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Thursday, Nov 20th
As we're pretty well set up I mostly had a lazy "do nothing" day except for stringing a clothes line
so Diane could hang some laundry. Of course the pups would not let us forget their time at the beach. They start
getting antsy about noon, crying and looking at their leashes. Diane didn't go to the beach with us today so no pictures.
The camera isn't waterproof but I did take a few of the park.
I'm still having trouble accessing the internet but Cynthia came over and said Sandy had bought some new
cable for their router and will be working on it tomorrow... hopefully we'll be able to pick up their signal then.
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| Our Campsite at Rancho B. |
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| Sunsets are still great at Rancho B. |
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| Papaya Trees at Rancho B. |
Friday & Saturday, Nov. 21 & 22nd
Everybody is still having problems with their internet. I've given up on our datastorm and the Park's service
keeps going on and off but Sandy is really trying to get all the bugs worked out.
The military is really checking the cars along the coast. I went to town (La Placita) yesterday to the new
ATM (no more having to drive all the way to Aquila) and went through a checkpoint set up on the edge of town. Then on the
way back 10 minutes later the car was searched again.
Later that night Diane and I went into La Placita to our favorite little place along the highway to have
some tacos and the military presence was still in town although the checkpoint was down. But as Sandy says..."its
good because a heavy military presence makes it safer for everyone"
The lady and her family who sell the tacos recognized us from last year and welcomed us back then gave us
a free coconut when we were leaving. She still has the best tacos in Mexico.
| Family run Taco business in La Placita |
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We spent a few hours this morning at the beach with the pups. We took our beach umbrella and chairs to sit
out of the sun while the dogs ran and played in the water.
On our way back we saw Sandy coming down the path riding in a backhoe. He has been worried about having
enough water from his existing well especially now that he has more flowers to water plus water all the Papya trees they've
planted.
During the afternoon the backhoe operator dug as deep a hole as he could for a new well and next week Sandy
is having some workers who specialize in wells brick the walls. It'll be interesting to watch them work.
Several people have asked me if Rancho B. now has the pool that was promised by Sandy and Cynthia last year.
.. The answer is still no... however the reason why is that they decided that instead of putting in a small one just to say
they have a pool, they decided to wait until they have enough money to put in a really nice one. I agree with
their decision... a small little pool is no fun to be in.
Sunday, November 23/08
Sunday is Market Day at El Ranchito a little town about 15 miles north of Rancho B. There's always
a good supply of fresh fruit and vegetables available and in addition Diane and I both bought a pair of rubber flip flops.
On the way out of town we stopped and bought some milk and tortillas.
On our way back to Rancho B. we discovered a new Dental Clinic in La Placita. We stopped to find out the
office hours and met the new dentist. Despite the language barrier we found out that he is open every day with shorter hours
on Sunday. Diane and I decided that we'll make an appointment in a month or so to have our teeth cleaned.
Our solar panels are doing a great job keeping the batteries charged to a level where we have not plugged
into the park's electrical outlet. We decided it would be cheaper to turn on our diesel generator for the air conditioning
for a few hours in the afternoon when it gets too hot. November is the hotest month and we're looking forward to cooler days
in December, January and February.
| El Ranchito Sunday Market |
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| Banana Grove on the road to El Ranchito |
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| New Dentista Office in La Placita |
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Monday, November 24/08
Took the dogs to the beach this morning. Let them run and play until their running turned into walking.
Diane and I decided to take our trip up to La Penita on Wednesday. It's about 275 miles north of here so
will be a good day's drive on windy roads. We'll take the Jeep and spend two nights in a motel in La Penita and return on
Friday. We'll buy our year's supply of coffee plus a little more for our friends. We also have it planned so that we can be
there for La Penita's weekly market on Thursday.
Cynthia and Sandy will babysit the two pups. They did this last year and we're comfortable with them doing
so.
Tuesday, November 25/08
Spent the day making final arrangements for our trip to La Penita tomorrow.
In the afternoon a vendor selling fresh shrimp showed up in the park. He was selling extra large
fresh shrimp out of the back of his truck for 110 pesos per kilo. At the current exchange rate, thats about $8.00 per kilo
or less than $4.00 per pound. They come whole with heads still on and need to be cleaned but I can do that easily. We bought
one kilo in which there were 44 large shrimp and BBQ'd a bunch for supper and froze the rest.
There won't be any posting on the blog for several days while we're gone but I promise to take lots of pictures
of the trip and of La Penita.
| Cleaning Shrimp |
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| Cleaned Shrimp ready for the BBQ |
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