What goes around...

20 Feb 25

15:30 hrs

     Well, wouldn't you know there's an old trend from the days of Yore that is now the hot new thing. It falls in the realm of parenting and it is referred to as FAFO. Now, FAFO is the method by which is I, and probably many of my generation, was raised. At least some of the time. FAFO is the anacroynm for F*ck Around & Find Out. 

     I had just read an article from the Canuckistan Broadcasting Corruption that if you, as a parent, have been pleading for hours ad infinitum with your Couch Monkey to wear a coat when they go outside because the temperature is the same as the daytime high as the planet Hoth and if they don't their arms could freeze off and they will no longer be able to play with their Nintendo Switch. So, instead of stressing yourself out to the point of needing therapy or medication or both, simply take the FAFO route. "Go ahead. Do what you want and while you're outside shovel the walk!" Rest assured it won't be long before Little Johnny will be back in to get his coat. It might take awhile but eventually the cold will snap him into reality.

     I'm not saying that this is the end all and be all method of parenting. Each child is different and each situation is different. But, I find it interesting that what worked for me, and a multitude of generations before me, was abandoned for a great number of years during which children were coddled to the point that they controlled the household. Something in Society must have clicked because FAFO is fast becoming the new Olde thing. Maybe the latest crop of parents finally recieved common sense booster.

On the Road Again (with friends)

08 Feb 25

22:50 hrs 

     My Lobster and I have squirrelled away on a short vacation. Last night we billetted with Li'l Sis in Cowtown and then we met up with long time friends Slam and Em.

They have been the closest of friends for a very long time. The four of us have traveled South to a beach resort in Mexico. The resort hotel is built like a Mayan temple, which is cool, and so far the food is great and the service is fantastic. We're only here for a week so we'll have to make the most of it.

09 Feb 25

16:45 hrs

     A couple of points. First and foremost is be aware of your surroundings and, secondly, sometimes the Universe (or The Big Guy upstairs) throws you a bone. Case in point.... We were all down at the beach for the better part of the day. The rollers, nee waves, were coming in to shore constantly and sometimes they got fair sized. My Lobster and I had already walked the length of the beach and back, just wetting our ankles in the water and a little bit later we waded out a little deeper. Waves were crashing and there was a significant undertow. When we went wading, the first time I stripped off my watch, hearing aids and eyeglasses leaving them on the table beside the beach chair. All was good. The second time I neglected to leave my glassed behind and sure enough a huge wave knocked my Better Half to the ground and as I rushed to help her up a second wave caught us putting us both down. When we recovered my hat was gone and...my eyeglasses. That was it. At first I thought that I was mistaken and that I had left them one the table. I scooted up the beach and checked. Nope. They were in the water being pushed and pulled who knows where by the waves and the undertow. My Lobster and I tried to peer through the brown silty water. After twenty mikes she went back to our chairs and I continued to look which involved more feeling with my toes than anything else. And then...an angel appeared. An angel in the form of a local with mask, snorkel and flippers. "Did you lose something, Senor?" I explained what had happened and we continued to search. After another twenty mikes I gave up and committed myself to not having glasses for the remainder of the trip, having to wear an old pair when I got home and ordering a new pair as well. And all because of a moment of inattention. Another twenty or thirty mikes go by and the local angel comes out of the water. "Are these your glasses, Senor?" Unfreakinbelievable. He had found them and, amazingly, not a scratch on them. We thanked him and rewarded him for his act. My Lobster said that we should by a lottery ticket if we could.

21:00 hrs

     We are back in our room. For supper the four of us dined at the Mexican ala  carte restaurant. Outstanding food. Rich. Flavourful. And exciting. My Better Half had a dish with a seven day black mole sauce. Can you imagine a sauce that has fifteen ingredients and takes seven days to make? Who cares what the hell kind of protein its coating because the sauce was the star of the dish. I had an appetizer made of slivered tuna done in a mescal ceviche. Of course, we all had churros for dessert. After dinner we picked up coffee or tea before waddling up to our floor to discuss the game plan for tomorrow. We're opting to make it a pool day. There are four pools here and one is adults only. No rogue waves and no undertow.

11 Feb 25

09:30 hrs

     Today is my Lobster's BDay. And I will get to that in a moment.

     Yesterday was a pool day which consisted of lounging and conversing, drinking, swimming, rinse and repeat. Our pool of choice is the NO COUCH MONKEYS ALLOWED pool. My Better Half and I secured two loungers for ourselves and held another two for Slam and Em. It was a great day. We spotted rays, whales, dolphins, schools of bait fish trying to evade predators, pelicans, frigate birds,  grackles (a crow type bird), vultures and numerous boats cruising the bay. In the evening we dined at an ala carte Italian restaurant and waddled away pleasantly stuffed.

     Today, being my Lobster's birthday we returned to the adult pool and did nothing of great significance. It was a Rinse and Repeat day, which was what she wanted to do. Dipping in the pool, sipping drinks and pleasant conversation. We ate at the buffet as we didn't have an Ala Carte booked. The staff surprised her with a slice of decorated cake with a candle and a Mexican rendition of Happy Birthday. Tomorrow will be more of the same as that is what we like to do on a vacation. Relax and decompress.

