Labor Day weekend update

We had a fab weekend with Bugs & Roger.  Sat evening we walked to a waterfront restaurant and had cocktails and terrific seafood for dinner.  The weather was perfect for dining al fresco, and we had a sassy waitress that made our experience even more fun.

L to R:  Me, Spouse, Bugsy, and Roger

My delicious cosmo

Sun we had enchilada casserole for dinner and birthday cake (Spouse made both) on the screened porch for Thad's birthday.  I didn't take any photos.

Bugsy & Roger left before lunch, so Spouse & I grabbed sandwiches from Subway and went to the beach.

Family visit

Recently we had a short but nice visit from several of our family members from the DC area.

Spouse's sister, brother-in-law, their 2 sons, their daughter, son-in-law, and their 3 children all came for a couple days at the beach.  (In case you're doing the math, that was 6 adults and 3 children under the age of 5.)

In addition to lots of beach time, they also went to the boardwalk for games and unhealthy but tasty food. The joke around the house was that they couldn't go more than 45 minutes without a meal or substantial snack, so there were a couple trips to the grocery store, delivery food, and restaurant visits.  While I was at work during most of that, I think I gained weight just hearing about all the food they ordered/bought/made/consumed.

Unfortunately I didn't take many photos at all (I was not with them at the beach) but I did get these 2 cute ones.

Our nephew David and Marvin making himself King of the Pillows

Me and my boys

 It was a very nice visit and we all had a good time!

Shady

True!!!

4th of July

Today is Independence Day, also called 4th of July, a day we celebrate our nation's independence from Europe with patriotic parades and cook-outs.

Last year we had several friends over for drinks and appetizers, went to watch the Doo Dah parade, came back for a cook-out, then went to see the fireworks.  It was great fun but also a lot of planning and work.

So this year we kept it simple.  Our buddies Steven & Thad came over for a snack, we watched the Doo Dah parade, we had a cook-in, and skipped the local fireworks.  Instead, we watched them on TV from the comfort of our home.

Spouse & me waiting for the Doo Dah parade to start

Memorial Day

As I predicted, our Memorial Day long weekend was lots of fun, if not a bit tiring.

Ron & James and Clark arrived in town before noon but wanted to take advantage of the tax free outlet store shopping so we didn't see them right away.  Mike had an unexpected activity so he drove separately later that night.  When ready for a break from shopping, we met them for lunch, and then they finished up their shopping before finally arriving at our house.  The weather was lovely so we sat on the porch and visited.

James, Ron, Spouse, Marvin

We enjoyed a few cocktails and some snacks as we caught up on the goings on in each others' lives.  Then we went to Blackwall Hitch for dinner. I selected it because they would take a reservation. 

Clark, Ron, James

Fortunately Mike arrived in time to join us for dinner.  We all thought our food was good but pricey.  I left them to pay the bill so I could get my make-up started for the show.  The bar/performance venue was totally packed and the crowd was enthusiastic and engaged.  It was a fun show!  Afterward we walked over to the ice cream store for treat, then returned home to chat a bit before bed.

Sun morning we had coffee on the porch and then Spouse made breakfast for everyone: scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, fruit salad, and bagels.  Sun marked Spouse & my 23rd anniversary so we had mimosas with our breakfast.  It was significantly warmer on Sun so once we'd finished eating we continued talking inside.

Ron reconnected with Marvin and Walter

Then the 4 guys went for a walk around town, ducking into some of the antique shops and such.  Spouse & I stayed home since it was hot outside and we've been in the shops so many times before. We had cocktails and snacks at home again, and then that evening the 6 of us had dinner at Iron Hill Brewery where we happened to get our favorite server Spencer who is always fun.  Everyone agreed we liked our food better and it cost less than the night before.

Spouse and James

Ron and Mike

Me and Clark

The 6 of us

After dinner we went for a walk along the boardwalk and then returned home to chat a little before bed. 

Mon morning we had coffee and more visiting on the porch.

Mike and Ron (with Marvin)

Spouse with Walter

Ron and Marvin

The guys packed and loaded their cars, and then the 6 of us had breakfast at Arenas.  It was cooler again, more like Sat, so we were able to eat outdoors.  Regretfully we said our goodbyes and they headed back to VA.

Less than an hour later my cousin's daughter Chelsea and her husband Gabe arrived.  We sat on the porch and got reconnected for awhile, then went for a walk through town, looking at all the unique homes and talking about real estate.  We had a late lunch at Nectar. The skies threatened rain, so we returned home and got into the car to continue our tour of the area.  (This was their first visit here.)  After a brief shower we decided to stop for a bite at Station on Kings.  Chelsea and I were still full from our generous lunches so we both ordered desserts, while Spouse & Gabe had dinner.  The shower had taken away the humidity and a light breeze made for a delightful evening to dine al fresco.

