More Chronicles from 2009

This morning I was again reminded that OgDog would not be with me forever. Last night he peed his bed and was lying in it, seemingly unaware. This is only one of several subtle changes that have occurred lately. When a pet reaches the elderly years, change is expected but it is still a shock when it happens. It is the life process and I do my best to make him comfortable. And, if we need to get some Depends so be it. He still LOVES to eat and all working parts are functioning, as they should. He’s an amazing guy; every time I count him out, he rebounds stronger than ever. And, he loves lying in the Mexican sunshine almost as much as me. ☺

So back to Boot Camp at 8:00 AM, I can sure tell I had 3 days off, even though I ran and did yoga stretches over the weekend. It’s interesting that Antonio uses free weights and basic calisthenics in our workout. I love getting back to basics in Mexico. ☺ His experience comes from military training so we work mostly on strength and endurance, which of course tones in the process. Long before the health club rage this was how people stayed in shape. These exercises are so basic yet challenging and effective. The ab crunches are a killer, but as I mentioned before it is the sign that we’re almost through for another day. (See grimace photos). Antonio’s brother-in-law is a professional boxer and he told us about a crème that you put on fat that helps reduce it. Boxers swear by it. So you know what that means? Had to get some. It smells like menthol and looks like lemom curd. But it’s worth a try, right?

Since I am working so hard at this, I deserve a treat – and it can’t be chocolate. So, I followed up with a pedicure, and find I’m really into orange lately. - so orange, blue and purple toes it is. In Mexico a pedicure is done entirely by hand and it takes hours! Life in definitely Good in Guaymas, Senora!

More Chronicles – First Weigh-In

Weigh-in was today at 11:30 AM at Yin & Yang - the diet doctor. On the way there we told ourselves it was okay if we hadn't lost any weight for the week. But the good news is Jan & I both lost 1.5 kilos – which computes to 3.3 lbs. I already feel lighter, and when you visualize what 3.3 lbs. of raw hamburger looks like, well that’s how much has fallen off my body in one week. But, the best part? I’m not even hungry and I don’t crave anything!

For the record, week one I could eat: cereal with light milk, toast with light marmalade, fresh squeezed OJ available here (yummmy), meat (no pork, shrimp or shellfish), chicken, fish & salad, plus jicama for a snack (tastes great dipped in salsa).

Week 2 is a little more restrictive: Eggs, ham, bacon, OJ, light Jell-O, meat, tuna, chicken, one piece of fruit per day (no grapes or mango), beef and salad. This is easy to remember and different enough from last week to keep it interesting.

Along with new menus we also had our acupressure and tummy laser zaps. The acupressure points are located by the right ear on the jaw, with mouth open, and on the shoulder near the collarbone (same side). That must be the magic that takes the appetite away. The old laser tape was removed from the stomach, replaced with new strips and zapped. And did I mention this cost $6? We celebrated by going out to lunch at a downtown hotel, but motivated by the weight lose, we stuck to our diet plan.

Well, another reprieve from Boot Camp – Antonio had the day off so we start again tomorrow, 8:00 AM. He mentioned that we were going to do trail running this week – I think that means uphill. Can’t wait ☺ I ran this morning on the beach and told Zippy she could come along IF she promised to run in the same direction as me. She agreed and did pretty well. Yesterday when I got home I could hear her howling from across the street because I had left her behind. That's one way to meet the neighbors.

After my run I went to Yoga at the health club in San Carlos to see what they were offering. Although the sign said Beginners Level it was so NOT beginners. We started out doing balancing poses and people were weaving and falling all over the place. It renewed my inspiration to get a routine together so that I can volunteer at the Club for the 8-hours needed for certification. Then I can teach and get paid, something else to add to my repertoire.

A few more observations that I have to write down or I will definitely forget:

Ordering a salad in a restaurant means Ice Berg lettuce.
Women wear false eyelashes like we did in the 70’s – well some of us.
Women do not wear shorts.
Women wear skin-tight stretch jeans. A young lady walked by our table at the hotel in a pair and Jan said it reminded her of a “sausage.” You know, like sausage meat pressed into those skins? OMG - now THAT was funny!
High heels - with the tight jeans comes the stilettos – how do women walk in those?
American women are easy to spot.
There are many spirits in Guaymas. There was one sitting briefly in the backseat of the car today.

