Good Morning All…..it is a beautiful day here in Puerto Vallarta. It has been a little cloudy during the days and deepest dark at night, but in the early morning hours today, I stepped on the balcony and saw the full moon. The rest of the sky was dark. Tonight is the Super Blood Wolf Moon (total eclipse) so hopefully we will see it. It should be a blood red color. Check out the schedule on the internet….and then stay up late!

We have changed our swimming program. Rather than swim in the heat of the day, we are now swimming in the evenings – 7 or 8 pm. It is so much nicer. There is usually no one else around, no worry about sunburn, quiet except for the ocean surf crashing on the rocks and when we have a clear sky, we will  look forward to seeing the beautiful  constellations of stars overhead.

We have a small iguana hiding under one of our hotel walkways inside the building. It is about 18 inches long from tip of nose to end of tail. It comes out every morning waiting to be fed.  The other day I gave it carrots and lettuce. Someone else had given it strawberries. It is not very colorful…just the color of the dirt it lives in.  How pretty it would be if the carrots, lettuce and strawberries colored it….a rainbow of color. Someone said it is probably a female if “it” has little color except – dirt so I guess I will refer to “it” as “she.”

The road and downtown traffic has noticeably increased from last year. Highway 200 is the only road running along the South coast of Puerto Vallarta. This is our bus route to the downtown area so we are on this highway often. Many more huge trucks are using it and when they are combined with frequent city buses, vendors hauling their goods, resident and tourist cars, it makes for congestion at times.  Puerto Valletta is becoming a busier city each year we visit. Tourism is building further north and further south each year. as well as tall “Miami-looking” condo buildings in the downtown area. Needless to say, we are disappointed.

Usually January brings me wanting to see lots of flowers blooming each year as they are slow to do so in the first month. This year is is different. Flowers are blooming abundantly all over.  The people who live here say it is more humid and hotter than usual for this time of year and that is why. I wonder how hot the month of March will be?

We have been enjoying Act II Stages Theater. Last Sunday, we saw Cinderella. It was so funny. It is a spoof where Cinderella has some power rather than being belittled and ordered around by her step-mother and step-sisters. The step-sisters are played by guys…one fat and one thin dressed in the most ridiculous costumes…so fitting. It was so funny, I told Phil I would see it again.

Last night we went to the performance of Chicago and it was also great. The lead in both of these performances was MaryJo Nelson and she is from North Dakota….but living in Puerto Vallarta for the last 6 years. Terrific actor and has a great voice. We truly loved both of these performances.

Tuesday night we are going to the Act Ii theater again to see a performance of Gershwin music. Should be fun and I am sure will bring back many song memories.

For our long rides here, we are  using Uber. Phil put the app on his phone and it works great. One evening we went to Ernesto’s and coming “home,” we called Uber. The treck is about 11 miles. It cost 157.75 pesos…something like $8+ and it would have been at least $16 or more by taxi. The Uber cars are new and really nice. We wonder how the taxi drivers feel about the emergence of Uber into their business.

I am once again doing what I love….painting ceramics. A photo of my first bowl is below….and yes, I always seem to begin with blueberries. 

This little house was about 3 stories up on a resident building downtown. Its occupant must be a small dog. Thought it was cute. It even has lots of windows so he can watch the foot traffic below.

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The beautiful flowers. 

The Sinalo cartel reaps billions of dollars trafficking drugs  to the United States, Europe and Asia.  How great it would be if we could prevent them from crossing the Southern border.

My note for the day…..Make sure that of all the paths you take in life, be sure some of them are on dirt!

Stay well,

Anne