The Big Chill Weekend

This past weekend was 10 years in the making...and it was well worth the wait. We hosted "The Gang" at our newly renovated (and finally completed!) waterfront cottage.



The occasion was my husband's upcoming 60th birthday - a great reason to celebrate with your pals! Here we all are on the deck: D. & C., J. & S., R. & D., R. & H. (H. took this photo, so she is not in it, unfortunately).



We weren't too long into our visit (or the vino!), before several pals virtually simultaneously came up with "The Big Chill" analogy...we aren't able to get together all that often (usually once a year, around Christmas, for dinner) or for all that long. Every couple has busy lives and a multitude of commitments, which made the fact that every single one of them made it for this weekend very special. And it's nice that, unlike the movie, it did not take a death to bring us all together. (That's not the only difference...unfortunately we are all about 15 years older than the characters portrayed in "The Big Chill" - yikes, where HAS the time gone??).

We were so pleased with how much they all liked our place; we worked very hard on the final stages in order to prepare and be ready to "sleep 10" this weekend and turn meals out of the kitchen for the group.








Everything went off great, from birthday dinner (prime rib/yorkshire pudding and Black Forest cake) through to Sunday brunch - the combined efforts of all the gals paid off in an ongoing feast that started with their arrivals, and continues after their departures as they left us so much great food and excellent booze! We won't have to go into town or shop for days!

This place makes everyone relax - the laughs and conversation went on non-stop. A very happy time.

Good local friends M. & S., were able to stop by, but there were many dear friends who could not be physically present, BUT whom we keep present in our hearts and minds at all times (you know who you are, e.g., B. & S., R. & B., B. & M., L. & G., G. & C., B. & C., G. & M., S. & E., and many others whom we look forward to spending time with in the not-too-distant future!).

That is the whole point of having this island refuge, being able to share it with others who love it as much as we do.

Todo bien. (It's all good.)

The Las Vegas Report

We just spent a fabulous, whirlwind 4 nights in Las Vegas. We last visited there in 1995, and have things ever changed in 17 years!

Highlights and Recommendations:

Voodoo Restaurant & Nightclub at the Rio All Suites Hotel - they occupy the 50th and 51st floors of the hotel with amazing outside deck areas and superb distant views of The Strip. We had an incredible dinner there including reasonably priced Grey Goose martinis, foie gras appetizer, lobster/crab thermidor (to die for!), seared scallops with shortribs(!), along with the tastiest 'jumbo' asparagus ever in lemon aioli.



We enjoyed three Cirque de Soleil shows: "Zumanity", Criss Angel's "Believe" and "O" - all were wonderful, with "O" being the most impressive.

Other incredible dining included two experiences at The Bellagio (loved the water fountain show with music on the 'lake' in front of the hotel):

- deluxe caviar tasting and Veuve Cliquot champagne at The Petrossian bar; and,
- 6 course dinner with wine pairings at Le Cirque...with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner (well, they were at the next table). Oh, and Eugene Levy was on the other side of us.

Sightseeing included a visit to the pawn shop made famous on TV's "Pawn Stars" - suffice it to say I am no longer a fan of the show.



The place is a total dump, despite becoming a major tourist attraction in Vegas (there are sometimes lines of up to 200 people waiting to get in!). They obviously aren't putting any money from the show back into the operation. The place was full of crap the day we were there, and there was no expertise offered on a piece I brought in to have valued just for fun. A large section of the store is devoted to tacky "Pawn Stars" souvenirs mainly featuring "Chumlee" - the loser sidekick on the show. It was a big yawn. But we did see "the old man" (Harrison Senior) in the back.

Much more fun was Fremont Street, and getting our (free) photos taken with a pile of $1 million cash at Binion's Casino!

The Golden Nugget was surprisingly nice (owned and re-done by Steve Wynn), although we were shocked at the $20.00 price tag of a double gin and tonic in their Chart House lounge. We saw the world's biggest gold nugget named "The Hand of Faith." Very impressive.

The Venetian's Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square make for some great strolling, sightseeing and dining.

We stayed at the re-done Tropicana and were very pleased with the room and fabulous pool area. We'd stay there again - great location and nice, light and bright hotel and casino.

Hubby was in heaven being able to smoke cigars ANYWHERE but where food was being served.



We enjoyed a late afternoon of cigars and scotch (for him) and champagne (for me) at The Galleria bar at Caesar's Palace - very decadent.

More later once I've downloaded the other photos I took!

Todo bien. (It's all good.)

Picture This!

Pictures convey things so much better than words...so, here are some photos of what we've been up to the past few weeks.

BOATING






Palito Verde (Green Stick) Beach





OVERNIGHT JUNKET TO SAN SEBASTIAN - Real de San Sebastian




Room at the Inn








DINING - Coco's in San Sebastian






BUCERIAS BEACH






MAINTAINING LIFE BALANCE





Todo muy bien! (It's all really good!)

"Dukan" It Out

Mid-life has been giving me tons of grief for about 5 years now. Menopause for the last 3 years has been particularly brutal.

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) has successfully addressed some of the worst symptoms (severe hot flashes and insomnia), but has failed to touch the issues of edema (water retention and associated puffiness and swelling in my face, feet/ankles and hands) and weight gain (water and fat) all over, but especially around my midriff. Not much ages a woman the way the lost of her waistline does. That really signals "youth is o-v-e-r". Depressing.