Embracing the Culture

The realization that I am indeed in a foreign country slapped me in the face today. When I travel I am conscientious about embracing cultural differences, but sometimes I forget and assume, and find myself being jolted back into the reality of the moment, like today.

I needed some things at the grocery so I went to my favorite neighborhood store in San Carlos. It actually reminds me of Smokey Bay’s in Homer, Alaska - a small space with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course the whole of San Carlos is made up of gringos so language is not a problem. I got the main stuff to continue my protein feast, when I realized there was no lettuce on the shelves. That is one of very few staples on my current diet plan so I have to have it. This meant I would have to go to the BIG Store in Guaymas (the working class town where everyone speaks Spanish) - alone.

Finding my way to downtown Guaymas was easy and I was feeling pretty confident when I pulled in the parking lot. I could not believe how many people were there! It was then that I realized this Super Store was smack in the middle of the City Center mall, and the people were out in masses. After all it is Sunday afternoon. I have only been to downtown Guaymas with Jan at my side to speak for me. I’ve been listening to Mexican radio in hopes that subliminally it will soak into my brain and I will magically start speaking fluent Spanish. So far it’s not working ☹

LAYS has everything available for purchase that you can imagine -- exactly the type of American store that I avoid at all costs. I actually hyperventilate when I get in this type of shopping frenzy. So my plan was to run in, grab the lettuce, pay for it and get the hell out. Of course the first problem was finding it, for a quick in-and-out. Not possible. Especially when I was unable to ask directions.

In the middle of a relaxed, slow moving crowd, I smiled to myself knowing I could not understand what was going on around me, nor did I have a clue as to where the produce was. It’s all about the adventure, right? I was on one end of the grocery section, the lettuce was on the total opposite side of the store, or so I found out after meandering around for what seemed like forever. Finally, I got what I needed and headed to the check out. Where might that be? Another bout of wandering around until I accidentally stumbled onto the checkout isles. Did I mention the hordes of people? OMG.

I had the lettuce and was knee deep in a line behind folks that had multiple carts of food to check. I glanced around to find the 10 items or less line, but no one had under10 items but me, so if that line did exist it didn’t matter. I was in for the duration and enjoying the present moment as it was presented to me. Crying babies, women chatting, teenage boys reading Hustler magazine – in fact everyone was reading magazines off the shelf, the man behind me trying to talk to me and me replying with the one phrase that I do know: “Non Espanola” and flashing a smile, as he continued talking, saying who knows what?

My observation? Ok, as a people watcher it IS about what you see. People ARE happy here. No one appeared in a rush, impatient or angry. Everyone is smiling and polite. And in the mist of all this chaos, I managed to get my stuff checked out without having to speak one word. Mucho Gracias.

I am starting Spanish lessons on Tuesday – I want to learn some basic phrases. It’s going to be memorizing and learning verbs. Motivation comes when you realize you don’t have a clue what people are saying, or how to ask for anything. When I do try to speak it always comes out in French and people look at me weird, especially the waiter who asked me a question and I responded with “Oui”. I haven’t greeted anyone with a Bonjour yet!

Tomorrow is weigh-in, another tummy laser zap, and a different diet plan for the week! Back to Extreme Boot Camp first thing in the morning. Oh Boy! I’m listening to the Doors “Break on Thru,” on Mexican radio tonight – it must be gringo night! Yes, something I CAN understand ☺

The "Coming Out" Party

The coming out event turned out to be a dinner party of about 10 people. Since Jan had a commitment this weekend, we decided to postpone the large dancing party that will include many of the local Mexican people, until mid-February when Meg arrives. That way it can be both of us “coming-out”. We picked up the food from Antonio’s brother, who does catering on the side. It was beef, beans, hand-made tortillas with all the condiments and the price for all of us was $15. It was delicious – although the only thing I ate was beef w/salsa on top and a green salad. Protein Baby.

