Norte at the Beach...

Nov. 10th we had a huge storm here in Yucatan. They are called Nortes. They come to us from the North, hence the name. I saw this one coming across the water from New Orleans (today is first son's birthday and he lives in New Orleans- must have been partying too much there! Caused quite a storm).
The clouds were very dark and rolling across the Gulf fast. We had time to put things away and close the windows just before the storm hit us. The gale force winds hit and the palm trees started swaying, some broke off in town here. The rain was coming straight at us from the Gulf, and came under the door towards the beach, windows on the beach side and side of the house were leaking water and flooding the rooms. We got cloths and put under every window, got a bucket and wrung out cloths for an hour and a half. Lucky for us it didn't rain that hard all night, or we might have had a flood here. The beach was underwater as the tide rose high. We did not have waves hitting the house, but our neighbor did. There is a sand bar just off the front of the house, which saved us, the waves broke further out.
In the morning, we cleaned up palm branches and flowers out of the pool and off the patio area. Everything else was fine. whew, made it through our FIRST norte, only 48 to go..... wow!

Latin America Bloggers Conference

Nov. 5th I will be going to the Latin America Bloggers Conference, based this year in Merida. I have been following several other Merida and Mexico blogs and will finally get to meet some of the folks I have read stories about. Should be a fact filled, fun filled day. Will post more about it later....

Later: The bloggers Conference was a hit! Great to meet folks from the US and all over Mexico that blog about things. The panel of experts told us how to get better photos on our blogs, how to keep rants calmer, and how to get more folks interested in the things we blog about. I will be posting along the side of my blog their blog sites- if I can figure out how to connect them all....
The Conference was held in the TTT University in Merida, a beautiful location. Next year there is talk of the Bloggers Conference being held in Cancun at an All Inclusive Resort. sounds interesting...

Day of the Dead- Hanal Pixan

Day of the Dead is a little different here than in some parts of Latin America. There are altars set up in each village, and the best one is selected to go to Merida to be set up on Oct 29 in the main square. On the altars to those that have died in the family, will be food they liked, momentoes for them (toys for children that passed away, and beer and cigarettes for the adults) there will be pictures of the deceased and flowers.
Nov. 1 is the day they celebrate the children that died. Nov. 2 is All Saints day, then the altars have offering and flowers for the saints the family worships. In Mayan this ceremony is called Hanal Pixan.

Hubby decorated for an adult Halloween party in Chelem, he made this Catrina skeleton out of palm branches.

They do not practice Halloween as we do in the US, and there are no 'trick or treaters' coming to the door to ask for candy.

Shells today

 It is amazing the beautiful shells that are just laying on the sand as you wander down the shore, the waves lapping at your toes. wonder if I can find all the names of these?

Birds- flamingos, spoonbills and storks

A lone male flamingo searching for food in Telchac



Flamingos and babies in Sisal




Heron in Telchac




Roseate Spoonbills in the Marsh in Progreso




Two wood storks roaming the marsh in Chelem

There are birds everywhere in Yucatan. It is hard to catch the smaller ones, like the hummingbirds, the cardinals and the sandpipers, but the bigger ones are still for a longer time and easier to photograph.
These are just a few I found while I have been roaming around Yucatan.

Sunsets at the Beach...beautiful

Thinks I like in Summer....

Without internet it is impossible to update blogs and check on things.... wow. Not sure how we used to make it without all this technology at our fingertips.
that said, I will try to update now that we have moved and have internet up and running again....

Summer in Yucatan is hot, not just hot but sticky hot. But, the way to bear it is a cool dip in a friends pool, or having a KFreeze frozen cappucino from OXXO. :)

Don't you love these woven deck chairs? I see them all over at people's houses, but haven't found one to buy yet.
They are from Campeche and I am not sure I can convince hubby to drive all the way over to Campeche for a chair.... if I tell him there were Pirates there.... maybe.