Welcome to Six Flags Mexico

That's something you don't want to hear while on a boat in a town that isn't known for their amusement parks. As of this morning, Alex (the tropical storm) has moved out of the way and the sun has returned to the beaches of Cancun. However, left in its wake were some really rough seas today. We were warned before heading on the boat tour to a nearby island that the ride would not be smooth. They even encouraged us to reschedule for later in the week, if seasickness was something familiar to you. Bartee and I decided to stick with the plan for going today because the rest of the week has been planned with other activities. I must say, the ride was a little crazy.

Here is a sample of what it was like...



After reaching the island, we opted for the snorkeling package. The snorkeling was a bit like the boat ride only we didn't have propellers for feet to fight the current. As soon as each one of us dropped in the water, we were immediately swept away from the boat. It was impossible for the whole group to stay together in those currents. A Mom was a little panicked with her 11 year old because there were some fairly large jutting rocks in the area and she was worried about slamming into them. Frankly, we were all worried about the same thing. Being a strong swimmer, I tried a few times to swim directly against the current and managed only to stay in place, if that. It was a little rough to be out there and when the tour operators realized that, they decided to load us back up and take us to shore.



The rest of the afternoon on the island we spent shopping. This was the first time since being here that we actually felt like we'd left the USA. It was fun to see the shops, the traffic, local beachside restaurants and the street vendors. We grabbed a Nestle ice cream bar (very Mexican, I know) and a wooden souvenir that we bargained for. In the end, we saved 75% of the original quoted price and probably still paid too much.







The boat ride back was on seas that were just as rough as the morning, if not rougher, so that was fun. The tour operators that work on the boat are very entertaining though, so it probably kept the minds of the seasick riders occupied enough not to get sick. I did see one lady in the front row riding with her eyes closed, holding on to the bench, and taking deep breaths the entire 40 minutes of the journey. Here's a sampling of what we did on the boat ride back. Keep an eye on the water level rising and falling out the boat windows while the guides are singing...

I Can't Even Believe This

These are words that you don't expect to hear from the captain of the airplane while you are sitting on the runway getting ready to take off, yet that's just what he announced. On Friday, we set out for our first kid-less vacation since, well, having children. We got off to a bit of a glitchy start. The plane had mechanical problems in the right engine and eventually, after loading and deplaning us twice, they decided to ditch that plane and borrow another aircraft on its way in from San Juan. Our flight that was to leave at 3:40pm out of Baltimore ended up leaving at 10pm that night.

We spent the night in Miami at an old Holiday Inn, which I prefer to call "The Shining". The bathtub had peeling paint and the toothbrushes lent to us by the front desk were only slightly stronger than cardboard. We left Miami this morning and arrived here in Cancun by mid-morning. Whenever a flight gets delayed or canceled it's always questionable as to when and if the luggage will arrive at your final destination. As we landed today, our back row seats afforded us this lovely view of the first pieces of luggage coming off the plane. Imagine our relief when Bartee's golf bag was clearly in view! A glimmer of hope.



We made it just in time for the first tropical storm of the season... Alex. :) Actually, he took a southerly route so today's weather was hit or miss, mostly hit, but we expect that he'll be gone tomorrow and we'll see a lot more of the sun. We're all set for this week's "excursions" and can't wait for the good weather to accompany them. Expect pictures of Zip Line swinging, Swimming with the Dolphins and Golf over at Moon Palace. That is, if I remember to drag my camera around.

Here are a couple that were taken at the hotel tonight.

Reunion With My Girls

I met up with some childhood, these girls go way back to elementary school, friends today at my parents place. We started last year and are hoping that it'll continue to be an annual event.

The day was filled with fun times reminiscing about things of the past. Kym reminded me of a time when we were swimming in the pool with our clothes on. Why we did this no one can remember. But in any case she went inside to use the bathroom and couldn't get her Jordache jeans off! Remember the days of the painted-on denim look? When you had to lie down on the bed to get them zipped up? Yes, those were the ones she had on that day and if you imagine how hard they were to get on dry, they must have been impossible to remove wet. Kathy remembers my house for HBO and other cable channels... I personally remember MTV. My Dad is a gadget guy and so we'd usually have newer things when they came out (like the microwave, the VCR player). She remembers watching horror movies on HBO at my house like "Cujo" and "The Shining". There were birthday slumber parties at Jane's house, middle school parties at Angie's house and a party at Kathy's where everyone was blindfolded, put into a "hearse" (the family station wagon) then carted off to the local haunted house. Fun times indeed.

We're all on the cusp of turning 40, still happy and healthy, with children who are about to develop their own childhood memories like us. You can't ask for much more than that.

Here are some pictures from the day...


Friends from long ago.


