1/1/2003 Happy new year! Another great feast at the casa of Alicia and Marcos. We all went to the baille at about 2:00am and the whole town was there! A wild night of dancing and beer and back home around time for the sun to come up. It was great to see Jenny and Vladimir of Graton there!

1/2/03 Crudo! Hungover...actually the whole town is. Even the tortilliaria is closed today . Family is still here from Guadalajara. More food and stories. A good beach day lots of locals not working and relaxing on the beach with their families.

1/3/03 Death... Delores, father of Sammy and Arelia and many more, past away in the night of a heart attack. He was a young 62. I remember the many days I passed his candy stand / tienda by the basketball court and exchanged a greeting. The whole town is mourning. His kids had just left for the states after a holiday visit and were called in Tepic to return. The custom here is to visit the house and bring some type of offering to the family. A pound of sugar, cookies, ect. Yelapense sat quietly for 3 days reflecting on Delores. At times the whole neighborhood was filled. He definitely had a good voyage with all this help. For the next 9 days people gather at the house to pray .

1/7/03 Well I dont know about the theory of three.. But last night Liberato died. Liberato was a powerful man in Yelapa. He started the first water taxi and his daughter runs the first store Hortentia's. He owns the baille hall and numerous properties. He was one of the original families here in Yelapa .He was sick for some time so It might have been a good thing. I find it amazing that today his headstone was made by a group of volunteers and tommorrow he will be buried, no wasting time. Yelapa is doing some reflecting this new year.

I am doing some reflecting too! Me and Vero have had a hard week of cultural differences and family miscommunications. We are going to use our first interpretor since we began dating, tomorrow. It is a little sad but it is necessary. Mexican forms of protocol are very hard especially if you do not know the rules. I know the hard work will pay off. Tonight a little tequila and some sleep are what the doctor ordered.

1/8/03 A sleepless night caused by heavy thought or because it was a warm night, who knows? I spent the day on the beach today. Swimming and awesome people watching. A 85 year old woman crosses the river sola, a wild intense dog fight, two luscious young girls in skimpy suits,from Sonoma County, Swimming dogs, a kayaker that I helped to launch back into the semi rough sea, a man swallowing a bee in a coke can wearing a pink speedo, dark skinned tourists from Columbia in even skimpier suits , just to name a few of the sights.

Our translator forgot about our need today and went to Chacala to buy Riacilla. I ran into Veronica in town sola, which is extremely rare and got to talk for a while, being constantly interrupted by the dozens of locals that needed to make a joke or a huge smile to see us sitting in public together. All is going to be ok. My upcoming trip home for a week will let things calm down, hopefully. We rescheduled our translator till tomorrow. Tortillas and cheese and salsa for dinner. A far cry from the past few months at Vero's casa. I heard today that Christian, an old yelapan friend is returning for a few weeks visit. That should be fun. Last week, boat loads of incoming people on every boat. Currently ,Yelapa is a bit calmer. A great time to visit. This weekend is the celebration for the Virgin of Guadeloupe in Tuito,our municipal. I went last year and had a great time and hopefully will get it together to go again. Tuito is filled with all the villagers of Cabo Corriantes. Tons of household goods for sale . Lots of unusual foods and a hot chocolate and hard alcohol drink served at night. Amazing death defying fireworks and dancing horses. Brass bands and each town does a procession to the church with explosives that bring up the rear. I hope to go Sunday and spend the night and then go directly to the airport for a week of the USA.

1/9/03 A day of playing with the kids on the beach in the sand and water. Such fun... I am past my three day funk over my communication problems. The translator went well. We were able to communicate some new things. Step by step , down the path. Catching up on lost sleep over the past month. Im still looking for someone to rent my property while Im away , so I guess I'll go to the pier tommorow and find someone . I like it that I dont have to rent my casa to survive this year. Next year is a different story.

1/11/03 The joys of hearing little... with all the swimming I have been doing, I have water in my ears. Its been about a week that I cant really hear that well. One ear is open but the other doesnt work. It has been sort of nice to tune things out and at the same time scary to think what if it was permanent. My doctor in Occidental should take care of it.

