Beardy boy

More vacation highlights

Mon after a light breakfast on the terrace the 3 of us spent the day at Green Chairs, next door to Blue Chairs.  The actual name is Ritmos but everyone calls it Green Chairs because most of the beach chairs are green. When it was time for some hydration I had tequila and limeade which was absolutely delicious.  

Clever use of the portrait mode for this shot

As I was getting into the ocean I realized I was still wearing my sunglasses.  Rather than get out of the water to put them away, I decided to just be careful and hold them to my face if need be.  But before I could get fully into the ocean a large wave came up and yanked my sunglasses off my face before I could secure them.  Fortunately there is no shortage of locals walking around the beach selling sunglasses, hats, jewelry, henna tattoos, and massages.  So I treated myself to a pair of "Dior" sunglasses!

My new "Dior" sunglasses purchased from a beach vendor

I picked them because they were unusual.  I hadn't seen anyone else wearing this shape of lens.  I got many compliments on them throughout the week.  After our day at the beach we stopped into Blue Chairs hotel for their Foam Pool Party.  

Crowded Foam Pool Party

We didn't stay very long because it was really crowded and there was no place to sit.  After returning to condo for showers we headed back out for dinner and ended up at Derby City Burgers (which Spouse mistakenly called Dirty City Burgers because he can't hear).  The burgers were delicious and so were the fries.  

Me & Spouse at Derby City Burgers

Afterward we walked over to Mr Flamingo, an indoor/outdoor bar which was so crowded we ended up hanging out on the sidewalk, where we met Kirk & Mark from Portland.  Then we went back to Los Amigos for another visit before going to CC Slaughter for their disco party.  Oh my god, the music was SO GOOD at the disco party!  We danced without stopping for well over an hour, in flip flops.  There was even a trio dressed in Abba-like satin jumpsuits!

The disco party

While at the disco party I had to take a picture of this guy's t-shirt:

On Tues we went to the Mantamar Beach Club for the day.  It was another beautiful day, and we had food and drinks on the beach.  That afternoon we went to the Mantamar's pool party where we had fun frolicking in the water with lots of other guys.  Afterward Spouse went back to the condo while Carl and I went for massages.  One of my favorite things to do in PV is to get a massage because they're so relaxing and so inexpensive.  An hour massage was 500 pesos which is about $25 USD.  What a bargain!  After our massages we walked next door to the Blondie's Slushbar and had a raspberry/lime/gin slushy before returning to the condo.  Deelish!!

We walked to Tizoc for dinner and had an absolutely amazing Mexican dinner.  We'd eaten here on our previous trips and it was just as good as ever.  Then we walked back to Blue Chairs hotel for Bearaoke on the rooftop.  It was hosted by Tammie Brown, season 1 contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race.  She was actually very funny!  She said everything twice; once in English and again in Spanish. Some of her 'filler' dialog as she awaited singers to enter the stage was hilarious.  We had a fun time.

Carl watching Bearaoke

No, I didn't sing at Bearaoke.  I did sign up, but it was going on 1am and the 3 of us decided to go home before my name was called.

Just because

We're back...

We are back from our fantastic trip to Puerto Vallarta!  Our time there coincided with Beef Dip (not by accident) so we had lots of fun and met some great new friends.  I'll share some of our activities, highlights and photos in a couple of posts this week.

Our flight was supposed to depart from Washington DC on Sat at 7:01am, but due to a mechanical issue that could not be fixed within an hour, we had to de-board the plane at 8am and get re-booked on a different flight that wasn't due to leave until 1pm.  So our friend Carl, Spouse & I sat in the airport for several hours until it was time to board.  Rather than arriving at 3:00 we arrived at 8:00.  Fortunately our transportation from the airport to the condo wasn't screwed up by this.  I was texting updates to the driver who was quite gracious.

We stayed in an AirBnB condo in the same building we stayed in 2 years ago.  The location is perfectly centered between the gay beach area resorts and the nightclubs, with lots of restaurant options also nearby.  We were able to walk everywhere in just a few minutes.  Here's the view from our terrace:

After checking into the condo we headed out to eat.  We had eaten nothing substantial since breakfast around 9am and it was now close to 9pm.  I was so hungry I felt like I was going to pass out!  We walked down to the beach and got a table at La Palapa.  After starting with a couple appetizers for the 3 of us to share, I had a delicious stuffed pork tenderloin.  Then we walked to the Oxxo store, which is the Mexican equivalent to a 7-11 convenience store.  We picked up some coffee, creamer, bottled water, paper towels, bread, peanut butter, danish and sun lotion.  Upon returning to the condo we sat out on the terrace until bedtime.

Sun morning we had coffee and a continental breakfast out on the terrace, then walked over to the Blue Chairs beach resort where we found chairs under a palapa.  A waiter brought us drinks and food when we were ready to eat again, and we had a lovely day at the beach.  (Tip:  the hotel rooms aren't very nice, so go to Blue Chairs beach resort for the day, but don't stay there.)

