2019….Phil and I want to wish you and yours a very Happy, Peaceful, Prosperous New Year filled with all the Joys and Blessings the new 2019 days can send your way. Treasure the new days and make good use of every minute.

These two old people did manage to stay up to  briefly on News Years Eve long enough to watch the people in New York City get drenched in the cold rain waiting for the Ball to fall.  We were sitting high and dry in our bed in Golden Valley. We watched an old recording of Willie Nelson receiving the Library of Congress Song of the Year Award that was being re-run from a year or so ago. Phil thinks Willie is his age….about 86. Willy did sing and play his old guitar and when I say OLD…….. it is so old, it literally has a hole in it. Part of his non-conformist, and just being himself, style that he has shown over all these long years even shows up in his guitar!!. It has to be said he is one of a kind and a very unusual, kind man. Seems to be loved by many. I was intrigued by the hole in his guitar. In his mind, it must play the most musical notes, has been with him for a long time.  Did you know Willy named that old guitar Trigger after Roy Rogers horse? Phil and I both like Will’s music. He has two sons who played with him that night….both on guitars.

I hope all that plastic rain paraphernalia used in the rain in New York on New Year’s Eve will be treated as it should and not get into our oceans. If you did not have an opportunity to watch 60/60 a couple of weeks ago, it is hard to believe the plastic that is sitting on beaches and floating in the oceans around the world. Even showing up in Antarctica.  A river running through Manilla in the Philippines has so much plastic in it that one cannot see any water at all. And bits of plastic are showing up in seafood all over the world. And those bits of plastic are killing animals, fish and birds who depend on the ocean water for their survival. Try to use as little plastic as possible. I know it is hard for we use it every day (without even thinking) in water bottles, food/storage containers, toothbrushes, combs/ brushes, dishes, furniture. And in so many things we can probably not live without…..tvs, computers/monitors, cell phones and the list goes on and on. A challenge is to try to spend a day without using plastic. Very hard!

Here is Willie’s guitar with the hole in it.           

 

 

 

 

Wednesday January 2…….We had a good flight down from Minneapolis to Puerto Vallarta. Sitting in business class, snacks and drinks were abundant…so Phil turns to me and asks where I would like to go for dinner after we land. I felt like I had just eaten it!! We had not yet landed on the ground and he is already thinking about food. What a guy! How will I ever get thin running around with him. And the problem is that the food here in Puerto Vallarta is so good. It truly is hard to find a bad meal and to resist temptations.

Somehow this once little fishing village on the coast of Banderas Bay in Mexico seems like our second home.  When the plane landed, I was glad to be coming to a place where I felt safe knowing I would walk sidewalks and paths I had walked before. Here would be ole friends who would be happy to see Phil and me. There would be hugs and handshakes from all.

Saturday, January 4….The “new part” of our winter 2019 adventure is where we are staying…..Girosol Sur. We will be in this condo for about 2.5 months and have never been this far South of Old Town. Our condo is an efficiency so not too big. However, once we put all of the knicknacks the owner has up high, we seem to have enough room. I am certain that in time it will feel like we are living in a closet, but we will make do. The tile floors are beautiful and the view from the balcony is spectacular. The king bed is very comfortable. and the pool is deep and warm as we like it.  I could  not get out of bed until 10:30 this morning. It felt good to deep sleep after running around for the first 2 days here getting groceries and exchanging dollars for pesos.

View from our 5th floor balcony.   That is our balcony railing. The view doesn’t get much better than this!! Can’t swim in this water area, but on both sides are beautiful white sand beaches that look inviting for a swim. We will do it. 

The tile in our condo is beautiful. It is laid throughout the condo extending out onto the balcony. TV is great and internet connection is terrific. We have a phone to use to call out….cannot receive calls, but we can call YOU!

 

The sunset that greeted us our first evening here. Pretty nice, eh?

 

 

 

 

 

Phil snooping around in the kitchen..

 

That is all for this time.

Keep warm in Minnesota.

Heading for the pool…..

Anne