Spring cleaning and fun at the pool

This week was much busier than the last...which has it's good and less than good points. But before I start in on a recitation of this week's happenings, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Sunday's special event. I posted a photo on Wednesday, of Eli with his mom and his godmother M, taken after the confirmation service. He did very well during the very lengthy proceedings. We did not stay for lunch, though, as we were all ready to get home to relax and visit. After our lunch, D and M left to do a bit of bonding (shopping), as it has been some time since the two have been able to spend time without children in tow. M's children range in age from about 12-19, and the two met when they both worked at a call center in the city.

I did my first volunteer shift at the thrift store on Tuesday. I arrived late, not realizing that I should have been there about 11 a.m., rather than noon. I met several ladies including our team lead G. They were having coffee when I arrived so we sat and chatted for a bit. G gave me a tour of the various back rooms, and I got a sense of just how much stuff that gets donated. We could use a thrift store that is 2 or 3 times it is now (and that's after they moved into this larger space this winter/spring).

It also seems that many people have recently decided to go their closets and purge! I can't tell you how many bags we emptied but when I left at 4 p.m. there were 5 racks of clothing filled, along with shelves of shoes, two or three carts of kitchen ware, and mounds of books, DVDs, etc. AND that was the better stuff as we filled three or four large bags of garbage, and sent off a few more to be donated to the NTO's (next town over) Value Village.

Wednesday was quiet, and a needed rest day. Late in the afternoon, D received a package for a new piece of furniture for the kitchen. If you recall, I purchased a storage cabinet for the office/craft room a couple of weeks ago, and D decided we needed more storage in the kitchen. That late in the day was not the time to start putting it together.

Thursday morning, we got busy and had most of the cabinet put together by lunch time. Eli went back to school after lunch; we picked him up at 2 p.m. and went to NTO to do a bit of shopping and for his swimming lesson at 4:30 p.m. at the indoor pool. D receives Autism funding for Eli (and will until he is 12 years old), so she arranged for private swimming lessons. He had a blast with his teacher, while D and I sat and relaxed. 

There was rain and snow in the forecast, and when we'd left town the highway was wet. After a quick stop for a bite to eat, we headed home with snow falling quite heavily. The roads were slushy and wet most of the way home, and though it was around the freezing mark, the conditions weren't as bad as I thought it might be. In fact, by the time we were about 10 minutes from home, the highway was almost dry, and there was only about a centimeter of snow on the ground.

On Friday, D and I finished the cabinet, and began emptying and cleaning three cupboards, and reorganizing. We moved the pots and pans to the new cabinet. These were originally stored in a cabinet near the stove that ought to have had a lazy Susan but instead was simply an large open cabinet with a small shelf at the back. It meant we bent over and sometimes knelt to get the right piece. The cabinet solved that issue. 

The old cabinet now stores a couple of small appliances that we rarely use, as well as the baking pans (in those standing trays), bowls, and measuring cups. The cabinet that previously held to the Ninja creamy, blender, and handheld mixer now holds all of Eli's lunch kits and water bottles (and he has a lot!). Finally the cabinet that stored the bowls and measuring cups, now has the crockpot and bread machine, and still has room to be our snack cabinet. Moving these appliances from the pantry provides more space, though I've no intention in filling up the shelves! We have enough items in there to keep us well fed for some time.

Despite the snow and cooler weather, spring has arrived. There are a multitude of robins, Canada geese, and most recently a pair of flickers. The latter were on the big tree out back one morning. D and I stood at the window and watched. What fun! I did notice a pair of juncos one day but we don't feed the birds, so they didn't stick around. The robins, though, are quite happy to hang out in the yard. Spencer, is quite fascinated by them and watches out the window, chittering at them. Great cat television too.

I'm late posting today because I got caught up in Ancestry yesterday. It's a cool and cloudy day, with snow flurries, but the snow is melting as quickly as it falls. I'm off to catch up on blog reading, and have no plans for the rest of the day. :)

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Spring joys

Spring has truly sprung! We've had decent weather, if a little below normal temps, with rain overnight a couple of nights. The snow from last week had mostly disappeared with just a few stubborn spots where the sun didn't reach it, until Friday when our temperature reached 18C (64F). It will be a few weeks before I'll be able to plant anything doors, so for the moment I'm enjoying watching my seedlings grow. As it is still too cool to leave them in the unheated sunroom, I keep them in the kitchen window, until the sun warms up the room and move them back and forth as the temperatures allow. I darn near forgot them one evening, oops!  There are tomatoes, marigolds, a cucumber, and peppers in these pots. I added a couple of the bottoms of green onions this week, as a test to see if they will really grow. 

