It was our last full day and there was another gorgeous sunrise to get it going.

D made a sensational breakfast. He is a trained but uncertified chef. What he is particularly good at is repurposing leftovers in fresh and novel ways. Good thing, as we had a fridge full of food that we needed to use and distribute. He learned this when we owned a number of buffet restaurants back home.

I was glued to the suite. I wanted to soak everything in and bottle it up until our next travels. Plus, I only had a 1/4 left of my book and I wanted to finish it before we left.

During our twnty years visiting the island, I was always told to stay out of the ocean on the east side. I spotted someone enjoying the crashing waves that day. Joe had great water shoes to protect against the coral and enjoyed walking into the surf too.

We walked into Centro for our last sunset. I am so blessed that D and I love so many of the same pleasures in life. He is the reason we get to travel as often as we do. His hobby is finding affordable airfare, packages and offers and he has us listed on Home Exchange now, so we are trading our city and lake homes with other folks wanting to do the same. He is not yet retired, but can work anywhere in Canada, so we have a fabulous west coast adventure coming up this fall.

I always seem to take more photos closer to departure day. I guess it is my way of storing up these memories. I must have 1 Zillion sunset photos but it is never enough. I am always on the search for that “not to be missed” shot.

Many years ago, we made the mistake of not taking food with us to the airport. We paid a fortune for a ghastly pizza and so now we always plan ahead. We had declared Sonny’s was our favourite pizza on this this trip so we returned for dinner that evening.

We met my sister Sue for good byes and ice cream at Cafeteria Juanita la Bendicion , the blog link is attached.

We savoured our last glass of wine under the stars. Isla you give me so much. Each and every time.

Departure Day: I am never sad when I have to leave the island because I know that it will always be part of my life (in some way or another).

Our normal routine was followed that morning- D at tennis, me putskiing ( a made up word) and enjoying my last coffee while gazing at the turquoise sea.

After another yummy breakfast, we divided the spoils of our bar and kitchen and took 2 cabs in opposite directions.

Joe and Deb to join friends at Punta Sur and us to the ferry.

It was a rather uneventful way home.

What did I come back to? My D (husband for almost 40 years), my six wonderful kids (including 2 SILs and a DIL), my five amazing grandkids, my enormous family (50+), two homes (one in the city, one at the lake), my one church, two gardens to tend, satisfying work to do and hundreds of Isla pictures and thoughts and a thousand precious memories. There, I counted my blessings….

Kath’s quote: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”― Terry Pratchett

Love never fails.

We stayed in bed a little late but the sunrise was later too. I couldn’t believe that all three of these images were of the same sunrise. I was particularly enamored by the bottom one-there is reflection on the sea but where did the light come from?

After coffee we headed into town for Island Church at Jax and then stayed for breakfast. I love Jackie’s glassware.

D put down those overflowing breakfast burritos and I went for more traditional fare. Jackie tells us that this would be a typical breakfast back home in Texas. I loved the crispy bacon and perfect home fries.

We visited Jax on our very first trip to Isla some twenty years ago. I mourn the loss of their view, when the day tripper place was built across the street and sits virtually empty when I am in the vicinity. But it still is one of the best places to wait for sunset.

We headed home for showers and a snack, then were back in town to visit Marina Bartolome for an early dinner. We were blown away! If you follow this link you will see that my friend Valerie and I connected years ago when they had 1000 Tacos, which was my favourite taco on the island, pre-Covid. https://foodmusings.ca/isla-mujeres/isla-mujeres-2024-restaurant-features-marina-bartolome/

Valerie’s husband returned from fishing as we were eating dinner. The guys headed to the dock to see his haul.

We have on occasion watched sunset from Marina Bartolome. It was just beginning to go down that day.

I captured the end of it from our deck at home. I was excited to “try” to watch the Oscars from our place but after an extended struggle, I gave up. Oh well. I had a lot of writing to do that evening anyway.

Kath’s quote: “Every sunset is also a sunrise. It all depends on where you stand.” – Karl Schmidt

Love never fails.

Another beautiful morning from the balcony.

My time wandering the shoreline wás disrupted by this poor turtle. At least it appeared to have lived a long life.

