High Season Sunday in Chelem

Our Sunday started off slowly, we got up later than usual, drank a few cups of coffee and then headed off to the Bull Pen to meet up with friends for a nice Sunday breakfast. We hung out an hour or so and decided to head back into town and checkout the marketplace, buy a few mangoes and head home to relax. We have had a slow week with real estate, and boy were we ready for the break. Starting in September we are really busy with clients all the way through January. We pulled into the town square and couldn't even find a parking spot. One more week of high season and then we have our peaceful little fishing village back. School starts all over most of Mexico tomorrow except here in the state of the Yucatan where they have one more week of vacation.

Walking into the mercado from the west side, a mayan lady washing and bagging up fresh fruit

Fresh cut flowers intermingle with the fruit and chicken. The sign in the back: El Rey de Pollo, the king of chicken?


We bought a couple of these little yellow mangoes, they are so sweet, to me mangoes just taste and smell like paradise
Before you think that you could never afford watermelons here, remember the price is in pesos, comes out to about a dollar for a quarter of a nice sweet watermelon
Fresh chicken anyone.......

Just squeezed juices, orange, grapefruit, carrot, pineapple and more. Another one of my favorites is Jamaica, made from dried hibiscus flowers that are steeped like tea and sweetened.
Chelem is a fishing village, lots of fresh fish, octopus and shrimp at the market today
The dining section is empty, waiting for people to get out of church and come to eat
Outside in the town square vendors are showing off their wares
Handcrafted leather belts
Lots of water toys
Various baubles for the girls
Little sundresses, I bought one for 40 pesos, less than $4.00
Doug checking out the hundreds of sunglasses

Hundreds of hats
Yucatan candies and sweets
The church was so full that people were standing outside listening to the service
The beaches were packed downtown, look at all the people huddling up in the shade on the side of the building
Octupus boats
The beach is just full of people, while it is great for the local economy, I can't wait for everyone to go home!
They arrive by the busload
We ended up buying a couple of mangoes, a sundress, a pair of matching flip flops and a new leather wallet for Doug all for under $14 USD, not a bad haul!

Finally back home, away from the madness! Larry the lizard is patiently waiting for us to come home and bring him some goodies. He showed up a couple of weeks ago in our garden and has made it his new home, everyday he sits on our gate waiting for some bits of fresh fruit.

So just one more week of high season and it is back to peace and quiet again, the beaches will be empty the ocean clear and tranquil and the living good! Stay tuned for pictures of the quiet times, Chillin' in Chelem

20th Wedding Anniversary in Paradise!

On August 9th 1989, Doug and I got married. He picked the date, 8-9-89, so he would never forget it! This past Sunday was our 20th anniversary, in one way it seems like just yesterday, in another it is a lifetime ago. For the past couple of months we have been planning a renewal of vows, however we have been so very busy with real estate that it seems like we haven't had a moment to ourselves. This in when friends stepped in.....

Sean and Susan pulled off another wonderful event at their house, within 2 days of the event they called on Jack and Barbara for help and here are the results:

Barbara brought flowers for every table, bless her heart!

Sean and Susan fixed appies,
Sean pretending he is doing nothing!
Jack helped out with a Cuban and a smile!
In the midst of the festivities, a bird flew over and guess what it did to Susan's shoulder?
Barbara, Jack and Doug
Lori, Barbara and me
Of course the girls had to take a break in the pool!

Paul, Carlos and Roberto
Sean as master of ceremonies

Sean read us the Wedding Prayer from their wedding, it made us all tear up! Here it is:

The Wedding Prayer

Now you will feel no rain

for each of you will be a shelter to the other

Now you will feel no cold

for each of you will be warmth to the other

Now there will be no loneliness for you

Now you are two persons

but there is only one life before you

May beauty surround you both

in the journey ahead and through all the years

May happiness be your companion

and your days together be good and long upon the earth

You will find that your love will grow deeper with each passing of each day

With patience and understanding

With the willingness to recognize and accept each others’ strengths and weaknesses

With the determination to solve problems together

With the readiness to comfort each other in adversity

With the generosity to rejoice in each others’ successes and provide for each other

And to uphold each other in every worthy endeavour

§

Listening
It just touched all of our hearts.....
You may now kiss the bride!

The happy couple, 20 years later!
Awww come on, one shot of tequila won't kill ya!

Sean's speciality of the house, a 19 pound USDA prime rib. It was soooooo good, best meal we've had since we've been in Mexico and maybe in our entire lives!

Add a Cesear salad and baked potato yummy. Susan had fixed all the trimmings for the potato, sour cream, fresh bacon bits, chives, cheese and butter, does it get any better than this?
Barbara and Jack ordered a beautiful anniversary cake, stuffed with fresh strawberries and cream..

And Ms Barbara Bell, always so full of southern hospitality cuts the cake for me. I always make such a mess when I do it!


Jack and I watch....
Sharing a piece of cake


Sean and Susan the perfect hosts, always so ready to open their house and their hearts to their friends!
Lots of thanks to all for an absolutely wonderful anniversary!
Chillin' in Chelem!

Gringos in Merida!

Last week 10 of us decided to take a field trip. Not to the ruins, not to the cenotes, not to anything of outstanding cultural value. We all wanted to go to the old market in Merida. We loaded up in 3 vehicles and off we went. The mercado is vast, building after building of fruits, vegetables, animals, hardware, you name it, it's probably there. Of course Merida is known for being rather warm in the summer, the day we went it was a scorcher!


Here is one of the fruit and veggie stands,

Parking lot, scooters are a main means of transportation here in Mexico

Lots of umbrellas and fresh cut flowers

Of course it doesn't take us long to get hungry and find a spot to eat!

One of our favorite foods is tacos pastor, it appears to be thinly sliced pork, seasoned and cooked on a spit with a pineapple on top.
Nachos a la pastor

Of course being it was so hot we had to find a hole in the wall for a cool beverage. Rhonda and Sophia sharing a caguama (quart) of beer.

Patrick and I hanging out under a no smoking sign, of course we are smoking!
Me, Doug and Jack with Barbara peeking around Jacks shoulder
Jack and Barbara
Patrick looked so cool in his hat! Barbara said I should have the picture in black and white, so here he is!
This is how we get beer upstairs in Merida! 3 cases at a time!



After a long hot day, nothing is better than a cool dunk in Susan and Seans pool. Our friend Laurie, missed the field trip but was there for the swim!


Until next time, warm breezes and cold beers coming at ya from the Yucatan!