Friday 28th January 2011…..HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANET!!!!!

My beautiful and lovely Sister – in – law has a birthday today and I want to take this opportunity to say I hope it is a great and wonderful day for you and your family…..

this is the minute you became a Pearson…

We have had some great visits together over the years and you know how much my Mum and Dad loved you and I want to thank you for all that you did for my Dad after my Mum was gone…

The new man in your life your first Grandchild…Tom!!

Check out those shades!!!!!

What can I say???

 

And my all time favourite!!!!!

 

 

Have a great day Janet…..Love you!!!

Thursday 27th January 2011…short and sweet!!

Took Sara to her last class this morning and then came home and finished watching tennis on TV..

Picked Sara up at 3pm and then messed around outside for a couple of hours and observed these animals around the house…

It was nice to have a quiet day did lots of reading…stay tuned for a busy weekend coming up!!

Wednesday 26th January 2011……I think I am off to Vegas!!!!

 

For the World Poker series…another big winner this afternoon...

Won 150 pesos today about 12 dollars!!!!

Of coursed being Wednesday I had my usual 2 hours of tennis…

I picked up the van this morning after 9 days in the shop….the owner of the shop was very good and very reasonable and the van appears to be working fine.  I also asked him if he knew of anyone who could come and do a little bit of body work painting on Ramona both wing mirror arms have paint peeling off of them.  Saul told me he would bring a worker over later.

True to his word Saul and Juan arrived this evening and he is going to start the work on Sunday…700 pesos about 60 dollars for all supplies and work… a great price….

Did I mention it was sunny again!!!

Wednesday 26th January 2011……HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY WAYNE!!!!

Is it possible to narrow down greatness into one defining moment?

If someone has spent their entire life defying expectations and going above and beyond the call or duty, are we as hockey fans able to pinpoint a singular event that stands head and shoulders above all others?

Ask 50 hockey fans their favourite Wayne Gretzky memory and you are likely to receive 50 different opinions on just what was the Great One's greatest feat?

First off, where to begin?

We are discussing a player who virtually re-wrote the record book on a nightly basis since scoring 378 goals in one season as a 10-year old in Brantford, Ontario.  By the time that he announced his retirement in 1999, Gretzky was the proud owner of no fewer than 61 NHL records including most career goals, assists and points. 

The respect in the game for Gretzky was unequalled, to such a point that no player in the NHL will ever wear the number 99 again.  The only other athlete in North American team sports that has achieved such an honour is Jackie Robinson, who had to break the colour barrier in Major League Baseball to have his number 42 retired.

When someone mentions the name Wayne Gretzky, what is the first thing that pops into your head?  Is it the frightfully skinny kid setting up office behind the opposing team's net feeding a murderer's row of Oiler snipers in front?  Maybe you recall the young man that first lifted the Stanley Cup over his head in 1984 at age 23?  Perhaps your most significant memory is the tear stained Canadian icon informing the world that he had been traded to the sunny shores of La La land?  On the other hand it could be the international superstar hamming it up on Saturday Night Live or running in cartoon form alongside Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson on Pro Stars?

When choosing a moment do you limit your choice to Gretzky's illustrious NHL career, or perhaps let your national pride shine through?

Does your mind flash back to Hamilton in 1987 where a smack dab in the middle of his prime Gretzky feathers a pass to a soon to be legend in Mario Lemieux to help Canada reclaim the Canada Cup?

Maybe you remember the look of helplessness while sitting on the bench in Nagano, watching his team fall in a shootout to the Czech Republic in the Olympics?  Or perhaps the post-retirement elder statesman whooping it up in the crowd like a fan while watching Canada redeem themselves at the Salt Lake City games?

Is it the good memories that stick out, or is it the bad ones?  The unbridled joy he expressed while surpassing Gordie Howe's once thought unbreakable record of 801 career goals or the frustration of standing behind the bench of a woefully bad Phoenix Coyotes team that missed the playoffs all four seasons of Gretzky's tenure?

Perhaps it is an exercise in futility attempting to find a solitary moment in an illustrious career filled with so many ridiculous feats of skill

As long time readers know this man is my hero not only for his accomplishments on the ice but also off the ice…he his very focused on family.

When I first came to Canada, Edmonton in 1980 and was taken to my first ever hockey game at the Edmonton Coliseum and seeing him perform his magic on the ice I was hooked…..interesting story on him on my blog around 4th April 2008…and of course I have my 99 tattoo on my ankle.

Happy Birthday Wayne!!

Tuesday 25th January 2011….a Rock Star is born!!!

Took Sara into her class at 9am and then went for an extra tennis game 2 hours of men’s doubles it was a great morning!!!!

I took these photos  whilst waiting for Sara to come from class… I was about 50 feet away and they had no idea I was taking the shots…just loved this little kid and her expression and the size of the sandwich!!!

This afternoon was reading and sunning as the weather again is so perfect!!!

Tonight we went to a one man concert in the smallest and neatest theatre..about 50 seats..

The opening act was great, a very talented and sexy performer!!!!!

Ok Ok here is the GUY!!!!

He was pretty good too….

