A little kayaking, a little boogie boarding, a lot of dogs

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - The day began with a great breakfast at Cafe Risa in La Manzanilla, where the food is always a treat, though the experience is not quite the same since owner Tia Richardson left with her daughter Macy to go back to the states.

And by 2 p.m., I already had gone kayaking with Capt. Sanders Lamont, right in front of his rented casa, then grabbed a boogie board and took a dozen runs in the big surf. Tomorrow we will check out the beach at Tenacatita, where - if the huge ocean swells are still from the south - should be great for boarding.

Sanders wrote about his kayaking adventure on his blog. You should take a look.

Sanders Lamont: Adventures of an aging gringo

When the Admiral and I returned to the Pink Flamingo however , we were off right away on the quad to give injections of medicine to two dogs: Capitan, the pooch with the skin problems who Sylvia has been nursing for nearly two weeks, and Leona, a somewhat feisty 60-pound female who will have an operation this Sunday morning - in our palapa - performed by our amiga veterinarian Rocio.

With neighbor Chon's help, we were able to get the shot of medicine into Leona, though I doubt she will ever come near me again after I had to hold her down tight so she didn't move. Capitan was mellow, of course, and didn't even whimper when Chon gave him his dose.

Capitan has improved soooo dramatically, that he is behaving like a normal pooch now, running up to the quad when we arrive with the food bowls.


El Capitan chows down after his shot


Playa Chica, Arroyo Seco

After giving the shots, I convinced the Admiral we should go down to the beach and check out the sunset and the surf conditions before going in search of tacos in the village. (It didn't take much convincing.) We were rewarded with a fabulous sunset and great pounding surf, still coming from the south.

We also had our latest foster dog, Samba, run all the way from town, right behind the quad driven by Sylvia. Samba has started showing up every morning outside the gate, and as I write this, is camped out by the door of the Grey Goose II, waiting to see what our next adventure will be. Hmm... she might also be waiting to see if I eat all the pizza on my plate.

The video below shows Samba enjoying the beach, the same beach she went to every day this winter with her amigo Julien, who went back to France about a month ago.


Surf's up!