San Pancho Report: Early December

As I was saying, I am indeed back in San Pancho and it is drop dead gorgeous. The weather has cooled down to perfect from sauna, the jungle is vibrating with a hundred different glossy greens, the beach is peaceful yet filled with friends, and the sunsets...oh, the sunsets!

 

These are the colors that illuminate our sky and sea nightly.

 

Even so, one does take a little sidetrip away from this paradise now and then. A few days ago, we visited the Puerto Vallarta malecón, the beachside non-wooden boardwalk that has been fully remodeled over the past year or so and is now pedestrian only. It is a sculpture museum, a vantage point for gazing at the bay from benches or restaurants...and a place to meet a pelican or two up close.

 

 

 

That guy's buddy has staked out a big square of sidewalk right in front of the fish market and claimed it as his own. Apparently the fish vendors give him the leftovers and he is not in any way willing to share them with anyone whatsoever.

When I say nobody, I mean nobody. This fellow stands a full three feet tall and he defends his turf even from delighted photographers.

I convinced him to settle down, though, and pose for a close-up.

In the meantime, back in San Pancho, one of my house geckos fell right off the ceiling and dropped ten and a half feet to the tile floor...not because he was pushed by another gecko in one of their seasonal territorial disputes, but because he was so wrapped up in catching a moth that he forgot to hold on!

He landed....splat!....and bounced once, and was so stunned he stood there long enough for me to walk in and out the door right past him several times, which believe me is unusual gecko behavior, as normally they skedaddle back up the wall to their ceiling perches as soon as they've had time to shake their heads and realize they're on the floor. And the best part was, he never let go of the moth.

So then, I and a new friend of mine went to the tianguis, the Thursday market in La Peñita, which attracts wonderful artists and craftspeople and miscellaneous vendors from all over Mexico. It also offers the most modest and beautiful of things like yarn and tools and a hundred colors of nail polish.

I love La Peñita, which is a real working town with real working people and hardware stores and tiny corner shops that sell brightly colored oilcloth, which I bought some of.

 

 

In San Pancho the surf has been humongous, waves crashing all night long which sound is the best in the world to fall asleep to.

Up at the new restaurant at the nine-hole golf course, we had a little get-together a few Sundays back. Joe played the piano, we ate tacos and quesadillas and nachos and raised a bit of money for entreamigos, the women got up and danced on the big terrace, and everyone with a camera took sunset photos.

There's another this Sunday night to help buy library books for entreamigos. I hear that a bunch of our good San Pancho musicians will be performing, our secret singers will be singing, and some surprise entertainers will be providing some surprising entertainment. If you're in town, go buy a ticket at entreamigos before they sell out.

 

I don't mean to upset anyone, but I hear it's been cold at your house. I hear you have wood fires and snow on the ground in places and are wearing your snuggies to bed. Which sounds delightful, too, in its way.

Down here, we're just hanging, watching the seasons change, too, and finding ways to give each other warmth and light however and whenever we can. We're waiting for those of you who are on the way down to get here as soon as you can...and sending warm wishes and wishes for warmth to those of you who aren't.

 

 

xo

C

Comments

[Sheri]

Thanks for the warm wishes. Yes it's freezing here. Can't wait to come back. I love how you travelled up and down the road from San Pancho. I love the Malecon in PV and I love that crazy La Penita market and all the markets for that matter. So much fun!

[Jeanne]

Beautiful photos again Candice! Enjoy your Sunday event - sounds wonderful!

[Char]

ah lovely warmth, beautiful sunsets, caressing breezes, soak it in for us Candice...no snow yet in Seattle, but cold, cold, gorgeous days.
xo