We only had two customers last Saturday, 31 on Sunday.  So, apparently most people are with their families or others here in Mexico on Christmas Eve, not so much on Christmas Day.  We expect many more people this weekend, for the end of the year and the beginning of our last year, 2012.
Alberto and Javier will both leave early tomorrow morning, Javier for Mexico City and Alberto for Oklahoma City.  Alberto will be back in a month, Javier Tuesday, as we three are going to a party that night.

Alberto took the above photo today, on the landing of the upstairs apartment.  I am mixed up now about the plants, either Sherrie bought them a couple of years ago so they would be there for Saundra, or vice versa.  They are still there and still pretty.

Viny took the above photo today of his "two buddies" climbing the mountain.  My little shadow, Prieto, and Canelo, his precious little dog.  They love to go with Viny to climb the mountain.  Tehuatzin and Cihuatl went today.

Sherrie now has an iPad, thanks to Larry's brother Tim, and it is so nice and easy now to call her on FaceTime.  I will try to not do that too often, but it is fun. 

Tomorrow Viny and I and Marcia will go shopping in Cuernavaca in the morning, in Tepoztlan in the afternoon.

We are having the blacksmith make a bar out of steel for our new restaurant, and a table and stools for our new palapa.  I will order the steel this next week and he should start soon thereafter.

Alberto has worked a lot on the downstairs apartment, getting it pretty, like the one upstairs.  

Christmas Eve, 2011

We had two customers today.  We have not had that few in over a year.  We think we will have more tomorrow.
Since we closed early, Viny and I went into town and had a pizza and then Viny did his Christmas shopping.
Javier's parents, brother and sister and their spouses and kids are here, they will be eating after while, probably after I am in bed.
There were a lot of fireworks in town, even more than out here.
I talked briefly with Sherrie, she and Larry are fine.  Apparently Saundra has a full house.
Little Felipe, who is such a good worker, came in today just long enough to quit.
We were supposed to have a new massage guy today, he did not show.

These are orchids, near the spa.

Our spa entrance today, some of the bird of paradise are blooming.

Rosita, Alberto's cat that lives at the spa, out ont he front porch today.

We rarely take Cihuatl to the spa, as she is a mess, so active and she gets out when she wants to.  But since it was Christmas Eve, we took her today.  Here she is with her little friend Prieto.  They play so well together, at times a little rough, but he handles it well.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night.

The longest night of the year

Today Alberto, Viny and I went to Cuernavaca and did a little shopping.  We then went to David and Dennis' house and had a drink and then walked a short distance up the street to a very nice restaurant and had a great lunch.  We all liked our food and want to go back.  It was nice talking with Dennis and David again, we don't get to see them often enough.
Viny is spending the evening with Sergio, Alberto and I returned home and with Javier took the dogs for a walk.
Last weekend was a good weekend at the spa, we have no idea what this weekend will bring, as it is Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  But we will soon find out.
We plan to hang around here and town tomorrow, my favorite kind of day.  Then our usual shopping Friday.
Marcia did not go with us today as she is feeling a little puny, but she is a little better now.

Yesterday about noon we four went into Tepoztlan and had lunch and then Alberto dropped me and Viny off at the bus station and we went to Mexico City.  We stopped by the Hotel Embassy and checked in and then took a taxi to the huge shopping mall in Santa Fe.  There I saw what I suppose is my first Prada store.  And many other stores.  We had lunch at an Asian restaurant and then took a taxi back down the highway to the site of Cirque du Soleil.  We were about an hour early.  I had taken a light jacket, Viny had not, he admitted he was a little cool until they opened the tent and we could go inside.  The show was good, we both liked it.
We then took an over-priced back to the Zona Rosa and had supper.
This morning we had breakfast at Konditori.  Edgar, a friend of Viny from up north, said on FaceBook he was in town waiting by the Angel for a friend.  Viny and I went there and talked briefly with him before returning to the bus station via the subway.  Edgar may come visit us tomorrow for the weekend.
Alberto and Javier picked us up at the bus station and we went into town for lunch.
Tomorrow we will go to Cuernavaca and do our weekly shopping.  We are ready for a good weekend at the spa.

In the middle of this photo is the cool Viny sitting on a bench outside the circus tent.

We had a good weekend, about 60 customers total.  Things should pick up with the holidays.
We went shopping in Cuernavaca yesterday.
Today we went into Tepoztlan for lunch and coffee shop.

We finally planted our new beautiful palm tree that we bought while Saundra, Don, Bob and Ben were with us, next door to Conaplor, in Cuautla.  It was almost more that five of us could manage, to move it from where we unloaded it off the pickup, a few meters to where Viny wanted to plant it.  But somehow we managed, and it is beautiful.  It is actually a double trunk Kerpis palm, in a V shape, rather tall.  That is Gustavo putting the dirt around it, and Mario on up by the pool.

The entrance to the spa.  Our balls are purple, our palo, dulce.

Tomorrow Viny and I will go to Mexico City to see Ovo by Cirque de Soleil tomorrow night.  Alberto bought us the tickets.

Saundra, Don, Bob and Ben left today

Yesterday morning seven of us crowded into the Xterra and Alberto drove us to the bus station, and six of us took a bus to Taxqueña and then two taxis to the Hotel Embassy.  We got four rooms there, about $25 USD each.  It is a rather nice hotel, especially for this price.  We took our luggage in and then finally managed to get two taxis and went to the House of Tile for breakfast.  I have not taken a taxi in many years in Mexico City, and I was surprised how hard it is to find one.  There are many taxis, most that passed had customers, some did not, two stopped but did not want to go where we wanted to go.  After breakfast we walked a block or so to MUNAL and looked at the beautiful building and the art it contains. We then walked on the the Zócalo.  Saundra, Don and I then took a taxi to La Ciudadela while the other three looked around the zocalo.  Viny and I had been to La Ciudadela twice and I liked it and wanted to see it.  When we arrived, Saundra thought she might just want to stay a few minutes, but that did not last long.  We then returned to the hotel and met up with the others and walked across the street to a seafood place and had supper.
After supper the Cunninghams returned to the hotel and the Praters walked around the Zona Rosa, including the Angel.  Viny bought several things, including shoes and two watches and music CD's.
This morning we walked from our hotel to the Hotel Geneve in the Zona Rosa, on Londres.  This is where I stayed the first few times I visited Mexico City in the '60's.  The prices have gone up a lot since then, it is still beautiful.
We then walked a short distance to the Mercado Insurgentes, also on Londres, and Ben within two seconds found the rose-shaped silver ring Joye wanted.  I think I like Mercado Insurgentes better than La Ciudadela.  Ben and Bob then went to walk around while the other four of us stayed to shop.  We then returned to the hotel and they had to leave shortly in two taxis to the airport to catch their flight home.  Viny and I took the subway to the bus station and returned to Tepoztlan.  Alberto and Javier picked us up and we were sitting down at Naty's at 4 p.m., when the Cunninghams were taking off for Tulsa.
We all had a great time.  They paid for all our wonderful meals, plus Christmas came early, they left their pesos behind for me.  I hope Bob and Vanessa will return soon, and that Saundra and Don will return in March for a month or longer, and that Ben and Joye will coordinate with Sherrie and visit while Saundra and Don are here.
Alberto and Javier had done our shopping in Cuernavaca this morning, and this afternoon in Tepoztlan we got our usual flowers, fruits and veggies.  We are ready for business this weekend.