Hello from Sunday night

They say that if you see the green flash just at the moment of sunset, you cannot be deceived in matters of the heart. So I've watched each sunset here, photographing the last moment, till the last evening of our vacation, when conditions were just right for me to be able to bring it to you.So now, with digital photography, we can all see the green flash and all understand and be true judges of character, and possibly live happily ever after.(I knew I was good for something...lol.) :DSo get ready, because it's going...going......gone. :DSharing with Mary for Mosaic Monday

Our last full day of vacation

Another perfectly wonderful day in paradise.The day dawned bright and sunny and warm. The euphoria I'd felt after coming to the place could almost rival the time when we'd taken vacation rentals in st augustine florida for their famous beaches.We splashed around with the aqua-cise group.....and did a little bird watching.We did a little painting......and took a taxi into town.Where we walked up and down all the streets,Noticed all the people,Looked at all the buildings...inside and out,Saw some probably once in a lifetime things...like prom queens getting into the bed of a pickup truck :DMade some new friends,And came back to the resort for a Caribbean fiesta party.One more sleep, one more fabulous day, and tomorrow evening we fly home.

Patrice's wonderful drawing challenge, water

This morning I sat in the cool light contemplating the ocean and Patrice's drawing challenge.For some reason I had yesterdays sand sculptures on my mind; especially this lovely iguana which was claimed by a pelican. I wondered if the sea came up in the night and the water claimed the sand back as its own.This afternoon I used the resort's acrylics to draw myself the sea.And then I walked down the beach and offered the sea a bit of art. Ephemeral as it is, it will be washed away by the water and the only thing left will be a memory. :)When you have a chance, click on Patrice's link and visit some of the other wonderful artists. :D

No point saying TGIF right about now

I love to check in with everyone in the morning. Usually I get the rounds in my email inbox and just click on everyone and see what you're up to. If I can't subscribe by email, then it takes me forever to click around, so I love the email option.Where was I going with this?Oh yeah. Daryl wrote TGIF on her post this morning and it got me thinking that I didn't really care if it is Friday or not...except that there are only two days of my vacation left, but apart form that, life is pretty much just lovely here in the sun.And isn't that the point of vacations? Complete freedom from the work week.Speaking of freedom, Chloe wore her freedom dress today. She calls it that because under the dress size on the label it says "freedom".So I watched her float around in this lovely hand-painted dress and all the little children were looking at her and thinking, "she's an angel!". (Some of the teen boys were actually thinking that too...lol)She also re-chained my bracelet with the beads the sea didn't want and some new ones. I love my new bracelet.Today we felt really tired, but it's probably the sun.I did the beach yoga class in the morning and wasn't really feeling the aqua-cise afternoon class.Do we really look that silly splashing around to LMFAO's I'm Sexy and I Know It! Lol :DDown on the beach the peddlers are trying it on with absolutely everyone.And then, after a while, they run out of people to tempt and take a break. (big relief)C found a friend. The wildlife rescue society came round with a young female banana boa offering photos for a 50 pesos donation. We happily donated and C tried the boa on for size. She loved every minute of it. She positively beamed as she felt the snake contract muscles in her powerful little body. (No, we're not keeping her!)Later on in the day we met up with Fernando the craft expert and some resort friends, including the two beautiful poppets, Alexandra and Adeline, for a little crepe paper flower making.Did we stop at flowers? I don't think so. Pretty soon there were butterflies as well.

Too much wonderful randomness happening here

Oh my gosh, I could go on and on and on...and for those of you who know me well, thank you for not tapping your toes and crossing your arms and rolling your eyes. I know these days have been a little post heavy, but if you only know how much I have to say and how much I restrain myself!!! :DLet me just say though, that the light quality is astounding here. It practically takes my breath away every second. As I look around I feel myself automatically reaching for my camera. It's breaking my heart...in a good way.I bought a piece of art. Not this one...although I really want this one too...but a similar one which C and I picked out together to remind us of our holiday. This is the second piece of art I bought from this artist; the first piece was one Robert and I chose together. It's called Romeo and Julietta and it hangs in our Vancouver bedroom. The artist's name is Xaime Ximenez and he doesn't have the use of his hands. He paints with the paintbrushes in his mouth. I'm humbled by his work.In the morning, I pretend to want to go for a walk on the beach but it's only to the neighbouring resort so I can nick a blossom from their hedge to paint in my travelling sketchbook, and then I wear it in my hair...and when it's almost gone at the end of the day, I press it into my book.Speaking of books, there's a little library of silly books left by holidayers for anyone who wants one, and in it was this Danielle Steel as fifth Musketeer novel. Makes me think of the sorts of surprises I can leave in a novel for the next holidayers...lol..love it. :DC ran out of energy at about 7pm today, we missed having supper for the sunset. I know we were pushing it and I bough her a snickers bar because she turned into such a Joan Collins. No...actually she was more Betty White.Later, back at the resort post supper, she showed me a most excellent snickers commercial:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gjsoSY18kgI know, right?...lol :DSharing with Nancy and the random bunch. :D

