Movies. The Queen of Versailles. If you haven't seen it, it's appalling, touching, and funny all at the same time. The American time-share king and wife start building the largest (probably most gaudy) house in America, then all hell breaks out and he's reduced to millions. They have to lay off servants and the dog do and litter start collecting all over their current mansion. If you don't see it in the theater, it's worth watching on DVD. (They're probably earning a percentage, so maybe we can all help them get back into the billions again.)
Wasp stings. Fortunately it's Craig, not me. He got hit again -- twice in the same summer -- and the exterminators are coming tomorrow to our house and the neighbors to try and get rid of them. The pool time is no longer my zen time when we're obsessed with seeing how many wasps we can kill. I bet the neighbors think we're insane. I'm sure they can hear all the splashing and yelling. There's another one. Did you get it? Eight -- that's a record! It's our new blood sport. And no, they weren't here before me. I was here first so they must leave!
Scheduling repairs. The A/C unit took three weeks, then it was the garage door which took two appointments. Now it's both cars.
The dentist. I'm trying to avoid a replay of last year's Chiclet incident on our November vacation to Mexico. Craig calls my silly Mexican crown that took a root canal to fix it the Chiclet because it's big and white. I had an appointment this morning and my dentist and I decided to replace some marginal fillings so I lessen my odds of ending up in a foreign dentist's chair. Not that all foreign dentists are bad.
Pinterest. Yes, Pinterest is a new obsession that takes me away from the blog. Fortunately, browsing and pinning photos onto a page are free. I've gotten a lot of great recipes and new crafty ideas -- which aren't always free.
I almost forgot shopping! It's the time of year when I try and replenish the beach wardrobe at greatly reduced prices. I finally found the new summer bag just in time for fall! Craig warned me to keep my mouth shut when someone compliments me on my new top or purse. You really don't need to tell people that the top cost $5 and the bag was $11. Oops -- spilled the beans.
I may have pulled the ultimate faux pas this morning. I wore white pants to the dentist's office! After all, it's after Labor Day! My mama always said not to wear white pants and white shoes before Easter or after Labor Day. So it begs the question -- what's the date in Phoenix when the white pants and white sandals are supposed to go back in the closet? I always wondered that when I traveled here on vacation. I'd come for a resort vacation in mid-November sporting my summer wardrobe and feel a little out of place. Or I'd freeze my rear end off! I don't really know the correct date, but I can tell you I can spot a snowbird a mile away if I see someone wearing white shorts and sandals in the winter months. Once you've lived in the desert a few years, the blood thins out and December, January, and usually February feel a little too chilly for summer clothes.
I've also spent a lot of days trying to find the ultimate California beach cottage to rent at the beginning of October, and even inquired about a few. After looking at the prices, I finally realized I was insane. Especially after I found two free frequent flier one-way tickets to Mexico with those points that were just sitting there begging to be used. Which begs the question -- are we ever coming back?!!! For much less a week than a tiny beach cottage in California, I can be front and center on Playa Norte where the water's actually warm enough to swim. So I've switched gears and we're back to planning our next vacation to the Yucatan. This one will be a little different because we'll be changing locations a few times. Goldilocks is still looking for that beach that's just right.
All the cottage talk reminds me that I took some cute photos of cottages down in Bisbee. And here they are!
7 comments:
Love your photo effects of the cottages in Bisbee! Is it Picasa by chance? Sorry to hear about your bad Mexican dental experience. We go to Algodones and get excellent care. We have also been thinking about a winter rental South of the Border. Have you ever used vrbo.com? Cheers, Lynda
Lynda, I use vrbo.com all the time. I probably rent more through that than through rental agents. I've never had a problem other than a really dirty open palapa house in Yelapa, Mexico where the property manager (the son of the owner's ejido lease holder) was a no show and we just had to let ourselves in and set up camp. Ugh. I do give some thought now to the management factor when I rent vacation homes. Normally it works out wonderfully! We just rented a house in Bisbee from VRBO listings. It was on Clawson directly across the street from the old high school (now county building) gymnasium entrance. It was fantastic!
I do use Picasa web, but I think I may have tweaked those photos a little more on www.picmonkey.com.
Good to know...so do we (vrbo.com): Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica! I think the photos were tweaked perfectly! L.
I've actually been looking at Roatan and Costa Rica. I can't get past everyone warning me about the bugs on Roatan, but I'm watching Costa Rica fares for next year. Earlier in the summer, I saw fares to Costa Rica in November/December in the mid $400's. I wasn't ready to book and they were gone the next time I looked. I used VRBO in Belize to book Cocotal Inn and Resort on North Ambergris. It was very nice!
great that you found tickets for another trip! We have tried to find somehting reasonable from here to Cancun for Oct/Nov & so far nothing!
Really wanted to try Isla at another time of the year!
Recipes you say? Any that Craig liked and worth passing on? We still make your better next day cake.
Ann, I'm still looking for one-way tickets home. They're running a little higher than they were last summer in June, but the fares usually drop for October/November. I did notice if I rolled my return date back a month to the end of October, it was a hundred cheaper one way on U.S. Airways. So I'm going to watch fares for awhile for the tickets back.
drgeo, there is a recipe I've been fixing every week in the crockpot. That'd make a good post!
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