I've been able to re-acquire rollingdoghouse.com and will be posting subsequent entries there.

Home in Livingston

We're back at our home-base at the Escapee's park in Livingston. Lots to do in the next week or so: get our income tax return completed, rake up about a gilzillon leaves from our Oak trees that surround the house, found the Dutch Star with a flat tire so that needs to be fixed, pay various bills that are due and get our pass ports renewed for future trips. That's just a few of the things on the list of things to do.

One thing we did notice is that its a lot colder here in Texas than it is in La Penita.  Brrrr but we're already making plans and counting the days before we head south again.

Back in the U.S.A.

After four days on the road we're back in the U.S.  We crossed the Columbia bridge near Laredo last night and will spend a couple of days at the Casa Blanca Texas State Park.  We should be home Wednesday or Thursday.
Aside from being stopped a couple of times by local transit police looking for bribes for made up infractions, the trip was good. The SunSeeker ran well despite the weight we put in it plus having to pull the Jeep.  It cost us 3,625 pesos ($284. U.S) in gas and another 2,792 pesos ($219. U.S.) in tolls. 

All in all we had a great time in Mexico and are learning more and more about the culture and traveling each time we go.  We're looking forward to next winter when we'll head south again. This time in the Dutch Star as although the SunSeeker ran well we found it a little small for two adults and two dogs to live in for three months.

Mexico Truck Stop where they charged 70 pesos (about $5.50 U.S.) to park over night  and the cost included the price of a nice breakfast in the morning.
GPS N21.28899 - W102.24072

My new sombrero- 100 pesos (about $7.50)

Diane in the truck stop restaurant

February 29th.. Time to Go Home

It's been a great three months being here in La Penita. We've enjoyed the company of old friends and meeting and making new ones.  Although not being our first time in the La Penita area, we've learned more about the area including things to see and places to go. But now its time to head back home to Texas where we'll be counting down the days until we head south again next winter season.

Last night we went out to a restaurant anniversary party where the owners had a Mariachi band, Native Dancers and Dancing Horses. A fun time before we leave.

Today we'll spend our time getting everything ready to leave and pull out of  Heaven's Gate park about 4:00pm.  At that time we'll drive to a large Pemex station just on the edge of town where we'll spend the night and leave early Thursday morning.  This is a popular departure spot where RV'ers can get an early morning start having readied their motorhomes for the trip the night before.

Because we can't travel very fast with the SunSeeker especially in the mountains, chances are we'll be traveling by ourselves.  Our first night will be at the San Jose del Tajo RVpark outside of Guadalajara. We've been there several times before.  Our second night will be outside of San Luis Potosi at the Hotel Quinta San Jorge where they have RV parking. This will be our first time there.  The third night will be at the Las Palmas Inn in Matehuala where they have a campground behind the hotel. We've been there several times.  The fourth day should get us to the border where we'll cross just north of Laredo at the Columbia bridge. We'll spend that night at the Casa Blanca Texas State Park in Laredo.

We may spend an extra night at Casa Blanca State Park as it has a nice lake where the pups can have a swim and we can relax for a day. From there its a couple of days drive to Livingston.

We may not have internet connection until crossing the border but will post when I can.

Here's a few pictures I've taken the last few days.

  Building typical Arched roof

 Street Veggy Truck

 Weekly Market

 Dorado Fish Now in our Freezer

 Shrimp for Sale on Beach

 Pelican looking for handout

 Monse our favorite waitress

Our friend Hector



Dancing Horses

Mariachi Band

Knife Dance

February 16th

Not much has been happening the last week and thus the reason for no updates to the blog.  The weather hasn't really improved that much with a couple of days of cloudy skies mixed with days of drizzle.  The forcast calls for the same for the rest of the week. I hope we get some sunny days soon.

Last night a bit of a rain and wind storm blew up about midnight when we were awakened by our awning being blown up and down.  Diane and I had to go out in the rain and get the awning rolled up to prevent it being torn off the motorhome.  We came in soaking wet but it was something that had to be done.

We did go to the weekly market here in La Penita today looking to buy last minute things before we have to head home. It's only two more weeks before that happens although we're talking about next year's trip to Mexico already.