So it turned out that Tuito and the Virgin were not in the cards for the weekend or a renter for my casa...next year. Im getting mentally ready for my upcoming trip home. Sort of scary! Im glad at the same time to see my friends.

1/12/03 Alright, Im offline and out of Yelapa for a week and will return on the 20th of January. Ill send some hometown pics up when I return, ADIOS....

1/13/03 As I finish my cobb salad on the plane , I chuckle thinking that today I was sitting on the dock in Yelapa and tonight I'll be back in Occidental. Life really is amazing! Today's travel includes walking to the pier, taking a boat to Boca, a bus to Vallarta , a taxi to the airport, an airplane to the USA, a bus to Sonoma County and a car to Occidental/Graton. All this in about 10 hours.

I was so happy to see Veronica and her Mom today with a collection of the kids to send me off on my voyage. Today's goodbye wasn't that hard , as I know that I'll be back in a week. Other years goodbye's have been tough. One year I left and when we arrived in Vallarta, I didn't even have the nerve to get off the boat. That same trip I left four times, each time getting to Vallarta and calling my boss with a different excuse of why I couldn't return, which by the way , there are a million good excuses to stay here. I think that record still holds in Yelapa. I remember one leaving where my girlfriend sat and waved goodbye as the boat slowly left Yelapa, something right out of a romance novel, actually in reality the boat never leaves Yelapa slowly. I also remember another where my girlfriend came to the pier to say goodbye and I tried to suppress my tears , especially since I was on a boat with all men. As I turned around in the boat with tears in my eyes, laughter broke out and they made the crying motion to me. Yelapanese are so familiar with goodbyes , they happen daily. There is rarely any sadness. They say goodbye knowing that you'll return and when you do with all of your excitement and energy, they give you a casual hola, as if they saw you yesterday. I came up with a saying last season... Yelapa...Leave if you can! and the other variation is Yelapa...sleep if you can! both are true....

The other interesting thing to note about Yelapa goodbyes is how things get communicated. If you are seen walking down the path with a bag, you are asked ..."going to Vallarta?" a larger bag, 'are you going norte ?" some don't even ask but tell other people where they think your going, or what your doing. Today I snuck through town and got only a few , going to Vallarta? comments which I answered,"a bit further" and told them of my week trip. One person asked and I lied and said I was going to Vallarta, I felt bad. Another point that I can make is that all that you do will be found out in Yelapa, there is no privacy. Secrets are hard to keep. One little leak and its all over town. If you are successful at keeping your privacy, stories will be told anyway. It seems that Yelapense aren't watching the gringos but that isn't true. They watch everything. They know you and talk about you just as we know and talk about them. I always remember that they are close to indians, who are completely in touch with a different part of their minds, strongly telepathic but here in Yelapa alot of the time they are completely wrong! If you walk down the path not happy then it must have been a fight with your wife or girlfriend, if you were seen drinking, then the stories of your drunkenness will be made up the next day.So I give the advice of playing poker in Yelapa. Don't show all your cards at once. At the same time Yelapanese are awesome communicators. A good example is to watch on the boat when you arrive. Usually there will be a boat driver and a mariner. Its too noisy to talk between them. Watch as they are in complete communication just using hand signs and sounds. The same happens in the local neighborhood, from prephone experience, If you needed to talk to someone you just called out from your house. Each person used there unique call to family and friends to be recognized. Even today I use this method as I pass friends walking on the path.

Back in the USA! I had a great flight with the luck of having an open seat between myself and Emmett, a nice man from Berkeley. The bus ride was smooth and enjoyed a cell phone conversation of a famous winemaker who talked the entire 2 hour ride, The moment I got off the bus , my buddy Evan was there to pick me up and offer his nice guest accommodations in upper Graton. Me and Evan used to play Tennis together 10 years ago, I offered him to visit me and a girlfriend in Yelapa. Out of the blue he and his family showed up and had a wonderful 2 week vacation, one that etched a lifetime friendship for us. Yelapa connections are that way alot, strong and passionate.