It's been a busy week, with a few outings. I had to run out to do some errands for my daughter on Monday, so took the opportunity to drop by Value Village while I was nearby. I bought a few items including...you guesed it more yarn! There were four cakes of Loops and Threads cotton yarn in a navy color, for a mere $5.99. The same yarn costs about $10 per cake at the Michaels store. I could not resist picking it up. I'm not entirely certain what I will use it for, but I will, someday.

A few weeks ago, a friend contacted me to ask if I'd like to join the book club she belongs to. I thought it would be good for me, and said yes. The get-together was held on Tuesday evening, at a lovely Mexican restaurant. The food was delicious, though I was less enamoured with the book we read. The Stranger in the Lifeboat, by Mitch Albom was the choice of one of the group. It was a very odd story and I was happy it wasn't a long read. I even read it twice, thinking it might grow on me...it didn't. I would give it a 2/10 at best. Others in the group quite enjoyed it though, so it must have some redeeming qualities. I found the event interesting, it was more about the meal and visiting, with very little discussion of the book, beyond whether we enjoyed it or not. Another book (Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult) was chosen and we'll meet again in about 6 weeks. 

Wednesday was stitch and chat, the first meeting I've attended for a couple of weeks. There were only three of us there, S, R, and myself. Sadly, I's husband isn't doing well; he was hospitalized last week but has since been discharged, however his family flew home to visit so it must have been thought to be quite serious. He was recently diagnosed with recurring cancer and the prognosis is not good. 

I've spent the rest of the week at home, working on various projects and tackling some spring cleaning. It amazes me how much dust accumulates, even when the weather is cold. While I vaccum and dust the furnitured regularly, it's the tops of windows, doors, and picture frames that need a wipe down. The sun room doesn't generally get much of a clean over winter, and it desperately needed a good vaccuming. In that room I found far too many maple bugs. I'm uncertain how they've found their way in - I'll have to check around the outside to see if I can find any access point. The front patio and parking pad were swept and the debris filled a large garbage bag. Lots of pine needles, leaves, and the inevitable rabbit poop. I set up the patio set, and hope to spend some time out there in the next few days.

I also went for a walk on Friday morning, and captured some of the wildlife. It always amazes me the variety that we see here in the midst of the city.

Not as many hares in the park as usual. Bet that won't last too much longer.

Over at the creek, it was pretty quiet though I did spot a pair of robins getting water and feeding on the bank.

At the other end of the creek I found a few mallards and a pair of geese.

Over at the pond, I spotted three red-winged blackbirds. They seemed to be calling to each other. I love how their tail feathers spread when they sing.

Most of the geese were skittish and would head for the water as I walked along the path. This one, however, could have cared less. I do hope it was merely sunning itself and not nesting as it is far too close to the path.

I need to remember to put my camera on sports mode as this photo is blurry. But I like it anyway. There were several (7 or 8) cormorants on the water, and this group flew off as I went to take the photos. I've never seen a group this large at the pond. While there seem to be a pair who nest here most years, I suspect they are in transit.

Finally another group of mallards. They seemed to be following one another around the pond, with some calling back and forth.

Today is another beautiful day, already 7C (45F) mid-morning. There is a baseball game later this morning, and then I plan to head back outside. The decks need to be cleared of debris and washed down - lots of bird poop has accumulated, and the plastic Adirondack chairs and the tables need to be washed as well. The forecast is for temperatures over 20C (68F), which means time on the deck or patio reading! The book for the book club is in at the library so that will be top on the list.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

A lesson learned

As you saw, we had more snow this week. It was very pretty Monday morning when I went out to feed the birds (when I took the photo), but it's April! Time for the snow to take off, eh? It was cool for part of the week, but the warm'ish weather is supposed to arrive AND stay this weekend. I'll believe it when I see it.

I learned an expensive lesson this week with a traffic ticket. I haven't gotten a ticket in close to 40 years, and it was my fault. I failed to come to a complete stop before I made a right turn on a red light. I know I did slow down, as I drive a standard and had shifted down but I had to agree with the officer that I hadn't stopped. Knowing I deserved the ticket - he just happened to be there and immediately pulled me over - I was shocked when he told me the ticket was for $230! You can bet I'll be stopping at every red light and doing the count to three thing I learned in driver training, fifty years ago. In fact, later that day I did just that and the vehicle behind blared their horn at me for stopping that long. Hey, I don't want another ticket.

