She was a daytripper . . .

The last six months has been a journey.  Sometimes I feel the need to get out of what I call the compound and hit the open road!

Wednesday, the only free day last week between the two of us, we headed to one of our fave Arizona destinations -- Bisbee!  It's only a little over two hours from our new home north of Tucson.

Some of my friends new to Arizona keep asking me how I'd describe Bisbee.  An avant-garde oasis in the mountains of Southern Arizona that bloomed from an almost abandoned mining town?  Here's a photo tour of Bisbee last week.

Looking down the main street towards B Hill.

Bar in Brewery Gulch.

Splashes of street art.

An area I call the outdoor living room had been refurbished since our stay in July 2012.

I wonder if this is a shrine?

With the crispy fall nights, the leaves are changing!

This Katrina shopping bag was tempting!

Tablecloths on the line.

Bisbee's Copper Miner.

Thad's car?  Love the peace symbol!

My favorite shop for jewelry supplies was closed.  I'd forgotten many of the shops are shut on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday.  Now we have to go back!  I'm trying to convince Craig to spend a night or two in December so I can see the holiday lights.

A wall dressed up with jack-o-lanterns.  Happy Halloween!

Just Breathe . . .

A few days ago, I realized this panicked jolt I feel at least once a day is stress.  In some ways, this past year has been like Queen Elizabeth's annus horribilis.  When I add it all up -- melanoma, the dental implant, getting our house ready to sell, Saby's death, the buyer from hell, moving (the gift that keeps on giving -- ha!) -- I'd have to say this year's been a bitch.  But then again, we love our new location and new life, so struggle's just another stop on the road to Happyville.

Several weeks ago, I decided to grab some normal and establish a daily routine.  I started water aerobics and Zumba classes instead of spending everyday trying to check another item off the to do list.  Who cares if the closets  and garage are still stacked with c.r.a.p.!

Craig's totally immersed in golf, pickle ball, and making new friends, so I was shocked when he mentioned tonight that he cannot wait for our November trip to Isla Mujeres!  I'm usually the one dying to get back to the island.

I posted this YouTube video on a Facebook Islaholics page today and thought I'd share it here.  It's one of my favorites dating back to November 2011 when we spent a full month on the island.



Ahhhhhh.  I feel better already!

I guess I should get that Best Day shuttle booked!

Seven on Saturday

Finally, I have a working laptop again!  I've been struggling with posting by tablet and cellphone, making blogging much more tedious.  This is the virgin voyage of my newly re-conditioned old HP.

Three weeks from tomorrow, I hope to be sitting at Bally Hoo taking in this view!

 

In honor of my newfound  ease with blogging from the laptop, I'll post seven Saturday photos.  It's shopping day on Isla Mujeres!

 

 

I'd love to have a Mexican blanket to doll up the bed in the casita!

 

 

Love the flowered bowl with the white background.

 

Next trip to Isla, everyone should buy a basket or purse and lighten basket man's load.  I personally love the piggies.

We really need to figure out how to hang one of these because I'd love to lie in my hammock on my patio in Arizona and read a book!

Maybe I'll buy a stuffed crocodile next trip in honor of last week's croc hunt on the island!  (In case you missed it, a croc made it into the Caribe on the east side where it was chased by the Navy.  It now resides at the Mundaca zoo.)

I need a new Isla bag.  I'll take the blue striped one center bottom.  Oops, changed my mind.  I like the orange/green/red/black/blue stripe center top row!

I know I posted this photo before.  If only I could stuff one of these rustic kid chairs in the overhead!  It'd be a perfect with a potted cactus sitting on top.

Three more weeks!  : )

The Lost Files

I hit the mother lode this morning.  I was looking for a photo of my cousin and I celebrating our birthdays together at my grandmother's house with a big clown cake.  Yesterday was my 60th and it's always a reminder now that Jon's birthdays ended abruptly in 2006.  He would have been 56 yesterday. 

Jon was born on my fourth birthday after a big party in the city park.  Another boy broke his arm going down the slippery slide (aptly named) that night, so a good time was had by all! 

Jon's premature death in 2006 taught me two things.  Gather those rosebuds while you still can, and there's nothing worse in this world for a parent than losing a child.

On that sad note, seas the day.  (I spelled that wrong on purpose.  You know . . .  seas and beaches go together?)  My 60th birthday gift to myself this year will be a return trip to Isla Mujeres in mid-November.

Anyway, while hunting that childhood birthday photo, I  stumbled across a huge number of lost edited Isla photos from our last trip in April.  If I ration them, maybe these will keep the blog going until my return to paradise next month!

Today's theme is seeing red!

Big sunrise from Luna Turquesa.

 

 

Mystery sombrero man!  (No clue where this came from, but I like it!)

 

 

Shrine on an Isla side street in El Centro.

 

 

An Oscar's pizza!  Can't wait for my next one!