The sun sets on our fourth day of vacation

My what full and fantastic days we're having!First, we finally booked a villa from one of the villa rentals in Punta Mita Mx towards which we'll be heading in the evening and now the resort we are currently at is organising Yoga outside for all.I joined Fernando this morning for beach yoga and had the most wonderful stretch, even if not my calibre of Vinyasa yoga. It's so worth it for that morning stretch, isn't it?Then Fernando invited me to come back for some painting. Of course I jumped at the chance to paint...are you kidding me? Dragged Chloe along too because I love her unique style.Fernando showed a canvas he made previously and asked us to copy it. He passed around a gessoed canvas on a bit of cardboard and we all set to with acrylics.Resort life is just lovely. One gets sort of stuck with a bunch of holidayers and sooner or later you're bound to say hello. Sites like Holidayrentals gives you the freedom to choose over 25,000 properties in more than 100 destinations for a well-spent vacation.In case you are planning to go for a trip to Costa Rica, do read up on what are the best rainforest stops in Costa Rica and make the most of your vacation days.So we all dutifully painted a blue sky and some bright buildings and the wall and the church.We painted a cobblestone road and rooftops and flowers and the sea. Then I made everyone sign theirs...artist...so sue me! :DChloe and I finished up ours with a few birds and C even put in a couple of sailboats. Don't you love C's free spirit style? I love it to smithereens. I'm so keeping both these paintings and framing them together; a most wonderful reminder of this time...of us...here, now, in this tropical sunshine.But then, do you know what Fernando did? He invited us back in the afternoon to string beads! Wretched man!So back we went with the twin poppets and their mom and a couple other twenty-something girlies for some fun with beads.Fernando wowed us with this ring-bracelet design!C and I both chose sea beads...that is beads which reminded us of the ocean.By the time C decided she had enough, her bracelet was long enough for her ankle but too long at two wraps and too short at three wraps for her wrist, so ankle it was.But you should have seen me. I was so proud of mine! I loved that bracelet. I loved the seaweed and sea foam and shells and water and spray and ancient Aztec turquoise, and every salty, briny thing I strung into it.I lifted it up to the sea and said, "Look here ocean, I made a piece of you that I can carry with me always!"Just then the sea gave me a heart shaped rock - a true affirmation of love...and...just as I bent over to pick it up, my bracelet broke and most of the beads tumbled into the sea.And the sea claimed it as its own. Glass returning home. Tumbled in the sea. Salty hands rolling and turning, carrying and cradling, caressing and loving those beads till they are no more.

The Magnificent Frigatebird...my tropical love

There was a time when I though I wanted to be an ornithologist.Quite earnestly and sincerely.Either an ornithologist or a marine biologist, I imagined happy hours trampling thru forest and fields or wading in the ocean, scuba diving, collecting samples...But then I realised that what I really wanted to do is photograph and draw the things and creatures and not actually dissect them and pickle them in formaldehyde and that was that.One of my biggest loves in the bird world is the Magnificent Frigatebird and I'm always thrilled when I see them, no matter where I am; can't get enough of this aviary pirate, the Blackbeard of the sea.Today we were having a rest day. Every once in a while we declare a rest day and it seems to pay dividends in our future energy.So today I decided to study the Frigatebirds and sketch some in my travelling sketch book.I couldn't really get up close and personal with them and so took a liking from some on-line images for the close-ups.We scooped ourselves one of the beach beds this morning, hung up our beach tote and stayed all day.A certain freckle faced girl kept stealing my new sun hat. :DAnd I watched the Frigatebirds and sketched.And C watched the people around us and chatted with some of our fellow holidayers.I used my water soluble charcoals and watercolour pencils, plus a light green and a grey crayon and India inks, and slowly, over a few hours, Magnificent Frigatebirds began to emerge and started to do their rolling, boiling, tumultuous flight on my journal page.So here they are. I figure I've drawn four males and two females. We'll call them Demetrius, James, Heyreddin and Eustace, Rusila and Elise. All fine pirates, all Magnificent.

