5C's Que Pasa

Why am I always having to explain myself?

Photo by Colin just off our balcony, taken this afternoon.

Since my last post, it has been immensely difficult for us to function on a day to day basis. I had no idea that things could get so very intense. It took all I had to keep Collin anchored and myself functioning.

We have moved to Mazatlan – with difficulty. But for the most part are very happy.]

All the following are from the past 14 days.

We are still unpacking and working on settling in.  Of course new things have occurred as to our our future plans. All remains in limbo.

Today is the very first day since the move that we both (well, all four of us had a nap at the same time ). Actually Colin and I were in the midst of a discussion re future plans when we both fell asleep. So very many various scenarios in our future.

God’s sunset is a new creation every evening.

We have started on the healing journey and only have so much energy.

I just wanted to share that the four of us are dealing with the situation and everyday gets a tiny bit better.

Don’t worry as I intend to share every nitty gritty detail but for now it is important to share with you all that we have survived. I suspect that my past posts and what is to come is worthy of a movie. .Anyone want to write the script?

Every sunset is the inspiration we need to keep moving ahead. The difficult parts are almost done….

Please give me a few weeks to unwind and catch up with myself. Colin has maintained but this week he has made the decision to expediate his therapy schedule…..he really wants to improve even faster.

We so appreciate that you are hanging with us thus far…..

…that Colin suffered a stroke.  A stroke that left my dear husband totally paralyzed on the right side.  Fortunately he did not lose his speech. Unfortunately he used the power of the word often that first month about not wanting to keep living as he was. The medical team told us that Colin was lucky to be alive. That a stroke in this part of the brain has never been recorded in a patient in the medical books as ever having recovered. That if he lived he would be basically remain a vegetable. The doctor told Colin to go and buy a lottery ticket as he was very lucky.

It is because of Colin’s extremely strong mind and will power that he is walking today.  The guitar playing hopefully won’t be far behind. I never gave up trying to find the very best therapists. We spent everything we could on therapy and more and trying this and trying that. We seem to have found the perfect combination. One more year and Colin should be back to as normal as he ever will be.

Lots of resting between the tiring therapy sessions. The girls always sit with him.

Now we need peace and quiet and time to do want needs to be done.

Oops, one less doxie to pack!

But first we must get through the difficult week ahead of us. As you read in my last post the house in Kelowna, Canada has been sold. Tomorrow we meet with a Mexican notary along with our brand new ten year Canadian passports that recently arrived.  All the paper work will be properly notarized and sent back to our lawyer in Lake Country, B.C. whom have been ever so helpful to us. Completion on May 27th and possession is May 28th.

The smaller of the two iguanas teases the girls.

We have to be so very careful when opening the RV door so that there are no more battles. Can you see the iguana on the top of the fence post to the left of Carlie’s ear?

Meanwhile back here on Isla De La Piedra we are awaiting the arrival of a second potential buyer for our 45′ Monaco Signature RV. The timing of this buyer has caused some stress but it is good stress. Well can stress be good? Maybe I should say a positive stress because the stress is still physically painful and mentally challenging. It is a welcome stress but must be lived through to get to the end result.

Lots of fragiles to pack.

It takes me a few hours to get started but once I am on a roll – watch out!!  Let the packing begin. It seems that I all have been doing is packing storage totes and now large cardboard boxes. One even came with a scorpion, our first one. Fortunately Colin dealt with it before I saw it. It is rather amazing the amount of things we were able to ‘cram’ into this RV, so very much storage. Nice to have all that we brought from home. And in repacking I am not throwing very much out. Glad those difficult decisions were made the summer of 2024. As I said in my last post, we both had hoped to spend more time in the RV but it that was not in our future.

We had a medical appointment last Wednesday. For the first time in 16 years we were held up for 40 minutes by “that train”!  It blocks the road we have to cross from the ferry boat lancha to get a taxi to get into Mazatlan. The embarcadero is so close to the shipping docks that this train thing happens perhaps once per day. But this was a record long blockage. The doctor waited to see Colin. Mexico is great.

