Enjoying life after early retirement, while living in Mexico, traveling by RV in Mexico, getting involved in our Mexican community, and learning new, fun ways to get our daily exercise. Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico!
Yesterday was very rainy, probably due to Hurricane Vance passing by Puerto Vallarta. It was a perfect day to try out my rain poncho. I had carried it in my backpack for many miles during training for the Camino de Santiago. And I never needed it during my long Camino Inglรฉs walk in Spain, so it was time to try it out.
My mission was to find mayonnaise in a glass jar — no more plastic packaging in my refrigerator! I've been a Best Food mayonnaise lover since I was a child in Oregon. In Mexico, Hellmann's was the equivalent brand. I hoped to find this brand in a glass container, since every size I had ordered from La Comer was packaged in plastic.
My goal is to minimize plastic use. Mayonnaise is one of the few products I use that I haven't found packaged in glass. To see my other ideas, please check out my blog:
The Last Time I Will Buy Mayonnaise in a Plastic Container!
I was determined to walk 6000 steps, about 4.5 km, in this steady rain to reach my daily fitness goal. Few people were out, and the ones who were carried umbrellas or wore rain gear.
I headed into Colonia Amapas first because I wanted to check the Mini Super and Deli Amapas near home. The walk was rather dreary — though a few murals brightened the route. Even the rooster stood on the sidewalk under an overhang.
The first store I ducked into, Mini Super and Deli Amapas, had mayonnaise in many sizes. I was excited that all were in glass jars! But they were all McCormick's brand. I had tried it once years ago and couldn't get used to the flavor, but now was the time to learn to like it. I bought a medium-sized jar to try.
It was still raining when I stepped outside, so dark and dreary that lights controlled by sensors had come on in the Romantic Zone. Lighted palm trees looked pretty along my route to the beach, and the pier decor was lit up. I suddenly felt happy to be walking in the rain. It was 78 degrees outside and very comfortable, not like the Oregon rain I remembered. And so much cooler than the 92-degree temperatures we had experienced for weeks in Puerto Vallarta.
The boardwalk was missing in front of many restaurants, from Swell on the Beach to Si Seรฑor on the Beach. The wooden sections were stacked away from the surf with sandbags surrounding them to help keep the high tide away.
I skipped walking on the wet sand and headed to Los Muertos Pier street, Francisca Rodrรญguez, to check out Fruterรญa & Minisuper Barragรกn. I was surprised they also carried mayonnaise in glass jars! I was disappointed that, again, it was McCormick's brand, but I wanted to support the store, so I purchased another medium mayonnaise.
It was time to explore the Old Town Market, one of my favorite mini-supermarkets in the Romantic Zone. That would take me far enough from home to reach over 3000 steps, so I would achieve my goal when I returned.
The Disassembled Boardwalk and Sandbags
Fruterรญa & Minisuper Barragรกn Had Mayonnaise in Glass Jars, Too!
Old Town Market, Puerto Vallarta
The Old Town Market Had An Exceptionally Good Selection
The Old Town Market had an exceptionally good selection of mayonnaise, including a large jar of Best Foods, which had to have been imported from the United States. I squeezed every jar, and all were plastic except the McCormick's. I took another medium McCormick's jar to the cash register and told the cashier that I was writing a story about buying mayonnaise in glass. After I purchased it, I asked her to take my photo for this blog, and she wanted to include their sign outside the glass doors. Good idea!
I headed toward home, trying to avoid flooded streets, but it was impossible. Some intersections had become small creeks, and my shoes were soon soaked. The best I could do was avoid being splashed by passing cars and trucks.
I decided to stop at a cafe for a cup of hot herbal tea and to use their baรฑo. It was ironic that I chose A Page in the Sun, because there was not a bit of sun to be seen that day. I sat outside and gazed at the Tile Park across the street, enjoying the sound of the rain.
When I got home and dug the three medium-sized jars out of my backpack, I realized one had 20% more "gratis", a free bonus. I'm not sure which store carried that one, but they were all priced about the same, mas o menos. We would be eating a lot of tuna salad sandwiches in the coming year. But each time I used a scoop from a glass jar of McCormick's mayonnaise, I would be reminded that I was helping the environment.
I Bought Lots of Mayonnaise--All in Glass Jars. Almost Plastic-free.
Thank you for reading! Every small step toward reducing plastic makes a difference.
What are you doing to minimize your use of plastic? I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions. Please share in the comments below. We can all learn from one another!
