PUNTA DE MITA AND THE BANDERAS BAY REGATTA

March 19, 2018

I had been in Chacala when our friends, Nancy and Shoshana, arrived to visit Don the previous night.  They texted me in the morning and I walked down to Café Shule’l to meet them for breakfast.  We chatted and ate and then headed to Bucerias to get cash.

Bucerias Street Scene

We took the combi to the bank and then walked down the hill to Lazaro Cardenas Blvd.  It was Nancy and Shoshana’s first time in Bucerias and Don had never been south of the arroyo before.  We strolled down the street and Nancy and Shoshana browsed through the shops.  It was a gorgeous day and they were all impressed with how beautiful everything was.

Eventually, we came to the arroyo and walked down onto the beach.  We stopped for a drink in one of the beach bars and relaxed in the shade.  Then we walked all the way along the beach back to La Cruz.  The tide was low, so we had no trouble getting back, but there were a few spots where we had to climb over rocks.  It was late afternoon by the time we got back.  We separated at that point to rest and freshen up before dinner.

We met again at the Octopus’ Garden for an early dinner before attending a showing of Taulua, the Paper Boat, a documentary about how Wayland and Aruna (the owners of Octopus’ Garden) had built and sailed their catamaran, Taulua, from England to La Cruz.  Remarkably, they had documented the entire process of building the boat.  The boat was built completely by hand, starting with cutting down a tree for lumber.  The hull was made of layers of canvas, paper and tar.  The sail was a wing design with battens resembling a junk.  Built in the early 80s, the rig was well ahead of its time.  The boat performed well and got them from England to Mexico with many adventures along the way.  Unfortunately, it was very flammable.  When it was beached in La Cruz and being disassembled to use its materials to build the Octopus’ Garden, it caught fire and burned like a torch.

March 20, 2018

Punta de Mita Anchorage from the Blue Shrimp

Tuesday, we got a reasonably early start and sailed to Punta de Mita on Comet.  We had a nice breeze and spent a lovely day tacking up there.  Two humpback whales approached the boat and I had to change course to avoid one of them.  We arrived about 3:00 and dropped the hook fairly close in to shore on the point side of the anchorage.  It was a bit too breezy to play in the water, so we had a beer and relaxed until it was time to go to shore for dinner.

Nancy, Don, Shoshana, and Me at the Blue Shrimp

We landed the dinghy without too much trouble, although the spot we had chosen turned out to be a bit rocky and we had to watch our steps wading ashore.  We took a recommendation from some people we met on the beach and went to eat at the Blue Shrimp.  The restaurant was very high end.  Margaritas were about two-and-a-half times as much as at other places, although they were concocted with Don Julio tequila and served in hand blown glasses.  The food was equally pricey, but very delicious and beautifully presented.  We had a very leisurely and enjoyable meal, but the bill was an extravagant 3200 pesos (almost half a month’s rent for my house.)

Comet's Dinghy on Shore at Punta de Mita

Launching the dinghy through the surf was a bit of a challenge.  We had quite an audience from the restaurant.  I lost my flip flop when I jumped in, had to go back for it, and ended up sprawled across Shoshana, laughing so hard that I was helpless to right myself.  We were half way back to the boat before I regained control enough to sit upright.

March 21, 2018

Nancy on the SUP

We spent a somewhat rolly night at anchor, but still managed to get enough sleep.  I got up and decided to go for a swim.  I carefully took off my glasses, but when I dove into the water, I felt something hit my foot.  I thought it was odd, but figured it was a fish or a piece of seaweed or something.  When I got out of the water and went to get dressed, I found the chain I use to hold my glasses snagged on the back of my bathing suit.  Apparently, in the close quarters of Comet’s head, my glasses had become attached to my bathing suit.  When I dove into the water, they slipped out of their tether.  We couldn’t find them anywhere.  This was annoying because I had bought that pair only a few months before to replace another pair I had lost while white-water rafting.  Fortunately, I still had time to have another pair made before it was time to go home.