Spouse enjoying the 1st of many Pina Coladas of the week

The temperature was about 84 degrees, no humidity, and a light breeze.  The 3 of us got into the ocean too, which was a very comfortable temperature, although a bit rough.  Each of us took a tumble in the waves at some point during the week.  Mine was on the 1st day.

On the way back to the condo we passed another store, this 1 called Mini Super (an oxymoron if I've ever heard one) which had a lot more stuff than the Oxxo.  We picked up some more breakfast foods and snacks on our way back to the condo.  Once we'd all showered we headed the Beef Dip Welcome Party at the top of the Blue Chairs resort.  The music was fun and there were lots of guys there.

Welcome Party at Blue Chairs

Spouse subtly pointed at a guy nearby and asked me if I knew who he was.  I said no but he looked a little familiar.  After speaking to the guy we realized we had met him 3 years ago on our Caribbean cruise!  Crazy coincidence, right?  As if that wasn't wild enough, we also ran into a guy named Joe who we met in Palm Springs a year ago!!

Me & Spouse at the Welcome Party

After the welcome party, the 3 of us stopped at Fusion for dinner.  Like 99% of Puerto Vallarta restaurants, the dining area is outdoors which we love.  All 3 of us loved our dinners.  I had shrimp.

Carl & Spouse at Fusion

To wind up the evening we went to Los Amigos.  Its a very casual, cowboy-themed indoor/outdoor bar where we had a couple drinks, met some new friends, and mingled before heading back to the condo to relax on the terrace before going to bed.

Friday Fur

I'm on vacation in Puerto Vallarta this week so each day I'm leaving you with some eye candy to tide you over until my return.

Thursday Thirst

I'm on vacation in Puerto Vallarta this week so each day I'm leaving you with some eye candy to tide you over until my return.

Wednesday Woof

I'm on vacation in Puerto Vallarta this week so each day I'm leaving you with some eye candy to tide you over until my return.

Tuesday Temptation

I'm on vacation in Puerto Vallarta this week so each day I'm leaving you with some eye candy to tide you over until my return.

Monday's Man

I'm on vacation in Puerto Vallarta this week so each day I'm leaving you with some eye candy to tide you over until my return.

Final preparations

Yesterday I was off work (as I typically am on Thurs) so I picked out the clothes I want to take on our trip and tried things on to make sure I could still squeeze myself into them.  I've put on a few extra pounds over the last few months, so when we get back from our trip I will definitely need to pay better attention to my eating.

I also called the credit card company and notified them we'd be in Puerto Vallarta for the week so they wouldn't 'flag' usage of the card there.

I also spoke with our wireless carrier and added a feature that will allow Spouse & me to use our iPhones while we're there without incurring international roaming charges.  Our condo has wifi but we want to be able to use the mapping app and be able to text and send photos while outside of the condo.

I texted the dog/house sitter just to confirm our departure time tonight.  I got the dogs' nails trimmed, and we bathed them on Sun.

I packed the clothing and shoes I'll need, as well as my tablet and iPhone charger.  Our passports are out and ready to go.  The only thing left to do this evening is to pack my bathroom stuff.  Since we're not checking our bags, we can't bring any products over 4 oz so even the bathroom stuff isn't very much.  We'll just buy what we need when we arrive.  There's a corner market very close to our condo.

This morning I checked us in for our flights for tomorrow morning and have our electronic boarding passes on my phone. 

So when we get home from work this evening I'll just have to help Mr 'Wait Til The Last Minute' get his stuff packed and then we'll be on our way to his sister's house.  Our flight is at 7am so we'll have to leave her house at 5am, which means we'll have to be up at 4:30am.  Ugh!!  But the positive side to the early flight is that there is less likely to be TSA security line waits and flight delays the earlier in the day you fly.  Plus, we'll arrive in PV by 3pm so we'll still have 1/2 the day to begin enjoying.

Look for photos and a recap in just over a week.

Beardy boy

Deja vu?

Just because

Binge

Spouse & I have enjoyed the first 4 seasons of the Netflix series "Grace & Frankie" so we were excited to hear that season 5 had recently been released.

After dinner last Sat night we decided to start watching season 5.  We really didn't intend to watch the entire season in 1 setting, but that's what we did.  We stayed up until 3:30 in the morning, like we were 20-somethings!  Poor Marvin & Walter must have thought we were nuts.  They curled up on our laps and konked out.

We really liked season 5.  For me it contained more 'laugh out loud' moments than past episodes.  For Spouse the characters are pretty realistic, complete with honorable characteristics as well as flaws.  

There were cameos from RuPaul and Nicole Richie so that was some unexpected fun too.

