A day at the animal clinic and a farewell to cruiser friends

BARRA DE NAVIDAD, Jalisco, Mexico - We said goodbye to sailboat cruisers Paul Cahill and Tamar Lowell on Monday. They are heading south - muy rapido - aboard their sailing vessel Xanadu so they are well past the hurricane line when June 1 rolls around.

Paul and Tamar only know at this point that Panama is their goal, they said.

But they have a few miles of ocean to get done with before they hit there.


Paul waves adios from the cockpit of Xanadu

We said goodbye after spending a long afternoon at the Grand Bay Hotel pool with Paul and Tamar, who said they will be looking for marinas with pools in the weeks and months ahead.

We wished them luck with the sailing and pool search, but it is going to be hard to beat the Grand Bay.


Transported by the Admiral to the Cisco's Amigos clinic

The day before, the Admiral and I spent the day helping with the Cisco's Amigos project in La Manzanilla. Dogs and cats are brought in to a free veterinary clinic, at which a lot of neutering is done - along with general health care for the animals.

I drove into town from Arroyo Seco (about a 30-minute drive) with six dogs in the back of my Isuzu Trooper - one of which had a habit of wanting to bite anything that got near it.

Its owner came along to control him and only suffered a minor bite getting him out of the car.

The pooch's name is Mareado - which translates roughly to 'motion sick.' But he made it all the way in without any of that problem. That made me very happy.

At one point, waiting for some of the 21 dogs from Arroyo Seco we took in to get done with their surgeries, I took refuge in Palapa Joe's for a lunch and Cuba Libre(s). In the process, I listened to the 60 Minutes interview with President Obama.

Like Arte Johnson used to say on Laugh-In, 'Very interesting...'

Or maybe it was the Cuba Libre(s).


Obama at Palapa Joe's

After almost a week without a project, today we launched Operation Sod On. The goal is to install about 120 square meters of sod on the property, along with probably a half-dozen trees and lots of bushes and shrubs.

Lots of bushes and shrubs.

Around this oasis in the middle of the property, we will be putting down some kind of gravel for walkways and more trees and shrubs - anything to keep the dust clouds from forming.

The price for 120 square meters of sod delivered? About $200 U.S. dollars.

My neighbor Chon and I are going to check out the various kinds of grasses that the sod dealer has. I want the kind you don't have to mow much.

But it would be nice to have something kind of classy, like the grass below...


One possibility for the Pink Flamingo