I've had success in dropping weight following the Atkins Diet principles in the past (by eating much more protein and zero refined carbs) but it no longer seems to have the same effect for me. My mid-life body seems much more adept at hanging onto its water and fat deposits!

I'd heard about the "Dukan Diet" and know someone who was having good success following that plan. I thought I better check it out, so downloaded Dr.Pierre Dukan's book onto my Kindle and started reading on February 1st (the start of a new month seems like a good time to change habits).

He certainly has nailed the problems of menopausal women like me re: water retention, puffiness, and stubborn weight gain! But man, this sounds like one tough regimen. He doesn't pull any punches - he's clear that the steps he's outlined must be followed exactly or you will not get any results at all. Yeah, right, I thought.

I started following parts of his plan - started eating only lean protein, eliminated ALL refined carbs, had the odd little bit of veggie, and drank much more water for about 3 days. In that time period, I fell off the Dukan wagon once and ate a few deep fried shrimp in batter. End result? I noticed NO changes whatsoever in how I was feeling or looking.

So, I thought I better get more serious if I was really going to give this a try. I am now sticking with the instructions of his "Attack Phase" and eating only lean protein and drinking lots of water. Two days in, and I can see the edema in my feet and ankles has disappeared. This is encouraging!

I went online to his site and entered in all the weight history/current weight info and had it calculate my ideal weight, and how long it would take to reach it on this diet. I put my goal weight at 160 lbs and the Dukan site agreed and cited 161 lbs as my ideal weight...and said it will take 158 days to reach it!!!

This is going to test my patience and fortitude. But I am off to a good start in that my husband went to the local bakery this morning and brought home/ate a cinnamon bun...and I didn't even glance in that direction. I will just have to keep looking at my newly re-discovered ankle bones for inspiration and commitment.

Todo bien. (It's all good.)

A Gorgeous Friday the 13th!

It's Friday, January 13th - another glorious sunny day here in Mexico!

2012 has gotten off to a great start - wonderful visits with family/friends, and my business is back to booming. Nice to know I can work successfully - remotely - from abroad. Although I often curse technology, I have to bless it in this case and admit it is giving me freedom and the ability to earn my living on my own terms.

We spent New Year's Eve on the beach watching the fireworks around the Bay of Banderas and tossing our bits of paper into the beach bonfires...paper upon which we had written all our wishes and hopes for 2012. It's a magical, and fast-working, process! Only thirteen days into the new year and the signs are appearing that it could well be a banner year on all fronts.

We have good health, our dear friends, our important family members, and everything we could wish for a happy, healthy and prosperous life. It's not without it's challenges, and challengers, but nothing we can't handle with courage, grace and integrity.

Todo bien. (It's all good.)

The Restaurant Blacklist

El Brujo in Bucerias has been added to my restaurant "blacklist." We had awful service and a dreadful (and expensive) meal there last evening. The only good thing was the beachfront view of a spectacular sunset, and the restaurant can't take any credit for that!

Anyway, I slammed them in a TripAdvisor review this morning, so am feeling somewhat avenged.

It amazes us how the Mexican restauranteurs think it's okay to charge gourmet restaurant prices for pretty basic Mexican fare, poorly prepared and poorly served. They certainly aren't relying on repeat business.

It was quite a contrast to the wonderful service and food experienced on Christmas Day for dinner at Mezzogiorno (right next door to El Brujo). Mezzogiorno does it right - the vast majority of other Puerto Vallarta area restaurants do not.

Todo bien. (It's all good.)

Thinking Ahead to 2012

Once Christmas Day has come and gone, my thoughts turn to the rapidly approaching new year. What will 2012 hold? What do I WANT it to hold?

I am pretty optimistic that 2012 should be better than 2009 (my mother's stroke, and ensuing estrangement from my older sister, "Gigi"), 2010 (my mother's death, and our condo flood and 4 months of repairs), and 2011 (my gall bladder surgery, never-ending cottage renovation nightmares and Home Depot kitchen misadventures, and the death of Gigi's elderly 2nd husband).

This past fall, I mentally worked through a lot of my issues with Gigi. I feel no active wrath or acrimony, and have apologized to her for my part in our estrangement and the hurt I caused. She accepted and reciprocated with her own apology.

Gigi now seems to want to resume some kind of sisterly relationship but, frankly, I am not so sure. Just because I harbour no active ill will or grudges doesn't mean I trust her, or want her to be much of a presence in my life. The bit of e-mail communication we've had has been chock-a-block full of questionable choices she's making re: romantic relationships (ah, suffice it to say the, um, paramours are not completely available) and she's also just lost her driver's licence for 3 months.

I offered sympathy on the driver's licence issue, but have maintained a purposeful silence on the romantic issues - those are land mines. If I told her what I really think, we'd be at each others' throats in no time.

I refuse to be cast in the role of someone whom she can rebel against - she seems to need that in her life. While our parents were alive, she rebelled against them. Now they are gone, and she insists on sharing upsetting things with me that she must know contravene my beliefs, morals and values. Who NEEDS it? NOT me.

One thing that my 2012 won't contain much of is Gigi - that is a fact.

Todo bien. (It's all good.)