It's just ordinary life here in Mexico these days. The humidity hasn't been too bad this summer so far, until yesterday. It just felt wet most of the day. I didn't eat or drink enough and had kind of a bad moment in the late afternoon but after a bunch of water, a smoothie, and a shower I was back to normal. You really need to pay attention to your body in the heat. I won't make that mistake again.

The men who have been working in our backyard worked throughout the whole day in the heat and humidity, breaking up concrete, mixing concrete and hauling sand and gravel in. I am amazed at how they can work. Truly, I was dripping all down my face, and neck, and back just sweeping the patio this morning!

Paul and I realized that even though we are by no means fluent in Spanish in our ordinary life we do just fine.

He went to the doctor yesterday about his hip and came back saying how much he loves the health care system here! He went to the doctor's office to make an appointment and was told the doctor could see him in a few minutes. The doctor wanted him to get an X-ray, and sent him to a clinic a block away, saying he should come back with the X-ray. He was in and out with his X-ray in just a few minutes. How often would that happen to you up North? The doctor thinks it's inflammation, so I went and got the injection for him and he'll run up to the clinic so they can give him the shot sometime today. Easy as pie. Hopefully he will be back to his old self soon.

Today I had to go to the farmacia for Paul's shot, and also the super medicine for Lucy. Over to the Mercado for Neem capsules for Lucy, too. Then to the eyeglass place because my glasses had a problem. Back to the farmacia.

So the thing that is kind of giving me a thrill is that I don't get apprehensive before I venture out anymore, and I don't rehearse what I am going to need to say. I just go and do my thing, my ordinary things, in Spanish.

Dictionary.com defines luxury as:

A material object, service, etc., conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity.

Given that definition, retirement and our way of life is the life of luxury to me.

I worked hard all my life in a career that chose me, not of my own choosing. I mean who would choose to be a property manager? I had some good times, but for the most part managing staff and sometimes crazy apartment and office tenants was managing problems every single day. I know I am lucky now to be retired, in a wonderful place, with Paul, and I don't take it for granted.

So here are some of my luxuries:

I can read any time I want. Not just ten minutes before bed. Not just the newspaper. I read a lot, at least a couple of books a week. Sunny days. Rainy days. Anytime. I never feel lazy, I just read. Quite a luxury.

I can eat when I'm hungry. No rushing a piece of toast on my way out the door. No business lunches with people I don't really care for. No "lunch hour." I can eat when I want!

I can knit when I feel like it. Getting a theme going here, I think. Knitting was a winter pursuit, and I had so little time to do it I'd put it down and then stitches would get pulled out or I would lose the pattern or something so it would be ruined. Once I left a couple of wool arms to a sweater in my knitting basket for so long that there was a moth hole in one! Right now I'm working on a tank sweater for myself and I am planning a curtain for the little window in the bathroom and a baby blanket.

Guadalupe mops the floors. This is a real luxury. Twice a week Guadalupe comes and mops the floors, dusts, and cleans the bathrooms. What a treat. I still vacuum intermittently, do laundry, wash the ceiling fans and windows, and keep things picked up. But having the floors and bathrooms taken care of on a regular basis is wonderful.

I have a number of writing projects that I am just starting to think about that I will be working on once I get my thoughts more arranged. I've learned how to nap. I stay up late. I think I'm going to buy a sewing machine and make some clothes and things for the house. Luxuries, all.

While I feel luxuriously commitment free, Paul has been working for the last few days for his former employer in the US. The person they had hired to replace him has quit, so he is filling in (up to the Social Security allowed amount) for the next month or so. So while he is cranking away at the computer I fix him snacks in between spurts of knitting or reading or dog walking or whatever. I'm a tiny bit envious of the work he has but not enough to scare something up for myself.

I'm grateful for this great life and I know how lucky I am to have it.

I haven't written much lately because it has just become normal to live here now so it seems like there isn't much to say! We work on our Spanish, shop, cook,visit with friends, walk the dogs, read, eat out and the rest. More or less the same things anyone does anywhere. But living here makes all the ordinary things so much better.

