The past few days Lowe has been wiggling his first loose tooth around in his mouth. He’s been a little nervous about the whole thing, but excited at the same time. For the most part, he wouldn’t even show me the tooth, fearing that I’d reach in with my grubby hands and just yank it off like it was a week old band-aid. Of course I wouldn’t do that.
And then it was done. My boy has become a man—because pulling your own teeth, and your own slivers, is the true test of a man.
We celebrated with a day out at Punta Mita. The waves were a little mushy, so the kids just paddled out to where all the birds were and sat and watched as the pelicans dove for food all around them. I always love the view from Punta Mita, with the mountains far off across the bay just a hazy blue outline that you could almost miss if you weren’t paying attention.
At lunch with salt still flecking the ends of his long eyelashes.
KM5, with good burgers (a rarity down here) and pizza (less of a rarity in the Sayulita area than you’d think, thanks to the Italian immigrants).
So when we were on our way to Punta Mita we ran out of gas. I’d gotten gas just a couple days earlier, but hadn’t had enough pesos in my pocket. So when we left today we were supposed to get gas, but promptly forgot. No big deal, though, because we’ve got two gas tanks. I switched over while we rolled down the road, the truck fired up, and we didn’t even slow down.
“You know, I have no idea when the last time I put gas in this tank was.”
Filling up both tanks requires turning the truck around at the gas pump, and rarely gets done.
Fortunately Punta Mita is only about a ten mile drive. Unfortunately, even that was too much.
Running out of gas is a recurring theme in our travels. I don’t know when we’ve ever had a gas gauge on a vehicle or boat that actually works. Even back in our catamaran days I used a piece of string with a nut tied to the end that I would drop into the top of the tank and pull back out to see how much gas we had left. So, when we run out of gas it’s pretty easy to take it in stride. I hopped out, emptied a jug of water I keep for coolant, and stuck my thumb out. I told Ouest to count the cars.
We were on a blind corner so it was tough to see us in time to stop, but the fifteenth car stopped, pulling over 100 yards up the road at another pullout. I ran off after him. A minute later Ali tells me another car stopped, one of the first fourteen cars, he had turned around to help us out.
When I got up to the other pullout there were a couple guys sitting back in the shade drinking beer. They asked what was up, and then told the other car he could take off. I thanked him for stopping and he left while my new friends got to work. They were guards at a gravel pit. One of them took my jug and trotted off to siphon some gas out of one of the trucks, while the other handed me a beer.
With gas in hand we wandered back down the road to gather up the rest of the crew, then drive back up and hang out with our new friends and their five dogs for an hour.
Thank you, Mexico—there is no place I’d rather run out of gas.
When we got home it was time to get ready for the tooth fairy.
The tooth fairy haul? Twenty-three pesos and a handful of Skittles.
23 Comments on “Big Day Out”
Yep, that’s Mexico. Nice.
I gotta get me one of those t-shirts. “I LOVE TACOS”. True.
You wear an “I love tacos” t-shirt, people just hand you a beer.
Everyone loves the I Love Tacos shirt. I get them at Por Que No, my favorite Portland Mexican restaurant. I should really hit them up for a sponsorship. 😉
Good haul Lowe! Gotta love Mexico! Great people, great country.
Living the dream. I used to dream about living at a tropical beach all the time when I was a kid. Does it get any better?!
Loved this post!
Pretty darn brave. My dad used to chase us with a pair of pliers. Scared the hell out of us.
He was a brave young man!!!
Love the photo of the kids paddling out into the blue haze
The kids are growing and changing so fast. They are absolutely beautiful. What a great way to grow up. I don’t think they could have a better life. None. Nope. Great work, Pat and Ali!
Thank you, Sherry in Alaska. We really need to commit to driving our kids up to see your beautiful state.
Great post! Brave Lowe, great running out of gas story, beautiful photos.
Different question- what kind of sunscreen do you use on your kids- they never seen burnt despite light complexions which is great! We’re experimenting with different ones as we sail with ours…
Mike
It’s Nivea 50. But not just any Nivea, it has to be Mexican. Different ingredients. When we use the American stuff the kids get sunburned. They get it on in the morning before they go out, and again before we hit the surf in the afternoon.
I don’t think you can even buy that Nivea in the US. I’ve tried, but can’t find it. I love the SPF30. Some bring back tequila, I bring back sunscreen. 😉
Great post. Makes my day.
Congrats Lowe!! And what an awesome Tooth Fairy you have. Pesos and Skittles is as amazing reward for the first lost tooth!
It looks like your venturing out without your camper. If you were starting from scratch again, would you choose a RV or a travel trailer/fifth wheel?
We really don’t have a huge preference. We like having a vehicle, for sure, but most people have one whether they have a trailer or a motorhome. The only difference is if the motorhome is pulling the car, or the car is pulling the trailer. We’ve enjoyed both. But man, I really do love this truck.
Still following after all these years and I have to say I’d have that ‘Pitty in the Cab with Hippy Kids and Mexican Friends’ framed. It’s priceless.
We could never had set that one up. Got lucky for sure.
Congrats Lowe! Skittles sounds like a fun treat–are they easy to find in Mexico? 🙂 I’ve always loved the hospitality and helpfulness of Mexicans!
Yes Skittles are pretty popular, along with M&Ms, found in OXXO gas station stores. And a spicy chili flavor that isn’t a favorite in our family. 😛