Vacation Time!

Sat at the pool after our buffet breakfast at Tradewinds. Hit the showers at 10. Taxi to airport at 11. Sandy saw an older man with black dress socks and sandals. She could hear Kathy screaming from Indy. I am forbidden from ever committing such a fashion faux pas. Been threatened with death. Got right through check-in, as Sandy had signed us up for premiere seating. Good call. Sat down at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company for lunch. Pretty good eats. We agreed better than the airport Margaritaville. 30 minutes until we board. Figure with the 1-hour time difference and then the Daylight Savings Time change on Sunday, we're really not going to know what time it is anywhere. Trying to figure out where we are going for the rest of this year. I've got prairie dogs and an elk hunt later this year. We've got the Seager Run-away in June. Potentially have the Cousin Reunion, but that depends on Sandy's availability. Maybe coming back here in December to prepare us fo

For our final night, as is customary, we ate at the Capt's Cove for dinner. We thought that maybe they had a large group coming in because they sat is in Poncho & Willy's. But, it was just to get more people seats by the water. We got some awesome sunset photos and Alex's alligator came to visit. He's tough to see, but square in the middle is a 5 footer. His head is shiny. Sandy had the lobster stuffed shrimp. I had the fillet and lobster. We topped it off with carrot cake and key lime pie. Service was a bit lacking, but the food and ambiance could not be beat. We started packing and are relaxing in front of the tube. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location: Calle Cucumatz,Cancún,Mexico

So there's a family, taught by the Grandfather, who finger paints on tiles. It is amazing to watch the pictures come to life. They are here in Cancun, Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta. We have bought these paintings before, and in fact have one hanging in our living room from our 25th anniversary trip here last year. A percentage of the proceeds from each sale go to help under privileged children here in Cancun. Well, we bought 3 on Wednesday, and another 4 today. Most are gifts and/or presents. But I had a tough time pulling Sandy away. I think she would have them all over our house if we had a way to get them all home. And, Jose painted one as a gift since we bought so many. Hey, buy 7 and get one free! Here is Jose painting the next one: You can check out Jose Montero's Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/magicfingercancun There are some pictures of his work and even a video there. Truly a talent. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location: Calle Cucumatz, Cancún, Mex

Spent the end of the week exactly as it began. We did nothing but soak up rays today. Lunch was next door at the Mayan's Palapa. The finger painters were back, see next post for details. Stayed on the sun deck all day. Sandy was the lush. Note, 2 drinks for Sandy. Yes, it's Happy Hour. Of course, when is it not when in Cancun? Yes, some horrific weather. Waves roll in, but they are pretty weak and have been for most of the week. You can just see one para sailer out there. Been a good week! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location: Calle Cucumatz, Cancún, Mexico

We took some photos at night with the camera, iPad, and my Samsung Galaxy. By far, the Samsung pics are the best. I thought I could send them to Dropbox over wifi, to no avail. I tried to email them to myself. Again fail. I need to get them here to my iPad to share on this blog. Oh well, this will have to do for now. From our balcony, two floors up. That's the entrance to Tradewinds on the far right. It's the ocean all the way in the back - all black. Time has gone by quickly. One more day and we have to start packing. Our new suitcases are huge and will do nicely for getting all the stuff we just bought home. I still have to pass a written exam for my open water certification. Will try that first thing in the morning. Good night all. From the not-so-snowy beaches of Cancun! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location: Calle Cucumatz, Cancún, Mexico

We slept in a bit today. Finally hit the pool around 10. Had lunch at the Tradewinds on the patio deck across from the pool bar. Hit the sun deck after lunch and just let our bodies soak up the rays. An email from Boppum says the web camera is out of service. She can't stalk us. We were on the sun deck today in full view. Too bad she didn't get to see me mooning the camera! Showers by 4 and then off to shop. We found everything we needed and some things we did not at La Isla. Then off to Fred's for dinner. Fred's is right next door to the Crab House. Everything at Fred's is ala carte, which means more $. Sandy had the rib eye and I had the fillet with Alaskan king crab legs. Sandy ordered med-well and had to send it back to cook some more. I ordered medium and it was barely warm in the middle. However, it was the most tender steak I have ever eaten and my crab legs were grilled. They served one of Cambalache's peppers with them too. Watch out. Calei

