June to November 2011

Return trip Mick and Mary.  

Rodger and Adel.

Pro cycling Challenge August 22

Doctor/Dentist appointments

Ted Ferris passed away August 31

Ted with Jupiter and Jessica

Jay/Jem, Barb/Jupiter, xx/Jaelle, Dan/Jondolar, Betty/Jessica

Dog Events RMBC Sept 3.  CSKC August 30

CLCA Sept 19

Sept 4 our anniversary at the Craftwood Inn.

My Birthday Sept 18

Back country Sept 25

Bev on a walk in the woods in Allen's Park with her camera.

Dorothy Alison arrives September 27

Mom's Birthday trip October 4

Kittens October 14

Three of the five barn kittens

Sir John Franklin Hissy Pants

Peeka

Boots

Sweet Pea

Paint the barn
Cat trapping
Dorothy Born

Vehicle work

Mexico

Drive to Tampa

Our Friend Ernesto and his restaurant

In 1994, we asked a vendor on the beach in front of our resort, Los Tules, in Puerto Vallarta, where he goes to get a great CHEAP meal.  He directed us to "Ernesto's Good Grub."  Ernesto's was housed in a small, open-air storefront with a roll-down garage door used to close the entire front of the place at closing time.  No more than four tables, a kitchen, a bathroom with a shower curtain for privacy and a yellow labrador retriever that took up much of the available floor space made up the whole place.  Ernesto waited tables and his wife, Dionesia was the cook - I mean the chef - and a couple of women helped her in the small kitchen.  The food was glorious.  Later that week, Barb and I took my Dad and Mother there. Mother had me stand guard at the shower curtain while she used the toilet, but the food was terrific once more.  And did I mention CHEAP?


When we came back another year, we were a party of seven, but Ernesto's was gone!  We were directed to a hotel where a big banner strung from the balcony of the open air top floor proclaimed "Ernesto's Good Grub."  When we arrived, it looked like a really nice restaurant, but not a soul was in the place except Dionesia and a waitress, but we were welcomed, served a great meal and it was still CHEAP!


In subsequent years, we didn't see the sign and didn't find Ernesto's again.  When we purchased our timeshare at Los Tules, it was Beverly who was the salesperson who sold it to us.  Several years later, we had bought a second week in a huge unit during Spring Break and Beverly had become the concierge at Los Tules.  She had a booth near the pool by our unit. We talked with her often and we became friends. She had married the agent with whom she worked and who had closed our original purchase.  One day we mentioned Ernesto's and how we loved the food, but lost track of him years ago.  Beverly exclaimed that she and Roy were friends of Ernesto's and that his restaurant was within a kilometer of Los Tules.  We went there that same day and we told Ernesto how we had been patrons in the past and that we were so glad to find him again!  The food was still great and still CHEAP!  Now, however, their daughter, Jackie and some nieces wait tables and Ernesto visits the tables to schmooze a bit with patrons before settling into his chair to watch sports programming on the TV on the bar.  He gets up now and then to give directions or to adjust a fan to make us more comfortable.  Dionesia wins the award for the Best Tortilla Soup in all of Puerto Vallarta year after year and they have an all-you-can-eat ribs night on Thursdays.  The seafood is still wonderful and we love this place.

Mary, Mick and Barb - March 2011

Ernesto gives credit to the chef - Dionesia

As we came for lunch last week, I was thinking to myself that my greeting would go something like, 'Hola, old friend! Are you still alive?', but he wasn't there.  He has been gone in the past, out fishing or hunting, but this time, after we had been sitting a while, I noticed the altar and the banner.  At first glance, I thought it was a Dia de los muertos - Day of the Dead - decoration, but then realized it was real and that it was for Ernesto.  We were stunned.  When Jackie came to wait on us we gave her our condolences and I got up and held Dionesia's hands and kissed her on the cheek telling her that we were so sorry for her loss.

My translation:  "Give a child a fish and eat that day. Teach him to fish and eat forever." We thank your wife, daughter, grandchildren and friends and all those of you who found in him a teacher.

Click on the photo to enlarge it

I urge you to find Ernesto's Good Grub on the corner of Raphael Osuna and Milan in the Versailles District, raise a cerveza or a margarita (or both) to Ernesto's memory and enjoy one of the best meals at the best price in all of Puerto Vallarta.  Vaya con Dios, mi amigo.

Destruction and construction in Tampa and we return to Colorado

Work in progress.

Christina is progressing fabulously through her pregnancy with Dorothy Alison (aka E.G., aka D. Ali, aka Baby, etc.)  In addition to adding a baby to the family, Larry is in the process of finishing the remodeling of the house.  Two bathrooms and the kitchen have been finished and almost the entire house has been re-floored with saltia tile and wooden floors.

Moving closets, light switches, outlets and installing pocket doors was the major task remaining with finishing the floor and installing bath fixtures in the master suite to follow.  Running wires in the attic in June in Tampa just about cooked Larry.

'What color for the wall?'

'I can't decide. What do you think?'

Painting those walls and the baby's room would pretty much complete the entire makeover of the house.

More to come

On the Road to Tampa

We got on the road from the Black Forest at 4:30 in the morning.  We got up and decided to get going so we could arrive in Tulsa at Melanie's house and we could get in a good visit.  We arrived at 4 PM.  We talked and then went out to dinner with Melanie. 

 Her dogs entertained us as well.  Stormy weather came to Tulsa as darkness fell, but we were safe and dry at Melanie's house for the night.  We hit the road again at about 9 am and headed for Cherokee Village, Arkansas to stop and see Bonnie. 

Bonnie had arranged the blind date between Barb and me back on April 9, 1966.  Barb had not seen her junior high school friend for over 40 years and it was good to see Bonnie again.  We had a lot of catching up to do.

 We were entertained by Bonnie's critters.  Bonnie has two dogs, two birds (one is hilarious as he, Ozzie, talks about all sorts of things) and three ducks.

Bonnie teaches at Ozarka College's Ash Flats campus and she is a beloved instructor.  She has a PhD in Business Psychology and teaches almost anything that is needed in the business department.  She had an eight o'clock class to teach so we got an early start towards Paris, Tennessee and a visit with Mick and Mary on Kentucky Lake.

Mick and Mary have a wonderful home on the lake.  The cottage had been in the family for decades and it was a favorite summer get away.  When the property became Mary's, she and Mick remodelled and expanded it into a very comfortable year round home. 

We left Mick and Mary on their wedding anniversary at 9 am and drove through Clarksville, Chattanooga, Atlanta (traffic jams), Valdosta, Ocala, three storms (two of them severe) almost 800 miles to Tampa.  We arrived with 2003 miles on the trip meter at just past midnight.  We let ourselves in and we were asleep in minutes.

Jupiter's Smile is "on the hard"

Snead Island Boat Works is Jupiter's Smile's home until the end of hurricane season.

On June first we hauled the boat.  We removed all the canvas and two of the three solar panels.  We tied down everything and put a leash on the windmill so it will not turn.  We activated the gas bombs to keep the interior free of mildew, bugs and burglars and left for Larry and Christina's house in Tampa.

On June, 7th we arrived in the Black Forest to find the house in beautiful shape.  Thank you, Johnny Mac. for the pickup at the airport and keeping the house for us.  We activated our vehicles' insurance and got them road worthy, especially the van.  We packed the van as full as possible with Larry and Christina's furniture and treasures from their storage unit.  Then we hit the road headed for Tampa, 2000 miles away.

Puerto Vallarta March 2011 with Mick and Mary

Intend to document our week in PV along with photos