We did get to stay on at Paradise Village so we immediately got flight reservations to return to Auburn to see how the sale of the house was going.  We wanted to be around when all the inspections were being done so it was perfect timing to head north.  We also had Carrie Krisha’s wedding on January 27, so we would fly to Sacramento first.  On the way back to the boat we would spend three days in Phoenix.  Being back in the Auburn house seemed different for most of our personal mementos were packed away and there was hardly anything left in the cupboards or pantry.  We did get to see several of our friends, Betsy attended a Caring Hearts Society meeting where she reconnected with some awesome Auburn women, and both Hank and Betsy got the stomach flu.  Just to make sure that it was not something we had brought back from Mexico, we went in for a group of tests.  Betsy went to Las Vegas and got to visit with her mom and stay in her sister’s new house.  It was a short visit but she did get to go out to dinner once, take Mom to the eye doctor, shop for new pants for her and eat some great home cooking.  While Betsy was in Las Vegas, her younger sister flew to Santa Cruz to meet her first grand baby.  Vida and John’s daughter Keikilani and son-in-law, Jason had a baby girl on January 12th.  While Betsy was in Las Vegas she was able to get Marge’s computer and printer up and running.  We then got to smile at the pictures of our newest family member, Chiara McKay.

 We weren’t in Auburn very long having arrived on Wednesday the 17^th and flying to Phoenix on the 26^th.  We caught up with our daughter who was in the wedding party that night.  She had brought the current mail and a few Christmas cards.  It is always fun to hear what others are doing.  The next morning we took Jennifer over to the hotel where they were all to have their hair and make up done.  It was fun to check in with Patti and Don, who we have known for so long.  We did some errands for Jennifer, grabbed a bite to eat and headed to the church for the 2:00pm wedding.  It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception was even better.  We were told that the last people closed it down at 12 but we left about 10:45.  You know that all that dancing really takes it out of you.

 Up the next morning we had a quick breakfast at Carrie and Jeff’s home and then drove the rental car back to the airport.  Our plane was to leave at 1:50 but it was late so we got to Puerto Vallarta around 5.  We couldn’t get a taxi for a reasonable price so we got on the bus with our suitcases.  That is not something I would recommend but it is possible to do.  We got to the boat, aired it out, stowed our gear and went out to the Italian restaurant in Paradise Village.  Our first task, Monday morning was to head into town and do some grocery shopping.

 We wanted to give a little tour of Paradise Village where we have been staying for the last two months.  Paradise Village is a marina, time share, and five star hotel. The vegetation or planting around the hotel is beautiful.  There is a small zoo with two tigers, bob cats, parrots, and spider monkeys. Wild peacocks wonder the grounds.   The beach front offers two beach restaurants and many beach lounges with palm frown umbrellas. There are several pools.  The two main pools are at the beach front.  Each pool has a dragon slide, a spa, and an activity department that keeps things active in the late afternoon with games etc.  The other pool is considered the quiet pool for those who just like to relax with out games. 

 The yacht club is a full service club.  Besides great food, they offer many weekly activities.  Gringo Bingo, movie night, bead classes, Spanish lessons and special parties like New Year's Eve and Super bowl Sunday are some of the activities.  During super bowl weekend, there was also Junior Regatta where youngsters showed off their sailing skills. 

 We are spending this week finishing up on our web site to finally get it up to speed and to make it easy to work on.  We will also be doing a lot of provisioning for we would like to depart Paradise Village next week and start sailing further south.  We know that we will not find as many grocery stores or supplies so readily available as they are here.  Provisioning means loading up the freezer with seal-a-meal items and putting some fresh vegetables into the refrigerator.  It also means stowing all the items that have been out in the main cabin but will not travel well in their present position.