Poor, poor pitiful me…the girls just won’t let me be!

Tonight was the annual wind up dinner at the La Palapa restaurant across the street at the Torres complex.  Jeannette has organized this over the last few years but this is the first year that Eric and I attended. 

Across the road and down the street.

                

Torres has really prettied up the walls that surround their complex.  All beautifully painted up.  We’ve always thought we’d like to stay there but it is strictly a time share complex.

                     

Straight ahead is the pool area and the large palapa restaurant.

There will be over twenty of us tonight and we’ll sit at three large tables.

Reg and Pat are sitting with us tonight.

Dick and Val.

Ruth is chatting to Bets.  Bets and Boomer have been renting a condo this year and are not planning to come back next year.  We hope they change their mind!

John and Jeri are also sitting with us and John is perusing the menu.  He and Jeri will head back to Phoenix in the morning.

Okay….let’s talk about Eric’s hair.  His last buzz haircut was back in October and since then he has been letting it grow.  To start with it looked like he had a muskrat on his head.  As it’s gotten longer the women all wanted to start touching it.  I don’t know if they thought it was a rug or if it’s just because it’s all wavy and curly.  I kind of think he looks like a cross between Jim on Taxi and Albert Enstein.  Anyway….Jeannette started it off tonight.  At the St. Pat’s party Jeri ran her fingers through it.

Jeannette’s husband Bill doesn’t have any hair for her to run her fingers through so I guess Eric is it.

Bets is really laughing here as she has given the hair a fluff too.

Oh look….now it’s Marilyn’s turn!  She was really laughing at this point and Jeri looks like she’s going to join in too.  None of the ladies have ever seen Eric with hair as in all the years we’ve been travelling he has always had a buzz cut.

In the middle of all this we did manage to get some food.  Everyone else at the other tables had eaten before us.

Looks like some slightly over cooked shrimp to me.

This is Robyn’s chicken moljacete.

Val’s dinner.

More dinners waiting to be served.

This is my shrimp moljacete with nopales cactus, cheese and green onions in a thick spicy tomato sauce.  Okay…but not great.

Robyn decided she should take some pictures of me because I am usually absent on the blog.

I appear quite amused here….not sure why. 

When I finished dinner I wandered out the front of the restaurant to catch the sunset.  We sit on the beach just a little to the right (north) of the restaurant most afternoons.

The sun dropped quickly and it was almost dark when I caught this picture looking south back to the lighthouse.

Everyone is still inside finishing up the evening.

There was a band playing and they were relatively quiet.  Not really necessary at 6pm when everyone is eating dinner. 

This table is finished and getting ready to pay the bill.

Same at this table.

George and Sharen took the opportunity for a quick waltz.  Nice to see a man get up and dance with his wife!

Our good friends Dennis and Marilyn who are now renting in a condo complex about a block away from the park.

Marion and Eddie.  Fred and Marion are not sure what they are doing next year.  They may be ready to give up the RV lifestyle and rent here next season or….they may holiday somewhere else.  They are very well travelled.

Bill and Boomer.  Bets and Boomer tried renting a condo this winter and it didn’t turn out to be what they wanted.  It’s always a struggle to decide what you want to do for the winter and nothing is ever perfect.  They think they will stay home in Ontario next winter but we hope they will change their minds and come back.

Jeri and Eric.  We’ve had a lot of fun with John and Jeri this winter and they are very interesting and hospitable people. 

I figured if everyone else was running their fingers through Eric’s hair I should get in on the act.  John was really laughing and so was I.  He suggested that I should…..

….run my fingers through his beard and moustache as he didn’t have much hair on his head.  Too funny!

Dennis is having a chat with Eric.

Boomer is saying good bye to Jeri.  He and Bets will likely not come next year and John and Jeri are leaving in the morning.  Many good friendships have developed over the years and this is one of them.

Marilyn says good bye to Jeri. 

Bets and John.

No one is sad tonight when we say good bye.  We just hope we’ll all see each other again and if not next year then perhaps the year after.

Eric and Bets have a chat.

Jeri is talking to Dick and Robyn is hugging Bets.  Dick has had some serious health concerns over the last couple of months and he and Val will likely not return next year either. 

Eric was so busy with all the ladies touching his hair he hasn’t even finished his dinner!

Bye, bye and more byes!

Eddie talks to John and says good bye.

Nighty night all!

Marion gets Eric laughing again.  Marion was here on her own tonight.  We’d just had a St. Pat’s dinner together last night and Fred said enough was enough!

Good night La Palapa….we all had a good time.

Good friends, good winter and a huge amount of laughs.  Just hilarious!

P.S……..Eric’s hair is still growing!  Sorry you missed out Sandi, maybe he’ll let it grow till next year.