HOME AGAIN!

Six years ago as we took one more stroll down the beach on our last trip to Mexico Glen said “You know, what I would really like to do is bring the grandkids down here for a holiday.  That would be so much fun.”  I agreed wholeheartedly and a plan was born. 

A lot of things had to fall into place for this to happen, the main one being an invitation to a destination wedding (Thanks so much Brandi and Santino!) but it did all come together for the last week of January 2024. The icing on the cake would have been if ALL the grandchildren could have been there but Australia is a bit of a commute, and really, they already live on a tropical beach.

What made it really lovely was that quite a few other family members were there to celebrate the marriage and spend time together.  The week was full of ocean surf mornings and pool afternoons, rousing card games in the evenings with Grandpa, iguana hunting, moments of exotic butterfly appreciation, and episodes of recognition where vegetation we struggle to keep as pampered house plants here amazingly grow to be tree-sized weeds in the wild there.  There was something for everyone.

Expectations varied wildly.  No way were our prairie kids going to swim in the ocean because the sharks would get them!  We explained that the invisible rip tides were much more prevalent than sharks but that didn’t seem to sink in at all.  One kid was going to search for and pet lizards of all kinds all week long.  Maybe even name them and bring them home.  There was also trash talk about the food being ‘free’ so they could eat all day long.  Come to think of it, maybe that one did come true.  Who knew they could consume that many desserts and ice cream?

And real food – well, pizza anyway - when their parents stepped in and policed menu choices.

One of Grandpa’s goals was to go on morning runs with his daughter who is training for a marathon.  She’s been at this for over a year, he has decided to jump in this winter and ‘catch up’ to her level.  On morning #1 we all went for a stroll but most of us were too slow and whiny so the ‘runners’ struck out on their own on morning #2.  They both returned but one of them was worse for the wear.  There have been many stories to explain the mashed face, double black eyes, and blood-soaked shirt but the one about how Mexican butterflies are really mean is his favorite.  He finally bought some Macho Man sunglasses to cover the worst of it.  Strangely he wasn’t the only local guy down in Mexico who lost a fight.  The other guy tried to take on the Pacific Ocean with only a boogie board for a weapon.  Ocean 1, Sask farmer 0.

The were some hic ups to deal with over the week.  The family flying out of Winnipeg had their flight backed up all day long and only arrived at the hotel at 5:00 in the morning.  They were troopers though and managed to catch up to the rest of us relatively smoothly. 

I got way too much heat and sun on Monday and had to time out by 8:00 pm on day 2.  Apparently I will never learn.  The transition from -40 to +28 must be managed with hydration, sun screen, and a lot of shade.

As the week went on several other people suffered the same symptoms, some taking it as far as nausea.  Just ask one of the grandsons whose shopping trip with us ended badly.  Another grandson was invited along on a deep-sea fishing adventure.  He fared every bit as good as I did six years ago.  Two things: 1) Thank God for Gravol, and 2) that’s one item completely off our bucket lists.

We also booked an excursion that was promised as a bus ride up into the mountains for a hike, tour through a botanical garden and a stop at a riverside to cool off.  We were told to be there at 7:00 but the excursion didn’t leave till closer to 10:00.  Then, much to our surprise, the boat turned into one of those large inflatable pontoon speed boats.  Yes, it was faster to get us where we were going, but life jackets that actually fit kids would have been nice.  Let’s just say that Mexican safety rules and Canadian safety rules are not equal.  The bonus of that day was that when we spotted whales breaching the captain slowed down and moved us closer to see better.  It was a very neat experience..

The wedding was lovely.  The family visiting was great.  Watching while the kids played in the pool for hours was relaxing.  The not having to cook a single meal for a week was fantastic.  And, even though it was sad to say goodbye yesterday it is always good to come home.

The reality adjustment began with a full day’s worth of laundry, grocery shopping, and now it’s time to tackle the income tax books.  I’m not even minding the cooking and cleaning.  Yet.