Jon Golfing in San Pancho Sunday, August 31, 2014
Looking Back at Our Golfing Days ⛳
Golfing was the perfect excuse to take a leisurely
walk through this beautiful, tropical garden/golf course in San Pancho, enjoying the scenery as much as
the game. This was before we officially moved to Mexico, when we were still
living in our motorhome at the Sayulita Trailer Park. It was a favorite period
in our lives, filled with simple pleasures, adventures, and the freedom to come
and go as we pleased. Looking at these old photos brings back wonderful
memories of those days—and reminds me how much life has changed since then.
Terry Golfing at Field of Dreams 03-17-2017
Campo de Golf
Ensueรฑo, Monteรณn, Nayarit
After we purchased our casita in Sayulita, we discovered a
small, inexpensive golf course called Field of Dreams (Campo de Golf Ensueรฑo),
near Monteรณn, Nayarit. It was about 15 miles away by taxi, but that didn't stop
us from making the trip to enjoy a round of golf. Later, when we parked our
motorhome in Lo de Marcos, the course was only about four miles north on the
highway. It was a convenient little getaway and another way to enjoy Mexico's beautiful outdoors.
Now, life has come full circle in a different way. We've
sold our motorhome, and we're selling our RV lot in Lo de Marcos. We're also
letting go of our golf clubs and bags. These things hold memories of years
spent exploring, playing, and enjoying life together in Mexico. It's
bittersweet to say goodbye to them, but we're ready for the next chapter.
Men's
Left-Handed Delta X-4200 Golf Club Set + Bennington Bag – $3,500
Jon's Left-handed Delta X-4200 golf club set and Bennington Golf Bag
Complete left-handed golf set — ready to play!⛳️
Selling a men's left-handed Delta X-4200 golf club set with
a Bennington golf bag.
Includes:
·3,
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 irons
·Pitching
wedge (P)
·Sand
wedge
·Putter
·3
fairway woods: 3, 5, and 7
Bennington Golf Bag in Very Good Condition
·Bennington
golf bag with Snap-on Hood
The clubs have been lightly used, and the grips are in very
good condition. There is some normal cosmetic wear from use, but
overall they are in good condition.
Men's Left-Handed Delta X-4200 Golf Clubs, Lightly Used
Grips of Left-Handed Clubs in Very Good Condition
The clubs were used by a man approximately 5'10" tall.
$3,500 MXN for everything.
๐
Puerto Vallarta, Col. Emiliano Zapata
Great complete set for a left-handed golfer looking for an affordable set
without having to buy clubs individually.
Carrying the Symbol of My Burden on the Camino Inglรฉs
Before I walked the Camino Inglรฉs from Ferrol to Santiago de
Compostela, I learned about a tradition that touched me deeply.
Pilgrims sometimes carry an object with personal meaning in
their backpack—a rock, a seashell, a bracelet, a photograph, or another small
memento representing something they are carrying emotionally. Somewhere along
the Camino, they leave that object behind.
The symbolism is simple and powerful: You lay down your burden and continue walking.
For me, I decided to carry a rock.
This Heart-Shaped Rock Represented My Burden
Before leaving Puerto Vallarta, I walked along Playa Los Muertos looking
for a heart-shaped stone—preferably one that looked like a broken heart. It
would represent the load I carried, trying to be a caregiver for my husband
with Parkinson’s disease, from afar.
He had moved out of our home over a year ago, yet still asked for my help at times. He
wanted to live independently, but sometimes struggled with decision-making,
especially regarding meals. I was grappling with being a caregiver from a mile
away and still allowing him the freedom he wanted.
As I walked the beach, I found a small, multicolored reddish rock with dark veins
running through it. It was roughly heart-shaped. Close enough.
When I got home, it dried and turned an ugly orange. I
considered going back to the beach to find a better one. A prettier one. A perfect
one.
Then I caught myself. No one would see this rock but me. It
wasn't supposed to be perfect. It was a symbol.
I rinsed the salt off, and as it got wet, something
magical happened. It turned red again.
I watched it dry and change back to its homely orange color.
I smiled. It was perfect after all—a little reminder that things can look
completely different depending on how we see them.
My New Gregory Maya 20L Women's Backpack
I packed it in my new red backpack.
And then I carried that little broken-heart rock more than 120
kilometers across northern Spain, from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela.
As
I walked, I looked for the right place to leave it.
I saw stones, seashells, and Camino bracelets
piled on top of the granite kilometer markers along the trail. But those places
didn't feel right for me.
This Kilometer Marker had Many Mementos on Top
One day I stood on a hill overlooking farmland and forests and thought
about how much my husband had always loved building homes on hills with a view. Should I leave it here?
