Valladolid and the World's Longest Car Game

After paying an outrageous $50 for the toll road to Chichen we decided to take the long way back to Cancun and stop by the colonial town of Valladolid. We got there right at twilight and strolled around the charming town square. I was extremely impressed with the maintenance of the city center. It was spotless and all the buildings had fresh bright paint with lovely white borders. There were delicious food stands and a waterfall and romantic conversation chairs through the plaza. I'm seriously ready to move there!

Throughout the day we had been playing car games with our friends. One game in particular involved naming famous people, (Ernest Hemingway for example,) and then the next person coming up with someone who's name started with the last letter of the previous name, (i.e. Harrison Ford.) We played the game on and off for 8 hours before I grew weary and ran out of "F" names. I thought the game would end soon, but the three competitive attorneys in the car kept things going for over four more continuous hours!! The little villas we were driving through had dozens of speed bumps and the lack of street lamps sent us flying through the air as when we missed spotting them. There were literally over 55 speed bumps on our way home and it became this awful nightmare of a ride as I endured what felt like the world's longest commencement ceremony with random names being called out as we bounced along the back country. Needless to say, I quickly figured out why somebody would be crazy enough to pay for the toll road.

(P.S. After a day of hiking, swimming, and exploring I felt awesome but did not look so hot. I really hate this picture. Ugh.)

Swimming in Cenotes

One of my favorite vacation moments was when we went swimming in an underground cenote. When I was floating in the cool cave water I looked up and saw long tree roots and hundreds of bats flying around overhead. There were also dramatic stalactites and blind cave fish.

As a matter of fact I did ignore all of the "Swim at Your Own Risk" signs . . .

The little boys who rushed our car promising to "watch our stuff" for a bit of cash.

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is one of my favorite archaeological ruins. The Mayans were such a fascinating and advanced society. I could write a whole paper about this site! (Actually I did write a paper about this site in my undergraduate days. The paper focused on osteological evidence for human sacrifice found in the sacred cenote.)

Ahh . . . the romance is still alive! When we came here several years ago we walked up the steps of the large pyramid, but they don't allow tourists to do that anymore.

Persy playing in front of the observatory.

Gabe, Persy, Wendy, Jared, Sade

In front of the Sacred Cenote.

Holding my little Adventure Baby

The sacrificial Ball Court

Trip to Isla Mujeres

We took a day trip out to the beautiful and small island of Isla Mujeres. The beaches there were pristine and gorgeous.

Persy is mad in this picture because she wanted to lean dangerously out the window of the boat and mean old mommy wouldn't let her. The boat ride was really rough and each time we jumped into the air Persy would squeal, "Wheeeee!!!!"

Jared and Sade

Persy signing "dog."

We walked down the steps from the restaurant where we ate and had the beach to ourselves. Persephone was delighted by the sand and waves.

We ate scrumptiously fresh fish and conch from a beach side restaurant.

The Beaches of Cancun

We're home again after an incredible week exploring the Yucatan in Mexico. It was warm, sunny and gorgeous and I'm missing it already.





Our fun and adventurous friends Jared and Sade were able to join us for the first half of the trip.

Sunday Spinning

One of the fun parts of being a girl is spinning around in fancy Sunday dresses. This is a dress that was my favorite as a little girl and my mother saved it to pass on to Persy.

Highlights from a Year of Passionate Reading

As most of you know, I am a very passionate reader. I keep a detailed list of what I read each year and like to catalog and review each one in an on-line account. I think this must mean I have some serious nerdy tendencies, or perhaps that I am just a former librarian turned mom. Anyhow, at the end of the year I like to see what general themes I've been drawn towards. Out of the 38 books I completed last year, here are the highlights of those that I would strongly recommend. The items with an asterisk are non-fiction titles.

1. My Life in France by Julia Child *
Oh Julia, after reading your book I really feel like we would have made the best of friends . . .

2. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

3. A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman *
I've read this book at least three times now. I have favorite passages highlighted. I don't think it will resonate with everyone, but I just love Ackerman's writing style.

4. Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations by Georgina Howell *
Why don't we learn about bold women explorers like this in our history classes?

5. Catching Fire and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I couldn't put either of these down. I can't wait for Collins to complete her Young Adult trilogy.

6. They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The true story of three lost boys from Sudan by Alephonsion Dena and Judy A. Bernstein *


7. The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner *
Part travel writing, part psychology, lots of humor . . .

8. The American Revolution: A History by Gordon S. Wood *

9. The Forgotten Garden: A Novel by Kate Morton
This is the type of book I long for but rarely find. It is infused with mystery, romance, adventure, strong female characters, and fairy tales. Sometimes multigenerational novles can be confusing, but Morton's book was easy to follow. I especially recommend the audiobook format for its superb narration.

10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

11. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I know it's shocking, but this was my first time to read the classic. I love Austen's wit.

What are you reading? I'd love to know your recommendations!