1/14/03 Visited my house and Nikki and my Doctor today. Great news, my ears are open and even better I have lost 15 lbs and have completely normal blood pressure , all this in 12 weeks. Sounds like an infomercial! The secret is exercise. Walking is a constant in Yelapa. Went to visit Matt and Pam and the birthday of Ann. Funny stories...and a good time with good friends .

1/20/03 Here I am, sitting in the SF airport after a whirlwind visit. I'm sure you all know about the theory of work in different houses. If you have your money trip down and your relationship thang down too, then your health house pops up and when you fix that another area needs your attention. Right now I'm thinking of how full and cool my friends/ relationship house is! I have so many quality friends! This week was another view of that. The hospitality of the David Family. Evan, Angeles, Paloma, Sonja and Arlo. I had my own house to live in all week and even better I got to really be a part of their family. I do want to point out that they are another friendship bound for life, due to our joint time spent in Yelapa. The Penn's are my family. They head up my support team in the states. This week they offered me a car, a party in my honor, even though they were celebrating their 30th anniversary together and much more. The Carpenters. Matt, Pam, Jessica ,Jasmin and Riley,their new puppy. More Family. 100% love and support. The Ayers. Cal, Cher , Sammie and the one and only, Faith. Cal is my life adviser. Cher is the cutest friend I have. Bob Lee and Mary. Artist Guru and all around good guy with a wife who has a huge heart. A totally original family. The Wiley /Farrer Clan. My property mates and ground support for my team. Both Mark and Nikki are unbelievably caring and present. I could go on for pages and that's the truth!

I accomplished a ton this week. I'm caring back 250lbs of clothes and toys for my new family. I met with another of my mentor's, Chris and he consulted me on a new business venture that I have been dreaming of. Manifested a washing machine that Michael and Jen are going to drive to Mexico for me, a free mini Microwave for tortilla warming, a tv/vcr with sega genesis, set up another business plan for me and Veronica, and had quality visits with alot of people. I did get overwhelmed a couple of times. Stress, my old friend who rarely visits these days. Mostly due to trying to do too much, in a short time.

I want to make to make Yelapa my home and visit Occidental. As of now I will begin to make that happen. How long will it take?

1/23/03 It's been great to be back. Today as I was visiting the family, Marcos yelled Sismo! Sismo! He held the table with his palms down, An earthquake! We watched as the 5 gallon water bottle swished around. That pretty much was it.... I did hear some great earthquake stories from past years but I'm still trying to translate them from my memory and mind. Ill follow up on them soon. The past few days were luscious here. Bright and Sunny, Beach days. Here's a true tale that happened this last week. Sunday morning, January 19th, Polonco, a lifetime Yelapense died. He lived in a palapa hut that is located at the center of town, where many paths cross. As I already explained, the custom in Yelapa is to visit the house of the departed and bring a offering of some kind. The entire town crowded around his very rustic shack. Many locals brought their own chairs and drank hot chocolate as they reflected on Polanco. All directions of the path were very tight, due to the amount of people. Almost on the stroke of midnight chaos began. Horses tied up started freaking. Something was up , Emilio looked toward the path to the cascada. A figure appeared in the dark. It was a large Toro! Toro !!! Baca !!! he yelled...People were slow to react. Many thought the chaos was a fight. Older locals started to run but younger ones wanted to look at the action. Emilio and others tried to shoo the toro away from the crowd,but it ran up by the liquor store. It suddenly made a dash for the lower path , luckily choosing an open lot for 20 seconds. Locals jumped in trees, up rocks, through thorn bushes and basically ran for their lives. Numerous people were injured fleeing. The Toro angrily thrust towards the crowd. It headed directly toward the casa of Polanco, as if on a mission. It ran exactly to the door of the casa where Veronica's mother was standing. She actually had to jump in the casa with Polonco, muerto inside. It paused for a moment and then ran off down the path. Emilio looked at his watch and realized it the stroke of midnight! People instantly started talking. "Who's Toro was that?" "was it Alphonso's?" "Conejo's?" after a bit of prying, Conejo announced it was his Toro. The strange thing was that the Toro was kept up river and had a reputation of not liking to travel down the path, to this area and to do so solo would be amazing. More chatter began, "The Toro was white with a black hump",others saw it as a black bull with a white hump, some recalled that all types of animals were going crazy right prior to the moment, the Toro arrived. It was then that the entire crowd knew it wasn't a Toro , it was a Diablo! You see Polonco had a dislike for the church. An opinion he spoke outwardly about. His nickname actually was Polonco , lets go to mass! in spanish, it rhymes. This Diablo obviously was coming to get Polonco on the stroke of midnight, on the night of his death.The amazing thing was that the whole town was there to watch.