So suddenly we are having to pack up and move quickly. This potential buyer has not yet actually confirmed that he is arriving May 2nd but if he does and buys the coach he is planning to leave here on May 3rd and drive it back to the USA. He is not retired. The gentleman is actually selling his personal RV, today, April 27th.

The older sunset cruise boat.

Fortunately Colin and I had already rented a condo for May 1st. We had expected to move in slowly over the month but now we are moving in mere hours. It has been flurry of activity and planning  and arranging a multitude of details. The rental truck is booked for 2:00PM May 1st and so on and so on…..

And the very fancy newer boat.

But what you don’t know is that this move is only for 3 months!!!  The condo that we intend to live in long term is only available on August 1st. So we are moving into an Airbnb for 3 months in the same complex. Only we are moving into one tower of the complex this week. You guessed it  8O! We have to move yet again the end of July into the other tower. We figured it might take us 9 months to finally get organized 😮 Who else but us would move twice 😳 I know, I know – but it will be so worth it.

The blue line on the left is our 3 month rental commencing in only four sleeps while the red line on the right represents our long term rental starting August 1st.

It has been bit of a difficult several weeks as we have been low on water. It just stopped coming in from Mazatlan. We have it less days than we have it which makes it difficult to get all the laundry done that I had planned to do while packing.

Fortunately 90% of what I wanted to sell has sold which has been helpful. Especially as we are paying for rent for two locations the month of May.

We sold our UTV to a lovely family from Rosario.

Well I best get back to the packing….my priority –  but I needed a break so I posted.

Only four more sleeps.

Please click on the link to read the story in full detail including the deaths and damages incurred. Many are still sheltering in place. Hopefully things will continue to be calm and people will eventually be able to get on with their lives.

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/security-minister-25-national-guardsmen-dead-in-el-mencho-operation/?utm_source=mktg_email_paid

Hola to all our friends! At this time we are safe in Mazatlan and in our case on Isla De La Piedra. As you can see by reading the news there has been some upheaval in Mexico today. Basically a head honcho in the cartel system was killed and all cartels are retaliating. Many states in Mexico have been affected but Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara the worst cities with lockdown in place orders issued including airports closed.

The first map shows earlier in the day and the various states affected, the second map ( a few hours later ) shows Sinaloa ( where we are ) being moved from yellow to red.

Villa Union – posted by Mazatlan’s main newsier, the Noreste.

Colin and I are safe and made the decision earlier to cancel our first social event in Mazatlan since the stroke and stay here on the Isla. Since then the road through Villa Union ( only 7 miles away ) has been closed with burning semis and I read that bus service within Mazatlan has been suspended. This is a difficult time for all of Mexico and we sincerely hope that all will be clear in a few days.

We have also been personally advised to not leave the Isla by three of the top people in the know here on Stone Island.

I just want to let you all know that I really do think about you all. However at the moment we are super busy ( when aren’t I )? Right now I need to think about my family and our future. Things are changing very very slowly – but in a forward direction.  There will be light at the end of this long dark tunnel 💡

Colin continues to progress almost weekly. He is beginning to see changes more often. Two days ago he started to get some feeling in his large right toe 😀 Last week Sophia, his physiotherapist noticed how the tendons on the top of his foot are starting to form and grow. Colin exercises for many hours every single day. He is constantly inventing new methods to strength his right leg. He truly pushes himself and it is starting to show day by day.

We have made the decision to sell our beloved RV. It is not in our future to keep RVing. In about five or six months we will be making a change in our address for at least a year or two. We have not had much free time to find the perfect location but this place is calling to us. Still in negotiations.

Fingers crossed that this unit ( marked in red ) will work out for us.

The second largest mercardo in Mazatlan is less than 2 blocks away, we can see Centro which is only a 1.5 km walk away. Plus we see where the cruise ships dock. And the pelicans fly past at eye level.

We love where we live and day by day and enjoy all that the ocean presents to us. Be it dolphins, sail boats coming and going every few days and these small fish – moving very quickly thru the water – almost like they were walking on the water.

The girls continue to be enthralled with our resident iguanas. I love how they just observe so very silently, hour after hour.

This is the largest of them.