Shoshana Kayaking at Punta de Mita

Punta de Mita - Church on the Right

We spent the rest of the morning paddle boarding and kayaking.  Then we all went to shore and took a walk along the beach and through the town of Punta Mita.  Behind the fancy hotels, there was a homely little Mexican town where rooms could be had for as little as 400 pesos per night.  We had seen an odd golden dome rising from behind the town and someone had told us it was a church.  We wanted to see it up close, so we hiked up to the outskirts of town.  It was an evangelical church called the Light of the World.  I had seen other extravagant churches from this denomination, but this one took the cake.  It looked almost more like a temple to Mithras than a Christian church.  It was definitely more attractive from afar.

We didn’t have much wind for the trip home and, without my glasses, I couldn’t see to drive.  We motored straight back to La Cruz and didn’t see any wind until it came time to dock.  We ate chips and guacamole all the way back, so none of us really wanted dinner.  I went home to practice the guitar and crashed early.

March 22, 2018

Blair on the Foredeck of Scout

While I was in Punta Mita, I received an invitation to race the Banderas Bay Regatta aboard Scout, a Jeanneau 52.  Thursday was the first day of racing.  I met some of the other crew at the bus stop and we took a combi to Nuevo Vallarta where Scout was docked.  While I had seen Scout from afar, I had never been aboard before.  She was a beauty, spacious, with two wheels and teak decks.  The foredeck was vast.

We left the dock about noon and headed out towards the starting line off the beach in Nuevo Vallarta.  There were some thirty boats divided into seven classes.  The Banderas Bay Regatta is billed as a cruisers' regatta, but there were also classes for pure race boats and a separate class for multihulls.  We were in class E, a class for heavy cruisers who still intended to fly spinnakers.  Our crew consisted of the owner, Greg, his crew Tom and Sally (from Australia and England, respectively), my friend Blair, Mike and Ed (also from La Cruz), and myself.  Blair, Mike, and sometimes Ed were the foredeck crew.  Greg mostly drove.  Tom trimmed the main.  Sally and I manned the jib and/or spinnaker sheets with part time help from Ed.  I was the timekeeper and eventually the navigator, as we had some trouble remembering the course until I finally wrote it all down and took responsibility for getting us around the marks. 

Greg and Sally in the Cockpit of Scout

We had never sailed together as a team before and the first day saw some confusion.  The course involved lots of raising and dousing the spinnaker and we had some trouble coordinating that with furling and unfurling the jib, which took three people when it was full of wind.  Fortunately, there were electric winches.  They were slow but made it possible to trim the sail without immense strength.  I had never raced on a boat with roller furling before, so it had never occurred to me how much of a pain it would be to furl the headsail on a 52 foot boat when it was under load.  Once, we put the spinnaker in the water.  We had a lot of trouble with the sock sticking and failing to douse the spinnaker when we needed to do so.  We made three messy mark roundings and, though we recovered well, that cost us time.

There were four boats registered in our class, but one failed to receive needed parts in time and never made it to the racecourse.  Greg had been battling the other two boats, Hey Ya and Talion for years and was convinced that the ratings were rigged against him.  He was disappointed, but not surprised, when we came in third.  We were first to finish, but owed Talion almost a minute a mile and Hey Ya not much less.  They beat us handily.

Mike and Blair at El Coleguita

Despite losing, we were all in high spirits upon our return.  It had been a fun day of sailing and Greg had an easygoing style of skippering.  I had suggested we go to El Coleguita for dinner, so we put the boat away, cleaned up, and piled in a taxi for the short ride over there.  None of the crew was familiar with El Coleguita and they were all impressed with the good food, generous portions, giant margaritas, and low prices.  Some of the crew took advantage of the free shots of tequila provided with each meal.  There was live music and a party atmosphere.  We were the only gringos in the restaurant.  After dinner, Blair, Mike, and I walked a few blocks to the other side of the highway and caught a combi back to La Cruz.

