Mar 6, 2012

Sand in your toes

Does it get any better?

We just returned from an incredible week at sea, and two ports of call, Progresso Mexico and Cozumel on the Yucatan, now to reflect. There are so many little moments that make up this trip I would say one of the fondest memories is having lunch on the beach under a little hut with our toes in the sand. Always wanting to do a little shopping in a place like Progresso extra charm was brought to the mix when the local craftsmen came up to you sea side and presented their wares. We were able to sip margaritas, eat , enjoy the surf and shop all at once- talk about being spoiled. I even bought some locally made candy- there is another whole story to that. I walked on the beach without a cover up- oh – the scandal- it felt good to get a little sun while taking yet more pictures. I even crossed the street to check out a few vendors. When returning from a quick sea side shower I slipped on a sundress discretely took off the drenched bathing suit top while bicycle mounted police stood on the corner observing my approach with a slight smile my husband pointed out. When walking back to the ship- a woman hanging over the rail from several stories up welcomed everyone back- with a slight slur indicating she had enjoyed a day at the bar. She would call down, “hey there,” “welcome back”, “did you have fun?” the exhausted travelers responded. She continued with, “what did you do today”, “oh, my ,your sunburned,” and to me she giggled and said, “man , you bought a lot of shit”. I just had to laugh, because I did. I had a huge hand woven basket in one hand and a chair hammock slung over my shoulder in addition to the day bag I brought ashore full of this and that.

The following day we started our day with a catamaran ride to a reef where we snorkeled , got an underwater picture made with the fish, went to a private beach to play in the sun – shared the most incredible hamburger we have ever had- learned that kayaking was a lot easier than I thought, and climbing an inflatable 20ft slide in the water should be reserved for twelve year-olds. We returned sails up and music blaring to a bikini clad dance party on the deck , margarita in hand. A little cuddle with my Stevie – overlooking the incredible blue waters on the way back. The photographer presented the photos to Steve and asked $46 for three- he declined and said that, “ My wife is the boss, you'll have to ask her.” All of a sudden the price goes down ten dollars when presenting them to me- I learned I take better pictures with a snorkel in my mouth- and ones body looks great underwater- I take them all which included one of both of us, plus the “bonus” photo of fish- im not sure if he even took it- nor do I care. We take a little bicycle style transport back to the ship- pretty cool- they are geared differently getting more drive. We freshen up before complimentary drinks and nibbles at the welcome back party for return cruisers in the main theater, we were a little late so they just gave us several drinks and a whole plate full of tasty tidbits. One woman kept bugging the wait staff for more drinks and would promptly dump them into a 32oz mug with a straw like the ones issued in hospitals- not cool, have some dignity lady. Its one thing being resourceful another just plain tacky- just drink faster. This just made me chuckle. What a wonderful day I even got my picture taken with a pirate- not the ones dressed up for the ship- the underwater photographer on our excursion was sporting long curly hair and a red bandanna - close enough. Dinner and a show followed by some much needed sleep lulled by the rocking of the boat.

2 comments:

Pattie Wall said...

looks and sounds like a fun break! i bet you have some upcoming art with an certain "influence"

. said...

We love to get out and explore, it really feeds the spirit. It seems I get inspiration from everything- it's is sort of exhausting to have all these ideas I know, I will never have time to bring into reality.

I am preparing for a solo exhibit in October, and have spent the last month creating a series inspired from our trip to New Orleans on our motorcycles last year. Yesterday I was feeling a bit used up as I have been working really hard at the studio and trying to get the house in order on my day off. At the end of the day, I decided a motorcycle ride was in order, it made all the difference in the world in my energy level and outlook. The black walnut ice cream helped too. Have a great day Pattie.