Actually I've been back for over a week now, but have most avoided being behind the computer all the time again. Hence the lack of blog updates.
Bobby came to visit for Labor Day weekend and it was SO good to have him here in SF. He came right on the heels of summer quarter, so I was definitely ready for some fun and R&R with him. Bobby is one of my favorites - always steady, always up for whatever is on the agenda, and always fun and easy to be with. Fortunately he did not drag me out to Alcatraz or Pier 39 :) - Instead his visit included a hike to the bridge, lots of good food, a fabulous night at Arista in wine country with David and his friend from Turkey (with a surprise cameo from Yann and his friend in from NYC), and an AWESOMELY unexpected afternoon of classic rock at the Sausalito Art and Wine Festival.
I spent a handful of nights out in the East Bay on a "STAYcation" with my mom. It's so nice and quiet and relaxing and most importantly SUNNY out there, and I just couldn't leave :). Dad and Julie were out of town celebrating their birthdays at the US Open, so it was just my mom and I there to enjoy some hang out time together with pedicures and lunch and taking the kids to fro-yo.
And then there was Mexico. A little place right on the Pacific. A warm place with no memory.
But before the beach there was la ciudad de Mexico with Patrick. I had the best weekend imaginable in D.F. Patrick is there doing research for a month or so before his next stop in Chile and is living with one of his best friends from his program named Diana (or LA CASADORA/The Huntress to us). Together, Diana and Patrick thought out the most perfect weekend of places to walk, see, eat, and do. Patrick knows me so well and knows how I like to travel and married that with Diana's amazing knowledge of Mexico and the city itself. It was the best "fast and dirty" of an ENORMOUS city I can think of and it was entirely in thanks to their hospitality. Diana is SUCH a cool person - a great friend to Patrick and now to me. I love that they have each other as they wade through their program together! I can't say thank you enough for a great weekend, you guys. The only thing I regret is not finding me a cheesy I Heart DF shirt to remind me of how much I really do LOVE that city.
Of course, leaving D.F. and ending up a few hours later laying by the pool with a beer in hand did not a difficult transition make! I met up with Lo, Jess, Haley, and Sarah at the airport and flew with them to Zihuatanejo - landing in perfect weather, I might add, despite our accuweather fears we would be in thunderstorms all week.
We spent the week at a beautiful house on a small beach my friend Lauren has been surfing at for about 8 years. Throughout the week, the girls surfed at the point and I watched from my favorite reading spot at the house...
Maybe about every other day we had some afternoon excursion down the muddy potholed road in our unimpressive but faithful rental car. Some days just to do a beer bottle swap in Los Llanos, others to my favorite find the whole trip - the Miches Ixtapa stand:
Or one morning when Haley, Jess, Sarah, and I schleped it over to Troncones before sunrise to meet up with a fisherman named Samba to take us out to catch some Mahi-Mahi. Five hours later we had no fish and no bites but we walked away with a lot of sun, a handful of dolphin spotings, and a chance to ride around on a huge Mexican fisherman's boat (huge fisherman, not huge boat) - a win, all in all.
We spent a lot of time talking with (or should I say listening to) Lauren's friend Pato. Anything from pharmaceutical company conspiracies to the benefits of organic farming to dancing with as opposed to fighting against life. Pato looks like this when he gets in a talking/teaching/preaching mode. And I love it:
To Pato's credit, I specifically said on Day 1 of the trip that no, I WASN'T going to be joining his beach trash pickup group that evening. But by Day 5 or 6? Well... how could I resist that moustache?
On my 27th birthday, we packed a cooler and headed down the beach to Roberto's tent at sunset. We laid in his hammocks and took too much of his good salt and limes and talked too much for his liking, but Roberto sang us some tunes anyway. Some originals, some Dylan, and a Happy Birthday. Roberto on guitar, one of us on eggs, everyone at the chorus.
I've saved the best for last... and her name is Augustina. She and her husband are the caretakers of the house we rented and while they're both amazing, Augustina made the food :). Chilaquiles, mountains of lobster, fresh tortillas at EVERY meal, chile rellenos, fresh fish in banana leaves, tacos al camarones, huevos verdes. Sweet Lord.
Summer 2011... time well spent.
