Where Has The Summer Gone?

I can't believe that summer is over! Where did it go? It seems like this year in particular summer just flew by us. As a child I thought summer didn't last nearly long enough and now as I get older I seem to be having the same feeling about it not lasting long enough.

I thought I'd make a few posts and include a few pictures of what I did over this summer to refresh my memory. That way I can see just exactly what I was able to do over these past few months of summer.

I went to Mazatlan Mexico with my husband for the first week of June. We try to go there every year as we just love vacationing there. The resort that we usually stay at is so nice and relaxing. The people that work there are very accommodating to your every need.

They have some of the most beautiful sunsets that I've ever seen. Each night we would watch it dip into the ocean either from our balcony or from the waterfront restaurant that was just a few steps away.

We spent a lot of time just relaxing by the pool and working on our tans and taking siestas in their hammocks. Nothing taste as good as some delicious nachos and a cold margarita when your just laying around the pool working on that tan!

We did manage to do a little sightseeing though. We went to the downtown historic part of the town on a trolley tour. We saw the cliff divers, the old cathedral and the market place. We toured a jewelry store that does their work on-site. They specialize in diamonds and Mexican fire opals. We also did a little shopping downtown and then went to the newer area of town where most of the clubs and restaurants are. I managed to do a little shopping there also.

You can take me out of the country or anywhere for that matter and I will still be able to find someplace to do one of my favorite activities which is shopping! My friends tell me I'm one of the best shoppers they know. I'm like the Energizer bunny when it comes to shopping. I can go and go and go the distance and last a really long time when shopping is involved!

Mexico Vacation May 2009

We'll we went on vacation to Mazatlan May 15 til the 23rd. We were there during the so called "Swine Flu" epidemic. I don't know what the news was talking about but there wasn't any swine flu along the coast of Mexico. We only saw a few people working at the airport that were wearing masks. They asked us if we were sick when we got off the plane and then there was no problem... on to beautiful Mazatlan and the Pueblo Bonita Resort.

The resort

Sad to say since there had been so much in the media about the outbreak in Mexico the resorts and the whole town wasn't even half full. The locals are really hurting because tourism is what they mostly make their little living from.

We had 8 days of pure heaven soaking up the great sun and swimming almost every day. There was a small pool over one of the bars and we were lucky enough to get it to ourselves for 3 whole days!

"Our pool"

We took a Catamaran sail around the coast and saw some great sea caves and birds. Then we went over to Stone Island to horseback and have a BBQ lunch on the beach. We've been to Stone Island before and loved it. It was so rustic the last time I was there and I felt like I was truly in an old Mexico city without all of the modern day appliances and things that we take for granted every day. It was still a very nice trip but the tourist are being brought over by the boatloads so it has lost it's rustic charm a little.



We went horse back riding down the beach and then through a coconut grove. There was only a family of 4 with us so it was nice and quite and laid back. I of course got the horse that wanted to gallop! I kept on pulling back the reins and telling him NO! This girl hasn't been on a horse in awhile and was never very good at it. Luckily the horses just about knew the route so it was a pretty easy ride. I of course wanting to go slow was at the back of the group. A ATV and a car wanted to pass me and I finally figured out how to get the horse to the side of the ride. Of course by then the guys that were with us caught up with me and coaxed the horse off to the side.



We went back to the beach and had a yummy plate lunch. It was BBQ chicken that had been cooked over an open grill. We off course also had beans and rice and tortillas. David got the comb plate so he also got some fish with his meal. It was a delicious meal and they had an open bar the whole day so it was quite nice. We ordered us a dessert to share. It was fried bananas with a brown sugar kind of caramelized topping all over it. It was great! I let David have most of it though cause I was already pretty full.

We then took a horse drawn cart through the town for a tour. We were the only ones who opted for the cart ride. We could have chosen kayaks but neither of us knew how to steer and paddle. They also had banana boat rides but I didn't want to have to take the boat ride back in wet clothes.



We went down to the Golden Zone one day to look around. The Golden Zone is their major shopping area in downtown Mazatlan which is where most of the jewelry stores and diamond outlets are. They also sell pottery, ceramics, hammocks, clothing and just about anything you could want to buy in Mexico all in the one area that goes about 4 blocks long. It was almost deserted in the stores. We have been to Mexico so many times that we didn't really need to purchase anything but I wanted to help the economy so I made a few purchases. Okay that's my story and I'm sticking to it!! You all know I am a major shopaholic!!

I bought a cute shoulder purse that is made out of candy wrappers of all things. They are woven and then sewn together. It is totally cool. It is a little bright in colors but I will use it this summer. We got Connor a little outfit, the girls some pretty bracelets that are made with gemstones, David got a hat and I bought some tequila to take back and share with Davie. Unfortunately I had to gift my tequila at the airport to some man that was working on the shuttle. I found out that I couldn't bring it back because the bottles were more than 4 ounces and we weren't checking our luggage this time.