For example, yesterday we wanted to take a walk in the afternoon. It's much too hot to just walk around town in the afternoon so what did we do? Walk on the beach!

Speaking of hot, it has started to heat up here for the summer. A couple of days ago it was as though a switch had been flipped - both the heat and the humidity ratcheted up a notch. We have been turning on the air conditioning (using "dehumidify") in the evening if we watch television and then when we go to bed. When we open the bedroom door in the morning, the humidity hits you hard - but in 5 minutes you have forgotten about it.

We now try to walk the dogs in the morning as early as possible so we aren't out in the blazing sun. Our bandanas are always with us for mopping the perspiration. We use up a 5 gallon water bottle every couple of days. We eat salad for dinner. I'm loving it. If it wasn't for the condensation that drips all over when you try to sip from your glass it would be perfect! (I probably should make a bunch of La Gringa's Inventions since we sure don't need to wear socks ourselves...)

I've been snapping pictures of Henry whenever he cuddles up with his toys. He almost always has a toy nearby, or if he's sleeping he uses one as a pillow. The pictures above were taken over the last week.

Parrots have been in the news in the state of Sinaloa over the last two days.

Two men were caught transporting 476 baby parrots - mostly conures that are endangered in this area. They asserted that the birds were from Costa Rica but local experts believe they were wild caught here in the state. You can read today's article in the Noroeste here. (The pictures above and below are really wonderful if you click them to enlarge...)

Mazatlán has a very active and dedicated rescue organization, Conrehabit. We got to know them the first week we were in our house, when a Night Heron crashed into our courtyard and was injured. They picked him up and attempted to save him, unfortunately without success.

The word went out on the local boards yesterday that Mazatlán was getting 276 of the rescued baby parrots. People were asked to help with hand feedings or if not able to do that, donations (PayPal is accepted) were welcomed on the Conrehabit website. (link above)

Paul called and talked to some of the people coordinating the effort, and today we went and picked up 50 baby parrots to foster for a couple of weeks. We have only done one feeding, but it wasn't quite as messy or as difficult as we thought it might be. The feeding took a little over an hour. Their food is a combination of Pedialyte and Gerber Rice & Grain. We mix it up thin and put it into a syringe. They gobble it up.

The birds need feedings three times a day at least. And you should hear the racket they make! When they start eating on their own they will eventually be moved to Conrehabit's ranch, where there is a large aviary. Eventually, once the government says it is ok to do so, they will be set free.

For any of you who are so inclined, I am sure Conrehabit would welcome your PayPal donation. If you live in the area and want to help, we'd love your help with a feeding or maybe you would like to foster some birds yourself. Email us or stop by if you like!

We were told today that the perpetrators of this crime are subject to a 9 year jail sentence. Seems fair to me.


Added Sat. 4/5: If you like parrots, check out the NY Times interactive on some people with 11 parrots!

Semana Santa at the beach is a pretty amazing adventure. People watching is the order of the day. We arrived at our favorite palapa restaurant around 11 and the beach was more busy than usual. But by 2 pm, it was packed.



The beach vendors were out in force...here are mangos on a stick.



...and ice cream...



...and pastries...



The lifeguards were keeping an eye on everything...



...while Paul and Jessica shared a meal of grilled fish...



Some people nearby requested something like 9 songs from some musicians...here is a video of them that also shows how busy the beach was. We only saw one other gringo on the beach the whole time we were there...and really had fun watching happy Mexican families enjoy their vacation in the sun.

Adam and Martha being funny

Paul is happy.

Pig head.

Phil and Jen in Maz!

Owen and Erica with Señor Frog.

Erica boogie-boarding.

Everyone having fun.

The van heads back North to Washington!

So that's a quickie post of some of the fun we had over the last week. We spent most of two days at the beach sitting in a palapa restaurant eating and drinking beer in between swimming and boogie boarding sessions. We walked the dogs on the malecon. We went to the mercado. We went to the plazas. We ate and drank. We talked and talked. We played endless games of dominoes and loteria. I had such a wonderful time...they'll just have to come back soon since there are tons of things that we weren't able to squeeze into the time we had.