 

 

I'd love to ride on the front of a maletero's trike someday.  It's on my bucket list!

 

 

Taxi!

 

Stop signs can sometimes be meaningless on Isla.  This one needs some paint!

 

 

Time to stop seeing red so I can get to my water aerobics class!  Hasta luego.  Can't wait to be in turquoise water instead of an indoor pool!

Beyond Talk

For those of you who are Facebook friends, you followed my angst this week over the lost cellphone. The drama started Tuesday morning and ended around noon today.

Yes, I was careless. Late to a water aerobics class on Tuesday, I hurriedly pulled my gear out of the back of the car and rushed into the building. I later realized my cellphone was missing and we raced all over the house calling listening for James Brown to mock me with "I Feel Good" -- which I definitely didn't at the time! We retraced my steps from clubhouse parking lot through the indoor and outdoor pool areas dialing all the way.

A few hours later after searching every nook and cranny in the house, we called Verizon and suspended service to minimize the damage in case some thief was downloading with wild abandon and calling relatives in Timbuktu.

Wednesday we visited the Verizon store expecting to replace the phone and came away shocked. I figured since my phone was no longer the latest and greatest, I'd be able to replace it for a semi-outrageous amount.  I walked away rather peeved at the smug unhelpful attitudes of the store employees and vowed to purchase a new one from anyone but them.

Thankfully, I'm cheap and didn't go for the instant gratification.  Early this morning I checked my Facebook and found a message from my cousin in Kansas City. Joan So and So has your phone. Her number is 520-URN-LUCK!

Seriously? I was hopeful, but doubtful.  Would he dare tease me about something like that?   After playing phone tag with Joan for an hour, I hit pay dirt. 

How the woman extracted his number from my phone after the service was cut off, I do not know. And why she picked the cellphone up in the parking lot and didn't turn it in to the lost and found at the desk on her way to the pickle ball courts is also a mystery, but I don't care now. It's back!

Craig called and restarted my service at lunch today and shortly afterwards, the phone was chattering and dinging like a slot machine spewing its pent up anxiety over missed calls and messages. Fellow diners stared wondering 'what the heck!'

Lessons learned this week? Next time I buy a Smartphone, get the insurance coverage. Those devices are way too expensive and way too attractive to thieves. You may get the thing for $49 with a 2-year plan, but you'll pay $699 to replace your outdated model if you didn't buy their coverage. 

The second lesson? I depend on the thing way too much. It's not just a phone, it's an addictive toy. It takes photos, tells me how to get from Point A to Point B, gives me instant access to the internet -- on and on and on. And when I'm bored at night, I create little pieces of art from my old photos. That's what I missed the most!

Side Tracked

I know.  I haven't been blogging much lately.  That's because I lack free time.  When we're not on the backroads . . . 

we're sidetracked.

 

For example, yesterday after waiting on painters to do touch up on the house, we left to find a nursery where we could buy cacti for pots.  The pots are sitting empty in the courtyard looking lonely.  

A mile down the highway, Craig wanted a burrito.  The car veered into Lupe's lot for lunch.  After lurching another 15 miles down the road, the Honda swung into Home Depot.  Home Depot doesn't stock cacti that survive 15 degrees, but they do carry cheap potting soil.

Then Craig saw Radio Shack on the front of the lot.  Oh god.  What is it about Radio Shack that men love?  Maybe they still dream of remote control cars?

Sitting in the car waiting on the man, my phone rang.  I struggled to answer it since I get so few calls.  It was the instructor of the water aerobics class with the waiting list.  Time waits for no man (woman) when you finally get the call that you're 'in'.

She gave me a daunting list of items needed for today's class including water walking shoes (Jesus complex?).  Finding size 11 women's shoes that walk on water is not an easy last minute task.  Fortunately, she also gave me the exact store and location -- another 6 miles down the road.  In addition, I needed a skinny noodle, orange floaties, webbed gloves, and 2 pound weights -- visits to three other stores. 

I conquered the list by 4 p.m. and it was time to drive the long road back home in time for the evening bike ride before the rattlesnakes supposedly come out to warm themselves on the asphalt and paved patios.

Once again -- our best efforts were foiled!  No cacti! Today's list includes getting this HP laptop shipped off for repair and waiting at the house while Fausto installs granite in the casita.

But all that after water aerobics!  I'm going to try not to scream when I get in the water because they keep the temp at 82 degrees.  Geez Louise!  Let's call it conditioning so I'm prepared for November/December temps on Playa Norte!

Oops, let the cat out of the bag.  Our tropical drought will be ending in mid-November.  We scored reasonable tickets to Cancun and we'll be headed back to that little island we love.  : )

Random repeats of Isla Mujeres seem much more inviting to me than photos of the desert this morning.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

 My spot awaits!

 

Yes, it's Isla amor!