Catch-up long overdue

My friend, Gwen, and I had an road-trip adventure together in May.  The '98 Jeep parked in Houston since Mike left there in April needed to be driven down to Mazatlan.  I asked Gwen to meet me in Texas and play co-pilot and navigator.

Since it was to be my first time driving through Mexico, I wanted company.  And since she said enthusiastically agreed, we decided to add a few days to the trip and explored San Antonio, Texas first for a couple of days, then made stops in Eagle Pass on the border (for the night), Torreon, Mexico the second day (for the night), and then Durango, Mexico for two days.

We reached Mazatlan on June 1st, after getting a flat tire about 40 kilometers out.  It was fixed by a very nice Federal policeman (see picture) soon after it happened in 104 degree heat (phew).  We were slightly panicked by that time and yet, afterwards, we congratulated ourselves on our "most excellent adventure" that will be told and re-told to our (eventual, hopefully) grand-children. 

We rested up for a night then flew to Mexico City for two days.

This was all after nearly a month in Calgary and Vancouver, BC, catching up on business and personal stuff, and visiting my two sons, Tim and Simon.

It was a VERY busy month.

My house-sitters have gone on to the rest of their adventure, after admitting they had been bitten by the Mazatlan bug and had loved it here, even in the extreme heat.  They are somewhere in Europe now.  I am getting occasional emails.  They did a great job, and many people here have told me they spent time with them and found them to be a wonderful couple.

So, I've been back since June 4th and Mike will be here on June 28th for two weeks in between contracts.  The new contract is in Calgary!  No more Kuwait (or will there be?)

We may have some very big news on that front - coming soon!

I am flying up to Calgary on July 18th for two months.  No house-sitters this time - the girls are going to stay at their beach vacation home with my dog-sitter and their canine boyfriends.

Here are a few pictures from Gwen and Susan's Excellent Adventure:

New Durango Highway Bridge

Fellow travelers on the road.

Cathedral in Durango at night.

New Durango highway between Durango and Mazatlan

Ku-what?

Annie and Teddie on the patio in Mazatlan.

In my last post I asked "What next?"

Mike just left Maz today after a short week visit before heading up to Halifax to visit his mom, Blanche Clarke, who turns 90 this month, and then he flies to Kuwait for a two-month work project.

Yes, Kuwait.  I'm not so concerned about his going there as I am about the future projects in places like Nigeria, Angola, and Bangladesh.  Nevertheless, he is happy for the opportunity and, of course, the higher-than-average pay rate.  All of this has come as a result of his recent contract in Houston for Chevron. Chevron is conducting systems upgrades on their document management software in every outpost all over the world.  Mike is to be their "man on the ground" in many of them, one at a time.  Even better - he will be using our software, MOVE, on the projects with Chevron's approval.  It fits right into their requirements.   That alone makes this all worth it.

So Chevron gave him the okay to come to Maz for a week and work remotely, then a week in Halifax, before flying to Kuwait.  He had some time for fun and relaxation but also had extensive dental work done - two root canals and crowns - all within 5 days.  But if you are going go through that you couldn't ask for a better place to be.  He will be back for two weeks at Christmas.

I've been back since the middle of September, settling back into the uniquely enjoyable lifestyle here.  A few snowbird friends from North of the Border have begun to trickle in for the winter, but the main flock will be here by mid-November.  Our favourite watering hole, Macaw's, which is like our local "Cheers - where everybody knows your name", re-opened after a month-long closure for September.  It's a short walk from my apartment and they welcome my dogs too.  Since it is an indoor/outdoor place, they happily sit by my feet and receive the petting and greetings by patrons there.  Often I am just walking by, not intending to stop in, and they naturally swerve towards the open door and my usual table.

The weather has cooled off somewhat but still quite hot for walking around in the middle of the day.  In fact today I got a fright when my 13-year old lab-mix, Annie, suddenly began seizing on the sidewalk near home. It last about 30 seconds and then she lay down and wouldn't get up.  I was alone and didn't have my cell phone with me.  Eventually, I managed to carry her home and called the vet, Cesar, who came to the apartment within 10 minutes.  She was still not moving much but I got her into the air-conditioned bedroom on the bed and Cesar looked her over.  He couldn't find anything wrong neurologically, heart or blood pressure were fine, and her temperature was just slightly elevated.  He gave her a shot and said it was probably caused by an electrolyte imbalance from the heat.  So she will be getting Pedialyte and TLC for a few days to see how she gets on.  She is resting easy now. 

Two snowbird friends have been waylaid with health issues and will be very delayed in returning this winter, if they get here at all.  Our community here is like a little village.  Everyone cares about everyone else.  It's like nothing I have ever experienced anywhere, anytime, in my life.  No wonder we all love it here.