March 23, 2018

Spinnaker with Sock Hung out to Dry

I met Blair, Mike, and Ed at the bus stop at 10 AM and we took a combi to the Sam’s Club in Nuevo Vallarta and then transferred to another one to get to Paradise Village where the boat was docked.  The combis headed for Paradise Village were crowded with hotel employees going to work and we didn’t all fit on one.  Mike got separated and his bus must have gone the long way because it took him forever to arrive.

The Foredeck Crew - Ed, Mike, and Blair

Once again, we left the dock about noon.  There was a bit more wind than the day before and everyone now knew his or her job.  We had mastered the spinnaker sock (pulling down on the middle of the foot prevented it from bunching up and jamming) and perfected the outside gybe.  We got off to a good start and stayed out in front the whole way.  With the additional wind, Scout’s weight became an advantage, as we could carry full sail without rounding up.  We sailed a clean race and beat Hey Ya handily.  Talion beat us by a few minutes, but not by nearly as much as the day before.  We started to suspect that maybe the ratings weren’t as rigged as Greg thought they were.

La Patrona in Her New Costume

I had plans to meet Don, Nancy, and Shoshana for dinner at La Cava, so I left shortly after we finished putting away the boat.  I took combis back to La Cruz and had just enough time to change clothes and get down to the restaurant in time for the La Patrona show.  The show had evolved quite a bit from the previous year.  While Marisa’s husband (guitar) and brother-in-law(?) son(?) (accordion and keyboard) used to just stand in the back and play, they were now much more animated and involved.  Her husband even sang a couple of songs and the younger man strolled through the audience with his accordion.  At the break, Marisa changed from her Mariachi style costume to one of the long, flowing dresses used in Mexican folk dances.  She didn’t have enough room to dance much in the restaurant, but we got the idea.  Nancy and Shoshana enjoyed the show and their dinners.

Soul Trip was playing at Ana Banana’s, so we ambled over there after dinner and enjoyed the second half of their show.  It was late by the time I got home and I had been working hard for two days.  I slept like a rock.

March 24, 2018

Scout at Paradise Village

We got away from the dock earlier on Saturday and sailed about near the starting line, estimating the wind direction and time to reach the line.  Once again, we got off to a good start, pulled away from the other boats, and stayed clear ahead. We were three minutes ahead at the first mark and six minutes ahead at the second.  The wind was strong and Hey Ya kept rounding up.  We sailed another clean race and, at the fourth mark, we were so far ahead that we couldn’t really tell which boat was rounding the mark when, but we were sure that we had beat Hey Ya and began to hope that we might beat Talion, too, although we owed them almost fifteen minutes.  We would have to wait for the race committee to post results to be sure.

The Scout Crew Minus Ed

What we could be sure of, however, was that we had beaten Hey Ya and secured second place for the regatta overall.  Greg was pleased and there was a happy atmosphere on Scout as we returned to Paradise Village.  We had a celebratory beer, put the boat away, and headed off to the showers.  Paradise Village had granted the racers access to their hospitality suite.  The guys raved about the amenities there, so I tagged along.  The women’s side is usually much emptier at sailing events, but I found the women’s showers dirty and devoid of shampoo, etc.  I would have been better off staying at the yacht club.  Still, I managed to get cleaned up and put on my new race shirt so that our crew (except Blair) could all match for our photos.

Sally, Blair, Mike, and Tom at the Beach Party

There was a party on the beach to award trophies.  The view was exceptional as the sun set.  There was a lavish buffet with an Italian theme and mountains of pastries for dessert.  We ate and greeted friends from other boats, cheering when they received awards.  Greg received a nice bamboo cutting board etched with the race information as a trophy.  Gypsy Rumba was playing, but the only member of the band I recognized was Cheko.  We danced a little, but all were eager to return to the boat to check the race results and see if we had beat Talion in the last race.

We returned to Scout and Greg went below to check his laptop for the results.  He was solemn when he came topside and announced that there had been a difference of only 2 minutes and 43 seconds in our times … in our favor!  We all went wild.  We broke out a bottle of Damiano and toasted our win.  Poor Greg had to admit that he no longer had a case for adjusting his rating.  He had finally beaten Talion.