Tomorrow, daughter Jess arrives for a week so I have a feeling we'll be heading back to the beach. I think we can handle it.

...and by Sunday I'm tired, too.

As regular readers know, we've been having a lot of work done to our house:

• The courtyard remodel
• Interior painting
• Electrical work upstairs
• Exterior painting
• Roof coating
• Salitre repairs
• Kitchen cabinets made/installed
• Appliances repaired/installed
• Chandeliers hung
• Tile work done
• Mural design/painting
• New glass/iron door made

Sheesh! Just making the list amazed me!

Mexicans work hard. In my experience with all these projects they work harder than most people I know. And they seem happy, too. It really makes a difference to me to have people working in my house who are happy and seem to like each other. Most of them also are open to attempting to communicate with us, which I know is a pain in the neck for them.

Our doorbell starts ringing at 7:30 am. People have been coming when they say they will. They for the most part bring all the tools they need. (except for one guy, but that just turned hilarious) They work long hours. And after work they have long bus rides or bicycle rides.

The quality of work and attention to detail has been excellent. They always ask for a broom to clean up after themselves or they bring their own. And they all work on Saturday morning, too.

I will admit that we didn't find all these great people on our own - we hooked up early with a wonderful design team who already had relationships with these talented people.

I'll be glad when it's over just because of the difficulty we have at times doing things like walking the dogs together or going out to eat for lunch. The dogs have to be stashed here or there as people need access to different parts of the house so that can be a pain, too.

Our house is turning from a somewhat neglected beauty into a gorgeous dame - and we know that it is due to these hardworking, talented people.

I read an article yesterday about a coffee shop in Washington State where many people chose to pay for the vehicle behind them in the drive through lane. It got a lot of attention as a "good news" item.

I think most people are kind - and most enjoy doing nice things for others. Paying for the person behind you is a very nice thing to do. Unexpected generosity is wonderful. I wholly endorse the idea.

But.

You knew there had to be a But, didn't you?

I think the thing I really love about Mexico is that it is personal and face to face.

Examples:

There is a lot of fast food here, but it is cut up fruit in a cup, tacos, baked potatoes, tortas, liquados, etc. You're not issued a number. You stand there and talk to the people as they make the food and inquire as to your choice of salsas or whatever to go with it. I should mention when we were at the Papas Locos (Crazy Potatoes) place on Zaragoza that cars pull up in the left lane next to the cart...order through their window...and chat with the owners as their food is made. They just put on their blinkers and people drive around them. No problem.

At the end of a construction project (today for us) you buy carnitas or tacos and beer and coke and have a celebration meal with the construction crew. You stand around talking (and for us that is still tough) and face to face tell them all that you appreciate what their excellent work means to you.

I can't really think of more examples this morning - but I think you get the idea. I like the face to face way of life and am happy that I no longer go to a drive through for any of my transactions...and if I give to people it is also face to face.

We've only been here since September, but we feel like we are home. I had no idea that it would be this easy to settle in and feel comfortable.

A few things to share:

• It's wonderful to live in sandals! My feet have never been happier!
  
  
• I had worried a bit about how I would find enough reading material. I'm glad to say there is a used bookstore, several places to swap books and an English library. I have successfully ordered from Amate Books, a Mexican bookstore that had English language books, and am waiting for my first order from Amazon.
  
  
• We have met so many nice people! Our frustration with our Mexican acquaintances is that we're not fluent enough to have a meaningful conversation. There's a nice man across the street who sits outside with his dog all day who someday we hope to get to really talk with. Everyone in the neighborhood stops and talks with him as they go by, and he's always smiling when we greet each other. There's the lady who loves our dog Henry and runs out to pet him when we're on our walks in the morning. There are lots of gringos, too, who are becoming friends poco y poco. The social atmosphere, the relaxed lifestyle, and the wonderful weather I think combine to make this place just about perfect.
  
  
• Everyone we've had here working on the house have been such talented workers. I am really impressed by the way they work - five and a half long days a week. They are proud of their work and are pleased at our appreciation of their talents. Here again we are frustrated by our remedial Spanish but they can tell even if we can't always express ourselves how happy we are with their contribution to our home.
  
