Dragonfly in Mexico has more than one name. In Playa Ventura, Guerrero we call them chambuleke, in Puerto Penasco, Sonora we call the libelula. Everardo says when he was a kid, in Micoacan, they called them cabello de diablo (devil's horse...eeewww). Yesterday I was getting my nails done and the woman (ok girl she was 20...with a 4 yr old and a hubby in jail), anyway she said she liked my libelulas. I probly won't go back there because the woman who was in charge told me when I paid...h it's 200 pesos when I asked why she didn't give me enough change. I wanted to give the girl 50 pesos for a tip. She was really nice and did a good job- BUT the day before yesterday I stopped in there and asked how much for acrylics with color. Apparently that's how they call them; french, acrylics, acrylics with color, and you can get them with just the tips being acrylic Way too much info for me! I had stopped in at the place right around the corner from the house and it was 200 pesos. Only 150 for french. So I decided to shop around cause it was 150 in Playa Ventura and 180 in Copala- and I liked the way they did it in Copala so I went there. Actually after doing y nails the first week we were in Playa Ventura, I didn't do them again until almost right before we left- so 3 times total, and about the same for pedicures- when you don't wear shoes, nail polish comes off quick. Yeah it's winter here, but the rainy season is in the summer (where I read it can be 122 degrees...) Anyway I wear shoes here, and socks too. But- winter for just Dec and Jan...think I can handle that ha ha.

Anyway- the day before yesterday they told me 150 for acrylics- and that was after a discussion in Spanish too quick for me to follow but I did hear "french" and "acrylics"....So when she said 200 yesterday, I said no, yesterday you said 150. I pointed to the woman who told me 150mand said she told me. She also speaks English. So the mgr kept saying (in Spanish) sorry for confusion but it's 200.I found her to be full of shit. She shoulda charged me 150 cause then I'd probly still come back, but now, no way. Might as well walk around the corner for the same price.

Did I say I looked at a motorcycle? More like a scooter I think- the ones with the wide area to put your feet?? They're automatic so no need for feet to change gears or even brake...And cheaper than what we will probly pay for a car...only $1200! Probly spend $2000 at least on a car...but we'll see. 
We called on a car yesterday but it was $3000, way too much. We're also looking for an elliptical for me and a gym for Poppi. We may have found both. Went thru looking for used ellipticals and the best deals are in Arizon, both places a four hour drive each way...but at this dept store Coppel there's a cheapy one for about $120, and since it's yet anoher thing we will not take back to the states with us, and I do still hold out a tiny hope that we'll retrieve the one in Playa Ventura....I think I'm gonna go with the Coppel one. of course we will hot the wknd flea markets this wknd for a final look so won;t buy until next week- Oh! So it's my Christmas present! As will be the gym for Everardo. Actually we're gonna look at what this place has in the way of classes and equipment...we drove around and looked at gyms, found all but one that must have closed, and he chose a place called X Sport. They have the weight machines he's looking for but he didn't look too closely at what I might want to use and they probly don't have Zumba, which I really want to take...we found a place I'm going to try for $3 a class or $28 for a month and all classes- they also have yoga, pilates, not sure what else but no equipment. So it's another..we'll see, cause Poppi isn't feeling too good today so he's asleep on the couch right now. He has a cold, which is not a huge surprise since it's so cold in here! It's warmer outside during the day, and I'm sure by the end of Jan we will be happy that it stays cool in here...but it's so cold in here at nite. Maybe we should think about a little space heater....ha ha from sweating all the time to shivering part of the time.....

We took Sam to the beach this morning and then went on the gym hunt. The tide was on it's way out so only a few tide poles were visable. It was cool, not too cold o the beach but I had a sweater on, and of course nobody but Sam in the water ha ha. BUt it's funny- a cold beach that youjust walk on is familar to me...I come from Northern Calif where the beaches are beaitiful but cold, so I don't mind. And I know in a few months they will be warm and swimable, so It's all good.

