Well, that was exciting...

We're home again after a bridf trip to Puerto Vallarta.  Brief on purpose, i.e., planned in sdvance when we bought the return airfare.

Our flight got us there late enough that we hurriedly unpacked and trotted off to dinner.  Although they had laid on a grand buffet, we ordered from the menu and enjoyed our selections greatly.  The margaritas were also tasty and the best that we had at the resort the whole time.  They were all good, but these were excellent!

The next morning we enjoyed the breakfast buffet and then, after walking around the resort, made our way to the upper pool for relaxation and more margaritas.  Two pools (the upper spilling over into the lower pool), lots of comfy lounges, umbrellas, and greenery (which they decided to trim later that morning).  The trimming - aided by helpers with machetes and ropes - managed to dislodge a pretty big iguana (whose tail was longer than his body....).

There were also chairs spaced throughout the banks of loungers (the second day I opted for the chairs as it was simpler to get up out of them than the loungers) and a scattering of umbrellas.  Unfortunately there was also people scattered around the area and some of them were loud and really should have spent their time elsewhere...get the picture?  They must have been wealthy as they spent 5 months a year absent from Montana - but they were cheap and delighted in regaling everyone around them with their method for saving money.  Cheap b*****ds!

Later that day we met up with friends from San Miguel who had moved to PV at a restaurant [Victor's] which was nearby, tasty, and relatively cheap.  Catching up with friends is was it's all about, eh?

On Thursday morning was rose early, packed, and found a taxi to the airport.  As we checked in for a 9 am flight, the agent knew that the plane would be late enough to guarantee us a free breakfast, so we got the voucher automatically and headed off to Wings to redeem it.  Good breakfast and then we went through security to find the gate.  And we waited and waited for our flight to be called.  No luck!

Eventually it was called and we were shuttled off to a section for local flights and a specific gate number (and time).  But the time passed and we still hadn't been called.  Then we noticed that the destination stated on the monitor had changed and we went searching for the new gate.  About this time we started talking with a fellow who was from PV - waiting for the same plane - who was going to connect in BJX with a flight onward.  So we commiserated about plane service  for a while.

Eventually we learned that our flight would take off out of Gate 1, so we moved down there.  Then the word came (no announcements were ever made) that our flight would be from Gate 4.  So we lined up and proceeded to the gate.  However, once Michael's boarding pass was torn, the agent said 'No, this isn't the flight to BJX, it's going to Mexico City' and handed both parts of his boarding pass back to him.

Eventually Gate 4 was the correct gate for our flight to BJX (six hours later) and 45 minutes after we took off we landed, reclaimed our luggage, and found our shuttle the rest of the way home.  Interjet has a long way to go as far as notifying passengers where to find their planes!  (Or perhaps the airport does?)

And so today, we unpacked our suitcases (we think we'll try taking a small suitcase to Cabo, too), went to breakfast with friends, picked up the sofa covers we'd had cleaned while out of town, and now we just need to pick up the mail that is waiting for us.

Oh, and reply to some friends who are planing to visit in December....

Off to Puerto Vallarta...

...for a few days.  It will be nice to visit PV when it's not steaming hot for a change.  The humidity, combined with the heat, does do me in, a bit.  However, it's winter in San Miguel and while the sun is still hot, there's a chilly wind that blows.  Walking down our street, the sun is nice and hot - did we need to wear our long-sleeved shirts?  Then, when we turn the corner to walk into town, the blast of cold air tells us, yes, that was the thing to do!

So, PV is running mid-80s this week - a good time to spend a few days there.  Now if our airline wouldn't have changed our flight time from mid-afternoon to early evening it would have afforded us a bit more time in that fair city it's only an hour-long flight).  Guess there won't be any sun bathing time today by the time we get to the resort.

And there won't be any really tasty muffins such as we were served the last time we flew TAR airlines from Queretero first thing in the morning.  But we're flying out of León today much later in the day - pity!  [Wonder if we have checked in online yet? Guess I could try to do so and find out if it's already been done....or just wait for Michael to wake up and ask him if he took care of it!]

And I guess there are no great plans for our time in PV: lie on the beach, lie around the pool, eat/drink, walk into town (maybe), shop at Liverpool for new khakis (the Liverpool in Cabo San Lucas doesn't "do" clothing and the one in San Miguel - up the hill - is up the hill which requires using a bus that's usually a bit on the worn side of it's life.)