Got up this morning at 7:30. Went downstairs to the Tradewinds for a buffet breakfast. I hit the front desk to catch a taxi N. Sandy looked for a chair that was not in direct sun. She figures she's red enough for a Wednesday and didn't want to push it. I headed off toward the NE corner of the island and hopped a boat. We headed NE to what I thought was to be a ship wreck. Instead 2 more reef dives to 55'. This makes 3 & 4 for me and completes my open water certification with PADI. We saw sting rays, barracuda, lobsters, sea turtles, and a shark. I also got my first salvage when I picked up a weight belt some other diver had lost. The instructors have been awesome and the rest of my diving friends more than pleasant - very encouraging. I kept a keen eye on my air, as I'm sure all noobs do. We ran our first dive, with a controlled stop right to the end of my air. We ran the second dive to the end of my air. The gauge said I had about 10 lbs left, but who kn

So we're checking out the weather forecast for Central Indiana, reading your emails, and watching New York news. Seems like you all back home are having a March storm that includes freezing rain, sleet, and snow. We called to check in with Kathy and Nick. Nick said there was 2" on the ground already with more coming down. About the only good thing he could think of was to sled with the Gator. Baa Haaaa.... Yep, we've got horrible weather down here in Cancun too! Check it out... This is snow, in its unfrozen form. This is rain. It's raining sunshine! This is hail - as in Hail Yea! All we can say is, it's good to be us! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location: Calle Cucumatz, Cancún, Mexico

Just before heading to lunch yesterday, I stopped by the resort dive shop to check on book progress. That is, I was borrowing one of their books to learn the written instructions on becoming open water certified. As luck would have it, my instructor said let's do the pool training now. So instead of having lunch at Noon, we walked next door at 3 for a snack. I had to demonstrate 18 dive/rescue techniques. This was more in depth than the last time we all went on a dive. The fellow that joined me for the lesson helped slow us down. One hour verbal instruction, 2 hours in the pool. I was a cold prune upon exit. My bride, who continued to sun bathe, was hungry. Returned to the room for showers and relaxation. Watched some NCAA men's basketball and then hit Tradewinds for Cajun night. Back to the room and in bed by 9. This vacation stuff really wears one out. Mind you, this dive reading is nothing at all like what brother Trent just had to submit for his doctorate. Five

Yesterday, our pool chairs were next to some guys from the east coast. Entertaining for a while, but annoying enough that we switched locations. We ate lunch at the Mayan with the goal of having cheeseburgers in paradise. Alas, their lunch special was quesadillas which suited us both nicely. New seats after lunch. Stayed out til after 3. Showers and some basketball viewing before hitting the Cove for dinner. We sat inside due to the wind, but went outside to take pictures. We shoulda sat outside. There was no one guarding the front desk as we left the Cove, so I ended up with enough dinner mints for the rest of the week! We both read until sleepy time. Mama was out by 9, I read til 11:30. First up at 7:30 am today because the maintenance guys were Mowing! Followed by the weed eater. Gorgeous looking day today. No wind and full sun. We're lathering up to go find a sit spot by the pool. When we first arrived, my Lilly email worked fine. Now it does not. My speculation is

After sunning til about 3 yesterday, we took showers and headed to dinner here. Ate at the Tradewinds. Sandy had Italian chicken and I opted for the lobster - prime rib combo. I washed it all down with some cap't and coke. We agreed that the food was awesome, but it did not beat Captain's Cove for taste or atmosphere. In the future we will return to the Cove for first meal. And we have plans to return there tonight. Hit the room about 7 and straight to sleep. We were tired little vacationers. Sleep for 14 hours. Got up, sun screened, and to the pool. The wind has lessened, but is not completely dead. Sandy says she's comfortable, but if any cloud buddies show up, she's certain Kathy would have a towel buddy to keep warm. Sandy says it's perfect. She does not have to get wet to keep cool. And we all know, if Mama ain't happy, then nobody's happy! Since we were a little late, chairs are at a premium. It is crowded as we near Spring Break. Not many people

Got less than 3 hours sleep before heading to the airport today. No issues with traffic, weather, or pocket knives. For any Donkey Heads reading this (they know who they are) we rode on Frontier's "Cliff" the Mt. Goat. Got some sleep on the plane. I watched Ice Age Continental Drift on this here iPad. Sandy played solitaire and Angry Birds on her Kindle after her napper. Arrived at 9:30 am local, which is 1 hour behind Indiana. We sat in the front row of the plane and were thus first off. Upon arrival at Customs, we had the ENTIRE place to ourselves. The only other people in the joint were the officers. Got right thru, grabbed our bags and then a taxi. Green light. No searches. Arrived at the Royal Caribbean close to 10 am. Went next door for a buffet breakfast. This time we were smart enough to pack our suits in the carry-on bag. Changed into them after breakfast, lathered up, and grabbed some Z's. Here is mama on vacation. Looks pretty familiar. Checked in