The people here were Americans living in San Carlos, a very nice gringo town about 15 minutes away. John and Connie have lived here part of the time for over 30 years, returning to their home state of Utah for the Sonora summers. Dave and Merle have owned a home here for a few years. They brought two friends with them; Gail is visiting from Boise and recently lost her partner in his sleep, and Olivia is from Italy and married to a Frenchman and they split their time between Boise & Europe. Merle & Dave are retired school teacher/principal and spend their time between San Carlos and Boise. Tammy arrived with a bottle of Australian wine that she got at Costco in Hermoilles, about an hour north of here – how very USish. Tammy is a real estate agent and in love with Miguel, a well-connected local real estate developer. It was relaxing just sitting around getting to know everyone. However, not one of them knew what was killing the pelicans on the beach. Apparently it is a problem all over the west coast. I will find the WWF next week in search of answers. In the meantime I am fascinated with photographing these creatures. They are beautiful and tragic at the same time.

So okay, if you MUST know I did have 2 drinks of Tequila – mixed with bubbly lime mineral water. It’s on the diet, and NO the wine was not. Weird I don’t even feel like wine in this weather. . . maybe I said that before. Am I repeating myself? Back to the drinks. . . hey it wasn’t a margarita but it wasn’t bad either. This morning I could feel it. Interesting that I haven’t drank in a week, and I was able to feel the effects of just two drinks. I don’t know what it all means other than just an observation. Don’t panic, I’m not ready to swear off booze just yet.

So today the doggies and I have Casa Miramar to ourselves. The weekend is a reprieve from boot camp, but I did do my morning run and some yoga stretches. The soreness has turned into only an awareness of the muscles. I am reading another book written about Guaymas and the red light district in the 70’s called Zone of Tolerance by David Stuart. Can you believe this guy actually wrote a book called the GUAYMAS CHRONICLES – I had no clue? Now I have to change the name of mine. . . Zone of Tolerance has my attention for the moment and it’s fun to read in the lounge chair by the pool. The breeze makes sitting in the sun very pleasant. My body craves the Vitamin D so I am taking advantage of soaking up the rays.

Speaking of observations. Two things I have noticed. The beach is cluttered with bottles and cans in the morning. What I learned from the locals last night was that the cans are left purposely on the beach so that the poorer residents can collect them and redeem them for Cash. The other insight was that food here is extremely bland – very good, but no spices. When you order chicken, steak or seafood it comes plain with little seasonings. So that’s it, all the insights for today.

And for all of you wondering. . . Woody is back to his old self today. Like the vet said, he just needed more time to get the bacteria out of his system.

Poor Woody

I awake at 5:30 AM to the sound of retching. That familiar sound that I know to be Woody. His little body lurching forward a few times before the vomit comes. I rush him outside and he lays down 3 piles of last night’s dinner, complete with undigested peas in green slime – I know, this is way TMI, but this IS how my day started. After a few more trips outside we manage to get him settled down and he even opted to eat his breakfast of yogurt. By now you can guess what time it is. - the start of Day Three Extreme Boot Camp. I’m off to the beach with the dogs to do my one mile run (still walking and running BTW), hoping that Woody will hold his own, or actually not minding the thought of stopping if he gets sick again. My legs are stiff but actually feel better than they did yesterday morning. Woody is better and actually never has to pause for a puke break.

There are many more dead birds in the surf today, including babies. They are both beautiful and tragic to look at. I made a mental note to contact the World Wildlife Federation in San Carlos to find out exactly why these birds are dying. I’ve been hearing that this is a much larger problem on the west coast for pelicans. Many are dying. . . but why?

The tide is almost entirely in, so running on the beach is difficult at best, but somehow we get through it and find our way back to the house, just as the sun starts getting really warm. We gather around the salt-water solar pool and begin our routine. Antonio switched it up today, giving us somewhat of a break, or so it seems. We did arm presses, and triceps work without the weights. And, our jogging, jumping jacks and pushups seemed easier. Did we actually do less, or am I getting used to this? We count in Spanish so it’s hard for me to tell, but I am learning. Uno, Dos, Tres, Quotro, etc. It’s when we get in the teens, that I get lost. We finished with the killer abs crunches again, both bad & good. Bad because it hurts like hell, and good because we know we have almost completed another day of boot camp and survived!

