Their Family is Growing

There are more and more "birds" appearing all the time.

The boys were back again yesterday to finetune their skills.

Juan told us that he and Rafael travel from one Mexican beach town to another performing their art.

When I went out for a visit I noticed that a few people had left some pesos for the guys.

I didn't want to see their hard earned money getting lost in the sand so I wandered up a got them a container.

It was a rather large container with writing big enough for people to read.

It seemed to be working because later I saw more and more walkers stopping by to leave a tip.
The guys were grateful for our beer delivery.

We also took down our boogie boards so the boys could have some fun in the ocean.

They seemed to greatly appreciate our hospitality.

And had a blast riding the big waves, but soon it was time to get back to work.

By about 2 o'clock I was starting to feel sorry for them because they hadn't eaten since breakfast.

So I rounded up some grub and took it down to them.

I hope Bruce wasn't looking forward to having leftover fried spaghetti for lunch this week (it's one of his favourites).

Within minutes the guys had devoured the spaghetti, all the chips and salsa, a whole big can of pickled jalapenos and a package of cookies.

My Little Actresses

My granddaughters, Taylor, Spencer and Sarah, are quite the little actresses.

A while ago, my son Kerry, talked the girls into dressing “up” for a party he was throwing for his staff at work.

He told them that everyone was dressing up and they were going bowling to kick off the party.
But, when Kerry and the girls arrived at the party, they found that Dad had tricked them and no one else was dressed up.

I’m sure that everyone at the party had a good laugh, and even though the girls were good sports, I bet they were happy to put this episode behind them

Later Kerry shared these pictures with us and we also had a good laugh.

Then, shortly after the party, Taylor turned 15.

And guess what Dad did for her birthday.

He had this picture posted on the front page of the Buy Sell & Trade for the whole world to see, along with his best wishes for Taylor's 15th birthday. That's Taylor on the right.

I'm sure Taylor was not overjoyed when she discovered what Dad had done, but once again she was a good sport and had to laugh at herself.

This is the sweet, pretty teenage side of the girls.
Can you believe these are the same nerds that went to the party.
There's also a serious, feminine side to them.

And then there's the rough and tough tomboy side of them.
See you soon, girls! Love Ya -

Art on the Beach

Late yesterday afternoon I looked out and saw what I thought was a bunch of very different looking birds, sitting very still on the huge rocks.
So I quickly grabbed the telescope to find out what kind of birds they were.

I soon realized that they were smaller rocks perched precariously on top of larger rocks.

This afternoon I found out who put the rock formations out there.

When I saw a bunch of guys crawling around the rocks, I went out to meet them.

Rafael and his buddies are down from Guadalajara for a few days.

They are camping on the beach and just hanging out.
They don't look like they have a lot of money, but are enjoying just being here and doing things that won't eat away at whatever pesos they do have.
Much of their time is being spent creating a little art for the locals and visitors to enjoy.

They really are a nice bunch of young men who are having a lot of fun.

Everyone who walked up or down the beach today stopped to have a look.

What a pleasant way for the guys to spend a few days at the beach.

Today is tianguis day so the boys were getting a good audience.

All day there's been a steady stream of gringos heading to and from the market via the beach.

I hope no one comes along and kicks their creations over right away because they look great!

I just went out to talk to the boys again and take them each a beer, but they'd quit for the day and were heading down the beach.

They must have been thirsty because it was hot out there and they had nothing to drink.

Maybe I can catch them tomorrow.

Goats Really are a Bunch of Kids at Heart

This whole crew got us all smiling one day when we were out for a drive.

They are so inquisitive looking, and I'm sure they were wondering what we were staring at.

This little guy had just been born. His umbilical cord was still attached.

They sure are noisy critters!

They sounded like a school yard full of kids.

Nice beard, Mr. Billy Goat.

There certainly wasn't anything bashful about this character!

Herons

We are fortunate to have the ocean and a river within steps of our homes in Mexico and Canada.

It is unbelievable the number of birds we get to see and hear each day.

Down here the herons, or egrets as they are sometimes called, are especially beautiful.

They are extremely patient and don't move a muscle while fishing.

There are at least 18 species of Herons in Mexico and we get to enjoy many of them.

We see lots of cattle egrets on our drives through the countryside. They are feeding on insects which are disturbed by livestock and farm equipment.

If you don't live near the water, a great place to see herons up close is on a jungle tour through the local mangroves or in the area's swamps and lagoons.

Many of the herons we see in Canada during the summer, migrate to Mexico for the winter so we get to enjoy these majestic birds all year-round.

Dahlia, the National Flower of Mexico

Today I learned that the national flower of Mexico is the dahlia.

Dahlia is a bushy, summer and autumn flowering, tuberous perennial that is originally from Mexico.

The mountains of Mexico are considered the home of origin for today's dahlia ancestors.

16th century Spanish conquistadors, while busy conquering the vast Aztec Indian nation, also made some interesting explorations, one of which was the collection of New World plant life.

Botanist accompanying the soldiers discovered what is sometimes referred to as the tree dahlia.

The flowers of this species were open centered, single blooms with hollow stems.

Some of these plants, growing to over 20 feet, were often used for hauling water or as an actual source of water to traveling hunters.

About 200 years passed before dahlia seeds, roots, and plants found their way to Europe. From the Royal Botanical Gardens in Madrid, Spain, dahlia seeds and tubers were soon sent throughout western Europe.

Dahlias are now seen growing all over the world.

There are many different varieties and colours of dahlias. Their stems are long and stand erect so make a wonderful bouquet of cut flowers.