Odds and ends

My new shower.

My regular readers already know how much I like using the solar shower outdoors.  Up on the hill I have complete privacy and don't even have to use a towel as it is always warm enough to air dry.  While air drying on the patio I am also getting an all-over tan!

It's always 5 o'clock somewhere.  The clock in la casa is broken and it was stopped at 3:20.  I quickly decided it should always read just after 5 so it is always cocktail time!

A cruise ship with 650 German passengers came to San Blas last week.  It anchored just off the point and stayed from dawn til a couple of hours after sunset.  I am trying not to bore readers with sunset shots as sometimes it feels like I am bragging.  So, I didn't have my camera with me for that sunset and, of course, I regretted it.  The picture below is the sunset the night after the ship left but is very similar.  You just need to imagine a large ship off in the distance that is the same bright orange as the sunset.  You might also want to imagine the same ship all lit up at night with its reflection shining off the ocean.  

Semana Santa does not begin until April 1 and ends on Easter Sunday, April 8.  Easter is a very big deal in this mainly Catholic country.  Festivities are planned for every day for eight straight days.  All the local stores, restaurants, hotels and RV parks make a large portion of their annual revenue during during this week.  The beach is free in Mexico so it is first come, first served.  Some enterprising locals are building ramadas on the beach where there are no restaurants or residences.  They will then rent out the ramadas for daily use and possibly for tents.  

This is the same beach we cleaned on Friday last week.  These guys are also cleaning up the vacant lot just off the beach and picking up some things like palm fronds that we considered natural and did not pick up.

Biggest iguana I have ever seen! 

Wikipedia has helped me identify the type of iguanas on the hill as Black Spiny-backed Iguanas.  Some of the info they provided is that they are insectivors at berth, eat anything in between and are herbivores as the mature.  They have been clocked at 27 miles per hour making them the fastest lizard on Earth and they grow to 4'11".  I am guessing the 4'11" maybe the biggest ever recorded.

I was at the little patio yesterday and this big fella was eating some of the new growth on the hill.  He didn't seem to care as much about my presence as the smaller iguanas do.  I had plenty of time to go get my camera and take a few shots.  I also had time to count out his length in feet and inches and my calculation is that he is very near the world record.  He is well over 4' and approaching 5' with some of the most beautiful markings I have ever seen.  Mating season is upon us and in the iguana mating season, size really does matter.  I am sure this guy will be very busy all Spring!