Last nite we went to a Posada, probly where Poppi finally got so cold he is now sick. It was inside, but a weird inside with a top that the walls did not come all the way up to. It was fun, music and food, kids running all over the place. Pinata and presents for the kids- earlier in the week we had to bring 2 gifts and last nite we saw one of them get opened and the kid's face was priceless- he loved it and that made it worth frezzing our asses off! There was a game of musical chairs that the kids loved out in the center of the room, and they had so much fun it was played over and over. Ha ha when I asked what I should wear, should I get dressed up, Poppi said sure, let everyone see my beautiful wife (ooohhh). So I anxt'ed over a few things, choosing a long dressy black skirt cause I have no nylons ha ha and this long kind of Asian looking cover, orange and a red top...and off we went. Ha ha we got there early and I was sent to blow up balloons and as people came in I noticed that I was the ONLY person NOT wearing levis- man or woman. So after the balloons were all blown up and sped home and changed. It was only 2 blocks from the house so it was easy. I was already cold and the house was nice....Anyway and hour later, much warmer in levis and a warm jacket, I knocked over my coffee and the top of my jeans, my right thigh caught all of it. Everardo jumped up and said let's go and you can change. So we headed out...for me, again, and I asked him why he came and he said he was just SO cold. So I changed and we went back (ha ha outfit 3), but it was jeans again. We lasted about another hour, but it looked like there wasn't going to be any dancing for the adults, or if there was it was at least 2 or 3 hours away...and so we came home...it was after 9...yeah yeah us oldies but we went at 4...anyway I could not shake my chill even after sitting under my nice warm comforter, and finally took a long hot hot hot shower. That helped. We watched a couple of movies and went to bed a little after midnite....

oooh- hot chocolate sounds nice right now...see it's getting gray outside and it's cold in here. I just started a book that's pretty good and I'm gonna curl up in my comforter...it matches the one Poppi is sleeping under on the other end of the couch. This is a very long couch; the kind that has a piece at one end that actually is not attached, and goes out the other way so it's like an "L" He's sleeping there, and my end has a foot stool made of the same stuff so I can create the same effect. Our laptops are in the middle. But at nite I move the computers so I can snuggle up to his side...Sam is also conked out rght now; he ran up and down the beach and is wiped out- again. he's a happy dog that Sam...

Ok it's Tuesday morning and I don't think I wrote since Friday. It was a pretty quiet weekend, a little strange since our landlord moved to Phoenix ha ha. She was gone Sunday morning a little after 10am. I sure hope she paid the water bill she said she would take care of because it was 2 months in arrears. When Everardo chatted with the guy who lived here before us, the guy said she paid the water....She also left her electricity and cable tv on. She said for the cable, when she doesn't pay they will just turn it off...so I guess we'll see. She also said her cousin was coming over to take the bunk beds from her daughter's room, and put the twin bed from our weird 3rd bedroom (which we intend to use for storage) into her place. That 3rd bedroom has it's own entrance off our patio right out side the kitchen. We can also get there by going to the back end of the dining room thru a door and a hallway. It's just so seperate from the rest of the house I kind of don't consider it really....

So the cousin didn't show or maybe he came while we were at the beach with Sam. I mean we didn't sit home all day waiting for this guy. I sent her an email last nite and let her know he didn't come and maybe she should give him our phone number so we can arrange it but haven't heard back. She did this very helter skelter (no no mass killing ha ha); left so much stuff, including NOT cleaning out that 3rd bedroom like she promised so we have to move all the stuff to this storage room at the other end of the house. (not part of the house). She asked me to show this woman Norma how to use the washing machine on Wednesday when she comes, but didn't mention to me that she has no water hose connected to the machine- Everardo told me she just puts water in there...what? So...at the beginning and then again to rinse? Once or twice? You know that bugs me. This woman NOrma is also going to take the food she left in the fridge, and some clothes I think. Then when (if) anyone rents, she will come back and clean...ok I'm still stuck on this whole washing machine thing! Yes she took $50 off the rent for us to "monitor" the place, but she just left it all so haphazard. Like I said we'll see when the bills come. Of course I really only care about the water bill, if it comes with those months due, we'll just take it out of the rent. But she is so cheap! Our house is badly and I mean BADLY in need of inside paint and other maintenance...and we never signed a contract. That's fine with me I guess...The first one she gave me to sign was a contract between a broker and a landlord which I pointed out. So she was going to get the correct one, then nothing until Saturday morning as she's leaving, and it was in Spanish, so I refused to sign t. I told her I appreciated our good relationship but it would be irresponsible of me- to me- to sign something I couldnt read. It looked sort of dog eared, like she just found it stuffed in some file. Anyway she was fine with that, and says she'll email me an agreement in English which I can sign and fax or email back to her. 