February 12th

Woke up to more rain this morning.. this makes five straight days of rain. Hopefully it will clear up this afternoon when we go to a fundraiser for the kindergarten aide program here in La Penita.

February 11th

Walked over to get the Jeep this morning. It was parked outside the garage so I knew it was finished.
The mechanic showed me the old radiator reservoir that had the crack in it and then lifted the hood of the Jeep to show me the new one. A new fan clutch was also installed.

Total cost parts and labor..3,685 pesos. About $288.00 U.S.

5:00pm
The on-again, off-again rain we've had for the last three days continued today with a little more intensity so that it had us stuck inside either surfing the net or reading.  Hopefully the weather will get better soon. At least it's a warm rain and not cold.

February 10th

I took the Jeep over to the mechanic this morning. Hector our friend met me there to translate. He's also a mechanic back in the U.S.
It turns out the Jeep has several problems. The radiator has a leak plus there's a leak in the heater/air conditioning unit and the mechanic found that the fan clutch is slipping which can cause over heating.

The plan is to have the radiator taken out to see if it can be repaired and if not, then replaced. As the fan clutch is easy to get to when the radiator is out, have that replaced too.  The heater/airconditioning leak can wait for now. It only leaks if you have the heater turned on.

I'm supposed to return to the garage this afternoon to learn the verdict on the radiator and whether or not it needs to be replaced.

3:00 pm
Walked over to the garage and was told that the new fan clutch was installed and the coolant leak was from a crack in the small reservoir tank at the base of the radiator. A new reservoir tank had to be ordered and was coming from Puerto Vallarta. It should be here by about 5:00pm and the Jeep ready to go about 5:30.  but in case the part doesn't show up until later, I think I'll wait until tomorrow morning to pick up the car.

For three days now we've had rain here in La Penita and cloudy much of the day. Not a lot but still rain.


Garage in La Penita (Mechanic and family live above garage)

Jeep in the garage getting radiator fixed

February 7th

The Jeep has started to leak coolant lately and although looking, I'm not sure where it's coming from. Maybe a hose or water pump or ??  So today I decided to have it checked out by a local mechanic.  He crawled under the Jeep and found that the radiator was the problem.  Unfortunately his English was about the same level as my Spanish and although I had some questions, like.. how bad is the leak, can you fix/replace the radiator, how long would it take and how much to do whatever is needed, I realized I needed someone who spoke both Spanish and English to help me.

So I thought of Hector, the nice fellow who helped us a couple of months ago when the Jeep quit because of a starter problem. I knew where Hector worked as a waiter but was told he wasn't working today. Hopefully he'll be there tomorrow and can let me know when he'd be able to help me.  Regardless of what the problem is, I know its going to be a lot cheaper to have the work done here compared to what it would cost in Livingston.

                If the Jeep quits

February 6th

Heavy waves left a bit of trash on the beach last night so this morning I got out a rake and trash can and did a little clean up.  Its one of those things that needs to be taken care of. Of course it could be all back tomorrow.

We walked over to town for a late lunch as I had a dentist appointment to get my teeth cleaned at 5:00 pm.  I think this the latest I've ever had a dentist appointment. 

Dr. Abraham http://www.clinicabrahams.com.mx/  is a young dentist who has just recently set up his practice in La Penita. His office is clean and professional looking and his two exam rooms appear to have everything needed in the way of dental equipment.  The doctor used a water pic type of equipment to clean my teeth and the cleaning and exam was completed in about half an hour.  The cost: just 400 pesos, about $31.50 U.S. .. not a bad price.

The sunset tonight was another one of those super ones that are common down here.

February 4th

Today I saw one of those "only in Mexico" things.  A welder  had some work to do on the gate across the street from us.  His electric welder needed to connect to a 220 volt electrical plug however none was available.  So his solution was to take the plug off the welder cable and bend a little "U" in the end of the two wires.  He then used a long pole to reach up and hook the two wires from the welder to the street's electrical cables.  After he was finished his work, he reached up with the pole and lifted his welder's wires off the street's electrical cables. 

