Relaxing, rejuvenating on the Caribbean...

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This is THE life (sigh). If there's a better life somewhere else, at this moment I can't imagine it and hell one shouldn't be too greedy should one?

It was one of our better decisions to vacation here in Playa. Ten more days to go...sheesh, talk about hard work 😊 Hard work is trying to keep your straw from flying out of your margarita glass on the beach...now that's work. OK you guys are going to kill me right now, unless some of you are experiencing the same fun times on summer vacation.

It's RELAX-VILLE here right now...How do you get to RELAX-VILLE you ask? Drive to the airport, take a flight to Cancun, and within 45 minutes arrive at Luna. Go through the gates, take a right to luxury then then a left into RELAX-VILLE 😊.

I would love to uplift a 30 foot palm tree and ship it home if I could. You just need to look at a palm tree and your body immediately sighs. A picture of a palm tree always screams Tropical Vacation. We have a few big trees outside our condo on the beach, and day and night they sway softly back and forth. Every once and a while you'll see a coconut fall but they do keep them groomed. Once Marth got hit in the head with a coconut and things have never been the same with her. OR wait a minute, was it that one time she fell out of her high chair as a baby??? Heh heh...Even Marth is laughing over this one...Just kiddin around y'all. Did you know that palm trees are known for peace, victory and fertility? Runner up to the palm tree for fertility is a woman walking by in a bikini (that's for all you googly eyed men!)

Saturday was tres caliente (hot) but Marth & I decided to do some exploring in Playa. We toured around, stuck our foot in some new stores, and ended up at this lighting store called Nisi Onyx Decoration that is amazing. All of the product they carry is onyx which is very popular here. Onyx is a semi-precious form of chalecedony which is composed of silicone dioxide popularly known as quartz. It is heavy but it's striking. Throughout history onyx has been thought to bring powers of protection, magic and also was used as an aid to contact those who have deceased. Onyx is supposed to bring increased vigour, strength, stamina and self control. It alleviates worry, and tension...Well then, sure glad I got us some onyx!

The owner says he has 10 people working in a factory producing his product; it's tough work because the ovens are so hot and they have to wear masks etc.

Their lights, are of all sizes and shapes, some can be hanging lights for a kitchen or dining room, or lights that can be table top lights. All of them are individually hand made of onyx and each is distinctive. There was so much to look at and take in that I just had to take pictures. We're going back to see the store lit up at night. Lucky us there was a 30% off sale, so we bought a beautiful table light (see pic below) and a onyx turtle. We un packaged the light when we got home and it's so beautiful when plugged in. Me thinks we will be going back for another one. We see onyx used here in tabletops, bathrooms, floors, kitchen islands and walls etc. so it's a popular choice due to its durability too.

For stone lovers, it's a hard to agree on which stone is the most beautiful because there are so many beautiful distinct stones, but many agree the single stone that rises above all is the onyx due to its cryptocrystalline (made of minute forms of crystal). Even in its unrefined state it is unique, intriguing and beautiful. It's been used since the golden ages by Greeks & Romans and used in everything from jewellery to currency. Hell if it's good enough for the ancient Greeks and Romans, it's more than good enough for an Irish gal from the Ottawa Valley 😉 (I'll be the envy of my friends when they see my light...you just wait and see Sue, Manon, Maureen, Linda, Nicky 😊 the girls of the round table (or in our case the girls of the rectangle table!) Three of you gals are also celebratin' birthdays this month; see you in the backyard in two weeks 😊

Anyhow, it was amazing to see all the different items they sell all made from this stone. I am SO happy with our purchases. I will have a lot of ammo for my work blog when the time comes (see Tonya, it's worth putting me up for 3 weeks right???)

We walked another 20 blocks to a sea shell light store that has become one of must visit stores while here. We chatted with the owner, and he is very aware of shell sustainability so that his fishermen aren't removing live shells from their environment. His store is stunning; his collection of shells and how he makes them into lights using the very best materials is noteworthy. We bought a couple of lights, and if it weren't for our weight restriction on our flight, well...there might have been a few more lights bought. Yes I have a T-shirt that says, "I love lights"...

Later in the day we stopped at Calle Ocho for a drink with the gang. The staff is welcoming as always. They told us every Sunday night they have live music; an acoustic guitarist who also plays sax too, one of my favorite instruments so we went for dinner there last night. (will talk more about that later...)

Sat. night Al & I lost our mind; we dared to venture to Walmart at 8PM. OMG it was packed to the rafters; people were stalking up I guess due to Domingo being their day off. I almost and I say almost bribed 3 young lads in front of us to let me go past them. But that would be out of character so we waited and waited and well waited so long that any frozen items we had, had lost their freeze.

Finally we got home and Marth made grilled garlic chicken with a penne pasta with Parmesan. Boneless fresh chicken at Wal Mart is only 79 pesos for 2 pounds...(that would be $6.45 CDN). It was all very tasty and just so nice to relax and not go anywhere.

We watched a few movies cozied up with the kids, with our balcony windows open and a soft ocean breeze pouring in. It was a quiet night around the condo, as busy as it's getting here, most people are going off to do things at night and it's wonderful to sit on the balcony with the ocean views and warm night air and hear yourself think. Or read a book and feel so relaxed that you could slide off your chair! (seen it done, won't give any names 😊

I don't know how I manage to write y'all a blog a day and I'm still behind? I have yesterday yet to cover, which includes an almost jet ski rental (we were ready to go but Ava felt sick), and then a lovely dinner at Calle Ocho with live music.

It seems after 2 weeks here and the way the days blend together, I have to look at the pics to remember what the heck we did 😊

Tropical Alzheimers...or Tropical Margaritas makes one forget things too. However, on the upside did you know that 3 margaritas count towards your daily serving of fruit? Yessiree...hiccup burp!

Well I will sign off for now. Some lad is bringing me a tropical drink and this computer is in the way. PS two yes two pages of pics below!

I sure hope you are all in the throws of vacation too; and if not, you all find a corner of the world just for yourself, to lay on a lounger in your backyard, or sit by a pool with a good book or sit in the a/c doing whatever makes you happy. I will leave you with this thought; summer is fleeting, grab it by the knickers and run with it before it knows what happened to it!

On that note, Maya Angelou says it best...

“Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”

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