I spent my sixtieth birthday doing nothing spectacular - checked out the local art gallery, did some window shopping, started reading a book by Isabel Allende. I also took the first of the Spanish classes I've seen posted at the office. It was disappointing. It was a class for people who hadn't figured out how to say "Buenos dias" yet, and it really didn't go anywhere. I'll check out the slightly more advanced class on Thursday morning, but I don't expect much.

Before class this morning, I went to the office to pay for another month here. Silvano, the young man at the desk, adjusted our first week's rent to the monthly rate, threw a few extra days in to adjust for the shortness of February, and gave me a Totonaka t-shirt. What a deal. We are all paid up to March 26.

http://www.totonakarv.com/contact.html

R and I have decided that tomorrow we will unhook the rv and drive to Guaymas, leaving a table and chairs to mark our spot against invaders (It seems that half of Canada is in San Carlos now, trolling for hookups). We will stop at the estuary, tie the canoe to a ring and lock it, then drive in to Guaymas to look around. We will just leave the canoe at the estuary. That way we can cycle over and go for a paddle whenever we like.

Although the Spanish class was a dud, I do look forward to the cooking classes. I'm becoming absolute dynamite at cooking beans, and Maria's classes should expand my horizons considerably. Wednesday's class is on the varieties of chiles, and on Friday morning there's a field trip to the mercado in Guaymas. Each of us is to decide in advance what kind of salsa she wishes to make, and Maria will help us buy the appropriate ingredients. When we come back from Guaymas, we'll all retire to our own homes and make our various salsas. At 330 in the afternoon, we'll get together for show and tell and eat. sigh.