  
• I had thought there would be less variation in the weather than there is. But every day is a little bit different. When we first got here it was plenty hot and soggy. We learned from the locals to take a washcloth with us to mop ourselves and we didn't worry about it if our shirts were a little (or a lot) wet. When we would come out of the air conditioned bedroom in the morning it was like being hit with the heat from an open oven door (but wet) but ten minutes later we had adjusted. Now it is cooler in the day, and at night we sleep with the windows open.
  
  
• I'd thought that there would be way more noise. We do have the odd barking dog here and there and the various singing gas trucks, but overall it is way quieter than I expected. We do hear the bells from the school down the street, and sometimes announcements or singing. There is something I haven't tracked down yet, though - an irregular beeping like a freight lift at Home Depot. But single beeps.
  
  
• Driving is an activity here - you can't drive and do anything else. Sometimes I can't even have the radio on! People are polite but not patient. You need to be able to flow into traffic and predict what people will do by watching. You need to be prepared for the unexpected - like someone swooping around you on the right to turn left - and also for scooters and motorcycles that are everywhere. I drive around just fine, but try not to go anywhere that I'll have to parallel park. I am no good at it when there is a lineup of 10 cars behind me, crowding me and honking.
  
  
• Many systems are way better here than they were in the US. Our internet (DSL) is great, fast and way more reliable than our DSL in the US. They collect the garbage 3 times a week, and no huge garbage cans and hassles. Just put your bag or bags at the curb and they'll pick them up. There is only minimal recycling here - and you have to take it to the place...so I just separate all our cans and newspaper and put them out with the trash separately. They are always gone before the trash is picked up, so I know they are helping some enterprising person. All our bills are delivered in person and just slid inside our front gate. When the mailman has a delivery for you he stands outside and blows his whistle. There are cleaning people that cover all areas of the city, and they sweep the streets every day.
  
  
• The food situation is improving for me. We're making fruit smoothies almost every day. We've found excellent bread and tortillas. With workers here all day we have been eating both breakfast and lunch at home and going out for dinner. There are a number of place with excellent salads and last night, amazingly, I had a soy burger.
  
  
• I need to buy more clothes. Shorts and loose blouses. Most days it is just too warm for anything close fitted, like a tee shirt. I do wear skirts sometimes and once in a while in the evening, pants. I've heard of a talented seamstress and I might have her reproduce some of my favorites someday soon.
  

So, as you can tell we are settling in and happy. Mazatlan is a wonderful place and we tell each other every day how glad we are to be here.

There are tons of things I love about Mazatlan. Some of them are probably unique to Mazatlan and some are similar throughout Mexico. Here are a few:

• Bike Cops - Mazatlan has a ton of them. They wear t-shirts and shorts with a gun clipped to their belt. They ride all over, not just on the malecon, and they are friendly to everyone. I don't know why, but they just make the city feel more approachable and friendly.
  
  
• Mosquitoes - I have only been aware of a couple of mosquitoes in Mazatlan, ever! That's a really surprising thing, really, given the heat and humidity here. But there is a good reason for the lack of mosquitoes, and that is the city's program to reduce mosquito populations. They have trucks that go around the city spraying at night. They also go door to door pretty frequently and come inside and to your patios to check for standing water. If you have a fountain they will test it and put a treatment in it if necessary. A chalk mark goes next to your front door when they've checked your house. This is obviously a very successful program.
  
  
• Tortillas - they are just so good! Need I say more? Those plastic bags full of tortillas in supermarkets in the US are a pale imitation of the real thing. Talk about flavor, and texture - and versatility. Yum.
  
  
• The Malecon - We are just in love with the malecon, or the sidewalk beside the ocean that in Mazatlan is 6 1/2 miles long. Every day when we walk the dogs we marvel at how great it is to have this nearby. People walk, jog, do sit-ups, chat, rollerblade, bike, and a lot more every day there. It has been extra busy the last few days because the marathon is here this Sunday and people are already starting to arrive. Part of the marathon route is along the malecon (but in the street) and we will crowd in with the rest of the city to cheer them along.
  