12 Feb 25

0800 hrs

     When on vacation, we like to make up names for things, and people, just to have some frame of reference or for a bit of fun. Across the bay in front of are a number of rocky islands that may or may not be home to anything. Em and my Better Half have given names according to their shape. From right to left there is Sorting Hat Rock, Sleeping Venus, Beer Beel Rock, Rhino, Easter Island Head and Battleship Rock. There are some fauna that we have names for as well. The Bumble Bird or Humming Bee is a creature slightly bigger than my thumb that cruises through the branches above our heads. We haven't seen it hover nor have we seen it land on any flowers but that's what it looks like. A bird native to the area is the Chachalacas. It makes this very loud call which sounds like its name... chackalacka chackalaka. I would consider it to be a Latino turkey. It's a bit smaller than a guinea fowl but the pool attendant say they are edible. I'll have to take his word for it.

     We have booked a trip downtown for tomorrow to do some shopping. Should be good. Gotta look for a sparkly for my Lobster. 

     There are para-sailors across the bay from another resort. I don't know the inspection cycle of the equipment so I wouldn't trust it. There have been cases where the sailor has slipped out of the harness only to plummet hundreds of feet to the ocean and died. Nope not for me.

13 Feb 25

09:00 hrs

     We, my Lobster,  Em, Slam and myself,  went on a tour of the nearby towns. The guide was articulate, knowledgeable and funny. He asked us if we knew what they called traffic calming speed bumps in Ixtapa? Lazy policemen. The driver quite capable. We saw the sights. We saw six foot iquanas, twelve foot American crocodiles as well as more exotic birds. We did a bit of shopping purchasing prime tequila and some knick knacks. On the way back we had the driver drop us off near our resort so we could wander about. We looked for a few more things and spotted a place to grab a bite. In fact, the proprietor called out as we walked by. He sounded very Canuckish. Naturally, we returned. 

     The place is called Frank's. Owned and operated by Frank, an ex-pat Canuck from Ontari-ari-ari-oh. He's been down here for 25 years. The restaurant is decorated with Sa-hatchewan Rider banners and poutine was menu along with pizzas that any denizen of the Great White North could identify with. Beers, nachos tropical with diced papaya and a pizza were ordered and devoured. It was so good. Probably the best meal we ate here, other than the ala carte restaurants. It was so good that we all made plans to go to Frank's before flying out on Saturday. The rest of the day was spent poolside before skipping supper and crashing out. 

14 Feb 25

07:45 hrs

     Happy Valentine's Day!

     We have another exciting day planned, other than hanging at the beach or pool. After breakfast the Fab Four will head back to town for a bit more shopping. Em is looking for things for their Loin Fruits. We will snag a lite bite to eat of real Mexican food before heading back to our temporary residence. It'll be a beach day this afternoon and our penultimate fine dining experience. As previously mentioned, we have planned for our last meal to be at Frank's. 

15 Feb 25

15:00 hrs

     The four of us, plus our driver, Francisco, dined at Frank's before heading to the airport. Thank goodness it had a/c. When we boarded our aircraft the crew informed us of the flight time to the planet Hoth where the current temp was -742C, or there abouts. Of course she was joking, but not by much. On landing in Cowtown it was -29C with windchill down to -35C. Good thing we didn't have to go outside. I lost sight of Slam and Em as we boarded our departure flight. It was great to see them both and hopefully we'll get to do this again.

     

Back at the Sage's

24 Jan 25

06:45 hrs

     I'm back at the Sage's for her birthday.Eighty years young! Amazing.

     To get here I flew from the Valley to Cowtown, stayed the night at L'il Sis's place and in the morning we departed via PMC, before first light I might add, heading West. Roads were good, traffic light, weather cold and very windy. Nearing Revel-Bush we ran into snow and at Sic-a-moose we had to take a massive detour South and then Northwest due to the 6 day a week bridge construction. Despite living Cowtown for 20+ years, L'il Sis really impressed me with her driving skills. On Sunday we'll retrace our route, minus the detour as the road is open on Sundays and I'll fly back home on Monday.

     Our Sr. Loin Fruit has joined a new electrical company. This is his first week and by all accounts it's working out well.

02 Feb 25

06:35 hrs 

     Sorry Campers,  I should have finished this blog off sooner. Li'l Sis and I had a really good visit with the Sage. We both did some chores for her and her birthday was quite the celebration. It was a short trip. Less than a week. There and back. The road conditions from the Sage's back to Cowtown were immensely better than heading out. 

     My Better Half greeted me on my return to the Valley and I went back to the grind. The amount of work is slowly picking up. Gordo has been with a drill crew for the past couple of weeks. Some good coin there. I've picked up a couple of days each week. Not much but it keeps us in pin money. I know that it will get busy as one of the few flight line qualified members has decided to go on hiatus. Personally,  I don't think he will be coming back. 

04 Feb 25

07:45 hrs

     We have snow. 

     Two days plus. 

     Until further notice we are staying off the roads because 95% of the drivers in the Valley do not know how to operate a vehicle in real winter conditions. Instead, I will stay inside, watch SAS: Rogue Soldiers on Prime and continue packing for Mexico.