PV (almost

Robert Earl Keen Concert at the Fraze

We met Co & Gabe and Larry & Brenda in Dayton Friday night for a concert at the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering. What a great facility. It was outside and a beautiful evening. Greencard opened followed by Sara Watkins and finally Robert Earl Keen. He was great! You weren't supposed to take pictures so I snuck out my iphone and made a mini video :)

Painting the Pole 8-)

We have a sewer pipe sticking up in our side yard. The water company was supposed to cut it off four years ago but so far it has never happened. :( A couple of years ago Dennis painted it green but it started to rust so Dennis and Hannah next door (age 9) decided to paint a design on it. Her brothers Billy (8) and Brian (3) helped too. 8-)

Below are some pictures and videos of the project. Isn't Dennis just the best "Uncle " ever?!

Facebook page for Watterson Class of 1966

If you click on this link you can become a fan of my high school class on Facebook :)

Bishop Watterson High School Class of 1966 on Facebook

Doo Dah Parade

On the 4th of July Dennis and I walked alongside a classic old Checker cab owned by our friends, the Glassman's, who own yellow cab in Columbus. The Yellow cab phone number is 444-4444. Amy says "when on all 4's call all 4's" ;) so Jeff had tee shirts made that say that with a cute clip art design of a guy with a spilled drink on all fours. There also was a sign on top of the checker with the same slogan. We walked the parade route (carrying empty beer bottles) and people would read the sign aloud and laugh. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of it, plus the checker cab is beautiful. It also gave a good message about not drinking and driving. The Doo Dah (in the Short North) is known for its funny political, topical and satirical messages.

Fireworks on Buckeye Lake July 3, 2009

Fireworks over Buckeye Lake as seen from our boat (and about a thousand other boats!). They call it Blasst and it costs $60,000! Money from John Wolfe's estate (his family owns Journal Island on the lake) and additonal monies collected all year long pay for it. We had the radio tuned in and the simulcast was great. :) Here are a couple of good ones. Turn up your speakers!

Dayton Babies

We went to Larry & Brenda's for a Memorial Day picnic and all the little ones were there. :) Mandy & Josh have three children and her cousins Stacey and Natalie were there with their babies. I got some great pictures. They are all adorable.  How nice to have all these young cousins growing up together. 

And do they ever grow up so fast! It is hard to believe that Chloe will be 7 in August. Riley Kate just turned 4 and Carter is 8 months in these pictures. He will be one in September. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Josh! Carter looks just like him. :)

Stacey and Ross have a little boy Ross who is 18 months old and her sister Natalie and her husband Dave had a beautiful baby girl, Payton in January. Stacey & Natalie are Joan's sister Linda's daughters. 

Double click to enlarge the slideshow. :)

This is a very cute but short video of Carter on the swing ;)

Grant Thomas Miller

We arrived home from Mexico on May 4. I told Emily all along that she was very thoughtful to wait until we returned to have the baby. ;)  He was due on Mother's Day, May 10.  We all were at Tom & Deb's that day and Em was more than ready to have the baby, but he wasn't....as a matter of fact he waited 9 more days!

On May 19 Em was in labor and we all gathered at St. Ann's awaiting the big event. They would not disclose the name in advance so we were all waiting to see what the tag said when he finally came out, ha, ha (That was Dennis' line...) ;),  Grant Thomas Miller. He was big! 8# 1 oz and 20.75 inches long! What a beautiful baby! 

Double click on the slideshow to make it full screen.

Baldy had a great time in PV ;)

Nancy brought Baldy to PV and he was having such a good time she left him for the rest of the winter! It gets pretty cold for such a little guy in Chicago :( He had some amazing adventures that I wanted to share with you. If you are on Facebook you might want to become a friend with Baldy Blank if you are not already. He has been sharing some of his adventures with his Facebook friends. He just flew back to Chicago in time to get his Elvis Tee shirt that Nancy brought him from Graceland (he was very sorry he missed that trip!) then he left yesterday for Nassau with Amy & Jacquie. I am looking forward to those pictures. :) Bonnie already thinks Baldy needs to go to AA ;) it might be even worse after this trip......