I was doing the math the other day and we have been living here on the Isla de la Piedra every winter –  now a total of 16 years. Of course longer each of the past few years. But 16 years !!!  I know of two ( perhaps 3 ) other RV couples who have lived here a year longer than us. Had Colin not had the stroke we would still be RVing but at this time we must make certain required changes to our lifestyle. Sixteen years is a very longtime to devote to a particular area in Mexico. We have given in so many areas including promoting the RV Park to encourage others to visit here ( especially when traveling here was not the thing to do ), to providing a variety of forms of music to this area and even feeding those in need during COVID. It is difficult to make the decision to move into the city of Mazatlan but we are ready for new adventures.

Looks like something tasted ready good.

Mamma and baby??? Referring to the iguanas!

From the back bathroom window.

A better effort another evening……

My first Que Pasa of the year!

Christmas was put away by the 6th!

I am thinking of all of you whom are going to be affected but this winter storm. I hope that no one loses power. Sending positive thoughts to you and that all will be well and none of you will suffer. We ourselves had a weather warning but related to wind and rain. I really don’t know if our storm is the same  one that is affecting the US at the moment. We prepared before dark last evening by putting some chairs and all cushions into the shed. Our storm started about 2AM and we have had many rain showers followed by continuous heavy rain. The forecast was one inch of rain and soon changed to two inches. I think we only got about an inch here and we were fortunate in that the heavy winds did not show up nor did the multiple thundershowers that had been predicted. It will be cool for a few days and that will be great for sleeping. We have had above average temperatures for January.

That white streak in the water is a banana boat. Happy to see that they are getting business on a day like today.

My hearing remains restored and perfect. Sometimes I feel my ears getting itchy, I have a feeling that I am producing more ear wax. I will get that checked out the end of June. Meanwhile, two friends have been to see my ear doctor and one did not have any extra wax and now needs to have a hearing test. The other did need to get his ears cleaned out. Just another thing to add to the never ending things to check for regarding our health.

We have had a large pod of dolphins twice in the past week. Best picture I could get…..that tiny black dot mid section towards the left. I just sat and watched them enjoy their day.

I mentioned in my last post that I have been looking into renting a condo for down the road. There are two main reasons for doing so. The first has to do with our Mexican residency. When we got our temporal residency it was only good for a total of four years. After that one must apply for their permanente or start all over again with a Canadian Consulate in Canada to get another four years at the temporary level. To get our permanente requires simply applying for it using the credentials we already have been accepted for. There is a small fee to do this. If we start all over we would have to prove our financial solvency yet again plus pay a new larger fee that increased in January of 2026.

Our new inverter was ordered in November and finally arrived January 3 ( delivery affected by both US Thanksgiving and Christmas ) and Erik was able to install it this past January 13th. Expensive part but very crucial.

One of the bedroom slides was sloppy and crooked on the in and out. Easily sorted out with a few quick movements. This RV was built with a great fix to all the slides with an easy to reach adjustment to the mechanism and rollers. Thank goodness we did not have to remove the heavy slide out.

Our four years of temporale expire on November 3rd, 2027 and we are getting closer to that date very quickly. I can’t see us driving around Mexico for the next while – mostly because Colin is still unable to drive the RV. We could stay here for another full year, until perhaps July 2027 or we could find a condo to move into this coming summer. Colin would not feel comfortable staying here in this spot the entire summer due again to impending storms and hurricanes. So where would we go, especially if he can’t drive? It certainly will not be back to Las Jaibas. There is one more thing to consider in making this decision. As you know we are only a five minute walk to the Playa Sur embarcadero but neither of us can get on and off the lanchas at that location. The reason being that the boats come in with the pointed boat front end stopping with the front end point directly to the dock. So one has to jump over the front point to get off and onto the dock. You have to be fairly nimble and we no longer are – in the past I have relied on Colin to help me on and off but now he can’t do it himself.

They love to cuddle and sometimes use this very tiny bed.

Are Ciela’s ears broken?

