Our dear friend, Bella (Dolly Goolsby) is on the go again, this time in Italy. She has graciously allowed us to republish her travel blogs. Enjoy!
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Now that this one week vacation is almost over, I thought I should write and at least let people know where I am!
We came down to Cabo on Saturday, all 21 of us, for a big Garcia family get- together. Fortunately, we are not all in the same house! We are all staying in resort condominiums, within a short distance from each other. We have had 3 group dinners, and it is pretty overwhelming to serve dinner for 21 people in a condo, but it worked and we are all enjoying the sun and fun.
The Arch that separates the Sea of Cortez from the Pacific Ocean. We are on the Sea of Cortez side. This is the view from our favorite restaurant here at Villa del Palmar, the Bella California, an Italian-California restaurant. Lovely.
Seems like everyone in the family has been able to do what they most enjoy. On Tuesday several members of the family went on a dolphin excursion. Although Presley was too young to swim with the dolphins, she did get to meet one on a very personal level
Tonight we watched a pirate ship sail out of the harbor on a Sunset cruise. The evening was beautiful. One couldn’t have asked for better weather. A great evening for a pirate cruise.
One of the best things about this vacation (those of you who know me, will think I am being facetious) has been the lack of Internet service and the high cost of phone service. Therefore, people are actually talking to each other, reading books, swimming, relaxing, without needing the extra appendage of an electronic device in their hand at all times. I admit, one of the first things I requested was Wi-Fi, but when I found out how much it cost, I put that aside until today. I had to cave in, because I just had to be able to write at least one blog post while we are here. I have actually enjoyed being tech-free.
One day, Frank and I kept Aja and Presley for a half day. I wanted them to participate in an activity here at our resort. This involved buying some unfinished pottery, and the girls sat at a table and painted the piece they had selected. Because Presley is only 3 years old, the director of the activity did not want to let her participate, but I put up my best Grandma Dolly arguments and promised I would be right by her side every minute. And we all had fun. After the girls finished their paintings, we turned them into the director. He put some finishing touches to the pieces (outlined in bolder black and added some glitter), then glazed them. Here are the finished plates.
They are understandably proud of their work. Presley wanted to eat her dinner on her plate, but it did get rescued and saved for hanging on a wall in their new home.
The rest of our time at the resort has been spent relaxing, laying by the pool, having cabana boys bring us food and drink. Today, 4 of us gals went to the Desert Spa for massages. Nothing like being pampered. I love it!
With everyone going about their own activities, we never got a picture of the whole family together. When we were all together, we were too busy cooking and eating to get a picture. We are going to try to get that done tomorrow.
It has been a lovely week. It is so nice for me to be part of this Garcia family, and watch the interaction between family members, and observe the kids that have now grown up and have their own families. This time together reinforced to me how precious our times together are..and to appreciate having vacations like this.
There is nothing that warms my heart more than seeing a small face turned up to me, saying, “I love you, Grandma Dolly”.
So one more day then back to reality again. But I miss my own family, too. And my little house. Then I will start planning my next trip. I always need to have something in the works, it seems. So, Adios for now.
Thanks for traveling with me.
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