The real Christmas.....

Christmas was a bit of a bummer as we were not doing well, and then Pedro suggested we come out to their house for a visit a few days later.  We had bought presents for the kids:  a monopoly game, little cars and a chess set.  We played in the dirt with the cars, then played monopoly (which really wasn't) on the table and tried to teach Hosue  how to play chess.  He caught on very fast, but I was as fuddled from the strange monopoly as in the Ajedrez game.  That is chess for you non speakers.  We were served scrammbled eggs and beans with the greatest fresh salsa, and ate in the midst of the roosters, hens, cats, puppy and three dogs.  It was wonderful. 
The table cloth is one we found in Bali, in 2004, after the horrible earthquake and tsunami there.  It brought back memories of other holidays spent with Linda when we would try to travel to fun places.  So we were double blessed, despite feeling puny.

Natalalia is two and decided she didn't want anything to do with the pictures.  Cesar Daniel  was at work at the grocery store in Paradise Village, across from us - it takes an hour from their house outside of town, on myriad busses and an hour home just to nake a few dollars.
Some days Pedro shows up to work in some of the clothes we gave him - like Bid Dog  shorts and a Latitude T shirt   It is all about family.  And this family is now our's - love is thicker than blood, in some ways and we feel really blessed by this familty.  They have nothing and yet gave us a day of joy and laughing.

Paradise Village is across the channel and has a mall, many offices, timeshare sellers and a marina that is supposed to be voted the best in Mexico.  Well, we think Nuevo is the best as they don't have Pedro.  Our marina was almost full this year as the old docks are supposed to be pulled out and the derelicts removed.  Strange, as daily, they seem to disappear and we were told it takes an act of Mexican congress to sink a boat......

One of the houses, and it is a single family house, that line the marina.  The contrast between this and Pedro's house is stark, but we think there is a lot of happiness at Pedro's.  There may be no roof over the courtyard and running water is from a hose, but his home made our Christmas.  That and hearing from our sons