It is now 12.20am and I am watching live tennis from Australia…not a bad life!!!

Monday 24th January 2011…….yes the first photo is AM!!!!!!

This is the time we left the house this morning for Sara to participate in this..

Founded in 1542, San Juan de los Lagos is set in the Los Altos region of Jalisco, an area distinguished by its devotion to the Roman Catholic faith. The Cathedral there is home to the diminutive image of the Virgin of the Immaculate Concepcion. Since 1623, numberless miracles have been attributed to the little Virgin, and San Juan de Los Lagos is visited by millions of the faithful each year. In fact, only the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City draws more religious pilgrims than San Juan de los Lagos.  A few years ago I actually visited this beautiful old church.

There is an organization here in SMA called CASA…Centro para los Adolescentes de San Miguel…this is a multi functional group that caters to rural women and their families and offers shelter, intervention, education and out reach help…it also is a Midwifery school…as Sara was a Midwife  for many years this organization is dear to her and they were offering for participants to raise money and join this walk and the pilgrims for the first 7 km…..hence us being up so early as the walk started from down town at 6.30am…

 

Sara and her new friend…I was on the scooter riding ahead and then checking in on them for water and clothing disposal…..the following pictures describe this epic walk which is so important and sacred to the pilgrims!!!!

A real hot spring..

The pilgrims…

Many places were handing out free refreshments..

After 7km they reached the river which is where Sara’s group stopped…

The wheel barrow collection I think was for the bridge construction!!!

The walkers from CASA were to get a ride  back but some of them decided to walk back and Sara was one of them…. … way to go girl!!!!

She doesn’t look too happy about this!!!

Part of the participation was an invite to tour the Casa compound and we did this funnily enough the building is right next door to Casa Hogar so I knew about the building but just thought it was a large school it is actually a combination of school, church, theatre and classrooms and dormitory for the mid wife students…the tour was very informative and made interesting by these little ones…

The building id very beautiful

One of the functions of CASA is education and they go out into the Campos and educate and one way they do this is by plays and we were witness to one which was very graphic and so well done on family violence..

We got back to the house around 12.30pm and I know that Sara was tired and I was proud of her for walking for this group, raising money and completing about 15km.

We both had a lazy afternoon and then I went into the local store for groceries…

Just want to praise my scooter, Bonita, she starts every time and most days it is three trips into town and look at all the groceries she can carry….a very faithful companion!!!

It was a great day and to be a little part of such important culture is wonderful…….

Sunday 23rd January 2011…Sunday musings and a photo less blog!!

Some things I forgot to mention…Leah my injured tennis partner e mailed me to tell me apart from a black eye she is fine so that is great news I am going to suggest to her that on Wednesday when we play again she might want to borrow my crash helmet and visor!!!!

When we had the 4 girls over on Friday and I was cooking them hamburgers they were sat around the outside table doing bead jewellery and I was so proud because I asked them in Spanish if they wanted beso with their burgers…..they all burst out laughing and I realized that I  had asked them if they wanted kisses with their burgers, cheese is queso!!!!!

Also the other day I was doing some watering in the front yard when the small herd of cattle came by the house I see them once in a while the herdsman was an old, old man with such a wrinkled face and carrying a big stick…I said hello to him and he wished me a good afternoon, I asked him to wait and went into the house and got him a can of pop I came out and gave it to him and as well as saying thank you he wanted to shake my hand…..I did and his hand was so calloused..I would have loved to have taken his photo but I thought his pride may have been affected.

Talking about language problems last night at the play they had an intermission and there was an American lady selling wine in the entrance and round the corner was a small fridge with cokes and sprites in …so I went to her and said “Excuse me where do I pay for the pop?”  She looked at me like I was talking a foreign language and said “Pop”  I said “yes where do I pay for the pop?”   Again she said what is pop?”  I said in the cooler round the corner”  She came around and looked an said” Oh you mean soda!!”……..OK it must be the English in me!!!!

Well played my usual Sunday morning tennis and managed to get through with out injuring anyone…I really do enjoy the games…came home and Sara made delicious pancakes I did some work washing Ramona then read, drank, slept and we then played lots of Backgammon games and it was a tie!!!!

I cooked supper and we were about to watch TV but somehow we could not get the TV to work there are 2 remotes and I cannot figure it out I will have to call Guy in Hawaii and ask him how…

We have to be up at 5.45 am…yes am tomorrow…you will have to wait and see why!!!!!!

PURA VIDA!!!

Saturday 22nd January 2011…another week gone!!!

Woke up early and just happened to watch a live soccer game from England..

Then it was 8.30am and time to take Sara to her class and when i went outside saw this neat sight…

It was so low I could hear the hiss from the flames….

I came back to the house and just relaxed and then went back into town to pick up Sara and we went to the market and the side streets and at this store

Sara bought a beautiful tablecloth….

Don’t you just love this photo..

and this one too..

Friends had told us about this tiny restaurant

The whole experience was very good and although I wasn't.t hungry Sara said her meal was delicious!!

The bathroom was neat too…

Back home again and then down town to the theatre for another great play…

and then home in time to watch the end of the hockey game..

Not a bad life!!!