Gabe, Chelsea, Spouse, me

Once back at home we talked until bedtime. 

We loved having our friends and family visit us over the long holiday weekend!  But I must admit I'm a little tired. I think I will sleep well tonight.

Appreciation

Last evening I went to a realtor appreciation party sponsored by one of our local home builders.  Every year they invite realtors to a nice party with free food, booze, and prize drawings. Builders count on realtors to bring their buyers to their new communities, and to show their appreciation this builder has an appreciation party every year.

This year's party was held in a penthouse party room in an oceanfront hotel.  As you can imagine, the views of the beach and ocean were incredible from that height.  I tried to take a selfie in front of the view but there was too much light so the view was washed out.

Several of my realtor friends were there so I took some selfies with them.

The builder's sales reps were also there so it was fun to chat with them as well as my realtor friends.  The food was really good and who doesn't like free food and booze?

Yumminess

Over the weekend Steven & Thad and Spouse & I had dinner at Iron Hill Brewery, which has become one of my favorite places.  The crowd is our age or younger, the staff is a mix of hipsters and regular folks, and the food is really good.  They have a 'scratch kitchen' which means they make all the food, rather than getting food from huge suppliers that is microwaved or dressed with a sauce or something.

Iron Hill brews their own beers so I decided to have a couple (free) samples that sounded good, then selected one to have with dinner.

I started with their soup of the day which was roasted poblano soup.  It was creamy and delicious!

For my entree I ordered what is actually an appetizer, but was the perfect accompaniment to the soup, the Thai chicken lettuce wraps.  The chicken was nicely seasoned with hints of lemongrass, and the spicy peanut sauce had a really nice after burn.  It was really good!

I'm eager to go back and do it again!

Weekend recap

This past weekend our dear friends Kerry & Hugh and Kelly & Jeff came for a visit.

Its been their custom for many years to participate in the Polar Bear Plunge the 1st weekend in Feb.  Notice I said "their" custom.  They would plunge into the frigid cold ocean while Spouse held their dog Chopper and I filmed them.

But about 3 years ago they decided they were tired of doing that, but still wanted to come for a visit.  Since Spouse & I have been away the last 3 years during that first weekend in Feb, we've picked a mutually convenient winter weekend for our dear friends to visit.  This year it was this past weekend.

They arrived on Sat right at lunchtime so we wasted little time deciding where to go for lunch.  Actually, we went to the same place we often go for lunch with them, our local diner.  Afterward we hung out at the house and talked and laughed and caught up on all kinds of goings on.  Before we knew it it was time for dinner so we took them to our newest favorite place Iron Hill Brewery.  The vibe is lively and the food is fresh and delicious.

Our gang

Afterward we talked until each of us began to fade so we went to bed.

Sun morning we enjoyed coffee and bagels for breakfast followed by more relaxing, talking, and laughing.  We were going to go for a walk around town but the sky looked a bit too threatening so we turned the walk into a driving tour.  They got to see and hear a portion of what I do as a realtor.  Then we went to Crooked Hammock for lunch before they packed up and headed home.

Kelly & Jeff

We had a terrific visit!  They are such dear friends and we always have so much fun together.

Final vacation highlights

Fri was our final day in Puerto Vallarta.  We decided to go back to Coco's Kitchen for a late breakfast.

Spouse at Coco's Kitchen

In Mexico it is customary for servers to wait until you ask them for the check, which we kept forgetting to do, so our meals always included extra time relaxing.  Then we returned to Blue Chairs beach club for our final day at the beach.  It was a bit overcast with periods of sun poking through, but we didn't mind.  It was so relaxing to sit under the palapa and hear the waves, watch the men, and go in the ocean.  

After cleaning up at the condo we headed out for the evening.  This was our view that evening:

Spouse wore his new bear tank top which looked so cute on him!

Our 1st stop was Anonimo bar for a pre-dinner cocktail.  I'd read online that the bartenders were gorgeous there, which was not an exaggeration.

Bartender at Anonimo

And trust me when I say that as good-looking as he is in this photo, he was even MORE beautiful when he smiled.  While enjoying our cocktails we had a celebrity citing!

Me and Cher

Actually, her name is Thirsty Burlington and she was out promoting her Cher impersonation show.  

She was just as funny as Cher and sounded just like her!  We were sad that it was our last night in PV and that we wouldn't be able to go see her show.