The dogs have been shipped off to Creature Comforts for nearly a week as of yesterday.  The house is quite quiet for a change.  They'll enjoy their time there - a large separate area for the two of them, two walks a day through the campo (yes, even Miyake enjoys it when she deigns to participate in a walk), sent along their usual foods so no surprises there.  And they'll be home on Friday (we return sometime on Thursday).

And now it's time for me to crawl back in bed for a couple more hours of sleep....

Cruising with Friends

The last time we cruised with this group, it was a larger group.  We missed some of those missing this time; others not so much.

This time our packing had to include our costumes for Hallowe'en!  The group included one Wendy, one Smee, one hungry crocodile (with tick-tocking clock) and a bunch of the lost boys dressed in disguise as animals.  I was the crocodile and Michael was a fox.  Although most of us didn't make it back to the Lounge for judging (didn't even check our telephone in the cabin until the next morning), our group came in second for Groups!  Bravo to all those who braved costumes for drinks and dinner!  But never again!

We've decided that we're done with Tortola after this trip.  Saw very little of it as we transferred to St John's for a tour of that island.  Which is beautiful!!!  And the Rockefeller property is now a private hotel - right on the ocean.  The property that was formerly a sugar plantation is great, too.  Had a really interesting guide on the tour, even if he was a little too much into healthcare and the use of natural plants.

WDW was ideal.  Our room at the Boardwalk was not the 'upper floor' that we had requested, but nicely furnished if a bit of a trek through corridors.  It was close to boat transportation to the backdoor of EPCOT, though - which we used a lot.  Got our commemorative tumblers, saw the new version of Soarin', used the various transportation options to visit Animal Kingdom/Lodge where we caught up with friends with whom we visited on last year's trip, the Party of the Senses (wonderful food and matching wines), all the little booths around 'the World', and even enjoyed the new ride in Norway - Frozen, of course.

The last morning found us waiting for our bus to the airport and thence onward to Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende.  Thank goodness AeroMexico still believes in feeding us - for free - on the nonstop trip home.

When we finally woke up, the next day found us unpacking, washing, and waiting for the doglets to come home - which they eventually did! Now it's a few weeks at home and then it's off to Puerto Vallarta for a few days after Thanksgiving.

Disney Voyage No. 20

Well, here it is, 11:35 pm and we're waiting to be picked up by the midnight shuttle that will take us to Mexico city airport for our 6 am flight to Florida! 

Yes, we're off on another trip - this time a one-week voyage with friends from faceBook on the Disney Fantasy followed by several days at Walt Disney World for the Food and Wine festival.  We're even going to make it to the last of the Party of the Senses gala (got seats this time, too, so we don't have to keep moseying around between food and wine stations).

We're staying at the Boardwalk Resort, so we can walk to EPCOT and into the Party of the Senses building.  During our time at WDW we'll also be dining with my former boss and her husband from California.  Why not meet up at WDW?!?  It's between Mexico and Southern California, no?

Life is good!

Meanwhile, Between Trips...

Well, we're back from our first vacation (not counting the trip to the Santa Fe Opera).  We've washed the clothes, unpacked, and begun gathering things for the next cruise!

The Opera was great, as usual.  The only problem was when we received a note on the cell phone in the middle of the last night that told us our flight had been cancelled.  Turns out a weather system in DFW had prevented flights going to ABQ, so there were no planes to load us onto for the return trip to DFW.  And the resort at which we were staying couldn't accommodate us for an extra night because they were booked up!

So we drove down to ABQ as originally planned, called the Hilton Place near the airport (with the assistance of Travelers' Aid) and got situated in a top-floor corner unit with huge TVs, et cetera.  The following morning we took their shuttle to the airport and flew home.

Our Panama Canal Cruise was great fun.  The kids stayed at the new 'ranch' and seemed to do well until it was time to come home, when they both got tangled in the brush in the campo....  Baths and brushing were called for upon their return.  But they were happy, rested, and had eaten well while there.

The flights were unexciting, other than the last minute cancellation we mentioned above.  Shopping in Santa Fe was fun (didn't buy much - turned down that chance of rejuvenation priced at $4000! for both of us), and ate at several of our favorite restaurants.  Used the free shuttle from the resort several times to trek out (and back) to said restaurants.  I had started some new meds and drank a little too much one night....

Didn't buy a timeshare that we were thinking of in Santa Fe!!!  Thank goodness - but it would haave been neat to talk about 'our place in Santa Fe'.

In all, a nice trip.  Managed to brunch and dine with our friends who live there.  Shopped at stores that aren't available in Mexico.  That sort of thing.

