Saturday Morning 5.07.11

Becky is off to her International Women's Club monthly meeting.. So it is just me and the dogs... Thought I would share some photos of what is going on here.

 Baseball game last night... Tigres lost in the 12 innings... 4 to 2

 One of the flowers in our yard. They are so beautiful, but they only last one day when they bloom. Fortunately, there is a new bloom almost everyday.

 Today we got two blooms in one day.

 This is our Haberno pepper plant... These are very HOT!! This plant keeps us supplied and the neighbors too!www.renatodorfman.com

 We have these plants that bloom almost continuously. We have three plants and they add color almost everyday. Right now they are losing the blooms, but there will be more to replace them. This plant is very thirsty... I try to drown it daily and the more water the more blooms.

 Her we have our orchard... Oranges on the left and Lemons on the right. They come in during the winter months and take forever to develop, but these little tress gave us two dozen oranges and about a dozen limes.. That is about what we eat a week .. But, the produce here is plentiful and cheap.. Flavorful too!

 Avocados haven't shown up yet, but we are told that we should have some this year...

 Our newest flowering bush... This is in our micro backyard and within the year will fill up the wall space with color.

 Coconuts are still  few years off, but it is growing..

 Sport is a mama's boy... But other than he can't keep his face clean, we still love him.. He is suppose to be white, but, we can't find a way to eliminate the brown discoloration on his face and front paws..

 Sissy is daddy;s girl... She is shy and very loving.. She hates Thursdays, she is afraid of the tile floor scrubber. She will try to go over the wall whenever it comes out..

 Sissy has always the saddest eyes... But, he is very loving. She is very partial to big dogs.. She wants to go play with all of the dogs in the neighborhood..

 The two are good friends and share everything... Sissy seems to be more aggressive and keeps Sport in line. Right behind her..

 Living room is small but it works for us.

 Here is one of our guest rooms should you want to visit..

This is the other one, where Becky does a little crafting and make up.. Bathrooms are small and she needs a little more room when getting ready to go.

We are enjoying life... Our days start at the Dreams Sports Club with a couple of hours of exercise and swimming.. We also have tennis courts there and squash courts.

We have been attending the local baseball games for the Quintana Roo Tigres, the local triple A team and enjoying the games.

We have played a few rounds of golf, but we haven't done that much.. There are some beautiful courses here and some far more challenging than we are up to.  We enjoy the smaller executive

courses... (Good for ole duffers that are not very good.

Becky is also taking a sculpting course from Renato Dorfman... She goes to Puerto Morelos each week on Tuesdays and Thursday and is really enjoying the class. He is very well known in these parts. Check out his work at www.renatodorfman.com ... He is a true artist and has made a good living and a name for himself down here... He has an artist village out in the jungle that is a hostel for artists... He calls them volunteers... They look like free spirited hippies to me...

His work really is good and Becky is really enjoying playing in the mud each week.

Well, that is the tale of the day...

Remember you are always welcome... Call us at (801) 738-1429 and give us your flight number... We will pick you up and you can stay with us..

Easy to pack for Cancun... Passport, bathing suit and toothbrush.. Everything else is here!

Opening Night 2011 Quintana Roo Tigres

We went to the opening game of the baseball season here at the AAA baseball park. The place was packed with over 10,000 fans.. Lot of hoopla ... Fireworks ... The game was a pitchers duel... final score was 3 to 1, the visiting team, Mexico City Diablos won... But, we will be back tonight had hopefully win and gain a 2 games to 1 lead over the Diablos.

Saturday in Cozumel we went Coconuts

Saturday, we took a little trip down the coast to Playa del Carmen and caught the ferry over to Cozumel Island. Then we rented a scooter and took a drive around the island. The total trip is about 40 miles around the island.. The vistas were fantastic and the warm breeze and sea mist blew in our faces as we circled the island.
Getting on a scooter for the first time in many years gave us proof that you never lose it, it just gets rusty.. After the 40 miles, we were managing the scooter with little threat to life and limb..
You never forget... just get rusty...
I think the next time we go we will get something that has four wheels..
We found a magic little spot on the backside of the island called "Coconuts" Beach Bar & Grill... The place was packed but the food, drink and scenery was magnificent..

                                                                      Coconuts Bar

                                                              Another look at Coconuts

                                 Looking out over the Carribean Sea from Coconuts.. Up on a cliff

This is the ceiling inside of Coconuts.

Sorry about the poor photography, we only have my cell phone camera. Our camera died from a spat with the tile floors at the house.. Most things that tangle with the tile floors lose the battle. Everything from dishes, glasses, ole duffers and even the dogs have had their opportunities to do battle with the tile.  The tile is undefeated!

Sister's Visit

This is Xcaret... At the entrance are numerous Macaws and Flamingos on display. We were really shy on good camera work on this trip because we had two cameras that failed to work, so the number of shots taken with my IPhone were the extent of the shots and few came out worth publishing.

There is a wonderful Aquarium with displays of the fish and sea life of the area. A large display and storage tanks full of Sea Turtles. One of the missions of Xcaret is the preservation of the Sea Turtles and providing a place to allow the Sea Turtles to grow after the hatch to a size that will increase their chances of survival in the sea.  Thousands of Sea Turtles are captured and raised here for release after they have grown to a diameter of about 14 inches.

There are numerous large Sea Turtles that have been recovered and live at the reserve.

Crocodiles are also native to the area and are on display to remind all of their part in the Eco System of the area.

There were approximately 24 large Sea Turtles on display in the pools just outside the Aquarium.

