KELLEYPLUS: January 2009

Monday, January 26, 2009

Chelsea's senior trip

Here we are in Puerta Vallarta. The last of the kelley children to graduate and leave home! It was a great trip with the highlights following. Whale watching and baby sea turtles - memories!

The very most beautiful day was Saturday. The skies were blue and so the ocean was blue. We went whale watching for 3 hrs. There were whales eveywhere because it was mating season. The waters were smooth and still. You couldn't ask for a more spectacular scene!~

sea turtles video

baby sea turtles

The most unique thing we were a part of was the releasing of the baby sea turtles into the ocean.

Just out in front of the hotel 78 sea turtles hatched out of their eggs Friday morning. The hotel workers gather them up before the seagulls and pelicans swoop down to devour them and put them in a plastic tub with wet sand and hold them until 9:00 at night when the birds are asleep.

They gathered us in a line at the waters edge and gave us all a little sea turtle and on a signal we all let them go into the ocean. It was so great! I can't imagine anything like that happening in the U.S. The environmentalists would have a fit!

Here is the yellow tub with about half the sea turtles still being given out.

The hotel was all inclusive and the food was quite good. This was Italian night at the "Andrea".

The hotel was called the Velas Vallarta resort and spa. It was an older hotel but still nice.

The senior trip girl who refused to wear make-up while there. All natural!

The hotel had bouganvilla on all the balconies. There were a couple of peacocks too that roamed.

Bill Gates yacht

This is Bill Gates yacht here in puerta Vallarta. I think it's cool to have a helicopter landing pad on the back of it.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Well, I thought you might like an update on the lot. At the left is what is increasing becoming the Great Wall of La Canada. 10' to 12' tall, it is now about 200 feet long. Bob Ford has started his final grading and will be completely backfilling the wall this coming week (after we first put in some drains to take care of the spring).

Looking from the end of the Wall back towards the entrance to the lot.

Bob Ford's big caterpillar -- you can see part of a big rock that he dislodged (about 8' in diameter). The tractor is sitting at what will be the entrance to the motor court.

Area is already about half filled.

You can see how we swung out the Wall to get around the Sycamore trees. By the way, with the warm clear Santa Ana weather that we have been having, the views from the lot have been breathtaking -- looking South towards Orange County, I've actually been able to see the sun glinting off the ocean in front of Newport Beach.

-- Dad

the beach

This little gazebo you see in the distance is a favorite place for weddings. You'll see brides there taking pictures every weekend. This is the view south of the condo.

There are three different ramps of stairs down to three different beaches. This is one.

All the beaches have plenty of places to explore tidepools.

This is just north of our place but really just across the street again.

the beach across the street

These are the tide pools.

This is one view.

This is what you see as you walk the path. Just beauty everywhere! Not bad for Jan. 17th. 70 degrees and perfect!

This is directly across the street. It is a beautiful park with a path along the beach and completely redone with picnic spots and grills. All the bathrooms are brand new. It's just a dream come true. When I was a teen I used to wonder if I could ever be lucky enough to own a place on Cliff Drive and here I am!!!

My new Laguna Beach timeshare!

I bought a "Laguna Shores" timeshare and I am soooo excited. If you google that name, you'll see great pictures of the facility. I will have one week there a year. It is a very small unit but so worth it. This is the little clubhouse with a bigscreen t.v. and a fireplace, game table, and a little kitchenette.