And now we're gearing up for a shorter cruise with time at WDW (the last one was 14 days on the ship plus time at Universal Studios [finally got to see Harry Potter Land] and Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT at WDW).  This cruise is only a week plus the park time.  Want me to show you my wand?

Stay tuned!

Balancing Travel and Household Needs

So, as we prepare for a Fall full of travel, things are going south around the house.

Travel Plans - We leave in early August for a week in Santa Fe for 4 operas (the fifth opera was one we're seen several times and it didn't seem to be necessary in our lives).  We've also opted for a prepared dinner each night rather than the buffet with knowledgeable talk about that night's opera.

Later in August trailing into mid-September we'll be on the Disney Wonder sailing through the Panama Canal from San Diego to Florida, followed by several days at Universal City for a Harry Potter fest - at long last.

Then in late October it's a cruise on the Disney Fantasy with friends from a previous cruise followed by time at Walt Disney World for Food and Wine.  We'll find out next Thursday whether we get the part of the F/W festival that we'd like to have.

Followed by several days in November in Puerto Vallarta at a resort that is new to us.

And in January 2017 we'll be off to Cabo for a family gathering of siblings in the last year before our ownership kicks in.

Then nothing til September when it's a flight to Vancouver for a cruise to Hawai'i then time at Disney's Aulani.

Phwew! 

PROBLEMS AROUND THE HOUSE - So, of course, things are breaking around the house!    The usual Pet B 'n' B we used during travel will be closed for the first trip in August, so we're checking out another spot next week.  Larger and more organized, we're not sure how the kids will take to it (or the place will take to our kids) but we'll find out next Friday when we all go for a visit.  Since we rather cater to their likes/dislikes for feeding, we're weaning them on to a new combination of foods that will have a greater chance of being followed at the new place. (And simplify life for us if they like it!)

Then the trusty coffee grinder decided it was tired and has to be coaxed into action.  We buy our coffee beans in good-sized bags at Costco and grind it each morning so it's fresh!  Reading about the Breville grinder we use, people are recommending regular cleaning.  Now, this is something that we've never done in the 6 years we've had it.  There was never any reason to do so.  We use a dark roast coffee bean and things have just been fine all this time.  Recently we tried a different bean - Rwandan - that is darker still and rather oily - read 'sticky'.  Though that may be the problem, it's really good coffee and I'd hate to abandon it.  And since we've pre-mixed the two beans for grinding, it may be a while before we can switch back to a single (non-Rwandan) bean.

I've tried to clean the innards of the grinder, but removing the burr grinding part seems to be problematic.  There is a newer Breville model that advertises 'easily removable burrs for cleaning', but it's rather pricey, so we're considering less expensive models...and in the meanwhile, we try to coax the present grinder into action.  The last time at Costco, we ground the bag of Rwandan coffee before we took it home, so there's always that to hold us.

And lastly (to date) we've noticed that our front-loading Bosch washer (which has had minor problems since we moved it to Mexico with us) has decided to fill with water - even though turned 'off' - between uses.  The first time (yesterday) it was only slightly filled; this morning it was half-full and went everywhere when Michael opened the door! So it will finally be time to replace it with a agitator-less tub model by Daewoo, I think.  And we can save a couple hundred pesos by opting for a silver or white model instead of the fire-engine red one! (Probably not worth the cost for a paint job - sigh!)

You'd think everything could just wait until next year before going 'boink'!  It will make affording all this and the travel a little more challenging, but we have non-refundable deposits everywhere so we'll be going....  At least we can turn off the water supply to the washer to prevent unwanted tub-filling until there's a sale on the washer!  Hope it's not while we're gone somewhere....

Oh, Boy, Rain!

What started out as a gentle rain has suddenly turned vicious!  That gentle sprinkle quickly worsened, the lightening and thunder turned into a constantly rolling thunder - even when the lightening wasn't obvious.  Thunder has been roiling and rolling for the last 10 - 15 minutes while the rain has intensified and lessened then intensified again, but not given up!

Luckily, Michael went up to the third floor and placed towels at the base of all the windows and doors.   Guess we should have had the windows in the cupola grouted when we had the chance!

And now Michael is reporting hail is coming down.

We did have a blackout a few minutes ago with the resulting bings, bangs, and ringing when the power turned back on.  Since the blackout affects the modem and router, anything connected to the system sounds off when the power is restored.

Luckily, we had prepared a tuna noodle casserole for dinner tonight, and we're taking advantage of the passing storm to let it cool off a bit!