This morning’s reflection was of deck and the sea.

The pool was a lovely cool temperature but even that didn’t do the trick for me.

It was very humid and I felt a little off. I napped in the hammock with a fan on me. But then I had to start my day all over again with a shower and coffee!

D had a hankering for Happy Hour so we headed to Centro and our favourite spot. Can you tell where we were by this floor at its entrance?

My guy at El Patio. He fits right in on Isla because there are so many mid-westerners and he was born in Minnesota.

We love the party atmosphere at El Patio. I am sure glad that they worked through the noise issue because we have spent countless hours there over the years.

We love their HH for lots of reasons. Three are pictured here.

Had we stayed home for Happy Hour, this would have been our snack. We are crazy for these and we can’t buy them back home. Maybe I will see if we could order a case on Amazon…

We left in enough time for our other favourite Happy Hour. We love catching Ken W when he plays at Jax. It was packed, so we offered to share our table with a couple from Virginia. They are friends with my friend Mary from Cape Cod. How can this small island hold so many connections?

We met up with Karen and the rest of our gang for her last night on the island. She choose Adelita’s and we loved our dinner there!

We walked Hidalgo and then cabbed home. We were up later than usual.

Kath’s quote: In the grand tapestry of life, people are threads that weave in and out, creating a masterpiece of memories.” -Jonathon Rivers

Love never fails.

Got caught up on my food features so I got out of the room today!

Walked the malecon.

Read more of the Stanley Tucci book while lingering over coffee.

Met Sister Sue and took the bus to La Gloria.

Did some browsing at the bead store and then to LYSH (Little Yellow School House) to take in some great performers as part of the Island Music Festival.

Had a great fundraisinf lunch at the school in the shade of their beautiful trees.

We were hoping to jump back onto a bus, but the sun was still high and it was hot.

Home for a bit then off to Isla Burger. We split an amazing burger. Hear all about it here: https://foodmusings.ca/isla-mujeres/__trashed/

Kath’s quote: “Living like local when you travel provides a deeper understanding your destination.”-Jackie Gately

Love never fails.

That morning I was filled with a sense of gratitude. Thankful that I was healthy and had the resources to be on the island again. And equally thankful for what I left back home-five grandkids! As I gazed at the Isla sign, I realized that all their first name initials were included in the sign. Well, except for my lone grandson whose name starts with an “F”.

So I had to use some artistic license.

Loved my morning sunrise walk and then it was home for a bit to catch up on my writing.

Am I so blessed to work from anywhere.

While I was out, the apartment manager asked if he could borrow my extra bed! I kid you not. There was a Mexican family also staying in the compound and beds were at a premium. Eric had been sleeping with his baby boy who took up the entire bed. I had only been using the bed to climb into the hammock, so I said “By all means”. Unfortunately I didn’t realize how much the bed actually assisted me. I had a heck of a time getting my short legs swung over and into the the hammock. Good thing nobody could witness that comical sight!

SIL Lorraine and my brother Kelly were joining me for breakfast at Grill Garden. As I was walking, I heard a “Kathryne”? It was Brenda one of the owners of Grill Garden, so we walked the rest of the way together. I had never met Brenda IRL and she was exactly as I expected-soft and gracious with a uncanny sense of food and hospitality. Breakfast was better than I remembered it. For all the details check out my Restaurant Feature https://foodmusings.ca/uncategorized/isla-mujeres-2024-restaurant-features-north-garden/

I was home for a couple of hours and then off to meet the gang of Manitobans on a sunset cruise. My sister Sue had given me this as my Christmas present. What a great gift! She and her friend Donna had won the cruise as a scholarship fundraising prize, the year prior.

We cruised the west edge of the island all the way to Garrafon and then headed back to North Beach for sunset. In the mean time, Our trusty captain fixed us a fresh and sparkling guacamole snack.

Sister Sue and I were heading out for dinner later, but when that got postponed, I moseyed home, and had leftovers and a glass of wine with my lady neighbours. Another perfect day.

Kath’s quote: “Sail away and let the sunset and the waves be your soundtrack”.-authour unknown

Love never fails.