We're back in Akumal. We stopped for lunch at Cenote Azul on the way up, enjoyed eating at the edge of the huge circular pool even though it was overcast and the depth and colors weren't clear. It rained while we were there and again as we were coming into Tulum just after dark. We got parked in the lot outside the arches of Akumal and walked over to Lol Ha for our usual arrival dinner. It was too dark to drive in and park our LD so we spent the night there. In the morning, we moved Bob and Patti's 5th wheel to a spot easily viewed by the guards at the arches and everyone on the road, moved our Tortuga in to our spot next to the condo and started hauling everything up 2 flights of stairs. Oh the joy!

We've got the internet dish set up on the patio, today Mimi and Bob are going to put up the TV dish. Mimi needs to watch her Broncos in the playoffs. I still love the colors, it was great to open the door and be shocked by color instead of the old white paint.

We took all 3 dogs to the vet in Playa the day after we got here. Hombre was clearly not feeling well, droopy and lethargic and not eating or drinking. He had a high white cell count and was dehydrated but tested neg for the erlichea he had before as well as heart worm and lyme. Paco, our vet, said he had probably eaten something that was not doing well in his stomach, he said he could hear the cramps. He gave him a shot for pain, I love this vet because he thinks of these things, antibiotics and a script for flagyl for a week. Hombre acted a lot happier right away, probably the pain shot, and has improved steadily in the last few days.

The really good news is that the new one, we're calling her Rojita, also tested neg for all 3 diseases, did not have ear mites as suspected and is in very good health. Paco says she is a year and a half to two years old, no more, has had one litter and is not pregnant. He says she is about to start coming into heat but that won't happen as she has an appt on Monday to forever fix that problem. She is a trim 16+ lbs (8 kilos) and has no health problems. Yippee! She got her implant for heartworm, Chica got hers too but Hombre will wait until he feels better. All 3 will get their vaccinations and health passports updated before we head south into C.A. The owners downstairs are here but feel that it would be too difficult to take Rojita back with them on the plane and that she is smaller than they want. That's fine, we'll find her a good home. she is really smart, playful and is learning boundaries quickly. Most of the time she will come when called, has learned not to jump right out the door but wait until we tell her OK and walks great on a leash. She's a good little guard dog, sounding the alarm if anyone walks near our rig. She's even gotten our dogs to start paying more attention, we had discouraged them from barking when we got them as all they barked at were other dogs and taxis. Now Chica is growling at men who walk by along with Rojita.

Last night we met an online friend and his wife at their gorgeous house on the beach about 5 miles from here, and all went into Tulum for pizza. It's great to meet someone face to face and enjoy them as much as you do online, I've had many experiences of that and find that all of the people I like online turn out to be people I like even more in person. The only problem came from our jeep, Sapo, who doesn't want to start anymore. Mimi is undecided if it is the battery or the kill switch shorting out but after jumping it twice to get started last night she knows she has been ignoring Sapo and needs to do some work on it.

As I unpack the stuff I got in Chiapas, I'm going to take some pics for the blog. This is a jaguar I got in Amatenango del Valle. I love her belly. I also got these beautiful tall candles in the market there, I figured they were perfect for the candle holders I had, and happily put them in last night. By this morning, they were bending in the middle and reaching for the floor. It's just too hot here for candles to keep their shape. I had 3 of them in holders and they are all doing the same thing, bummer. The shiny crown on the lamp is Patti's Queen of Dominoes crown.