viernes, el 28 de febrero de 2014

Another fun afternoon at playa Santa Cruz.

Buenos noches!! Another fun day here in Huatulco...one that started at 6am!! A sleep in? Score!!

We were scheduled for a vacuna run, so Bex was up at 630am (yikes) and headed out to the hospital as the boys continued with their desayunos.

Why did madre head out so early? Peeps line up at 7am (or earlier) and then the nurses hand out numbers starting around 730am. First in line, first into the exam room at 8am.

So Bex goes to get a number and we arrive at 8am...but not today. Doph. As we were finishing breakfast, Bex returned with the news...no vacunas in stock and they should be back in stock lunes o martes.

So Bex went back to bed and the boys finished desayunos, had some tranquilo time and then were off to Sorianas. No scores, but a good stock up for the weekend.

Home for a boys dip in the alberca, and then it was back upstairs for leche y siesta. A good siesta and then the familia had their comida and then were off to playa Santa Cruz.

Me? Comida and then off to see Tony. Good news? The handle on the tailgate was repaired and looks stronger then when it was new. Good news? Tony was on time, as usual...but raro for Mexicanos, and after 30 minutos, the gang had the handle assembly reattached to the truck, and almost working.

Huh? I guess they took apart the internal mechanism when they took off the assembly...and might not have remembered 100% how it all went back together. The gate works and locks. There is now a unique "trick" to keep it working...welcome to Mexico.

But more good news? Removal, installation and changing the rad hose cost me $100 pesos...less then $10 Cdn. And the repair on the handle was $200 pesos...waaaay less then the $2200 pesos Nissan wanted for a new one. Score!!

Gotta give it to the Mexicans...why buy new if you can fix it. So far Tony has done this for my air con circuit board and now the tailgate...saving us big pesos!! And he says he can do the same thing to the supercharger pulley. Instead of $200 Cdn for a new one, he can remove it from the engine, bang out (yikes) the bearings, go to a tienda here in town, buy some new bearings and ta da. I am thinking (long and hard) about that repair job. If it goes wrong...I have no way of getting it fixed quickly.

More truck news? The front seats need some new leather, after 12 years and 200,000 km. Tony says he does not trust the peeps here...how about we drive to Puerto Escondido and ask the questions? The plan? Take the complete seat, drive the 2 hours, see if they can get similar colored leather and also see how much for the complete job.

Muy amable this hombre, eh?

Post mecanico, off to el gimnasio and then home to putter around pre-clean up and cena. Easy dinner...leftovers for me and camarones for the familia.

Onto clean up and instead of a dance party, Max and I reviewed the 150 fotos Bex took this afternoon, and then it was off to tina time and bedtime.

A wacky bedtime...30 minutos con Bex and after 30 with me, Max was getting riled up vs settling into sleep mode. I scooped him up into my arms and 5 minutes later...lights out. The lil'niño LOVES being held and holding manos too. Oh Max.

So, at 930pm, you are all caught up...onto the fotos!!

The paparazzi caught the boys coming back from their morning swim in the CP alberca.

Post comida...time to clean up.

Autobus to the playa.

Did I not just sign off yesterday's blog calling Max, Maxico?

Helloooo darlings.

The findings of the very thorough playa inspection? Chico olas.

So, time to get on in!!

And then....ding ding ding. Max's radar went off.

Why hola hola amigas.

The old "let me point out the different colored polka dots on your bikini" trick. Oh Max!!

Max, you coqueto!!

Adios mis amigas!!

Another job well done...time to chill-lax!!

A little playa time.

Huh? Who me?

Hola hola to the paleta hombre.

Max saw the long hair, and thought it was his Poppa. Then he saw how skinny the hombre was!! Ja ja ja

Max partaking in a conversation, en español of course.

Waiting for la cena, time for some iPad fun.

Thanks for the fotos madre!!

Fin de semana already? Mañana...offf to Mojon and hola hola to Nascar on domingo!!

Have a great weekend.