Jane drove down from Massachusetts so she missed the group shot taken earlier in the day, but no worries, the party lasted 'til the sun went down.


Everyone enjoying the pool.


We had a guest visit from a 3 week old baby lamb. Karen owns a nearby farm, so she always has some surprise in store for us. Last year she gave all the kids pony rides in the front yard.


Here's Skippy with Caboose. Skippy thinks he's a dog because he's been hand-raised and has spent a lot of time with the family dog, so when Caboose went inside to cool off, this little guy cried until we sent him back out.

In Maryland

After a 4 day journey, we safely reached the east coast last night around dinnertime. With GPS, satellite radio, in-seat DVD players and the cell phone, I couldn't have been more technologically prepared for the trip. The kids watched too many movies along the way, but it made for a peaceful and relaxing drive for Mom. Caboose even cooperated, staying in the 3rd seat for most of the journey. The first day he was a bit anxious wondering when we were going to get to the "dog park", but after lunch when he realized that we weren't stopping anytime soon he began to settle in. The next 2 days he basically slept in the back seat and I had to keep reminding myself that we hadn't left him behind at the last rest stop.

Along the way, we stayed with friends and family who were such gracious hosts, particularly putting up with Caboose when neither of them have dogs of their own. We stayed one extra day to rest in the lovely town of Shelbyville, IN with Bartee's cousin and her family. All in all it was a smooth and uneventful drive. We're looking forward to staying put here in Maryland for a while though.

Home Projects

For now at least, the trips to Home Depot have slowed to a near standstill. I swear they know me in there. I stopped saving my receipts when I found out that the transactions from the last 90 days are still in the computer so you can just whip out your credit card and they can look it up for you.

It used to be so difficult for me to navigate that store, but now I feel like I know it like the back of my hand, wrinkles and all. Interested in a new handle for your screen door or those little felt thingys that go on the bottom of furniture? They are in Door Hardware - Isle 10, left hand side. Plumbing, specifically toilet wax rings, the extended ones for tile installation? Isle 41 or maybe it's 39... I can't keep this one straight. And for the love of God the flood protection flexible supply pipe is overkill for what you need. The basic one is much cheaper and hanging on the hooks about 1/2 way up from the floor. Lumber for your deck or the dog seat you're building... it's in the back left corner of the store, and the really young good looking guy will cut and load it in your car for you. Duct tape, liquid nails and caulk for the baseboards? In the paint section. Of course that's where they keep the duct tape! Bit of advice: Don't ask the new chick (shoulder-length black hair, usually working the self check-out) where to find door stoppers... she will pull out her handy one-page directory and even then won't find them on the list. Do, however, stop to see Pam in Custom Blinds. She is super helpful and might even refer her brother-in-law to lay tile for you.

So if you're local and you need a tour of the Home Depot, just give me a call. I think I'm well-suited for the job.

New Family Member

Not one under this roof, but my sister just had her 3rd baby... a sweet little girl named Sydney. Being the proud Aunt that I am, I must post a picture of this cutie here to share.



That's the second time since I started this blog that she and her husband have reproduced. With her first two kids, she went back to work full time after a few weeks of maternity leave. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the working parents, but I'm looking forward to hearing about my sister's experience this time. She is planning to stay at home for about a year with this one. I think she's as much nervous about it as excited to be full-time Mommy. I'm anxious to hear how she compares the two experiences.

After announcing the news to the kids of their new cousin, Priya wanted to know some details. She rambled, "What does she look like? Is she blonde? I guess so, because Nora is." Sanjay sounded surprised... "Nora's blonde?". Priya said, "Yeah her hair is light". Sanjay was like, "Oh, I thought you meant she couldn't see". Priya and I had a good chuckle at that one.

The Spider Thief

While driving in the car this weekend, Sanjay says, "Daddy, when we get home or sometime soon can you get rid of that spider web in the window?". I knew which one he was talking about because he mentioned it today when I was cleaning all the sawdust off the walls. He meant the one in the window that's about 10 feet off the floor. This one:



My immediate thought is that spider is not really invading Sanjay's space much, so why is he bothered by it? I told Sanjay, "He lives up really high so you don't have to worry about him" to which Sanjay replied, "Yeah, he came down on his web and took the gum from my watch". He was talking about the toy gum-filled watch that he earned from the prize box at piano class last week. Curious, I asked him "How do you know that?". "Priya told me", he said. This boy believes EVERYTHING Priya says... he often turns to her when he doesn't think my answer is correct. I only wish I had seen Priya's face when he shared with us the amazing feat of this lowly house spider. I'm sure it said... B-U-S-T-E-D. She's sneaky, that one.

Priya was promptly made to tell Sanjay the truth about where his gum ended up and then she apologized. Lesson learned? I doubt it. :)