Contrasts

Talk about change - while I sit here at the computer peeling large chunks of skin from my sunburned body (a result of our trip a couple of weeks ago to Puerto Vallarta), it now raining for the third time in the last 24 hours!  Once with extremely loud bangs, once with no thunder/lightning, and the latest time with only moderate t/l.  What a difference.

Not that our PV trip was without precipitation,  Although largely sunny and dry (not counting the humidity -- what ever made me think I'd want to live there?), the last night was a gusher.  We were sitting outside at a restaurant on the malacón and rapidly moved inside after watching others dash here and there for shelter.

But three times in twenty-four hours?  That's a new record for us, to be sure.  (And there's still time for another cloudburst to roll in....)

In other news, we've decided to pull the plug on Club 33.  With the remodeling of the Club and institution of a new, higher class of membership (Platinum - which seems to be populated with people who have too much money and very little sense), Club management has begun a push to eliminate Golds (the former top level of membership).

They have offered Golds the opportunity to upgrade to Platinum without paying a new initiation fee and pro-rating the dues.  (Some Plats are upset with this; whatever.) And to help that along, they are rumored (the notices come out this month) to be raising the current Gold annual dues nearly double!

Since we haven't been able to visit the Club since fall of 2012, it would appear to be good money thrown after bad if we were to simply renew.  And upgrading is out of the question altogether.  Fourteen thousand dollars a year in annual dues (and rising) is not in the budget by a long sight. Our friends whom we have sent to the Club when they visit Los Angeles will miss out, but they're not paying for it!

My next post will probably be happier, now that the decision has been made.  At least we'll be able to visit the club when we're at Disneyland for a wedding at the beginning of December (and still members)

And there's always the next cruise to talk about!