't get much time to spend with them because the cook couldn't make it in that day and they needed help preparing lunch for the children. Greg and I lent a helping hand and found the experience to be very rewarding and interesting. We were pleased to find they prepare very nutritious, tasty meals. Greg helped with some badly needed repairs around the orphanage too. We are looking forward to returning very soon to help out as we can with the children and repairs.

Mazatlan Marathon Pacifico - December 2, 2006

The race route came right by our condo. Here are a few pictures taken from in front of our building.

This marathon has been going on here in Mazatlan since 1999 and over 3,000 runners participate and this year 322 were international athletes representing 125 countries.

We saw unbelievable participants, in wheelchairs, on crutches - one legged, even a blind man (the runner with the white sunglasses). It was very inspiring to watch. The two men you see here were in the top 10 finishers - one from Kenya.