I was heading out to Costco to pick up some items for my daughter. They need police officers in the store to direct traffic. It was stupidly busy - my pet peeve is the folks who stop their carts adjacent to one another to chat so that no one else can get by them. Even with the conjection, I knew what I needed, and was in and out of the store in less than 30 minutes. I use the self-checkout because the line is almost always shorter and I have fewer items than most in the lines.

Wednesday was stitch and chat. We had a nice group, with a new member and a returning member. S is from India and is visiting her son here in the city for a few months. She was working on a crocheted blanket but was very interested in my flowers, so I helped her with the pattern - though I did tell I'd bring a written copy next week. Our other S, has returned from her winter in Arizona. Along with R, I, and myself, we all had a good afternoon visiting and working on our projects.

I was excited on Thursday afternoon to see the juncos are back! It means spring is definitely on its way. I like them too because they clean up the seeds the chickadees, sparrows, and finches drop from the feeder. My friendly Hungarian partridges also enjoy the overflow.

I captured a photo of the pair that seem to be spending a good deal in the back yard. They were huddled together (it was cold that day) and sitting in the sun.

No photo of the visitors, but it appears I have a pair of rabbits roaming through the yard too. This isn't the only evidence they leave behind. I did see one across the street, and it is mostly brown.

The curling has been very good this week, though our Canadian team had their ups and downs. They will be playing today in a must-win game. If they lose, they'll be going home. Last night's game against Niklas Edin was probably one of their best. Speaking of Niklas, he had a shot this week that has never been attempted in competition. I've linked the video here if you'd like to see it for yourself. While curlers do put rotation (in-turns or out-turns) on their rocks, this was a spinner that I don't believe anyone truly knew how it would react. There is already discssion that this may change the progression of the game. Already, one of our Canadian curlers, Mike McEwen has posted video of his attempt at the same shot...and he made it. However, Niklas did try the spinner again in the game against Canada last night and it didn't work as well as the team had hoped.

Beyond that, it's been a generally quiet week. Besides watching curling and baseball, I've been working on the flower afghan/blanket. I've pretty much run out of the yarn I've been using to create the flowers so now I'm putting the larger flowers together. I laid them out on my queen bed to get an idea of the size. It's not quite as big as I'd like but I'll put a row together this week of four or five of the flowers to get a measurement. I need to block the pieces first and that will take some time. 

I don't really celebrate Easter so we won't be having a big meal. The weather is supposed to really improve, so I plan to pull some burgers from the freezer and will use the grill for the first time this season. Today I'l make potato salad to go with the burgers. The only Easter bunny will be the rabbit that has been spotted across the street and it won't be bringing chocolate. 

Have a great weekend everyone. Enjoy your Easter, however you spend the time. 

Black beans, a birthday, and birds

It was a relatively quiet week, if one doesn't consider the time I spent with my daughter and grandson. It is anything but quiet in their home. More on that later, but first a tale of a slightly different kind.

My younger brother found a recipe for black bean burgers a few weeks ago. He made up the full amount (which included two cans of black beans). He enjoyed them so much that he ate three burgers in one sitting. Apparently the following day was rather noisy. I decided they sounded good and knowing the potential outcome chose to make a half batch (three burgers in total). I've been wanting to have one meatless meal a week though my son is not vegetable friendly.

So Monday I made up the burgers and baked them for dinner that evening. While they looked, in my son's words, like something a dog had heaved up, they smelled very good. However, neither of us cared for them and neither of us ate the leftover burger. They were very dry and despite the spices tasted like dusty beans. Not good. What I will say, is the beans did their job, and I didn't leave the house until late morning on Tuesday. I've tossed the last burger the freezer, in case I'm feeling backed up in the future - though I think I'll only eat half of it at a time.

