Living Onward

Our guests, the Andersons, left Melaque on Saturday. We were very sad to see them go. We had been having so much fun with them, but good times have to end. They had arranged a taxi but the driver they had spoken to did not show up and we had to call in a backup at the very last minute. This taxi mishap has never happened to us, they are usually very dependable. Looks like "Eddy" won't be getting our business in the future.  Their flight departed the Manzanillo airport a bit late, which unfortunately caused them to miss their flight from LA to Seattle, so they had to stay the night in LA.  The following day, they boarded an early flight to Boise, ID, and then to Spokane. They were a bit tired but got home on Sunday around noon.

John, Loretta, Beth, and Linda on the beach.

Next, Linda and I had until Monday before Beth arrived. Our plan was to organize our stuff and do some shopping.  We also planned to get re-acquainted with the town.  As we walked about, we met people we have known from prior stays and it was fun to chat and say hello.

On Sunday Iris, our friend from Edison, WA, texted and we went to lunch at one of our favorite spots, Rosa's.  We walked and talked and got a bit caught up. At Rosa's, we were unexpectedly joined by some other good friends AnneMarie and Mac from the North Seattle area. We all enjoyed a great lunch and did some catching up.

Three amigas!

Beth arrived without any problems. She settled into the bedroom on the right. She will be staying for about ten weeks and will be working via the internet the entire time she is here. It's great to have her here. We haven't seen her in person for quite a while.

Three days after Beth arrived, our third guests made their way to our doorstep. John and Loretta Sutherland flew from their winter hideaway in Baja to the airport in Manzanillo and took a taxi up for a five-day visit. They settled into the bedroom on the left for their stay. After their visit here, they traveled to Morelia to view the monarch butterfly migration and explore some different regions of Mexico.

With the Sutherlands and Beth settled in, we wandered around Melaque, eating at the local restaurants and visiting. One day we all went over to Barra, while Beth stayed home and worked (she works eight hours each day online). We visited Jon Karpenko and his girlfriend, Cheri at Jon's new house. It's located in the barrio of Barra and he is working to make it his southern retreat.

Big surf on the beach in Barra.

We enjoyed our visit with John and Loretta very much, but they had to move on around the 18th of January. 

Linda and I have been settling into the rhythm of Melaque.  The little town is growing, construction is booming, gringos are plentiful and there seems to be a quickening in the pace of life in this small town.

Many remembered restaurants have closed but others have opened and are busy. The bigger stores where we shop for our necessities are the same, but the little bodegas have been replaced by Oxxos.

We received an email from David and Rebecca Kilmer inviting us to Barra to see their very nice casa.  We rode the bus over and enjoyed the sunset from their palapa. We all went out to dinner and enjoyed street tacos in the heart of Barra.

Three days later the Kilmers drove over to Melaque and we reciprocated by showing them our casa followed by a walk to Pedro,s for street tacos. It was a great night and we really enjoyed their visit. 

On January 27th, Hal and Jennie Shoener drove over from Manzanillo for a three-night stay. Because of travel issues, we hadn't been able to see them while we were in Manzanillo.  While they were here, we walked daily, saw some great sunsets, took a lot of pictures, and ate at some great places. We often worry about the friends that visit us. We don't want them to be bored, but Melaque is a quiet place to live and that's what we do here. Things to do here are pretty simple: play a game, read a book, chat with friends, swim, play volleyball, walk/run... Nightlife consists of late dinners and hanging in the centro watching the families walk around or watching a Zags game or football on TV. Cancun or Puerto Vallarta it is not.

John, on Mexico time.

At this time we have a break from hosting visitors. Our plans are to lay low and rest up. We will play, live, and enjoy this little town.

Loretta, John Linda and Beth on the sea wall.

The main street in Barra.

Hal and Jennie. Drinks with friends!

Linda's latest heart purchase.

unset in  Melaque.

We finished a very cool Puzzle.

Sunrise over Melaque Bay.