The New Digs

It only took one trip in the Frog, Larry's truck, to haul all our stuff over to our new casita at The Casa Grande. The move in was relatively painless and we were pleasantly surprised that it was a bit larger then we remembered.

When we were staying in the lot next door and at the same time deciding to rent the casita for the next year; we were able to check out the room for to help make our decision.  I remember that it was a very brief, in and out, visit and we both proceeded to forget what the space looked like. All we remembered was that it was clean and neat.

A year later we are moved in getting to know the space.  When you walk in the door there is a counter on the wall to your left. This counter wraps around the corner of the room butting up against the refrigerator. The counter consists of a sink and gas stove with space for a brand new microwave. We are provided with basic plastic dishes, some pots and pans, and various utensils for our use.

After the refrigerator there is a double corner shelf with a TV on it.  We use the lower shelf for storing some of our food items. Rounding the corner you come to a table with two chairs.

Finally on the wall across from the refrigerator and stove, on the right wall as you walk in, is a wooden couch with lots of pillows.  The entire space is about 13' x 13', so we will not be able to practice our Dancing with the Stars free style routine.

The bedroom is roughly the same size as the living space with a small matrimonial bed, a single bed, another wooden couch, and a wardrobe. The matrimonial bed is smaller then a queen bed but larger then a single.  We gave me this bed because the single was so small I hung over the end by about six inches.  This bed I am in is a bit wider and longer by three inches so my overhang is less.  Linda is in the single bed and I hope it will work out for her.


We had just enough room to fold and hang our cloths in the wardrobe and once that was done we placed the suitcases up on top out of our way.

Our bathroom is what they call a wet bath in the RV world.  There is a shower, a toilet and a sink. The shower is separated from the sink by a small curtain. That is about all I can say about that.

Since we are accustom to living in our camper, a small space, we are adept at moving about without infringing on each others space. This little casita will work out very nicely and I think we will enjoy our months near the lagoon.

View from our front door. Yes, two pools!

Lunch on the upper level.

The Days Go By

The days down here in Mexico go by fast. We have developed a bit of a routine, but there will be a little change in the next two days.  We are staying in Casa Rosa, the Pink House, at this time but we will soon move to the east to our next casa located on the laguna.  Our small room will be located on the second floor of a complex called the Casa Grande.  On Sunday we will move and I will post a little about the new location then.

For now our routine is as follows. Linda gets up early and either takes a run or a walk. I sleep in.  We have found that we don’t sleep well until after the house cools down, so sleeping in gives me the rest I look forward to each night.  Once I wake up we fix breakfast and get on line to check the news in the states and our local area.  We check email and Facebook.  It keeps us connected. 

After that we do some shopping or go for a walk.  At 11:00 am we wander over to Las Palmas next door and play some volleyball.  Volleyball is like a religion for some of the people down here. It is our link to the friends we have met and it allows us the opportunity to make dinner arrangements or plans for special events. Volleyball is a fun way to exercise and visit at the same time. Visiting is secondary to the play and heaven forbid that you would slow down the play of the game to hold a brief discussion of anything beyond “what is the score?”

After volleyball ends and we get everything back in order around the pool, we secure plans for the evening and mosey on home.  Lunch is our next task and we generally eat something small at the house.

Afternoon is the time we relax around the place. We usually catch up on writing or computer work at this time.  On Thursdays Linda goes across the street and plays Mexican Train, a dominos game, with all the ladies from the friend circle.  At that time I wander around town or go and play cribbage with the guys.

Sundown comes around 6:00 pm so we meet everyone down on the beach and watch the sun set.  If plans were made for dinner we group up and then walk into town to eat.

We are back at the house each night by 9:20 pm. Usually, before we go to bed, we take a swim and cool down. We read and drift off to sleep.

That is our routine down here in Melaque. We change it up by going shopping or doing various side trips. It is a bit hard to explain this place.  I have had to keep telling myself that we are not on vacation; we are living down here to avoid the cold weather up in Idaho.  Being on vacation and seasonal living are very different processes.   My vacation self says that I have to try to be doing something all the time, enjoying the exploration and getting the most out of my time. Seasonal living means I just need to relax and try not to spend as much money as I do while on vacation. I also don’t have to be doing stuff all the time. Just enjoy the moment and let time pass.

New Years Eve

The weather in Melaque is what I consider perfect for seasonal living.  Every day is beautiful. The temperature is consistent; it hovers in the high 80’s in the day and then drops into the 70’s at night.  We seldom see rain and have only experienced hot humid temperatures a few times. I don’t think we could find a nicer area this time of the year. 

I know that my posts don’t come as often as when we are traveling or exploring. The nature of this blog has been to keep track of our adventures and not to bore you with our daily ramblings.  We have a few new things forming on the horizon, moving to our new digs on the laguna, a possible trip to see the annual Monarch butterfly migration at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve near Morelia, and then our journey over to the Cabo area.  Until then we are just relaxing Mexico style!

Larry and Maggie

On his way to 2015!

Missing Our Kobi

Kobi is visiting Linda's sister and her family while we are in Mexico and we miss him a bunch.  It was one of the hardest decisions we had to make when we decided to travel down for this extended amount of time.  The house was easy, Fatima lives with her mother and sister and has always been there to look after the place, it gives her a hide out where she can bake cookies and eat pizza.  Fatima would have probably watched after Kobi at home, but we couldn't ask someone to commit that much time and we had the offer from our family in Eugene.

At the Thanksgiving gathering of Linda's family we packed Kobi's things and when the visit was over loaded him into the van and said our good-byes.  Probably one of the hardest things we have ever done with him.  We shed tears and moped around the place several days. Finally we were off on our adventure and Kobi was settled in at his new temporary home in Eugene.

About every three or four days we get an update and maybe some pictures from Diane and Al Dee. We have Skyped and visited, enjoying the antics Kobi always provides.  He is happy and that makes us feel better to know he is safe.  Here are a few photos that Al Dee has sent us, I hope you enjoy them.

Kobi's selfie.

Kenyon and Kobi.

Watching the neighbor's cat.

Break time together.

Alayna and Kobi with his ball.

Kobi seems very relaxed.

BALL!

Sleep over.  (Linda's favorite.)