Marco, Bexico y Max

jueves, el 27 de febrero de 2014

The look on my face was caused either by eating a bad Cheerio, or because I woke up at 5am. Or both?

Yup....eaaaaarly wake up and the lil'man did not go back to sleep. I took over at 630am and tucked madre in for more zzzz.

The usual morning for us, tranquilo time, desayunos, prowl, leche and then siesta. Pretty straight forward eh?

Great siesta and then I was off to chat up mi amigo, Tony the mecanico. When I arrived at the taller, shop, he was not there, but his posse of 4 amigos were. Just sitting around and shooting the breeze.

The gang looked at the tailgate and then one of them called Tony, who arrived in 5 minutos. The next thing I know, the gang is like a group of surgeons trying to get the tailgate latch off. Nissan has not made it easy, but after 30 minutos in the baking sun...ta-da.

Now...I am not 100% sure it came off like it was supposed to...welcome to Mexico!! Tony and an amigo of his assure me that they can fix the plastic handle, stronger then original they say.

As for getting the whole thing back together...stay tuned as I am back in the shop mañana at 2pm. I will also have Tony install the new rad hose I brought back from Canada.

Then it was off to the very hot gym and after an Isssste pit stop for more of Max's panales, it was home for clean up and then onto prepping and cooking the chorizo y pollo pasta. Delicious as Max says.

As for the familia, post siesta they ate their comida and then packed up and headed off to playa Santa Cruz. And after playing with a new amigo named Sandy, and watching a polka dot covered sting ray in the oceano, they headed to the Palacio.

Kyler was back in town...and gave Max another push. Doph. I guess this time he was getting perturbed with Max flaying his arms...and went Hulk on Max.

After a chat with his own madre, Kyler came over to say sorry and ask if Max was ok. Max's answer..."not ok". Ja ja ja

This is now the 2nd time it has happened, and every time we drive near the palacio, Max makes mention of the 1st incident. And now we have a 2nd occurrence...doph.

Post palacio it was home and straight into la cena. A good dinner and after wolfing down a large plateful, Max helped madre clean up in the kitchen as I cleaned up the dance palace.

A little dance and then onto tina time y FT con Oma y Opa. Bed time? The lil'guy has RLS...restless leg syndrome and Bex solved this last night with a little leg massage. He received the same tonight and it might have worked...that and he was pooped out after a 5am wake up and a full day.

The Whisperer needed only 25 minutos and the lil'guy was in his cuna lights out. Score!!

So, at 810pm, I type away, Max is asleep and Bex...is making chocolate chip cookies!!

Onto the fotos.

Post desayunos and pre-prowl...time for a little business.

Wait a minute...are you taking fotos?

Looks like madre taught him the OCP!! Oh madre!!

Pre-prowl poser.

And for you Opa, cinco.

I wonder if those palomas are going to Pochutla.

Work those buns senoritas!!

Max's channeling his inner James Dean.

Yamaha pit stop.

Why hello el gato. ¿Como estas?

Look El Gato...cinco!!

Guess who just got busted for sticking his finger IN El Gato's ear?

As The Mayor took a pit stop, a large car pulled up and everyone started pointing at Max, and asking me questions about him. Of course they did.

Lately, there has been some interest in understanding shadows.

Ayer, we noticed that some D-A had left his chewed chicle, gum, on Max's perch. So we put a hoja down and covered it up before Max sat down.

Today when we walked by, Max said "hoja, no sit on goma" and promptly grabbed a leaf, covered the gum and then continued on the prowl home.

Misc

Max put a smile on his Oma y Opa's faces when we finished the FT. He has been listening to me say hello to my parents, in Dutch, and he said "dag Oma" y "dag Opa" (dakh). The niño is 2 years and 4 months old, and now knows words in 3 languages!!

OK, you are all caught up. Mañana? Flu shot for the lil'man and we also have our weekend shopping trip to Sorianas. And we are back to Mojon on sábado.

Hasta mañana!!

Marco, Bexico y Maxico