Be sure and double click to enlarge the slideshow. You can also adjust the time for each slide.

Sandy & Jeff - our last guests :)

We had a fantastic 4 months! Sandy and Jeff were our last guests and they timed their trip for the International Fireworks Symposium and Jeff's 60th birthday :).

Double click to enlarge the slideshow.

Fireworks Videos :)

Here are some videos I took of fireworks from the International Fireworks Symposium held in Puerto Vallarta from April 20-24, 2009. Be sure and look at the previous blog too. It tells about the fireworks with some slideshows and other pictures.

Press the arrow on the lower left and turn up your sound for the videos.

This a finale from the second night, on the Malecon.

Look closely to see the castillos spinning around before smoke obscures it.

This is a short video from the daytime castillos.




More from the Malecon

International Fireworks Festival 2009 in PV

Puerto Vallarta hosted the International Fireworks Festival last week. Mexico has a type of fireworks display called "Castillo's" that are unique and seen few other places in the world. This was an opportunity to show these to fireworks designers from around the world. There were over 300 in attendance and we saw people from China, Hong Kong, Phililpines, Austrailia, Poland, Spain, Germany, Italy, England, Scotland, even someone who had on a Disney World badge!

The castillo's, which means castles, look like giant erector sets. Those at night often light up words as well as designs. They spin and change from one thing to another. In the day the ones we saw had dolls like a pink panther riding a motorcycle, trapeze artists swinging back and forth and helicopters that actually flew off the top of the towers into the air then blew up! These were truly amazing and like nothing we have ever seen. I have some pictures and some videos. They do not do any of it justice but might give you some idea of how wonderful of a week we had.

On sunday they were at the Sheraton where the opening party was held followed by a Fireworks display. We had to miss a dinner party at Ruth & Elaine's at the Holiday Inn Sea River Tower. :( We did see the fireworks. The castillos were small and did not come out in the pictures but the fireworks came out pretty well.

On all of the slideshows you can double click to enlarge. :)

The second night we went to dinner for my birthday first then went to our friends Graham and Barb who live right on the Malecon. We went up to their roof deck and watched from there. I got some good videos. If you look closely you can see the castillos twirling around. :)

On Tuesday we went to a luncheon at the Sheraton hosted by Sheila & Silver. We walked across to the beisbol field where the daytime castillos were. These are the ones with the munecas, dolls.

Thursday night I hosted a late supper for about 25 people. The castillos and fireworks were right in front of our terrace and we had a fantastic view. During the day Seapal decided to work on the water main in our neighborhood and we had no water until 6pm - we were a little worried but fortunately it was back on for the party! ;)

Friday was a great party at Helen Connor's where we saw the fireworks at the Westin closing dinner from her gorgeous 14th floor wraparound balconies at the Peninsula. I have a good video from this event.

I will post the videos in the next blog. :)

Janie's Birthday

We squeezed in dinner at Barcelona. This week is the International Fireworks Festival in PV and we have a party about every day! After dinner we hurried to a friends rooftop party. ;) 61 is not the big occasion last year was.....


As always you can click the slideshow to enlarge the pictures. :)

Hat Party at Puerta del Cielo

We attended a "Hat Party" - a benefit for the SPCA in PV. They have done an amazing job getting dogs and cats adopted out and off the streets. It was held in the Puerta del Cielo, the incredibly beautiful chapel that is owned by Janice Chatterton who owns Hacienda San Angel. It is right across the street looking out on the church and the bay. double click to enlarge the slideshow. :)

Click the arrow for a 3 second video! :)

Good Friday Passion Play in Puerto Vallarta

Last year I took more pictures and even took a video. This year I only have a few pictures. I was not able to get a good view of the Crucifixtion this year. Besides the actual passion play with actors on the Malecon, in our neighborhood various houses set up altars for each station of the cross and the neighbors follow it together. I got a few pictures of that at the end.

double click to enlarge the slideshow. :)

The Greenspan's FINALLY visit PV! :)

We have waited for years and the day finally arrived for a Greenspan visit! Bonnie, Robert, Matthew and his good buddy John arrived monday April 6. The visit was too short but we packed a lot into a few days. They departed April 11. I think a good time was had by all. On Friday they went on an incredible zipline, rapelling, boat, truck, mule adventure but because you get wet no pictures- even Bonnie did this!!