So now we drive to the further crossing called the Embarcadero Principal. Those lanchas actually stop the boat parallel to the dock and there is a handle ( shaped like a candy cane ) to grab on to which helps getting on and off. The big plus is that the driver stops the engine and ties up the boat and is there to help you off the boat, as well as on when you are leaving. Even at this embarcadero Colin needs help depending on how high or low the tide is and if the dock is swaying because of waves and/or wind. So living here in paradise on the Isla has become difficult for us. And I haven’t even begun doing big grocery shops for what we can’t get here. Fortunately I loaded up the RV using Didi a few times per week before we left Las Jaibas RV Park. I am just starting to run out of certain things. No way could I buy and cart things on and off of the lancha and then back to the RV.

I enjoyed observing this fisherman. He was slowly bringing in his catch and at the same time was cleaning his net.

He took the time to feed each pelican in turn, the smaller fish that were caught in his net.

I admired his patience. It was obvious that he cared for the pelicans.

Do we sell the RV or not? It will start to rust if we leave it here. Who will drive it to the USA this summer so that we can sell it? Colin thinks that he can drive the Jeep because he is a two foot driver. I am not so sure. For certain we are here until the end of July give or take. Decisions need to be made. Our world is changing everyday and when I say world I mean not us, but the entire globe. What is certain today may not be tomorrow. I have recently observed that I need to book something re a condo for the winter of 2026/2027 sooner than later as they are already being booked. What to do? So I am trying to find the perfect place for our next home. A high-rise condo will be a huge adjustment especially for the twins. We are not going back to Canada. Anyone want to buy our RV?

Great book to read.

This is a good time to share that our home in Kelowna did not sell. The potential buyers from Calgary, Alberta are also having difficulty selling their place due to the local real estate market. So our home is now officially no longer listed and we are going to just let it sit for now. We will not rent it. Many decisions to be made and it all creates a certain amount of uncertainly and stress. Right now we are taking it paso a paso ( step by step) or poco a poco ( bit by bit ). We honestly have no idea what next week will bring, never mind next week, never mind the coming summer. Working on being positive.

Ciela positioned herself into the crook of my arm last evening for lovies. I eventually just kept lightly rubbing her tummy and she fell asleep for the longest time. I loved  these moments with her.

I am personally so happy to be down to only 196 messages in my inbox. It has been nine months since it was so low. At one point it was over 1,500. Takes some pressure off. My Spanish is also getting better. I sorted out two banking issues on my own, totally in Spanish with no help. The other day I was trying to say something to Colin in English but it only came out in Spanish, not even French 😯 He just looked at me 😎

Great photo Genie. She captured this from the Tres Amigos RV park across the bay from us. We are to the right of those two white buildings. A perfect end to our stormy day. The promise of a great day tomorrow. I so miss having Genie and Joe parked next to us. They were the best neighbors.

Exactly as presented to us by Mother Nature.

We are very well but busy. Lots happening and also not happening. Our time it taken by a visit to the chiotorprator, then a viewing of a condo that is available to rent in the Golden Zone followed by physiotherapy the next day. Then the next day ( which was yesterday the 17th ) another trip to see yet another condo. After that we met friends Sue & Mike who live back in Holiday Park. They are here for about 6  – 7 weeks. Today, Sunday the 18th was filled with exercises for Colin, a walk for me to do a pick up at the embarcadero plus some gardening. And later, a lovely surprise visit by Audrey and Darwin. Sadly, much as tried we were unable to solve the main problems in this unsettled world.

On the way back I met Alfredo – he was looking for some work so he could buy food. He offered to clean up our driveway and he did a fabulous job.

Sometime in the past few days a large road grader was smoothing out some extra gravel just outside our area. It has been working all over the Isla fixing the roads that have become full of pot holes.. Everyone is so happy with the effort. But it left a 9 – 12  inch wide width of rock debris, some rather large. Not easy to walk nor drive over. Nice to have that cleaned up.

Later in the afternoon we had Alfredo pick up all the plastic debris from the rocks just below us down to the ocean. The fellow renting upstairs contributed a few hundred pesos to clean up a bit more in front of his area. A huge improvement for us all. We have been trying to get this area cleaned up since before we even moved here.

The girls spend the day watching the very slow moving iguanas, we have three of them. Better than barking at cats.

I have so many posts to share but am short on computer time right now. We still don’t know our future but it seems that 2027 is rapidly becoming booked at some of my favorite condos. So I need to make an effort to check things out.

I just wanted to let you know that all right in our world.