Home for the Fourth

I made a quick trip to Michigan last week to visit with friends and family. My Fourth of July weekend was wonderful. On Friday night, my brother Tim took me and my parents out on his new boat. We ate pizza on the boat from Sluggo's (aka Snuggies by my dad- ha ha). We cruised out to Lake Michigan to watch the beautiful sunset then headed back to Lake Macatawa and watched the fireworks from the boat. It was a fun night!

My brother Tim and my sister-in-law Jody

Me, my mom, and dad

The Holland pier - lots of birds headed out to see the fireworks as well.

Enjoying the ride

Boats gather in Lake Michigan for a fireworks display - we went to the one on Lake Mac

Me and Jody

I'm a sucker for sunset pictures

On Saturday, I headed up north to Branch. Chuck, Kathy and I went to several garage sales - some lived up to the "north of 10" label - interesting items to say the least. We also went to a little carnival/art show in Manistee. And since we were so close, we stopped at the casino - of course! Saturday night we had a nice dinner and watched a movie - Michael's brother Chad and his wife Kate spent the night, too.

On Sunday morning, I went to visit my sister Deb and her family at Silver Lake. The had a great campsite right on the water. We sat around the campfire, went to the beach, took a couple walks, and got ice cream. I spent the night. A very relaxing weekend!

My brother-in-law Daryl and my grandniece Charlotte

My niece Darcey and her daughter Adria

Adria seems a bit overwhelmed by Charlotte's love

I took a walk to this lighthouse while we were hanging out at the beach

You can climb to the top - notice the people way up there

Nice views from the top of the lighthouse

Darcey's husband Rodney had his mom and step-dad come for a visit on Sunday. Rod's mom made the climb to the top of the lighthouse with me.

Adria thinks I'm funny

Although, sometimes she looks at me with an enormous amount of concern

Me and Darcey

Darcey and Rodney's dog, Clyde, with sand all over his tongue. Clyde is a rescued dog and the poor thing always has his tongue hanging out because he was hit in the head with a shovel when he was a pup. He doesn't seem to mind the sand, though.

More beautiful Michigan sunsets. Kind of reminds me of those inspiring "Visit Michigan" commercials. Can't you just hear the lovely music playing in the background?

An unknowing couple sharing a romantic moment with me lurking behind them taking pictures.

Mountain High

Yesterday we took a drive to Monterrey - through the mountains. It was beautiful! We wove up and down the curvy roads, through valleys, over ridges, and on top of the mountains. In some places, the road was very narrow, allowing only one car at a time. There were huge potholes, small bridges, and tight turns. We drove through towns and villages and past waterfalls. Here's some pics:

We have not seen this much green since we moved to Mexico! Beautiful.

I like taking pictures of these yellow diamond signs for some reason - some of you know about this strange desire. Anyway, this sign was not an understatement on this road.

Apparently, this truck driver does not share my interest in yellow diamond signs. Perhaps going a little too fast around that turn?

There really were cows on the road, but I never got a good shot.

A very common sight in Mexico. And so dangerous. Often a one-car accident results in multiple deaths because of the number of people riding in the backs of pick-up trucks.

We stopped to check out this waterfall. This little swimming area caused quite a traffic jam.

A lot of people were climbing up the slippery rocks.

Yes, another yellow diamond. This one was frightening, considering the number of steep cliffs with loose rock. Not to mention, they do not reinforce the embankments.

When we got back in the car after checking out the waterfall, I noticed that one of the front tires was extremely flat. Thank goodness, there was a good spare in the trunk.

Think it's time for new tires?! These are literally ripping apart. There were three spots like this one in the tire.

At least I had a nice view while Michael, and our friend Kyle Jansen, fixed the tire. Kyle is here for about a week from Innotec Zeeland. I worked with him during my JVP days at Ventura. In this picture, you can see a little yellow spot in the mountains. It's one of many butterflies fluttering around. Some were brilliant colors, but I had a hard time getting a good picture.

We stopped at this popular waterfall, as well. Cascada Cola de Caballo means "Horsetail Waterfall" in English.

A horse, of course.

It started to rain hard while we were visiting the waterfall, but the sun never stopped shining. It felt refreshing.

Beautiful - it does sort of look like a horsetail.

The road through the mountains ended and we were in the middle of busy downtown Monterrey. So close to where we just were, but it felt like worlds away.

Growing Up

Thought I'd post a few pictures of two of our youngest animals - our puppy, Rita, and our kitten, Noche. They've grown quite a bit since I last posted pictures.

BEFORE - Rita struggled to eat out of the bucket.

NOW - Not struggling so much. Apparently, she has no problem reaching the food - look how big she is getting!

BEFORE

NOW

She loves the camera!

BEFORE - Little Noche sitting on the sofa.

NOW - Look how much he has changed.
This picture is a little bleary - but it's more appropriate than the following images. Really? I take the camera out and you decided to do THAT?

Showers

The past couple days have been a bit cooler here. It's refreshing to drink a cup of coffee without breaking a sweat. Yesterday another storm rolled through. The storms come quickly here. I hear a low rumble in the distance, and in a matter of minutes, the rain swoops in along with sudden gusts of wind. Before I know it, my curtains are blowing wildly, knocking Tupperware off the counter top onto the floor. Rain sprays inside the house as I quickly close windows - but not all the way because I love the sound of thunder and rain falling on pavement.

On Sunday around 6 pm, a storm brought a torrential downpour. When it rains here, water accumulates everywhere. The ground is too dry and hard to absorb it and the drainage system is nearly non-existent, causing roads to be flooded. We were planning to go to the market in Arteaga, and decided to head out despite the rain. By the time we reached the market, the storm had subsided and the sun even came out. It's amazing how quickly storms form and fall apart.

Rain water splashing over our car from the flooded roads

The water rushes by like a river because the drainage system is not very good

We bought a large chicharron (pork rind) from Pedro - who owns a restaurant near the market

After the storm

Yesterday, we once again had problems with our power. Flipping the breaker switch has become a common part of my daily routine. When the electric goes out, it also causes the water to go off. Which is mainly a problem when I'm in the shower. I have come to appreciate taking showers in Michigan. I usually get hot water - which is a rare thing here, since the pilot blows out everyday. I don't have to check for large spiders or gigantic moths. I have water pressure and don't have to struggle to find a tiny stream of water strong enough to rinse the soap out of my hair. And most importantly, I don't worry that the water will shut off without notice. This is the most annoying aspect of showers in Mexico. Of course, it usually happens when I conveniently have large amounts shampoo lathered in my hair. As I lean my head back to rinse it out, the water stops. It's like some cruel joke. The first time this happened, I nearly burst into tears. It was a cold day. I was wet. I had an enormous amount of shampoo in my hair, and running down my back. So I grabbed my towel, ran down the hall, slid across the marble floor - which was now doused with water and shampoo making the surface much like a skating rink. The cat found this to be a wildly entertaining new game and began to chase me, swiping at my towel with his front claws, missing, and scratching my leg. When I reached the other end of the house and switched the breaker, it turned on, then off. On, off. On, off. That's when the tears came. Finally, after a few more desperate attempts, the electricity clicked back on and I hurriedly rinsed off, appalled at what just happened.

Yesterday, I flipped the breaker and nothing happened. Everything was dead. No electricity and no water for most of the afternoon. I spent the rest of the day reading. The electricity is back today - so far. The water, too. However, I have yet to take a shower because I'm terrified the water will go off for good and I'll be stuck with soap in my hair.