March 25, 2018

Sunday was Nancy and Shoshana’s last day.  While I really didn’t feel like doing anything at all, I got up and met them at the market for breakfast.  Nancy and Shoshana had empanadas for breakfast and browsed through the craft stalls.  Shoshana debated whether or not to buy a Frida Kahlo collar for her dog, Sadie.  It was cooler than usual, so I didn’t get my usual cucumber juice.  Don got a sausage sandwich and we sat on the wall, listening to the band.  I chatted with some friends who were returning to Canada.  The end of March was always a sad time in La Cruz as many friends returned home at that time and left those of us who remained feeling bereft and deserted.  Bands broke up for the summer and the remaining players struggled to fill positions and soldier on for another month or so until no one was left to listen and the restaurants returned to summer hours or closed entirely.  La Cruz hibernated during the summer when even many permanent residents fled to cooler climes.

We left the main market and checked out the stalls in the plaza before returning to the boat to collect Nancy and Shoshana’s luggage.  Their taxi arrived about noon and we put them aboard and waved goodbye.  Don and I looked at each other and agreed that it was time to go home and take naps.  We had had a busy week.  I briefly considered stopping at the Green Tomate but didn’t think I could stay awake long enough to finish a drink.  I went home and spent a very quiet evening playing solitaire and texting with friends.  I didn’t even have enough energy to play the guitar.

MUSIC FROM LA CRUZ TO CHACALA

March 12, 2018

Dr. Alma, the Opthamologist in Bucerias

I was lazy most of Monday and did little other than work on my blog post for the week and text with friends.  About 3:30, I decided to go to Bucerias to pick up my new glasses.  The shop was closed when I got there, so I stayed on the combi until we got to the Chedraui and did a bit of shopping.  Then I walked back to Dr. Alma’s, hoping she might be back from siesta.  Fortunately, she was open and I was able to pick up my new glasses.  I got back to La Cruz with just enough time to practice the guitar a little before heading off to the Octopus’ Garden to meet Don.

Tatewari with Perla Alarcon

Don and I had tickets to see Tatewari that night.  The vocalist, Perla Alarcon, joined them for the evening and added greatly to our enjoyment.  I had seen her with them several years before, but all of them had matured greatly since 2013 and their show was truly spectacular.  They played a mixture of flamenco and traditional Mexican songs with a flamenco twist.  We enjoyed the music, our dinners, and the always magical ambiance of the Octopus’ Garden under the stars.

March 13, 2018

The Dance Floor at Octopus' Garden

I had been waking late and missing my morning runs, so I decided to attend Cherie’s ecstatic dance class on Tuesday morning.  Cherie played a mixture of Om chanting and other music and we each danced as we saw fit.  I used the opportunity to stretch and then get in a bit of a cardio workout.  The music was hypnotic and it felt good to be moving.  The hour passed quite quickly and then it was time to continue my exercise with a quick walk home.

I spent the afternoon playing the guitar and researching flamenco guitar teachers.  I found an interesting one in Spain who gives lessons over Skype.  I decided to explore that option further.

Coco Loco at El Coleguita

Karen had invited me to join her and some other female friends for dinner and a movie at the film festival in Puerto Vallarta.  We ate at El Coleguita in Nuevo Vallarta.  The food was excellent and the prices very reasonable.  I had ther Coco Loco, coconut shrimp and a coconut battered fish fillet with rice, garlic bread, and salad for 149 pesos.  It was more food than I could eat and easily the equal of a coconut shrimp meal in La Cruz that would have cost nearly twice as much.  Betty ordered a 50-peso margarita that was large enough to swim in.  Though we took our time enjoying our food, she was unable to finish it.

