Turtle Release

This past Sunday evening we had the wonderful experience of a turtle release here in the bay. The turtle eggs are collected daily off of the beach by hotel staff. They are kept safeguarded from predators in enclosed pens and then placed in small pools when they hatch. After a few days they are released in the evening to maximize their potential survival. Intrawest organizes many turtle releases for the kids and this last Sunday was for staff's children. Although Lucas was perplexed and nervous at first, he soon warmed up to his little turtle and went tottering off after it when he finally released it. It was quite a sight to see all of the baby turtles slowly making their way to the ocean. Wish them luck in their travels so you too may see their offspring when you come to visit!

Some house pics

Here are some pictures of the outside of our new home and the bay of Zihuatanejo. It is such a beautiful spot and makes us feel very much involved in the town. We can hear the music from the centro on the weekends, the sound of the boats going in and out, and people living their everyday lives all around us. Yet we can also still hear the birds, the crickets and the frogs. Divine. The only noise pollution we could do without is the nightly symphony of street dogs and Pillo's delighted responses.

PS. Did you check out Rob's new do?

Too Much

Yesterday when I posted about the snake, I had no idea that the day would only get more interesting. Shortly after seeing the snake I heard Pillo making a ruckus upstairs and went to investigate. He had pushed open the door off of our bedroom to go out onto our patio and investigate an iguana. A large one. Ok, still slightly prehistoric, but not as bad as the snake. Later that evening we went to take the dogs out. Being slightly nervous around the pool after the snake sighting, I made sure to keep my wits about me for critters. Lo and behold a very silly crab had made its way up the stairs from the ocean and was hanging out by our pool. A very popular place I'm beginning to understand. Amidst cries of "let's cook it up!" we went out on our cheery way. I'm not entirely sure why we didn't think to take the poor crab down to the ocean with us, but hey, I never said we were all that clever. Anyways, again letting our guard down Rob and were hanging out trying to phone home (what a disaster - sorry Paula and Linds!) when I spotted another critter that made my spine crawl. A scorpion. Oh yes, a scorpion. Rob didn't believe me at first, seeing that I had made him crush an innocent grasshopper earlier in the evening due to my over-active imagination. But this time it was real. It was a baby, but I don't care. I am wearing shoes around the house now- especially in the wee hours of the morning when hitting the stairs to go see mr.lukey in his room. We are going to have to have the fumigators come soon!

Hope this post doesn't put any potential visitors off. It is lovely down here. The wildlife is all part of the charm and adventure. Although I could have done without the swarm of mosquitoes at Yoga this morning. It's really hard to concentrate on contorting your body when all you can think is, "I must scratch, I must scratch, I must scratch...will she see me if a sneak a quick one in?!" So much for clearing my mind.

Not entirely sure why I decided this was the appropriate photo for this post. Perhaps because it makes me laugh so much, and I think that's exactly what these experiences call for; humor. So bottoms up and try to keep your children from the sauce!

My Cool Nephew

Here's a fantastic shot of Logan "cheers-ing" with his dad in Barra de Potosi. Isn't he a dream boat? (I mean Logan of course;P)

A Visitor

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. I was just out sweeping the pool deck when I heard a large rustle beside me. Expecting to see another large iguana (which almost sent me over the railing of the deck last week) I glanced over only to come face to face with this. It may, perhaps, explain the large poop we've been finding on the walkway. Any suggestions? Friend or foe? Keep toddlers out of the pool? Yikes!

Lucas is One!

It was a great day to turn one!

Can you see the monkey on the cake? It's Boots from Dora the Explorer! The cake was chocolate banana and even had candy bananas on it!

I think he liked it!

A gift from Grandma and Grandpa Herman.

Online Again

Yippee! We are back online and I am eager to fill you all in on some of our latest exploits. My cryptic last post alluded to our wet adventures at our old house. Indeed we have now left the house my mother so fondly calls "La Casa de los Horores" and moved into our new paradise right in town. Here is a photo of what we wake up to just about every morning.

The house is a dream compared to our old one. Actually, it's a dream compared to any of the homes we've ever lived in! I promise a photo tour very soon.

We had a fantastic visit with George, Jus, and Logan. It was unfortunate that they had to get caught in the storm, with us, but we sure did appreciate the help with the move! Justine, Mom and I may never forget being caught on the highway in the car with the babies and dogs in the middle of the hurricane. I surely never will. When we returned the next day to see what we had abandoned, we were astounded by some of the destruction right along where we had been driving. Only by the grace of God did we manage to drive a straight line with such limited visibility and sheer terror of the lightening striking directly above. When we got into town we spent three quarters of an hour driving through literally rivers that were once major roads. Thank god for SUV's. Now I understand why they do make sense in some circumstances. Rob found our license plate on the side of the road the next day. When we arrived to the new house George had to pull into the garage for me because I had jello legs. Truly a tropical storm like I have never been part of before. Not sure I loved it this time... Not a fantastic picture, but here is Justine standing in our flooded living room at three in the morning.


We now own a whole lot of water damaged items; mostly Lucas' books and moldy clothing. Mmmmmmm... Lovely. George's computer miraculously made it through after being picked up off the floor in the middle of it all. Anyways, except for the soggy inconveniences, we were all happy to arrive to our new, water-tight home and enjoy the rest of the visit.

The lovely Justine and tuckered-out Logan.

A Quick Note

I just wanted to post a quick note to let anyone who was wondering know that we are all fine here. We have not had internet access for almost two weeks due to two large tropical storms - hurricanes that passed through. Mom was awoken at three in the morning by Chola's heavy panting only to step into several inches of water. We quickly learned that our house was not water tight, but seemed to keep everything in alright. After two days of soggy living and new leaks springing up every few hours, we decided to move into our new place ten days early. Poor George and Justine had to help with yet another move! Anyhow, we had a fantastic time with them and are now getting settled into our new place; including getting our internet connected. I have lots to tell and some great photos to share. You must, however, wait.

Logan and Lucas

We are having a blast here with Logan, Jus and George! Lucas and Logan are sorting out their differences with amazing patience for hair-pulling, toy-stealing and sippy-cup envy. Here's a pic of them "sharing" cookies at Playa La Ropa the other day.