Electric Welder Hooked to Streets Electrical Cables

Welder Wires Hooked on Street Electrical Cables

February 1st

The first of each month is when the pups get their monthly flea&tick medication. It's a topical med in liquid form that is put between their shoulders.  It doesn't hurt in any way so they don't mind it. What they do mind is having to stay out of the water two days prior to application and two days following.

Leo got an unexpected treat today. He has always carried around an old pillow. Kind of like the security blanket Linus has in the Peanuts cartoon.  However after awhile the pillow gets holes in it and the stuffing falls out. His latest one had as much duct tape holding it together than material.  This morning there was a young man walking down our street selling pillows. He sold them in pairs but seeing how badly Leo needed his replaced I bought a couple.  After giving him his new one, the duct taped old one had a one way trip to the trash can.

When ever we drive to Guayabitos we pass a BBQ Rib place on the highway and so today we decided to stop and buy dinner. We got orders to go and because we hadn't been there before, I made the mistake of asking for two orders. When we opened the bags of food when we got home we found two platters of ribs, a big bag of French Fries, two large salads, big bag of Torta chips with two ziplock size bags of salsa and two ziplock size bags of coleslaw.  We barely got through one of the platters of ribs and French Fries.  Guess whats for supper tomorrow.
                            
                                     Roadside BBQ Ribs

January 31st

Hard to believe we've been here two months already and have only one more month to go.  But we plan on coming back next year so hopefully the summer will pass quickly and we can start packing once again for our annual Mexico trip.

The weather has turned nice again, sunny with temps in the low 80's. With the ocean breeze, you couldn't ask for better.  But the last couple of days were a little cooler and cloudy.

The big news here is the fellow that lived in the little gate/casita has left. He said he was able to find a little apartment in town cheaper.  That leaves only us at the park. The owner's parents who live in Guayabitos came over and changed the locks on the gate and gave us new keys. We told them we're still willing to answer any questions about the park from people who stop and ask.

We drove into town this morning to drop of our laundry and do a bit of shopping. The town is still busy but reports on line about RV park usage report lower than normal attendance.  Talking to some people walking on the beach or meeting them in restaurants finds that many of them now fly in and rent hotel rooms or apartments. They say its easier and quicker, especially if you only have limited vacation time.

January 29th

Things have been quiet here lately. We're not doing much of anything different than our routine of enjoying the sun and the beach with the pups and walking or driving to town to do shopping with the occasional stop to grab something to eat at one of the restaurants.

Today had a little surprise as it actually rained a few drops. Nothing serious in fact if we tried we might have been able to count the number of drops.

We plan on another trip to Guayabitos later today as we're thinking of something other than Mexican food for supper. Diane has her taste buds set on a steak and baked potato. We just have to find a restaurant that serves them.

Change of Plans...  We decided that we just weren't into driving all the way to Guayabitos to find a restaurant that had steaks on the menu and ended up going to our favorite eating place in La Penita (La Casita Restaurant)   Besides we needed to get another 5 gallon bottle of water and we know where buy them in La Penita.

January 26th

The wind came up last night causing the awning to flap enough that we felt it was a good idea to bring it in. The wind was calm this morning so it was safe to extend the awning once more.  With mostly sunny days and temperatures in the mid 80s an awning is essential, especially if its on the same side of the RV as the refrigerator.

Today was market day and we took our tape measure and camera so we could measure the dimensions of sinks for my sister. We also took pictures of several of them so she could let us know her choice if she decides she wants us to buy one for her.  Not much new in the market but we did buy another blanket with a Mayan design plus a couple of hats for myself.  We stopped at our favorite restaurant on the way home for lunch. As with every Thursday, the place was packed with all the gringos in town for the market.  During lunch we were entertained by a Street Band who were quite talented.

                                                           Street Band

Sample of Bathroom Sinks 

Also stopped at a local dentist to make an appointment to get my teeth cleaned. They're busy as well as the earliest appointment was Feb. 6th at 5:00pm.  This is the same dentist that Diane went to shortly after we arrived here in December.  The first impression you get when seeing the waiting room and reception area is professional, modern and clean.  More so than some of the dental offices we've seen north of the border. I'll report on how the dental work was following my appointment.