I did a few errands on Tuesday - one to the bank that turned out to be rather frustrating. When Eli was born, I set up an account for him and I've been putting away a little money every couple of months into the account for his future education or some other important purpose in his life. The bank has decided that these children's accounts are no longer profitable (my words, not theirs), so I've been advised that I must open another account by April 3, or the funds will be refunded to me.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Open a new account, transfer the funds and close the old one. Ha! First off, I could not open the account at the counter - I would need to speak to another representative. Back to the front reception, where I learned that in order to keep the account registered as Eli's account, I would need to bring him into the branch. I explained he is only 6 years old and lives out of the city. Didn't matter...okay, so can I close the account and set up one in my name only. Yes, I can do that - which means I can close the account when he isn't there but not open one unless he is. Of course, opening the new account means fees, unlike the old one. Then the conversation took an even more frustrating turn - could I open the account that day - no I had to make an appointment to meet with someone in the branch. Earliest appointment - 2 p.m. on March 16th!!! I accepted the appointment as I had no other choice, but I must admit there have been thoughts of finding another, more customer service driven institution. Is there such a thing anymore? I would note, I worked at this bank back in the 1980's and as a teller/customer service rep, I would have handled all of these tasks at my wicket in a short amount of time. 

Thankfully, I had made plans to meet with my friend C for a coffee that afternoon. She is continuing to struggle with her grief and needs the company. We did a dollar store run for fun, and then went for coffee and a donut. She's considering seeing a grief counsellor - which I think is a great idea, and will be starting a new full-time job on Monday. If nothing else, the work will keep her mind off things for a bit and make life seem a bit more normal. 

Travel day was Wednesday, but first up was stitch and chat. However, no one else showed up, so I headed out earlier than I had originally planned. I was there in time, for his mom and I to pick up Eli at school. There was some very exciting news: His birthday was announced over the intercom that morning. Although his birthday was Thursday, he didn't have school that day.

School days are tiring for him, so the evening was rather tame, dinner and some cartoons on the television. He, as always, chose to sleep with me and didn't even want any bed time stories. Instead he showed me some photos he had taken on his camera and then we tucked and went to sleep. When he woke the following morning, I asked him what day it was, and immediately he said,"my birthday!". 

His mom had been up much earlier and put his gifts on the couch for him. He opened one, a set of Nerf gun "sniper" rifles and was done for a bit. Later he opened the last couple gifts - including new swim trunks, Mario socks, and a couple of books from G'ma and Uncle C. He had a wonderful day, stayed in his pj's all day, watched cartoons and played his video games (recall my comment about the noise), enjoyed a dinner of his choice, and ended it all with a sparkler on a cupcake his mother baked. 

While he was doing his thing, his mom and I did some organizing and cleaning in the house. We also got her tax return completed and submitted. That made her very happy. Since I had my laptop, I was able to putter on it too, putting in some time on Ancestry and reading blogs. Bedtime came early that night, and I read Eli the books he'd received and again, he was out like a light. 

I got away shortly after lunch the following day, and spent the afternoon relaxing on my couch. I don't particularly sleep well with a wriggling child in the same bed. My daughter doesn't sleep well either, and if often up in the middle of the night and/or early in the morning, so my sleep is often disturbed. I watched the first draw of Brier curling in bed that evening, and was asleep soon after it was completed. 

Today, I've cleaned cat litter, fed the birds and started the laundry. The next curling draw starts at 1 p.m. so I think I'll settle in on the couch with some crocheting and watch a couple of PVR'ed television programs. I've pulled out a UFO (unfinished object) from a year or so ago, and will use some additional yarn I've bought from the thrift store to (perhaps) complete it. Eli's sweater needs a bit more finishing, but I've set that aside for now. I still need to buy a zipper to complete it, but I'm happy to say it is big on him so as long as it is ready by fall, all is good.

I'll leave you with a photo taken from out the front window this morning of two Hungarian partridges settled in by the everygreen. I'm seeing them in pairs now, not the gaggle of six or eight I'm accustomed to. Do I dare hope this is a sign of spring?

Bitter cold and just plain bitter, better days ahead

Warning: there is a bit of a rant ahead. This freaking winter weather is driving me batty. It was stupid cold for several days this week, with -30C (-22F) and windchills closer to -40C/F in the early mornings. Day time highs were 10 degrees warmer but to add insult to injury, we had snow and wind as well. Thankfully, not a lot of snow, but with the wind it tends to blow in on certain parts of the driveway and sidewalks. 

Oh, that reminds me. Recall the city by-law that requires residents to clear their sidewalks within 48 hours of a snowfall or risk a fine of $300 to be added to their property taxes?  Recently, there were two individuals in the local news regarding this by-law. The first, a handicapped individual who was charged $482 for the clean-up of his sidewalks (he lives on a corner lot), when the volunteer from the Snow Angel group didn't clean the sidewalks to the width required. As with the second individual this was due in part to the city plows pushing snow from the streets onto the sidewalk. After some back and forth with the city, that fee has been cancelled. As the homeowner stated, he can't afford to pay to have his sidewalks cleared and he certainly can't afford to pay the additonal fees...especially as the city expects it to be paid with 90 days.

