Spent the heat of the day sitting on the the beach front doing some watecolor studies and listening to Michelle sing some wonderful songs in french, spanish and english. These are four of the studies. I'll post the others in my next post.

The sun is setting over the mountain as I write this - just so pleasant to hear the surf crash, to feel the air cool down, to smell the salt air and to see the boats coming in to the harbor after being out all day long with the sun setting behind that mountain across the bay. What I wish I had was a really good margarita to top it off (one of those really good margaritas that they make at Rogorios in San Miguel de Allende).

The cruise ship anchored out in the bay is shuttling those last few passangers who still are onshore. When all are onboard, it will weigh anchor and head back north in a few hours, leaving us back to normal, until it returns with a new load of tourists on Friday for a day stop. That ship is a monstrosity. With all those decks - it looks top heavy and just ugly, particularly with all it's lights aglow. Give me a good sailing ship any day.

Over on the beach front today where I was painting, the local fishermen are loading up thier pangas and pushing them on logs to launch them into the surf for a night of handlining for whatever they can catch, and bring that bushel or two of small fish, with maybe a couple of bonita or a dozen mackeral back to the beach front fish market for the morning sale. You can see their little lights bobbing up and down out at the head of the bay and beyond, into the Pacific. There is usually 2 or 3 men in each boat and by morning they will still be there trying to get that last few fish before heading in.

Last night, while I was talking to Steph on Skype, I had my door open to the outside porch, and a bat flew just into the door and out. Kathie, who is renting a large house up on the mountain in back of me, said that they get bats in that place every night (the living area that is not closed in). I can see them in the failing light right now flitting around trying to find a few morsels. I have also seen a number of squirrels, but don't have a field guide to identify them (will go to the library in SMA and find out what they are). No other mammals have I seen. I think that I just found out where there is a small colony of bats in an old building next to this hotel. That is where thy arepouring out of. I'll check it out tomorrow.

Oh, I did find a freshly killed (by car) vine snake, a rear fanged snake, slightly poisonous, that I had to examine to find the fangs way back in it's mouth, They are a long, very thin green snake, with a long head, adept at climbing trees and vines in search of small lizards, birds, and insects. Cool find. Just wish it had been unhurt, :(