The Screen at Marina Vallarta

The movie was screened outdoors at Dock L in Marina Vallarta.  The film was The Weekend Sailor, a documentary about the Sayula II, the Mexican race boat that won the first Fastnet Around the World Race.  The boat was sailed by a Mexican millionaire and his inexperienced family, assisted by a motley crew of young Americans and Europeans.  Their triumph over much more experienced and better supported teams from traditional sailing nations was unexpected and a great source of pride for Mexico.  The mostly Mexican audience went nuts when the film showed the Sayula II winning the race.  Forty-five years later, that win was still very exciting for Mexicans and it was very moving to experience that emotion.  The Sayula II was docked alongside the venue.  She had just been relocated to Puerto Vallarta in time for the screening.  Although she was a Swan 65, she looked awfully small to have sailed around the horn and across the roaring forties.  The footage of the towering waves on that passage further re-enforced my opinion that the only way I wanted to sail around the horn was on a cruise ship.

March 14-15, 2018

Bobby and Jane at the Poolside Deli

I got up in time to hear the net, but not early enough to go for a run.  By the time I finished breakfast, I barely had time to scurry down to the marina to meet up with Jane from Chantey for our weekly music circle.  Jane played the accordion and a gentleman named Tony, who played a tin whistle, joined us.  Eventually, my friend Bobby joined us with his guitar.  With guitar, whistle, and accordion, the music was very different from earlier weeks and we concentrated mostly on Irish tunes and sea chanteys.  We played for over three hours.

I was hot and sweaty by the time I got home and spent the rest of the afternoon learning about flamenco and practicing a bit.  After dinner, I wrote for a while and then relaxed by watching British dramas on Netflix.

Thursday was a slow day.  I stayed home and practiced the guitar.  In the evening, John, Cherie, and I went to the free movie night at the marina to see Trumbo, which was an unexpected delight.  Don was supposed to join us, but he was late and we didn’t find him until the movie was over.  It seemed like all my lost friends appeared at once on the way back to the car.  Just as we met Don, I also met my friends, Blair and Greg, whom I had kept missing for the past month.  We chatted a bit and promised to catch up when I got back from Chacala.

March 16, 2018

I got up rather early on Friday because I wanted to go to the bank in Bucerias before meeting Karen at noon to go to Chacala.  I took a combi to the bank and was back at the house by 10:30. Karen got stuck on the telephone making travel arrangements, so it was 1:30 before she and Marc picked me up from the side of the highway and we headed off to Chacala.

Traffic was heavy as far as San Pancho, but it thinned out after that and we made it to Chacala in two hours.  While all of Banderas Bay is on Jalisco time, the rest of Nayarit is an hour behind.  Despite our late start, we still made it to my AirBnB on schedule.

The View from My Terrace at Casa Roca

I couldn’t tell much about the place I had rented from the pictures on AirBnB, but it turned out to be gorgeous.  Everything was new and clean and there was a beautiful swimming pool and a lovely terrace with a view of the ocean.  I convinced Karen to make use of the trundle bed in my room and Marc got a hotel room a bit closer to the beach (and the noisy main road.)  After everyone got checked in, we had just enough time for a beer before the festival started at 5:00.

The Palm Grove

Everyone Wanted a Picture of the Sunset

The first hour was music and dance performed by kids from the local schools.  None of it was spectacular, but it was pleasant to sit in the palm grove where the festival was held and watch the sun set.  I had an ice cream cone for dinner.

High School Dance Troupe

Makupa Dancing with His Cello

        

The first professional act was Makupa, a fellow who played the cello and performed original music using looping technology.  He wore a black sombrero that looked more like a witch’s hat than anything else.  The sound was terrible and we couldn’t hear the cello.  The best part was when he danced with the cello, stamping his feet like a flamenco dancer.  We stayed for his set, but rapidly lost patience with the terrible sound quality.

My Room at Casa Roca (Trundle Bed Pulled Out)

The second act was a band called the Autistas (Autistics.)  They were very loud and, with the terrible sound, affected me like fingernails on a blackboard.  Karen and I left and went back to our room to read for the rest of the evening.  Marc stayed and said he enjoyed the music.  We could hear it pretty clearly from our room, so did enjoy the third act, La Garfield.

