The ocean.
It drew me to Melaque, and I write about it -- a lot.
It is one reason I am living in this part of Mexico.
But having written of the sea, the sand, the surf for about three months now, you may have noticed that I have left out one little fact -- that I have done absolutely nothing in the water.
OK. So I indulged in the writer's prerogative of hyperbole. There were the mentions of wading in the water with Jiggs. But where is the swimming, the snorkeling, the body surfing? Does the ocean provide a mere spectator sport?
Until Monday, it did.
I have mentioned that I have house guests: my good friends Roy and Nancy. They were up early today and wanted to go for a swim. So, out the back gate we went to the beach outside my back door.
One of these days I want to write about the moods of the ocean. But, not today.
On Monday, the ocean was rather benevolent. But the waves on my beach are -- challenging. Challenging in the sense of doing a few rounds with Hulk Hogan.
It drew me to Melaque, and I write about it -- a lot.
It is one reason I am living in this part of Mexico.
But having written of the sea, the sand, the surf for about three months now, you may have noticed that I have left out one little fact -- that I have done absolutely nothing in the water.
OK. So I indulged in the writer's prerogative of hyperbole. There were the mentions of wading in the water with Jiggs. But where is the swimming, the snorkeling, the body surfing? Does the ocean provide a mere spectator sport?
Until Monday, it did.
I have mentioned that I have house guests: my good friends Roy and Nancy. They were up early today and wanted to go for a swim. So, out the back gate we went to the beach outside my back door.
One of these days I want to write about the moods of the ocean. But, not today.
On Monday, the ocean was rather benevolent. But the waves on my beach are -- challenging. Challenging in the sense of doing a few rounds with Hulk Hogan.
We decided that we would drive downtown for lunch and then take a swim along the beach where the waves are a bit more tame. And we had a grand time.
I quickly learned to respect the power of the "tamer" waves. I turned my back on one and was sent tumbling head over heels. When I managed to regain my footing, the wave on the way out pulled me down just in time to be buried under another wave.
It was fantastic and frightening. Exactly what one expects of the sea.
When I got home, I discovered that all of my pockets were filled with sand. The danger of drowning was probably small. The danger of being buried in the snd was much higher.
We dressed for dinner.
We had seen a large palapa right on the beach. It looked like a great place for dinner -- despite the general rule: if it has a view, the food will be bad. A friend in town warned us against going.
We went, anyway. And two out of three of our meals were excellent. The view of Navidad Bay would have been worth eating mediocre food.
This visit from my friends has been a real tonic. I have shown off this part of the Mexican coast, and, in the process, I have learned just how much I like living here.
They will be gone tomorrow, but I will still be ready to show off my new home to anyone who stops by.
I quickly learned to respect the power of the "tamer" waves. I turned my back on one and was sent tumbling head over heels. When I managed to regain my footing, the wave on the way out pulled me down just in time to be buried under another wave.
It was fantastic and frightening. Exactly what one expects of the sea.
When I got home, I discovered that all of my pockets were filled with sand. The danger of drowning was probably small. The danger of being buried in the snd was much higher.
We dressed for dinner.
We had seen a large palapa right on the beach. It looked like a great place for dinner -- despite the general rule: if it has a view, the food will be bad. A friend in town warned us against going.
We went, anyway. And two out of three of our meals were excellent. The view of Navidad Bay would have been worth eating mediocre food.
This visit from my friends has been a real tonic. I have shown off this part of the Mexican coast, and, in the process, I have learned just how much I like living here.
They will be gone tomorrow, but I will still be ready to show off my new home to anyone who stops by.