Then we went to dinner at La Piazzetta for dinner.  The menu of Italian specialties was quite extensive and delicious.  The 3 of us shared 2 appetizers and then each of us had a wonderful, authentic Italian entree.  Then we walked onto the pier at Playa Los Muertos.  It was dark and I knew my photos wouldn't turn out, so I'm borrowing this one from PeterKTravels.com.

Then we returned to the condo to begin packing and tidying up, then we had some 'screen time' on the terrace before going to bed.

The next morning our property manager/driver (who was absolutely gorgeous) picked us up at 10am and took us to the airport.  Our flights to Chicago and DC were uneventful, and we were picked up by our nephew and taken back to Spouse's sister's house where we spent the night.  Sun morning Spouse's brother and his daughter came from MD to join us for breakfast before we headed home to see our boys.

We had a wonderful trip and I'd recommend Puerto Vallarta to anyone who enjoys a relaxed, LGBT-friendly beach environment.  The peso-to-dollar ratio is terrific.  We always felt safe.  The food was delicious.  The prices were very reasonable.  The locals were very nice and everyone speaks or understands English.  This was our 3rd visit to PV (and our 2nd Beef Dip) but certainly won't be the last.

Further vacation highlights

Instead of having a light breakfast at home, on Wed we went to the ever-popular Coco's Kitchen for a late breakfast.  Its a charming garden cafe with lots of breakfast and lunch options.

Our food was very good and we loved the atmosphere.  Afterward we went directly to the beach, returning to Blue Chairs.  Again the weather was beautiful, we had food and drinks on the beach, and had fun in the ocean.

For dinner we went to Jorge's Hideaway.  Spouse & I had a wonderful meal there with the Newlyweds on our last visit so we wanted to return there with Carl.  I started with a lime mojito which matched my shirt!

Spouse & me and my matching cocktail

I typically do not post photos of food (here or on Facebook) but I'm making an exception.  I ordered the pineapple shrimp diablo which was so beautifully presented (and delicious) I thought it warranted a photo.

They cut a pineapple in half lengthwise, hollowed out the body, and filled it with shrimp, chunks of pineapple, and this wonderfully spicy and flavorful sauce, then melted some cheese over it.  It was served with red rice and a salad.  Amazing!

Afterward we went back to the condo and changed into our outfits for the White Party held at CC Slaughter nightclub.  We intentionally went late so there'd be people there, since the disco party really didn't get started until at least an hour after the official start time.  Well our strategy worked, maybe a bit too well, as it was absolutely packed when we arrived.

We danced and hung out a bit but it was so crowded it became a bit uncomfortable, so we went outside onto the sidewalk where a bunch of others had escaped.  Earlier in the week we'd seen a guy wearing a tiny green glittery fascinator.  I saw him again at the White Party wearing a tiny silver glittery fascinator so I had to talk to him about it.  First, he was impressed that I knew his miniature hats were called fascinators.  Second, he was impressed that I knew what color fascinator he'd worn to the disco party.  Eventually I asked Spouse to take a photo of me with the fascinator guy and his best friend since childhood.

The friend, me and the fascinator guy

Unfortunately the fascinator is kinda cut off in this photo, but you get the jist.  The glasses I'm wearing had multi-colored lights that flashed.  They were fun guys to hang with for a while.  We also ran into a couple of guys we'd met at the pool party the day before, Will, Alex, and Renzo.  It was a fun night!

Thurs we repeated our typical morning coffee on the terrace routine, then eventually returned to Mantamar Beach Club for a day at the beach.

Carl

Spouse

Carl and I both had foot and leg massages on the beach, then the 3 of us hung out at the pool for a couple hours with some of our new friends.

Will, Alex, Me, David, and Spouse

After showers and a little relaxation time on the terrace, we took the recommendation of a few friends and some strangers on Yelp to eat at Joe Jack's Fish Shack.  It was a charming 2-level restaurant and we were fortunate to be seated on the upper level which had no ceiling.  The food was yummy and the service was great.  I also loved the tile in the men's room:

After dinner we went to the Almar hotel, a recently completed new building associated with the Mantamar Beach Club, for a rooftop party.  The music was great, the coastline views were great, and the vibe was fun.  The recently completed rooftop bar and party area were really gorgeous.  This resort really strives to be upscale.

Alex and the bearded drag queens

Sexy muscle bears Kayvon, Spouse, Alex, and Will

As I am want to do at parties, I began taking selfies with many of our new friends.

Me and Will

Spouse photobombed my selfie with Renzo...

...so Alex took a photo of me, Renzo and Spouse

Me and Alex

Me and Joe from Austrailia whom we met a year earlier in Palm Springs!

It was a really fun party!