It's Saturday...Let's go to polo tonight!

Good morning, all....
We LOVE the idea of a blog and will be willing contributors, we promise. The longer we're away from Casa Linda, the more luster the whole vacation accrues. It exceeded our greatest expectations in every sense. Little snatches of life there keep coming to me. Finding the fish man adjacent to the church. The smell of cologne in the church on Christmas eve and sitting behind the woman with perfect pitch who began every response. Her husband would always look at her in wonder as she did it, and then begin to sing himself. The water washing my feet just as they were getting too sandy. Reading in bed in the morning. Reading as I air-dried in the afternoon. The sight of those huge bowls of food. Ramona's eternal promise about the cannonball and how she became bilingual by the end, telling us, "Manana!"
Happy news is that Bert was delighted with our feedback and is sending a $500 refund. Here's what he said:

Now we have to clean out the cistern, and the septic which are scheduled for next week.
The big one is bringing more water trucks until the new water system
is in high gear. We all saw this comming and formed a water coop 4
years ago. I hosted 4 graduate students from University of
Guadalajara, who did a graduate project on the towns water. blah blah
blah. We are almost there with a new well and line but not quite.
Sorry !!

We are trying to sort out 2008 and commence serious planning for next year. 'On the verge of pulling the plug on The Project for lack of progress and fear it will interfere too greatly with the early season.
Important highlights this week were Nana's return home and Sara's assumption of important caretaking duties until she regains her strength. The Visiting nurse will be helping with regular visits and daily telephone contact, but Sara has become Nurse Jane, and I'm sure is ably backed up by Nurse Andy. We are incredibly grateful that she's there; Nana would definitely have had to go into a facility had she not been there (and been on vacation!). We had talked to Art the night before Nana got home and he assured us she'd be in the hospital at least another few days, which would give him time to check into other alternatives. To everyone's shock and amazement, the doctor discharged her early the next morning. A HUGE surprise for all, not least of which Nana. She didn't think she was ready to be discharged. But we talked to her New Year's Day and she was heavy into the parade and the game --- said she thought PSU would lose by 10. Hat's off to Sara and Andy.
As you know, Nan was here when we got home and we had a terrific time with her. It was bittersweet for her on two accounts -- one, that Gordon is sinking into dementia which makes her daily life an ongoing challenge, with little respite and two, she was overcome with jealousy for our vacation, as she's never been able to get her family to commit to such a thing, even with her paying!
We are feeling blessed, and want you all to know that.
d and D