  
• Food - The baked potato guy on Zaragosa. The yummy handmade gumdrops. Tortillas. Salsa. Aguachile. Roasted zuchinni. Raspados. Bread from the health food store.
  
  
• English Library - It isn't large, but it is good. Real fiction, not just paperback vacation reads. It's a wonderful resource - one I have already enjoyed and where I hope to volunteer soon.
  
  
• The beach - This should be obvious, but needs to be included. It is so wonderful to live in a place where when you have a couple hours free you can spend it in the ocean. Put your swimsuit under your shorts, throw a book, a towel and some sunscreen in a bag - grab your boogie board and off you go. Drive down the malecon until around the Pacifico Brewery monument....park, and walk down the beach until you see a beach restaurant you like. Sit down, buy a beer, swim. Repeat as many times as you desire.
  

Can you tell that we are enjoying ourselves? Isn't that what retirement is supposed to be?

We had such a good time! In addition to the sailboat cruise, we went to the beach and boogie-boarded, ate out a lot, stayed up late and in general hung out a lot.

One thing that was really helpful was asking the two of them a ton of questions about Spanish. They really were generous and patient with us, and we appreciate it a lot. Adam also helped me out when someone called on the phone and I couldn't make out what they wanted and chatted with the guys working on the courtyard. Sometimes I know people just hate to have to talk to us because it is as much a project for them as it is for us! So having them here helped with a few of those kind of things.

I hope they both got a bit of a rest since their jobs are pretty intense. Come back anytime, you guys....and next time maybe Martha won't be the only winner at dominoes!

Of course, we knew it would be, but we never thought it would be this good!

Although, Friday when Paul and I went out for Day of the Dead festivities, Henry (the dog) got into the room with the sand the salitre repair guys are using and tracked it all over the house! So a fair bit of time Saturday was spent vacuuming and mopping. But the house gleamed afterwards, which is amazing given the amount of dust that gets in from our courtyard remodel job in spite of my plastic on the doors.

Last night we decided at the last minute to head over to the Plazuela República and listen to the Sinaloa Symphony orchestra and tenor José Manuel Chú perform an Homage to Pedro Infante. It was a wonderful concert. Lots and lots of people. Most know the songs, and sing along sometimes. Families together. Couples swaying in time to the music.

Afterward we walked over to the Plazuela Machado for a drink and a bite to eat. The square was an incredibly happy and congested place. Lots of vendors and kids learning to paint. I love Saturday night in México.

And Sunday morning walking on the malecon is wonderful, too. If you're out early it is populated mostly by cleaning people, walkers, joggers, and people doing sit-ups on the sea wall.

We earned a relaxing day after all our work yesterday, so in reward I finished a book and we bought ourselves a new bedspread. I'll spare you the dog story that goes along with that one!

Below is a short video of the concert last night.

Last night Mazatlan, like the rest of Mexico, celebrated the Day of the Dead.

The festivities kicked off at 6 pm with an excellent blues concert by the Malverde Blues Experience. Here's a video:




After the concert, the excitement built for the Walk to the Day of the Dead Altars. This is a crazy experience. Oompah bands play and carts pulled by donkeys dispense free beer to the crowd. (The German influence is throughout Mazatlan - from the Pacifico brewery founders to the music and strudel in the bakeries.) Pretty much everyone walks along a circuitous route taking in the various altars - with crazy music playing - and everyone trying to get close enough to the beer wagons to get a bit of foam in a cup. It was a blast. Here's a video to give the effect. My little camera was no match for the craziness.




Afterwards, the whirl of humanity hangs around the Plazuela, eating dinner or looking at the various altars set up around the square.

Today is the First Friday art walk and then a guitar concert in the Plazuela Republica. But first, back to the dentist!

One of my last posts brought a flurry of comments that I thought I'd respond to in a post instead....

