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Friday, July 21, 2017

We Made It!

Here we are!  Room 1107 at Tops'l: the room is nice and nothing beats this view.


We got in last night and drove straight from the airport to the Ocean Club.  A band was playing and the bar was packed so we sat out on the veranda.  It was delicious.  This morning, we continued the theme of good food by going to The Broken Egg, conveniently located next to the Publix grocery store.

After breakfast and groceries, Mom and I packed up and headed down to the beach!  I immediately started digging.  Being in the second row of umbrellas, the sand was rather dry, and it was quite a walk down to the water.


It turned into a pretty good size pile after all the spritzing, injection, and multiple layers of sand.  I gave it a little time to dry and then started to do a few forms.  Again, that trip down to the wet sand was a hike!


We didn't get too far before it started to get really dark and the beach boys were coming around and closing all of the umbrellas.  A storm was coming, and it wasn't long before we saw a streak of lightning in the distance.  Time to leave!


(photos by e.hunt)

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Florida

Today's the day!!  Mom, Grandma, and I will arrive in Destin tonight just in time for dinner at one of our old favorites, The Ocean Club.  Everyone else will get in on Friday night.  I'm so excited to go to the beach with the whole family plus some!  Now off to pack!!




(photos by r.hunt)

Monday, July 17, 2017

Drifting and Floating and Fading Away

I know it's a little late this month, but it's time for an inspiration post!  Instead of choosing a color, I decided to keep the summery mood going and find inspiration in outdoor spaces.  It's a bit hot for enjoying said outdoor spaces, but there's nothing quite like a calm oasis in the outdoors.  Fresh air, relaxation, and nature-y views await.



(photos collected from instagram/com/jo_rogers, instagram.com/photobyshannon, emmacroman, instagram.com/chairishco, instagram.com/cntraveler, instagram.com/weareherenow, instagram.com/airbnb, instagram.com/circahouses, instagram.com/apartmenttherapy, boredpanda, instagram.com/theslowtraveler, and instagram.com/fleamarketfab)

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Since We Cannot Talk Without Words

It's been a good couple of weeks since we returned.  Hot, but good.  I've been spending my time working, going to the pool, and getting ready for the next big trip, Florida!!

Last week we celebrated the Fourth of July with barbecue, beers, and fireworks.  While none of us are feeling particularly patriotic at this point, we decided to celebrate the past, and any reason for a little holiday party is good.  We even had a few friends from the conservatory join us!





I've been going to the pool on my off days.  I usually only last about an hour because of the extreme heat, but it's still nice.  When I eat dinner at my apartment I go on an evening walk afterwards.  My area isn't too walk-friendly but it'll have to do.  The construction at the front of the complex is coming along.  I'm lucky because my apartment is far enough away that I don't hear any of the worksite noise!




Mom, Grandma, and I leave for Florida a week from yesterday, and everyone else will arrive a week from tomorrow!  I'm so excited.  We have a couple activities planned already, in addition to our usual sandcastle-building and seafood-eating duties.  The first one includes everyone watching the first two Lord of the Rings movies before arrival and then we will have a grand Return of the King viewing, probably spread across two or three nights.

The second involves everyone reading A Guide for the Perplexed (E.F. Schumacher, 1977) before we get there so we can have a lively discussion about it.  Andrew, Taylor, and I really enjoyed our Brave New World book talk, so we thought it would be fun to include the whole family.  Grandma and Juliana's mom are joining as well!


It has been interesting so far; a little like reading a research paper, but you just have to be really focused when reading.  The title of this post is a sample of this philosophical foray into life and it's bigger meaning.  I hope you all have had a nice few weeks, and aren't melting in the sun.  Anyone else reading something interesting?

(photos by e.hunt)

Friday, July 7, 2017

Day of the Last

The next morning I decided to go up the mountain again.  But first I stopped by Starbucks for a little pick-me-up.


This time I walked a little further down before heading up one of the long stairways.  I was pretty close to where I ended up the time before though.  It was ok, I just found new streets to explore!





After some horizontal traversing, I came upon a few of these really steep, alleyway-like stairs.  They were surrounded by beautiful houses and flowers, and unbelievable views.  The second picture shows the little bridge I was standing on at the top of one of these ravines to get the first picture.



I also found this cool wall mural with the ocean, cobblestone streets, and houses overflowing with plants!  Very true to what PV is actually like.


I wandered around for a couple hours, taking lots of pictures.  It reminded me a bit of being back in Europe on my study abroad trip, how I would spend whole afternoons just wandering around on my own, exploring a new area or museum, and taking lots and lots of pictures.  I wish the US had a little more flair, or maybe I'm just lamenting that the Southern portion of the county where I now live isn't very walkable, or not nearly as pretty.





I ended up back down by our hotel and enjoyed a little balcony time before everyone else got back.  One of the best parts about our balcony was the people watching.  The Malacon stretched out along the beach right in front of our hotel so there were always people to observe.  And who did I see when I was out there?!


And they saw me!


That afternoon we were all pretty tired of the pool and sun, so we just hung around the room, starting to pack up and enjoying the last day on the balcony.  Overall it was a delightful trip, filled with many plates of guacamole and chips, many margaritas of varying sizes, and lots of laughs.




That is to be expected when I'm with my two favorite travel buddies, though.  Viva Puerto Vallarta!

(photos by e.hunt, and r.hunt)

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Some Say It's the Way to Dry Land

One of the nights we split up for dinner.  Mom and I went to a place on the water called The Blue Shrimp.  I had pasta and Mom had fish, and of course we started off with some guacamole.



After dinner we explored the area and ended up out on the pier.  We walked around this strange structure and decided that it looked strikingly similar to Kevin Costner's boat in Waterworld.  Maybe that's where they got the inspiration.



It was a delightful evening.  We even found a cool mural wall to pose in front of!  Yay PV!


(photos by e.hunt, and collected from reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot)

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Let's Go to the Oxxo

That night we walked way down to the other end of the Malacon.  This was the area Debby and I stayed when we came ten years ago.  I didn't really remember it, but sort of, if that makes sense.  I walked down some back streets in a section that looked almost more Italian than Mexican.




I passed a beautiful mermaid.


And this strange statue marking the end of the Malacon.  Is it some sort of depiction of the passage of time?  The gods leaving Earth?  The path to freedom?  Who knows?  It is interesting though.




We stopped for dinner on the walk back.  I had a delicious bowl of tortilla soup and a Pacifico, of course.




On the walk back we had a perfect view of the sunset, and there was a nice breeze flowing through as well.  We passed the Trojan Seahorse, and I was lucky to get some pics without any passersby in the way!



It was a very pleasant evening.  Mom and I stopped at the convenience store, Oxxo, to get our nightly beers for the balcony, and an ice cream treat.  We never found a close enough grocery store, but there were Oxxo's on every block, and they had enough items to get us through the week.

(photos by e.hunt)