January 25th

The electrical power went off today about 10:30am and stayed off until about 4:00pm. Power outages are common in Mexico but usually everything is back after an hour or so. Not sure what the problem was today but everyone in the neighborhood was without power.

We took the pups for a walk down the beach. They would rather just be let run free outside our park gate instead of being on a leash.  But there's too many things to get their noses into if we let them run free not to mention various street/beach dogs that may or may not be friendly.

We watched some of the fishermen bringing their boats in. Not sure if I mentioned before how they do it.  They just go as fast as they can and run up on to the shore and lift their boat motor at the last second. Several others on shore stand ready with poles or wine bottles to throw under the keel of the boat so it roles further up onto the shore.

                                           
Heading to the shore



                                     Up onto the beach



January 23rd

Not too much happening the past couple of days. Spending time at the beach with the pups and working on our tans.  Leo is being his old self... if you remember a while back he took the ball chucker out in the ocean and let it go... well today when I turned my back he grabbed the two leashes and was heading out through the waves with them. Naturally he dropped them out in the water but I was able to get them before they were lost.

A fellow on the beach went by riding his horse... drove the pups crazy... good thing they were inside the gate... just what we'd need, taking one of them to the vet after being kicked.

We hadn't bought t-shirts to take back home yet so we spent a couple of hours walking up and down the main street in Guayabitos where all the tourist stuff is for sale. Stopped at a little restaurant and had some fish tacos but they were far from the best we've had.

January 21st

Diane came home from shopping in Tonala with a lamp, table cloth, dishes, various pottery items and a bracelet. Some of which is for my sister in Ottawa. The prices for similar items in Ottawa would be much more if she bought them there. We can't take too much back with us as the poor SunSeeker has a hard enough time getting up the hills without more weight being added.

                          Here's a few pictures Diane took in Tonala  

Today we met with friends Fred and Sherry for lunch as one of Diane's Tonala purchases was forgotten in their car.  We had planned on having a spaghetti dinner tonight with shrimp but I ended up having one of my favorite fish dinners, so snacks tonight and spaghetti tomorrow.

                                       Fish Dinner

January 19th

Walked over to the Thursday market this morning. I wanted to buy a couple of the white cotton shirts that are so comfortable plus a couple of hats. The town certainly gets crowded on Thursdays and parking is next to impossible. Lots of people make use of the dozens of little taxi cabs available as its easier than driving and trying to find a place to park.

On the way home I stopped and bought a bbq's chicken from a street vendor. For 90 pesos you get a whole chicken, roasted potatoes, rice, chili's and salsa. It lasts me several meals while Diane is off shopping in Tonala.  Also bought a couple of our favorite ice cream bars.. they are so good.

Later I spent several hours trying to reestablish contact with my rollingdoghouse blog to no avail. The easiest thing to do is just wait until it again becomes available and buy it again.

The waves were kind of rough today and it was a little overcast.  I'm keeping the pups out of the water for a few day as when they were there the last time they must have drank some salt water because they were barfing it up and also had the runs...

Domain Name Problems

January 18, 2012
A couple of days ago I discovered my Rollingdoghouse Blog was not being published by Blogger.com nor was it possible for anyone to access the blog.

What had happened was that the Domain name Rollingdoghouse.com had expired and I didn't know it.  This was only the beginning of the problem as when I went to pay for an extension of the domain name I found that years ago when I first got the name, I went through not only one other domain provider but two. Why I did this I don't know but probably I came across a money saving bargain at the time. The big problem is that I forgot what provider I used and without usernames and passwords that I've since forgotten and didn't write down, there's no way to access the account and pay for an extension.

I'm still working on the problem but in the mean time, I've set up another blog, Rollingdoghouse -2 to keep everyone posted on our activities.

Diane went off this morning with our friends Fred and Sherry to Tonala, one of the main market centers in Mexico. Tonala is next to Guadalajara and it takes four or five hours to get there. They're expected back Saturday.  Until then there won't be any  pictures posted as Diane has the camera.  I elected to stay home with the dogs and will be spending a lot of time getting this new blog set up and trying to resurrect the old one.