Learning Spanish - Both of us have been doing pretty well, but nowhere near as well as we would like. We manage transactions ok if we have thought it through before hand so we have the expected words handy to the tongue, but sometimes we embarass ourselves or have a brain freeze and feel stupid. People are very helpful and forgiving, though. We signed up for cable, bought furniture from our neighbor, are getting kitchen cabinets made, and go to the tiendas and lavanderia all of which have challenged us a lot. A real challenge though, is the phone. Deliveries must be arranged and appointments confirmed, and even those simple things sometimes leave us saying "Well, I THINK the bed will be delivered this afternoon, but I'm not positive!" We know who we want to take classes from, but right now we are having the courtyard redone and the kitchen cabinets made and we just can't see how we can be away during the middle of the day.

Saying No to Coffee - This is a funny one that really points out the cultural differences between the US and Mexico. It is really considered rude to say no, a kind of rejection of hospitality that is hard to understand. I try to think ahead to what might be coming, and start off with something like "we are so sorry we can only stay just a minute because..." or 'we just came from somewhere and we ate so much..." so that when they offer you something you just jump in with your ready-made excuse. What doesn't work is to say, "no thank you, it is too warm today for coffee" because then they will make you some other involved (but cold) beverage that you also didn't want. For me the issue is never the coffee. It usually has something to do with my lack of Spanish and that if I am reaching the end of my rope linguistically I just can't handle the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee.

Referring to HOME - I wonder how long we will be here before we automatically refer to here as home? It is one of those things that just comes out - especially since so much family is still up north.

Health Care - We are getting set up with doctors and dentists and feel really good about the quality of health care here in Mazatlan. We've read about and talked to a number of people who have had excellent experiences with hospitalizations and feel we'll be ok. We're going to buy catastrophic insurance and just handle the small stuff on our own.

Tomorrow is our one month anniversary living here in Mazatlan. We really do love it here, and discover wonderful people and places every day.

We continue to become more and more comfortable in our home - a desk for the office is wonderful - no more plastic table and things scattered on the surface. We have drawers! Today we bought two inexpensive chaise lounges for our upstairs terrace since now that the evenings are cool we thought it would be wonderful to stretch out there and watch the stars.

Our house back in Washington finally closed, and we were happy that we were able to do all the paperwork without either one of us flying home. The closing documents were emailed to us; we printed them out and then went to the US Embassy for notarizing. Then to DHL and the rest is history. They emailed us the final documents this morning....and I made a few calls on the Vonage phone to turn off the power and other closing items. We are so totally HERE it seemed strange to think we still had a house THERE.

We bought a number of pieces of furniture from a Mexican couple who were selling almost everything to move to a condo in town. All of the pieces are pretty old and kind of funky but we are really happy with them. Two rockers, a settee, an Eastlake table with a stone top, a hall tree/seat, and the office desk and chair. She told me how she rocked her babies in one chair, and that they come with all the love of her family. We had heard about them from ex-pat neighbors of ours, and told others of their furniture and know they made at least one other sale. But it was fun to get to know them, and have a little practice with all those social graces here that take a little bit of time to learn. Kissing beside the cheek, how to say no to coffee without insult - that kind of thing.

We are really loving living in the city. We take the dogs for a long walk in the morning - and some mornings this includes some splashing in the ocean. On the way back we sometimes stop at the bakery for a pan dulce for breakfast. We have our espresso - and have found great coffee here in town - and read the Noroeste with our dictionary close by. We do our chores in the morning and then explore the city in the afternoon and evening. We can walk anywhere. Excellent food. The ocean. Drinks. Tienda. Laundry. It is great.

The house is wonderful. We hear the sounds of the city around us - whistles, honks, laughing children (two schools on our street), the workers doing a remodel next door, etc. But they are happy sounds, and we enjoy all of it. I even hear a rooster once in a while.

I know it is our honeymoon here, but it is wonderful to live in a place you love like crazy and that you know you can live with. We are happy!

(Edited at 1pm - nd)

It's Saturday morning and it's hot and humid. It's supposed to be around 90 and quite humid again today. Yesterday was the first day we both really felt the heat. I think the reason it hit me is that after a lot of running around all day, around three I decided to go to the mercado, where someone had said there was a vendor selling birdcages. Paul stayed home to supervise the electricians and since we were going out later I was just going to make it a quick trip. I walked fast and even though I stayed on the shady side of the street I was pretty hot when I got back. And the only vendor anyone could point me to with cages only had little ones, darn!