The second individual happens to be a former co-worker of mine. He lives on a crescent and the City plows that cleared the crescent pushed the snow onto the side walks and driveways. When he called the city to complain, a by-law officer came by and gave him a warning to clear it himself. He went to the local television news station and suddenly large equipment showed up in his crescent and took all the snow and ice build up, pushed it into the center of the crescent and then trucked it out. 

Our City Manager has now come out and said that some "logic and empathy" should be applied to the policy. One councillor has suggested the by-law needs to be reviewed. I concur, especially when the cause of the problem is often the city plows. They've done the same on my side of the street, but so far no one has complained as most of us have cleared a wide enough path. Even though I long for spring, these troughs (with snow piles on either side) will be ponds in warm weather and skating rinks in the cold. That's when I get out and shovel the snow they've piled up onto the street again. Not supposed to do that either. Too bad, so sad as my dad used to say.

Needless to say I stayed indoors as much as posible this week, with quick trips out to the bird feeder and the mailbox, and one afternoon trip to pick up some groceries, I've accomplished that goal. Basically, I've spent my week puttering around the house in between curling draws, knitting and cross-stitching while the games are on, working on Ancestry, and cursing the weather the rest of the time. I didn't even go out to Stitch and Chat on Wednesday because it was so miserably cold.

Anyway, enough of that whining. We're supposed to get a break from the cold this weekend, and I've got plans to head out to my daughter's later next week. Someone is turning 6 on Thursday! Here's a cute photo my daughter sent me - they had a dress-up day for Valentine's Day at school. Lots of exchanging of Valentines and candy too. Do you see he's lost his first tooth? Exciting times, and let me tell you, I'm glad I'm not the tooth fairy - inflation has caused the price of teeth to go up. At least according to my daughter.

The Scotties Women's curling will come to an end this Sunday. It's been a great week of curling with some really incredible shots (and some stinkers too). Our Sask. women didn't have a great week. They couldn't seem to find their draw and hit weights and the skip wasn't able to put the broom in the right place. Sadly, they won only two of their eight games. Maybe next year. Last night's games were very exciting and since TSN is re-airing the broadcast this morning, I've got it on while I read blogs and work on Ancestry.

I'll leave you with a photo of a very special backyard visitor. The squirrels have broken the cage I used to hang the suet, so had placed it on top of the feeder. Something (probably a squirrel or larger bird) had knocked it to the ground. I had seen a larger bird on the fence and hustled to get my camera. The photo was taken about 8 a.m. and it was overcast so the quality isn't the best, but what you see here is a Northern Flicker, a woodpecker.

I've run out of suet, so will pick some up sometime this week. My cousin suggested a mesh onion bag to hold it and it just happens I bought onions in my groceries this week. I'll rig up the bag and hang it on the tree that holds the bird feeder. Hopefully the squirrels will leave it alone.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

A little work, some rest, and friendly encounters

 How can it be that it is already mid-February? We're definitely on the downward slide towards spring. Winter, however, won't let go for awhile yet. We had a couple of really cold days this week, and more cold is expected by mid-week next week.

Certain days this week have been busy, others have not. I did absolutely nothing on Monday beyond putter on the computer, stitch and catch up on a few television programs. The following day was much busier (and colder!). Had I been paying attention, I likely would have done my grocery shopping on Monday, as Tuesday was windy and cold. But I wanted to go out anyway on Tuesday, as I had plans to meet a friend for lunch. She and I worked together, in fact did our training together (1997), though worked in different offices. We became good friends when the two locations were merged about five years before we retired. We had a lovely visit, catching up on kids, grandkids, and our activities. 

After our lunch I headed to C's apartment to help her with some paperwork related to her mom's estate. That was dealt with in short order, and we had a good visit. She's arranged for a storage unit, and will be moving items from her mom's condo this weekend. These are items she plans to sell at some point, but isn't ready to do so yet. Her oldest son, will be helping with the move.

Wednesday was stitch and chat - there were three of us again. I, R, and myself. We learned that R is 87, and I would tell you she seems much younger. She was telling us of the various activities she does: quilting group on one day of the week, knitting group on Tuesday at another library in the city, now the one we attend, and she's looking for more. She has been crocheting slippers for women's shelters and wants to do something different - she mentioned knitting toys for kids. I mentioned I'd made a duck for Eli one Easter, and a Rudolph reindeer for myself this past Christmas. She asked if I would mind sharing the patterns - since I got them from Pinterest, I e-mailed her the links when I got home. (She's replied and mentioned how excited she is to start a new project).

