Beads and zippers

Shelly arrived on Monday afternoon and I am very grateful to have female company! I made a salmon loaf, Moroccan chickpeas and Roe's eggplant dish for her welcome dinner. Everyone seemed to enjoy the flavours.

Yesterday we had a lazy day, picked up groceries for dinner...steamed artichokes, fritatta and salad. Yummh! Today we played with beads at Connie's..

Connie hosts bead parties where she hauls out THOUSANDS of beads

for the creative pleasure of those attending.

THIS IS JUST A SMALL ASSORTMENT!

Every size, colour, material and shape is available.

Some have large holes and others have small holes.

She offers a variety of earring wires, bracelet  and necklace materials

to string your choice of beads.

Connie helping to assemble Shelly's bracelet.

Josie, Shelly, Connie and I model our creations.

Shelly made earrings and a bracelet while I created two gorgeous bracelets. Our first visit was a gift from Connie. She has a price list for the creation of other jewellery...very modest pricing with valuable assistance and good company. It was a lot of fun!!

Tonight we drove to El Rio again for a sparerib dinner and music by Sylvie and the Zippers! More fun!

Isla Cuale

On a quiet morning I walked through Isla Cuale 

and discovered some murals hidden on the back side of buildings.

A piano recital filled the air.

It is always a good idea to search for the hidden treasures.

These two cuties were resting in a shop.

This island was known as "cat" island because it had become home to many feral cats

that have since been picked up, neutered and adopted by visiting gringos.

Obesity

Yesterday I wandered through the aisles of a Mexican supermarket with my camera.

Mexicans drink an estimated 163 litres (36 imperial gallons) on average per person every year 

- 40% more than an average American (who drinks 118 litres, or 26 gallons). 

In January 2014, Mexico introduced a national tax on sugary drinks and junk food 

- a 10% tax on every litre of sugar-sweetened drinks and an 8% tax on high-calorie food. 

The country leads the world in childhood obesity with 10% of children being introduced to sugary sodas before they are six months old and 80% of children addicted to sodas by the time they reach two years of age. In the poorest households, monthly purchases of sweet drinks fell by a full 17% in the first year after the tax was introduced in 2014 .

We often see people rolling grocery carts of huge bottles filled with sugary drinks out to their cars. Obesity is not restricted to children in this country. Considering the number of overweight women, it is interesting to note that it is impossible to find large bras in any of the stores where Mexican women shop!

I can't imagine the discomfort of strapping on a bra that is many sizes too small!

Swirls and bubbles

Swirls and bubbles

Signage, shadows and stilts

I took a different route on my morning walk today and discovered some unusual signage.

Does this translate to "The Zero House"?

What is a Jewelry Author?

This could have so many meanings!

There was no signage on this van...not sure what message was intended!

I couldn't resist the shadows of this contraption on the Malecon!

These musicians often perform at the Saturday Market.

I was greeted with open arms by this stilt walker outside the gym.

No Trump Zone - Friday gathering

This morning we joined the Friday "No Trump Zone" group for coffee and discussion. The consensus seemed to be that Trump's cohorts are going to collapse and pull him along with them. This seems to be wishful thinking...but...it has happened before.

The succession rule for Trump (the current President of the USA) would be Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, Oran Hatch, Rex Tillerson. That is a scary lineup of potential replacements for today's leader!

Margo and Mike...partners for 54 years.

Mike designed the logo for our t-shirts.

At one point in his work history he considered a position with the radio station in Salmon Arm!

After our group meeting we did some shopping around town and were continually met with gratitude from locals who stopped to thank us or gave us a "thumbs up" sign of appreciation. Many gringos also asked where they could buy a shirt. 

Dinner, politics & massage

We hosted another dinner last night. This time there were eight Canadians around the table and one Republican American. He was dramatically outnumbered but it didn't stop him from hurling abuse at Hillary and decrying Obama's tenure! Despite repeated requests for "NO POLITICS" at the dinner table, the conversations continued to circulate around Trump.

Enjoying cocktails and appies in the Mirador.

I made figs with blue cheese wrapped in prosciutto broiled in the oven

and a plate of small lettuce leaves with slices of smoked tuna & a drop of wasabi.

I never know what I will see on my morning walks...

... photo shoot (2 camera guys) of a massage on the beach!