FFF: Off to the Ruins!

Not ones to just lie about the place all day every day, we rounded up a couple of taxis, piled in, and headed toward Tulum to visit the ruins! Before we could get into the site proper tho, we had to negotiate a small market that had sprung up around the entrance.

My friend could not resist a new chapeau. I like this pic of her up against the woman in the tapestry.

The strangest part of the market was this wee band playing in a tree top...

And then continuing to play whilst acrobating their way down. Seems dangerous, plus who can hear what they are playing all the way up there?

Kids these days.

Like most folks, when we are traveling, we do our best to blend in, and not look like a target. Whenever I travel, people ask me for directions, so I must be succeeding. So, we donned our bumming-around-town clothes and hopped in the taxi!

And then, while we were shopping, this tiny little man in the pink Frida Kahlo shirt came running across the market to admire my husband's boots! He was so impressed with them! "WOW! Look at those! Those are fantastic! Really nice boots!! How much did you pay for those...American of course...??? WOW! Nice leather! So nice!" It killed me.

FFF: Resort Evenings

All couples would then wander into the Sandwicherie between 7 and 8 for evening lounging and cocktails, and then usually dinner reservations between 8 and 9 p.m. Boise was usually last to arrive...

Kansas was often first, saving us prime Sandwicherie real estate. OK, one evening some of us spent some of cocktail hour clomping around in Stacey's high heels. Much, MUCH higher than anything either of us brought!

West Linn usually showed up in the middle. 'Course, really, how would I know, since Boise usually showed up last.

Then, off to dinner! There were seven restaurants at our resort, so we tried a new one every night. Here we are at the asian establishment. I could order sushi to my heart's content without sticker shock!!

The only discernable complaint any of us had during the entire week was that we had trouble getting reservations for 6 locked in each night, and sometimes had to wait a little bit. But not long usuall, and really, if that's our biggest complaint, we were sittin' pretty.
I think we had just placed our orders in this pic...we all look a little preoccupied for some reason.

And then, after dinner, everyone was free to peruse the evening's show (usually a dance performance of some sort...one evening a hilarious Michael Jackson impersonator!!), stroll on the moonlit beach, or return to your room for room service dessert! :) Phew, how did we pack all that goodness into one day? :)

FFF: Resort Afternoons

And then, soon we would pickup the lovely scents wafting from the GIANT FRYING PAN OF LUNCHY GOODNESS! Have you ever seen such a big frying pan? It was usually full of a jambalaya or a seafood stirfry, and was available only from 12:30 to 2:30. One day it featured the tastiest calamari...

Then, back to Beach Headquarters for further gabbing, reading, napping, and general loungery.

After a bit, someone would rally, and the afternoon's snorkeling would be kicked off.

There was amazing snorkeling just a quick swim out to where the waves are breaking. My husband on a mission to find lionfish.

Tim heading out to spy bonefish.

And for those not up for underwater adventuring, the afternoon flew by with more sunning, lounging, reading, and napping. Uhm...clearly I took lots of pictures from my comfy spot on the beach bed. ;)

Then, around 4ish, we would retire to our rooms for afternoon quiet time, room service (none of us could get enough free room service...SUCH a luxury!) further napping, perhaps a soak, and then, makin' ourselves presentable for dinner! This is the hot bubble bath that we found had been drawn for each of us for our arrival the first night! Hee hee!

FFF: Resort Mornings

A couple of people have asked, "What did you do for SEVEN days?" We went out on adventures a couple of days (forthcoming posts), but on days that we weren't traveling, mostly it was a pretty standard vacation day. Tim's an early riser, so he got up nearly every day at the crack of dawn and secured us prime beachfront real estate...and watch the sun come up!

We never secured a top-shelf beach bed. Seemed like a lot of work if you dropped your magazine. The bottom level of the double-decker hung from ropes. We did get a swinging one once. There were pros and cons.

One day we did beach in the morning and pool in the afternoon. That white building was the spa. The pool was exceptionally chilly...

But the ocean didn't feature a swim-up refreshments stand neither... decisions, decisions...

Since the day's real estate was secured, everyone was on their own to get up whenever they wanted, breakfast at will (usually here, at the Sandwicherie, and stroll down to the beach when the mood hit ya. But usually after coffee, of course.

Then, resting, napping, gabbing, reading, swimming, or whatever else for the morning!

Many of us were big fans of the napping option.

FFF: Towel Decor!

What's the ultimate in luxury? Not the butlers, not the spa, not the cushy bathrobes... It's definitely towels folded into animals with sticker eyes applied.


You can almost see the ocean, even from this weird angle.

I think this was a strange cross-legged ram maybe?

Aaaawwww...

I loved returning to the room to find these creatures. More so than I did the cruise ship.

Really, I think I could even muster this one.

It's already been too long since someone left a treat during turndown service.

Fame: Video Clip 2

Fame: Video Clip 1

Fifteen MORE minutes of fame! IPTV 2011!

Can you believe this is my fourth year of doing Festival! for IPTV? Can you believe how much my hair has grown in four years?

My former cubemate...back when had a cube. She sometimes reminds me a bit of my Aunt Jean.

The gift list...I'm sorry, does that say "ADD and Loving It?" Well...OK.

The catering was OK this year. Fettucine and cupcakes. Wasn't Hawaiian cuisine, but wasn't Little Caesar's either.

Best picture of string EVER. Thanks, super zoom!

Construction Zone: Floor!

And then quickly, we are on to the flooring. Yes, yes, that 1,059 pounds of bamboo for 500 square feet of flooring. We really wanted to try to save the original flooring, but in the end decided that it was going to be too much work to fix the damage and holes in the kitchen that was done over the past 72 years.
We think this might have been the original staircase to the upstairs. Or the downstairs. Or maybe not. The living room still looks good tho. Sorry old floor, we have to cover you!

So, the flooring crew got to work on the installation of the lovely lovely bamboo! My husband is running the pneumatic floor nailer that Miss G HATES! So loud!

When you sink an accidental nail into effectively petrified (in this climate) hardwood, its best to just cut it off, 'cause it ain't being pulled out easily.

Hahahahahahaha! Floor Chicken Ranch!!

It's so much warmer!

It does not, however, install as quickly as laminate. We've been at it for days now!

Poor sad husband is so pleased with our decision to remodel again. ;)

Construction Zone: Tools!

My husband's favorite part about remodeling? He gets to buy new tools every few months or so. He's a big fan of this new air compressor. I don't mind it so much, as mostly our extended family are owners of VERY LARGE air compressors, that are effectively the size of a tipped-over hot water heater.

Dueling nail guns...er something or other...

KILLSHOT!! THAT'S A KILLSHOT!!

Doesn't the blue paint look just heavenly...? ;)

I've always noticed the lights on the capitol building from upstairs, but never really taken noticed that in the winter, with no leaves (and no curtains), you can see it from the living room too!