We were late getting to the Centro ex-pat get-together, but had fun meeting some new people, and also our fellow blogger, Jennifer! It was fun!

The elections in Mexico are on Sunday. I'm not sure how many communities in Mexico have established "Ley Seca" or "dry laws" but Mazatlan is one of them. From last night at midnight to Sunday at midnight it is not permitted to sell or serve liquor in Mazatlan. There is understandably some crankiness from the large tourist hotels, and we read online that some of them plan on serving the tourists in defiance of the law. We are probably going out to eat this evening, and it will be a little strange to not have even a glass of Pacifico anywhere in evidence!

A couple of days ago the Chicago Tribune published a story on Mazatlan - "Mazatlan mixes history with glitz." If you are interested, read it here.

Yesterday was also the first time I drove here...Paul and I have been going everywhere together, but yesterday with the electricians being here I needed to go pick up Henry at the groomer's....so off I went. And then later I went and picked up the laundry. So now I have gotten over my anxiety about the little streets and the random driving rules and should be gadding about before long. As a matter of fact I need some new lighter, blousier shirts and plan on going on a shopping expedition sometime today.

It has been a whole week since we pulled into town. It seems like much longer to us...and our former world in the Pacific Northwest is in the distant past.

We really love our morning walks with the dogs. We have several different routes so far, but all of them include the malecon for some portion of the walk. Both dogs have turned into nice little walkers...trotting along beside us and only pulling on the leash when we pass another dog.

We have our internet up and running at home. We took over the former owner's Telmex account for both phone and dsl, and that included his wireless router. After a little help from Cesar it is working fine. We didn't know if it would reach downstairs since our walls are concrete a foot thick but the central courtyard allows us to use our computers in the kitchen, like right now!

Yesterday we got the main floor thoroughly cleaned. It was great to watch them clean the tile floors...splash some soapy water, scrub with a broom, sweep the soapy water to the drains in the courtyard, and then mop with clear water. I don't know if we'll get regular help in the house but now I know how to do it...and from now on any dirt here will be our own. They come Monday to do the upstairs.

Yesterday we bought a couple more things - a rustic wood table to use as an island in the kitchen, a coffee table, a floor lamp and a beautiful large mirror to hang in the dining room over a buffet that we have yet to find. They get delivered this morning.

Today after the furniture is delivered we will go to the mercado - I really want a big bouquet of fresh flowers - and want to try to find one of those column type fans to blow from the side. The last two days have been very hot and humid - but right now it is very cool and fresh. We are adopting a habit that the locals have of carrying a bandana or washcloth and just mopping ourselves when we need to. I no longer wear makeup and have been wearing my hair in a ponytail or up in a clip.

We have met a few of our neighbors, and everyone is friendly. We took the dogs for an evening walk last night and the people at the tienda around the corner petted the dogs and asked (as always!) if they bite. It seems funny to us, but as one woman who had experience with gringos said "The dogs of americans are very gentle and don't bite...it is the truth!"

So, the adjustment so far seems as natural as we could have hoped. We love it here.

We have been in Mazatlan since Friday evening....and here it is Wednesday! It has been a VERY busy time, but we have been having a blast.

We spent two days at the B & B - which was wonderful but a pain since we had the dogs with us. Every time we went anywhere I worried they would bother someone but thankfully the only other guest was a working man who was gone all day. We couldn't take them with us since it is too hot to leave them in the car, and we did have to eat, once in a while, anyway!

But Sunday morning we got to move into our new place. What a relief it was to unload the van! The dogs explored and romped, and have settled in as Mexican dogs....barking occasionally as people pass but loving their walks on the malecon and trying to learn how to do their business on concrete when necessary.

But enough about them. We love it here. We are dripping wet sometimes but haven't really felt HOT. I will say, though, that our feet need to adjust! We walk so much that towards the end of the day we can't handle any more walking.

We have been doing a LOT of buying. We bought a gorgeous wrought iron table with a marble top for the sala fresca. We bought two leather chairs for the living room. Today we noticed our next door neighbor had a sign advertising chairs and tables for sale and we bought another wrought iron table and three chairs (with no table top or chair seats) from them. They seem very nice and we managed very well between their limited English and our Spanish.