March 17, 2018

The View from Chac Mool

Our room was quiet and the beds comfortable enough, but neither Karen nor I could get to sleep until the early morning hours.  Consequently, we got up late.  We sat on the terrace, using the Wi-Fi, for an hour or so and then repaired to Chac Mool, a palapa restaurant on the beach, for breakfast and coffee.  Marc joined us about noon and ordered lunch.  We sat at that table for the entire afternoon, eventually swimming and ordering cool drinks, until we got hungry again and ordered an early dinner.  The service was slow and it took so long to get our check that we missed most of the school kids on Saturday night.

We still got our share of youth, however, because the first “professional” act was a fourteen-year-old boy named Nachito Vallarta who sang and played guitar.  He was very talented for his age and did a good job, playing a variety of original, Mexican, and classic rock songs.  He was nervous when he wasn’t playing, so gave almost no introduction to his songs. As a result, it took a lot of songs to fill an hour.  He soldiered on and was definitely better than the first couple of acts the night before.

Ballet Mexcaltitan

The second act was the Ballet Mexcaltitan.  Their music was recorded, but the dancers were good and the costumes beautiful.  They performed folkloric dances.  There was a lot of repetition in the dances, but the costumes were interesting and there was one fascinating dance where the men clacked machetes together and I was afraid someone would lose a foot.  The company also had a little boy and girl who provided comic relief.  They were actually very good dancers and never missed a step.

Food and Drink Stalls at the Chacala Music Festival

The last band was a group called Asuntos Varios.  They played music with a Latin flair and many people got up to dance.  The night’s music definitely ended on a high note. The ice cream was melted, but there were interesting craft beers to taste.  It was St. Patrick’s Day, so I opted for a licorice stout that was very tasty and not too heavy.

March 18, 2018

Pool at Casa Roca

Karen had gone back to La Cruz the night before to fetch our friends, John and Janice.  I got up an had a swim in the lovely pool.  The water temperature was perfect.  Marc and I arrived at Chac Mool by 11:00 and ordered breakfast and coffee.  There wasn’t a beachfront table when we arrived, but we had moved forward one table by the time the food arrived and eventually snagged a front one before Karen and the others arrived about noon.  Once again, we spent the day in the shade of the restaurant.  Karen and I did take a walk along the beach to where the locals tied up their pangas.

Cove Where the Pangas Moor in Chacala

The Beach at Chacala

Knowing the service was slow, we ordered dinner about 3:30.  Some of us still hadn’t received our food by the time the festival started at 5:00.  We cancelled those orders and asked for the check, which took so long that we barely managed to get to the festival in time to get seats.  They never did charge us for the breakfast and coffee that Marc and I had had and we didn’t bother to correct them because we never would have gotten out of there if they had had to recalculate the bill.

Panta Rei

The student presentations were over by the time we arrived.  It took us some time to gather up five chairs, but we eventually managed to snag a table when some of the parents left.  The first band was Panta Rei, a group of young Argentines featuring an accordion.  I recognized them from the fund raiser for Wayland at the Octopus’ Garden.  They were very good and we all appreciated their music. 

Gypsy Rumba

I was really looking forward to seeing the second band, Gypsy Rumba, because they had been one of my favorites the previous year.  I was excited to see that Alberto from Tatewari was playing lead guitar because, after the split up of Luna Rumba, Gypsy Rumba had been left without a strong lead guitarist.  The show did not go well, however.  The sound was awful and the drums couldn’t be heard, which put the drummer in a foul mood.  The lead guitarist looked bored.  Despite some welcome new material, the show fell flat.  It looked like there was dissension among the ranks and they couldn’t get off the stage fast enough.  The last group was Maria Mezcal, a group playing modern Mexican music.  Karen and Janice left and waited in the truck, but Marc, John and I stayed until the end and enjoyed them.