Heading to town

Let's face it, this town, which began life as a mining and whaling port, wouldn't be where it is now without all the fine people enjoying the sun. And with that comes shopping. And with that comes shopkeepers, peddlers, and all sorts of assorted ingenious people keeping their eye on the prize - the tourist dollars.Not that I'm complaining. I love to walk around and shop just as much as the next girl...and, if you ask Robert, he'll tell you that I could shop for Canada.Not strictly true...lol...but here in Puerto Vallarta, the main shopping part of town, The Malecon is scrubbed clean and sparkling and certainly inviting to tourists.The sidewalks boast intricate designs and the peddlers walk around dressed in white.There are interesting pieces of art made from brasses, mostly touchable, climbable and definitely photographable.And, with this amazing backdrop of the largest bay in the world, you bet that people keep snapping those photos. Not to sound jaded, but we've been told umpteen times that we should really go into town to see the sunset. Not that the sunset from town is any different than the sunset from the resort, but the sunset from town features restaurants and bars where the tequila and beer is $1 at happy hour, the people charm you and invite you and call you in with promises of a good time...and then you stay and the drinks get more expensive...and then you get hungry...Speaking of restaurants...hundreds of them. And they range from the downright silly to the sublime.But finally we get down to the goods. The shopping is really amazing. There are stalls and stalls of the same stuff and you just have to decide what you want, wander around till you find a stall which has pretty much everything you were after, pick your stuff out and ask for the best price and then offer about half and negotiate from there. Please remember that mostly the silver will be 850 and not sterling at 925. Anyone can buy a 925 stamp and use it. Also, be aware that 850 is so darn close to 925 that you cannot tell the difference, but it's worth about $15/gram rather than $20. Just saying.But if you're like me and want to look past the whitewash, it's not too hard. Just peer around the corner into the back of the garden to see the dancer taking a break on the cool grass between shows.A block or two away from the tourist section are quaint streets with an absolute spider's web of electricity wires and laundry drying over the balcony.Tabebuia trees shedding masses of golden blooms into private courtyards.And while tourists walk across the bridge leading to the whitewashed Malecon, locals cool off in the shade of the bridge and the river below. This is the Puerto Vallarta I like to see. :D

Serious lack of pretty tea cups here

Well, I do miss Earl Grey tea. Not a single tea bag in sight, let alone a pretty cup.However, we found this lovely peppermint tea. Lagg's...ever heard of it? I haven't. It's seriously yummy and minty.I'm sorry but this sturdy, white restaurant cup is about the best I can manage this tea cup Tuesday. But the fruit is super sweet and yummy!This little female Brewer's blackbird doesn't care about my tea, as long as there's some crumbs for her.But I guess...when in Mexico...these girls were waiting on their drink. They negotiated a price of $5 and two straws for......this coconut! Must have been so fresh. I watched the fellow use his machete to chop the top off. I looked at the girls and they gave me a smile and said, "His fingers! We can't watch!". But his fingers were fine.But the three parrots, who love peanuts and shouting just outside the hotel, say..."Stop your whining about tea and go smell some plumeria......and then have a pina colada...you're in Mexico, you don't drink tea in Mexico!" Lol, OK then. :DSharing with Terri and Martha and Sandi and Bernideen.

Heaven is: AKA Hello from Sunday night

Suntans have gone a little out of favour these days, haven't they? (Except in one faction of populace who deliberate turn orange for special events...what's all that about?) But in my childhood suntans were highly desirable and seen as healthy. But that was when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, so I suppose the sun wasn't so strong and the ozone more protective or something.Anyway, grandma used to say, "Girls, you're as white as a piece of cheese." (And, OK, maybe it doesn't translate so well from Czech, but you get the picture.) Needless to say, that after the long winter, we sure are, but give us a day or two in the sun with our oily Mediterranean complexions and we'll change all that. :DSharing with Mary for Mosaic Monday and Inspire me Monday