We really had to buy a lot of lamps. The house here is very old and when the previous owner restored it he kept true to the house and installed ceiling fans with no lights. So in order to even walk around at night we had to buy some lamps, fast! I had brought a few spotlights but we still end up carrying lamps from room to room sometimes.

One exciting thing that happened is the other night there was a loud noise while we were sleeping. I got up to see what was happening and found a yucky looking poop in the central courtyard. I thought we had an animal get in or something. In the morning I was surprised to see an injured duck-like bird in the courtyard. When it was still there when we came back from errands I called Martha Armenta, a local woman who is part of an animal protection group. She came and picked up the bird and we had a nice visit. I really look forward to getting to know her and other people in Mazatlan who are active in the community. She also gave us some advice on bringing our bird into Mexico.

We have been buying groceries - and hangars - and food - and tons of stuff which we will be glad to had over with soon.

We went out yesterday with our realtor, Erin. She had offered her help getting the utilities worked out, even though it isn't her main business. So, at 9 am we set off to get the water, electric, and phone transferred into our names, get a bank account and to make a stab at registering our FM3's. Everything closes at 2 for comida so we knew we needed to be efficient. We went to Bancomer and of course she knew the man there. He cranked away at papers and we had a bank account with two bank machine cards in about 45 minutes. Then we went to the pest control to make arrangements for spraying (we had found some ticks) and then off to the water department.

The water department was a 15 minute wait, then the paperwork was done, we paid the bill ahead 500 pesos and we were off. Now to the Electric company. We had a little snag because the house has two meters but that got worked out and off we went again! We went to Telmex to change the phone to our name and continue the internet, too. Again, it was about a half hour project. And I am happy we have a phone book, too.

At this point it was 1 pm and we figured we'd go to Immigracion just to find out what we needed so we could have it ready when we came back. They were so amazing! Happy, helpful and nice. They said we should go to the tienda down the street where the lady would do everything including typing the documents and taking the pictures. We went there and she was incredibly efficient, and by 2 pm our visa registrations had been accepted and we were given a time and date to return to pick them up.

At this moment we are in our makeshift office and I am sipping a glass of wine from a waterglass. We are both getting hungry so we will head downstairs now for a little food before we take a refreshing shower and head for bed.

More later.

Somos de Mazatlan! We live here! WOW!

The last two days have been two of the most tiring of the last few months. I know that part of the reason is just the cumulative action of the buildup to moving - but part of it was just the reality of 4-500 miles per day in an overloaded van with two dogs.

We crossed the border at Nogales, entering into the border morass at about 9 am, and we crossed the last hurdle at about noon. We felt pretty happy about that, even though it had its anxious moments. Because of the late start into Mexico, though, we decided to stop in San Carlos at a dog friendly RV park and motel that Brenda had told us about. We took the dogs for a walk on the malecon, ate a delicious ice cream cone, and then left them in the room in the pursuit of dinner. A quick meal and we were back - and were asleep before our heads even hit the pillows.

We got up early this morning and hit the road at 6 am. (Brenda, that's why we didn't call you to meet for coffee...) We made pretty good time and really enjoyed the scenery. BUT there were some crazy times with insane road construction projects that kept things interesting! There was some intense rain (for only a few minutes) but overall it was a good trip.

After the last toll plaza we knew we were close to HOME! We kept waiting for Mazatlan to appear over the horizon, and it took too long for our impatient selves. I had thought I would be most excited as we pulled out of our driveway in Washington but it turns out the last 10 miles into Mazatlan I wanted to scream the entire time!

We drove down the malecon towards the B & B in Centro, laughing the entire time. the dogs found a bit of grass to call their own, and after all of us ate some dinner we took a walk along the malecon, around past our house and home. We are all tired, happy, and ready for bed.

Tomorrow will be an adventure. Hopefully we can put the contents of the van in one of our empty rooms. We hope to make arrangements for a bed to be delivered. Mostly, though, we are happy to be here, together, in our new home.