LOVING EL GOLFO

Monday was Tony's 68th birthday and we took a walk into town looking for a good restaurant.  We decided on a place that was attached to a hotel.  We're still not sure of the name, either Mar de Cortez or the Blue Boat.  We sat outside and watched the fishing boats coming in and out.

You should have seen the look on our faces when we got our menus.  Of course, they didn't have English translations and we had to make an educated guess as to what we should order and, of course, the waitress didn't speak any English.  We ordered chimichangas, shrimp tacos, shrimp stew and stuffed chili peppers.  Everything was freshly prepared and delicious.  Happy birthday, Tony!

Not the best photo but it's the only one we took

Our dining view - they should remove the billboards don't you think?

Denis and I met a lady, Luisa, that said she'd do a sketch of us for $10.  We thought it might be fun and a nice memento of El Golfo.   She invited us to see her place.  She pays $30 a month for a room. It's a stucco building with three rooms attached.  Her room is in the middle.  It has one window and a door. She was very proud about how she fixed it up by patching the walls and painting.  She had throw rugs on the floor (I think it was a dirt floor), the walls had wall hangings and she had a small fridge and fan.  She made it very clear how she kept everything clean showing us that her bedding were freshly washed and white.

Luisa's room - she's cuddling with her cat

Posing in anticipation

Yeah, I know, it wasn't exactly $10 well spent - who are these people?

We learned Luisa's life story while we were there - she was a character

I'm getting my days mixed up but it doesn't really matter, does it?  Sunday we went to the local parish and that was the first time Denis figured out what it's been like for me when I go to a French-only speaking mass.  Thankfully, we had English readings with us and we could follow along.  It was nice how the priest had the children come up for a special blessing, than the teenagers and than everyone else.

No English spoken at this parish - pretty eh?

Children receiving a special blessing at the end of mass

We were invited to the park's dart competition and that was fun.  I used to think that throwing darts was just trying to get a bull's eye but learned otherwise.  They had electronic dart boards that kept score.  Anyways, it was fun and we got an opportunity to meet more people.

Very well organized dart competition

Yesterday, Larry from the park invited me to go out with a group of other ATVers for a two-hour adventure.  I've ridden ATVs before but never on the sandy beach and it's quite different from riding on hard packed trails and mountains.  I had a wonderful time and proud to say I only got stuck in the sand once when I didn't switch over to 4-wheel drive quick enough.  We drove up to the mesa overlooking the ocean and the view was beautiful.  It gave me a whole new appreciation for the beauty of this area.  Figured out why everyone here owns a quad.

Ready for my desert adventure - Larry in the background

We spent a hour with Dave, a park member that has been coming here for over a decade and has a wealth of information about the park's history.  He talked about the fishing, the mud slide that helped pave the roads, the storms and building the wall that protects the park from severe storms.  He was interesting and fun to listen to.

That's all folks!  Thanks for stopping in and feel free to leave a comment.