I finally got around to starting my decluttering on Thursday. Up first were the lower kitchen cabinets. I got my work-out for the day, crawling around on the floor, emptying the cabinets, vacuuming and wiping down the shelves and deciding what would stay and what would be donated or tossed. I've rearranged a few things as well - let's see if I remember where. Actually, it should be fine because like items are now stored together. (I do have far too many Christmas tins - I kept them for now.)

Friday was another quiet day - my son was home from work. He took the day off after two days of first aid training. Since he likes to sleep in, I tend to keep things quiet and enjoy my relaxation as well. I'll get up and feed Saku and then head back to bed for an hour or so. Later in the morning, I managed to get about half the upper cabinets cleaned and decluttered. I learned that I hadn't left room in the lowers for a couple of items, so did a bit more rearranging and everything fits! The biggest "mess" was the spice cupboard - I wish I had drawer space for them, but instead I have a narrow three shelf cabinet to the side and above the stove. The spices are now sorted by those used in regular meal cooking and those for baking, while bouillion and gelatin were tucked up on the third shelf in a small container as I use them less frequently. By this point I was done and decided the rest of the cabinets, including the pantry cabinet (five shelves) can wait until tomorrow or Sunday...or later in the week.

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts draw started Friday evening, at 8 p.m. Our Saskatchewan team lost, after one bad end when they gave up four points. They fought hard but the other team played too well for them to overcome the deficit. They weren't the feature game, that was between the young Alberta team and the current Canadian champions. At one point, mid-game, the Albertans lead 5-2, but the champs came back and won. There are two draws today, one at 3 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. 

Ancestry has kept me busy too - no really interesting stories in this last batch of relatives. My cross-stitching is nearing completion - though I have a lot of backstitching to do, and I've started the first sleeve of Eli's sweater. It would go must faster if I picked it up more frequently. 

I'll end with a few photos taken in the past day or so of the birds at the feeder in the back yard. The Hungarian partridges have been back too, but I haven't captured them as they are very skittish and fly off when I come close to the sun room windows.

There are three grackles hanging aound. They tend to bully the smaller birds, so I when I notice them, I tend to chase them off.

There are a bazillion (that's my official count and I'm sticking to it), of these sparrows.

The purple finch is back too - I haven't seen them in months. 

You'll notice that we're gray and overcast here. That's the part of winter I dislike the most. Hopefully the sun will re-appear as it gets colder next week. 

Have a good week ahead everyone!

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

I had no excursion planned in the port, and though I did leave the ship, I didn't spend much time off of it. However, that day I got in over 22,000 steps - just from moving around the ship for various photo opportunities!

I woke about 6 a.m., as I sensed a change in the movement of the ship. I grabbed a quick breakfast at the buffet and headed up to deck 15 to eat. A woman stopped by the table as I was eating, and I learned she lived in a community that my older brother had lived in for many years. He had left before she arrived, but she had heard his name. Small world!

My first sighting of Puerto Vallarta, still dark at the time. After breakfast I headed to the front of the ship for the sunrise.

The sunrise was pretty, but not as nice as the ones at sea. I didn't stick around to watch as the sun climbed over the hills.

The big attraction in Puerto Vallarta was the Walmart store. I'd heard several other passengers talk about making a trip to the store while they were in the port. Especially among those who were on the World Cruise (111 days). 

The store is literally down and across the street from the pier. I decided I would join the parade of passengers when the excursion crowds left the ship and look for a couple of items.

While I had thought I might walk or take a cab to the Malecon boardwalk, I knew that it would likely be very busy, and full of vendors. As I've mentioned previously, I'm not enthralled with being swarmed by the vendors so that idea was quickly rejected. One of the other single/solo members did check it out and said it was very busy so I'm glad I made the decision.

I headed off ship about 8:45. I laughed because the exit from the ship led through the duty free shop (this is often the case in Mexico) and several other shops, before one can reach the busy sidewalk. I did notice one shop in the area that I would stop at on the way back.

The street to cross was very busy, and at least a couple of vehicles took the traffic lights as mere suggestions. Most, however, did stop on the red light for pedestrians. I stayed on the outside away from the traffic and was able to safely cross. 

