tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33269942821193685962024-03-13T07:37:35.109-07:00Life's a Beach!Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.comBlogger1432125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-41863798303779747132018-02-19T22:17:00.000-07:002018-02-20T08:54:32.188-07:00An Hour on Playa CochoritWe took a field trip Friday to a place that felt like Old Mexico. I'm constantly wandering Playa Algodones in front of the condo picking up shells, so we decided it was time to check out some different beaches in the area. A neighbor down the beach had told us about some 'wild' beaches south of the town of Empalme in Sonora. She said one, PlayaLife's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-1744953509232852792018-02-11T21:49:00.000-07:002018-02-11T21:52:21.587-07:00The Other Soggy PesoNo, I'm not posting about the Soggy Peso on Isla Mujeres. There's actually another Soggy Peso in San Carlos on the other side of Mexico!
After we booked a month at Playa Blanca on Playa Algodones in San Carlos, I found out the other Soggy Peso was just a short walk away from the condo. I'd actually liked the San Carlos Soggy Peso long ago on Facebook (maybe by mistake).
Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-28412231298871121932018-02-07T11:23:00.000-07:002018-02-12T08:23:22.198-07:00A Month in San CarlosIt all started with pickleball. Of course it did. The minute I heard there was a strong pickleball club in San Carlos, Mexico, 7 hours south of our home in Arizona, I knew I could trick my husband into another month at the beach in February. The only obstacle (all in our minds) was our first drive trip south of the border. We've lived in Arizona 12 years and we'd never Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-86222447576947366542018-01-28T19:55:00.000-07:002018-01-28T20:01:08.985-07:00The Monday Lobster SpecialI love lobster. And I really love ordering lobster when the restaurant has a magical location right on the water with beautiful sunset views and a Monday night special including three tails and your choice of two sides for $18 U.S.
The restaurant is Beachers. They have multiple locations on Roatan, including one on the beach in West Bay and another one on the mainLife's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-72023175599312838532018-01-23T19:16:00.000-07:002018-01-23T19:18:39.926-07:00Love the Blues
Early morning West Bay Beach shoreline.
A cruise ship passes West Bay Beach headed to dock in Coxen Hole.
The quiet calm blue waters of West Bay before the tours arrive.
The leaning tower of Roatan.
Late afternoon on Half Moon Bay in West End.
Captain Brooks' wooden boat at Beachers' West End dock as theLife's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-4545397865435382602018-01-15T20:16:00.000-07:002018-01-15T21:04:34.586-07:00 El ParaisoRoatan is a paradise (el paraiso) where the lush jungle meets the turquoise sea. The flora and fauna are a large part of the charm that drew us back to the island again after our first trip in December 2015.
The view from the patio.
You could fill your morning breakfast bowl with fruit found on Roatan. We walked past this papaya tree everyday on our&Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-38572582468414477042018-01-14T08:55:00.000-07:002018-01-23T19:19:06.070-07:00A Sunset WalkOne of the joys of the tropics is watching the sun go down at the beach. The sun sets early on Roatan, so we'd often take a late afternoon walk down the road to West Bay.
A little boy runs down the beach while the big yellow glass bottom boat makes its last run over the reef headed back to the dock.
The sun sinking behind the Infinity Bay dock on West Bay Beach.
Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-6334828905321524202018-01-09T22:55:00.000-07:002018-01-09T22:58:26.574-07:00Ocean Therapy
As Wyland says, The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination, and brings eternal joy to the soul.
I know nothing inspires me like the ocean.
Most mornings in December, we walked down the hill and from one end of West Bay Beach to the other. If you wade in the shallows at the end of the beach in front of the Grand Roatan, colorful fish will swarm Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-63287948223768686382018-01-08T12:55:00.000-07:002018-01-08T20:30:39.432-07:00Roatan: The SequelI thought I was finally done blogging after my sporadic nine year term, but I've found additional inspiration after a month in Paradise at the end of 2017.
After a two year absence, the lush island of Roatan with all its rustic funky tropical splendor was calling our names again.
We left Phoenix in the dark at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morn in early December. Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-28171453163584187002017-04-11T09:24:00.000-07:002017-04-11T09:24:35.446-07:00Carnaval: The Sunday ParadeI waited over two hours for the Carnaval parade. You waited a week for my photos! I told you manana, but what that really means in Mexico is not tomorrow!
Once the parade started, it flowed like clockwork. Floats and dancers with performers of all ages!
It took me awhile to realize this was a Star Wars themed float.
An adorable queen of the float!
 Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-58559308532337141572017-04-04T11:18:00.000-07:002017-04-04T18:41:10.684-07:00Carnaval: The Waiting GameWhen will we learn? Perhaps never? Being prompt is so culturally ingrained in us that if a show or parade starts at 3:00 p.m., that means we really need to be there at 2:30 p.m. to get a good seat. Well Dorothy, we're not in Kansas (or Arizona) anymore. I'm sure some of you know where this post is going.
We'd made up our minds that we were on Isla Mujeres during Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-24830828646506393182017-03-30T08:46:00.002-07:002017-03-30T09:00:36.765-07:00SerendipiaSometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time! Here are some serendipitous moments from our February/March trip.
By the way, I translated serendipity to Spanish and serendipia popped up. Acquiring a new Spanish word never hurts!
