Celebrating with Royalty

For at least 100 years scientists and nature lovers have studied and tracked the 3000-mile migratory path of the monarch butterflies. We got to get up close and personal with these ultra insect athletes here in Mexico. And it just happened to be on John’s birthday.

Jab-er-Whacky

This is not going to be a political or judgmental story. Whether or not you choose to have a covid vaccination is your own business. We chose to be vaccinated, and this is the tale of everything we went through here in Mexico to get “the jab.” Believe me, it wasn’t easy.

When Cake is King

Here in Mexico, the Christmas season seems to go on forever. Well, not exactly forever, but it does gos on past the New Year, until February. Today, January 6th, is a huge part of the celebration. Today is Dia de Los Reyes, Three Kings Day, also known as Epiphany.

Mexican New Year

A friend asked us what we had planned for New Year’s this year. I hadn’t really given it much thought, so I answered that we’d probably watch fireworks on our rooftop, have a few adult beverages and try our best to stay awake until midnight.

It got me to thinking about how Mexico celebrates a new year. I know there will be tons of fireworks since Mexicans celebrate A LOT with fireworks, but I knew there had to be more.

So, I did a little research and found a treasure trove of customs that make the holiday so special here in Mexico.

Here is the super cool stuff I found.

Crossing Over the Line

It’s been over two years since the covid pandemic has upended our lives. It is understandable to miss things from your pre-pandemic lifestyle…like attending live football games, seeing smiling people (unmasked) on the sidewalk, hugging, having a date night, and of course, traveling. We can relate, especially when it comes to taking trips. In fact, traveling on a plane, going somewhere…anywhere…has changed for all of us.

Chihuahua

If you’ve ever been around chihuahuas, you will totally understand and relate to everything in this story. If not, then maybe, like us, this will provide several knowledge nuggets about this tiny yapper that you didn’t know. Regardless, we hope you’ll be entertained!

Beginning to See the Light

Remember the cartoon character, Mr. Magoo?

The Mr. Magoo animated series debuted in 1949. Jim Backus (Mr. Howell of Gilligan’s Island fame) voiced Magoo, and I’ll bet you didn’t realize that three of the cartoons were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Animated Shorts. Later, Leslie Nielsen played Magoo in the movie version.

So, here’s the crux of the cartoon’s saga. J. Quncy Magoo, was a short, elderly, squinty-eyed, big-nosed retiree. He was Rutgers educated and a millionaire. But he had one big flaw. Mr. Magoo was extremely nearsighted, which, face it, happens to us all as we age. Not a big deal, right?

Wrong!

Magoo stubbornly refused to admit that he has any kind of problem, much less a vision one. This led to a series of comical, usually dangerous, situations. Bystanders in the cartoon segments thought him to be accident-prone, codgerly and basically a nut job. But Magoo always uncannily seemed to pull through each foible exclaiming at the end of each episode,

“Oh Magoo, you’ve done it again!”

Sigh! As a kid, I loved Mr. Magoo.

Gasp! Choke! Gulp! As an adult, until four months ago, I WAS Mr. Magoo!

Wholly Guacamole

September 16th is National Guacamole Day! Hooray!

It’s also Mayflower Day, Mexican Independence Day and Play-Doh Day.

We are so impressed by the courageous voyage of the Mayflower. Yay Pilgrims!

Also, we both loved playing with Play-Doh when we were kids. And, gulp, when my mom and teachers weren’t looking, I ate some.

But today, we are going to celebrate the time that Mexico gained independence from Spain, with something super yummy to eat. From what I remember, guacamole tastes much better than Play-Doh. Bravocado Mexico!

Welcome to Barra-dise

We consider ourselves lucky.

As of today, our friends and family are all COVID-free and somewhat still employed. Most of them still have some semblance of sanity. Okay, okay, we admit, a few of them were already crazy going into the pandemic, but we still love them. Our “tribe” is hanging in there.

John and I are “stuck” in Mexico.

To many people, the idea of being quarantined in a foreign country can be unnerving. In fact, it’s so scary that many expats have fled back to their home countries. But, for us, we are living out what’s probably the most calamitous global crisis in recent history while barefoot and bikini clad. As I said, we are lucky. Our current isolation conditions here in Barra de Navidad, Mexico, are absolutamente perfecto! (downright perfect!)

From Sea to Shining Sea –Mexican Style

Fear not. I promise, this isn’t going to be a geography lesson. Geography is my worst category on Jeopardy. But on May 1st, we traveled from Cancun, Mexico, to Barra de Navidad, Mexico, which afforded us the privilege of being on the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean) and then the seashore of the Pacific, within 24 hours! This may not be a big deal for a lot of folks, but for us, it was.