Bob and I love being near water—lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and oceans. We recently spent a few days in Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast. With a hotel and restaurant right on the beach, we were pretty content for four days, without needing to explore too much of the town or outlying beaches. 
Each morning we watched the local fishermen bring their boats onto shore with their catch from the night or early morning hours. Each morning Bob bought fresh fish directly from the fishermen, and then the restaurant prepared it for us. Each morning we had grilled fish for breakfast—red snapper, white snapper, and sail fish. Life doesn’t get much better than this—eating fresh fish, watching the activity on the shore, and listening to the waves and the wind. Playing in the waves, walking the beach, and watching surfers were a great pleasure as well. There’s nothing quite like the ocean!
While at the ocean, we took time to reflect on some of our favorite water spots that we’ve enjoyed over the past ten years since we first met. I wanted to make a top ten list, but it was too hard to choose only ten. Here are some of the places we love and what we love doing there:
--Snorkeling in the Red Sea in Dahab, Egypt
--Swimming in the crystal-clear Adriatic Sea on Korcula Island, Croatia
--Camping on the Green River and Colorado River in Utah
--Rafting on the Green River
--Soaking in the hot springs in Main, Jordan and Budapest, Hungary
--Cruising on Egypt's Nile River and Alaska's Inside Passageway
--Eating fresh corn-meal covered trout by Bosnia's Buna River Spring
--Bird watching on a Danube Delta cruise in Romania
--Canoeing on the Hocking River in Ohio (watching turtles) and the Manatee River in Florida (watching alligators)
--Walking the Oregon coast and the North Sea Coast in Denmark
--Walking along Frankfurt's Main River and Berlin's Spree River
--Watching street performers on the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River in Prague
--Gazing at castles while on boat trips outside of Frankfurt and Vienna
--Swimming in the thermal waters at Gan Hashlosha in Israel
--Standing on the Stari Most Bridge over the rushing Neretva River in Mostar, Bosnia
--Riding on the canals of Amsterdam and Xochimilco (Mexico)
--Watching the masses on Moroccan beaches
--Walking along the top of Niagara Falls on a moonlit night
--Dipping in Bob’s favorite ice-cold waterfall in Vermont
--Hiking along the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon
--Playing in the cave and river at Tolantongo, Mexico
--Playing in the waves in Zihuatenejo and Puerto Escondido, Mexico
--Tubing on the Potomac River in Big Big, West Virginia
--Camping on the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach
--Camping besides lakes—anywhere and everywhere
--Soaking up the sun at our favorite Sarasota beach—Lido Beach
Since we are water people, send us your recommendations. We’d love to add to our list!
On May 12, I was cleaning the house—sweeping the black-and-white tiled floor. I lifted up the wastebasket and there was the scorpion, not more than two inches in length. Scorpio did not move, and neither did I. We both froze. I called “Bob, Bob,” but Bob did not hear me from our rooftop bedroom where he was playing music. What should I do? I wondered. I didn’t have the guts to kill the thing, and I figured if I went upstairs to get Bob, the scorpion would disappear. Sure enough, when Bob and I came down the stairs, there was no sign of Scorpio. He had retreated into the hole in the plaster from whence he had come in the first place. Bob took the vacuum cleaner to the hole, hoping to suction him out, but who knows whether that worked.
Two days later, after a big rain storm, the second sighting took place, only this time we were ready for action. Bob and I walked across our star-lit rooftop, flashlights in hand, into our bedroom. Bob immediately felt that we were not alone in the room. He walked over to a side wall and shone his flashlight on the floor. Sure enough, there was Scorpion #2—not moving at all. Bob took off his flip flop and smashed it dead within seconds. In my mind, I had rehearsed doing this myself since the first sighting. Bob had said, “Don’t think. Just kill.” That first day, I was initially spooked. I walked around wondering when and where the next scorpion would appear, afraid to be barefoot. Bob reminded me, “This is Mexico, and only the little light-colored ones have a fatal sting.” Linda consoled me, “The sting doesn’t hurt any more than a bee sting.” With their heartening words, I decided to have courage, and I soon got used to the idea that we were sharing our apartment. Now each morning when I come down the stairs, I greet our friend in the hole in the wall. “Hi Scorpio. How are you today? Are we going to see you today?” Now, instead of me, it seems Scorpio is spooked—at least he’s hiding out. 
While listening to Tonya’s many Mexican sayings, we both watched her smooth agility in flipping the hot tortillas over with her bare hands. When they’d made enough, we sat down to a tasty snack of fresh homemade gorditas filled with a ground beef and potato mixture called picadillo. Bob is now the tortilla guy in our family.
Centro Infantil Pre-School was established a few years ago. Some of our friends in San Miguel were involved in the set-up and continue to be engaged in fund-raising efforts. The pre-school is a kind of head-start program for children of low-income families, many of whom are single moms. The mothers were honored recently at a Mothers Day festival where the children danced salsa, rock and roll, and traditional Mexican dances, all in brightly colored costumes, led by the vivacious school principal, Patricia Palacios. 
In the English classroom, we have four groups of 10 students at a time, for 20 minutes with each group. I’m helping the other volunteer teachers develop a curriculum and try out some new ideas. The questions—who we teach, what we teach, how we teach, and why we teach—are important questions for English teachers to ask, whether we work with young or old, rich or poor. I’m glad for the opportunity to once again be asking these questions. And while pondering the “answers,” I’ll be doing TPR (Total Physical Response) activities and singing “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes” with the kiddos.
Every week Bob and I meet interesting people from all over Mexico who now live in San Miguel. We come away with improved Spanish conversation skills and with the satisfaction of having made new acquaintances. I’ve talked with Angelina, a mother of four from a nearby village, a Spanish teacher named Beatrice who gave me tips on setting up English classes in San Miguel, a young woman named Corina who recently returned from a year in Vancouver, and today, a young man named Armando who weaves and sells wool rugs at the artisans market in town. Business has been slow recently, so practicing English gives Armando something to look forward to. Today Bob talked with Alfonso, a young man who coaches soccer and works in the family restaurant. 