Double click to enlarge the slideshow. :)

The Stickrath Family in PV

Tom & Denise brought the girls down for Spring Break! The week just flew by. :) The guys were after Kelsey which came as no surprise.... and Kylie & Kelsey have both inherited the shopping gene from Denise. ;) They had some fun at the pool and the beach and just exploring PV.


Double click to make the slideshow fullscreen

Julie, Chris Carter & Alex visit us in PV

I am so slow in getting this visit posted. :( I had some trouble getting the pictures loaded but finally, here they are! We had a great time and I think they all did too.I have already seen most of these pictures on their facebook pages. :)

Double click to enlarge ;)

I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing!

There are so many fine restaurants in PV and we have eaten at our share of them! These are just a few of the highlights. I wish I had Di's photos - she takes a picture of just about every meal. ;)

Double click to enlarge the slideshow. :)

Primavera

Friday was a field day for the kids in PV. They were celebrating the first day of Spring, "Primavera" and we saw a cute children's parade. :)

Click on the slideshow to enlarge it.

Amy and Amigos in PV :)

We had a great week with Amy, Estelle, Greg, John & Baldy in PV :)

Double click to enlarge the slideshow. :)

Ellen's Birthday Fiesta :)

Ellen Reynolds had a fabulous birthday party last night! She said it would be many years again before her actual birthday falls on a Saturday so she decided to go for it. She rented out a small neighborhood restaurant called "La Revolucion". It is just down 2 blocks from us on Matamoras. Half of the area was under roof and half open air so it was a delightful space. She had 5 tables of 6 each. She did a seating chart so no one was seated at a table with their partner. Then she mixed it up constantly and we ended up at every table. She had a trio similar to mine early on then she had a DJ (her dentist's assistant and her boyfriend) and she had brought down some CD's of mixes of her old favorites. Some of this stuff I hadn't heard in years it was a great time! :) People danced for hours! She had numerous courses of appetizers like a shrimp and bacon tortilla with guac to die for then big platters of ribs and chicken and fish and shrimp and rice and vegetables then flan. Incredibly delicious! They had the owner of the restaurant's son Simon and a young waitress, Evita, (family member probably) in purple hot pants outfit (!) (I have a picture of Dennis dancing with her!) who served us and I mean she would be pouring red wine from one hand and white from the other, pitchers of margaritas and beer and tequila. Many people were very inebriated including Dennis! ;) Then these two servers also danced with us. It totally reminded us of the scene from Night of the Iguana when Pepe and Paco were dancing with Ava Gardner! They were even shaking maracas!

Double click to enlarge the slideshow:)

I also shot a brief video of Ellen singing to "Dancing Queen" ;)

Mike & Nancy Barr's visit to PV :)

Mike & Nancy have not been here before and from the look of it I think they had a great time! We sure enjoyed having them. Michael is in serious training for the Boston Marathon and ran about 15 miles a day down here!

Double click on the slideshow to enlarge. :)

Ruth's 85th Birthday Fiesta

Our dear friend, Ruth Doll, celebrated her 85th birthday and her daughter Elaine threw a dinner party. It was delightful! I got some good pictures. Ruth does not even come close to looking or acting her age. :)

Double click on the slideshow to enlarge it.

Joan and Bob are Back in PV

I am so belated in getting this blog posted! Lo siento!

Bob and Joan were back in PV! We had a great visit, as always! They know PV and a lot of our friends so it was natural for them to be here when we had our fiesta. They were a big help. Here are few highlights of their visit.

As always, double click on the slideshow to enlarge the size.