Maria Mezcal

Palm Grove at Night

It was a long drive back to La Cruz, but we still had enough energy for several games of Rummikub at John and Janice’s place when we got back.  I didn’t get home until 1:30 in the morning.

LA CRUISIN’

March 5-7, 2018

I got up early to run on Monday and then spent most of the day working on my blog.  It felt like I hadn’t done much the week before, but it added up to quite a bit when I was writing about it.

Running on the Breakwater at Dawn

I had dinner with Betty at the La Cruz Inn and then we went to Ana Banana’s to hear Soul Trip.  They were good, as always, and played some nice blues.  They drew a big crowd and the bar had set up extra tables in the dirt off to the side.  We stayed for a couple of sets and then headed home.

Tuesday, I had intended to go to Walmart to purchases ingredients to make a cake for Cherie’s birthday.  It turned out that Bobby, Cherie and Eddie were headed that way in Eddie’s minivan, so I caught a ride with them.  We stopped at the cellular hospital in Bucerias to pick up Eddie’s wife’s computer and then drive to Mezcales to deliver some of Bobby’s artwork to his sister who has a house there.

Ben and Carol's Pool in Mezcales

Bobby’s sister, Carol, and her husband, Ben, own a fourplex in Mezcales.  They rent three of the units to other Canadians during the season.  They had a nice, saltwater pool and a great outdoor kitchen.  The whole place was decorated with lots of local artwork.  Cherie, Bobby, and I took a swim.  It was fun to see their place.  I didn’t usually have a reason to visit a residential neighborhood in Mezcales, so that was interesting.

The Walmart in Nuevo Vallarta

From Ben and Carol’s, we took the back way to Walmart and did a little shopping.  I ran around and tried to disguise the fact that I was buying cake ingredients from Cherie.  I wanted the cake to be a surprise.  Between the side trips and the visiting, my trip to Walmart took all day and I didn’t even get to go to the music store.  It was past 5:00 by the time we got back.  I fried up some potatoes with leftover arrachera and stayed in for the evening.

I was awake half the night, so didn’t get up in time to run on Wednesday morning.  I puttered around the house and then left about noon to go to the stationery store and print out some song sheets on my way to the marina for my music circle.  I also stopped at the Octopus’s Garden to buy tickets for a couple of upcoming concerts.

Part of our music group had sailed away, but Jane from Chantey joined us with her accordion.  It was almost too windy to play, but we had a good time, anyway.  Rick and Marilyn were due to head north on Friday, but Jane and I agreed to carry on the following week.

I had a hot walk back up to the house and then spent the rest of the afternoon writing and lounging.

March 8, 2018

Improvised Birthday Cake

Cherie went sailing on Thursday, so I stayed home and baked her a birthday cake.  I couldn’t find real cake pans anywhere, so used a glass baking dish.  The dish was too small and the batter overflowed and made a mess in the oven.  The oven had temperature measured in Celsius and probably wasn’t accurate anyway.  It took forever to get done and then was gooey on top and burned on the bottom.  At least it didn’t stick to the pan.  I turned it out, trimmed off the burned bits, cut it in half, and made a square layer cake.  It wasn’t the most beautiful cake I ever produced, but it tasted good and I somehow managed to keep it a secret from Cherie.

Don and I went out for dinner at the Ballena Blanca and then went to see Paris Can Wait at the free movie night in the marina.

March 9, 2018

Friday was Cherie’s birthday and she went to spend the day with friends at a local beach club.  I stayed home to practice the guitar, since she and our friend, Bobby, were urging me to play at the open mic at Rhythm and Blues, a bar in Bucerias.

Mexican Train Dominoes

I went to my Friday evening domino game at the marina.  We had a large and boisterous crowd and it was much wilder than usual.  The marina was full and everyone was there.  I avoided the margaritas they were serving, as they were made with scary blue tequila and I had drinking to do later.  I left at 7:00 and walked home to meet my housemates as the sun was setting.

