What we're doing and where we'll be

I started writing this as an e-mail to a friend, and then decided to post it here and just refer everyone to it:

I'm up early, but ready to go back and catnap a little. Have a dentist's appointment at 8 this morning to finally get a crown on this root canal that's gone on for so long. Then I take the boys to Puerto Vallarta. They want to see the town before I put them on the plane this afternoon. They were going to go yesterday afternoon after surfing at Sayulita all morning, but sort of flaked out. Then it rained like crazy, which was a pretty good excuse to just stay put. So we went up to Vista Guayabitos for dinner, the restaurant on top of the hill with a great view of the bay, the island and the town. Always a good place to start a visit here.....or end one.

Mostly we've been eating here. The guys caught a lot of fish the other day, and one of them, Rafi, took a culinary course for his senior "fun" class. So they've been grilling while I do salads and veggies.

Aside from a few day outings and nightly forays into town, I think they spent most of their time here either in the swimming pool or swinging in hammocks on the verandah listening to my Harry Potter tapes. All of them have the final book waiting for them when they get home, and were reviewing in order to get ready for it. (My copy is waiting in Lubbock). They all seemed really happy just to have the down time together. They've been friends since they were little kids and they're all headed off to different schools here in a few weeks. Last night I dropped them in town and came back to the house to be with Larry. They were saying something about getting tattoos.....

Again, Larry couldn't join us last night. Aside from the fact that it's very difficult to get six people in Hummercita, there were still guys in the basement installing a new swimming pool pump and two submersible sump pumps in that huge tank that holds rainwater runoff. We're getting things ready to be gone for a while. There were also tile setters here in the morning, fixing things which had broken in the kitchen and down by the pool. No, Moms, the guys did not do it. Pre-existing conditions.

Chano and Hilda will be here today, putting things in order, and Thursday and Friday we'll be packing and giving away foodstuff, what there is left. It's been very handy having four 18 year old boys here cleaning out the cupboards, fridge and freezer. Here's our itinerary as it stands now. I had to work hard finding hotels where Kody is welcome:

• 7/28, Saturday -- To Guadalajara (Tlaquepaque, La Quinta don Jose)
• 7/29, 30 -- San Miguel de Allende, Quinta Loreto
• 7/31 -- Saltillo, El Camino Real
• 8/1 - 8/5 -- San Antonio. We're seeing Larry's brother and his family, but staying with Susie and Mark Posson, those brand new friends of ours from a few entries back.
• 8/5 - at least September 10 we'll be in Lubbock, Texas. The phone number there is 806-799-6995, though the best way to always get us is through our U.S. Vonage number: 949-488-0635. Mom and Dad's 60th anniversary is September 7, so I'm organizing a party for the afternoon of September 9 there at their house.
• 9/10 - 9/19 -- Larry and I each have some side trips we'd like to take. We're both still working on that. His involves motorcycles. Mine involves quiet contemplation in the company of good girlfriends.
• 9/21 (or 22?) We'll head west to CA with stops on the way to visit friends in Santa Fe, NM, and St. George, Utah.
• 9/27 - 10/7 -- Back in Orange County visiting friends and fulfilling some commitments.
• 10/8 - 10/11 -- On the road back to Guayabitos.
  

So, that's the news for now. I'll keep blogging from time to time. It's a good way for everyone to keep up with us. Right now it's back to beddie bye.....