View of Farmland and Forests from a Hilltop on the Camino Inglรฉs
But I realized this wasn't about Jon.
It was about me.
So I kept walking. I knew I would recognize the right place when I found it. And if I didn't, I would carry the rock home.
Or perhaps throw it into a river or stream somewhere in Galicia. Maybe into
the Eume River Estuary in Pontedeume on my 70th birthday? Water has always been my happy place.
Video: Camino Inglรฉs—My CaminoTranquilo
Day 3.
The
Eume River Estuary in Pontedeume, Galicia, Spain.
I looked for the right place to lay down my heart-shaped rock every day during the eleven
days of walking my CaminoTranquilo, my slow Camino. I didn’t
feel any place was right for laying down my burden.
When I arrived at the Cathedral de Santiago, still carrying my broken-heart
stone, I thought about leaving it somewhere in the plaza. I walked around the majestic
cathedral several times over the next few days, and nothing felt right. With so
many pilgrims and tourists visiting the popular resting place of St. James, nowhere
was private enough for my personal ritual.
Terry Turrell Arrived at the Cathedral de Santiago
Then, on my last day in Spain, I traveled by bus to Finisterre—the “end of
the earth.”
There I stood before the intensely blue, almost cerulean Atlantic
Ocean, watching waves crash against enormous granite boulders.
Finisterre—the “End of the Earth".
Blue Water of the Atlantic Ocean
And then I saw it.
A tall granite cross, perhaps ten feet high, standing on a pedestal atop
a massive boulder. Around its base were stones, seashells, notes,
and other small mementos left by pilgrims.
The Granite Cross at Finisterre, Galicia
This was one of the places where pilgrims traditionally leave something
behind, to symbolically release their burdens and troubles.
I thought, Is this where I should leave my rock? But somehow, it didn't feel right.
I wandered away from the crowds and climbed onto an enormous granite
boulder overlooking the ocean.
I sat alone in the sunshine, listening to the waves crashing far below.
And suddenly I knew. I pulled my little rock from my backpack.
In the bright sunlight, it looked even homelier than I remembered—orange
with gray veins running through it. I placed it in a bed of greenish-gray lichen on the giant granite
boulder.
My Broken-Heart Rock on a Lichen-Covered Granite Boulder
It looked incredibly small and insignificant against the enormous stone
beneath it.
Then I had an idea. I took out my water bottle and poured a few drops
over the rock. It began to turn red.
I poured a little more. The color deepened.
A few more drops, and a tiny stream of water trickled down the side of
the boulder.
It looked as though my broken heart was crying.
My Broken-Heart Rock Was Red, And Crying
And in that moment, I was ready. I left the rock at Finisterre.
For me, it represented letting go of my need to control someone I love.
Letting go of the constant worry. Letting go of the belief that I could somehow
make another person's choices better.
I could still love.
I could still help.
I could still offer suggestions.
But I didn't have to control.
I walked away feeling lighter.
The Camino didn't magically solve anything. The hard work was still ahead
of me.
The real journey would be learning to become more patient, more
compassionate, and gentler with myself—and with the person I love.
I had walked more than 120 kilometers carrying that little rock.
But somewhere at the end of the earth, I finally realized that I
didn't have to carry it anymore.
Maybe that's what the Camino does.
Sometimes we walk hundreds of kilometers to discover that the burden we
have been carrying was never meant to come all the way home with us.
Ultreรฏa.
Onward. ๐❤️
Terry L Turrell, Author
At the Finisterre Kilometer 00 Granite Camino Marker
"The End of the World", The End of My Journey
My experience on the Camino also brought me back to a theme I explore in my novel Mexico For Better or For Worse: the emotional burden of loving and caring for someone with Parkinson’s disease. In the third novel of the series, Jake and Lindsay face advancing Parkinson’s, suspected dementia, medication challenges, and the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic while trying to hold onto their life in Mexico. Their story is fictional, but many of the emotions surrounding love, caregiving, and letting go come from real-life experience.
In the
third novel of this riveting series, a couple faces insurmountable odds,
battling advancing Parkinson’s disease, access to medication, and other
healthcare challenges in Mexico while the world is gripped by the coronavirus
pandemic.
Jake
and Lindsay fell in love with Sayulita, Mexico. As long-time partners, lovers,
and best friends, they have endured Jake’s illnesses, bipolar disorder,
shifting from manic phases to depression, and Parkinson's disease over the past
few years. But now, a new unpredictable catastrophe has turned their world
upside down.