December 15, 2007
It was windy last night and Ken and Mary-Beth brought in their awning in case it really started to blow. We left ours out as we have a wind sensor that will bring it in automatically if the wind blows over 20mph. We did take the bug zapper down however that was hanging on the awning.
Today was Spanish Class lessons for gringos. Sandy who is fluently bilingual has two classes each Saturday. The first for kids in town who want to learn English and then a class for the people in the park who want to learn Spanish. His plan is to combine the two classes later on with students from each class pairing up. Should be interesting... maybe I'll learn a bit of Spanish.
Cynthia served chicken enchiladas tonight at the park restaurant and as always, there were no complaints about her cooking.

December 16, 2007
We didn't go to the Sunday market today because we're going to the city of Colima tomorrow where there's a Walmart and Sams.
We took the pups to the beach this morning. Little Hayley is fearless when she charges through those big waves when I throw the ball out in the water. They're sure going to miss it when we leave.
We thought we'd go to the big hotel in San Juan De Alima for their lunch buffet but when we arrived at noon, were told that the buffet starts at 2:00pm. So we just ordered off the menu.
Because we're going to Colima in the morning I had to clean the inside of the car a little. It gets full of sand from the pups when they come back from the beach. Next week I'll have to take it to the "auto bano" for a complete cleaning.
We had plans to eat supper with Ken and Mary-Beth but in the afternoon one of the other campers in the park came over and told us he was out fishing in the morning and caught a lot of fish. So they were having a fish-fry for everyone in the park. (It's too easy to sit around and eat here)

December 17, 2007
Today was our trip to the city of Colima day, about a two hour drive from Rancho Buganvilias. Ken and Mary-Beth agreed to doggy-sit the pups while we were gone. As we were getting things ready in the morning, Cynthia walked over and asked if we would mind if she hitched a ride as she needed a bunch of things at Walmart/Sams for the park's kitchen.
So off we went and naturally I took the wrong exit off the highway when we got to the city. Interestingly enough the exit I took, took us to a different Walmart then the one we planned to go to. However we did have to back-track to get to Sams.
After all our shopping was done we decided to leave the car in the Sam's parking lot and take a taxi to the downtown square and have lunch at an outdoor restaurant. The city square is a good "people watching" place but has no parking hence the need for a taxi. The temperature was hot and sunny and after we ate we took a little walk around the park.
Although there's lots of taxis in Colima, a lot of people use them and it took us about half an hour to get one to stop for us. All the ones we saw already had passengers but fortunately one taxi that had only one passenger stopped for us and drove us back to the Sams parking lot after he let off the person we shared the ride with.
Colima is a city we want to return to and spend a day exploring. A day where most of our time isn't taken up by grocery shopping.
The road to Colima from Tecoman is a four lane freeway and we made good time getting back. Ken and Mary-Beth said the pups were good while we were gone and later we didn't have to cook supper as Ken and Mary-Beth invited us for ribs and all the trimmings.

Church and Municipal Building, Colima

Colima City Square

December 18, 2007
Today was art class day for Diane and Mary-Beth so Ken and I took the four pups to the beach for the morning. Good thing I brought a lot of tennis balls because one got lost today and another one was chewed up.
I've been looking on the internet for another web server as I received a notice from Earthlink that I was getting a lot of traffic on the blog. Because Earthlink provides the website at no cost, they limit the amount of monthly traffic to it.

December 19, 2007
It was a warm day today, in the mid 80's so we went down to the beach at El Faro. Just before the El Faro turn-off from the highway we were stopped by a military patrol. We were asked where we were going and sent on our way however Ken and Mary-Beth who were about 10 minutes behind us had their car searched. Michoacan is noted for its drug traffic and its common to see military patrols as well as the permanent check-points at state borders.
We ate at our favorite beach side restaurant and being curious about how they prepared the fish I usually order, I asked if I could go back in the kitchen to watch. They agreed and now I know how my favorite fish dish is cooked.

Watching Fish Cook, El Faro

The Cook at El Faro beach side restaurant

December 20, 2007
This day was a planned motorhome maintenance day where we took all the indoor filters out and cleaned them. The ceiling alone has 8 intake and 8 exhaust vents for the air conditioning. In addition there's the "magic fan" screen and the two filters for the stove exhaust. Surprising how dirty they can get.
The temperature is still pretty warm and everyone is looking forward to a little cooler weather if it ever shows up.

December 21, 2007
Spent a lot of time at the beach with the pups this morning as they didn't get to go yesterday. They get really excited when they see me putting on my swim suit and when we get there, Hayley doesn't wait until the car door is open.. she jumps out the window.
In the afternoon, Ken and I drove to Aquila to visit the ATM machine. The little town was busy with several food vendors already set up in the town square and cars parked everywhere. On the way home, I stopped at the local Pemex and filled up with gas because of Christmas week, there may or may not be deliveries of fuel to the Pemex stations.
We learned from Sandy that there's a Rodeo in La Placita tomorrow but didn't know exactly where it takes place. So tomorrow that's one of my things to do.. track down "Plaza del Toro"

December 22, 2007
The jeep has been getting dirtier by the day with the dusty roads plus sand inside from ours and the pup's feet when we go to the beach. So this morning was devoted to the local "auto bano" although I had to go back twice as they were busy and I didn't want to wait. They do a great job, inside and out for 50 pesos but in a couple of days it will be dirty again.
We also want to get our teeth cleaned and there's a dentist from Colima that has an office in La Placita and is here on the weekends. I wanted to ask him today if he spoke English and to maybe make an appointment. However he was busy with patients when I went by his office and he doesn't have a receptionist.
In the afternoon, Sandy led several of us to the Plaza Del Toro where the locals put on a show with bull riding and the Caballeros (horsemen) showed off their dancing horses.
The event was to benefit the building of a new church and was well attended, had a live band and fun to see.
On our way home we decided to stop for something to eat and found a little roadside cafe in La Placita. A fellow was grilling beef at one bbq which was then given to other family members who chopped up the meat and served it in fresh home-made tortillas. The tacos were very good and we also enjoyed using our limited Spanish when telling the young girls who were serving tables what we wanted.

RV Park gringos at Plaza Del Toro Rodeo

Young bullriding at Plaza Del Toro Rodeo

Caballero and Dancing Horse

Making Tortillas at Sidewalk Cafe La Placita