Walmart was....interesting. It was clear the farmacia was the most popular section and many of the shelves were well picked over. Other areas of the store had very limited selections, and some sections made me think of an old hardware store where parts and pieces of items are placed willy-nily on the shelves. One thing they had mountains of were candies and potato chips.My only purchase was a small tube of toothpaste as I was running low. 

I left the store and walked over to the nearby mall, however it wasn't open until 11. I headed back towards Walmart, as I'd noticed a small cafe (VIPs) and decided to stop in for a cup of coffee when I saw the "free WiFi" sign on the door. I ordered a cup of coffee and a pastry - basically a croissant with chocolate inside. The coffee was amazing and the pastry simply delicious! I used the free WiFi to call D before checking in on FB, my blog, and Instagram. I finished off my visit by catching up on the local (Canadian and Saskatchewan) news while enjoying my coffee refill.

On the way back to the ship I did stop at the Casa Mexican store and purchased the last of the gifts for my children. For C, I found four small bottles of hot sauce, and for D, three small bottles of Mexican vanilla and a glass dolphin. Something interesting happened there; the clerk told me the total was $44 USD - which seemed a bit high, but I couldn't see the screen. The clerk tried running through my Mastercard a couple of times and it wouldn't process. The second clerk came over and said something to her, quite sharply, and she re-ran it again and this time it went through. I glanced at the receipt and noted it read $34 USD. I suspect she was trying to put in the higher price to obtain $10 from the till for herself but Mastercard credit cards don't allow for cash back. 

I wandered around the ship for awhile, dropped off my purchases at the stateroom, dropped off a book at the library and chose another easy read, and went to the gym to stretch before going for lunch. I had been stretching each day, most often in my stateroom, but I chose the gym since there is a scale. Happy was I when I stepped on the scale to learn that I hadn't gained any weight on this cruise! After lunch I headed to Deck 7 to walk, read, and take photos.

The brown pelicans were predominant in the port. Always keeping an eye out for their next meal.

I often take photos, not necessarily knowing what I'm seeing through the lens. This is a ship from Vidanta Cruises, the first Mexican luxury cruise line that debuted in April 2022. Now that takes some courage, starting a new cruise line in the midst of what was still a pandemic. There isn't a lot of information on-line but it appears the 540 passenger ship sails along the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Looking towards the city, I noticed these workers on the top floor of the building. It looks to me that one of them is taking a photo of us.

I had noticed at the port shops, a ferry station. These two were coming and going at the same time. I've no idea where they went or where they came from. If I were to return to Puerto Vallarta, I'd probably consider the option.

There was never a time without some traffic on the water nearby.

We had company in port too, when the Royal Caribbean ship pulled into the pier nearby.

All aboard time was 4:30 p.m. I stayed on the starboard side of the ship to watch for latecomers. These fellows weren't late, but I was surprised to see the bicycles. I've never seen that on a cruise before, but it's not a bad idea if one enjoys biking. No line-up for a taxi!

We did have one late arrival. At about 4:40 there was a call on the ship for one passenger and within a couple of minutes I saw him hustling on board with a bag full of purchases. I should note, that I saw many of the crew carrying bags of groceries on board as well - not from Walmart. They do get fed on the ship, but I'm sure there are foods they prefer that they'd find in the city.

I stayed out for sail-away and watched the pelicans.

The ship stirs up the water, and I'm sure that offers the birds good fishing.

I didn't have time to clean up before the singles/solos meet-up so I went as I was. After a buffet dinner a small group of us went to see Nathan Phan's show. A magician, musician, and comedian, he was fun to watch. I was back in my stateroom by 9 and asleep not long after.

Next up - a final post on "what did I do on sea days?".

Puntarenas, Costa Rica - Wildlife galore

 I had intended to finish this post this yesterday, but weather happened, and I spent time shovelling snow instead. Afer the snow came a bit of freezing rain and lots of wind, so I'll be out again to clear what blew in later today.

This is another photo heavy post - when I booked the jungle river cruise I had hoped to see lots of wildlife and I was not disappointed. We arrived in the port of Puntarenas, early morning of Wednesday, January 11. I was up before the ship docked, at 5:10 a.m. so that I could capture the sunrise.

I ran into one of the other women from the singles/solo group on Deck 16 and we chatted as we waited for the sun to make an appearance. I didn't last as long as she did, so this it the best I got.

After a breakfast from the buffet, out on the deck - why anyone would sit indoors when the weather is so lovely, is beyond me - I headed down to the Provence dining room for 7 a.m. Another of our group was also on the same excursion so we sat and waited for our group to be called.

