I'm the cat that got the cream. I just had the perfect ending to a day that, while not perfect, was pretty damned good. It started with a good book and a swim, of course.

Actually, no, it started with an earthquake - but I didn't know that until later. I guess that must be what woke me up, but I just thought it was Robin moving around in the RV.

I did notice one unusual thing. Last night, there was a strange sound outside our compound. I remember thinking that it sounded as if somebody kept elephants next door. This morning, the sound resolved itself into the braying of a donkey. It's funny. I've seen lots of donkeys in Mexico, but none right here in the neighbourhood. Maybe somebody keeps one in the house! ;>)

We decided to stay here in Zihuatanejo until Monday because it's so lovely, we don't want to go. Besides, there's a restaurant down the beach that's going to televise the Super Bowl tomorrow, so why do we need to hurry away? That meant no early start, no packing, just a leisurely hour of reading followed by a swim.

After the swim, there was business to be done . Robin went out to buy another couple of tires, because he wants all four rear wheels replaced before we head east. TJ, Kris and I went downtown to drop off all our dirty laundry. Well, we thought we were going to a laundromat, but it turned out that we didn't actually have to stay there and do our own laundry, so we didn't. We left the laundry, went out to lunch, shopped along the many little streets downtown, and checked out the public market for vegetables. I got a couple of t-shirts for the grandbabies and an outfit for myself. When we just couldn't walk any farther, we got a cab home. Then we went swimming.

The laundry was to be finished by 7:00 this evening, so at about 6:30, Kris and I went back downtown, where we found a little shop full of little gifts to take to our families. That was fun. We were wandering around in the dark (or as dark as it gets downtown in the evening), trying to figure out where the laundry was, beginning to get just a little worried as the 8:00 closing time approached. Then we saw him, our knight in shining taxi. We flagged him down, arranged our trip, and got to the laundry with time to spare. We loaded the car with the knight's help, then came home.

Now here we come to the only fly in the ointment. This is a gated community, this little oasis of an RV park, but each couple only gets one key. Robin has ours. TJ has theirs. Kris and I got out of the cab, staggered to the door with our laundry bags, knocked -

and knocked and knocked and rattled the door and made all the dogs bark. And yelled and screamed and rang the doorbell on the main house. And knocked and yelled some more and shook the gate and made the dogs bark some more. And swore. Finally, one of my yells produced a result. Pam, one of the neighbours, came to the door and let us in, apologizing for not responding sooner. She and her husband, Joe, were here at our RV, sitting outside with Robin, watching videos of our English narrowboat trips. They were so engrossed, they didn't hear the knocking or rattling or yelling. They did hear the dogs bark, but nobody thought anything of it. TJ was in his camper. He heard the dogs, too.

Never mind - after that came the good stuff:

I made my bed and put all the laundry away, then put my bathing suit and headed back to the pool. Nobody was at home in the main house, and nobody had turned on the lights by the pool. No problem. I know where there's a light switch - right by the basketball hoop. I got into the pool and turned on the light, shot a few hoops, then happened to look up and see the sky. I went right over and turned the light off, then floated around in the dark water, gazing up at the sky, trying to locate familiar constellations in still-unfamiliar places. My gaze was caught by the basketball, which glows in the dark, so I rolled it around in the water for a few minutes, a little full moon in a dark sky to contrast with the crescent moon in the star-spangled sky above me.

I think this is as good as it gets.