We were at Bally Hoo for a late breakfast and noticed a small panga come ashore with their fresh catch. The lobsters were Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-12415242224557862202017-03-27T08:56:00.000-07:002017-03-27T08:56:53.500-07:00Everyday Isla
School girls walking down Guerrero in the afternoon.
Squeezing a van around a truck delivering concrete blocks on Matamoras. How did the rearview mirror clear the truck?
Eloy on his daily rounds selling salty snacks.
The Tuggui man selling treats.
Hanging at the beach (no pun intended).
One of my favorite vendors on his daily Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-69629949890814812762017-03-23T08:46:00.000-07:002017-03-23T08:46:51.034-07:00Murals EverywhereBack in the early years of our travels to Isla Mujeres, I was fixated on taking photos of political ads on walls. If you look carefully, you can still see the names of past El Presidentes on old walls around the island.
The island's evolved and now it's a game to search out new murals to photograph every trip. Some of these have been around for awhile, but I just happened upon them myLife's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-31573129441403241082017-03-21T09:27:00.000-07:002017-03-21T14:52:37.290-07:00Avenida Juarez -- Isla MujeresMy favorite street on the island has always been Avenida Juarez. In addition to being the most colorful street, it's also the best place to people watch as locals go about their daily business. Here are some of my Juarez shots from the past few trips.
In December after annoying locals for years with my camera, I finally got punked onLife's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-1096377904565675012017-03-20T08:28:00.000-07:002017-03-21T14:53:09.396-07:00Walking on Water: Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres
Some people love to sunbathe. Us -- not so much. Our favorite past time at the beach is water walking. We love to take the plunge and walk from one end of Playa Norte to the other out by the buoy line. We found out February water temps are slightly chillier than November/December -- probably in the high 70's -- but still very doable. By March, the water Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-81499957117546413352016-12-25T08:48:00.000-07:002016-12-25T08:48:22.000-07:00Merry Christmas!We're enjoying Christmas in the Northwest this year, but wherever you are, beach, mountains, or plains, we want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas! We actually saw some white stuff yesterday and it wasn't sand!
Happy Holidays 2016!
Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-52508334871314297412016-12-20T22:21:00.000-07:002017-03-23T08:54:02.189-07:00Some Beach, Somewhere . . . . No words needed today. Just some beach shots from Isla Mujeres in December!
Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-19638528677916634652016-12-17T09:40:00.000-07:002016-12-17T09:41:24.706-07:00Day is Done, Gone the Sun.Today I'm posting some of the December sunsets from my recent Isla trip. Where I photographed them depended on how far I made it on my mad dash to the other side of the island on foot or by taxi. It's harder for me to catch a sunset this time of year since it's a little earlier!
This is my favorite sunset of the trip taken through the Isla Mujeres fish arches. (At least Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-23438425811910628712016-12-13T18:39:00.003-07:002016-12-14T10:49:27.608-07:00I Miss the Village!The struggle is real. I'm missing the village.
I miss the convenience of walking into town, plunking down in a chair overlooking the street at Mogagua, and ordering my 60 peso fruit plate with yogurt and granola for breakfast.
Afterwards I stroll around El Centro.
Matamoras always seems to be festooned with street banners. Locals Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-59043412398936939562016-12-11T10:19:00.000-07:002016-12-11T10:19:18.105-07:00Luna Turquesa -- Our Heaven Away from HomeIt's been soooo long since I posted on this blog -- I forgot my password. I was recently on the island and reminded a few times that some people actually did read this blog! That gave me a little motivation to continue.
I'm headed into a very busy time, but I'd love to post some photos from my month on Isla Mujeres in November/December.
Once again, we stayed at our Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-12124936441122437792016-05-28T08:05:00.000-07:002016-05-28T08:05:19.837-07:00Saturday Morning BeachcombingBe sure to include beachcombing on your 'to do' list for Holbox. Each morning, we'd pick a direction and start wandering.
At low tide, you can walk around this point. On our way back to town, we followed a path through the property on top the rocks.
This cottage colony appears to be surrendering to the sea.
Some beach Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-83032962674438083642016-05-25T08:51:00.000-07:002016-05-25T09:28:10.622-07:00Our Way to HolboxI've noticed a lot of questions online about getting to Holbox. Let me just start by saying we're impatient about getting to our destination.
After a friend's experience of waiting hours for a second class bus to Chiquila at the downtown bus station in Cancun, then boarding the return bus from Chiquila and finding it was standing room only, we nixed that option. Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-48966244850929603812016-05-23T08:30:00.000-07:002016-05-23T08:30:31.118-07:00The Best Part of Waking Up . . . . I used to hunt seaglass every morning on Isla Mujeres. Since I have a wheelbarrow full of it in my garage at home, I've switched to snapping photos on my morning walks. I love capturing the island as it wakes up each day.
The morning Coca-Cola delivery to OXXO on Hidalgo.
The fruit and vegetable lady setting up for her morning sales.
This man's Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326994282119368596.post-58453288457017490422016-05-22T09:44:00.000-07:002016-05-22T10:41:39.976-07:00The Sunday Lost and FoundI keep getting 5 a.m. text messages on my phone from Yahoo with on demand passwords that I'm not requesting. Like many people, I have a long abandoned Yahoo email that I created years ago and someone's evidently trying to hack it. Early this morning when the text alarm once again woke me up, a mental flashcard with Flickr on it raced across my brain.
I wonder what happened Life's a Beach!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17604678027403810586noreply@blogger.com0