2015 - It's a Wrap

It's a wrap.  2015 was a very good year for the Rangers.  Here is a random review of our year in photos.  We'll start with us as Katrina's for the Day of the Dead. 

Never looked better than being dead in October.

One of hundreds of sunset shots from our balcony.

Hiking down into the Grand Canyon.

Hanging over the edge of the Colorado River.

Peak-a-Boo slot canyon in Utah.... our favorite hike.

Bryce Canyon.... the best canyon.

Best campsite..... Zion National Park.

One of many times I said to Terri, "Just climb out on that ledge so I can get a picture." 

Carnaval.....Mazatlan's biggest party.

Eva herding turtles on the beach in Mazatlán.

It was a year of hikes and arches.  This one in Arches National Park.

Rafting on the Deschutes River in Oregon.
Terri tried to kill me.

Many visitors to Mazatlán during 2015.
Daughter Trinity and David's first visit and Trin's newest tattoo.

Boondocking on the shore of Lake Powell.

Vacation for a couple weeks in Maui with Dave, Jamie and Sara.
It's seems like our whole life is one big vacation.

A trip to Guadalajara in central Mexico.

On a snorkeling beach in Maui.

Christmas 2015 in a warm Mazatlán.

Just another sunset.

Camping in Washington state with the grandkids.

When we weren't busy with other stuff  I redid all the
window valances, carpet and wood flooring in the
motorhome this Summer.
Eva helped.

I always say, "Life Is Good".  It really has been a good year for us.  2016 looks like an even better year ahead.

Happy Campers.

Santa Sighting

Terri assured Santa that she had been very good this last year.

We were out for dinner at La Catrina when who should we meet..... None other than old St. Nick sitting at the bar.  Christmas is only 9 days away so I should have expected it to happen again this year.  It has happened every year.

It is a little known fact that Santa spends his off season in Mazatlán.

Here is my report on our first Santa sighting in 2013.

Santa's Coming, But First.....

We all know Santa has an easy gig.  He only has to work one day each year.  The elves have it rough, they must bustle around getting all those toys ready for 364 days.  And then Santa gets all the glory on December 25th.  It's just not fair.

You might ask your self what Santa is doing those other 364 days before his "Big Day".  Is he busy around the North Pole?  Is he overeating to maintain his rotund physique?  Does he spend his idle hours grooming his full white beard?  Is he busy snatching the cookies the elves have just baked?

What is the old duffer doing to pass his time?

As always this blog is on the lookout to find and report the cutting edge news from around the world.  And today I am about to break the biggest story so far.  The news is not intended for younger children because of it's disturbing and graphic nature.  If there are children reading this blog over your shoulder, please ask them to leave the room immediately.

I now have photographic proof and have personally talked with Santa to obtain a truthful and accurate accounting of where and how the mystery man spends his off hours.  To say the least, I am shocked.

A picture is worth a thousand words......

A true and unedited photo of "The Man"

I know my credibility and honesty have come into question following the unfortunate "Mowhawk-gate" incident, but you may rest assured that I did NOT photoshop the Pacifico bottle into Santa's hand.  This is the bold and plain truth.

Santa spends his off hours drinking Pacifico and enjoying the fine sunsets in Mazatlan.  He told me so himself.  It's the truth.



Your author and truth seeker standing next to Santa yesterday. I'm the rotund fellow on the left.

To prove that I had not gone out on the web and snatched a random photo I thought that a personal picture of Santa and myself would be further proof that this is NOT a hoax.

Santa is just another expat enjoying his down time in Paradise.  Why wouldn't he?

There are 24 days in December before Santa's "Big Day" and there are 24 bottles of Pacifico in a case.  A coincidence.  I think not.

Ballet, BBQ and Beaches

Three tiers of balconies in the old opera house. 

The Nutcracker

We really enjoyed the ballet on Friday night.  It was a big production with the full symphony and amazing sets and lighting.  They brought in two dancers from Cuba that were awesome.

 

We will be going back to the theatre for the Gala Navidad on Friday.  It will be an evening of Christmas music with the Sinaloa Symphony and Choral.  It will feature most carols sung in English.  They always have a few surprise guest singers, so it will be interesting to see who shows up this year.

 

Down in the pit the symphony tunes up before the performance.



Angels everywhere.

Hoop skirt extraordinary.  Many dancers appeared from under her skirt.

As usual we found good food to eat.  Terri had a rib eye steak and I had a full rack of ribs.  Dinner and drinks totaled 210 pesos ($13.00 US).

This morning we went for our usual beach walk.  Lots of surfers out for an early morning.  The island you see in the background is Bird Island.  The island is out in front of our place.  We drive North about 3 miles to Playa Bruja for our morning walks.

It's still Eva's favorite time of the week.

Running thru the waves.

Surfer with paddle board surfers out further waiting their turn.

Life is good.

Terri always seems to find a good looking young man.

We love our adopted city.

Needa Piñata for your Posada?

Have you got your Piñata for your Christmas party?   If not, there are a few hanging in the market in El Centro. 

Let me know which one you need, I'm not sure if they will fit in the backseat of the Honda.  If it doesn't fit I learned how to beat one with a stick at last years Posada.  A few whacks and it will fit just fine.

So long as I was wandering around the Mercado I thought I would take you on a photo tour of the food portion of the old market.

The "Mercado Jose Maria Pino Suarez" covers an entire square block in the center of downtown (El Centro).  It opened in 1899 and is still a very active and busy place to shop.

The hundreds of stalls sell almost anything you can imagine and a few that are just plain strange.

What am I supposed to do with this?

Everything from the Sea of Cortez.

The food portion of the market is much larger than the Pike Place Markets food vendors in Seattle.

This young fellow had a few Key Limes.

For my sister Sara.... Need a yam?

This lady sells Macaroons and baked sweet potatoes and yams.  I've eaten quite a few of her Macaroons through the years.

I stopped this lady to see her cakes.  I came very close to having cake for lunch.

Time for a drink.

I love Horchata and Jamaica.  The national drinks are sold on street corners everywhere, they are excellent.

What is it?

Here is a whole display of some type of food that I don't have a clue what it is.  Not knowing doesn't stop me from buying different foods.  Today I purchased a marinated pork because it looked good.  I have no idea what I bought, but we'll find out at dinner tonight. 

What's for dinner at the Rangers tonight?  I have no idea.  I forgot the name on the way home.  Hope it's good, it's going in a tortilla tonight.

Thus ends my small tour of about half of the market.  Oh I forgot, there is also an upstairs full of restaurants.  More stuff to write about later.

So how hot is it this Winter in Mazatlán?  What Winter?  111 degrees on the deck when I got home this afternoon.  I couldn't believe it so I checked my computer.

My computer doesn't lie.

Only 88.5.  Humidity 74%  But the line under the temperature says, " Feels like 104."  I feel so much cooler knowing it's not really 111.



Eva running in the Pacific yesterday.  Runs like a greyhound.

At least the warm weather has kept me swimming.  The only slightly cool place is the pool.  I did 50 lengths this morning.  Not bad for an old man.

Life is Good & Warm.