March 6-7-8

After Aquafit on Saturday morning, we have breakfast at Bricio’s, then ride the bus to the market. A tiny, slim older Mexican man entertains us with a sad native song. Everyone returns at different times, depending on how much shopping they want to do. Vince and I basically buy the decadent nuts, coated with sugar and grease, and come right back to devour them. So healthy! Later we spend the day reading, talking, laughing, watching the ocean and the wildlife. At 6 p.m., we head over to El Vanqueria, the steak house across the street. Every year they have a two-for-one price on their meals to celebrate their anniversary. This time, however, we are somewhat disappointed with both the quality of our meals and the service. We decide this might one place to remove from the itinerary! When we get back, we gather beside the ocean for the traditional tequila shooter good-bye, this time for Mary Jo and Peter. Amazing how these two weeks have flown by. For some reason, the night becomes famous for one thing: we drink the most tequila ever in one evening. Two and a half bottles somehow disappear, along with copious amounts of beer and wine. According to those who avoided such excess, we all had a wonderful time.
Sunday, for some reason, is very quiet. We do marshal our resources to see Mary Jo and Peter off to the airport, but after that, we pretty much retreat to silence. I declare a couple of days, minimum, to be alcohol free. Or was that free alcohol? In our beds in the middle of the afternoon, Vince and I watch Crazy Heart, which we love. Later, still in our beds, we watch the Academy Awards. We have a lot of fun watching the latter because of the Mexican announcers. I actually do put some time into Seventh Fire edits, but mostly my brain cells are slush.
Monday is another quiet day around the pool and ocean. We don’t go to Miramar because there’s a cruise ship in the harbour, so it will be crowded, plus Sandy and I both have swimmer’s ear. I do a lot of editing and rewriting. By the end of the day, Seventh Fire is in its final draft (I hope). We plan to print it out so one of my editors can reread it (Maire or Scott or Helen). At 6 p.m., we are invited to Andres’ and Nachito’s birthday party. (We find out from the huge cake that we have been misspelling Andres.) We are so honoured to be their guests. Gracie’s mother, Martha, and her step-dad Jorge, and some cousins join in. They treat us like kings and queens. Gracie serves pazoli, a traditional Mexican dish from Jalisco. It’s a kind of stew, with pulled pork and corn. On top, you add cabbage, lettuce and red sauce. The taste is exquisite! When we sing happy birthday (in English and Spanish), and eat a huge mound of cake, we give out gifts and Andres has fun playing with his new trucks. Vince takes some great pictures. Muchas gracias, Graziella y Ignatio!