So kind of weird right? Oh well. So Sunday we went down to the beach and walked for almost 3 hours! Sam ran the whole time and was so stiff Sunday nite and limp yesterday. ha ha me too...which started the conversation of my beloved elliptical...but the walk. Puerto Penasco has a very different beach than Playa Ventura. Of course one obvious thing is that Playa Ventura is "open water", it's the open ocean sending waves onto the beach, here the waves are smaller, and it's a gulf, maybe like a big long bay? It is the Pacific ocean but it comes up between mainland Mexico and Baja Calif. It's pretty wide; I mean I can't see the other side or anything.And the boats that are here are very big, and the fish, oh the fish, so many fish. While we were walking a school (a pod- I looked it up), of dolphins came by, at least 10! They were coming up out of the water- and I swear one of the winked at me- just like last time ha ha. The tide pools had little shells and tiny fish, and when Poppi turned over rocks tiny crabs scurried for cover. It was very cool. Sam ran and ran in and out of the water. Everardo kept getting way ahead of me cause I was looking at and for everything! Then these pelicans flew by- they were huge! A different type than in Guerrero; these pelicans were so big, so thick and wide. They really looked like they could have a beak filled with fish- like a big scoop. I took alot of photos with my phone (camera is messed up, shopping for a new one).

And there were also these very tall herons. Beautiful and graceful. And of course so many seagulls ha ha- having a get together on the beach. It was a nice day. We walked far down the beach, by the condos and then hotels. We had a few people come up trying to sell us stuff; it's pretty slow for that right now. The beach was almost empty, but Everardo says when the tide is out, and early in the morning, even during "the season" when Puerto Penasco is packed, the beach is pretty empty. Let's hope ha ha. While I was walking alone, with Poppi and Sam way ahead of me, I found the serenity I discovered out on my rock in Playa Ventura. I talked out loud to the universe, I saw the beauty in everything around me, and I was happy, content inside. I realize I can find that serentiy wherever I am now that I discovered it. Alone on the beach is the easiest place for me, but I can always find it. Ha ha I guess alone on the beach is good cause I like to talk out loud. It keeps me focused somehow. Cause I can be thinking, praying in my head, and at the same time making a grocery list, I just have trouble keeping that focus when it's only in my head, my pea brain doesn't like to pay attention. I keep saying I'm going to practice mediatation which helps with that, but so far...nothin'

I do have some really good CD's I bought from the place I started practicing meditation n Petaluma before we left. I just need to open the package! Well maybe here I will in this little yard. I have my buddha sitting here, I'm so glad Poppi made room for him! Ah vamos a ver...

Our neighbor across the street has these birds who sing and squawk all day, I think I already wrote about the guys selling parrots...they are kinda on the list, but not right this minute. I can see tons of birds outside on the wire, I think they are fat pigeons ha ha. Everardo is trying to get his Sonora drivers license so we can change the license plates. It turns out that in Mexico you have to get new plates every year in Jan (not sure if it's simply a registration or totally new plates). So everybody does it in Jan, not a year from when you first get the car. But we need Sonora plates, and it's complicated- you need a Sonora driver's lic. To get that you need an address here, but a rental agreement does not satisfy that requirement. (we don't have one anyway), so a utility bill works but we don't have that either for a month. So we went to the bank yesterday to change our address, and the lady is helping us out with a "provisional" document cause it takes a month there too to get your first statement! So she said come back tomorrow (today) at 9am to get the document. And to get the license you have to get a physical. No driving test since he has a license from Guerrero, just a physical, but in Guerrero all we did was pay $250 pesos each and were given licenses! So to take one step forward you have to take about 16 steps sideways ha ha. Oh and in the bank I was pissed cause the young woman helping us was texting while she was working on our account in the computer. Everardo wanted me to let it go cause she was doing us a favor- but I say- yeah and if she screws up our account in some way while she's in there but only paying half ass attention? Don't text while you are also typing in my bank account!!So he's out trying to take care of as much of that as he can so that hopefully we have lic plates by Jan 2.
It always bugs me when people do something for you, but it's not right- so yes, thank you, but it needs to be right. It's like this damn cable box from Sky TV! It still thinks it's in Guerrero so the tv says it's an hour ahead, and so is the programming. Irritates the shit out of me. i know it's a small thing, petty even, but it should be right. Add to that the clock on the tv is military time so at 8pm it says it's 19:00, except that it's an hour ahead...so what the f**k time is it???? Oh, 7pm...I want it fixed. I mean the Sky people tell you to take the box when you move, so they must -ok somebody must- know how to reset the box....poor Everardo, I will bug him about this until it gets fixed- this is one of those things that fluency is needed for- in person I could probly get my point across, but on the phone- no way...so again...vamos a ver
ha ha