The drive to the Crocodile Jungle River cruise was about 90 minutes. Our guide, Christian talked most of the way. He gave us various information about the country of Costa Rica, pretty much all of which I've forgotten already. 

At the location, we had an opportunity to use the bano since we'd be on the boat for 2 1/2 hours, and then walked down a series of ramps to the lagoon. I didn't get a photo of the boat we were on, but basically it was a flat bottomed boat with a canopy over it, and a large motor on the back. I'm guessing it held 20-24 guests. Thankfully it wasn't full up. K and I had taken a seat near the back of the boat, and I ended up going to the rear seat near the motor in order to get photos without blocking someone else. Since I was so close to the motor, I couldn't hear what Christian was telling us except when the driver slowed the boat down or stopped. Luckily they gave us a bird guide pamphlet, and Google lens reverse search did the rest when I got home.

Within moments of boarding, we were on our way through the lagoon and this was the first crocodile we found sunning on the bank.

Across the way, was a Roseate Spoonbill. I wasn't quick enough to get a good shot of it. 

The driver circled the lagoon to allow us to view a pair of HUGE crocodiles resting. The first photo is a close-up of the female.

We were stopped so I was able to hear Christian - he explained that the mouth is open for two reasons: to regulate body temperature and to allow small birds to pick debris from the mouth. My question, unasked, was do the birds then end up being a meal for the crocodile?

The male was resting in the water. If one wasn't paying attention, I'm not sure it would be noticed. 

After circling the lagoon, we headed out to the river system. About this time was when I moved from the seat next to K, and moved to the back of the boat where I could stand. Even if I couldn't hear Christian, I could see which direction he or other passengers were gesturing.

We passed these two men in a row boat - it appears they were preparing to fish. Now, I don't know about you, but knowing there are crocodiles in "them there" waters, I wouldn't be dangling my foot in the water. In fact, when I was sitting, I kept pulling my hand in when I realized it was on the outside of the boat...nowhere near the water.

I had no desire to interact with anything like this crocodile here. I'm sure the locals are better at spotting them than I am. What caught my attention was the sunlight on the scutes (the bumps) on the back of the crocodile. I've read that these allow the crocodile to swim without causing ripples on the surface of the water while they swim underneath. Good for them, not so good for their prey.

I have many photos of the Great Egret, however many of them are difficult to see the bird as, even they, blend into the background.

Here's one that I needed no introduction to (at least not in the past few years). We've had cormorants on the pond nearby - it was nice to see where they winter. Smart birds!

Here we have a Snowy Egret. It appears to be differentiated from the Great Egret by the size of it's bill.

This white bird is an Ibis, distinquishable by it's long dark beak. 

Here is another Snowy Egret. What you couldn't see in the last photo were the yellow feet. Aren't they fun?

These are a pair of frigate birds. I've seen them many times in flight on my various Caribbean cruises but never resting. Not a pretty bird.

The males of the specie are slightly more attractive, but not much in my opinion.

At this point, we had turned around and started our trip back to the lagoon. The driver took us part way down a short tributary, where we saw this bird in the tree. Recall the Roseate Spoonbill in flight earlier in the post. This is another one settled in a tree.

I believe this is a blue Heron, although it does not match either the pamphlet or the reverse search. We saw a number of these birds, but they really were well camoflauged and difficult to photograph.

On the other hand, these were neither difficult to spot or to identify. These are Royal Terns - they are so much prettier than the gulls we see here but similar in size and shape.

This was my fun find on the camera card. I knew I'd captured a bird, but couldn't tell exactly what it was on the small image on the camera. This is an Amazon Kingfisher. Definitely one of my favorites.

We weren't far from the lagoon when the driver pointed out this iguana on the shore. I was lucky to catch a photo as it disppeared into a hole shortly after.

We saw other birds I didn't capture, sandpipers, brown pelicans, and warblers. There were monkeys in the trees too as we had started our journey, but neither my eyesight nor my camera lens could see more than dark blobs in the tree. I had hoped to see a scarlet macaw but that wasn't to be, however I was not disappointed at the variety of creatures that showed themselves to us.

We were back on the ship by about 1:30 p.m. After a quick lunch I was reading and relaxing on the Promenade Deck when a loud band of musicians interrupted my concentration. I've included a short clip so you can hear for yourself. They kept this up all afternoon, until we sailed! Not just the musicians but the dancers too.

Next up is the port of Huatulco. I didn't have an excursion booked there so it will be a much shorter post.