Hello from Yakima

The kids table is set for our dinner with everyone. The adult table is set too. Natalie and her mom, Laura, enjoying a little coloring while they wait for dinner. Andrew watching tv while he waits. And dinner is served. We had baked ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls and pumpkin and apple pies with cool whip for dessert. Then the grandkids opened their Christmas presents from us. Andrew was so happy with his K'nex airplane and helicopter. Brian, Andrew's daddy, helps him put his airplane together. Grandpa and Melanie, Justin's mommy, help him put his K'nex spider together. Laura and Natalie getting to know each other with the "Mom and Me" book. Andrew's finished K'nex airplane. Brian and Andrew Melanie and Justin Another project for Andrew and his daddy. We woke up to about an inch of snow. Natalie making snowballs. Natalie and cousin Justin. Andrew's finished helicopter. Natalie getting warmed up...

Sorry for the delay in posting. Last week, was Semana Santa (Holy Week) here in Mazatlan and my sister, Cindy and our nephew Alex were with us. The holiday brought 400,000 more nationals and internationals to the Maz beaches as many were on spring break. It was a very noisy, crowded time here but Cindy and Alex enjoyed their vacation and all of the excitement. They left last Sunday and we sure do miss them. We have some fun photos to post very soon. We are now spending this week, Moto Week - Sunday, April 12 - Sunday, April 19 at our timeshare, Torres Mazatlan. This is a very noisy week at our condo too so we have decided to get some peace and quite here at Torres. Really enjoying our time here. We have internet access but the upload speed for posting photos is extremely slow so we won't be posting any just yet. Next week, Tuesday, April 21 - Sunday April 26 my cousin, DeAnna and her two grandsons, Philip and Damien will be with us. We are looking forward to their visit too. During...

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.