La Cruz

La Cruz in Banderas Bay is a very cool little town and a nice marina.  We have spent the past week here enjoying luxuries like:  daily showers, water hookup, electricity (which we haven't needed, as our solar is working so well),  an internet lounge, for WIFI, a beautiful walkway to walk on and other cruisers to visit and meet.
 

It was nice to walk this boardwalk especially for an early morning sunrise or for an evening
sunset.

 

For me, the highlight of staying here was the ability to meet up with Denise - my good high school friend from Connecticut and her husband Frank who just happened to be vacationing in Puerto Vallarta this week.  It was really wonderful to spend the day together exploring the Old Town of PV and catching up.

We went to a fabulous restaurant that was a recommendation from her brother David.



Here we are at the restaurant.



Denise is an artist and teaches sculpture and ceramics at Connecticut College in New London.  Dan loves art and sculpture as well, so it was interesting to explore the Old Town with them.    We came across these mural painters.  What I noticed was that the artists were actually in a safety harness which was not something I saw much of in Mexico.

Denise found a special friend at the ceramic store.

Everywhere we went, people were trying to sell you something,  Here was a booth with hats and dresses.  Everything was so colorful.

We walked back along the boardwalk or "malecón" were there were many interesting sculptures.



My favorite one was this "Sand Man" who was actually a real person that was covered in sand everywhere.  He did a fabulous acting job and at first I did not think he was real, as he was so still.  If you gave him a tip, he would give you a drink of sand!  Yum yum!  He would pour himself one as well, but the sand would just pour down his lip as though he was drinking.  The picture is cool, but his actions were even more amazing.  I hope he is there in a few weeks, when my sister and daughter come to visit me.  We will definitely check this guy out.

This sculpture reminds me of sea urchins.  I took this one for my sister and brother-in-law Marji and David who love sculptures of all types and have created numerous ones throughout their property in CT. They actually have a kinetic sculpture business called wood that works.  Here is a link to their site, which shows the incredible sculptures they make.    http://www.woodthatworks.com

Lastly, I found this Octopus sculpture interesting, as I have recently finished reading a book about Octopus and incredible they are.

After a wonderful visit with Denise and Frank, Dan and I hopped on the bus and rode back to the marina.  We were both pleasantly tired when we got back to the boat.  I was very happy to meet my old friend Denise.

Now I am really looking forward to my sister Carolyn coming for a visit AND today I learned my eldest daughter Kara is also coming in about a week!  Yah!!!!!

Dan and I will be leaving this harbor in La Cruz tomorrow morning and going to a few anchorages in the Banderas Bay area.