Here is our merry little band inside the Butterfly sanctuary. This day the number of hatched butterflies were not very numerous, but the hatch want conversion from the larva stage was underway.  I personally have been in this enclosure when you had to brush the butterflies away. Again another project at Xcaret that is adding to the awareness of the fragile Eco system that is home to some unique animals, sea life and plants.

Left to right: Kendall Ayres, Anna Ayres, Roger Watson, Lois Watson, Becky Baldwin and Ross Baldwin. Xcaret is a must eye for any first time visitor. Besides the beautiful grounds, numerous adventures in culture and nature they have a equestrian show, dolphins, underground river, working Mayan Village, replica of the ancient ball court with actual players of the game.. The true highlight of the day is the night show.. Full of history, dance and music from ancient times to present of the  Mexican & Mayan world. Plan to make it a day and a night... You will be very tired when you are done, but satisfied beyond your imagination.

This was a dance festival held in downtown Cancun on the following Monday night. Again I apologize for the photography... Still working with my IPhone... This were young talented people in the art of dance. Ballet, Hip Hop and other modern dance.. We were on the front row... Thanks to the International Women's Club which Becky is a member.

All in all... I do believe the group had a great time... Touring Mayan Ruins, local food establishments from street vendors to first class dining...

Well, we are off to Mayacoba Golf Classic next... We have volunteered to help and been assigned to the first tee as Ambassadors... Sounds good... We hold up the "QUIET" sign and man the ropes that cord en off the tee box.... Watch for us on the  golf channel.... Hope to get some pictures for our next blog..

Guiness Book of Records

We attended and participated today in the largest group of people to attend a golf lesson. It was organized by the sponsors of the MayaKoba Golf Classic that is held here at the MayaKoba Golf Course each Spring at the end of February. Today they had approximately 1500 people attend a half hour lesson on the basics of golf.

 Here is the drop off point for the buses and the hordes of people to participate in the golf lesson.

 Here is the tote board that kept track of how many participants and the time.

 Here is my favorite player... Becky...Long Ball .... This gal can drive ... Putting isn't bad either!

 Here I am trying to find my grip.

 One of the many fairways and hazards on the course...

 Here is Mr & Mrs Puerto Morelos ... Andres & Martha ... My tennis partner on Wednesdays & Fridays..

Another beautiful hole on this magnificent course. Home of the Maya Koba Classic February 24th thru the 27th. Becky and I will be volunteering during the tournament.

Chichen Itza - Ek Balam History Tour

We took a little road trip with our Bishop and a group from Northern Utah. We visited Chichen Itza and Ek Balam and got some real insight into the past history of the people who lived there then. (Mayans)

This is our merry little bands.. I am terrible with names...These were all family from up around Tremonton area ...

 Here we are at Chichen Itza

 This Iguana was standing guard at the warriors memorial burial site...

 This is the Bishop and guide on the road out to the sacrificial well where they sacrificed young to the water God.

 Standing on the remains of the outer walls around Chichen Itza.

 Lemuel Petlacalo, standing in front of some of the newest discoveries at Chichen Itza near the large Pyramid. web site: http://www.ldstour.com/ email: support@ldstour.com

 This is one on the highways in ancient Maya. This highway goes from Chichen Itza to Coba. It is 66 miles long and perfectly straight and level.

 Mayan archway.. common as entry to cities and temples.

 The timbers you see in this picture are the original timbers used in the construction of this building. Lumber was scarce in the area. Trees are mainly smaller in diameter and most building construction was sand stone and cement.

 Nice resort where we stopped for a lunch buffet.

 Cenote, (Well or sink hole), clear water filtered by the sand stone. There are no rivers above ground in the Yacatan. All rivers are under ground and there are many cenotes and caves throughout the region.

 They have craved out a walkway down to the cenote where many go swimming in the crystal clear water.

 This is the group at Ek Balam, this is a large ruin that was recently uncovered in the jungle of the Yucatan. This is a very large temple with many rooms and some painting depicting the dark and light skinned natives of the period.

 Ek Balam

 The grand entrance... Sure wouldn't want to be a bellman here and have to negotiate those stairs with luggage,

This was before the climb to the top...

Great time was had by all... We were truly enlighten with the insights of Lemuel.

Adios 2010 Bienvenida 2011

We went to Puerto Morelos for New Year's Eve... We met up with Brett & Kris for dinner. We walked thru the town square and to a seaside restaurant for dinner and some music. The place was all decorated up and the waiters were all in a great mood..

 After dinner we moved over to another sidewalk cafe that had live music and sat and watched the people. Numerous tourists in town... Americans, Canadians and some Europeans... All having a good time.. (Brett is in the picture)..

 Street cafe just up from the dive shop that Brett and Kris have in Puerto Morelos .. Live music, belly dancer and fire dancers... The fire dancers just walk the streets looking for a crowd and work for tips.

 This is our little group at the Habanero Cantina ... Brett, Local Sport's medicine guy, Kris, Becky, my empty seat and the belly dancer... By day she is a diving instructor at Brett's dive shop.

Fire dancers working the crowd from the streets of Puerto Morelos.

"Youth is when you are allowed to stay up until midnite.

Middle Age is when you are forced to stay up until midnite to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Old Age is when you go to bed early and greet the New Year in the morning..."

That is exactly what we did... We were home and in bed by 11pm... The fireworks were going off until 2am in our housing development .. You could hear music playing...

Becky may have had a hard time sleeping, but Me, I can sleep thru artillery fire ...and have... Sweet dreams...2010.... Looking forward to 2011! Another Great Year!