A Mismaloya lunch

Today we accepted a  lunch invitation to a friend's home in Mismaloya, about 20 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta. Arriving early for a tour, we climbed up and down many flights of stairs to view the rooms on all nine levels from the parking garage down to the pool terrace.

The property contains three casitas as well as being home to the owner and his dogs. Visitors are housed in separate quarters(casitas) with a sitting area, bedroom and private bathrooms. One of the bathrooms has water pouring into the shower from an exposed rock wall. All levels have a full 180 degree view of the Bay.

After lunch we sat with our coffees, overlooking the water as hundreds of swallows swooped through the air. They were very efficiently scooping drinks of water from the neighbour's infinity pool. What an amazing sight!

Powerful sculpture

Chained to the weight of the world

as she collapses behind him

on his path of destruction.

You're never too old!

Soon to celebrate her 93rd birthday,

Jean joins Doug with a noodle in the pool!

Morning reflections

It is 9:30am on a Sunday morning. I am sitting outside with my coffee and toast, the only one out of bed in our household. Up early every morning, I enjoy watching the small fish boats being stalked by flocks of gulls and pelicans. Then the water taxis start their short trips south to Yalapa loaded with tourists and locals who are forced to walk into the waters of the bay to board these aging vessels. The decrepit pier, with gaping holes, was dismantled last year before PV hosted the Pan Am summer games.

Even on a Sunday morning, it is never quiet here. Traffic along the roadway below is constant, waves crash to the shore, dogs bark, birds chatter. The singular advantage to Sundays is that it is a day of rest for local construction so the condo development on the other side of the road will be quiet today...no diesel fumes from a generator, no crashing of supplies, no drilling or pouring or sanding or yelling back and forth.

There is a half moon in a blue sky this morning. The clouds have disappeared and the forecast is for a clear, hot day. I have exhausted the supply of reading material on the shelves downstairs, at least the books of interest: Portrait of a Turkish Family by Irfan Orga, The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt(winner of the Governor General's Literary award), Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie(again), The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz(winner of the Pulitzer Prize). The last one contains descriptive references to the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and is a brilliant read!

Guess I'll have to spend the afternoon in the pool!

Snipped!

The kittens survived their ordeal yesterday, rendering them less masculine and very groggy. They returned home after having their testicles snipped and staggered around from lap to lap. Amazingly they hadn't lost their navigational skills, managing to locate their food dishes with very little effort. The water bowl was more of a challenge. It looked like they were washing their paws each time they approached the bowl. Despite the cautionary advice of the Vet to keep them quiet for a couple of days, they were attacking each other and rolling around in their usual play mode this morning.

Painting the cupola

Amidst scaffolding and ladders, John started to paint a portion of the image 

that he transferred onto the bathroom cupola ceiling.

A Page in the Sun (Una Pagina en el Sol)

Other than the dishwasher, I am the only woman in this place. It is the morning coffee gathering cafe for gay francophones, most of them are well beyond their "best before date". Even their laughter holds a hint of quebecois as they share stories.

I sit inside and look out at them as they sit clustered around small cafe tables on the sidewalk. Beside me, a forty foot length of wall is lined with used pocket novels for sale at special prices. The books are stacked in alphabetical order by authors' names on seven layers of shelving.

Small cafe style tables are scattered inside, mixed with an odd assortment of easy chairs and couches. There are more books piled at the back, waiting to be shelved.

I enjoy a small Americano and a banana-chocolate chip muffin for 36 pesos($2.70) with the hope that it will energize me for the steep uphill hike back to the Quinta! By the time I am ready to leave at 9:30am, the entire outdoor section is empty. They have all headed for their favourite spots at the beach.