We’re signing off - with heartfelt thanks to everyone.

Us - a long time ago, 1980!    

It is time for us to take a break.

Our weekly blog Notes From Paradise started as an email sent in June 2009 to twelve members of our immediate families.   

Over the next two years, the list of followers grew to 500, and then in September of 2011 we switched over to an internet blog page. 

We have had almost 630,000 page views, since 2011.  About a year ago we changed the name to Notes From Isla Mujeres Mexico, to make it easier for new readers to find us.

Hacienda Mundaca Park

We’ve written blog posts highlighting the island’s intriguing history and the enchanting Mexican culture. 

We’ve introduced ourselves to many of the old-time islanders to listen to and to recount their fascinating stories. 

We've traveled to several cities in Mexico and written about their history, culture, and attractions. 

Izamal near Merida 

We've described the lavish and laughter-filled quinceaños, weddings, and the baby's first birthday-baptism parties.

We’ve narrated some of our more memorable experiences like watching the chaotic Carnaval parades, or trying to stay awake for the New Year’s Eve bash in Centro only to be outlasted by the three-year-olds. 

We have written several times about being Mickey and Minnie Mouse in both the annual Christmas Golf Cart parade and the Day of the Kings festivities. Putting happy grins on the kid’s faces is the best reward.

Mickey, Minnie, and Sparky 

We've bragged about Isla’s sugar-white beaches and the endless sun and then grumbled about tropical storms and hurricanes. 

We’ve written about swimming with whale sharks, the sea turtles nesting on our beach, helping friends rescue a trapped mama turtle, the roaming crocodile, and our lounge of lizards lounging in our backyard. 

(Apparently, a group of iguanas hanging out is called a lounge of lizards. I love that expression!)

We have promoted many of Isla’s hardworking charity groups, such as Isla Animals, HALO (Helping Animals Living Overseas, Isla Has Talent, the diabetes clinic, the free dental clinic, Helmets for Kids, Ruben’s Kids, Plogging for Isla – exercise and trash pickup – and many more.

If we liked a new business or restaurant we happily gave them a free ‘plug’ in the blog. Neither one of us ever asked for anything – no discounts, no freebies, nothing. We enjoy the successes of our fellow islanders.

We were told several times that we should ‘monetize’ our blog and make some cash off of the advertisements, but quite honestly we couldn’t be bothered with writing articles that pleased our advertisers. 

We wrote what interested us. We did however try Goggle Ads, and are happy to report that in total we made about $109.00 in revenue!  Woo-hoo! Impressive!

 The Adventures of Thomas the Cat

The discipline of writing a weekly article has given me (Lynda) the confidence to self-publish four books. My first book was a bilingual book for children, The Adventures of Thomas the Cat, followed by the three Isla Mujeres Mystery series, Treasure Isla, Trouble Isla and Tormenta Isla. Book #4 Temptation Isla will hopefully be launched late in 2018.

And we’ve tormented our family and friends with being included, photos and all, in many of our weekly ramblings. We have had hundreds of people tell us they really enjoyed reading our weekly articles, but we are signing off with this post.

We would like to thank our families, friends, and faithful readers for your support for the last nine years.

Thank you all!

Cheers from Paradise

Lawrie, Lynda and Sparky

~

My Great Canadian Adventure – by Sparky

All set to go on a Great Canadian Adventure.   

My legs twitched, my eyelids fluttered, my lips pulled back from my fangs. I moaned and groaned in fear. It was awful. 

Then Servant reached down to pat me, to stop my nightmare.

A month ago my humans, Driver and Servant, started packing their suitcases – and then a dog cage appeared. I didn’t like that one bit. 

The last time a dog cage appeared my roommate, Max, went away and never came back. Now there is only me living with my two humans and I was pretty sure that this carrier was meant for me.

Good view from upstairs on Ultramar

I had been having nightmares for several nights wondering where I was going to be sent. I really like living here, even though I am a bit of a Divo at times. I am a very picky eater. I like to sit beside my humans on the sofa. However, I do come when I am called - most of the time. Well, okay, I come if it suits me.

But all of a sudden we are all leaving, with suitcases, the pet carrier and me! Driver and Servant kept telling me we were going on a Great Canadian Adventure, whatever that meant.

First step was a golf cart ride with some of our human friends to the big blue and yellow boat. It’s the same boat my humans drive our winter friends to every April and then pick them up again in October. 

I usually get to come along to woof goodbye, or greet them when they return. My buddies Skipper the dog and Jax the cat met us at the boat with their humans. All of us four-legged folks were given the nice upstairs view seats, while some of our humans had to sit inside on lower deck.

