Mexico was fun!!!!

What a busy few days it has been.
We had 8 wonderful days cruising the Mexican Riviera. We stopped in Acapulco, Ixtapa and Manzanillo. The weather was great and we had such fun. We were about 20 couples. There was never a shortage of things to do. My favorite part - having my bed made, having my meals cooked and served with style, having my dishes done for me and having my bed turned down at night and chocolates on the pillow. Who can resist such a vacation!!!! The young man who took care of our room made us a little animal from the towels - each night a different one. This one was my favorite!!

We saw the cliff divers in Acapulco and they were amazing! I have a great video but it is sideways and I can't figure how to flip it to show it to you. This shot is of the cliffs that the divers jump from. There is a shrine to Our Lady of Guadeloupe up the cliff. You can see the houses hanging off the hillside behind. If you make the photo larger you will see a sign top right that says Miramar. That is a hotel. How would you like to have one of those hotel rooms!!!! For me - NO WAY!!!

The city of Acapulco - much as any other large city - I can do without it . Here are a couple of shots of the Bay and the view of New Acapulco which is over the mountains from the city itself.

Ixtapa - we had been there before and so we stayed on board ship and had some fun times.

Manzanillo - very interesting commercial seaport. We walked the town and browsed the shops. It was Sunday afternoon and the stores were crowded with the local people. This gorgeous statue is in the market square. It looks like a marlin to me.

My stitching while I was gone - a sad amount of progress on Desert Mandala. There were just too many other things to do.

I stitched the section left bottom.
When I came home, this RR was in my mailbox. I stitched my part and it is ready for mailing Monday. Only 2 more to go and this RR will wrap up.

I received a note from Sandra that she received the first of my personal exchanges. Sandra is a beautiful quilter and crafter.I met her doing a Fair and Square exchange and we have stayed in touch. I decided to do something a little different for her. I made her 4 placemats using huck towelling and swedish weaving. I included some fabric, thread and patterns for her to try it for herself. I also added one of my homemade ort boxes, a handmade goodie bag, some pretty scissors, a fob that I made, and a pretty glass necklace. I only have a photo of part of the exchange but you get the idea. It is such fun putting together each exchange and trying to make it special for each person.

And my mystery quilt - here are all the strips sewn together.I have worked on it steady for the past two days.  This quilt has been a huge challenge and I am happy that I was able to complete it. It is certainly not perfect but it turned out ok. I will add three accent borders and it will be in our quilt show next weekend. The colors are very washed out in the photo. They are actually very vibrant.

I have over 370 posts in my google reader to catch up on. I will do my best to get through them and comment where I can.

We fly home on the 11th. I may not post before that but I will try and put a brief note after my son's surgery on the 16th if all goes well.

Till then, I hope your stitching makes you smile.