La Fiesta en Casa mas Casa 2/21/2009

We had a great fiesta at Casa mas Casa on saturday evening! We had about 50 guests and I got pictures of most but not quite all of you....so if I missed you...lo siento :(

Double click to enlarge the slideshow. :)



Below is a quick video of Los Palomos performing out on the terrace.
T this is for you..... ;)

Mary & Martin Visit PV

Mary & Martin had never been to Puerto Vallarta before. They seemed to really enjoy it. :) We had a great time and packed a lot into one week!

Click on the slideshow to make it larger. :)

Nancy & Andon in PV

We had a great week together! Nancy showed Andon PV and we showed them both how to play Dominoes! Now we are all hooked :)

Click to enlarge the slideshow.

Quinceñara

Our housekeeper Erika's daughter, Iliana, had her Quinceñara (15th birthday celebration) saturday. We were invited to the Misa (mass) at 5:00 complete with 10 mariachis! It was just amazing! I got some wonderful photos. :)

Double click on the slideshow for a full screen view.

Diane and Bob in PV

Diane brought Bob and they had too short of a visit, arriving on Tuesday afternoon and departing on Sunday morning. They were supposed to get here on monday but they missed their connection in Phoenix and had to stay overnight there. :(

But the days were warm and sunny and they made the most of the trip, going on the house tour, the Art walk, a special cooking dinner, and lots of shopping and eating outside.

Double click on the slideshow to make it larger. :)

Amy at the Inauguration

Amy was fortunate enough to be invited to the inauguration by her close friend Todd, who is chief of staff for Ohio's first lady, Frances Strickland. Todd's brother, Geoff, flew down from NYC and they all stayed together at the Mayflower. I have created a slideshow for one set of the pictures from the parade and the Balls and and the ones to the Gala are a link to a professional photographers site. Regardless of your politics I am sure it was a thrill to be there. ;)

As usual you need to double click on the slideshow to blow it up. :)



Here are the three links:

http://nannettebedway.zenfolio.com/p485031718/e38a215cb

http://nannettebedway.zenfolio.com/p485031718/e37e83588

http://nannettebedway.zenfolio.com/p485031718/e3456babf

Anna & Bob visit PV

We just finished a week with our good friends, and first guests, Bob & Anna Moone. Anna had a new, wonderful camera with a 5X zoom and so consequently most of the pictures were taken on their camera....but I thought I would quickly post a slideshow of what few I have. I am coveting her camera! ;)

Double click to view a full-sized slideshow :)

Taco Stand

Tuesday our friend, Fred Forbes from St. John, New Brunswick, took us to a favorite taco stand. So far we have never had the nerve to try one....we had giant deep fried shrimp (camarones) tacos for 13 pesos each which works out to about 99 cents with the excellent exchange rate we are enjoying this year. :) We added cervezas and we were happy campers. Today at Sam's Club in PV we bought 12 pack bottles of Corona for about $5 USD with the exchange rate :). Life is good and life is warm and sunny. We are thinking about you back home and worrying that you do not lose your heat. :( The minus temperatures scare us!

Wine Label Party

This was a fantastic evening! Our PV friends, Pattie & Barry, hosted this great party. The food was delicious and the wine flowed. :) The company was the best! A very creative group. The presentation of the wines was pure theater. I had to go first and had not attended before so I was a little lame but the winners were sensational. They know how to sell a product! ;) I apologize that some of my pictures did not turn out that well but hopefully you can see how clever and topical they were! If you double click you can blow up the slideshow. Then click slideshow for a full screen view. You might want to up slideshow to 6 seconds or so per slide to read the labels. :)

Back in Puerto Vallarta!

We are so very happy to be back in PV with warmth and sunshine. :) They are just now past the celebration of the three kings and Christmas decorations are only starting to come down today. her eis my first group of pictures. Enjoy! :)

Double click to make a full-size slideshow.

Christmas 2008 - Finally getting posted!

I am very belated in getting the rest of our Holiday activites on the blog. :(
Here we are in PV and I am finally finding the time to catch up. :)

There are three slideshows: one for our family Christmas party at Casa Blanka on Dec. 20, one for Carter Napier's (Mandy's new baby) baptism on Dec. 21 in Dayton, and finally Christmas activities in Chicago. Enjoy!

Double click on the slideshow to make it full-screen sized. :)