Winging It

Carol and my friends Bob and Maureen left this week, but Curt and Mary arrived, so I wasn't left entirely on my own.  Even partly on my own, I find myself "winging it" more.  So of course I devoted one day to bird photography. Finally saw a roseate spoonbill. 
Also starting to prepare for Jim's arrival next week.  It's Holy Week, so with many Mexicans on holiday, the hotel, the town, and the beaches are filled with Mexican families.  Many of the cruisers have left, so the atmosphere has definitely shifted.

Fishing in the lagoon at dawn

Sunrise in the lagoon

The lagoon from the fuel dock
Fishing in the late afternoon



 Birds of the Lagoon

Snowy egret


  




Great blue heron


Black winged stilt

Roseate spoonbill


Blue heron, white ibis, roseate spoonbill

Snowy egret

Black skimmers, snowy egret, pelican

White ibis

View from lunch table in Melaque

Barra Beach

More local color







Irony:  "Put trash in its place."  (They were in the process of
knocking down a concrete building.  By hand.  They left the
sign painted on a wall until the end)

Some new palapas went up around town this week.

"The  Association United for Barra donated this public
resting palapa.   Commercial or personal use of this space
is strictly prohibited,  Thank you for taking care of it and
keeping it clean.  'We are all Barra.'


 By popular demand: more "Heard on the Street"

A wild ride in an Ubercito in Melaque


When I was taking this photo in Colimia, a man
who was across the street walked over and struck up
a conversation (in English).

Turned out he was the owner of this house, where the flower
was.  He soon invited me in to see it and we had a nice
conversation.  Beautiful house with a fantastic view of
the Barra Lagoon.

And a little project

I added a wooden batten to the peak of the deck awning.

Looks better and doesn't flap in the wind.






Carol Gets the Tour

Despite Carol's limited ability to walk, she had a good time and was able to see a bit of Melaque and La Manzanilla as well as the area around Barra de Navidad.   She got to meet a new bunch of my cruising friends and tried most of the good restaurants around.  Taxis and Ubercitos helped a lot.

Carol, Vicky, Mike, Rich and Mary at Simona''s in Barra

Visible:  Patrice, Lou, Maureen, Bob and Carol at
Manglito's in Barra

Yours truly and Carol at Isadora's in Barra

Carol at Papa Gallo's in Melaque

Taking an Ubercito through Melaque to the bank.

Enjoying fresh coconut on the beach in
Cuastacomates


 Braving the waterslide at the Grand Isla Hotel

Making new palapas on the malecon in Barra


We spent a quiet couple of days anchored in
the Barra lagoon.


Watching the sunset from the malecon


By taking a taxi, Carol was able to make it to
the Crocodile Preserve in La Manzanilla.
The sign emphasizes that swimming is
prohibited.

Looking out over the preserve from a rickety observation
tower.

Big mouth, big teeth, big crocodile!


The babies are a bit less scary.

There are also many birds around the preserve.
This is a green night heron.

This is just a fraction of the scores of white collared
seed-eaters roosting together for the night in downtown
Barra de Navidad.

An equally large flock of pigeons had gathered to
take advantage of the corn fed to them by an old lady.

Getting the propane tank filled outside of neighboring
Cihuatlan

Local color



Heard on the street