Me Playing at Rhythm & Blues

We got to Bucerias just as the music was starting and I signed up to play.  Bobby was already there and was slated to play second.  I went third.  I was nervous, as I wasn’t used to playing and singing into microphones, but I relaxed after the first song.  The noisy crowd got very quiet when I launched into Bob Dylan’s 2018 version of The Times They Are A’ Changing. I had them after that.  The owner and the sound guy were very helpful, complimentary, and encouraging.  They even comped my (non-alcoholic) drink.  I felt guilty about singing and running, but it was getting late and Cherie wanted to go out for a crepe dinner.  I made my apologies and promised to stay longer the next time.

Cherie and I went to Casa Triskell in Bucerias for dinner.  The restaurant was very French and we sat outside at a little bistro table on a terrace overlooking the street.  I had a fabulous crepe with two kinds of cheese, bacon, honey, and walnuts.  It came with a nice green salad served in a bowl made from a baked crepe.  It was a very enjoyable meal.

Cherie Making a Wish

There were two bands battling for supremacy across the street and a third one started up towards the end of the meal.  It was cacophonous.  In the middle of that crazy noise, a Mexican band started up down the street and blew all three of them away with their tuba.  It was hilarious.  I was just glad they had waited until after I had played.  I made a mental note not to try to play in Bucerias after 9:00 pm.  I had never been in that part of Bucerias at night before and it was pretty wild.  The Canadians were partying.

We had planned to go to Ana Bananas to dance after dinner, but people had been buying Cherie drinks all day and night and she was ready to go home.  Having consumed a single glass of wine, I drove home.  It was the first time I had driven in Bucerias, but I managed to negotiate the narrow, one way, often blocked streets and get us home in one piece.  I was proud of myself.  It had been a very full day.

Once we got home, we lit the birthday candle and enjoyed sour cream chocolate cake.

March 10, 2018

The New Outside Seating at Las Palapas

I was sitting at the kitchen table on Saturday morning, when a strange woman walked in.  She turned out to be Cherie’s friend, Kundra, who had stopped by for a visit on her way back to Yelapa from San Miguel.  I had already eaten, but we decided to go to Las Palapas for breakfast.  I went along for coffee and the view, as Las Palapas is at La Manzanilla Beach and it was a beautiful morning.  The restaurant had made improvements to their outside seating area.  Cherie and Kundra enjoyed the buffet and I had a cup of rather miserable coffee.  After breakfast, we took a nice walk on the beach.

Geo and Lobo at the Octopus' Garden

I did little other than pick up a few items from the grocery store for the rest of the afternoon.  Don and I joined some other friends at the Octopus’ Garden, that evening, to see Geo and Lobo play.  I had a fabulous bowl of etouffee for dinner.  The music was great and the surroundings magical but, unfortunately, the next door neighbors started playing banda music about half way through the show and it was a battle after that.  One flamenco guitar and one violin had a hard time competing against the horns and drums next door.  It was a shame.  Still, we managed to enjoy the music and Geo and Lobo got two standing ovations.  It was the first time I had seen Geo play that season and I was glad to see him without the electronic gadgetry that he favored.  Lobo brought

him back to basics and we could enjoy his skill and passion without distraction.

March 11, 2018

Break Dancer at the Market

I got up late on Sunday morning because there were people in the kitchen and I wasn’t feeling social.  Eventually, I got up and visited with Cherie and Bobby while I did a load of laundry.  By the time I hung it out to dry, it was time to walk down to the market.  Cherie and I got juice and something to eat and sat and listened to the band for a bit. Three break dancers were spinning around on a mat spread over the sand.  One of them even had a break dancing dog.  I bought some porchetta and a loaf of sourdough bread and then we walked over to the Green Tomate to listen to the Crazy Boys for a bit.  We stayed for one drink and then went home.  The Green Tomate is a great location, but the music is just too loud.

Colorful Wares at the Sunday Market

I spent the afternoon practicing the guitar and then made Spanish rice and chicken with guajillo sauce for dinner.  I was home alone for most of the evening and it was very peaceful.  I got a chance to catch up on my blog and watch a little Netflix.