I called the vet in San Carlos thinking I should take Woody back in as it is the start of a weekend. He said my little doggie just needs some “time”, and that he is available 24-7 in the event I need to call him this weekend. He even makes house calls. Geeze, I could get used to this service.

So I have elected to stay home today hang out with the dogs, and lay in the sun – I know you’re not suppose to do that anymore, but I never did like rules. So with my limeade (no sugar), my book, and my Hawaiian tanning oil (Sunscreen 4, did you know you cannot find oil with NO sunscreen anymore?), I am set for a day of sunbathing and cooling off in the pool. I had to laugh, after sitting in the pool, which incidentally is great for the muscles in my legs, I returned to my chair to find Zippy stretched out on my pink towel, with my sunglasses and book nearby. It was obviously a photo op – see album. She is such a hoot. It’s hard to ever be mad around her although she can be extremely trying at time, especially when she wants to run in the other direction and is pulling me backwards as I try to run forward. As if running isn’t hard enough for me anyway. . . . .

So tonight is my “coming out” party in Guaymas. More later. . . on that event.

A Nose Waxing????

Boot Camp Day 2. Geezzzz, were my legs sore this morning. And we worked them again today. After the run we ran in place, did some jumping up and down, side to side like boxers do (not sure how I know THAT), and more ab crunches – a one-hour workout. Can I keep this up? So far, so good. Still no booze, caffeine or carbs. The weariness has gone away and been replaced with super energy. Now if the legs would cooperate I would be in business. They are okay to walk around on, it’s when I try to sit down or bend over that I realize it hurts like hell! It’s a good thing. . . or at least it better be.

After all that work, it was time for some pampering. We decided on the nail spa. I had my face waxed, starting with the brows and moving down to the NOSE. Can you believe it? They actually waxed my nose and not the inside. Some people get their crotch waxed, but Oh No, not me. I go for the nose wax. I had no clue there was hair on it but she showed me the proof. Weird. But now my nose, along with the rest of my face, is soft as a baby’s butt. I think that’s a good thing. The face buzz and a French manicure was a grand total of $17.50. The dollar is at 1.4! It’s like everything’s on sale. I continue to live quite well on my WalMart budget.

Arriving in Guaymas, January 2009

Me, my four dogs (3 cocker spaniels and a Basset Hound) and a VW named VeVe drove to Guaymas, Senora for a much needed break from the Alaska cold winter. The 5 hour drive from Tucson was scenic and warm. We made great time and arrived around 5PM. Our casita is beautiful with bright colors and Mexican flair. It is so cozy and looks out on a beautiful solar pool and a lovely patio perfect for outdoor living. The best part is the beautiful Sea of Cortez directly across the street. Zippy the Basset Hound is so excited with all the space and people - she can be at the pool, at Jan's house, in the casita or on the beach. She is totally exhausted tonight because she has been running from one place to the other, non-stop! Jan greeted me with a wonderful chicken salad and a few margaritas, yummy! I am told that a festival is being planned to welcome us to Guaymas - lots of people, food and drink. Hey, what more can I ask for? Guaymas is a charming Mexican community far removed from touristville, about 15 miles south of San Carlos. Just my kind of place. This is my schedule for the next couple months:

Exercising and eating organic.

Learning to speak some Spanish.

Making pictures.

Reading lots of books by the pool.

Teaching yoga.

Taking tennis lessons.

Getting my belly-button & ears pierced - ouch.

Getting a tattoo - another ouch.

Getting my face waxed and my body massaged!

Getting some metal taken out of my mouth.

Drinking many more margaritas to ease all this pain!

Anyone that wants to come visit, you are welcome. Life is as it should be in the moment here in Guaymas! Sun, fun, beach and sand.

Hola!