Surfing

Did I mention that I surfed while I was in Sayulita? Here's the exciting footage! I told Nick to tell his new baby daughter that Grandma may miss her birth because she was on a surfing trip in Mexico!!! Funny, Funny!

We each took a turn at riding the inviting Sayulita waves.

TJ putting her best foot forward.... even though it is goofy-foot!

Mark displayed more of the gladiator-type style.


Overall, we had a pretty good time even if the waves weren't really all that big! When you're on the other side of those waves it can feel is if you are dropping into nothing-ness while struggling to keep from being swallowed up by it! I would do it again in a minute! Good times!

Gus just thought we were all pretty crazy and said we should lighten up on the margaritas. After a few, he decided he should give it a try too!

Our trip to Sayulita

What better way to endure the cold, wet winters of the Pacific Northwest than to spend a few weeks in Mexico.

Sayulita is a small surfing, fishing village about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta in the state of Nayarit. I had visited San Blas, Nayarit many years ago when I was in college, so returning again was a long time wish of mine.
This is a warm, affordable area of Mexico that is becoming more and more popular each year, but for now, it is a paradise!

We snorkeled along these pristine shores, capturing a glimpse of life aquatic near the Bay of Banderas.
The town square in the village of Bucerias.

The moon was full while we were there providing some very dramatic low tides and extraordinary moonsets over the ocean.

These are a few shots of the casa that we rented. Casa Zorro was situated at the top of a significant hill giving us not only an incredible view, but plenty of exercise walking back home after a day of indulging in cervezas and fish tacos from one of the many restaurants in town.


We had two master B&B's along with a completely stocked kitchen(not food, but everything else).
We went with another couple who proved to be just as adventurous as we are!
We surfed...

We hiked alot..... we explored as much of the area as we could, all on foot! One day we booked a catamaran out to Las Marietas Islands to do some whale watching, snorkeling and kayaking.

But most of the time we just went North, South East or West in search of new territory to explore.

This is one of many beaches that we discovered as we hiked along the ocean shores. We hiked 4 miles this day to San Pancho, the next town to the north of Sayulita.

This is just a small snapshot of the enormous rock outcropping that we scaled to complete our journey around the point south of Playa de Los Muertos. It was really scary, but we did it! This was a day full of adventure. It seemed as though each and every bend of the rocky shoreline unveiled a spectacularly beautiful little beach. We even came across one beach that had a little beach bar. We were stoked that we could take a break from traversing all those rocks to sit down and have an ice cold Pacifico! We put in about 5 miles this day and ended it by snorkeling at sunset.

Some days the beach was busy, but most of the time it was relaxing and easy. This is the main Sayulita beach on a Thursday afternoon. Plenty of activities for everyone from taking a fishing trip out on one of the little motorboats to relaxing under an umbrella with a margarita or perhaps trying your skills at surfing on the gentle rolling waves that make Sayulita popular for the beginning surfer.


Mexico is rich in colorful and inspiring architecture.
The ever happy feet!

How can such infinite beauty not bring out the romantic in us!!???

This is truly the place of endless summer.
I love Mexico!

Grandbaby Girl is here!

Our little grandbaby has arrived. Just about one hour after our plane touched down on the tarmac, she made her grand entrance into the world. I had many talks with her before she was born, speaking through her mommy's tummy, asking her to wait until I got home from my trip to be born. She must have heard me, because she timed it just perfect. Dad greeted me in front of the hospital to show me the way to the room. As we walked down the corridor I could hear her first cries as she was getting her first shampoo. She is such a beautiful girl. She was 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 21 " long. E had about 6 hours of labor at the hospital along with several more earlier at home. She did great according to N.







The new little family is doing fine. They left the hospital 24 hrs. after her arrival. A great beginning for all of them.

Winter Days with the Family

J&T came to visit us for New Years. Last year we went down to their place for a week, this year they came to us. We had some sunny days and some rainy days, but cold every day! They went home to Santa Ana weather!


The surf looks a lot more rough on the NorthCoast than it does in the South.

There was lots of drift wood on the beaches because of all of the winter storms we have had.

J&T were pretty tired after the long drive.

I don't think this cat moved more than a few inches the whole time the relatives were here! Nestled by the warm fire on a cold wintery day... sounds good to me!

Pregos

My darling DIL's are both bursting with child! We have 2 more grandbabies on the way.


Their prego figures produce these beautiful babies!!



What a joy!
Thanks girls.

Axis & Allies

So for a gift this year my boys only wanted one thing. A Board game. Hey, now. I'm good with that. Little did I know that it would cost me $80! Apparently this is the super-duper collectors edition of the game called Axis and Allies. It is a WW2 strategy game. The board for this game takes up nearly the entire surface of my dining room table! It has something like 1000 pieces. The boys have 2 other versions of the game that involve the Pacific and European theaters of WW2. They play these games all the time. In addition to having and hosting Halo parties, they host A & A parties at our house. They will typically invite 3 or 4 guys over and then spend the entire afternoon eating junk food and drinking energy drinks.


C'Bean is multi-tasking here. Or should I say multi-"texting"

Sometimes it takes them as long to set the game up as it does to play!

Lots of strategy involved.

Feline Frolics

This is just a silly little video of my kitties playing around. This is what we do when the rain continues to fall and the hours go by while we stay in the house. Hey, didn't somebody named Seuss write a book about something like that?

Mexico!

Soon a few friends and I will be traveling to the sunny shores of Mexico. I am leaving in a few days..... can't wait!!

I will be leaving this.....


And enjoying this...

For the next two weeks.

Wish you were here.....

A Lump of Dough

Every year as a Holiday treat, I make a delicious Orange-Cinnamon Swirl Bread for Christmas morning. I usually make enough to bless all of my wonderful neighbors with a loaf as well. It is a recipe that family and friends have enjoyed for many years. It is a basic cinnamon roll recipe with a twist of orange. This year I used tangerine instead and it pushed the taste an extra level. Mmmm. I grind the wheat berries into flour just before mixing giving the bread an added measure of good nutrition. Once wheat has been ground into flour it begins to lose its B vitamin content very quickly, so grinding it as you need it, the vitamin content remains quite high. This is one way I can get my family to eat more fiber and whole wheat. I have posted more about bread baking segment HERE.

The dough is simply rolled out, cinnamon & sugar sprinkled over it, then rolled into a log. Next year I am going to try to make rolls instead of loaves.

This looked more like a banana slug or a grub than a loaf of bread!

This is two batches of the recipe. The recipe makes two loaves and I double it. I do this twice which makes 8 loaves. This may sound like a lot of bread but it gets gobbled up very quickly in my household! I glaze it with an orange-powdered sugar icing and it's good to go.

How's that for a nice morning treat??? Have a cup of coffee and enjoy!!

2009 !! Can You Believe It??

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!