On the big tube stuffed with people

Next was a ride in a big white van to a large scary place called the Cancun International Airport. I pretended I was an experienced traveler, and not bothered by the crowds and noises. I wasn’t even afraid of the weird little room with the sliding door that moved us to a different area. I think it is called an elevator.

Servant had to carry me through the Security area so that the grumpy people in uniform could check my tummy for recent incisions. People have a lot of strange ideas. They should have had the other dogs sniff me and confirm I wasn’t carrying anything illegal in my stomach. As if! Famous dogs like me don’t do bad things like that.

My bed and blanket kept me warm

Then we walked inside a big tube-shaped thing stuffed with people. I was a bit nervous for a few minutes, but the WestJet staff made such a fuss over me, telling me how good and brave I was, I pretended it was nothing unusual. Oh sure, I ride in jets all the time.

Many hours later, after a long and boring time without even one pee break we landed in a dark and cold place. 

I was sure we had travelled to the North Pole for a visit with Santa Claus, it was that cold!  Driver and Servant said we were in a place called Kelowna, and would be spending the night at Skipper and Jax’s house. I was so relieved to get to their house with the big yard, where I could pee, and pee, and pee some more.

View from our place in Westbank

Next day we moved to another pretty house in Westbank. 

Servant and I walked all around the neighbourhood, but I had to be on a leash all the time. We went every morning to a special park where dogs are allowed to run free and play. 

I met many Canadian dogs who loved swimming in the lake. I put the toes of my right paw in the water, then quickly pulled it back. Brrr, they must be nuts! It was freezing cold.

This water is cold! Not going in there.

Canada is not like my colonia in Mexico where I can run up and down the beach visiting my friends Izabella and Luna.

The funny thing was, my good friend Luna who we waved goodbye to the week before on Isla, was also living nearby. I really liked Luna’s yard! I spent one whole day playing with her while my humans did things they called appointments.

One of their 'appointments' was lunch at Quail's Gate Winery 

Driver and Servant took me for lunch with Servant’s cousins, then we drove for an hour up a mountain so that they could introduce me to snow. 

I was excited because I thought Snow was the name of another dog, but no, snow is cold sand. Very cold sand. I sniffed and got back in the car. 

Shut that door please!

Open that car door, and turn the heat on!

After teaching me about snow, we drove to another city, where we stayed at the Days’ Inn in Penticton. Servant used to work there before she and Driver moved to Mexico. The people there were very nice to me and the owners invited me to their house! It must be because they know how famous I am.

I also got to meet two more dog that my humans have known for many years. Cleo and Sophie were friends of Thomas the Cat when he lived in the nearby city of Summerland. 

I met the family, plus Caitlin who is missing from photo

We stayed several days while Driver had more really boring appointments. 

The really great thing was while we were there I got to visit with more of our family, John, Maia, Caitlin, Ethan and Evan. 

It was really fun to see them, and to meet the younger generation for the first time. I liked them a lot, and I think they liked me too. They gave me lots of tummy rubs.

Brrr. Still cold. But at least I tried it.

In Penticton I finally had a quick dip in Skaha Lake. 

It had been a month since we had arrived in Canada and with weather had warmed up enough that I decided to try a swim. Once! Still too darn cold for this low-to-the-ground Mexican.

After our time in Penticton we drove back to Skipper and Jax’s house in Kelowna. Lots of people, plus my friend Luna, came to a fun party to say Buen Viaje.

Nicole, Lawrie, Linda G., Kara

The next day we flew from Kelowna to Edmonton, where I got to stay in a beautiful hotel. 

Then we went through the same procedure of being walked through Customs, onto the plane and home to Mexico. 

The WestJet staff let Servant hold me up to see out the window, once!  Wow! What a sight, seeing my home from a way up there. It’s beautiful.

A quick peak out the window.

I am now back on our island, I’m happy to be running on the sand, swimming in the warm Caribbean Sea, and settled into my Divo routine in our little house.

I would like to thank everyone for their generosity, hospitality, and love on my Great Canadian Adventure.

Cheers

Sparky,

etuk twhered figure whoboat – tLynda and Lawrie

Caribbean Sea - flying into Cancun

~

Join Sparky on his Caribbean adventures 

in the Isla Mujeres Mystery series!

Available on Amazon as E-Books or Paperback.

Pirates, buried treasure, kidnappings, murder and mayhem on a tiny island in the Caribbean Sea.

Sparky's and his humans are traveling - no blog this week!

Hi Folks! We're traveling - back soon! Cheers Sparky