Puerto Vallarta

A week from tonight we'll drive to Spouse's sister's house near the airport to stay overnight, and then leave at the crack of dawn the next morning for Puerto Vallarta!  If you're interested in our past visits, click here.

This will be our 3rd visit to Puerto Vallarta.  Our 1st time with the Newlyweds we actually stayed just south of PV in the village of Mismaloya in a wonderful home on a mountain surrounded by the jungle and overlooking the water.  Our 2nd time we stayed in the Romantic Zone downtown in a fabulous condo in the Signature by Pinnacle condo building overlooking the water.  This was the view from our giant terrace:

We liked it so much that this time we're staying in the same building, just a different condo.  Its a very short walk to the beach, to the resort where all the pool parties will occur, and to lots of restaurants and bars.  We won't have or need a car.  Our friend Carl is coming too.  This will be his 1st time to PV.

Like last time, our visit will overlap "Beef Dip", Puerto Vallarta's bear week. We had a lot of fun joining some of the Beef Dip parties and activities last time so I'm sure the same will be true this time.

It will be wonderful to escape the cold weather at home for temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s in PV.  I anticipate lots of time spent on the beach soaking up the sun and enjoying tropical beverages.

Beardy boy

I'm not saying...

Just because

Travelers

I recently discovered a new series on Netflix called Travelers.

The premise:  Hundreds of years in the future, the last surviving humans discover a way of sending consciousness back through time, directly into people in the 21st century, "travelers," who assume the lives of seemingly random people. They're also secretly working as teams to perform missions in order to save humanity from a terrible future. Armed only with their knowledge of history and an archive of social media profiles, the travelers who include an FBI agent, a single mother and a college student discover that 21st-century relationships are as much of a challenge as their high-stakes missions.

There are 3 seasons with 12 episodes per season.  I got so hooked on it I had to binge several episodes.  One Thurs when I was off work and had no specific errands to run or things to accomplish, I started watching at 9am and didn't stop until 12midnight, with a few short breaks to eat, use the bathroom, and take the dogs out!  Its THAT good!

If you liked Sense8, Altered Carbon, or Black Mirror, you'll probably like Travelers too.  If you're looking for a new series, I highly recommend it.  If you watch it or have already watched it, let me know your thoughts.

Holiday highlights, the finale

Spouse & I remarked to each other that this was probably 1 of the best holiday seasons we can remember.  We never felt stressed, and everything just seemed to fall into place.

We got our tree up, our interior decorating done, and our exterior lighting all done before our tree trimming party.  (That has not always been the case.)  Our tree trimming party was fun, as always.  We attended the town Christmas parade which wasn't rained out as it has been in some recent years.  While our holiday shopping got off to a slow start, all ordered items arrived on time so I could wrap them without feeling rushed.  I got to attend the town's Christmas home tour for the 1st time ever.  I spent the good part of a day baking cakes, brownies, and breakfast casseroles to take with us.  We enjoyed our annual pizza and hippie roll luncheon with our dear friends Kerry, Hugh, Kelly, Carl, Lisa, Alex, Kim, and Danny.  We had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant followed by cookies at the home of our old buddies Ron & James, along with Mike & Clark.  We had a lovely visit/lunch with my cousin Nez and her husband Steve.  We saw most of the family on Christmas eve and/or Christmas day.  Once we returned home we debriefed with our friends Steven & Thad over dinner.  We went to a lovely post-Christmas party at Marty & John's home. We did a lot, saw a lot, and ate a lot; pretty much the perfect holiday season!

Here are a few photos of some of our special/unusual tree ornaments:

Purchased in Palm Springs Oct 2018

1 of 2 clear snowflakes purchased at the Dollar store several years ago, and a Paris ornament from 2003

Large, silver snowflake from Joey & Glenn

Lenox sleigh from my friend Dawn

Eiffel Tower purchased in Paris Dec 2003

Translucent chicken from our friend Megan 15+ years ago, Lenox bear from Dawn, and clear rainbow swirl ball from Calvin

Another clear rainbow swirl ball from Calvin, and Chihuahua from Dawn

Blue glass ball with white swirl from Calvin

 Here are some of our interior holiday decorations:

Although not visible in this photo, the snow-covered trees have glitter on them and were found inside our very 1st home together in 1996.  I adore them and suspect they're pretty old.

The reindeer were from my cousin Nez, the snowman was from our friend Clara.  The old school ceramic tree is actually not old; we bought it at the QVC clearance store about 5 years ago.

Red truck pillows purchased about 3 years ago

Red truck floor mat purchased this fall

Red truck wall hanging purchased 2 years ago

Without any knowledge of our red truck decor Spouse's sister gave us this red truck cookie jar which coordinates perfectly

 And last but not least...

Marvin & Walter in their Christmas bow ties on Daddy's lap on Christmas day

I hope all of you had a great holiday season.