I knew Christmas would be especially painful if we stayed home, given the memories and associations of the previous year, and the rest of the family agreed. We decided warm water and sunshine would brighten are spirits…and we were right!
We headed south to the Puerto Vallarta environs and stayed at a guest home in a very small village on the beach. The three-story house had a nice pool and multiple terraces and decks to view the ocean. The whole area was packed with tourists from Guadalajara so it was fun to be the only gringos in town. We enjoyed sharing picnic food and drink with other families on the beach, and Josef–ever the gregarious chap–quickly made friends with other boys.
And boy was there plenty of food and drink to be had! The beach was continually plied by vendors selling shrimp skewers, oysters, fruit cups, donuts, and more. I was knocking back 32oz Styrofoam cups of michelada and birria tacos for breakfast, and ceviche for lunch every day. It was gluttonous and glorious!
Josef really loved it there. It was the first time vacationing with him that he seemed to appreciate the place, not just whatever fun activity or treat might be happening. As we wandered the cobbled streets at night, under colorful banners listening to the sizzle of taco carts and music from the cantinas, he said with satisfaction, “I really like it here! I just dig the vibe!” 😂 Unfortunately, halfway through the trip he fell ill with a nasty cold and had to spend 3 days in bed; poor little fella. He did get to play quite a bit of the beloved Switch during this time though, so it wasn’t a total loss.
On Dec 28 I made Rachael a little ofrenda on the roof patio, thinking of her with so much love and so much sorrow. We hiked out to a little remote beach to remember her as a family, and offer up some of her ashes to the sea.