During the week and many versions of the story, I heard various rumors of the Toro to be killed on the following Sat. I also heard they were going to serve it as tacos in town. Yesterday as I walked with a huge fever and my ear infection to the clinic, I passed as the Diablo was being moved up to Conejos casa, my next door neighbor. I asked,"is that the Diablo?" "SI". So I recommend that if your in town this next week and you pass a taco stand selling tacos at a discounted price, Id turn and safely walk away from the Taco's de Diablo.

1/26/03 My Moms birthday and I celebrated it with about as much pain as I could take! To clarify that , I came on with a huge ear infection. As the night went on I wished I could cut my ear right off! No chance of sleeping. I had to totally use my mind to control the pain. I made it to the clinic the next day after an adventurous walk with a high fever to find the doctor. After various drops and pills, I calmed down a bit. Alisha and Veronica have helped heal me the most. That is after I was lectured up and down for not properly treating my past water in the ears. Alisha treated me with her products and was truly the only relief of pain I've had for days.Ill be ok , someday! right now Its hard to imagine and I dream of it often.

1/27/03 A long story, I had to go to Vallarta today for construction supplies. It was a bit sketchy of a trip due to my current health but I survived, returning to my casa to find my friend who I was getting the crucial supplies for , hung over and unable to work! Rested for hours at Veronica's, healing my ear. I think I have to pain managed, but I'm not sure!

I have other great news !!!

After 5 months.... Three whole cooked chickens with peppers and potatoes somehow helped win me the approval to spend my life with Veronica and the Kid's. Returning from Vallarta with my bounty, we sat and consumed the tasty chickens. Afterwards I fell asleep on the couch and Marcos, Veronica's Dad fell asleep in his quarter. We both awoke after a short time. He had a huge smile on his face. He said something about having a great dream and made some joke that to this day, I don't completely understand. Actually, at this point with the condition of my ears, I could barely hear. The whole family laughed. I finally vibed the situation, as it got more serious. This was my moment! I blurted out..."I want the responsibility of Veronica and the Kid's!" He asked Veronica of her intentions and she told him of her intention to move to my house and start a life with me. Momentarily we were toasting tequila flavored soda as Marcos doesn't drink alcohol. We sat and laughed together. I thought wisely that maybe we should ask permission now for us to take a solo trip to Mazatlan. When I did...he looked at me seriously and said "why ask me? you have to ask no more permissions!"

So I consider the first chapter closed with a happy ending....

This week I have been doing the construction that I have thought about for a long time. My extra casa, on the top of the property is going to be our bedroom. Emilio has been working with me to transform it. We are using the old style of Yelapa construction. Raja's...the bark of palm trees for walls and pine for the new beds...I am about ten days away or so from completing. Veronica and the Kid's have been visiting more and doing small dry runs at the casa. So far , so good! Casa Iguana is going to be perfect for us...

So January ends... on a great note! except for my ears...which are getting better ! The jungle sure will sober up your self image though ! The other day while working on the casita , the inflammation had gone way down and due to my various daily injections of antibiotics, my ears began to drain the fluid from them. The only problem was that the flies were attracted to it. Are you picturing this? Not A pretty sight ! oh yeah my ass is black and blue too from the shots. other than that... life is good ... real good!